by Sabrina York
Again, with the blurting.
His lips twitched. “I didn’t have sleeping in mind.” He chuckled at her expression. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Well, maybe. But I would like to get to know you better. Talk.”
“Just talk?”
He nodded. “And, if we both agree, perhaps then…no sleeping.”
Dang, he was cute when he teased.
“All right.” She took the flower from him and tucked it behind her ear.
Joy, from the peanut gallery, sighed. She was listing to the side. Fading fast.
Katie frowned. “But first?”
“Yes?” The word, the way he said it, sent shivers through her.
“We need to get Joy to her room. I kinda promised Esteban.” She glanced over her shoulder at the bartender, who was watching them like a hawk. Joy visited Vegas a lot and was a regular in his bar, and he looked after his patrons—and his tips—like a mother hen.
Sebastian flicked a glance at Joy who was gazing at them like a loon. “Agreed. And then…we talk.” The way he said it, the timbre of his tone, sent shudders walking through Katie’s womb.
She had no intention of leaping into bed with him—despite the price Joy had paid for Madame Eve’s services. But she’d never met a man as attractive as Sebastian. She’d certainly never felt so…aroused. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know him a little better. Would it?
Katie slipped Sebastian’s folder back into Joy’s satchel, cursing herself for not so much as glancing at it. Now she’d met him, in the flesh, she was dying to know how he looked on paper. But that ship had sailed. It was too late to read up on him now.
They settled their tab and, with Joy between them, headed for the elevators. Joy was a little wobbly on her feet. It could have been the tequila, or her impossible heels. Or possibly a combination of the two. Sebastian gallantly held her elbow, smoothly steering her away from the walls and potted palms she seemed to want to veer into like a heat-seeking missile as they made their way down the long hall. Then he helped her fit her keycard into the lock when she couldn’t manage it after several tries.
The door swung open and Joy paused on the threshold to shoot them a dewy look. “Oh, I wish I could come along with you two. I probably should. You know. To make sure everything—”
“Good night, Joy.” Sebastian gave her a gentle nudge into the room.
“But….”
“Good night.”
Joy put out a lip, but stepped back to allow Sebastian to close the door.
And then, all of a sudden, they were alone.
A wash of heat crept up Katie’s nape. Nervousness and anticipation and…lust? She found it difficult to meet his eyes.
He tucked a finger beneath her chin and raised her gaze to his. “Where shall we go now?”
“I-I….” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
His smile put her at ease. “We could go back to the bar, or out for a bite. Are you hungry?”
She shook her head. No. This was not hunger.
Well, not hunger for food.
“Or we could go to my suite. Or your room, if it makes you more comfortable.”
“You-you have a suite?”
He nodded. “I always get a suite when I come here. It has a living room. And a nice balcony.”
“A balcony?”
“With a view.”
She sighed. A balcony with a view of Vegas? How easy was she to entice? Still, a suite wasn’t the same as a bedroom. She could never hie off to a strange man’s bedroom. “All right.”
“It’s one floor up.”
“But we’re just talking, right?”
“Just talking.” He shot her a wink and led her to the elevator. “But there may be some champagne waiting for us.”
She stopped short. Gored him with a suspicious look. “My, but you are prepared.”
His grin disarmed her. “I was hopeful.”
“Hopeful I would be so easy?”
“Hopeful I would want to share the evening with Katie Carpenter.” The doors slid shut and he swiped a keycard and pressed the button for his floor. The penthouse. “I liked what I read in your profile.”
She snorted. “Joy probably made all that up.”
“It said you were married for ten years to a douche bag.”
“She got that part right.”
“And he cheated on you.”
She blew out a breath. “Yup.”
“With his best friend and fishing buddy.”
She crossed her arms and frowned. “No need to rub it in.” A cheating husband was bad enough. When he cheated with another man, well, it was a deal killer, plain and simple.
Then again, she had kind of wondered. He’d been charming and engaged while they were dating but once they were married, he’d slipped into an odd, avuncular role. His apathy had eroded her confidence like the incoming tide on a sand castle.
“But you never cheated on him.” He fixed her with a searching look. “True?”
“Of course not. We were married.”
“There is no ‘of course not’ about it.” The doors opened on this enigmatic remark and he led her through a plush lobby, past the concierge to a set of double doors. He whisked his keycard over the lock and ushered her in.
And she stopped in her tracks.
Chapter Three
The room was dark, lit only by the panoply of city lights framed by the floor to ceiling windows. The view stole her breath.
He flicked on the lights and revealed an elegant sitting room with a small kitchen and dining area to the left. The double doors on the other side of the room—obviously leading to the bedroom—were closed. She blew out a breath in relief. It was much easier to pretend there was not a bed just beyond those doors if she couldn’t see it.
A bottle of champagne sweated in a bucket on the table next to a covered platter. Without asking, Sebastian opened the champagne and poured them both a glass. He lifted the dome on the platter revealing sliced cheeses, crackers, and fruit. And¸ heavens, was that caviar?
