A Haught Date: Haught Brothers Book 1 (A Haught Brothers Novel)

by Leela Lou Dahlin

  She walked to the door thinking about what he said. She knew he was behind her from the way the crowd followed her movements.

  She stopped at the car and turned back to him. “Well, you may be right about some of that.”

  “Words I always like to hear.”

  The small smile she received from him shouldn’t have even registered on the scale, but though it was little it was powerful. “Well, don’t get used to them.” She watched him standing there patiently, like he had all the time in the world. “I should at least learn to stop flinching when you’re near.” She moved closer to him and placed her hand on his neck. She was working up to looking into those clear gray eyes and boldly doing something she’d done just the night before, but this time was different. This time she knew she was going to see him again and again. She could hear her promise to forgo extremely hot men crashing, splintering and falling and she hadn’t even touched him yet.

  Chapter 6

  This was bad. This little minx kept him on his toes, made him laugh and made him forget why he should never be involved with a woman like this. He knew much more about her than she was aware of. He liked her, and he wanted to know more. Damn, this was so unlike him.

  He’d been seduced by women he would say were at the top of their craft. They brought their arsenals of tricks and ploys, and he was amused and even let himself be caught for a bit of playtime, but he was never intrigued. Never as interested as he was watching this one woman gear up to kiss him.

  He wanted to stop watching her. Maybe even tell her to stop. She was right. Maybe they could do this without too much involvement, but then she met his eyes and that dark chocolate gaze melted his heart and heated his blood.

  “Can I kiss you?” she asked, looking like she had used up all her courage to get this far.

  “Why are you so timid today? This is your show. You can do whatever you want to me, with me…for me. Your call.”

  “That seems like a pretty open offer. It’s a wonder a woman hasn’t kept you all tied up in their bedroom.”

  “I’ve never made that offer before, but I’m making an exception for you.”

  “You’ve never let anyone kiss you?”

  “I didn’t say that. You kissed me just yesterday. We did much more than kiss yesterday.”

  “Are you trying to confuse me?” She looked shy, and he knew a stall when he saw one.

  “No, you’re just thinking too hard. Kiss me again, Gemmi, and let’s see what happens.”

  He turned his body to lean on the car with his legs slightly open and brought her in close so she could finish what she started.

  He watched her get closer, smelling her unique smell of cherry, honey, and something else he couldn’t put his finger on.

  “Close your eyes,” she whispered.

  “Why? I enjoy looking at you.”

  “We said we were going to be honest with each other.”

  “That was honest.”

  She bit her lip at his response, and he fought to hold back a groan. This was impossible; how could he be this worked up over a woman he’d just met. A woman who was full seductress yesterday and shy today.

  Gemmi closed her eyes and she came the rest of the way, bringing her full soft lips in for a quick peck. She returned to rub her lips softly along his and then licked the corner of his mouth. He was trying to let her control this first kiss but if she was going to sensually taste him and practically purr he didn’t know if he was going to be able to let her.

  Apparently, she enjoyed the first small taste of his mouth, because when she dove in for the second taste her lips parted. He felt the warm, moist breath against his mouth. He’d wanted to touch her hair to see if it were as soft as it looked or if she had lots of goo in it to keep it in place.

  He touched her hair and was delighted with the soft, thick waves. So much he put his other hand on the other side of her head and promptly took control of this kiss. He turned her head so he could get a better taste of her mouth as he licked and nipped her lips and tongue. Her purr turned into a full-fledged moan, and she was practically crawling up his body to get closer. He hated to do this, but he put on the brakes until he could figure out what that little tug in his heart when she kissed him was about.

  “Ready to go?” He lifted his head to watch her, and when she swiped her tongue over her bottom lip, he was tempted to kiss her again. Her lips were shiny with her gloss and his kiss, and when she opened her eyes, her pupils were dilated. When her tongue flicked out to taste her lips again, he nearly gave up the fight his mind was having with his body and kissed her again. He gave her one more kiss on the lips and then opened the door and helped her in before he tried to get more.

  When they got on the road, he tried to steer the conversation to mundane topics. Maybe that would help to cool himself down. “We should get started learning a few dance moves to impress your family.”

  “You probably have so much going on. When will we find time to do that?” she asked.

  “We can work it out. What do you normally do with your free time?”

  “I watch TV, help my mother, work in my garden or—” She stopped and appeared to be thinking. “I should be able to come up with some time. What do you do in your free time?” she asked him as she turned her body toward him in the seat.

  “I volunteer at the animal shelter a few days a week, work with teenagers down at The Safe House and I help make and pass out meals at the homeless shelter a few afternoons. It’s a good thing I only work nights at the bar.”

  “Are you kidding?” she said after a shocked gasp.

  “No. Why? Don’t I look like I would like to help out with animals, teens and the homeless?”

  “No, that’s not it…”

  “Then, what is it?”

  “It seems you’re racking up a lot of good deeds. What exactly do you think you did to need so much karma credit?”

