by Anara Bella
“You’re kidding.” Suddenly realizing she sounded like a parrot, Dana quickly added, “I had no idea you were interested in women with brains.”
His grin morphed into a scowl.
She plowed on. “I-I mean, it’s no secret around the office what type of woman you’re attracted to and it sure isn’t the brainy type.”
His head tilted to the right, causing a lock of dark hair to fall over his forehead in the most appealing way. She itched to smooth it back into place simply to have an excuse to touch his silky-looking hair.
“So, what you’re saying is that a woman can’t be beautiful, sexy and intelligent.”
She snapped out of fantasizing about his hair and back to what he was saying. “Of course not. I didn’t say that. You’re twisting my words.”
“What are you saying then?”
She wasn’t sure what annoyed her more, his irritating amusement at her expense, or his disbelief. “I’m saying you’re not interested in anything long-term with a woman. It’s obvious you’re only interested in the sex. Brains are optional.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m only interested in the sex. But I can see you’ve already made up your mind. You don’t approve of my dating habits. Not surprising, really.”
May as well disabuse him of that notion right now. “Actually, I whole-heartedly approve of your dating habits.”
He raised his brows and suddenly looked calculatingly speculative. “Is that so?”
Unwanted nerves reared again, complete with that fluttery feeling only Reese seemed to inspire in her.
Still looking thoughtful, he reached out and skimmed his thumb along her lips in a touch so utterly sensual she closed her eyes to fully savor it.
“Why did you kiss me, Dana? And don’t give me that crap about it being the thing to do at the time. That was quite a kiss you laid on me back there.”
Jarred out of her reverie, her face flamed for what had to be the hundredth time in the last half hour, and for the zillionth time in her life, she wished she wasn’t so prone to blushing. It was annoying and anything but sexy, but she’d never been able to figure out how to control it.
She ignored the hated blush and forged on, striving to exude sexy confidence. “I only instigated the kiss. You’re the one who took it to the next level. Nicely done, by the way.”
Reese laughed. An inviting, totally charming laugh that matched the warmth and sex-appeal radiating from his gorgeous grey eyes. “Thanks. I do my best.”
A shiver of desire raced up her spine. I’ll just bet you do. In fact, she was counting on it. “Are you as good at other things?”
He went perfectly still. His gaze slammed into hers, no doubt trying to gauge if he was reading her implication right or not. “I’m good at a lot of things. Did you have anything particular in mind?”
Boy, did she ever. “I was particularly thinking about sex. You. Me. Bed optional.”
Sharp silence greeted her pronouncement while he studied her in a way that made her feel totally exposed. Sort of like a stripper on stage. Or a bug under a microscope. She couldn’t decide if she liked the feeling or not, but one thing was certain, he sure was noticing her now.
Despite the intensity of feeling he could bring out in her with just a look, his expression still managed to be mostly unreadable, except for the fact that she could swear his eyes got brighter. She hoped that was a good sign. “What’s the matter, you never been propositioned before?” Like she believed that.
Reese shot her a sexy, all-knowing smile only a man with plenty of experience could pull off. “A time or two. But I wasn’t expecting to be propositioned by you. You’re full of surprises tonight, aren’t you?”
If you only knew. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
His sultry gaze trailed up and down her body making her glad she’d taken extra-special care with her appearance tonight. And how the heck did he do that? Just that one scorching look made her breasts peak as if he’d physically caressed her.
Oh boy.
His gaze flicked back to hers. “I’m beginning to see that.”
What else did he see? Could he see how much she wanted him?
Her heart skipped about with erratic glee and butterflies rattled around in her throat with loose abandon. She was so nervous she couldn’t swallow and feared she wouldn’t be able to speak. But she was determined to go through with her plan and telling Reese about it was the only way it would ever happen.
She cleared her throat with determination. “There is a catch to my proposition.”
“There’s always a catch.”
Sarcasm dripped from his voice with world-weary ease but she tried not to let it get to her. “This isn’t only about sex for me.”
“Of course it isn’t.”
“No. I, uh, have an agenda.”
His right eyebrow skyrocketed and she just knew his trap meter was on high alert. “Not sure I like the sound of that.”
She plowed on. “I don’t think you’ll mind this. At least I hope you won’t.”
“We’ll see.”
He was practically oozing skepticism now. She’d known convincing him she was serious would be difficult but she took a deep breath and dove in. “Any relationship we have has to be short-term. I’m thinking a one-night stand is about right. And it has to include no-strings-attached great sex.”
Silence.
Well, if she’d expected him to whoop for joy she was doomed to disappointment. Instead, he gave her that deadpan look he was famous for. “You can’t be serious.”
“Damned straight I am.”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe you. Women always want more. It’s in their genes.”
She didn’t blame him for being suspicious. Women were after him all the time, and not just for sex. “Not this one.”
“I know women, and if there’s one thing I’m sure of it’s that you’re the hearts-and-flowers, serious-relationship type.”
She vehemently shook her head. “You’re wrong. I used to be that type.”
Looking utterly unconvinced, he asked, “What changed?”
