Laughing at his snarky tone, she asked, “What are you really trying to say?”
“Your friend Cy saw right through my manners, and we know how that worked out.”
Summer sniggered. Cy hadn’t made much effort to hide his less-than-enthusiastic reaction to Arnie.
“This isn’t the chef’s first rodeo. He is experienced at setting a romantic seduction. Knowing what he knows, I didn’t want him checking you out. There. I said it. Happy?”
“Oh, hell yeah,” she answered in a delighted giggle. Overprotection was the word of the day with her dad and brother. Add sexy possessiveness and she was hooked.
He bent quickly, took her by the neck, and kissed her until she whimpered.
Right before he hauled her out of the chair, he muttered, “We need a drink.”
With her lusty Adonis leading her by the hand, she skipped after him and laughed.
“Uh, Arnie?”
He looked over his shoulder. “What?”
“This seems like a good time to maybe admit something.”
“Admit what? And why the maybe? You’re not sure?”
“I don’t want you to laugh.”
He swung around and swiftly pulled her into an embrace that plastered her against his fantastic body. His face was goofy.
“Oh, man. Not laughing is a tall order. My work as class clown is legend.”
She plucked at the front of his shirt and pouted up a storm. The resulting thick hardness pressing into her belly was one hundred percent grade A sexy.
“Well, okay, you have a point. Maybe laughter isn’t what I meant.”
He ground his body into hers. “Tell me.”
“Um, well, joking aside … at the end of the day when all is said and done, I can probably, maybe,” she drawled with a snort, “drink your hot ass under the table.”
“Can not!” He gasped with a big laugh.
“Can so,” she declared emphatically.
“So all those words about not drinking and being careful was what?”
“Bullshit.” She giggled.
He studied her with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Care to prove it?”
“Don’t make me embarrass you,” she warned.
“Ah. The sound of cocky is a turn-on coming from such kissable lips.”
With all the bravery she had, Summer delicately fondled his formidable bulge. “Who are you calling cocky?”
He laughed, and his hands slid under her dress to caress her ass and then smack it. “Behave or be fucked on the dining room table. Your choice.”
Happiness exploded inside Summer. She wiggled against his hard-on and grinned. “I don’t want to deprive you of the masterful seduction you’ve planned. So please, continue. Just remember you’ve been warned.”
“All serious warnings should be handled with champagne.”
He gestured to the open bottle in a wine bucket. Beside it sat two champagne flutes and several small crystal dishes piled with sugar cubes.
Her gasp was real. “How did you know? About the sugar cubes? It was my dad’s tradition.”
“I didn’t,” he replied with a thrum of pleasure in his deep voice. “Call it intuition,” he said, shrugging. “There are traditional Angostura pink cubes, a citrus and a berry-flavored option.”
Surely, this had to be a sign, right? Her dad would buy cheap bubbly for special occasions like her birthday and New Year’s Eve. Store-bought sugar cubes made the inexpensive vintage go down easier.
Holding the bottle for her to see, he very adorably drawled, “Piper-Heidsieck. What I know about champagne would fit on the head of a pin, so I hope it’s okay.”
Summer gave him a disbelieving look. “Get real. My money is on you knowing a hell of a lot more about the bubbly than you admit.”
His sparkling blue eyes twinkled with delight. “Shh!” He put a finger to her lips. “My aunt? The one who made me wear those awful shoes? Show a scintilla of interest in any type of bottled wine, and she’s in your face for the long haul.”
“I get it,” she told him with amusement. “My brother collected model cars. To display this collection, he built shelves covering an entire bedroom wall. It was insane. Made gift giving easy,” she admitted, “but oh, my god. If he got started talking about this scale or that model, my eyes would roll back and get stuck in my head.”
“Which sugar cube to start?” He motioned at the grouping of small dishes. “The pink cubes are traditional for a champagne cocktail, and the others are more adventurous.”
“Adventurous, you say?” She giggled. “How much champagne do you have?”
