Darkest Ecstasy (7 page)

She wanted to know why, but it wasn't really her place to ask. What explanation did he owe her? They weren't dating. They were virtual strangers. He could sleep with anyone he wanted, even Angela, and so could she.

But still, she wanted to know why.

“Angela told me she met you at some kind of private club,” she said, thinking that might be a way to skirt around the issue while still getting to know him a little better. “Is it the yacht club? Angela is always talking about the parties she has with her friends at the yacht club.”

“No. I'm not much of a water person. I don't care for boats.”

Something they had in common. “Me, neither.” She encouraged him to elaborate with a tip of the head.

He set his fork down and placed his empty salad bowl at the end of the table for the waitress. “It's more of a . . . social club.”

“Like the Elks?” she offered.

“The Elks? I doubt it.” His lips curled up at the corners, as if he was trying not to laugh at an inside joke.

“I'm intrigued.”

That ghost of a smile faded. He studied her for a few minutes. “Maybe you should ask your friend about the club.”

“Now you have me really curious. What is it, some kind of secret cult or something?”

“No.” His gaze flicked to the side.

The waitress came tromping up with a plate in her hand. After asking if he needed anything else, she took away Tage's empty salad dish, and in a blink she was hurrying off to take care of someone else.

Michelle's gaze meandered over his handsome face. “I apologize if I'm being nosy. We don't have to talk about the club anymore. I was just curious how the two of you met.”

“Why?”

She didn't want to say what she was thinking, but she felt she'd backed herself into a corner. “I'm assuming the two of you are seeing each other. Dating. Which is why . . . earlier . . . um, she told me . . . you . . .”

“I figured as much. We did have sex. But it's nothing serious. There's no commitment. It was just... a casual thing.”

“I see.” In truth, she didn't see anything. Sex wasn't casual to her. She didn't sleep with strangers just for kicks. She slept with men she cared about, men who meant something to her. Which was why she'd had exactly two partners in her whole life. This guy clearly had very different thoughts about sex.

It was probably a good thing he'd run out on her that night, now that she thought about it. No, it was
definitely
a good thing. If she had slept with him and then he'd gone off and slept with Angela immediately afterward, she would have been hurt, confused, and thoroughly disgusted with herself.

That was it, she couldn't eat another bite. She felt a little uneasy now. Uncomfortable.

His expression changed, intensified. “You don't have casual sex, do you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“I respect that.”

“Is that why you left?” she blurted, before she realized what she'd said.

“Yes. It is. In a way. I could tell you are . . . different. I could have stayed. But if I had, I would have slept with you that night. And eventually, you would have regretted it.” He pushed his plate aside and leveled a very serious look at her. “I'm going to be brutally honest with you. As much as I would love to strip off your clothes and take you, right here, right now, I won't. I'm not the kind of man you need. No, correction, I'm not the kind of man you
deserve
.”

Her head spun at the dark hunger she saw in his eyes. A blaze of heat rocketed through her. Slowly, as the warmth faded, his words sunk in. When they did, a chill spread through her, snuffing out the fire his erotically charged gaze had ignited.

He wanted her. He. Wanted. Her.

But he didn't want to want her.

T
his wasn't happening. Her plan couldn't be failing. Not after all the work she'd done to make sure everything would go perfectly.

It was time to make some changes, to look at other options. She could not fail. Everything that mattered hinged upon this.

Somehow she would turn things around.

As Kim Jong-il once said, “A man who dreads trials and difficulties cannot become a revolutionary. If he is to become a revolutionary with an indomitable fighting spirit, he must be tempered in the arduous struggle from his youth.”

She was a revolutionary.

 

A half hour later, the remainder of Michelle's dinner (most of it) was in a foam box on the table. The bill was paid. By Tage. And his empty plates were stacked up, ready to be taken away. While she had gotten an answer to the one question that had been nagging her, she felt more conflicted and confused than ever.

Tage was interested in her. There was no denying that. But he was convinced she was wrong for him, or rather, he was wrong for her. And, from what she could tell, it had a lot to do with their different attitudes toward sex. He had sex with whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted. She did, too, but (and this was a big but) only if she was in some kind of committed relationship. She didn't do one-night stands or friends-with-benefits. To her, sex was an expression of caring and trust and commitment. If she needed to burn off a little excess energy, she had a vibrator. It always had fresh batteries in it.

As she stood and picked up her foam carton and purse, her skin tingled. It was as if he somehow electrified her nerves when he came near. He didn't even have to touch her. The air between them was always warm, too.

“Thank you for paying for my dinner,” she said.

“It was my pleasure.” He waved his hand toward the door, indicating she should precede him.

The skin of her back burned a little as she walked through the restaurant.

“See you next week,” Carter called from the counter.

She angled her body to give him a wave and a smile. “You bet.”

Tage stopped abruptly, a split second after she had, and placed a hand on her waist. The touch sent a current of energy buzzing through her body. The shock took her breath away, and a crazy, insane, completely out-of-character thought flashed through her head.

