Page 23 of One Naughty Night (Single in South Beach)

“I don’t feel pressured.” She admired his restraint. And more than that, she appreciated the kind of confidence he had, his self-assurance evident in every move he made. “And your approach sounds… enticing.”

His gaze darkened, the pupils dilating to crowd out everything around them.

“But we can’t just think about what we want now. What about the reality of working together tomorrow?” His hand skimmed her cheek, grazed her temple.

Memories of their bodies entwined on the hotel bed last night made her tilt her head into his touch, craving a deeper caress.

“I’ve spent my whole life looking out for tomorrow and you know where it’s gotten me?”

He shook his head. Of course he couldn’t know what that would be like.

“I’ve worried myself into a suffocating little corner. And the worst part of it was finding out that even my narrow corner wasn’t safe. I didn’t have the pleasure of taking any exciting risks and I ended up getting screwed anyway.” She shrugged, not meaning to sound bitter. “Now I’m ready to take the risks, not worry about the consequences, and to be perfectly honest, I’m crossing my fingers I’ll be rewarded with a nominal sensual payoff.”

“Nominal?” The hand that had been smoothing over her cheek stilled. Tensed. He bent his head as if to kiss her and her eyes fluttered closed.

Instead of brushing her lips, however, his mouth grazed her ear as he whispered, “I suggest you find your keys, Esme, and we’ll see about nominal. You obviously have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

Sensation tingled through her, a warm flush of anticipation that made her skin tighten into chill bumps. A rush of satisfaction coursed through her at the idea she had successfully goaded him, teased him into pleasing her.

Fishing her keys from a side pocket of her overnight bag, she led him over the patio of her ground-floor apartment and unlocked the sliding glass door surrounded by plants and flowers stuffed in everything from antique teapots to turn-of-the-century apothecary bowls. Her attempts at gardening were as mishmash and disorganized as the rest of her life.

Still, the fact that she’d managed to lure a brawny stud back to her apartment galvanized her, put a little oomph into her step. She turned to him once they were safely inside her living room, the sliding door locked behind them as she searched for the right come-on line.

She needn’t have bothered.

Renzo was suddenly right there, in front of her, reaching for her. She had a scant instant to witness the commitment to his cause in his dark eyes before his mouth came down on hers for a hard, demanding kiss.

The man of action had stepped to the fore.

Her keys fell from her hand as her arms went round his neck, his fingers already plowing across her back to draw her near. Her lips parted beneath his, eager to receive the kiss while her head tipped back to accommodate him.

The silky tank top she wore couldn’t begin to disguise the feel of his chest against hers. If anything the layer of skimpy silk only intensified the fiery heat spiking through her at his touch.

It had been so long since a man had held her this way. And yet, no man had ever held her quite like Renzo did now, as if he couldn’t get enough of her, as if he had to have her.

Maybe this time would be better than her long-ago attempts at lovemaking. Better than nominal. Heaven knew, the preliminaries were scorching her senses and threatening to incinerate her if she didn’t feel his bare skin soon.

She reached for the hem of his T-shirt as Renzo walked them deeper into her apartment, down the hallway, toward her bedroom. She couldn’t wait.

Shoving up the cotton fabric with her hands, she laid her hands across the taut muscles of his chest, down the hard ripples of his abs. Her throaty moan mingled with his and his forward momentum toward the bedroom halted. He backed her against the hallway wall instead, the chair rail scraping along her back only a mild annoyance compared to the absolute pleasure of having unveiled his body.

In the second it took for him to peel the shirt over his head, Esme gained a peek of smooth bronze skin in the dim light cast from the fish tank that burbled in the living room. Had she thought him worthy of a calendar page? She’d underestimated his raw sex appeal. He was one hundred percent centerfold material with his sinewy arms, broad shoulders and a chest that tapered down to…

She couldn’t wait to see what else.

Feeling his eyes upon hers, her gaze moved up to his. The intensity of his stare thrilled her. Her insides smoldered as she pulled him back to her.

He pressed his mouth to hers, covering her lips to taste and tease, tongue sliding over hers with possessive thoroughness. Desire pooled in her belly, weighed heavy between her thighs.

“I want you.” She whispered the words against his mouth, confided the truth that had been chasing around her brain for hours. She hadn’t been sure she would reveal that secret, but now no matter what the cost, she wanted to take this risk with him. Needed to absorb all the pleasure he could bring her, even if the experience was fleeting.

* * *

Renzo savoredEsme’s every response, relished the primal simplicity of her statement.

I want you.

He growled low in his throat, his lone nod to the hunger consuming him. She seduced his mind as much as his body, appealing to him on every imaginable level.

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