Katie wrinkled her nose.
Sebastian chuckled. “Not a fan of caviar?” he asked.
“Fishy,” she grunted. She did, however, pop a chunk of Gruyère into her mouth.
“I don’t care for it either…but your profile didn’t include food preferences.”
“Odd.” She shot him a shy smile. “Joy knows I hate caviar.”
Their eyes met. He grinned. And all of a sudden, she felt at a loss. She knew little to nothing about him. Damn, she should have at least peeked at his profile.
She turned away, headed for the balcony. He followed. “So. Sebastian. Do you…do this often?”
He opened the door and the cool evening breeze wafted over them. They stepped outside and she settled herself at the table overlooking the city. Looking anywhere but at him.
“This?” He sat beside her, far too close. Far too warm. Far too tempting.
“This one-night stand thing?” She peeped at him beneath her lashes. The muscles in his cheek bunched.
He took a swig of his wine. “Once in a while. Like you I’ve…sworn off relationships.”
It bothered her, the shadow crossing his features. A man this beautiful should never know such pain. “What happened?”
He shrugged and forced a smile. “Oh, the usual. Suffice to say, if there is no expectation of fidelity, there’s less chance for disappointment.”
She blew out a breath. “Nothing disappoints like expectation.”
Their gazes tangled again and then, for some inexplicable reason, perhaps the travesty, the tragedy of it all, they both burst out laughing. Not the polite titters of social correctness, but deep full-bodied guffaws from two souls who had suffered similar pain and realized despite heartbreak, life went on.
It was sweet, sharing with someone who understood. A lightness buffeted Katie’s weary heart. Sebastian was rather adorable. Handsome and funny. Charming and gentlemanly.
And he smelled nice. Judging from the blinding beauty of his smile, he flossed regularly.
Maybe it wasn’t so crazy to consider having a fling with him.
Her body sure wanted it.
But the old fear crept in.
What if….
What if he couldn’t do it?
She shifted her attention back to the twinkling lights in the distance and tipped back her glass.
She nearly choked on the Cristal when he said, “So is it true? What I overheard in the bar?”
He patted her back until she quit coughing, but his hand remained there, warm, at her nape, stroking her. It was all she could do to keep from leaning in.
“Is it true? He never gave you an orgasm?”
“Yes.” She turned away. She couldn’t bear to see his expression. The pity. The revulsion. The—
He cupped her cheek and turned her face back, forcing her to look at him. There was no pity. No revulsion. Only…curiosity and warmth. “And still, you were faithful?”
“Yes.”
His thumb traced her lower lip. Infinitesimally, he pulled her closer. “And you’ve never been with another man?”
“Never.”
His lips touched hers. A soft, sweet buss. His breath, his essence, suffused her soul. “Amazing.” A whisper. “You’re amazing.”
She snorted. Which was awkward, because he was still very close to her mouth, breathing into her, in fact.
He pulled back and studied her. “You don’t think it’s amazing? You honored your vows, even though your needs were never met? For ten years?” She shook her head, unable to think. To speak. He had her utterly beguiled. “Hell, my wife didn’t last six months before…. Well, never mind. I think you are utterly amazing.”
She couldn’t let him labor under such a delusion. She decided to tell him the truth. And to hell with the consequences.
He wouldn’t want her when he knew her dirty little secret, and this adventure would come to an abrupt end. But if she slept with him, he’d find out the truth anyway. And it would be worse then.
“I’m frigid.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Frigid. Cold. You know. Ice princess?”
“Did he tell you that?”
“And I am not amazing. I’m just a coward. A frigid coward. I could have had affairs. I suppose. I didn’t want to.” She threaded her fingers together and stared at them. She could feel the weight of his gaze on her. It made heat prickle at her nape.
“Do you-do you find men attractive?”
She shrugged.
“Do you find me attractive?”
Her focus snapped back to him. Sebastian. With his deep emerald eyes. The little prickles of an insistent day beard sprouting on his chin. The delicious curve of his jaw.
“Yes.” Yes. She found him attractive. More so than any man she’d ever met.
It scared her to death.
“I find you attractive, too, Katie. Very attractive. But I don’t want to ask you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
Oh. There it was.
He was ending it.
A lump settled in her belly.
It was for the best. Really it was—
“So let’s take this slow, shall we?”
She gaped at him. “S-slow?”
He smiled and it warmed her heart.
Oh wait. It was his palm, skating across her shoulder, down her arm, cupping her breast. That was what warmed her.
“Stop me if this makes you uncomfortable.”
Oh, it made her uncomfortable. Sent sharp tingles along every nerve. Made her body start to soften and swell. Made her womb quiver.
But she wasn’t stopping him. No way.
He studied her as he leisurely thumbed a nipple. Electricity jolted through her and she sucked in a breath. “Do you like this?”
“Y-yes.”
“Does it leave you cold?”
