“Do you want to?”
She traces the rim of her glass with one finger. “Want to what?”
“Leave.”
Her dark eyes meet mine, and I watch her weigh the question. What she’s really asking. What I’m really offering.
“No,” she admits. “Not particularly.”
“Then don’t.”
“That’s a dangerous suggestion.”
“I’m a dangerous man.” I finish my scotch and set the glass down. “But not to you. Never to you.”
She lets out a soft laugh. “You don’t even know my name.”
“I don’t need to know your name to know I’m not ready for this conversation to end.” I jerk my head toward the door. “My place is right up the road.”
She studies me like she’s searching for a reason to say no and coming up empty.
“One condition,” she finally declares, holding up a finger.
“Name it.”
“No names. No numbers. Just tonight.”
It should bother me. It doesn’t.
“Just tonight,” I agree.
The cab ride takes twelve minutes. We don’t touch or speak. Just sit in charged silence while the city passes the windows.
My apartment building has a private elevator that opens directly into my penthouse. She steps inside and takes in the space with those observant dark eyes.
“Nice place. Very minimalist.”
“I don’t like clutter.”
She turns to face me with a sultry smile. “What do you like?”
“Surprises.” I loosen my cuffs and roll my sleeves to my elbows. “I don’t get many of those these days.”
“And I surprised you?”
“You’re still surprising me.”
She takes a step closer, then another, until barely a foot separates us, and I catch her perfume—something floral with a hint of spice underneath.
“Good surprises or bad surprises?”
“The best kind.” I reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers trail along her jaw. “The kind that makes me want more.”
Her breath catches. She doesn’t pull away.
I close the distance and kiss her.
She tastes like gin and something sweeter underneath. Her mouth opens for me, and I take full advantage. My hands find her waist, pulling her against my body so she can feel exactly what she’s done to me over the past few hours.
