“Like… like…” she shivered, not sure if she should say it, but what the hell? “Like you’re going to kiss me?”
“Maybe because I am.” He laid his lips against hers and a thrill shot straight through to the ends of her toes. His grip loosened on her wrist and she snaked her freed arms around his neck without even thinking, pulling him closer. His musky scent surrounded her as he deepened the kiss, filling her with a giddiness that made her head spin and her entire body tingle, as it grew warm with pleasure. And when he swept his tongue inside her mouth she took the opportunity to taste him, to absorb him, to marvel in the hunger and sweetness of what they were sharing.
Eventually he lifted his head, breaking the spell. “I… uh… we probably shouldn’t.”
“Oh. Right.” She looked away, embarrassment creeping into her face.
“I didn’t mean…” He glanced over at the windows. “I just meant that this might not be the greatest place.
Her cheeks flushed as she followed his gaze and realized what he meant—the sidewalk was only ten yards away, and she could still see people walking about, the sun nearly disappeared over the horizon. At that distance they probably wouldn’t be able to see exactly what they’d be doing… but all bets were off when it came to that sort of thing. Mortified, she rolled away from him and stood
“I’m sorry,” she said, bowing. “I should go.
“Wait.” He grabbed her wrist as she headed for the torii. “I… would you like to go out for dinner?
The disappointment that had started to claw at her heart instantly dropped away
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Well, normally when I kiss women and then ask them out to dinner, that means a date.” He grinned at her to take the edge off the sarcasm.
“Do you kiss a lot of women?” she teased.
A shadow crossed his face, but it was so quick she didn’t have a chance to remark on it. “It’s been awhile since I’ve last found a woman I wanted to kiss. And since every time I see you that’s all I can think about doing, I think it might be best if we take our relationship out of the dojo.”
Her heart fluttered. Had he really? “What time and place?”
“Tomorrow, at Bravo’s? Six O’Clock?”
“I’ll be there.”
****
She arrived at the Italian bistro five minutes early. She’d finished dressing about an hour ago and had eventually gotten fed up fidgeting nervously at home, and so decided to just go. The entrance was jam packed full of people hoping to get a seat—Bravo’s was very popular, and she winced as she heard the hostess tell someone else that the wait time would be thirty minutes. Hopefully Jace had made reservations, because otherwise they were going to spend half the night just waiting around to eat.
“Hey beautiful.” Jace spoke directly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine, and she squeaked in surprise and turned to face him. Her heart galloped in her chest as she studied him. He wore an un-tucked blue and white plaid button up shirt and khaki slacks, both of which were not baggy in the least—she could see the clear outline of his shoulders, as well as the powerful muscles in his thighs.
“I know,” he said, chuckling. “I look a bit different out of uniform, don’t I?”
You look sexy as hell, she thought, but only smiled as he stepped up to the hostess and gave his name. He did have a reservation—thank goodness—and they were escorted to a table outside on the patio. A warm breeze tickled her bare legs and teased the few tendrils of hair she’d allowed to escape her up do.
They picked up their menus to decide on what to order, but Jace could hardly focus on the selection—he was too busy staring at Shelby. His jaw had nearly hit the floor when he saw her standing by the hostess booth, dressed in a low cut green halter dress that hugged her curves in all the right places—and he did mean all. From the back it accentuated the area where the small of her back flowed into her derriere, and made the most of that area of her body too. And when she’d turned to face him he’d nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of her cl**vage—that dress was obviously meant to flatter a woman’s cup size, and he knew already from spending time with her that her cup size needed no flattering, so the effect was… well… effective.
“My skin is going to combust into flames if you keep staring at me like that,” she finally said, putting down her menu and giving him a crooked smile.
“Sorry.” He ran his fingers through his hair and gave her a sheepish grin. “I can’t seem to help myself. You’re gorgeous.”
She felt her face flush with heat and touched a hand to her cheek self-consciously. “Thank you, Jace.”
They slipped into easy conversation, divulging information about who they were. She told him about her career as an accountant, and he told her that before he’d decided to devote his professional life to martial arts that he’d been a professional photographer.
“Seriously?” she gaped at him. “That’s the last thing I would have guessed.”
He laughed. “I’ve still got my equipment. You should come over some time and let me snap a few shots. I know you’d make a very sexy subject.”
Blushing, she waved him away. She hated having a camera lens pointed at her—she was so picky about her photos she was hardly ever satisfied. They enjoyed their meal and continued to make small talk, then walked around the outdoor mall the restaurant was located in. She stopped to admire a blown glass pendant in a display case at one of the jewelry shops, and before she could even ask he was getting the saleswoman to open the case and putting it around her neck.