Sleep with him.

Feeling a little unsteady, she took a step toward the door. He reached around her and opened it. Outside, she pulled in a deep breath.

“Thanks again,” she said, sounding breathless, despite the huge gasp.

“Thank you. If it hadn't been for you, I would've never known about this place. The food is excellent.”

“Glad you liked it.”

“I did.” His gaze scanned the parking lot. “Where are you parked? I'll walk you to your car?”

“Actually, I walked here from work.” She motioned in the general direction of the building in which they both worked.

“Then I'll drive you back. You shouldn't be walking alone. It's dark.”

She pulled the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder and tucked it back between her body and arm. “I do this every week. This is a safe part of town.”

“Even so, I would feel better if you let me drive you.”

She could tell by the set of his jaw and the tone of his voice that she wasn't going to win this debate. And so she acquiesced with a nod. “Okay. Thank you. I accept your offer.”

Once again he placed his hand on her. This time it rested on the small of her back. She fought a shiver of sensual heat at his soft touch and let him gently steer her toward the sleek black car parked under a light. He opened the door for her, and she sank into the leather seat. While she waited for him to circle around to the driver's side, she inhaled deeply. The car smelled good. Like leather and him.

He folded his large frame into his seat and started the car. The engine roared like a jungle cat. And it prowled, low and smooth, like one, too, as he steered it toward the road.

“This is a very nice car.”

“Thank you. I have a weakness when it comes to cars.”

“I have a weakness when it comes to handbags,” she confessed, lifting her latest purchase, a Louis Vuitton she'd bought secondhand from an online boutique.

“I guess everyone has a fault,” he said, laughter lifting his voice.

Relieved to have the tension eased somewhat, she slid a glance his way as they rolled up to a red light. Mistake. Their gazes locked, and it felt like all the air had been instantly sucked out of the vehicle. She parted her lips to try to pull in some air, and his gaze flicked to her mouth. A wave of sensual heat pulsed through her.

The chemistry she had with this man was insane.

He jerked his head, returning his eyes to the road. “We'll be there in a minute,” he said. Whether he was telling that to her or himself, she wasn't sure.

“Thanks again for driving me.”

“You're welcome.” He focused on the road for the rest of the drive. At least, that was what she assumed. To be safe, she didn't check. She stared out the passenger side window, silent, her hands gripping the foam box with her leftover dinner so tightly the top collapsed a little. When he finally pulled into their building's parking structure, she was finally able to pull in a complete lung full of air. The oxygen to the brain was most definitely needed.

As he turned the car down a row, she pointed. “I'm parked down at the end.”

“Okay.” He pulled up behind her car and shifted his vehicle into park. Twisting, he turned toward her. She did the same, and opened her mouth to thank him. But before a single word came out, he had his hand cupped around the back of her head and was pulling her toward him.

Her heart rate kicked up to the stratosphere the instant their mouths touched. A little whimper slipped up her throat. She swallowed it back down, closed her eyes, and surrendered to the pleasure his kiss was building inside her.

Warm. She was getting so warm. Everywhere. Her chest. Her face. Down there, between her legs. A second little whimper slipped up her throat. Her breathing rasped. The soft slough of fabric added another layer of sensual sound as he moved closer. Getting hotter, her body tensing, she caught the fabric of his sleeves in her fists and held on.

While he held her head in place, his tongue traced the seam of her mouth. Eagerly, she opened to him, welcoming his intimate invasion.

He tasted sweet, decadent. His kiss was intoxicating. It did things to her she didn't think were possible. It scrambled her brains and ignited blazing fires through her whole body.

Just when she thought she couldn't take another second of torment, he placed his hand over her breast. It felt like a lightning bolt blasted through her. With that blaze, what little resistance she had left burned up. Her brain shut down, and she was overcome with need. Desperate, overwhelming need.

Her spine arched, pushing her breast into his hand. Her hips started tipping forward and back as the throbbing heat between her legs intensified. She needed a touch, a stroke, down there, where the heat was the worst. She needed a big, hard cock pounding away this horrible need.

Somehow she found the strength to release his sleeves. While his mouth vanquished hers, her hands wandered down his body until they found the waistband of his pants. She tugged on his tucked-in shirt, pulling it out, and slid her hands beneath the crisp fabric.

Smooth skin. Soft like satin. With deep furrows between thick, bulging muscles. In her mind's eye, she saw him shirtless, defined abs flexing, thick chest muscles clenching, arms bulging. Oh, he was glorious. The most beautiful man she'd ever seen. And he wanted her.

Blindly, she forced the material out of her way and explored higher, higher. One fingertip found a hard, pointed nipple. He growled. The sound vibrated through every cell in her body.

Take me. Please, take me now.

The hand that had been resting on her breast slid down her body to her stomach. Over her mound. Along one thigh. Under her skirt.

