Page 9 of Gin & Trouble

Danny what? Had he ever told me his last name?

He turned to me. “I’m thankful for gaming conventions and the tango, but I’d like to banish slow elevators from existence.”

Pressing tighter to his side, I whispered, “I’m thankful for vacant rooms and getting the courage to meet you, but I’d like to banish clothing.”

The moment we walked into the suite, Danny swept me into his arms and kissed me. And I don’t mean a sweet brush of the lips. Every inch of us from mouths to toes aligned and rubbed together.

I came up for air long enough for a case of second-thoughts to kick in. I took a step back and asked the first thing that popped into my head. “That was one hell of a dance. Where’d you learn to tango?”

“My mother made me and my brothers take lessons.” He blushed from his cheeks to the tips of his ears.

“Mine, too.” Although I was the one who’d pulled away, the distance between us bothered me. I wrapped my arms around him again. “I don’t usually do this kind of thing on a first date.”

“Me either.”

Had I not spent months online getting to know him, I would have called bullshit. No man who looked like Danny had a shortage of female attention. Makeup and chartreuse hair aside, the man was seriously hot.

His eyes were a hazel-y green color that made me think of the sea foam back home along the shore of the Mediterranean. His brows told me his curls were normally dark, and the deep V of his white dress shirt more than hinted at his tanned, olive complexion.

In some ways, he was exactly what I’d expected. I mean, he’d told me about his crazy Italian family. But in others…my god. In others, he was better than I could have dreamed up. Tall, with the broad shoulders and the narrow waist of a swimmer, he was beautiful. Add in his unexpected moves on the dance floor, and I was more than ready to smash my no-sex-on-the-first-date rule into a million pieces.

Not like this was the standard run-of-the-mill first date. We spent more time together online over the past few months than I’d spent with my last boyfriend in a year.

Danny brushed his fingertips across my cheek. “What are you thinking?”

“That I want you to strip me naked and do everything you told me you wanted to do to me on the phone in person instead.”

Whoa there. Where did that come from?

He flashed me a panty-melting grin and went to work on the buckles and straps holding my bustier together. Bit by bit, my breasts spilled out, but he took his sweet time. “This is like unwrapping a gift with too many ribbons.”

The bustier fell away and I ran my hands over my bare chest. “Are you complaining?”

“No,” he half-spoke half grunted as if seeing my breasts for the first time had turned him into a caveman.

I pulled away and trailed my fingertips down the midline of his body. “You’re overdressed.”

“You’re killing me.” He shrugged out of his jacket and pulled his button-down shirt over his head so quickly the fabric tore.

“Wow.” I could have spent hours exploring the peaks and valleys of his chest and abs. However, I had two problems. A lack of willpower and a fear one or the other of us would chicken out.

I reached for his belt. He took over and his pants hit the floor, along with his boxer briefs. Before I could enjoy the view, he closed the distance between us.

Danny’s hands shook as he eased my zipper down. Rather than finishing the job, he nuzzled into my neck and kissed a line from my collarbone to my ear. “We have all night…let’s slow down and savor this.”

When he’d practically attacked me the second we’d walked into the penthouse, I figured we’d end up getting busy against the wall. But this was something else entirely. This was a slow and deliberate seduction.

And I loved it.

And I hated it.

But mostly, I needed to not overthink the situation. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t get physical with him until he knew my real name. But maybe Sophia was right. Maybe we wouldn’t be in New Orleans much longer. Maybe there was no reason to ruin what could end up being our one and only night together.

Danny worked his way down my chest. Kissing, licking, nibbling each breast before dropping he took his time sliding my pleather pants and boy shorts down my legs. “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

We stood a foot apart, completely naked. It was an entirely new experience for me, but oddly enough, I didn’t feel any of the usual first-time-with-someone-new jitters. I knew this man, maybe not in the cardinal way—not yet. But I knew what made him laugh, what made him choke up, what made him…him.

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