“Were you…” Why is my heart racing? I suddenly feel serious and giddy at the exact same time. This is intense, and that makes it feel ridiculous because I don’t even know his name. That and the wine, which I rarely drink, is making me loopy. I swallow and push out the rest of my sentence. “Looking for the restroom?”
“No. I was looking for you.”
He glances past me briefly, to notice Audrey. He gives her a quick nod of hello. I turn to face her, away from him, and with no other option, subtly shove the condom under the front of my dress and into my padded bra. Audrey steps up beside me grinning like a crazy person. “I’m Audrey. I’m her best friend. And I’m going to disappear now.”
Her heels click in quick succession as she darts down the hall, pausing only for a second to glance over her shoulder and mouth the words “Do him” at me.
“I never got your name,” he explains, pulling my gaze away from my crazy friend and back to his stunning face. “And I never gave you mine.”
“Shayne,” I reply, barely above a whisper for some reason.
“What?”
“My name is Shayne.”
“That’s a boy’s name.”
“My father wanted a boy,” I explain for the millionth time in my twenty-four years. “He got one later, but I was born first so…”
“I’m calling you Shay,” he announces, and I’m a little stunned that he has just arbitrarily renamed me. “It’s more feminine and soft, like you.”
I want to explain to him that I’m hardly feminine or soft. I’m a tomboy. I prefer sweats and ponytails to makeup and heels. And soft? Sure, he fills out a fancy suit well, but I’m the daughter of a professional athlete, and my job is fitness. I bet I could kick his ass. I don’twantto kick his ass…but I wouldn’t mind grabbing it. That’s why I don’t get too flippant with him even though I should. Desire trumps all, apparently.
His lips spread slowly into a hot little smile, and his hand slides from my elbow down to my wrist. He could circle it twice with his fingers if he wanted to, I can tell. Big hands. Much rougher than I would expect from a businessman.
“Sebastian,” he says, his voice deep and his smile growing broader. His name is like velvet coming off his tongue with a French twist to it. I have a feeling he could recite a grocery list and I would want to touch myself. Jesus.
I swallow again and smile back. “Sebastian is the crab inLittle Mermaid.”
“What?”
“I’d rather have a boy’s name than a crustacean’s.”
His smile gets boyish and he chuckles, and it rumbles up from his chest right through me. It’s infectious, and I start to giggle. His hand at my wrist slips to my hand. We are holding hands. I am holding hands with this French lawyer-or-accountant-maybe-even-waiter stranger.
“You’ve got one smart mouth,” he tells me as I stare up at him. He tilts his jaw and dips his head a little. “I like smart mouths, Shay.”
“Good, because I don’t intend to change, Frenchie.”
“Frenchie?”
I give him a little shrug. “If you’re changing my name I’m changing yours. And it’s either Frenchie or Crabby.”
“Frenchie because of my accent?”
I nod. “Sure. Although I’m sure there are other French things you’re good at besides the accent.”
He likes that. I can tell by the way those bright eyes narrow in that smoldering way Audrey mentioned and fall to my lips. I wonder if that stupid ruby red gloss I put on is still there. Audrey said it would last all night but since I usually never wear lip gloss, or anything other than Chapstick, I have no idea if that’s the truth.
“I’d like to show you exactly what I’m good at.”
Holy shit. Is he for real? Did he just outright proposition me?
He lets go of my hand and reaches between us, cupping the side of my cheek gently but also with this unreal sense of power…dominance. And I like it. It’s making me quiver.
His thumb moves over my lips and his head dips even lower and his sexy face blurs because he’s so close. I can feel his breath as he exhales and then—nothing. No breath. No movement. His eyes are focused on my lips and his mouth is slightly open, a fraction of an inch from mine. My insides are a riptide of anticipation and fear and lust. I can’t just stand here. I have to either pull away or do the unthinkable. I can’t stop looking at his face. Besides the fact that it’s gorgeous with his dark eyebrows and his pale eyes and his plump, symmetrical lips, it’s covered in the most…sinful expression. Deliciously sinful, like he’s already doing incredibly hot, dirty things to me in his mind. And that’s why I decide to do what I would normally consider unthinkable. Because I’ve never seen someone look at me like that before, and I want to be the person he’s already undressed in his head.
I rock up ever so slightly on my strappy black heels and close the distance between our mouths. He responds instantly—with a smile. I can feel it against my lips and I want to freak out. He thinks this is funny? OMG, he better not think this is funny! His hand at my neck pulls me a little closer and his lips fall from the smile and press harder into mine and his head tilts and…he thinks he’s won.
