to kiss her; Miranda was absolutely sure of that fact. The way he’d looked at her with those searing dark eyes that seemed to read into her soul told her so. And she would have let him. Hadn’t her heart been hammering in her chest, just sitting beside him, thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder? Even though they’d only known each other barely an hour. She would have let this handsome and sexy stranger have his way with her.
What would that have been like? Would his kiss have been soft and sweet? Or hard and hungry?
She needed to get control of herself.
She wasn’t here for romantic entanglements. She needed a husband—and quick. This man looked like he wasn’t desperate for money, but wouldn’t mind some extra cash in the bank. And it didn’t hurt that he wasn’t bad on the eyes either. Not that her marriage would be a real one. She had no intentions of consummating the marriage. They would only stay together long enough to ensure her inheritance before going their separate ways. But first, she had to ask him.
After exiting the car, Vic led her inside the seafood restaurant with his hand lightly resting on the small of her back as he propelled her forward. It was in no way untoward, but Miranda felt it all the same. He kept it there until they were seated and he’d scooted her chair underneath her before taking his own.
“You’re quite the gentleman.”
He grinned. “My mama taught me how to treat a lady.”
“Sounds like she’s a wise woman,” Miranda offered.
“She’s an amazing woman.” The way he said it told Miranda that he was close with his mother. A man who had a good relationship with his mama was always a good sign.
After the waiter filled their water glasses and took their drink orders, Vic immediately begin firing questions at her. “So where are you from, Miranda?”
“Chicago.”
“And what do you do there?”
“I work in the hotel industry,” she responded.
“And what brings you to the West Coast?”
“I have a pressing business matter that I’ve put off for far too long and now it requires my attention.”
He laughed and shrugged off her evasiveness. “That’s rather vague, but you don’t have to share. I understand the need for anonymity.”
“And what is it that you do?” Miranda inquired. If he was going to put her on the hot seat, why shouldn’t she return the favor?
“I used to be in the Navy, but now I surf.”
“Why the Navy?”
“If you couldn’t tell, I love the ocean and the sea. Quite frankly I’ve never felt at home anywhere else except on the water. It’s a part of me.”
“I’ve a laundry list of places I’d love to go to, but I imagined you’ve traveled the world extensively while in the Navy.”
“It did afford me certain luxuries, but we usually weren’t there long enough to truly take in the culture. Now Chicago, on the other hand, I’d steer clear of. I can’t imagine living in the Midwest and having to deal with all that cold and snow. How do you do it?”
Miranda shrugged. “I suppose you get used to it. Have you always lived in California?”
Vic nodded. “It’s close to the ocean, just how I like it.”
The waiter returned with their drinks and they continued happily chatting about Vic’s travels until dinner came. Miranda was a good sport when the waiter put bibs on both her and Vic so their clothes wouldn’t get soiled. A platter of succulent crab claws with mustard sauce and Lyonnaise potatoes were placed in front of them.
“You have to try this.” Vic reached for a crab claw and after dipping it in the mustard concoction, he leaned over the table and fed it to Miranda. Her eyes grew large at the romantic gesture and she toyed with the idea of not accepting, but in the end, she grasped Vic’s large hand in hers and bit into the crab, taking a large chunk into her mouth.
Vic sat back in his chair, but his eyes never lost hers as a sigh of ecstasy escaped her lips at the sweetness of the crab meat and tanginess of the mustard sauce. Desire zinged through her and Miranda knew a blush had to be tinting her cheeks.
“That’s delicious...”
“I know, right?” The tone of his vice was jovial, but the look on Vic’s face was anything but. It was a hungry look. A look that told Miranda she’d awakened the beast. She watched him place a small heap of potatoes on her plate. And thank God for it. Miranda was completely tongue-tied. She’d known she was attracted to Vic. And it scared her. If she chose this man—there was no way theirs would be a marriage of convenience.
“I had a lovely evening,” Miranda said when Vic insisted on seeing her back to the hotel and walking her to her room. She knew what he was up to. He wanted to get in her pants and as much as that scenario would ease the sexual tension that had been flying between them throughout the night, it wouldn’t solve her current situation.
Vic was a viable candidate for a husband, but she couldn’t let her hormones run away with her, despite how much she wanted to. And boy, did she want this man something fierce. She’d love to have free and unfettered access to roam her hands up and down his chiseled body, to relish him taking her to new heights, because her intuition told her Vic knew how to please a woman in the bedroom. All that patience waiting for the perfect wave. There was no way he was a slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of man. He’d take his time exploring every sensual side of her nature.
They walked in silence after exiting the elevator. Neither of them too keen on talking. Even though they’d done just that for hours. They’d actually shut down the restaurant, only leaving when it closed. Miranda had thoroughly enjoyed her evening with Vic much more than she would have guessed when she slid off her bar stool at the beachside café and introduced herself.
And now they were here.
At her door.
Miranda took an extraordinary amount of time fumbling to find the hotel card, but when she did, she didn’t use it. Instead, she spun around to face Vic. He’d moved closer to her during that short time and now he was a breath away from her, a tantalizing breath.
“Vic...”
He pulled her into his arms and she was surprised when she didn’t object. Instead, she allowed him to come closer and mold his body to hers until every inch of their lower bodies were touching. Then his head lowered until his forehead was touching hers. Miranda’s breath caught in her chest.
God, how she wished she was one of those women who could bed a man and walk away the next day, but she wasn’t. Furthermore, her situation didn’t allow her to have a weak moment and have a night of passion with Vic. She had to think with a clear head and not with other body parts.
“Ask me in,” Vic whispered huskily. “You know you want to.”
He
