His mouth gave her a promising smile, but he put up his hands. “No expectations. We’re just keeping it light and fun.”
“I don’t know how smart it would be for me to go to your place,” she said drolly.
He gave her an arrogant look. “Afraid I might change your mind?”
This guy just wouldn’t stop. She had to admit, he was arousing her with his banter, but at the same time, she didn’t want to lead him on and was beginning to understand why Luke told her not to go out with him.
“It’s more like I’m afraid you won’t know how to take no for an answer.”
“I’ve never had to force a woman in my life, Janie.” His eyebrow picked up and his tone was all ego. She wasn’t sure she cared for how he’d worded that statement. It just made her uncomfortable.
“I’m still going to say no, Eric.”
He sat back and crossed his arms, obviously disappointed. “I’ve made you angry in some way and that wasn’t my intention.” He leaned forward after taking a breath and propped his forearms on the table, reaching for her hand. “I just want to,” he looked around then dropped his voice, “get outta here. Be with you in a more private setting. Again, no expectations. I promise I won’t pressure you.”
Shit, this man is a pit bull. So much for not pressuring her. He really wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“Eric, I’ve had a great time tonight. I’m glad we went out. But I don’t know that it would be wise for me to go to your place.”
“How about your place, then?”
Geez already.
She sighed, exasperated, then smiled. “Not my place either.”
“Okay.” He waited, watching her, letting the silence play out. Eventually he sighed. “Then at least let me get you home.” Before she could protest, he put up his hands and said, “We’ll share a cab, I’ll walk you to your door, and that will be that.”
She continued to look at him, then finally capitulated and nodded.
The look of triumph on his face almost made her laugh. “Good.” He continued playing with her fingers, soothing her. “Would you like some dessert? Coffee? More wine?”
“No. I think I’m good. Thank you, though.”
“Okay. I’ll just get the check then.”
He did, and then within moments they were outside getting a cab. She gave her address to the cab driver, then they sat back for the ride.
“Thank you for coming out with me tonight,” he murmured and took her hand to rub her knuckles. He was definitely a toucher which normally she loved. She came from a family of demonstrative people, especially the men. But this time, she was wound too tightly, trying to keep her wits about her so she could be on her toes. His touching was only making it more difficult.
“I’m glad I did,” she said, looking at him. She was glad she’d gone, if for no other reason than to realize she and Eric would never have been a good match. There was a fine line between going after what you wanted and being too pushy. She knew most women might have found his determination attractive, but considering she was in love with another man and she’d had to tell Eric ‘no’ in a million different ways, it only made her want the evening to end sooner rather than later.
They talked about inconsequential things, with Eric touching her all the while, her hands, her hair, her knee. By the time the cab pulled up outside her loft, her body was humming with awareness and she was ready to get into her loft.
Eric got out of the cab and asked the cabbie to wait, then took her hand leading her to the door.
She turned to him, always a little nervous about that first awkward moment when a man dropped her off at her door. She didn’t have a lot of experience with it, quite frankly, and wondered how this would play out.
“I’ll walk you inside,” Eric said.
She didn’t want to appear ungrateful, so she unlocked the door and let them into the foyer, walking up to her loft door. When she turned, his hand was cupping her cheek almost immediately.
Before she could react, his mouth moved slowly to hers and just as his lips touched hers, he licked into the recesses of her mouth seeking out her tongue. His body began to press into hers, slowly moving her back until she was against her loft door.
He was a good kisser, she had to admit. His hand moved into her hair at the base of her neck, where he kneaded and pulled gently, then he bit softly into her lower lip. He began picking up the pace and her nipples tightened with arousal.
Her mind catapulted back to Luke. …who do you think you’ll be thinking of if they kiss you? Who will you be thinking of, Janie?
Damned if he wasn’t right. Luke was all she was thinking about. A sound escaped from her throat and Eric took that as encouragement, pressing his erection into her and deepening the kiss.
She broke away as best she could and put her hand up on his chest to stop him. Eric’s eyes were glittering, his color high on his cheeks.
“God, I wanna fuck you so badly, my balls ache,” he whispered while dropping his forehead to hers.
Well. Okay, then.
When she finally caught her breath, she said, “Thank you for tonight.”
“Come out with me again.” He hadn’t moved from his stance, his hand still in her hair, his body pressing her to the door. He took a moment to roll his hips into hers. “I promise, I can make you forget all about him. I can make you feel so good, Janie.”
Shit. She did not want his words to stir up her sexual appetite, but they did. The only problem was they weren’t being said by Luke.
“I don’t need to forget about anyone, Eric. I’m absolutely certain you’ll find another woman to have fun with. I’m afraid it’s not going to be me, though.”
He let go of a loud exhalation of breath trying to hide his annoyance, “Come out and play, Janie. Come on,” he cajoled.
“I’m sorry, Eric.” Not really.
He waited, let go of a deep sigh, and then finally stepped back from her, releasing her hair. “If you discover that you want to play after all, Janie, I would love to come out and play with you.”
I bet you would.
“I appreciate that,” she said, trying to end this on a positive note. “If I change my mind I know who to call.”