“I changed. Look, I’ve done the serious relationship thing. You could say it was my modus operandi. And saying those relationships were unsatisfactory is putting it mildly. To the last one they were all the same. Boring. Boring relationships, boring sex. Just plain boring. And they always ended badly, with me getting hurt. I’ve had it. I want more.”
“More.”
“Yep, more. More excitement, more sex. No, not just sex. I want awesome, spine-tingling, knee-melting, mind-blowing sex. The kind you read about in romance novels. And I want you to give it to me.”
He blinked. “That’s a tall order. What makes you think I can deliver?”
“I’ve heard the talk around the office about you. If anyone can do it, you can.”
He chuckled. “I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, but there does have to be a certain chemistry between the two people involved.”
She nodded vigorously. “I know. That’s why I need to sample the goods first.”
He all but choked. “Sample the goods?”
She placed her hands on his chest and backed him towards the desk. She must’ve really thrown him because he didn’t resist at all, so she kept pushing until she had him trapped against the desk. “Yeah, sample the goods. Kiss me again and prove that first kiss wasn’t a fluke.”
Reese’s head was spinning. Again. The woman sure knew how to knock him off-kilter and damned if he didn’t feel the need to pinch himself again too. That was twice in one night. How did she keep doing that?
To ground himself, he focused on the desk against the back of his legs. It was the only thing that felt real.
He’d had plenty of women come on to him over the years, but they were all a certain type of woman. The type that were out for a good time. He could spot them a mile away and knew what to expect with them. And how to handle them. But Dana had never struck him as that so
rt. Not even close. It was the main reason he hadn’t followed through on his desire to get to know her better.
And because he knew she wasn’t like that, he had a hard time believing her now. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was trying some kind of reverse psychology on him. Maybe hoping to put him off-guard.
If she was, it was definitely working. He was so off-guard he was almost dizzy with it. But that’s as far as its impact went. Being thrown for a loop didn’t come close to changing his view on relationships. He hadn’t yet found a woman to tempt him into anything serious.
One thing was for sure though, Dana knew how to shock the pants off him. She’d already done it three times in just the last half hour. First the kiss, then the proposition and now, of all things, she wanted to sample the damn goods. What the hell was next?
He fought back a smile. Come to think of it, he could hardly wait to find out.
Chapter Three
Not wanting to give Reese a chance to say no, Dana planted her lips on his with single-minded gusto.
She didn’t hold back, but put everything she had and then some into the kiss and it was just like the last time. As if electricity zapped directly from his lips to hers, striking every miniscule part of her with supercharged glee until her body absolutely sang with it.
She’d never been so turned on in her life and she could tell Reese was right there with her. He moved his hands across her body from the top of her back on down past her waist, hesitating for a tantalizing moment before settling where she desperately wanted them, on her backside. She could hardly believe it was possible, but the intimate touch increased the erotic thrill-ride of sexual tension a hundredfold until she was practically delirious with it.
He leaned back against the edge of the desk she’d backed him into, taking her with him. Pulling her even closer to his hard frame. He nestled her between his legs, and oh boy, he couldn’t hide the fact that he was as turned on by this kiss as she was. At least if the noticeable bulge she felt was any indication.
She took advantage and let her hands roam freely from his impressive shoulders to his tight scrumptious ass. Reese groaned and ground himself against her. The kiss increased in urgency until he was practically eating her alive.
God, kissing Reese was potent stuff. Full of flaring heat, sex, desire and wanting. And the fact that he wanted this too went way beyond intoxicating. They were in a world of their own making. A world she knew she never wanted to leave.
Dana was so hot she thought she would burst into flames from the scorching need racing through her. And still the kiss went on.
How long the kiss would have continued, or how far it would have gone, she’d never know for sure because a disturbance at the door abruptly forced their lips apart. Gasping to catch their breath, they glanced at the surprised intruder who was already apologizing profusely in red-faced embarrassment. She’d have felt sorry for him if she wasn’t so annoyed he’d interrupted them.
Without looking either of them in the eyes, he uttered another quick apology and beat a hasty retreat.
Alone again, neither of them said anything. Neither did they resume the kiss, and the acute sense of loss that washed through Dana was staggering. In that moment, she couldn’t have formed a coherent word to save her life. And judging by the way Reese’s eyes were almost black she was certain he felt the same sense of loss. That had to be good for her plan.
Yep. As far as she was concerned, that kiss had more than answered her questions. There was no doubt about it. “You pass the test. You’re definitely the right man for the job.”
He looked as if he didn’t quite know what to make of her. Or maybe he just couldn’t believe he’d been kissing her with such passion and intensity. He slowly shook his head. “No. I’m not.”
Huh? “What do you mean? You’re not going to tell me you didn’t enjoy that kiss as much as I did.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I did. This isn’t about the kiss, or the undeniable chemistry between us. This is about certain rules I live by and one of them is to not get involved with women who don’t know the score. And you don’t know the score.”
A feeling of dread flickered over her. “I told you, all I want is a quick fling. Nothing more.”