  “Karma credit… I like that term.” He could only catch glimpses of her face while he was driving, but she looked like she was working extremely hard to figure him out.

  “You should because you’re working really hard.”

  “I don’t get what you mean. I just live my life knowing to whom much is given… you know the rest.”

  “What’s the rest?”

  “Much is expected.” He pulled up into his driveway, led her out of the passenger seat and into the driver’s seat. He leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Well, here we are. Give me a call when you get home, so I know you made it.”

  Her face was so expressive she probably didn’t realize what she was broadcasting to him. Looking a little shy with her gaze flitting here and there her teeth worried her bottom lip. She wanted to say something; he could feel it, so he waited for a few extra seconds to see if she’d get it out.

  He could almost feel her thinking…planning even. With the way he felt drawn to her he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what she was contemplating. She’d had a rough day…that he knew, but she took the knocks life gave her and rolled with them…that he liked.

  He figured this was an appropriate time to end the night, so he closed the door and walked up the driveway. By the time he reached his door, he decided she must be a witch, because she did crazy things to his libido. A sweet, beautiful, complex witch…but a witch all the same.

  A quick cold shower could do it, maybe a hard run, then a quick shower would get his mind back in the right place. A favor for a friend, that’s what this was. He looked back to see her still sitting in her car she looked cute, flustered, and undecided. The light inside the car stayed on for a minute and then shut off. He could see nothing but darkness, but still she sat there. He walked up the steps still looking at the car. Damn it, she was either going to get out and tell him what she wanted or drive away, but this waiting was making him question the unflappable patience he usually had.

  Standing with his back on the door, he made a decision; he wanted to know what the look on her face meant. He did love that
she seemed to go with the flow, but while he was her pretend boyfriend, he was hesitant to let her leave without letting her tell him if there was a problem. Of course, there was a problem, but he wanted her to share it with him.

  He walked back to the car and bent over to see what she was doing. She sat staring into her lap. He tapped lightly on the window to get her attention and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She stared at him through the glass and he wondered if the wine affected her more than he thought. Maybe a cup of coffee instead of sharing a problem was what this situation required. He made the motion for her to roll down the window and she did. Camden was seduced by the sweet smell that seemed to follow Gemmi.

  “Did you forget something?” he whispered, trying not to startle her any more than necessary.

  “No,” she mumbled.

  “Did you want to tell me something?” He watched her moist tongue slide out to wet her full lips. He brushed her soft cheek with the back of his hand. When she turned those hot lusty eyes his way he bit back a groan. She opened her mouth, but then closed it again. He’d had enough. He stood up and opened her door. She continued to sit there looking at him with her hungry eyes. “Get out of the car.” That came out a little gruffer than he would have liked. He needed to get himself under control. He backed up so she could get out of the car. Maybe with a little more time she could get her words together.

  She rolled up the windows and turned off the car, biting her lip and peeking over at him every few seconds. As soon as she closed the door, he walked over, grabbed her hand and lead her up to his door. He loved the strength and the softness of her hand in his. His body was reacting to the simple touch of her hand. As excited as that made him, you’d never know she’d had her mouth around his cock the day before. If her hand in his affected him this strongly how would he feel exploring her cuddly sexy body, caressing her, taking her. The quick heat they shared yesterday was nothing like the slow burning he felt today. He dropped her hand, turned to the door and hesitated a second before turning the key in the lock. He’d never invited any woman into his home. The women he got involved in knew the score, he wasn’t for keeps, but that didn’t stop them from trying to learn more and more about him after the first few get-togethers. This situation was a bit different, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle the questions that she may have if she brought her into his house. One cup of coffee, a little discussion and she’d leave. His no women in the house rule would be modified just a bit.

  He’d brought her this far and this situation was different, maybe that’s why his body was responding differently. He turned toward her and found her staring at his back.

  “Would you like to come in?” He loved the bright smile she gave him. He always listened to his gut and his gut was sending warning signals left and right, but the warning was different than usual. It wasn’t screaming danger, but alarm bells were still going off. He paused briefly to look at the woman who was creating such a stir before he ushered her into his entranceway.

  He took her purse and keys, setting them on the table by the door as he turned on the lights. There was nothing but silence behind him and he wondered if she liked anything but his looks. “Would you like something to drink?”

  He turned to find her standing in the middle of the room, shaking her head and looking delightfully hungry. Why that irked him, he wasn’t sure. Probably because he was big on rules and he was breaking a huge personal one.

  “You want to get straight to business, huh?” Damn. His voice continued to be gruffer than he would have liked.

  Shocked, she stammered, “No… no… I just… I wanted to see your house. It looks so nice from the outside.” She looked around the large entryway and into the family room.

  “From someone who likes to demand honesty from me every five minutes you are being painfully dishonest,” he said as he moved closer feeling like a predator stalking prey. She took two steps back for his one until her back hit the wall. The hungry look previously on her face had turned ravenous, and he once again wondered what was going on with him. He wasn’t a gentleman, but he typically was polite. Courteous, easy going, patient those were words that people would use to describe him. Hungry, demanding, devouring were not, but that’s what was running through his veins now and that was his true self that he didn’t let out much.

