She turned to leave the mixer and head down the pathway leading to the lounge near the hotel, but before she could take her second step Mitch caught her arm and stopped her. His hold slipped lower, and the fingers encircling her wrist branded her, spreading a fiery, alluring warmth across her skin. His bold gaze beckoned to feminine instincts and she shivered, wondering how one man could have such a potent affect on her senses.
Instead of letting her hand go as she expected, he clasped their palms together. Skin to skin, he threaded their fingers in an intimate fashion, keeping her close. What about me testing your abilities? he countered.
The arousing rumble of his voice made his question sound like a sexual taunt that included all kinds of forbidden, delicious possibilities. Or maybe her mind and body were just so deprived that she was imagining the underlying innuendo in his words. She tried to draw a steady breath and failed to calm the riot of nerves clamoring within her. The brazen, tantalizing stroke of his thumb against her rapid pulse and the tenacity blazing in his eyes didnt bode well for the outcome of her latest challenge.
Youre just going to have to trust me and my abilities. She shrugged nonchalantly, though she was feeling anything but indifferent to him. Or we could let our dart game speak for itself.
Grinning, he dipped his head, and a lock of sable hair fell across his forehead. That hardly seems fair, since Im a lousy dart player. No machismo on his part, just endearing honesty, and damn if that didnt appeal to her. How about we test our skills together out on the dance floor, instead?
3
THE VERY LAST THING Nicole wanted to do was end up in Mitchs arms, surrounded by his virile heat, his intoxicating scent, and his blatant masculinity. He gave her little choice in the matter and no time to issue a protest that wouldnt draw the unwanted attention of other people. Still holding her hand securely in his, he tugged her toward the parquet dance floor. Just her unfortunate luck, at that moment the band ended the fast tune theyd been playing and eased into a slow, romantic song one of the guests had specifically requested.
A heartbeat later she found herself wrapped in Mitchs solid embrace with her own hands gripping his arms in startled surprise. Any desperate ideas she might have had about stepping back to keep a few inches between them were quickly banished when he slipped his arm tight around her waist and pulled her firmly against his hard, muscular body. Automatically, she tensed, but her rigid posture did nothing to dissuade him or ward off her own awareness of him.
Every inch of Mitch seemed to be touching some part of her. His shoulders were incredibly broad, and her breasts crushed enticingly against his wide chest, making her nipples peak and harden and ache at the heated contact. Her belly aligned with his, and somehow, someway, hed effortlessly managed to slide his jean-clad thigh between hers in a way that was completely natural to the kind of slow dance they were engaged in.
The gradual pressure he exerted there was deliciously exquisite. To her dismay, an insistent throb pulsed low and deep. The uninhibited beat of the music dictated the sensual rhythm of their bodies, heightening her own longing for something more carnal and forbidden with Mitch. The assault on her senses was almost more than she could bear, and she struggled to keep a tight rein on her physical response.
His free hand slipped beneath the heavy warmth of her hair, and the tips of his fingers brushed the nape of her neck. Relax, Nicole, he murmured next to her ear.
Suppressing a telltale shiver of pleasure, she squeezed her eyes shut. Inhaling a fortifying breath, she summoned a convincing reply before she opened her eyes again. She pulled back, meeting his teasing, sexy gaze with a capricious grin of her own. Im perfectly relaxed, Mitchell.
Clearly, he didnt believe her. Doubts shimmered in his eyes, right along with something more devious. Sweeping a hand down her back in a long, meandering caress, he splayed his large hand at the base of her spine, right at the curve of her bottom. Lightning spears of sensation spiked through her and she stiffened at his penetrating touch, contradicting her attempt to pretend indifference to him.
One corner of his mouth tipped up in a knowing, beguiling smile. Thats hardly the response of someone whos relaxed. He pressed closer to her, if that was even possible when she already felt like a part of him. His gaze grew more intimate, his voice softer, but she had no problem hearing him above the bands entertainment. Do I make you nervous?
Of course not, she scoffed, the automatic fib a defense mechanism to protect her emotions from this man.
Then prove it. Indulgence and insistence warmed his eyes. Theres no one here that we know to watch us, so quit fighting whats between us and let your body soften against mine. Move with me to the beat of the music, Nicole.
His request beckoned to her, the kind of dare shed come to expect from him. The current song ended, giving her the perfect opportunity to bow out gracefully with some kind of clever quip. But when the band cued up the next tune with a seductive, bluesy tempo, she changed her mind. As hot and restless as he made her feel, she refused to give him the power of knowing just how much he affected her. In fact, she was fully prepared to turn the tables on him and be the one to walk away from this challenge unscathed. Just to prove she could.
