by Opal Carew
The hostess showed them to a table in the back corner. Because space was at a premium in the restaurant just like it was everywhere else in Manhattan, the booth was small and he and Simone had to sit close together. That was fine with Drake. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend the evening than close to a woman as beautiful and sexy as Simone.
But being so close to her was as much a form of torture as it was pleasurable. Every time Simone’s perfume drifted across his nose or her leg brushed his underneath the table, he had to stifle a groan. She smelled so damn good, felt so damn good, he wanted to drag her off to his apartment like some modern-day caveman.
With thoughts like that preoccupying his mind, he had a hell of time concentrating on what she was saying at first. He had no clue what he said, either. But since Simone wasn’t looking at him as if he was idiot, he figured he must have sounded somewhat intelligent. Luckily, while they waited for their dinner to arrive, they didn’t talk about anything more complex than what kind of movies they liked.
By the time they finished the fettuccine alfredo and moved on to the chocolate mousse, however, Simone asked more complicated questions. At that point, he had to stop focusing on how hot and tempting she was and start giving some serious thought to his answers. Since he didn’t want her to know he hadn’t been outside his apartment for the past eight years, he kept his answers as general as he could. Fortunately, Simone didn’t seem to notice.
The restaurant was a lot more crowded than the one they’d gone to yesterday, so sitting around talking after they finished their coffee was out of the question. Simone’s body felt so incredible next to his that Drake hated to leave the close confines of the booth, but he couldn’t continue to put off the waitress, especially when the woman kept giving him pointed looks. So, Drake reluctantly paid the check and they left.
Once outside, Drake automatically looked for a cab, but Simone shook her head.
“It’s such a beautiful night. Let’s walk instead.”
Drake lifted a brow. “In those heels? You sure?”
She laughed. “I’m sure. I live in Manhattan, remember? I’m used to walking in them.”
And she was damn sexy while doing it, too. Then again, she’d probably be sexy walking around Manhattan in a pair of pink, fuzzy bunny slippers.
Rather than make their way down 49th Street, they decided to go down by Columbus Circle, then walk along Central Park West. As they passed by the carriages lined up along the sidewalk outside the park, Simone turned to give him a smile.
“Let’s take a carriage ride.”
Drake hesitated. The horses were already eyeing him warily. Animals had started shying away from him the day he’d been turned into a zombie. It was as if they couldn’t quite figure out what he was, but they knew they didn’t like the smell of him. It was the main reason he hadn’t gotten a dog for companionship after his self-imposed exile. Well, that and the fact he couldn’t expect a dog to just hold it on those days when Drake couldn’t take him outside.
“Drake?” Simone prompted when he didn’t answer.
She was looking up at him so expectantly he didn’t have the heart to say no. “Sure. I’d love to.”
Putting his hand on the small of her back, Drake gently urged her forward to the carriage at the front of the line. The chestnut mare kept twisting her head around trying to get a look at him and when she finally did, she flicked her tail a few times and let out a snort. At least the animal didn’t take off galloping down the street like Drake feared she would.
Drake paid the driver for an hour-long ride, then offered his hand to Simone. She took it and climbed up into the carriage, giving him a nice shot of leg. God, she had incredible legs. He could just imagine them wrapped around him. That thought had him stiffening in his pants all over again. Damn, he couldn’t go more than two minutes without thinking about having sex with Simone. It was as if he was a monk released from imprisonment, Drake thought as he climbed into the carriage and put his arm around her. She gave him a smile and snuggled up against him.
Giving them a nod, the driver climbed up into the front of the carriage and took up the reins.
“This is nice,” Simone murmured as the carriage slowly started forward.
His mouth edged up. She had no idea. “Yeah, it is.”
“In all the years I’ve lived in Manhattan, I’ve never taken a carriage ride. How about you?”
Drake shook his head. “This is my first.”
They both fell silent after that, the only sound the rhythmic clip-clop of the horse’s hoofs on the paved paths that meandered through the park. The man Drake had been in his old life wouldn’t have bothered doing anything so romantic on a date. His only goal back then had been to get whatever woman he was with at the time into his bed as fast as he could. But seducing Simone wasn’t even on his radar. He was just in this for the small pleasures being with her brought him. As much as he wanted to sleep with her, there was no way he could. Not when he could go zombie right in the middle of having sex with her. He cringed at the thought. Talk about coitus interruptus. Which meant he’d have to be satisfied with intimate dinners and romantic carriage rides.
Beside him, Simone shivered in the night air and snuggled closer to him.
“Cold?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “A little.”
Since he didn’t have a jacket to give her, the neatly folded blanket on the seat would have to do. It wasn’t as romantic as offering her his coat, but it was the next best thing. Picking it up with his free hand, he shook it out and settled it around both of them.
“Warmer?” he asked.
She smiled up at him. “Much warmer. Thank you.”
Drake gazed down at her, his attention focused on her lips. They were full and pouty and parted slightly as if they were just waiting to be kissed. All he had to do was bend his head and his mouth would be on hers. God knew, he wanted to kiss her. But if he gave in, he wouldn’t be able to stop. One taste of her perfect mouth wouldn’t be enough. He’d want more. And he couldn’t have more.
