“Fine, I’ll have the lobster.”
“Make that two,” Miles said. “If we’re going to get messy, it may as well be together.”
There he was again, with a comment that was perfectly innocent, and yet not at the same time. Chloe involuntarily pressed her thighs together, the movement increasing rather than relieving the demand building in her core.
And so the evening went. A little conversation, the sharing of the occasional anecdote from childhood, the mutual enjoyment of their meals and the champagne that accompanied it. By the time the band began to set up for the show, Chloe was feeling relaxed and happy. Two states she didn’t usually indulge in.
She glanced across the small table at Miles, who was slightly sprawled on his chair and looking toward the stage.
“Thank you,” she said with a depth of feeling that made him sit up straight and look at her with a question in his eyes and one brow raised. “Tonight is perfect.”
Miles reached across the table and took her hand, his thumb brushing back and forth over her knuckles.
“Good. You deserve perfect.”
Just like that, he stole her breath away and, she suspected, a piece of her heart as well. The band began to play and the featured artist began to sing a smooth, slow bluesy number that spread from her ears to her muscles, making her feel lissome and sensual and craving a fulfilment that she knew would only come with total capitulation to her desires. Miles continued to hold her hand throughout the performance. The slow touch of his thumb across her knuckles just made her want more of him touching more of her. By the time he tugged her to her feet and led her onto the tiny dance floor and drew her close, she was primed for anything.
Dancing with him was an exercise in restraint—and temptation all rolled into one. When he bent his head and whispered in her ear, she felt his warm breath on her skin and suddenly the music she’d been aching to hear all day was replaced with a deeper ache that she knew only this man could assuage.
“I like the feel of you in my arms,” he said huskily.
She nuzzled the side of his neck and, suddenly emboldened, nipped the skin just beneath his ear.
“I like everything about you,” she replied.
She felt the shock of his reaction shudder through him and he stopped moving. Another couple on the dance floor bumped into them, but he was oblivious to anything but her. She discovered that she really liked being the center of his universe. Even if it was only for this moment.
“Let’s get out of here,” Miles ground out.
“Yes.”
Her response was short and sweet and thrilling all at the same time. Miles took her by the hand back to their table where she retrieved her evening bag and he went to settle their check. She met him by the front door. There was a fire burning in his eyes. Eyes which locked on her as she approached him. He smiled at her and she felt her entire body react at the promise reflected there in his face.
She knew they’d only met yesterday. She knew that she had an ulterior motive. But right now all she could think about was how much she wanted him. All of him.
/> The valet had brought his car to the door and they drove in a tense kind of silence for what seemed to be a very short distance to his town house. She barely noticed the pretty facade to the three-story building and didn’t, in fact, realize it was one house until they stepped through the ornate front door and into the spacious foyer and she saw the flights of stairs curving to the floors above.
“This is all yours?” she asked, looking around her at the quality furnishings and the high ceilings.
“Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all. It just seems like a lot of house for one person. That is, if you’re living here alone.”
Oh heck, she was messing everything up. The atmosphere that had enveloped them back at the club had cocooned them in a cloud of sensual promise. And now she was discussing his real estate?
“Yeah, it is. One day I hope to share it with a special someone and maybe fill it with kids, too.”
A deep sense of longing threaded through his words, and she felt an answering tug from deep in her chest. Those were the things she wanted most, too. That special someone. A family of her own. Growing up as an only child hadn’t been so bad, until her father had died. After that she’d been so afraid and felt so insecure. Having a sibling to share her feelings with would have meant the world to her. Instead, she’d had to be her mother’s support person, which, at eight years old, had forced her to grow up way too fast.
Miles reached a hand for her and she slipped her palm in his. Instant warmth flooded her. She liked the way his fingers curled around hers, infusing her with his strength and purpose. He turned to the stairwell and she followed him as he ascended to the next floor. Then he led her down a thickly carpeted corridor to a room at the end where he pushed open the double doors and led her inside.
A large master suite spread before her. Heavy drapes hung in the tall windows overlooking the back of the property and a massive bed dominated the center of the room. She looked from the bed to Miles. There was an unspoken question in his eyes. In response, she turned in his arms and lifted her face to his.
He groaned in what she hoped was relief and then his lips were on hers and he kissed her, hard and deep and with a longing that mirrored her own. Sensation poured through her body as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. The hard muscles of his chest pressed against the softness of her breasts, and she felt her nipples stiffen at the pressure. Deep in her lower belly, need throbbed with an insistent demand, and she pressed her pelvis against him, rocking gently and moaning into his mouth. She felt his hands searching for the zipper of her dress and forced herself to tear her mouth from his.
“It’s on my left-hand side,” she murmured before kissing him again.
His fingers found the zipper, and she felt the fabric loosen around her body before he lifted both hands to her shoulders and gently eased the fabric down her arms, taking care not to tug on her injured wrist. He eased the gown over her hips and let it drop in a pool at her feet. She hadn’t worn a bra tonight and he gave a sharp intake of breath when he realized she was standing there dressed in nothing but a lace thong and a pair of high-heeled shoes that showcased her long lean legs to perfection.