There was so much in his gaze. A hint of another color, perhaps, a world of hunger, of need, a deep, brilliant pool of male lust so vibrant it made her wonder if he was even aware he was revealing it.
“Why?” she whispered.
Why her? Why was he pushing this when it was more than obvious she was hesitant to begin anything with him?
“Why not?” It wasn’t the question, but the tone of voice, the look in his eyes, that shocked her.
Steel-hard determination, pure male hunger and narrow-eyed possessiveness struck at her, wrapped around her and made her wonder if she was smothering from fear, or breathless from anticipation.
“Leave with me,” he asked her then.
Eyes widening before she could stop the reaction, she parted her lips to refuse, though forming the word didn’t come easily.
“Just to talk.” His finger landed against her lips, holding back what she wanted to say but couldn’t. “I want you, bad enough to wait if I have to. But if I have to wait, at least torture me for a few hours.”
“And that would be enough for you?” she quipped mockingly despite the flush of arousal that was beginning to heat her body.
God, how long had it been since she had allowed herself to want a man? If she even thought she would be attracted to one, she ran in the opposite direction as fast as possible.
“It’s more than I have otherwise.” The seductive roughness of his voice stroked against her senses as she wondered why she wasn’t trying to run as hard and as fast as possible from him.
Gypsy breathed in slowly, deeply.
“I promise, no means no,” he said.
For a moment, she wondered if he could read her mind, if he knew things about her that even the Unknown didn’t know.
Things no one should know.
Slowly, she nodded, her senses exploding in disbelief as she realized what she had done. Then he was stroking his hand along her arm, catching her hand in his and drawing her from the dance floor.
There were too many eyes watching, she told herself. She had to leave alone. She couldn’t leave with him. If she did so, then the rules would change. She would no longer be everyone’s “friend” and would then be seen as a possible fuck instead.
That could destroy her ability to do the job she had been doing for so many years now.
She had to stop this.
She had to make him let her go.
So why was she moving with him instead, allowing him to curl his fingers with hers, hold her hand possessively as they moved through the exit and into the parking lot?
His arm slid around her, his fingers curling over her hip as he drew her closer.
“Your car?” he asked, pausing just outside the door.
Gypsy swallowed tightly. “My car. My apartment.”
He nodded, following her lead to the Jeep, silent, watching her as she slid behind the wheel before he moved to the passenger side.
She was surprised he didn’t insist on driving. She was surprised when he simply slid into the seat, buckled his seat belt and stared back at her expectantly.
“I’ve lost my mind,” she muttered, then activated the engine, lowering the roof and then sliding the vehicle into gear and pulling from the parking slot. “This is not the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Do you always do what’s smart?” he asked.