He swallowed hard and shifted a little in the seat in an effort to ease the ache in his groin. The mere thought of kissing her had his already hard cock throbbing in his pants.
Simone moved, too, resting her head on his shoulder again. As the horse-drawn carriage continued to roll through the park, Drake became excruciatingly aware of her body pressed up against his. She was all soft skin, womanly curves and tantalizing perfume, a combination that would be difficult for any man to resist, much less a guy who hadn’t been with a woman for eight years.
Just because he couldn’t do anything with Simone, it didn’t mean he couldn’t fantasize.
Drake imagined tilting Simone’s chin up and covering her mouth with his. Imagined running his hand over her sweetly curved breast and down to her hip, then sliding it underneath her short skirt and up her bare thigh. Imagined slipping his fingers under her panties—if she had any on—and running them along the slick folds of her pussy before sliding inside just to see if she was as wet as he thought she was.
Inside his dress pants, he hardened to new and painful proportions. He stifled a groan. Damn. Well, that’s what he got for fantasizing in the close confines of a horse drawn carriage while sitting next to a sexy, desirable woman.
He didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved when the carriage pulled to a stop on Central Park West a few minutes later. As he took Simone’s hand to help her down from the carriage, Drake decided he was a little bit of both.
“That was fun,” she said as they started down the sidewalk.
Not to mention complete torture. “Yeah, it was. I’m glad you suggested it.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “Is it too chilly for you? Should we catch a cab?”
She smiled. “No, I’m fine now. My building isn’t far.”
Drake hadn’t spent much time on the Upper West Side, but when they reached Simone’s apartment building, he discovered it was on a quiet residential street nea
r the Museum of Natural History. Well, as quiet as a Manhattan street could get, anyway.
As she led him up the steps to the second floor, he found himself wondering if she’d ask him in. And wondering what he’d say if she did. When they came to a stop outside the door to her apartment, Simone turned to give him a smile.
“I had a great time tonight.”
“Me, too.”
She caught her bottom lip between her perfect white teeth and chewed on it thoughtfully as if unsure what she wanted to say next. It was probably an unconscious gesture, something she did whenever she was thinking, but to him, it was sexy as hell and all he could think about was kissing her.
Surely one kiss couldn’t hurt. He desperately wanted to. He hadn’t kissed a woman in so long. It would be nice to see if he still remembered how.
Before he could stop himself, Drake tilted Simone’s face up to his and pressed his mouth to hers.
She tasted just as sweet and delicious as he thought she would. Her lips were soft and pliant under his as she kissed him back, her tongue eagerly seeking his out.
Drake groaned and slid his hand into her hair, deepening the kiss. Simone sighed into his mouth, running her hands up the front of his shirt to grasp his shoulders. The feel of her touch was like a tonic to his deprived soul and he let out another groan, deeper this time.
He ran his free hand up her side and around to her breast, cupping it through the soft material of her dress. He couldn’t stop himself and apparently Simone didn’t want him to. She moaned and arched against him. He could feel the heat of her pussy through their clothes as she pressed up against his hard cock. Damn, she felt good.
Drake drew her bottom lip into his mouth and gently sucked on it before slowly kissing his way along the delicate curve of her jaw. Simone clutched his shoulders and tilted her head back. He eagerly trailed a path of hot kisses down her neck, then back up, his mouth finding hers again.
Simone looped her arms around his neck, pulling him in even closer as their tongues met.
Down the hall, a door slammed, reminding him where they were.
Drake dragged his mouth away from hers, his breathing ragged as he tried to regain control. He had to get it together because he was about five seconds away from doing something really stupid. Like taking her to bed. “I should go.”
Her lips curved into a sexy, flirtatious smile. “Or you could stay.”
God, how he wanted to. But as much as he’d love to spend the rest of the night exploring every inch of her body, he couldn’t take the chance he might go zombie on her right in the middle of sex. It had been almost four days since he last turned, which meant he was already pushing his luck.
“You don’t know how much I want to,” he groaned. “But I can’t.”
Simone looked up at him with those big, blue eyes. “Why not?”
“Because I…” He hesitated, trying to come up with something that’d sound believable. “I have a column due in the morning and I haven’t even started on it yet.” She knew all about deadlines, so she would understand that. Besides, he did have a column to write, it just wasn’t due until next week. “Rain check?”
She looked disappointed, but she smiled anyway. “Absolutely. How does coming over for dinner tomorrow night sound?”
It would be crazy to agree when he could be so close to having an episode, but he couldn’t say no. Not when she asked in that soft, sultry voice. “Sounds great.”
“Good. Be here at seven.”
“Seven it is.”
She pulled him down for another long, slow kiss on the mouth. “Don’t be late.”
His mouth twitched. “I won’t.” He bent his head to kiss her again, then groaned. “If I don’t go now, I’ll be here all night.”
Simone laughed. “Would that be such a bad thing?”