“It looks great on you,” he said, admiring the blue, white and gold swirling design of the pendant. “We’ll take it.”
“Oh no—“ she protested as the woman giftwrapped it and rang up the sale. “You don’t need to do that, Jace.”
“Of course I don’t.” He took the box and pressed it into her hand. “But I want to. A woman like you deserves beautiful things.”
Was she dreaming? He was doing and saying all the right things to make her heart melt. “Well, I guess if you put it that way I can accept it.” She smiled, then looked at her watch. “Looks like it’s time for me to go.”
She let him walk her to her car, but when she reached for the door handle he gently closed his fingers around her wrist. “Aren’t you going to let me kiss you goodnight?”
Her heart rate picked up, but her expression was calm as she tilted her face up toward him. “Well, I suppose we could do it just this once.”
His lips covered hers as he pressed her body back up against the Jetta, and she promptly forgot about everything else, including the fact that they were in a parking lot and passersby were likely watching them. The breeze had cooled, but the heat from his body kept her plenty warm, not to mention the thermal energy they were generating from the kiss. Her entire body was flushed and pulsing warmly, and her n**ples hardened and scraped against his chest through their clothing.
“I… I’d better let you go,” he finally said, breathing hard. He kissed her one last time. “Goodnight.”
She watched him walk off, then got into the car on very shaky legs and drove home.
****
Their next date was a movie night at his house. She showed up in a pale blue blouse and jeans, the pendant he’d brought her nestled comfortably against her chest. Every time it slid against her skin she got a little thrill, knowing it wasn’t just something she’d bought on a whim, but something a man had bought for her, a man that she was dating.
His house was a two-story adobe located near the mountains. She walked down the paved pathway and rang the doorbell, hoping she’d gotten the right address. A sigh of relief escaped her when the door opened and Jace was standing there, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans that hugged his body like a second skin, revealing just how muscular his body really was.
“Hey Shelby” he greeted her, leading her through the house and into the living room. She didn’t have much of a chance to take in the interior, but she got enough glimpses of the décor to see he’d chosen a southwestern motif. It was further reinforced by the tiny potted cacti on the coffee table in front of the humongous leather couch, and the cow skin rug beneath it. A bowl of popcorn and two beers were already set out, and they settled down on the couch to watch Casablanca.
About halfway through the film Jace put his arms around her, pulling her close. She snuggled in against his chest as she watched the sparks fly between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman on screen. His hand curled around her side, and shivers ran up and down her spine as his fingers stroked her hip.
“You’re making it hard to concentrate on the movie,” she murmured.
“Maybe I’ve found something more interesting to focus my attention on,” he whispered in her ear, then sent more shivers down her spine along with a rush of warmth as he flicked his tongue against her earlobe.
She turned her head toward him and he caught her lips in a kiss that was hungrier than the last two. They were already so close, yet somehow he managed to pull her even tighter against him as he tasted her, shifting so that she was straddling his lap. His hands roamed up and down her back, and a shock of excitement and desire passed through her as she felt his erection pressing between her legs. She should have been alarmed, perhaps even concerned, but it felt like the most natural thing in the world when he pulled her blouse over her head and cupped her br**sts through her push up bra. A tremor of self-consciousness went through her, but if he was concerned at the extra pounds of flesh on her hips, he didn’t let on in the least as he ran his big, warm hands down her sides.
“Let me know…” he licked her collarbone, “if I’m going…” he nipped it, “too fast.”
“No such thing,” she panted. He popped the clasp on her bra, then took each nipple into his mouth and suckled gently. Her entire body hummed with pleasure, the space between her legs growing moist and throbbing, and she began rubbing herself shamelessly against the erection pressing against her.
“I’m going to embarrass myself if you keep that up,” he growled into her ear.
“Is that so?” She pulled the t-shirt off his head and splayed her hands across his chest. “You’re not the only one who gets to have fun around here.” She kissed him deeply as she continued to grind herself against him, swallowing his groans, until the pleasure built itself up and exploded into an orgasm.
“You’re taking unfair advantage of me,” he gasped, tugging at her jeans, and she laughed.
“Yes, because I’m so much bigger and stronger than you.”
“I’ve learned to never underestimate the power of a woman,” he said, tugging her jeans and panties off the rest of the way. He shoved his own down to his knees, then gripped her h*ps and pulled her down on top of him. “Let’s go for a ride.”