by Chloe Cole
And they would. Because justice was his middle name.
“I didn’t have anything planned other than coming here today, so you’re not keeping me from anything. And we’ve both got to eat anyway. What do you say?”
She nodded, her cheeks flushing with pleasure. “Sure, if you really don’t mind. I could use the company.”
“Great. Why don’t you get your purse, go put a little makeup on your chin so people don’t think I beat you up, and then we’ll go over to Sassy’s Bar and Grille. It’s low key, they have great burgers and sandwiches, and we can have a game of darts when we’re done.”
She popped off a snappy salute and made for the stairs. “I’ll be ten minutes or less. Feel free to turn on the television while you wait.”
As a man who juggled no less than eight women in his life at any given time, he was very aware of what ten minutes meant in woman-speak, so when he’d barely gotten comfortable on the couch and she appeared with a breathless smile, he was stunned.
And when he took in her appearance, he was even more stunned.
She’d managed to change again, taking her hair down, and replacing the slouchy jeans and already sexy shirt that had shown off her beautiful neckline for something even more compelling. He’d known he liked the way she felt against him, all packed with those dangerous curves, but in the wake of the attack, he’d been too concerned with her emotional state to really notice exactly how fine she was.
There was no question he noticed it now. Hot blood pulsed through him, heading straight to his cock as he took in the view. Her long hair hung in soft waves over her shoulder, the very ends brushing the swell of her ample bosom. She wore a peach colored cotton sweater that was so plain that it should’ve been invisible, but on her with those luscious breasts, it called to him like a siren’s song. He let his gaze travel lower to take in the second-skin jeans that were clearly meant for comfort and not their many benefits as they clung to her hips and thighs in a way that made his hand clench with the need to touch.
“Etienne? Are you okay?” she asked, her husky voice tinged with concern.
He could only imagine his expression was one of pain, because damned if that wasn’t how he felt. Like he was being strung up and tortured in the best worst way by all that bounty he could never sample.
Off limits.
He swallowed hard and dragged his eyes past her freshly glossed lips to meet her gaze. “Fine, yeah. I was just thinking that you should probably bring a light jacket in case the wind picks up again.“
Her furrowed brow smoothed and she nodded, bustling over to the coat closet. “Good idea.”
Turned out it was a stellar idea, because once she wrapped all that real estate in a lightweight trench, he could finally think straight again.
Excellent.
Now if he could convince her to stay that way all night, he’d be good. If not?
It was going to be a very long, very hard night.
Chapter Six
“We’ll take two dozen hot wings and a dozen honey barbecue. And then some loaded fries. And one of those bacon cheeseburgers.” Etienne pursed his lips and seemed to consider adding more to their order, but then paused when he caught her staring at him in awe.
“What?”
“Who’s going to eat all that?” she asked with a laugh.
“Me,” he said with a slow wink. “And you, too. But probably mostly me.”
She was too busy reeling from that wink to grill him on how he could eat like that and maintain that ridiculous superhero physique, but she needn’t have worried. The bartender who was taking their order called him on it instantly.
“Seriously? If I ate like that, I’d blow up like a balloon,” the pretty, thirty-something woman said with a low chuckle.
Her heavily made-up eyes lingered on Etienne’s muscled chest for longer than was technically necessary, but Taya couldn’t even blame her. She would’ve been looking too. Heck, she was surprised there wasn’t a stampede when they’d walked into the little bar and grill.
“Great metabolism,” he said with a good-natured grin.
The bartender shook her head and blew out an envious sigh. “My kingdom for one of those.” She bustled off to pour the beers they’d ordered when they’d first gotten there, and Etienne tugged Taya’s swiveling stool around to face him.
“You holding up okay?”
It took her a second to remember what he was talking about, but when she did, the tight feeling in her gut returned. She was here right now because she’d been attacked and nearly killed. And Etienne was only here with her because he was a Good Samaritan.
Not to be mistaken again for her knight in shining armor. So long as she kept reminding herself of that, surely she could manage to keep herself from falling head over heels in love with him.
Couldn’t she?
She nodded her thanks to their server as she dropped off their drinks, and gave Etienne a tight smile. “I’m doing great, considering. Thanks again for taking me out.”
“My pleasure. Want to play a game of darts while we wait for our food?”
She picked up her beer and took a long gulp, relishing the icy fizz trickling down her throat, before sliding off her stool. “Definitely. I haven’t played since I was around twelve, but it’s probably like riding a bike, right?”
He stood and picked up his mug, following behind as she picked her way through the high-top tables toward the empty game room in the back corner of the restaurant.
“I wouldn’t know.” He set his mug on a table next to the dartboard and turned to face her. “I’ve never ridden a bike before.”
She stared at him, agog. “What?”
He met her gaze, a half-smile tugging at his mouth. “I’ve never ridden a bike before. My parents weren’t around much and I just never learned. I was a pretty fast…runner, though. I was able to get from place to place quickly regardless, so it didn’t matter much to me.”