His smiling gaze dropped from her eyes to her chest, lingered a moment, and then returned to her face. “Not enough now that I’m imagining licking some off your boobs.”
She laughed and smacked him playfully. “Oh, great. I’m a part of the buffet.”
He laughed too but pretended to be surprised. “Was there ever any doubt? I mean. Come on, I’ve already confessed to having an oral fixation.”
“Yes, you did, so I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked that you want to pour champagne on me as an excuse to get licking.”
“Oh, baby.” Arnie grunted. “No excuse needed.”
Did the devilishly handsome god of lusty desire stick out his tongue and flick it suggestively? Of course he did!
“I’ll take the pink,” she responded matter-of-factly while a blush climbed her neck and spread on her face.
Summer studied every movement as he handled a pair of small silver tongs, plucked a dark pink cube out of the stacked dish, and dropped one into each flute.
“Shall we toast?” he asked after pouring the champagne.
Answering, “Oh, yes,” she bubbled with anticipation and waited to see what he brought.
“To champagne and kissing.”
Their glasses made a lovely sound when tapped together.
“To fueling friendships and feeding flames.”
Arnie grinned. “Isn’t that, more or less, what I said?”
Shrugging, she winked at him over the rim of her flute as she took a testing sip.
He sipped too and then laughed. “Are you always going to get the last word?”
“Only if you let me.” Her smirky grin matched his.
The air around them pulsed like a living thing. An electrical current sparked in the space between their bodies. The awareness overwhelmed her, and she shivered.
“Without being sure of what you mean, I’m going to take that as a challenge, even if it gets me into trouble.” He sipped from the flute and held her eyes with his probing gaze.
Unnerved and overcome by shyness, she looked away, inwardly horrified about what she’d just given away. In today’s suspicious-of-everything world, telling some guy whose last name you didn’t know that the way to win her was with a firm hand and a no-nonsense approach was insane.
Right in time to save her from further confession, her stomach growled.
His deep voice was low and teasing when he said, “I think I hear the dinner bell.”
She remembered the cart of appetizers and all but took off running while Arnie laughed at her hungry enthusiasm.
The champagne cocktail went down easy—much to her companion’s amusement. Summer put the flute down to rub her hands together and check out the food options.
Lifting lids and uncovering plates, they investigated the goodies with the wonder of two kids on a field trip. Without any hesitation or awkward shyness, she gleefully piled food on a dish.
They took their bounty to the patio table, and while she arranged their dishes, Arnie dashed back to the bungalow to retrieve the champagne and sugar cubes.
Momentarily alone, Summer took in the moment. She let the peaceful ambience and gorgeous surroundings fill her up. Her eyes swept the lush jungle garden. The sound of the crackling fireplace and softly bubbling pool spa soothed her tension. On the table in front of her, the bountiful arrangement of vibrant sunflowers made her smile. A chunky candle in a
squat glass holder caused flickering shadows to dance on the sides of the glazed container holding the flowers.
On a sudden whim, she lifted one foot, balanced it on the chair next to her, and undid the ankle strap on her shoe. The other shoe came off easily, and she dropped the sandals onto the tile floor. Gripping the seat beneath her butt, Summer extended her legs to flex and rotate both ankles.
“Nice pedicure,” gold Adonis commented when he strolled to the table with his hands full.
“Feet are important to a gymnast,” she explained while he remained standing and poured another glass of bubbly. “We’d go to the nail salon as a team, take over the whole place, and drive the technicians crazy. Our school colors were red and white, so we had a lot to work with.” She smiled at the memory. “It’s a habit now. I can do my own nails, but a pedicure is a relaxation ritual. You should try it sometime.”
Arnie dropped a sugar cube into her flute, filled it, and made a funny face when he handed off the drink.
“Try it? Ha! I’m a New Yorker, so of course I have a guy.”