“Not to me, but my editor at Money Issues might not be too understanding when he doesn’t find my column sitting in his inbox tomorrow.”
She sighed. “Deadlines can be a real pain in the butt sometimes. Okay, go home and write your column. I’ll cuddle up with a bowl of ice cream instead.”
He chuckled. “Sounds better than taking a cold shower, which is what I’m going to be doing when I get home.” He closed his mouth over hers once more. “See you tomorrow night, beautiful.”
Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms again, Drake turned and walked down the hallway toward the stairwell. At the top of the steps, he glanced over his shoulder to see Simone standing where he’d left her, a sexy curve to her lips.
It took every ounce of strength he possessed not to go back and pin her against the door for one more long, lingering kiss. God, what he wouldn’t give to spend the night with her. Man, it was going to take more than a cold shower to get her out of his head tonight.
* * * * *
Simone waited until Drake completely disappeared from view before going into her apartment. Closing the door behind her, she threw home the bolt, then leaned back against it with a little sigh. The date couldn’t have gone any more perfectly if she’d written it herself. She’d been half afraid after Drake had enchanted her with an intimate dinner and a romantic carriage ride, she would discover at the end of the night that he was a terrible kisser. Nothing to worry about there. The man kissed like an absolute dream.
She ran her tongue over her lips, savoring the feel of his mouth on hers. He tasted like coffee and chocolate mousse and something else she couldn’t put a name to, but it was distinctively male and incredibly intoxicating. She only wished he’d come inside when she invited him. If he had, she knew exactly which part of her body she’d have that magical mouth of his exploring right now. The thought made her pussy spasm and she stifled a moan.
Then again, maybe it was better he hadn’t come in. If he had, they probably wouldn’t even have made it to the bedroom before they started pulling each other’s clothes off. They’d most likely be half naked with Drake doing her up against the wall by now. Which wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but whatever this was she had with Drake was special and she didn’t want to ruin it by moving too fast.
Tell that to her pussy, Simone thought wryly. She sighed again. She supposed she was just going to have to climb into bed and entertain herself with her vibrator for a second night in a row. All she had to do was fantasize about Drake and she’d be coming in no time.
Letting out a moan, she pushed away from the door and was just making her way to the bedroom when she heard a knock. She whirled around, her pulse skipping a beat. Hoping it was Drake coming to tell her he needed just one more kiss before he went home, Simone practically ran to the door.
When she yanked it open, it wasn’t Drake who stood there, but her elderly neighbor.
Simone blinked in surprise. “Miss Hayden.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she took in Simone’s little black dress and strappy high-heeled sandals. Simone waited for her to make some remark about the neckline being too low or the skirt being too short, but instead Emily Hayden thrust the box she was holding into Simone’s hands.
“A courier from your publisher dropped this off for you. More fan mail from your readers, I suppose.”
Probably, Simone thought, glancing down at the box. Some of her readers preferred snail mail to the internet and her publisher regularly sent over boxes of letters. Since the courier service Carrington used required a signature, Emily Hayden sometimes signed for the delivery. Simone liked to think the woman did it to be nice, but she had a sneaking suspicion her neighbor did it simply because she was nosy.
Whatever her motives behind it, Simone gave the old woman a smile anyway. “Thanks for bringing it by.”
Emily Hayden grunted something in reply that Simone couldn’t quite make out before changing the subject. “Saw that new boyfriend of yours leaving. Seems like a cut above the men you usually go out with. You shouldn’t be hanging all over him in the hallway like that, though.”
Simone’s brow furrowed. Good heavens,
had the woman been spying on them?
“You gotta reel a man in slow, woman,” the other woman continued, making a motion with her hands as if she were holding a fishing rod. “You just let him have a nibble, then when he gets really greedy, you yank the line. That way, he’ll never get away.”
“Uh-huh,” Simone said. “Thanks for the tip, Miss Hayden. I’ll keep that in mind. You have a good night now.”
Afraid the woman might try to give her some more dating advice, Simone quickly closed the door. For the second time that night, she leaned back against it and let out a sigh. Had Emily Hayden really just compared the act of dating to the sport of fishing? An image abruptly popped into Simone’s head of her holding a fishing rod and reeling Drake into her bedroom. Laughing at the distinctly unromantic picture, she set the box down on the floor and headed for the bedroom. She’d read her mail tomorrow.
Dropping her evening bag on the bench at the foot of the bed, she reached around for the zipper at her back and slid it down, then wiggled out of her dress. She was just hanging it up in the closet when her cell phone rang. Thinking it was probably Megan checking to see how her date had gone, she unzipped her purse and reached inside.
Her pulse skipped a beat at the sight of Drake’s name on the call display. Smiling, she put the phone to her ear.
“Did you finish your column already?” she asked.
Drake’s chuckle was soft on the other end of the line. “Haven’t even started it yet, I just wanted to call and tell you again what a great time I had tonight.”
“I did, too. I would have liked it even better if you hadn’t gone home to work on your column, though.”
“Yeah, me too. So, are you curled up with that bowl of ice cream?”
