Those times, in the dark, she could free her soul to uninhibited abandon in the pursuit of her deepest desires. She longed to be cherished and conquered, her heart ruled and utterly loved. She wondered if any man would ever manage to call to her true self. That part of her that craved to be tamed and burned with hot kisses, gentle bites and the caress of a strong, loving hand.
Take Mr. Gorgeous right here. He probably had centerfolds for breakfast, lunch and dinner as a daily routine. He looked like just the type of guy who would have no problems dating whomever he chose without reservations. Oh yeah, he’d no doubt make Countess Elizabeth de Bathory convert to a life of charity and fall in a besotted heap at his feet. He was the kind who could and would take anything he wanted and had the power to discard it when he was done with it. He made her core ache with need and her nipples tingle. Her own devil incarnate, sent to lead her into the bowels of lurid, decadent temptation. Would that be true!
That day three weeks ago when she’d heard his husky, deep voice for the first time, she’d thought she’d die. She’d never met—or heard—anyone who could make her wet just by the sound of his voice…
All she knew about Cole Evans was that he was a high-powered corporate lawyer in NYC and that he was brother to Chad, her sister Fiona’s soon-to-be husband. For some reason, they kept missing each other when she attended family get-togethers during the last two years.
And what had she been missing! She’d seen some family photos of Chad and Cole when they were boys, but she had no idea what he looked like now. To be true, he had actually made it to her parents’ house in Nashville for the engagement party about six months before, but he had disappeared to handle some emergency at his office before she had a chance to take a look at him. She would never admit to anybody how disappointed she had felt that evening. Strangely, she had always thought of Cole as an intriguing person, someone she knew she’d like to know.
When her secretary transferred his call to her office, he was the last person she expected to hear on the other line.
“Hello, Olivia. This is Cole, Chad’s brother. I hope I’m not calling at a bad time.”
“Oh…hello, nice to finally hear you.” No kidding. Nice didn’t come close. Hmm…where did he get that voice? “You’re fine. So how’s it going? Can’t believe Fiona’s finally getting hitched.”
“I never thought Chad was the marrying type either, but hey, I guess pigs can fly.”
She thought she heard a chuckle on the other side. Bet he was just the regular devil with women. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. That was when he popped the question.
“Olivia, I was thinking. How do you feel about us taking the same flight to Georgia? We’ve never had the chance to meet, so I thought it’d be nice to take a day or so to see the sights in Atlanta before we drive up to Villa Catalana for the wedding. After all, we’re about to be family. Don’t know about you, but I sure need a break from all this craziness.”
Oh my, my, my. Someone pass her a fan or something! Why did he make her feel like a clumsy teen about to go on her first date?
“Sure, I know what you mean, and your idea sounds great. Actually, I have a hook-up. My best friend Lisa is a flight attendant with Delta, and she always has tons of buddy passes. Perhaps I can squeeze an extra one out of her.”
Now why did she say that? She must be going completely mad.
“That would be awesome. I’ll book a hotel somewhere downtown for one night. That one’s on me,” he drawled, and she proceeded to melt into a puddle right there in the middle of her office. Images of hot, damp bodies writhing, hands caressing, tongues licking, mouths exploring darted through her head in a dizzying kaleidoscope.
“We will have time to rest and get on the road the next morning. I hear it’s scorching hot in the South right now.”
Hot. In the South. His voice brought her back to reality, and her heartbeat soared with the speed of light. They chatted for a couple more minutes before Cole told her he had to rush into a meeting.
“It was great talking to you. I look forward to spending some time together.”
“Me too.”
The “beep” of the phone as she hung up reverberated in the silence of the room; she went still for a minute and took a deep breath.
A few days later, she sent him an email to confirm she had both tickets, and to suggest a meeting place and time. He responded with a short thank-you note, letting her know he was really looking forward to seeing her. She didn’t know what to make of that but was sure she shouldn’t make too much of it. She hadn’t spoken or heard from him again since then.