FOREVER MINE(2)

Just like she wanted him.

The hardening of her nipples pressed against her lace bra proved that. Always did. What they constantly encountered whenever they came within five feet of each other was a case of full-blown desire; a craving of the most potent kind. For them it was no longer a mere case of sexual chemistry at its most volatile point. It had become a battle of wills, of control, a test to see which of them would fall victim to lust first and to what degree. Especially since after their initial meeting they had unceremoniously informed each other there could and never would be anything between them. It was a taboo. One they would both admit was of the sweetest kind…as well as the most torturous. He could probably charm the panties off most women. But then she wasn’t like most women. She knew the score. Hell, she had her own little black book!

Deciding she would finally give him a response to his statement, a flippant one - which he had come to expect from her, she said. “Not on your life, blue eyes. I was just thinking about my date last night and how well it went.”

She saw his eyes darken even more. Jealousy was over-shadowing desire in them now. Good. Let him think that some other man was getting what he wanted but would never have.

“Did it?” he asked, looking at her like he would like to place her between a slice of toasted bread. The desire in his eyes was back and it looked stronger, hotter than ever.

“Yes,” she said, trying to ignore the look and not feel the heat. “But I wouldn’t want to bore you with all the luscious details. I’m sure you didn’t ask me to meet you here today for that.”

“No, I didn’t,” he said, sliding his six–three frame onto the bar stool beside her.

She tried not to notice how his thighs, firm and tight, looked in a pair of tailored slacks when he sat down. Her eyes automatically went to his zipper and her control almost faltered. He was aroused. She couldn’t fight her reaction to seeing him that way when an intense throb kicked in between her legs. It hadn’t been the first time she had seen physical signs of just how much he wanted her.

“Sonya?”

She pulled her gaze from his crotch and met his gaze. “Yes?”

“I was about to tell you the reason I asked you to meet me here. But if you have other things on your mind then I’d be happy to oblige.”

He’d caught her staring at a certain part of his anatomy and got his meaning loud and clear. “I think we made sure we understood each other the first time we met, Mike.”

“You don’t like vanilla.”

“Yes, just like you indicated that day that you never had a taste for chocolate.”

He held her gaze. “And what if I said that I’m beginning to acquire a taste for it?”

She forced a smile to her lips. “Then I would suggest you go to the nearest grocery store and buy a pint.”

“Umm, not sure a pint will take care of my hunger. It’s pretty intense.”

“Then buy a damn gallon. Hell, you can buy all the store has in stock.”

“Or I can just sample you.”

“Not in this lifetime.”

He threw his head back and laughed. She took a sip of her daiquiri and thought the sound coming from his throat was way too sexy to be a laugh. But then she thought everything about him was sexy even the hair on his head. Blond, straight and silky looking, and with a length that caressed his shoulders. His skin was white. Umm, not really, she thought, at least not today. He had a tan which meant he’d spent the day in the sun; probably on the golf course with Jesse. Orlando, Florida was probably one of the few places that could boast of having summer-like weather in January.

Then, she thought as she continued to study his features, what made him knock-out-want-to-make-you-drool-handsome was his high cheekbones; eyebrows that actually matched the color of his hair; long lashes that were so perfect for his blue eyes; and the shape of his mouth. Never had she wanted to taste a pair of lips more.

“You’re staring again.”

His words made her blink. Then her body stiffened. “So, big deal.”

“We can go somewhere now and make it a big deal.”

Her lips stretched into another forced smile. “Okay, what is this, Mike? See how much I can get on Sonya’s nerves day?”

He chuckled. “No, I just like getting a rise out of you.”

She smiled and this time it was genuine. “Like I like getting a rise out of you?” she said pointedly before staring down at his crotch to let him know she knew exactly what she did to him.

Her gaze returned to his face. She saw the way his lips thinned at the same time his eyes narrowed. Bingo. She had hit a nerve. Good.

“I didn’t ask you here for this,” he said, in a tight voice. “One day you’re going to meet your match.”

Her smile brightened. “You think so?” Without waiting for him to respond, she said. “And when that day comes I will gladly give up my little black book. But so far I haven’t met a man who was my match, not even one who comes close. I personally don’t think one exists.”

She paused when the bartender came and placed a drink in front of him. Evidently, this was a place he frequented often enough for the bartender to have known exactly what he wanted. She watched as he downed his scotch as if it could wash away something he found distasteful.

He then looked at her. “Now, where were we?”

She couldn’t help the smile that remained on her lips when she said. “You were telling me how much you wanted me.”

He surprised her when he leaned forward and whispered low, very close to her right ear. “I could take you somewhere and show you better than I can tell you.” And he ended that statement by swiping a quick lick beneath her ear with his tongue. She immediately felt her panties get wet. She wondered if he noticed her scent. Several men claimed that they could tell when she was good, hot and ready by her scent.

She had a feeling he’d picked up on her ‘let’s-go-make-out’ aroma by the triumphant tilt of his lips. “You know it will eventually happen between us, don’t you?” he asked, his gaze penetrating hers.

She knew what ‘it’ was. “Like I said, not in your lifetime. Besides, you couldn’t handle me,” she threw back at him.

He reached out and touched her hand, curled his fingers around hers, and she saw the satisfied glint in his eyes when he heard her sharp intake of breath. “No, sweetheart, I don’t think you can handle me,” he said, accepting another drink the bartender placed in front of him.

Her pulse quickened and her panties got wetter. She would actually admit, but never to him, that there were times when she herself doubted she could. And that said a lot. The thought of not being able to take him on always pissed her off. “Look, Mike, if the only reason you asked me here was to show how annoyed we can get with each other, then I have more things I could be doing with my time. I’m going to give you one minute to tell me what this meeting is about.”

* * *



Mike took a sip of his scotch. If he wasn’t driving he would down the entire thing again. Being around Sonya always did this to him, made him hornier than hell while at the same time grating on his last nerve. He remembered a time they had gotten along; it was in the beginning when they were too busy concentrating on ways to get Jesse and Carla back together. Then it seemed with that task accomplished, they automatically began concentrating on each other. They fought like hell against the attraction that oftentimes wanted to take over their bodies, minds and good old common sense. They were still fighting it. Now it seemed that things were so bad, they had declared a full scale war. At thirty-six he was too old for such battles.

“You have forty seconds, Mike.”

He glanced over at her. He could do a lot in forty-seconds, especially with that luscious mouth of hers. “Jesse’s birthday is the first of next month,” he finally said when he knew he was almost down to two seconds. “And Carla’s the end of next month. I thought it would be nice if you and I got together and gave a birthday party, around the middle of the month, for the both of them.”

He watched one of her arched brows rise. “A birthday party”

“Yes.”

He then watched her features; saw the softening around her lips, the sparkle in her eyes and knew she liked the idea. But then his traitorous gaze saw other things. He saw a very beautiful and desirable woman with medium brown hair that was cut short in a sassy style, intelligent dark eyes, skin that reminded you of chocolate cappuccino and a nicely shaped mouth that he liked to look at. His gaze always came back to that. Her mouth. It was a mouth he had tasted once when he’d managed to snag one quick, hot kiss off her.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Mike,” she said smiling. “And if we shoot for the middle of the month, they won’t suspect a thing.” Her smile widened. “Yeah, I think we can pull something over on them.”

“We’ve done it before,” he decided to remind her of a time when they had gotten along while doing so.

She met his gaze and he knew she was remembering. “Yes, we did, didn’t we?”

“We worked well together as a team when we had a common goal.”

He knew she couldn’t deny that. “Yes, we definitely had a common goal then. I’m glad we did. They are so happy together. There’s so much love there.”