“You’ve got a guy?” She snorted with surprised delight. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious,” he exclaimed. Gesturing at his grinning face, he drawled, “This magnificence takes work. I get a facial once a month, and if you don’t believe me, I can show you a toiletry bag full of products. I’m always telling the guys at work they haven’t fully lived until Randy does a salt scrub and hot stone pedicure.”
“Your guy is named Randy?”
“Yep. Older Italian dude in case you’re imagining someone gay.”
Her loud, explosive snort was followed with a mortified inhale that only made things worse. Thank god she wasn’t chewing on anything.
Mr. Jokester took to her reaction like a performing comedian jumping on the audience response and kept on going.
“Hey, now. I hope you’re okay with the gays because I’m a founding member of a drag fan club. We make the rounds of drag shows in the tri-state area. It’s an art! I swear!”
She laughed so hard she started to cry. Somehow, the notion of this big, beautiful man hanging around with drag queens was a no-brainer. Of course he appreciated drag performances! Why the hell not? He also had a thing for vending snacks and was no stranger to food trucks.
In no time at all, they’d demolished the appetizers and the rest of the champagne. She was definitely buzzed in a happy, joy, joy way, and he had a devilish case of the sexy smirks going on.
Patting her belly, Summer made a wry face, and sheepishly said, “No room for dinner. Not without a break to digest and some exercise.”
She sets ’em up, and I knock ’em out of the ballpark, Arnie thought with a jolt of happy pleasure. Thank god she had a sense of humor because no way could he let her comment go without a comeback.
“Exercise? Is that your way of asking for a bit of energetic hoo-hoo diddling?”
“Hoo-hoo diddling?” Her head went back, and she screamed with sidesplitting laughter. “Bwah! How do you come up with this stuff?”
How could such a little female have so big a laugh? He grinned but feigned shock. “What? No good?”
Summer pounded her hand on the wood table and rocked in her chair as the laughter turned to tears. “Stop! Stop!”
“I’m either a total doofus, or you’re easily amused.”
She leaped from her chair, waved a napkin in his face, and turned her back so she could blow her nose with a series of noisy honks. When she turned around, she was wiping away tears. Her face was bright red, and mascara left smudges beneath her eyes.
“See what you’ve done?” she scolded through more laughter. “Where’s my purse, dammit? Now I have to do some repair work.”
Without waiting, she scurried away, entered the bungalow, and later yelled, “Found it.” She came back to the door and waved. “Bathroom break.”
“Should I open the second bottle, or are you ready for something harder?”
“Something harder?” she shrieked as another round of laughter seized her. “We have to work on your seduction lines.”
He heard her wheezing with laughter all the way to the bathroom and then silence after the door shut. He grinned and pretended to twirl an imaginary mustache. “The girl is mine, ha, ha, ha.”
While she was off repairing her face, he hurriedly dealt with the appetizer dishes and replaced all the covers on the cart. Realizing she hadn’t answered the drink question, he made an executive decision and stayed with the bubbly option. It was the easiest way to ensure neither of them would be fall-down drunk and unable to make consent decisions.
Consent decisions. Jesus Christ. So far, there’d been no obvious decision-making. Not on Summer’s part. She was an enthusiastic, curious adventurer in a new, exciting world. Consent was barely discussed because the girl was insatiable.
It hit him like the ton of bricks people insisted would arrive when it was supposed to. He was going to marry the golden sunflower girl with the outrageous giggle, happy smile, and seductive eyes.
The realization was staggering. Whoa. He wobbled where he stood and ran a hand through his hair.
Marry? Oh god. He was further gone than he realized.
No panic set in. Anxiety did not claw at his insides. Instead of denial, he experienced inner calm. Then the hand of destiny thumped him on the shoulder, urging caution. He wasn’t alone in this situation, and just because he decided she was his one, nowhere did it say she was on the same page or even reading from the same book.
