Page 8 of Taming a Heartbreaker

When it came to staying in control of any situation, she was an ace. No amount of desire, passion or attraction could change that. Her family often said she was the most in-control person they knew. She didn’t try to control others, but when it came to herself, she had the ability to maintain a level head. Being a thirty-two-year-old virgin was proof of that.

“Anything else in the basket besides wine and cheese?” she asked him.

“You sound hungry.”

“No, just curious,” she said, grinning.

“Alpha prepared it for me, and I told her just cheese and wine. However, I didn’t look to see what was inside.” He pulled the basket toward them. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

In addition to the bottle of wine, wineglasses, a container of assorted cheeses, and the necessary eating utensils, Alpha had included slices of wedding cake. Carmen glanced over at Redford. “I guess we won’t go to bed hungry tonight.”

He chuckled. “No, I don’t think we will.”

Chapter Four

The night was perfect. While pouring their glasses of wine, Redford realized he’d never had a moonlight picnic before and he rather liked it. There was something about being alone with Carmen on this lake at night, sharing a blanket and wine, that had sexual energy hitting him low in the gut.

So far everything about it spelled seduction in big bold letters and being here with her aroused him in a way he hadn’t expected. Anticipation for what he hoped would take place later had his pulse beating way too fast to be normal. On top of that, his brain was filled with salacious ideas for making love to her.

In an attempt to get his mind and body under control, he forced his thoughts from Carmen to his surroundings. Gemma Lake, which sat smack in the middle of Westmoreland Country, was beautiful and even more so at night. The lighted, colorful water fountains in the middle of the lake were a spectacular sight.

There was a full moon in the sky and the stars dotted around it like a majestic court. The night’s temperature was perfect, and as far as he was concerned, so was the woman with him. He rarely thought of any woman as perfect. What he wanted from all women was the same. There could never be any exceptions.

He doubted she’d known what he’d been thinking when she’d mentioned them not going to bed hungry tonight. There was a totally different type of hunger invading his body. One that had nothing to do with food.

“I thought I was full after eating that dinner at the reception, but there’s nothing like wine and cheese. And I can’t wait to get into the cake since I passed on it earlier,” she said.

He took a sip of his wine. “Why did you pass on it?”

“I was full from eating and didn’t have room for dessert. Now I do.”

He grinned. “I had room for dessert then and I do so again now. I love cake.”

She nodded. “What’s your favorite?”

Redford chuckled. “Cake.”

She threw her head back and laughed. He liked the sound of it.

He chuckled too. “I’ve never encountered a cake I didn’t like. I inherited a love for cooking from my mom. But not for baking. Mom made the best cakes. For a while she ran a bakery out of our home since Dad preferred she didn’t work outside the home until I was in junior high school.”

Redford wondered why he’d told her that. Usually, he didn’t share any personal information about himself or his family with any woman. His only excuse for doing so now was that he was trying to make sure Carmen felt relaxed with him.

“I rarely cook. Leslie says I need to buy stock in every fast-food place in the city. However, I do enjoy baking cakes and even took a cake-baking class in college. My specialty is carrot cake.”

“That’s one my mom never made.”

“Well, one day I intend to bake a carrot cake just for you.”

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he took another sip of his wine. This was the second time tonight that she’d hinted at them seeing each other again. Of course, that wouldn’t be happening unless their paths crossed because of their friendships with Sloan and Leslie.

Wanting to change the subject, he asked, “Have you lived in DC long?”

“Close to fifteen years now. I moved there for college from Atlanta.”

“That’s where you’re from? Atlanta?”

“Yes, born and raised. My father attended Morehouse and my mom attended Spelman College. They liked Atlanta and thought it would be a great place to live, marry and raise a family.”

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