Her lip curled. “No deal.”
He shrugged. “I could stay all night or put you under guard. Work with me.”
She hissed and pressed both hands to her curvy hips. “You’re going to blackmail me?”
He wouldn’t, but besides anger, he could see something else in the eyes that still haunted him late at night. Interest. Definite interest. “Yeah. One dinner. You and me.”
While he’d deny it to his grave, he held his breath as he waited for her answer.
Curiosity. Deep and glimmering, her eyes were full of questions. “Why?”
Why indeed. “I want to know you again.”
Her head jerked.
Yep. She’d never expected the direct approach—not with her crappy childhood. Her mom had died when she was a toddler, and her father, a genius statistician with a definite antigovernmental agenda, had moved her to the States to be raised by a nanny. Not horrible, but not with much warmth.
She’d never been able to turn away from warmth.
His heart beat faster. So close. Finally. So close to her. He smiled and tried to appear harmless. “One dinner, and you’re free.” They’d always been too different, but he’d thought that his new job, new life, would be soothing to her. Well, before Scorpius had risen.
She rubbed her nose, her body visibly relaxing. “One dinner tonight—just to catch up.”
“One dinner and one kiss.”
She breathed out. “No kiss.”
“Just one.” He opened the door. “Unless you’re afraid.”
She scoffed.
His lungs compressed. Years ago, the woman could never resist a challenge. Hopefully she hadn’t changed.
She hovered, for the slightest of moments, obviously fighting the impish side of herself. Her head went back. The devil lit her smile, she glided toward him, stood up on her toes, and brushed her lips across his.
Heat flashed into his belly so fast his vision narrowed in focus. To one woman and one moment. “That wasn’t a kiss.” His voice lowered to a huskiness he couldn’t hide.
Her head tilted in a flirty move he remembered well. “Oh?”
Yeah. He’d forgotten. Actually forgotten how easily she could tempt him and how much the woman liked to play with fire. Even as the thought spun through his head, he moved.
His hands clamped her upper arms, and he dragged her into him. Her gasp breathed heat against his lips. The second her body slid against him, his cock tried to punch through his zipper. Yet he fought his natural inclination and slowly, so damn slowly it hurt, lowered his face to hers.
Then he forgotslow.
His lips covered hers, and he drove his tongue inside, swallowing her instant moan. Fire. Lava heated his blood, burning his nerves, lighting everything he was on fire.
He’d forgotten. How, he’d never know. But he’d forgotten the burn.
The incredible, unreal, so fucking deep shot of raw electricity only she could create. Even as he kissed her, bending her back, taking so hard, anger tried to claim hold. Fury at her for taking awaythis. This feeling nobody else on earth could actually experience. The feeling ofthem.
He tangled his fingers in her hair and twisted, tugging her head back so he could go deeper. His other arm banded around her waist and lifted. Her legs wrapped around his hips, her body gyrated against him, and her mouth filled his with soft little gasps. The male inside him, the one full of instinct with no intellect, roared for him to take. To yank off her clothes and spread her out on the floor. To feast for hours.
Her fingers curled into his chest, digging through his shirt, nearly unleashing everything inside him he’d tried so fucking hard to tame.
He jerked his head back, his chest panting.
Stunning. Her eyes had darkened further, glowing with hunger. Her lips shone red and tempting. She sucked in air. “No,” she whispered.
