Dinner arrived and the seasoned rib steaks smelled delicious. Life was good as Sondra cut her meat and watched Nick, glancing at him every once in a while. His blue eyes tore at her heart strings way too early in this game so she knew she"d have to be careful. She was a sucker for dark hair and blue eyes in her men and Nick happened to have both as well as a killer body to boot. How could she get so lucky? Dating at her age hadn"t been real important lately. Her clients seemed to take up much of her time and she enjoyed working, so dating was no big deal.
She popped another tender piece of grilled steak in her mouth and her taste buds went crazy, right along with her imagination of what Nick might taste like. Immediately she glanced away toward the garden waterfall in the corner, hoping Nick wouldn"t be able to read her mind.
Clearing her thoughts, she turned back to Nick. “I love to travel though I don"t get much time with helping my clients and keeping up with the market changes these days. Getting away for a few days or a week might have to wait.”
Nick"s eyebrow rose. “Well...maybe we might have to make time to get away and relax for a bit. Sounds like we both could use time off. If you"re up to getting away, and staying in separate rooms of course, I"m sure we could easily make it look like we went in separate directions.”
Surprised at Nick"s suggestion yet excited at the thought of time to herself away from work, Sondra"s mind conjured up a warm beach or drinks beside a pool...and with a handsome man at the same time? Sondra could hardly contain herself. She knew she couldn"t immediately accept; she didn"t want him thinking she did this kind of thing all the time. “That offer does sound tempting. Let me think about it...but just for kicks, where did you have in mind to go?”
“Have you ever been to Palm Springs? It"s not too warm yet this time of year and there are some beautiful things to see there. Lots to do in the evenings, too.”
“I"ve never been there. That might be interesting; let me think on it.” She took the last bite of meat and placed her silverware on the plate. Dare she even say she would think about it? Was she nuts! This just wasn"t something she did with a man she"d only met a few months ago. She was thirty-six after all and didn"t need permission to go away with him, that was for sure.
Nick watched her intently; she could feel his eyes on her, so she looked up to meet his gaze.
His hand carefully reached out. He opened his palm and waited. She couldn"t resist...she placed her hand in his. The warmth flowed through her hand and up her arm straight to her heart.
Gazing back into Nick"s eyes was dangerous but she took that chance. The intensity grew and pulled her in as she admired the gentleness in his face and wondered what kind of family he had, did he have children? Were there other women in his life? Then he leaned closer and their lips touched, then touched again. Sondra breathed in the spicy scent of his cologne that was like an aphrodisiac to her, clouding her judgment, making her ignore what she knew she should do but didn"t.
The dimly lit corner they were in made the mood just right and the tall booth nearly surrounded them, giving them quite a bit of privacy from the quiet restaurant. Being braver than she"d been in a while, she leaned into Nick for another kiss and wasn"t disappointed. His lips met hers and lingered, tasting of whiskey and she tasted again before leaning back, wondering what actually had just happened. She looked up at him and he"d already been watching her. She gazed into the depths of his eyes, wondering if his thoughts were the same as hers. They were both adults, too busy lately for anything along the lines of dating anyone yet here they were. Good food, good company, good liquor...and heated emotions on both their parts, she could feel it.
Falling into a sexual relationship with him would be way too easy...and it"d been way too long since her last one.
His thumb caressed the back of her hand and her mind went crazy with thoughts of him touching her in other places. “I"m not even going to say a word about what just happened and I won"t apologize for it. You"re a beautiful woman and I find your company amazing.”
“Nick...” Sondra drew in a breath she hoped would calm her racing heart. It"d been way too long since she"d been in a dating relationship. Her marriage hadn"t ended well and the other woman had won. Of course, she didn"t work twenty-four-seven either. Now here she sat, with a man who understood the hours that had to be put in for their profession and they could spend time together, both at the office and away.
