“That’s a pretty tall order.” He smiled, stroking his lips with his index finger. He leaned comfortably on one elbow and had adopted such a sexy stance that I couldn’t look away from him.
I didn’t care about any of the other men there.
I wanted him.
“I’m particular. I’m not interested in just anyone,” I said. It was true, I wasn’t attracted to empty, superior, or self-absorbed men. I had always valued substance over style. I could appreciate outer beauty, sure but what really drove me wild was the beauty inside. Neil was the sum of all those things, which was why I was so fascinated with him.
He bit his lower lip and, once again, looked at mine.
Why wasn’t he kissing me if that’s what he wanted?
It looked like he was trying to control himself, just like he had been in the pool house.
He chuckled, apropos of nothing, and moved his eyes over my shoulder. All at once, I watched his face change. The levity of the moment evaporated. I could tell that insidious thoughts were filling his mind. I followed his gaze,looking for whatever had caused this lightning-quick change, and spotted a woman, black-haired and beautiful, walking into the club.
Though the place was packed, she drew almost all of the male attention. She wore a simple pair of leather pants and a black, low-cut top that was tied off around her rib cage, leaving her midriff exposed. She was with a blond girl and had an arm draped over her shoulders. The girl in black turned to smile at someone, her wavy black hair fluttering with the movement. I looked back at Neil and found his eyes still locked on her.
It seemed ill-advised just then to keep sitting on his lap, so I moved over to the next stool, the one Alyssa had vacated. Neil seemed to agree with my instinct because he did nothing to stop me. He did nothing—absolutely nothing—to keep me close to him.
“Shoot your shot. I doubt she’ll reject you,” I said testily. There it was—jealousy pressing down on my chest like a boulder. Neil turned his gaze to me and frowned.
Was he pretending not to understand?
“What?” he murmured absently.
“The black-haired girl you’re staring at. If you try to pick her up, she’s not going to say no,” I repeated more clearly. It seemed like a fairly obvious observation.
Who would say no to him?
I was positive that Neil had never been rejected by a woman in his entire life.
“You think?” he said mockingly, though he didn’t seem to have any plans to seduce her. He absolutely could have but instead remained right there in front of me looking like a god: beautiful and out of reach.
“You’re just sitting here staring at her. I don’t want to hold you back. You’ve found tonight’s lucky girl. Do what you gotta do.” I gave him a smile, but it was tight and forced.
“What I gotta do?” he repeated, sounding amused.
“Yup. Bonus: She has great breasts. Big, like you like them,” I grumbled. I was going too far, but I was so terribly nervous. My legs had even started shaking. Neil managed to keep from laughing in my face and leaned against the bar to get closer to me.
Here he was—Neil the seducer.
Handsome, shameless, and sensual.
“Your breasts aren’t so bad,” he said softly, casting an approving glance at my chest. “I’ll remind you that I’ve felt them, licked them, and sucked on them. I don’t usually give that kind of attention to anything I don’t like,” he asserted.
“Could you be a little less…explicit?” I blushed and looked around to hide the redness in my cheeks. I could feel myself getting hot, and my underpants bore the evidence of my body’s weakness: I was aroused.
“I’m usually even more explicit, Tinkerbell.” He smirked at my reaction, and I avoided meeting his eyes again. He was too close; I could feel his breath on my skin. So I shot him a sideways glance and saw that he was still watching me.
“Why are you staring at me?” I huffed. Neil was definitely looking at me now and not at the beautiful girl in black.
“Because I prefer the black-haired girl, right?” he shot back wickedly.
I automatically glanced at the lovely green-eyed stranger and then back at him. He was still focused on me.
“I’m the one you’re staring at, though,” I answered thoughtfully. There was a hint of an enigmatic smile on his face and…
Damn it, he had to stop smiling like that.