Oh yes, under her skirt.

A shudder swept up her, starting at the base of her spine and racing up her back. She groaned as the kiss became more urgent, as his tongue plunged deep inside her mouth, stroking hers. No longer a seduction, it was now a possession, a claiming. And she was so willing to surrender to it, to him.

She had waited so long for this. At last she would feel what it was like to be taken by this strong, powerful man. “Please,” she said when he broke the kiss to nip the side of her neck. Her voice was raspy, breathy. “Please, I hurt. Everywhere.”

“Dammit,” he growled. “Dammit.”

He kissed her again. He didn't wait for her to open to him, no. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth. He tasted, he took. The hand that had been inching up her bare leg made a swift leap to the apex of her thighs. A deep rumble vibrated in his chest.

Fisting her hair with his other hand, he jerked her head back and kissed the tender, sensitive skin of her neck. Goose bumps burned the entire front of her body.

“Please,” she whispered as she pulled at the waist of his pants. Her fingers found the button of his fly, and she tried to pull it open, but her fingers were clumsy, the trembling sweeping through her body making her movements uncoordinated. Frustrated, she cupped the warm bulge lying beneath the zipper and rubbed.

She was rewarded with a tender stroke between her legs. Her cotton panties felt like a thick shield between his fingertips and her burning tissues. They had to go. Had to. The pulsing heat shooting through her body was becoming unbearable. It had to stop. Soon. Now. “Yes,” she whispered.

He stopped kissing her. He stopped caressing her. “Open your eyes,” he commanded. “Open them now.”

She did as he asked. She couldn't resist his command, as much as she wanted to. She was afraid what he might say. “You have no idea what you're getting into.”

“I don't care.”

“You will.”

“I get it. You have sex for the sake of having sex. I don't. At least, normally I don't. Tonight, I want to. And I won't become a crazy stalker afterward.” She had made up her mind. She would have this man. He would have her. There wasn't going to be any more talking.

“That's not what—”

She pulled her shirt up over her head and flung it away. That shut him up. His gaze snapped to her breasts, covered with scraps of lace, then climbed to her face.

He took a quick glance around, shrugged out of his jacket, and handed it to her. “No.”

No?

It was a terrible blow, being rejected by this man. Who would do such a thing? Who would turn down a sure thing? Why? This was the second time he'd done this to her. Twice. Now would he run off, find someone like Angela again, and pound away all that male need with her?

Eyes burning, she pushed one arm through a sleeve, then the other. She held the front closed to hide herself, her shame.

Anxious to find her discarded top and escape to the safety of her own car, she turned to search for her shirt. “Okay. Well—”

“Come with me.” He opened his door, and while she squirmed around, searching for her top, he circled the car and opened the passenger side for her.

She said, “I can't find my shirt.”

“We'll get it later. Come.” He extended a hand.

Later?

Completely confused, she placed her hand in his and stood. Her knees were a little wobbly as she stepped aside to wait for him to close the door. She held her purse and the foam carton of food in her hands.

When he had the door shut, he placed a hand on the small of her back and motioned toward the building. “Let's go inside.”

So he wasn't shoving her into her car and racing off? He wasn't dumping her like he did last time?

A silly, giddy feeling rushed through her. Then came the nerves. Dozens of skittery butterflies fluttering through her insides.

Ohmygod, something was going to happen.

She hoped.

Then again, maybe he was going to take her inside and let her down easy.

Unsure what to expect, she followed his direction. They boarded the elevator. She moved to the back, resting against the rear wall. When the door closed, he turned around and looked at her. “You look sexy as hell in my coat.”

The deep timbre of his voice made her shiver.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“No.”

His lips curled into a bone-melting smile. Moving swiftly, he trapped her between his bulk and the elevator's wall, arms outstretched. His suddenly aggressive move sent a wave of thrill pulsing through her. Her breathing quickened as she stared into his dark eyes, waiting for what he would do next.

Bending his arms, he angled his upper body closer, and she tipped her head back, maintaining eye contact. It was no wonder this man made her melt. He was different from anyone she'd ever met. Not only was he absolutely glorious to look at, but he emanated a certain feral energy. It was that vibe, of barely restrained power, of danger, that made her heart pound so hard in her chest. Yes, that was it.

She never would have guessed she would respond to a guy like this.

“You've never been restrained before, have you?”

Restrained? Oooh. He was into
those
kinds of things. Kinky sex games. She'd never done any of that stuff. The closest she'd ever gotten was when her old boyfriend insisted on having her use a dildo in his anus before they had sex. But this was different. That guy was looking for her to be the leader while he lay there, enjoying it. She had the distinct impression this man would be the one doing all the leading. He was much more aggressive.

The danger vibe just upped a few dozen degrees. Now she was intrigued and aroused and . . . a little scared. The tissues between her legs clenched. Wow, she was very aroused. As in, dripping.

“No, never,” she whispered.