But something in his face told her another story. That maybe it had mattered. She found herself leaning in to take hold of his forearm.
“If you ever decide you want to learn, let me know. I’d be happy to teach you.”
He tilted his head to the side, his golden gaze locking with hers. “I believe you mean that, don’t you, cher? You’d spend your day teaching a grown man to ride a bicycle?”
She tried not to get lost in those eyes, but it was a struggle. She swallowed hard and stepped back. “I would. Absolutely. But for right now, I’m going to kick your ass at darts.”
He let out a snort and handed her three red darts, keeping the green for himself.
“Ladies first.”
She took the darts, careful not to touch his hand as she did, and turned to face the board. How ludicrous that she wanted so badly to impress him. To send that first dart sailing straight into the bull’s eye. Her stomach flopped as she got into place and lined up her shot. She closed one eye and held her breath. Then, she let it rip.
It whizzed straight past the board and into the wall behind it, where it buried itself with a thunk.
Her face flamed as Etienne let out a low whistle over her shoulder.
“That was pretty special right there. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before,” he observed. His tone was light and playful, which took the sting out of it, but she still wanted to crawl into a hole.
“I guess it’s not like riding a bike,” she muttered, repositioning and getting ready to redeem herself.
“You want some pointers?” he asked, stepping up behind her, close enough that she could smell that mouth-watering cologne.
“Y-yeah, uh, sure,” she said with a shrug.
His hard front pressed against her back as he moved in closer, gently taking her elbow in his hand and nudging it higher. “You want to move it like a hinge, back and then forward so the trajectory is straight. Don’t move your whole arm, just from the elbow down.” His mouth was mere inches from her ear, and his warm breath washed over her, sending a shiv
er running through her.
She cleared her throat and swallowed hard. “Okay, got it.”
He stepped back and she instantly mourned the loss of his body heat.
She shook off the melancholy and sucked in a breath. Ready. Aim. She did just like he showed her, not letting her arm move except at the elbow. That try was a dud, but like a true gentleman, he let her go again, giving her pointers as she went.
For the next twenty minutes, he coached her, celebrating her close calls and toasting her when she finally managed to hit the board. She was feeling a warm, pleasant buzz from the beer when she lined up for what Etienne announced was her final practice shot before they had a real game.
This time, she took an extra second to mutter a prayer under her breath before letting it loose. The dart went sailing toward the board and sunk into the ring just inside the bull’s eye.
“I did it!” she crowed, wheeling around to face Etienne, so pleased, she could’ve danced a jig. “Whoohoo!” She leaned in and thumped his chest in excitement.
“You did, cher. That was an excellent shot.”
His bemused smile seemed genuine, but there was something else in his expression that had her freezing in place. The sound of customers chatting in the next room and the strains pouring from the jukebox seemed to fade to nothingness as she stared up at him. His gaze dropped to her mouth and stayed there. Beneath her hand, she could’ve sworn she felt his heartbeat accelerate. His lifted his own hand to cover hers and she nearly expired on the spot as a bolt of electricity arced between them.
“Etienne?” she murmured, surprised that her voice sounded more like a husky plea than a question.
He wanted to kiss her.
As ludicrous and outlandish as it seemed, she knew with everything inside her it was true.
This gorgeous man with the sexiest French accent this side of the pond wanted to put his mouth on hers and exchange saliva.
For a second, she wanted to run. Or curl up into a ball like a cartoon armadillo and roll away because the thought was almost too much to bear.
Instead? She lost her ever-loving mind and dove at him like he was the last wand at a Hogwarts Convention.
The blood rushing in her ears was so loud, she only dimly heard his “Ooph” of surprise as her body collided with his and she looped her arms around his neck and yanked his face close to hers.
“Taya—” he groaned in warning the second before her lips touched his. But if her boldness shocked him, it was short-lived. In fact, she’d barely tasted his mouth when he grabbed her hips and pressed her flush against him, a humming sound deep in his throat like he’d been waiting for her…yearning for her.
The room dipped as he whirled her around and pressed her backward, until her ass pressed against the wall that separated the bar and the game room. His mouth slanted over hers, taking the kiss deeper as his tongue dipped and swirled, sending a spike of need straight to her core.
It’s a kiss, her subconscious bleated, panic-stricken in the background, Just a kiss.
Then why did it feel like her whole world was being turned upside down?
The thought came and then sizzled away under the heat of his lips. She unlocked the grip she had around his neck and let one hand slide lower to explore the contours of his muscled chest as he pressed closer. Helplessly, she arched toward him, grinding her hips against his, gasping into his mouth as she felt the thick evidence of his arousal.
“Oh, hey, uh, your food’s ready. Whenever you guys are…”
The amused female voice of their server faded as Taya jerked away from Etienne in shock. She stared up into his hungry eyes and sucked in a steadying breath.
“I’m- God, Etienne, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
His hands twitched on her hips before he released her and stepped back. “Not your fault, cher. I’m the one who should be sorry. You’re not yourself today, and I shouldn’t have taken advantage.”