  She shivered, and he stepped back to give her some space. Her lips parted, and she ran her tongue over them, again. She was nervous that was her tell.

  “Okay…I didn’t just want to see your home. I wanted to be with you. The best way for me to stop flinching whenever you’re near is to get more intimate. Right? I want to make our relationship look as real as I can.”

  He felt like he was on a roller coaster. He just felt the anticipation of going up for a thrill, but then his stomach sank when he heard her rationale. “So, let me get this right. You want us to be more comfortable around each other to make this relationship look more real for your family?”

  He watched her stare at his mouth. She appeared not to notice how her words affected him. She glanced up at him after a few seconds of silence and she must have seen that she was going to have to offer some verbal communication to this conversation. He wasn’t going to do anything without an answer from her. She nodded her head to his question and took a step toward him, but he held his hand out, so she couldn’t come any closer.

  “Tell me what you want.” His voice came out deep, and she took her eyes off his mouth and looked at him. Then she rested her head against the wall, she closed her eyes. He hoped she was going to say something significant. She swallowed twice like the words were stuck in her throat, and he moved closer to her. To offer her comfort, sure he could go with that one, but he didn’t lie to himself. Ever. She blinked her lashes, open and found him standing inches away.

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  He leaned in closer and felt her warm breath on his neck. “You can’t, or you won’t?”

  “I want to, but…”

  “You want me to guess?” he murmured, taking in the fact that his presence seemed to excite her.

  “You did an excellent job guessing what I wanted at the bar. Why don’t you try now?”

  He sandwiched her against the wall and knew she could feel his body responding to hers as he rose to his full height. She worried that he wasn’t attracted to her, well now she could feel the proof. She looked up at him when he didn’t respond, questions swirled in her eyes mingling with the arousal and something else he couldn’t name.

  “Maybe I want you to ask for it. Your voice turns me on and I want to hear more. I helped you get into the house the rest is up to you.” He threaded his fingers through her hair, then ran his thumb softly along her cheek, eliciting a sigh that seemed to from deep within.

  “Are you trying to teach me something?” Her eyes sparkled, and he wanted to laugh about her emotions being all over the map like his, but he didn’t think she’d find that as humorous as he did. He decided to share what he really wanted for her.

  “You just let yourself be controlled by so many things. What your family thinks of you, what people in the street think of you. Take something for yourself. If you want me, I’m right here. I’m the same guy you kissed in front of a roomful of people and drove crazy in a bathroom yesterday. What changed?”

  “We did. Our whole situation changed. Yesterday I was free and spontaneous, and you were a guy I couldn’t believe was choosing me from all the women in that hall, but today I know that was a farce. You knew who I was and there was a reason you picked me. I…I probably shouldn’t do this because I just found someone to pretend to be the boyfriend I need. I don’t want to mess this up.” She pushed against him, rubbing her sex against his leg, her body belying her words with every thrust, squirm and sexy shimmy.

  He went quiet for a moment, taking in all he’d learned about her up to now. “If that’s what you want,” he said as he backed away.

  The look of confusion on her face would have been f
unny if he could take it or leave it like he normally did, but this time he was more invested.

  “Wait…” She bit her bottom lip for a second, “just this once and then we’ll get back to normal.”

  “Just once?” he said watching the pretty flush stain her cheeks as he stepped near. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  He stepped back into her, caging her against the wall with his chest. She put one hand in his hair and found the thick length of his cock through his jeans with her other hand. Her attempt of getting acquainted with his package faltered when she looked up into his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. With a soft groan Camden removed both of her hands and pinned them above her head with one of his hands. He rested his forehead on hers, closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

  “I thought you wanted me to tell you what I desired. I was trying to show you,” she said, trying to move her head to see his face.

  He picked up his head and looked into her eyes. “You showed me, and I got it. Thank you, Gemmi,” he whispered. He glanced at her and took it all in—her arms stretched out above her head, her breasts thrust out and standing with her wrists secured at his whim—she made a very pretty presentation. She was sexier and more powerful than she knew.

  He moved his free hand down to her arm brushing lightly over her left breast. He moved his thumb softly back and forth on her nipple until he could feel it peak under her blouse. His fingers tugged on her nipple a few times with the escalating pressure he was concentrating on her body. The sharp inhale of breath made him return his attention to her face.

  “You like that?” he asked enjoying the evidence of her arousal.

  “Yes,” she hissed, but he caught the look of worry and warning in her pretty brown eyes. “Before yesterday it’d been a while since I’d done this,” she told him as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse with his free hand. She had her head bent like she too was interested in what lay under her clothes, she lifted her head with a huff when her shirt was spread open. He tried to read that huff—relief, excitement—he wasn’t sure, but there was something going on.