Her discarded shoes grabbed his attention. Five seconds later, his socks and shoes were off, and he was unbuttoning his shirt. Moving to the pool’s control panel, he checked the temperature of the water and adjusted it accordingly. It took a minute of playing around with the jets to find the right setting. Too powerful and the churning water became a challenge. Too weak and it might as well be a bathtub.
He noted the stacks of towels. Good. Nothing to go and find.
Music. Did they need music? Shit. He hadn’t thought it through. None of the playlists on his phone came close to being suitable. His go-to’s tended to be workout music and thunder rock. In other words, nothing vaguely romantic.
Fuck.
He put his hands on his waist and looked around, hoping for a bolt of inspiration. The answer came quickly. It wasn’t his music they needed. He was already locked and loaded, thank you very much. This called for her music.
Checking Summer out from head to toe when she came back, Arnie detected a teeny tiny sense of hesitation. Her face didn’t show it, but he still felt something.
Her first words were an admission and made him bark with laughter.
Feathering hair behind both ears, she bit her lip and wrinkled her nose like a kid caught red-handed. Then she rushed him with her confession.
“Yeah, so, um, I did a bad. While I was in the bathroom, I went through your toiletry bag. It was open,” she hastily defended.
His mind quickly reviewed the contents of his travel bag although he had no reason to worry. Living sometimes dangerously and on the edge might be what he did, but when it came to real life, he was about as unoriginal and middle-of-the-road as a guy could get.
“Do you use all that stuff?” Her curious expression as she asked the question was grade A adorable.
He nodded. “Feel free to mock me for it.” He chuckled. “Everyone else does.”
“Who’s everyone else?”
“The dipshit crew I work with. And some random poker buddies. Oh, and the guys on my ball team.”
“Ball team?”
“Yeah.” He laughed. “Second baseman—that’s me.”
They looked at each other. He felt himself starting to drown in her eyes when she moved close and ran a hand down his exposed chest.
“Why is your shirt unbuttoned? Did I miss something?”
“Bubble time,” he told her with a wave at the churning water. “Um, but first, we need music. Do you keep tunes on your phone? We can Blu
etooth if you do.”
Her snorting laugh was self-mocking and adorable. “Are you kidding? I make playlists for everything. My music library is extensive. What do you wanna hear?”
“Whatever works for you,” he replied.
She got her phone and was about to say something when he decided to sit with her on his lap. If they were going to discuss music options, he wanted her to be sitting on him.
He hadn’t counted on her wiggling around until she was comfortable and secure. Her delicious bottom tempted him beyond belief. He wasn’t the type of dude who lost control, but her glorious ass might be cause to re-evaluate things.
“Summer,” he growled when enough was enough. “Either stop moving or release my cock and hop on.”
Her confusion, and mumbled, “What?” were a reminder of her innocence.
Putting both hands on her waist, he moved her slightly, found the spot, and ground his erection against her lace-covered pussy.
“Hold still or fuck me. Your call.”
Another thing he hadn’t counted on was Summer’s embrace of her inner naughty girl. Off the leash, the vixen hidden in her character had a field day.
Walking her fingers up his chest, she squirmed ever so slightly, and purred, “Well, I suppose we could bang one out really quick. Lessen some of the tension for later.”
He almost gave in. Almost. Until he remembered her taunt about getting away with stuff. Only if he let her. The thought was a turn-on. Summer’s unintentional admission let him know she preferred a submissive role. Not meek obedience—that would never be her. She yearned for a dominant partner, and he was happy to fill the role.
Reaching into her thick mane, he fisted her hair and tugged. She inhaled sharply and went still. The endorphin rush he got from the simple power play took care of all the remaining guardrails. From this second on, he was free-falling.
“Tension has a purpose, Goldilocks.”
Her eyes clung to his. Her lips parted, and her breathing became ragged. His mouth watered. He could smell her excitement and feel it coursing through her trembling body.
“Only a kid needs a release to make it to the main course.” He bucked his hips. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m no boy.”
Finding Summer (Nightwind Book 3) Page 15
