His eyes were as blue as ever, his gaze hazy. His lips, which were normally naturally full, seemed a little more so – inflamed from hard kissing. Hers felt the same way – tingly and slightly swollen. God, she wanted him. And she had a feeling that if they’d been in a place that was the least bit accommodating, she’d already have him.
But they weren’t. She hadn’t imagined that a first date – well, if she didn’t count the coffee shop thing – would have ended like this; with her wishing that they were in bed instead of in a car and that his hands were still on her body. That he wouldn’t stop until he’d touched every last little bit of her, and then some. That just wasn’t her. She didn’t usually give in to physical temptations, and in any case, she’d never found anybody as tempting as Eric. And the attraction seemed to be gloriously mutual, despite what she’d told him about herself. Either it wasn’t an issue for him, or…
Her stomach lurched unpleasantly, and for half a second she thought she might lose her fajitas. Maybe any future complications caused by her responsibilities weren’t an issue because he wasn’t thinking that far ahead. Maybe he thought she’d be up for a one night stand before they went their separate ways. She bit the inside of her lip, studying his eyes as she tried to ignore the crushing feeling that had settled over her. They were so gorgeous, hazy with the same desire that was flooding through her veins. Could he really be thinking she’d go for that?
Maybe so. After all, she certainly hadn’t resisted any of his advances. Maybe they hadn’t all even been his; maybe she’d been equally responsible. And then there were the photos – they’d been racy, evocative. God, they’d actually kissed. If he thought she’d do that for the sake of a photo, then why wouldn’t he expect her to be up for a meaningless tryst? After all, the physical chemistry between them was undeniable.
“Is everything OK?” His eyes cleared a bit, his gaze sharpening with apparent concern.
No, it wasn’t OK. She suddenly felt like she’d led him on, and now she either had to admit it and apologize or live up to the impression she’d apparently given. Did he expect her to go home with him now? Her nipples were still rock-hard, the one he’d touched tingling with the desire for more attention. Her body wanted more of him, but she didn’t do one night stands. She didn’t do meaningless. Her life had been far too full of emptiness up until a few short years ago, and she’d worked hard to obtain the sense of comfortable control she now had. If there was one thing she’d grown to hate, it was watching a woman treat her body like public property to be rented out to any man who promised her a few minutes of attention. She’d grown up seeing it happen time after time, and she had no desire to behave that way. It didn’t matter how good Eric made her feel, or how attracted she was to him. Remembering that he was waiting for an answer, she shrugged, unable to bring herself to say yes or no.
“Is it something I did?”
“No.” It wasn’t a lie. What bothered her was what she might have caused him to think, not anything he’d done.
“Is it something I can fix?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just feeling a little…surprised at myself.” It was the truth, even if it did sound stupid. She despaired as she watched his full mouth turn down, hinting at a frown. When he reached out to touch her face, her heart leapt.
He gently stroked the curve of her cheekbone, his eyes locked with hers as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s all right. I’ll take you home.”
****
It had only been a few days. Sometimes it felt like it had been years, and other times, only minutes since she’d last seen Eric. After their date he’d dropped her off at her apartment, as promised. At the time, she’d been grateful for the escape he’d given her. She’d gone home and attempted to collect her thoughts, but to her surprise, it hadn’t worked. They were still whirling, and the feel and taste of him were just as vivid as they had been several nights ago. She should have been glad he’d sensed her discomfort and taken her home, but instead she was almost regretful. She still longed to see him, to feel his touch and to taste him…
“Mina?”
She turned, doing her best to shove her sudden fantasy from her mind as Amy approached her. “What is it?”
Amy had a strange expression on her face, almost as if she were attempting to suppress a smile. She kept her voice low. “Chris wants to see you in his office.”