"It's certainly off to a good start."
When Lucy let her guard down and looked at him like she was right now, he felt like a completely different man.
A better man.
Now all he had to do was figure out how to keep her looking at him like that for longer than a few minutes.
Guilt had played into his initial reason for planning this night. He owed it to her since he'd taken that long-­ago night away. But the more he was around her, the more she intrigued him. For him, Lucy was like that special gold foil – ­wrapped chocolate in a box of assorted treats. You didn't know exactly what you were going to get until you unwrapped it and took a bite.
Lucy had many interesting places he'd like to taste.
He lifted his glass to hers and they toasted. As Lucy pursed her luscious lips and sipped her champagne, the only thing Jordan thought could possibly make this night even better was if he could sip the champagne from her naked body. As a bonus he could think of plenty of ways to use the ripe strawberries. And heaven help him if a can of whipped cream came into play.
Imagining Lucy spread out on a big bed with soft sheets made his tuxedo pants tighten. As difficult as it was to keep his mind where it should be, not even a raging hard-­on would get him to break the promise he'd made to give Lucy a night she'd never forget.
She deserved to have a night just for her. It seemed she was great at helping others. Jordan wanted her to have a night where she could hopefully have a little fun and break free from any chains from the past that had bound her and stopped her from seeing herself as a brilliant, beautiful, desirable woman.
That's how he saw her.
"So if not Cranky Hank's, where are we going?" She sipped her champagne, then dipped her fingers into the glass, brought the strawberry to her lips, and took a bite.
The move wasn't calculated, Lucy didn't play that way. But he wondered if she had any idea at all how incredibly sexy she was. Whether she was in her kitchen wearing a big fluffy robe and pouring a cup of tea or wearing a ball gown and plucking a strawberry from a glass, she fascinated the hell out of him.
He didn't even want to think about the dream he'd had of her in the few hours he'd actually slept last night. The zipper of his pants was already tight enough.
"Maybe you missed the part about all this being a surprise?"
She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not a very patient person."
"Good to know, and too bad." He refilled her glass. "Because in about two minutes I'm going to have you close your eyes."
"What if I don't trust you enough to close them?" The upward tilt of her lips let him know her words were just a tease.
Heaven help him. He did like a playful woman.
He grinned. "What do I have to do to win you over?"
The heat of her gaze warmed him as those dark chocolate eyes looked him up and down, then searched his face. His fingertips tingled to touch her.
"Between the dress and the limo I think you've probably already proven yourself."
"Then how about you close those gorgeous eyes now?"
Her lashes fluttered, then her eyes closed in a display of trust.
And damned if he wasn't about to break it.
He leaned in and touched his lips to hers.
Briefly.
Because he had to.
To her credit, she didn't open her eyes as he lifted his head. Instead a sexy little hum vibrated in her throat.
"Careful, Mr. Kincade."
She looked so delicious sitting there with her long, curly hair, her pretty lips, and her luscious cleavage teasing him from behind that sparkly fabric. Everything male inside him wanted to lay her back on that buttery leather seat and feast on her in the privacy of the darkened limo. He wanted to lift all those lavender ruffles and run his hand up her long legs until he discovered whether she wore silk panties or nothing at all. But he'd gone to a great extent to make sure she had something she'd never been able to enjoy before.
Tonight wasn't about him and what he wanted. Tonight was about putting a smile on her face for reasons other than what he'd fantasized in his head. Tonight was about making up for the ass he'd been back in high school. And tonight was probably about a whole lot more he wasn't yet willing to consider.
"Ms. Diamond, I should probably let you know careful isn't in my vocabulary."
When the limo stopped, Jordan peered through the window, hoping everything was in place. If so, it would be a miracle. "Keep your eyes closed, Lucy."
"I am."
"Do you trust me?"
"No."
"Not even a little?"
"Maybe a smidge."