“Don’t lose my number,” he said with a tight laugh.
“Will do.”
“Bye for now, gorgeous.”
“Bye, Eric.” Then he walked away.
Janie made it inside and slammed the door. She rubbed her hands over her face and let out a growl of annoyance mixed with sexual frustration.
She threw her purse onto the floor then tore off her coat. Grabbing her phone, she fell onto the sofa and thought through her text to Luke. It was still early, not quite ten o’clock. She began typing.
JC: I’m home, Dad. No need to wait up any longer.
She let her head drop back onto the cushion and closed her eyes, imagining what it would’ve been like if it had been Luke kissing her goodnight.
Her call box went off. She picked up her head wondering if Eric was coming back for round two. She walked over.
“Hello?”
“It’s me.” Shit. It was Luke.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she nearly screeched into the call box, her heart now pounding double time.
“I do live in the neighborhood. Open up. It’s cold.”
She buzzed him in, immediately touching her hair, inspecting her clothes. His knock came moments later and she slid open the door.
He looked good. When did he not look good? Casually dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, bomber jacket and sneaks, all she wanted to do was put her mouth on him. Instead she leaned back against the doorjamb.
“Were you waiting outside for me to get home from my date, Luke Daniels?”
He walked past her, then turned to give her an expressionless look.
“You were, weren’t you?” Janie started cracking up. “You’re unbelievable.” She had never been so happy in her life. Luke was jealous. She slid the door
shut.
“You think that’s funny?”
“I think it’s hilarious. What did you think he was going to do to me?” She walked to him and playfully stared up into his eyes, giving him a sultry smile.
“Did he kiss you? What am I saying? Of course the fucker kissed you,” Luke mumbled. His eyes pierced into hers while he waited for her response. She took her time giving it, just smiling at him. “Did he?” he asked again.
Her grin got wider and she licked her lips then nodded. Slowly.
His tongue swirled over his teeth, his eyes taking on that heavy-lidded stare. “What else did he do?”
She cocked her head. “I told you I wouldn’t have sex. I didn’t have sex.”
“What. Else. Did. He. Do?” he bit out.
She put her hands on her hips, thoroughly enjoying this moment. “You said I was a lady, and a lady doesn’t –”
“Don’t say it, Janie.”
“– kiss and tell.”
He moved slowly toward her to crowd her space. Grabbing a curl, he twirled it around his finger and pulled so she had to step closer to him, causing her to stumble slightly into him, gasping. Her hands landed on his chest to steady herself.
“What does a lady do then, Janie? If she doesn’t kiss and tell, what does she do?” he whispered. He looked dangerous and hot as hell. “You’re not going to tell? How about kiss then?” His mouth had a teasing tilt to it and he leaned down quickly as if to nip at her lip. She tried to nip back, but he held her head still and backed away. His grip tightened on her curl and he moved even closer. Shifting his body, he landed his leg between her skirted thighs, then leaned toward her ear.
“Who were you thinking of when he kissed you?” he whispered in a cocky tone.
She smiled and didn’t answer right away.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear you. A little louder, please,” he said smugly. His hand now engulfed the back of her skull still holding her curl between his fingers. He pulled back to look down into her eyes.
She couldn’t help but roll them at him. “Hm. Let me think. Weston was a pretty good kisser, so it was kind of hard to think of anyone else, but I guess you did pop into my head afterwards. You know, when I was comparing,” she said softly with a light smile to her lips.
He rolled his tongue in his mouth. “And when he touched you? Did you let him touch you?” he continued whispering, pulling at her hair and shifting his body some more so he was rubbing his thigh against the core of her womanhood which was screaming for him to take her. Did he know what he was doing to her?
“He didn’t touch me,” she said huskily, trying to remain focused in the sexual haze Luke was creating.
“But he wanted to, didn’t he?” He pulled her head back further and looked down at her. “Didn’t he?”
She nodded as best she could, watching his eyes darken even more. “He told me he wanted to fuck me.” She looked him dead in the eye when she said it.
He stilled, his blue eyes taking on a dangerous glint. “Did he now?” His voice got lower, softer, more controlled. “And what did you say to that?”
She let a smile play on her lips. His response was to grip her hair tighter.
“He said he could make me feel really good, Lukey,” she whispered. “I gotta tell ya, if he wasn’t such a player and we didn’t have this agreement going on, I may have let him ravish me.”
He continued watching her, his tongue now darting out to the corner of his mouth. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.” She licked her own lips.
“Apparently he did some things that convinced you he was a player.”
She was caught in the snare of his look. Given their position, it wasn’t the easiest conversation to have. His grip loosened in her hair and his eyes looked a little concerned.
“Did he do anything to,” he paused. “He didn’t hurt you, or –?”
“No. He was just very persistent,” she took a deep breath, “but eventually he accepted my ‘no’. It took a while though,” she muttered.
“Cabròn,” he swore. “Did he manhandle you or anything like that?”
She thought that funny considering where Luke’s own hands were and his attitude at the moment. She laughed and ended with a soft smile, saying wryly, “Not as much as you do.”
His eyes blinked and he seemed to snap out of whatever it was that had taken hold of him in the last few minutes. He stepped back and released her. “Sorry.”