He cupped her cheek with his hand. “I know that’s what you said, but I don’t think you know what you’d be letting yourself in for.”
And just like that, the flicker of dread changed to the first licks of anger. “Well, isn’t that patronizing of you.”
He looked taken aback and dropped his hand to her shoulder. “I don’t mean it that way. The thing is, even though you think you mean it now, you’d probably end up getting hurt. I don’t want to put you through that.”
That did it. Her temper was generally slow to flare but once it did, it was a glorious thing to behold. She shook off his hand and stepped back. “Don’t you dare tell me what I do or don’t mean. I know what I mean and I know what I want. I’m not a child, nor am I an idiot.”
Looking slightly alarmed, he tried pacifying her. “I don’t think you’re any of those things. Look. You have to have a certain attitude to be able to have casual sex, especially a one-night stand. You don’t have that attitude or you’d have been doing it long before now.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes. I do.”
Damned sure of himself, wasn’t he? Or was that what was really going on here? Deciding she wasn’t buying into any of this crap, she lit into him. “Look, if you don’t find me attractive enough to have sex with, just say so. Don’t spout a bunch of bullshit at me to get out of it.”
“It’s not bullshit. It’s the truth. And I think once you’ve had a chance to think about this, you’ll realize I’m right.”
Amazing. She barely knew the guy and he was talking as if he knew what she was thinking better than she did. “You think I just pulled the idea out of a hat while I was at this party?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Doesn’t matter. Tomorrow, in the clear light of day, you’ll thank me for turning you down.”
Dana was certain her mouth was hanging open like an out-of-water trout. And how attractive was that.
Of all the scenarios she’d thought might happen, this wasn’t one of them. Despite her anger she was literally stunned speechless. That was almost a miracle in itself.
No doubt taking advantage of her loss for words, Reese dropped a peck on her forehead. The simple action made her feel even more like an idiot child. Before she could find the words to express her outrage, he turned on his heel and left the room leaving her to stew in her own juices.
Finally finding her voice, Dana uselessly shouted after him, “Bastard!”
***
Reese hadn’t slept very well. Not surprising really. Between the not-so-pleasant scene he’d had with Bambi and the equally unsettling episode with Dana, he’d had a lot on his mind.
Last night, after leaving Dana, he’d gone to hunt down Bambi. Although he’d been certain she could take care of herself, he’d felt obligated to check and make sure she had a way home. He needn’t have bothered. Bambi had superglued herself to the guy she’d been playing tonsil hockey with earlier and had quite nastily told Reese what he could do with himself and his offer of a ride home.
The woman had a seriously foul mouth. Too bad that was the most imaginative and interesting thing she’d had to say the entire evening.
No longer in the mood to party, he’d simply gone home. But that didn’t mean he was able to put Dana out of his mind. She’d completely thrown him and was the real cause of his sleeplessness. It wasn’t easy putting a beautiful woman out of your mind when just hours before she’d propositioned you, turned you on like no other woman had before, and you’d gone and turned her down flat.
At this point, the best he could say about himself was that he was crazy. What other explanation could there be? No sane man would have turned her down. And that was part of what was bothering him. Had she then gone on to look for another m
an to do the job? He shoved the thought aside, annoyed that it bothered him.
Why the hell should he care? She was no one to him. No one except a woman who’d given him the boner of all boners just by kissing him.
Hell and damnation. With his level of experience, it usually took more than a kiss to work him up like that. A hell of a lot more. And he couldn’t, for the life of him, erase the notion of having sex with her on that damned desk she’d pinned him up against.
Annoyed to find himself thinking about Dana for the umpteenth time that day, he grabbed his car keys and went for a drive to clear his head.
***
“He turned you down? I can’t believe it.”
Dana stopped contemplating her half-eaten peanut butter cookie and looked at her best friend, Sandy. “Well, believe it.”
“And you told him all you want is sex?”
“Yep. Laid the whole plan out for him. There was no way he didn’t understand me. The problem is he doesn’t believe me.”
Sandy slammed down her can of cola. “He thinks you’re a liar?”
Dana shook her head. “Worse. That I’m an idiot who doesn’t know her own mind.”
“Asshole!”
Dana giggled and stretched back on the sofa. “Yeah, that was pretty much my conclusion at the time too.” She snarfed down the rest of her cookie.
“I don’t know how you can possibly laugh about it. I’d be madder than hell.”
Dana nabbed another fresh-baked cookie from the plateful on the coffee table. “I was at first, but once I cooled down I got to thinking about it and tried to look at it from his perspective. He’s had women trying to tie him down for years. Can I really blame him for thinking I’m no different? Especially when he’s no doubt heard I’ve always been relationship girl up to now.”
Sandy sighed. “When you put it that way, I guess it sort of makes sense.”
“Yep. And you know, he really tried to let me down nicely. Kindly actually. And that’s despite the fact that I’d let loose my temper on him. It makes me realize he really is the perfect guy for my plan. He may like to play the field, but he’s not a jerk. He’s very upfront about where he stands and he’s not trying to hurt anyone.”