She blinked. “What?”
He stroked again, then closed his fingers in a gentle pinch. A tug.
She nearly lost consciousness at the wash of pleasure.
“Does it leave you cold?”
She was shivering, but not from the cold. “N-no.” It was all she could do to force the syllable out.
“Then maybe you’re not frigid.” He stood and stared down at her. “Would you like to go inside and…explore this further?”
“Explore this?”
“Consider it an experiment. You know. To discover if you are frigid…or if you’re hot.” He grinned. “My guess is hot.”
Chapter Four
Sebastian watched as Katie thought over his proposal, trying very hard not to twitch impatiently. He hadn’t planned to go down to the bar to meet the woman Madame Eve had lined up for this trip—hadn’t even dressed for a “date”—but the bit with the flowers had intrigued him. He’d gone down to get a glimpse of her. For curiosity sake.
But then this gorgeous angel had walked into the bar and sat down at the table next to his and he’d been transfixed. The conversation with her friend had fascinated him further. His heart had leapt into his throat when she’d mentioned 1Night Stand and he’d realized…this was Katie.
Now he understood the matchmaker’s insistence.
Katie was everything he craved in a woman, physically and emotionally. For one thing, she was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, with smoky azure eyes and silky brown curls. Her face was almost elfin, piquant. And her body…. Hell’s bells. Curvy and lush and tantalizing.
But it was the fact she had never cheated on her douche bag husband that snared him. Spoke to his wounded soul. Blew him away. She was loyal woman who honored her vows. In a world of faithlessness and deceit, a rare treasure.
And God, he wanted her.
He wanted to make love to her.
He wanted to give her something no man ever had.
He wanted to make her come.
But only if she was as into it as he was.
He hoped to God she was.
She seemed to take forever to make up her mind, nibbling on her lush lower lip in a way that made him crazy. He wanted to nibble on her lip. On other things. She glanced up at him and he nearly drowned in her eyes. So blue. So shadowed. “Um. Okay.”
Okay?
Freaking awesome.
He could tell she was nervous, so he took her hand in his and led her into the living room—not the bedroom as he would have liked—pausing at the table to pour her another glass of champagne. This could take a while. She would need her sustenance.
When he sat on the sofa, she sat next to him.
“So,” she murmured, twirling the glass in her hand. “Joy says you travel a lot?”
He bit back a grin. He’d like to take her around the world. Right now. But he would let her set the pace. “Yes.”
“Where-where have you been?”
“Paris last week. Lisbon before that. Spent some time in Munich last month.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my. I’ve always wanted to go to Europe.”
He draped an arm across the back of the sofa then let his fingers drift over to the soft skin of her neck. She lurched, but only a little. He pretended not to notice. “You’ve never been to Europe?”
She snuffled a laugh. “I’ve never been outside the States. But it’s on my bucket list. I’d really like to go to England.”
“England is nice.” He drew small circles on her shoulder. She shifted her head to the side, giving him better access. Thing was, he was certain she wasn’t aware she’d done so.
How on earth could a lush, responsive woman like this think she was frigid?
Her husband must have been an idiot.
“Soooo.” She glanced around the room. “What do you do for a living?”
He nearly laughed out loud. But he didn’t. She was nervous. Apparently small talk put her at ease. “I sell things.”
“What kinds of things?”
“Expensive things. Would you like another drink?”
&
nbsp; “What kinds of expensive things?”
“Companies.”
She boggled. “Companies?”
He took her empty glass from her and set it on the table. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her away from him.
She glanced over her shoulder with a frown. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing. Just a little massage while we talk. Do you like massages?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Didn’t your husband ever give you one?”
She shook her head.
Yeah. He hadn’t thought so.
Idiot.
“Well, relax and talk to me while I work out the kinks.”
“Talk?” she squeaked.
“Ask me questions. Anything you want to know.”
“Um…. Okay…. How long were you married?”
Damn. Anything but that. It took everything in him not to tighten his grip. Instead he deliberately softened it, moved over her muscles with tender arcs. Took command of his rioting emotions before he answered. “We were married about six months. Together for six years.”
She stiffened. “Six years is a long time.”
“It is. But when you travel a lot, sometimes you think you know someone and you don’t. Turns out she was stepping out on me most of the time. I just didn’t find out until after we were married.”
Katie put her hand over his, where it lay on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” He continued his massage, working his way down her back. “Do you like this?”
“Hmm? Yes. It’s nice.”
He leaned forward and set his lips to her neck, gratified she allowed it. She smelled of vanilla and musk. Her skin was silky and soft. “And this? Do you like this?”
“Umm hmm.” Again, she tipped her head to the side. He shifted closer and slid his arms around her waist, held her, nuzzled her, until she eased back into him. Only then, did he allow his hands to make their way up her torso. He paused before he reached her breasts, teasing the bottom of each swell.
“And this?” he breathed. “Do you like this?”
“No.”
He froze. “No?”