“I wasn’t complaining.”
He swiped his hand down his face. He seemed to be trying to get control of himself. She loved watching it play out, but wished he still had his hands on her. She also wished he didn’t feel like he had to fight this potential attraction to her so much.
“So, how’s the search going?” she asked trying to hide her smile.
He turned to look at her. “Huh?”
“The search. For my man?”
He clenched his jaw, then nodded. “Moving strong. There’s only one more thing I need to do before he’s ready to be presented to you.”
She thought that was interesting. “Good.” She took a cleansing breath. “So, I have another date tomorrow.”
He stopped, then, “What the fuck, Janie? You’re actually going out with him again?”
“No, not with Eric.” She seriously couldn’t stop the giggles.
He muttered a swear in Spanish. “What, you’re just going out with men left and right now?”
“Apparently, I’m a hot commodity. It’s that sparkle thing and all that.”
He put his hands on his hips. “Who?”
“Miguel Gastaldi.”
He was silent a moment, then nodded. “When?”
“Tomorrow for lunch.”
He clenched his jaw, but seemed to relax a bit. “You better get all of these men out of your system, baby girl. The man I choose isn’t going to take kindly to you dating around after Christmas.”
“Well of course not. I only have one more week then I’m all yours. For the man you choose, I mean,” she said pointedly.
He glared at her.
“Don’t look at me like that. You’ve had your chance at dating around. I haven’t. First there was my weight, then there was school, then I had to set up the business. These last few months are the first time I’ve actually had to do the dating thing. And I can’t help it if someone asks me out.”
He continued glaring, waited a beat, and then shrugged letting go of a sigh. “Okay, then.” He slowly turned and made his way to the door.
And just like that, he was leaving.
When he turned back to her, he nailed her with a look, his mouth kicking up. “Enjoy your date tomorrow. Just don’t forget your date with me on Wednesday. I know it might be hard to remember in the middle of all of your other suitors.” He threw her a dry look. “And lock the door.”
“Night, Luke,” she said with a bright smile.
He shook his head and smirked, then turned away and left.
She stared at the shut door, threw the lock, and sighed. She went to bed, shaking her head with disbelief over the day, and dreaming about Wednesday.
Chapter 13
Tuesday morning was a beautiful winter day in lower Manhattan; crisp, crystal clear with the trees glistening from light snow and icicles. Janie got up to exercise then texted both Luke and Tiffany a happy birthday message, each one separately. To Tiffany, she’d sent a generic one. To Luke, she’d put in a little more thought.
JC: Happy bday, Mr. Daniels. I’m sorry u have to work tonight on ur special day. My bday present will hopefully make up for it.
She smiled and hit send, making a food list for shopping. Her text went off.
LD: I’m intrigued. Any hints?
She thought for a moment then smiled again.
JC: U can put it in ur mouth.
LD: Who knew u were such a dirty girl, Janie Callahan?
JC: Maybe u just have a dirty mind, Luke Daniels.
LD: I do. Which is good b/c I hear t
hat’s pretty high up there on women’s lists. Well, at least one woman’s.
JC: Do u have a lot of mtngs today on ur big day?
LD: I actually have a mtng w/ loverboy Weston later. I’m looking forward to seeing him, if for no other reason than to discourage him from any more amorous pursuits.
JC: Don’t u dare say anything to him in ur meeting. We’re not in high school. It’ll embarrass me if u say something.
LD: Oh well.
JC: I mean it, Luke. Promise me u won’t say anything.
LD: I’ll only say something if he says something first, and I’ll be on my best behavior and won’t embarrass u.
She could almost hear his snicker and see his eye roll.
JC: Pain in the ass. Have a great rest of ur day. Sell lots of clothes or whatever it is u do.
LD: I see I’ll need to tutor u on my job description as well. I’ll add it to the discussion list for tom, which I’m very much looking forward to.
She felt a wave of heat pass through her.
JC: Ur just looking forward to putting my present in ur mouth, dirty boy.
LD: U know it. Enjoy ur lunch w/ Gastaldi. Remember, no sex.
JC: I know, I know. And think of u when he’s kissing me. Got it.
She chuckled and waited for his response.
LD: Sorry to disappoint u, but he won’t be kissing u. I’m fairly certain he’s not the kind of guy to kiss on the first date. Plus, he’s not a player like Weston. He would’ve been a good contender, but don’t forget. Small feet.
She barked out a laugh.
JC: What size are urs again?
LD: Què boca. Ttyl.
She hugged herself like an idiot. She was so friggin’ in love with Luke Daniels.
The rest of the morning she talked to the girls in one way, shape, or form. The picture of the kiss from the party was now circulating and they all had something to say about it, mainly to comment on how she’d neglected to share how heated the kiss really was. She let them know about her date with Eric and how things were progressing. Then she’d told them about her lunch date. They all couldn’t believe how much had happened in the last couple of days.
Her mother had texted her too, obviously having seen the picture. Janie took a moment away from making Luke’s homemade chocolate chip cookies and called her.
Remembrance: A Contemporary Erotic Romance (Iris Series Book 4) Page 22
