“Being intimate like this. With someone I barely know.”
“Really? No wild romps in your younger days?” he questioned, handing her one of the champagne flutes.
“How old do you think I am?” she teased.
“Age is merely a number.”
Penelope took a sip, felt the bubbles fizz over her tongue. “True. Even so, there’ve been no romps for me.”
“No?”
“I’ve dated some, sure, but … I guess I’ve never found anyone who tripped me up.”
Not the way you do, anyway.
Obsidian chuckled, as though he’d heard her inner thoughts.
“I’ve always been the good girl,” she explained. “Usually spent my time trying to corral my brother, keep him in line.”
“He a troublemaker?”
“You could say that.”
“You only have the one brother?”
“Yeah. I think two at once was more than my parents bargained for.”
“And your parents? Where are they?”
“My mother ran off with a man-child, ditching all of us when I was thirteen. I haven’t seen her in years. My father … he’s still in LA. He owns a tech company. Spends the majority of his time in the office.”
“Do you keep in touch with him?”
“Not really, no. His company’s more important than his family. Our relationship … it’s a bit strained.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s part of the reason I followed Oliver here. Not because we’re closer or anything. Guess I figured if I was going to have a relationship with one of them, I had a better chance with my brother.”
Not that that had worked out for her or anything.
Obsidian dangled a strawberry in front of her. Penelope started to reach for it, but his lips brushed her ear.
“Let me feed you.”
She could hardly breathe for the heat that consumed her. The sensation of his breath caressing her neck had her skin feeling two sizes too small.
Opening her mouth, Penelope waited for him to bring the strawberry closer. He teased her lower lip with chocolate, dragging the berry across it. When he paused, she closed her lips around it, bit down. The tangy flavor was softened by the sweetness of the chocolate.
“Good?”
She nodded. “You said you’re here on business? How long will that be?”
“As long as it takes.”
“But you said you found who you were looking for.”
“I did. I’ve got a few more things to deal with.”