As she stared up at him, body still tingling from his touch, mouth swollen from his kiss, she realized he was wrong about that. In fact, she’d never felt more like herself in her whole life.
But it wasn’t the time to explain all that. His face was pinched with guilt and she rushed to reassure him.
“You didn’t take advantage. I kissed you. And really, it’s fine. It was just a kiss.”
He nodded, but she could see the doubt on his face.
“Let’s go eat, okay? Before it gets cold,” she said brightly, shoving a lock of hair from her eyes as she made a beeline toward the door that led to the bar.
She didn’t wait to see if he followed her. In fact, part of her hoped he took his time so she could get a grip. If she’d been drawn to him before, that kiss had sealed it.
She was fully and completely infatuated. And the knowledge that he was feeling something back—even if it was a little something—made her so dizzy, she could barely see straight.
She climbed onto her stool, reached for her fork and gestured to the bartender. “Another beer for me please.”
Anything to cool down, because she was on fire. The other woman gave her a knowing smile and a surreptitious thumbs up. Because even she—a total stranger—knew that Taya was the luckiest woman in the room tonight and playing way out of her league.
Normally, she would’ve let that thought settle in deep. Like a barbed hook, burrowing its way into her gullet. Testing her sense of self-worth, shaking her confidence. Today, though, it only made her more sure of what she needed to do.
Yes, she had lived through something terrible the night before, but that only made her more determined not to pass up this chance. She needed to take life in both hands and wring it for everything it was worth.
So, today she was going to seduce Etienne Beauchamp if he would let her.
Because who knew what tomorrow would bring?
Chapter Seven
“Want coffee?” Taya called from the kitchen.
“Sure, thanks,” he said, staring out the bay window, watching as the fiery red sun finished setting behind the mountains. He wasn’t sure where the day had gone, but it had sped by quicker than any he could remember.
After they’d eaten and each had another beer, the tension and awkwardness between them after their kiss had faded. Not the attraction, though. That was ever-present, simmering beneath the surface and bubbling over every so often when their legs brushed beneath the bar, or when he’d opened the car door and taken her hand to help her in.
Shit, who was he kidding? It was there for him every time he looked at her. Those bright, inquisitive eyes, and that ready, full-bellied laugh that turned him into a schoolboy, desperate to find something else to amuse her.
When they’d left the bar, he couldn’t bring himself to take her right home, so he’d suggested they take a walk in the park. Then, when he finally did convince himself it was time to call it an evening, she’d invited him in to watch a movie. And he couldn’t say no. He’d stayed for one and they were getting ready to watch a second as every reason why he should go ran through his head on a loop.
She was too fragile.
She was too human.
She was the kind you brought flowers, not the kind you spanked when she felt naughty.
And he wasn’t the man she thought he was. In fact, he was more like the men who attacked her than he cared to admit. He was part animal, same as they were. Granted, they were true monsters, but there was something inside him that was untamed. Something that—if he let loose in front of her—would shake her to her very core and send her running in the other direction.
But the scariest part of all was that he liked her. He didn’t just want to fuck her. Although he very definitely wanted that too, he enjoyed her company. That was new for him, and not wholly comfortable. Already, he was making excuses in his head to see her again. To stretch out their time together, even with the knowledge that no good could come of it.
But that mouth. Those lips.
“Cream and su
gar?”
He jerked his head up to see her standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, cup in hand.
“No, black is fine, thanks.”
He took the mug from her and set it on the table as she stood looking down at him, regarding him through serious, dark eyes.
“You all right?” he asked softly, wondering if she was nervous now that night had begun to fall. He’d done an excellent job of distracting her all day, but maybe the thought of being home alone at night had her agitated. Offering to stay to watch over her and not touching her would be the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, but he would do it if she needed him to.
“I’m fine, I just…” She moistened her lips and toyed with her thumbnail before sucking in a breath and blowing it out in a rush. “I want you to stay, Etienne.”
Her words lay between them like a live-wire even as each one etched itself on his brain. He had thought she’d regretted kissing him. Had thought, at the very least, that she was embarrassed at having been so forward. That thought had been his saving grace. The one shot he’d had of getting through the rest of the night with her honor intact.
This? This was the worst-case scenario.
Because she didn’t mean stay and watch over her. Or stay and watch another movie. Or stay until she fell asleep.
She meant stay.
It was written all over her face. In the weight of her stare. In the depth of her gaze. The pulse in her neck fluttered like a trapped bird as she waited for him to respond.
In spite of him, his dragon flexed and stretched beneath his skin, sending tendrils of heat through his extremities as his cock hardened.
“Taya, this isn’t a good idea.”
It would’ve probably played better if he didn’t sound like fucking Batman, his voice low and gravelly, like he was already imagining himself inside her.
And he was, god, he was. Sliding deep, until he couldn’t get any deeper. Baring those sweet, full breasts so he could suck the tight nipples he’d seen poking through her sweater when he’d kissed her. Burying his hands in all that thick, dark hair as he worked her over his cock.
