Bianca turns to Piper again and offers her fingers in a limp attempt at a handshake. “I’m an old friend of the Windemere family. And you are?”
Piper doesn’t look at me for confirmation on her next move. She smiles politely and lightly shakes Bianca’s hand. “Piper-Lily Barclay. Very nice to meet you.”
I’ve never seen a handshake end so quickly. Bianca looks stunned.
“Why… Well… It was nice to meet you, too. Please excuse me.”
She hurries away with a hand shoved in her handbag, likely rummaging for her cell phone so the rumor mill can get started. The publicity is fine, but I’m not looking forward to dealing with my mother when she finds out who tonight’s date is. My father will say I’m making a bad business decision. My mother will say he’s not being supportive even as she passive-aggressively rips me apart. They’ll fight. Same story, different impetus.
“Why do I get the feeling she earned a Ph.D. in gossip?” Piper whispers.
“You should see her dossier.”
Piper huffs a laugh. “The man behind me was taking pictures, by the way. He tried to hide the camera behind his bread basket but he wasn’t very subtle.”
Damn it. I need to do better.
“You earned a bodyguard. I’ll make it happen immediately.”
Our eyes lock. Her expression grows serious and there’s an underlying heat in her eyes that’s quickly making its way to the surface.
“Okay. Just make sure he’s good at kickboxing.”
My brain doesn’t process the lighthearted teasing because her desire has infiltrated my skin, my blood. Tonight, I’m going to make her earn so much more. She has no idea what I have in mind—or how much she’s going to enjoy it.
Reaching across the table, I cup her face in my palm and run my thumb over her lower lip.
And I don’t give a fuck who sees.
22
PIPER-LILY
I’m runningon pure adrenaline by the time we leave the restaurant.
Nate holds my hand on his thigh as he maneuvers through traffic with an urgency that surprises me. He must be just as eager to get home as I am.
I hope he’s going to pick up where we left off earlier. There’s been a buzzing tension pulled taut between us all evening. The way he kept looking at me, like he wanted to devour me right there on top of the table, had me constantly squeezing my thighs together and flashing back to the pleasure he gave me with his mouth. Even as we worked through each delicious course of the meal, all I could think about was the fact that I wanted more of Nate.
Not that I wasn’t enjoying myself at dinner. Our conversation was surprisingly easy and fun, and I was surprised at the way Nate opened up about himself. It gives me a broader picture of the man that he really is and makes him slightly less intimidating.
There are a lot of sides to him, and I’m ready to explore more of them.
We pull into the drive, glide slowly into the brownstone’s garage, and park. Nate kills the engine. He gets out and comes around to open my door, helps me out, and then leads me to the side door. Something about him has changed since we left the restaurant. He’s quieter now and more reserved—more like his old, stoic self. Does he regret letting his guard down with me?
I step into my apartment, and instead of leaving me, Nate follows me inside. I was right, then. He does want me. My heart jackhammers in my chest.
“Did you enjoy dinner?” he asks, his breath touching the back of my bare shoulder as he speaks, making me shiver.
“Yes, I did. Thank you for taking me out.”
The door clicks as he closes it behind us, and we make our way into the living room. Glancing back at him, I pull a sharp intake of breath as I realize he’s already getting undressed.
First, he loosens his tie. The knot comes apart and he pulls the length of silk from his neck, holding one end wrapped around each hand. I set my purse down on the coffee table, my hand shaking a little with nerves. My spine tingles as he moves toward me.
“Turn around, back to me,” he commands. “Good girl. Now it’s time for dessert.”
Before I can respond, the tie loops around my neck from behind, the widest part of the fabric settling across my throat. My fingers fly to my neck, but he pulls the tie away, letting it softly slide across my neck and fall away.A flicker of fear passes through me but quickly fades. I have no reason to fear Nate. He won’t hurt me…not in a devious way.
