it was and forging into forbidden territory was not smart. But he couldn’t help it. He could stand there and stare her down for the rest of the night, take in all the lushness of her curves, the firmness of her breasts and the beauty of her face. And speaking of her breasts…
He looked down at them again and thought he would love to see her in a clingy T-shirt. A wet clingy one. Better still, he would love to see her naked. “You’re a beautiful woman, Stacey Carlson.”
He watched her expression and knew his compliment had tilted her off balance. The narrowing of her gaze indicated she didn’t like it. He inwardly smiled. She had spunk, though he really shouldn’t be surprised. After all, she was Cohen’s sister. But beauty and spunk together could be lethal in a woman. And if you threw in a gorgeous pair of legs, then a man could definitely find himself in serious trouble.
“Thanks,” she said as if annoyed with his words instead of appreciative. Did she think he was feeding her a line? Evidently she did.
“You’re right, it’s getting late. The building’s almost empty. I’ll walk you out,” he said smoothly.
He saw the panic in her eyes when she quickly said, “You don’t have to do that.”
For some reason he liked seeing her rattled. “Sure I do.” He wondered what fragrance she was wearing and thought on any other woman, the scent just wouldn’t be the same.
She opened her mouth as if to argue with him, then as if she thought better of doing such a thing, she closed it shut. He watched her draw in a deep breath before saying, “Fine. I’ll set the alarm and lock up for the night.”
Her words should have been his cue to step back. Instead, he stepped forward, which all but put him up against her body, he was so close. Too close. He could feel her tremble and knew it wasn’t from fear. It was from desire. Desire so keen and sharp it was dominating his senses.
And in that instant, he totally lost his mind and lowered his head and captured her mouth.
Stacey raised her arms to push him away. She was certain that was the reason she had lifted them. Instead, she found them wrapped around Eli Steele’s neck while his mouth devoured hers in the most decadent way. She’d been kissed before but never like this. The man was lapping her mouth raw. This was way beyond anything she’d ever experienced before.
And she could feel every single lick all the way down to her toes. This had to be too indecent for a first kiss and way too immoral for a last one. But Eli Steele was doing more than just proving what a great kisser he was. He was showing why he was considered one of those “Bad News” Steeles. Why he was one of the hottest bachelors in Phoenix and why, from what she’d heard, women would drop their panties for him in a heartbeat.
Stacey didn’t think it was possible but he deepened the kiss, increasing the pressure and doing some outlandish things to her tongue. If he kept it up she would be dropping more than her panties. She could see herself dropping to her knees and—
She forced the wicked thought from her mind when his body shifted and the kiss deepened even more. She felt the hardness of him pressed against her middle. It wouldn’t take much for him to hoist her onto the table, spread her legs and have his way with her. And it would be just like in her dreams. Those forbidden dreams of him she’d been having for weeks. The ones that took her from a blissful slumber straight into an erotic fantasy. But she would be the first to admit that those hot fantasies were nothing compared to this scorching dose of reality. Things couldn’t get any steamier than this. She wouldn’t be able to handle it if they did.
When he slowly pulled his mouth from hers, he had to wrap his arms around her waist to keep her knees from buckling under her. And he gave her time to catch the breath his kiss had snatched from her. Moments later when she was able to fully stand and breathe on her own, he relaxed his hold and she gazed into his eyes. They were sharp, keen and caused all kinds of sensations to overtake her.
“Why did you kiss me?” she asked, as she continued to regain her sanity, reclaim her common sense.
In a voice that was just as serious as his expression, he replied, “Why did you let me?”
She could not have answered his question even if her life depended on it. Why did I let him?
“Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”
His voice, along with his words, recaptured her attention. “It’s not dark outside,” she said.
“I know, but there’s no telling how much longer you’ll hang around here if I don’t make sure you leave.”
She would have laughed if he hadn’t looked so serious. Why did it matter to him how long she stayed at her shop? As long as he got his monthly lease payment, who cared? The man had barely said five words to her since meeting her months ago. And today he had almost kissed her mouth off. What was going on here?
She figured she needed to go home and ponder that question. She would definitely be thinking about it a lot. She was used to calling the shots and other than Cohen at times, she didn’t let men boss her around. But this time she would relent and do what he asked. The sooner they parted ways, the better.
“I’ll set the alarm and lock up for the night.” And this time when she said it, he took a step back.
She moved around him knowing he was watching her every move and feeling the heat of his gaze on certain parts of her. Her pants and blouse failed as a barrier against his intense perusal. However, she was determined not to let Eli unrattle her any more than he already had. So, they had kissed. Big deal. She tried playing it off as insignificant, but as much as she tried, it wasn’t working. She figured it wouldn’t, not as long as she could still taste him on her tongue.
With the alarm set, the only thing she needed to do, other than grab her purse, was to lock the door. She did both while trying to ignore Eli’s presence, which was hard to do. There was no doubt in her mind that women would pause when he walked into a room.
“Ready?” he asked when she slid her purse straps on her shoulder.
“Yes.”
He stepped closer to her side and automatically she trembled in response to his proximity. She needed to get herself together. She hadn’t responded to a man this way since… She couldn’t remember when or ever. But she did know she hadn’t responded to Wallace this way.
When they got to the door he reached behind her and flicked off the lights. He then walked ahead of her so she could lock the door. When they stepped into the lobby, she realized he’d been right in saying the building was almost empty. Most of the tenants had gone home. In a way, that was a good thing because if anyone were to see them walking out together they would assume they were an item. Lovers at least, especially with the Steeles’ reputation. Should that bother her? It didn’t because she couldn’t be held responsible for what people thought. But she could be held responsible for the way she carried herself. So to her way of thinking, the kiss was way out of line. But so darn enjoyable.
She glanced over at the man walking beside her. At first it had been hard to keep up with his pace and he’d eventually slowed down his stride to accommodate her. He wasn’t saying anything. It was as if he was in deep thought. Had he regretted his actions?
She had broached the subject before when she’d asked why he’d kissed her and he’d countered with a question of his own. One that she hadn’t answered because she couldn’t.
