Page 22 of Inarticulate

“Damn it.”

Keenan didn’t seem the type to wait for anyone, let alone a woman he barely knew. She stalked from her room, ignored everyone in the reception area, and hailed a cab with the precision of a Playboy model.

Before she’d had a chance to properly consider what she was doing, she was outside Sated Palate, looking through the large floor to ceiling windows for a man she shouldn’t be searching for.

Indecision kicked in. Or maybe it was common sense. He wouldn’t have waited for her. Not for fifteen minutes.

She turned, prepared to hail another cab, and came face to face with temptation.

“Keenan,” his name gasped from her lips.

The sight of him gave her vertigo. He was dressed in tailored pants that hugged his thighs and a collared, buttoned-up shirt which left little to the imagination of the muscled chest underneath. Even in the freezing cold his sleeves were folded above his wrists, giving him a kick of casual sophistication.

He raised a brow at her, wordlessly asking where she was going in such a hurry.

“I couldn’t see you inside.” Her mouth dried at the perfection of him, her body reacting to a rapid case of dehydration. “I thought you might have left already.”

He smiled, a meager lift of beautiful lips before he began to leisurely take in her appearance, all the way to her feet. She could feel the trail of his stare. It skimmed every nerve along her skin, nudged all her erogenous zones one by one.

His eyes came back to meet hers and he mouthed, “Stunning.” Or at least she thought he did. He could’ve just as easily saidstarving.

She glanced at the cars behind him, at the sanctuary that would come from the inside of a cab. How was she going to communicate with him in a public restaurant? It was different last night. Their bodies had spoken for them.

He followed her gaze, searching for the truth she didn’t want to give. She swallowed, unable to admit she was about to run. Anyone with a vagina would roll their eyes and groan at her desire to flee. Well, anyone apart from Penny.

But for the first time in Savannah’s life she felt susceptible to exposure. She wasn’t like most women. She didn’t swoon over the thought of commitment or the possibility of marriage. Relationships didn’t interest her, unless it revolved around phenomenal sex and no tightening strings.

So why did Keenan nudge her consciousness like no other man had before? He remained on her mind when she should be focused on work. He also intrigued her for reasons that didn’t relate specifically to the bedroom.

It could be the whole want-what-you-can’t-have scenario. She was only in Seattle temporarily, and the language barrier was a thrilling challenge. Her cousin’s warning to stay away hadn’t helped either. She’d regressed to her childhood when her mother would tell her not to say or do something. Of course she was going to disobey at the first given opportunity.

It was human nature.

Instinct.

A strong hand brushed her hip and he looked at her with a raised brow.

“I was…” She licked her bottom lip. “I shouldn’t be here, Keenan. Dominic made it clear that I shouldn’t spend time with you.”Christ.She needed to keep her mouth shut.

His smile faded. The tiny increments of dissatisfaction stabbed at her sternum as his focus narrowed. He stepped into her, his lips tight, his eyes feral. The hand on her hip vanished and in its place came a delicate grip on her chin.

She swallowed hard, hearing everything he couldn’t say in the possessive expression on his face. He didn’t stop looking at her, didn’t quit compelling her into mind-numbing confusion until his mouth pressed against hers, stealing her thoughts of fleeing.

He tugged her into his body and kissed her as if nobody was watching. As if nobody else existed. With deft flicks of his tongue and soulful movements of his lips, he made her toes curl and the most delicious sensation ignite in her belly.

When they broke apart, his attention was already fixed on the restaurant, denying her emotional attention to parallel all the sexual. With a jerk of his head, he coaxed her forward and held the restaurant door open for her.

“The table you requested is ready, sir.” A young woman smiled at him and then led them through the bustling room to an intimate setting beside the window.

The building was contemporary. All dimly lit surfaces and quaint furnishings. It was neither upmarket nor shabby, which led her to believe he hadn’t tried to impress her with the location. Not that she was hoping to be impressed.

Not at all.

Nope.

The atmosphere was casual yet still entirely appealing. Just like Keenan.

As Savannah approached the table, he grabbed her elbow, halting her. She opened her mouth in confusion, then closed it as he slid past her and graciously pulled out her chair. The gesture startled her. Confused her. She had him pegged as the bad-boy, mysterious type, yet here he was with impeccable manners and a pleased gleam in his eye.

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