“My name sounds nice coming from your lips. Let"s just take it one step at a time. We"ve both been working long hours, both at the company and I"m sure even before you arrived at my office your schedule was hectic. Give my suggestion some serious thought. Just tell Gloria you"re going home to visit your parents or a friend. I can leave a day later and tell her I"m going to meet a client. I do it all the time. No one will know a thing. I"ll come home before you do, not a problem.”
She squeezed his warm hand. “I"ll think about it.”
He held her gaze, wanting to know more about her but she had to be careful how much she let her eyes talk for her. What did she really want from this man?
“Let"s get you home where you can think better.”
* * * * *
Nick followed Sondra up to her door, hoping she would let him in for another drink. Her perfume drifted on the night air as he walked behind her up the sidewalk and front steps. If he had the chance tonight, he"d be crazy to pass up making the next move. Her silent messages hadn"t gone unnoticed and he was dying to feel her warm lips on his own, taste her on his tongue, feel her naked flesh against his own. Having her in the office daily made him close to crazy while he kept his feelings in check around the other employees so perhaps tonight would be the best night in quite some time, maybe for both of them.
Sondra turned the key in the lock and stepped inside, holding the door open for him and he followed her in. He took off his shoes at the door. “Please, make yourself at home and get comfortable.” She kicked off her heels and left them under the counter of the breakfast bar at the kitchen and put her purse and keys on the counter. Walking around in her nylon-covered feet took his breath away and sent all his blood rushing in to harden him.
“Can I get you another whiskey on the rocks, Nick?” Opening the cupboard, she pulled down a glass for her and peeked around the cabinet door at him. He loved the way she raised her brow when she asked him a question.
Damn!
He couldn"t help but smile back. “Sure, that sounds great, Sondra. Thanks. You"ve got a nice place here.” Nick slipped off his jacket, draped it over the back of a chair and began rolling his sleeves up to his forearm as he walked into the kitchen with her. Standing behind her, he placed his hands on the counter, one on each side of her and leaned in to breathe in her scent.
“You smell fantastic, Ms. Prentice...” He moved her hair away from her neck and his tongue barely touched her skin but enough for him to taste her. “Mmmmm....and you taste even better.”
To his surprise, she tipped her head, offering more of her neck and he needed no further invitation. His lips connected with her flesh, his tongue tasted her, wanting more and to his surprise, she turned toward him. Her arms went around his waist, her hands touched his back and he leaned away slightly to look at her. Green eyes gazed at him filled with a need only he could satisfy. His hands tenderly cupped her face and pulled her closer as his mouth took hers; the hunger of her kiss surprised him. Her nails lightly raked up his back as their tongues tangled and his fingers wove through her hair, pulling her deeper into their kiss.
A moan escaped her throat as her tongue swirled over his.
Her hands moved down his back until they cupped his ass, pulling his hips against her own.
She gently rocked against him.
His fingers gripped her hair and pulled her closer, then one of his hands moved down her back while the other held her head. One more sweep of his tongue through her mouth, tasting her, and he pulled back, taking in a deep breath. Their foreheads touched but he didn"t release her.
He lightly touched her lips with his once more, waiting for his heart to slow. “Wow...I didn"t think I needed you that badly.”
Her foot caressed the top of his. “I was afraid you wouldn"t want to come in for a drink tonight.”
He hugged her close as her lips touched his neck and he tipped his head to the side, loving the warmth of her lips there. “Keep that up and we won"t be having our drink...” He gently grabbed a handful of her hair and tipped her head back so he could look into those green eyes.
“....or is that your intention?”
Chapter Two
Sondra"s eyes narrowed a bit with that sexy look she gave him at the office. “I usually follow through with my intentions but not just yet. Let"s finish our drinks and talk about this
„business trip" first.”
Nick stepped out of her way so she could pour their whiskey over ice and handed him his glass.
“Let me light a few candles, turn on some soft music and we can sit on the couch.” He sat down, put his feet on the ottoman and placed his arm on the back of the sofa while Sondra lit a few candles. She moved like a graceful cat in the dark. The shadows danced along the high ceilings and walls around them, adding just a touch of romance. He could take care of the rest.