Billionaire's Island Bride(11)

“I like it.” His voice was brusque and cool. It was almost as if he had no interest in conversation.

Confused, Erin bit her lip. Why had he asked her to dinner? He was acting like she was an annoyance.

She dropped the napkin onto her lap, lifted her head and looked him squarely in the eyes. Enough was enough. “You didn’t really want to invite me out, did you?”

“Excuse me?” He straightened, obviously caught off guard by her direct question.

“This…date, if you can call it that. Clearly, you don’t want to be here so why did you invite me out?” Erin gave him her coldest stare.

“I’m…sorry,” he said, his voice low. He had the decency to look contrite. “I’ve had a rough day and was a bit…distracted.” He leaned forward and for the first time that evening he gave her a smile that could be described as warm. “That’s no excuse for my behavior and I’m sorry. Forgive me?” He gave her a puppy dog look that melted her heart.

How could she say no? She smiled back at him. “Of course,” she said with a slight nod of her head and when he reached out and took her hand she did not pull it away.

After that the rest of the date went smoothly and soon Erin began to relax in Dare’s company. He was charming and witty, and she found herself laughing at his insightful and satirical observations on life. She was seeing another side to this man she’d branded as too domineering and too bold. He actually had a sense of humor.

She’d just finished her second glass of wine when the server approached the table, bottle at ready. This time she quickly covered her glass with her hand.

“I’m fine, thank you,” she told him with a smile.

“Are you sure?” Dare asked and a mischievous smile played on his lips. “You’re on vacation, remember? No time like the present to let your hair down.”

She thought about it. He was right. It was not like she had to drive a car afterwards so no fear of DUI. And she didn’t have to get up next day to head out to work or classes. What harm could one more glass of wine do? Besides, she liked wine.

She began to slide her fingers away, her lips slightly pursed in anticipation of the tangy liquid, but then her better self, good old cautious Erin, came to the rescue. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I rarely drink so two glasses of wine is enough, I think. I’ll have to walk back to the villa, remember?” She was looking at Dare and gave a little laugh as he gave her an exaggerated look of disappointment. Then when he gave her a pout and wiped away a fake tear she laughed out loud. Dare DeSouza was actually a funny guy.

Seeming satisfied that he’d made her laugh, Dare turned to the server. “Just one glass, please. We’ll share it.”

At his words Erin’s eyes widened and she felt the warmth of a blush rise to her face. We’ll share it? Whoa, hold on. Wasn’t that much too intimate for two people who hardly knew each other? She continued to stare at Dare, trying to look composed, but she could feel her smile faltering.

Within an instant a fresh glass of white wine was placed on the table between them and the server slipped discreetly away. Erin tore her eyes from Dare’s face and looked instead at the sparkling liquid.

He chuckled and reached out a hand to slide the glass closer to her. “You first,” he said and the way he said it was both commanding and seductive at the same time.

For a moment Erin hesitated. Then the tension in her dissipated. She relaxed and reached for the glass. She wasn’t going to have all of it, after all. She picked it up by its delicate stem and lifted it to her mouth, her eyes never leaving Dare’s sharp gray ones. She took a small sip then another and another until Dare stopped her with a laugh.

“Hey, leave some for me. We’re supposed to be sharing, remember?”

She laughed too, and lowered the glass to the table then slid it across to him. She was staring at him, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. His smile so transformed his face that she could hardly believe he was the same man, the cold, hard brute she’d met the day before. He now looked something very close to a naughty boy planning some devious trick.

This time it was Dare’s turn to put the glass to his lips. He gave it a slight turn with his fingers, seeming to deliberately position it so that his mouth would fall precisely where hers had been just moments before. Then, before Erin could guess what he was about to do, his tongue darted out to taste the memory of her lips.

Erin’s breath caught in her throat. A simple gesture was all it had been but never had she seen anything more erotic. He’d sent her a clear and unmistakable message without saying a single word. Dare DeSouza wanted her in no uncertain terms.