Blocking out everything around them, she captured his gaze in the dim lighting. Relaxing, she let the driving, pulsing beat of the music dictate the movements of her body, the sway of her hips, the shimmy of her shoulders and breasts, and the deliberate glide of her thigh between his.
Lost in the moment and unnoticed by the other couples around them, inhibitions and reservations peeled away. Nicole softened and flowed into Mitch, just as hed requested. Through lashes that had fallen half-mast, she watched the flame of desire and need burn bright in his gold-brown eyes, just as shed intended.
A surge of triumph welled in her, making her bold and too assertive. So, what do you think, Mitchell? she asked huskily as she smoothed her hands down his chest, experiencing equal measures of satisfaction and pleasure as his muscles rippled at her touch. Tossing her head back, she arched into him in a very suggestive manner. Is this relaxed enough for you?
Most definitely. His free hand slid from her side, down past her waist and settled on her hip, leaving a trail of heat in the wake of his petting. Were very good together, dont you think? Both of us qualified and definitely competent.
Nicole swallowed hard, unable to find the words to issue a sassy retort. She was too mesmerized by the irresistible, sexual allure in his raspy voice, too stunned by the depth of her bodys craving for him to think, let alone speak.
Gently, he rocked her hips against him, igniting another frenzy of restless yearning within her. The way we move together in such unison, the perfect fit of our bodies, is exactly the way it should be. Can you feel it, too?
She felt too much. Every touch and illicit caress expanded the heat between them. Every slow, purposeful brush of his body against hers scalded her senses until she was burning with the kind of need only making love could assuage. It had been a very long time since shed wanted a man that much.
She closed her eyes at that lusty thought but couldnt shut out his murmured words, which painted such erotic and vivid pictures in her mind. She saw them flesh to flesh, clinging to each other in a dance between lovers. Witnessed the perfect fit of their inflamed bodies. Felt him filling the achy emptiness in her. Felt her own thighs clench his much too shamelessly. Tension coiled in her belly and right where the pressure he exerted was the greatest.
She closed her eyes at that lusty thought but couldnt shut out his murmured words, which painted such erotic and vivid pictures in her mind. She saw them flesh to flesh, clinging to each other in a dance between lovers. Witnessed the perfect fit of their inflamed bodies. Felt him filling the achy emptiness in her. Felt her own thighs clench his much too shamelessly. Tension coiled in her belly and right where the pressure he exerted was the greatest.
A tremor shook her, a warning that immediately jolted her out of her daze. Stop. The uttered command slipped from her lips before she could intercept it, and Mitch went still and quiet, though loud voices and music still swirled around them.
She blinked her eyes open wide, scattering the provocative images behind her lids. She stared up at Mitch in balanced increments of shock and mortificationand annoyance for his part in arousing her with his sexual monologue. Her breathing escaped her in soft pants, and she was feverishly hot, her skin flushed and tight.
Unable to believe shed nearly allowed him to seduce her in such a public place, she attempted to untangle herself from his embrace. He held her secure, pinned against his athletic, all-male form, seemingly not ready to let everyone see just how affected hed been by their exchange. She could feel his burgeoning erection between them, and another unwanted thrill raced through her.
She glared at him for turning what should have been a simple dance, an uncomplicated dare, into something far more tempting. You dont play fair, she said, conveniently dismissing the fact that she was just as much at fault for provoking him.
He had no qualms about reminding her. Oh, and you do? he asked wryly.
Her chin lifted mutinously as her heart rate finally calmed. You started all this, not me. I would have been satisfied kicking your butt in a game of darts.
Fleeting humor etched his expression, and he gradually eased them back into dancing to the song the band was currently playing, this time, in a more platonic manner. At least we finally proved one important thing.
Curious, she took his bait. And whats that?
How compatible we are. His tone was husky and soft, his gaze serious. And that you want me as much as I want you.
She rolled her eyes at that, grasping for levity and a believable fib. Were hardly compatible. She found it more difficult to deny his second claim, so she didnt even try for fear of him disputing her in sexy, tantalizing ways she wouldnt be able to fight. Were complete opposites, Mitchell, and if it wasnt for the sake of this charity contest, we wouldnt be together right now.
Mitch, he said unexpectedly, his voice vibrating with a tinge of frustration. His gaze turned equally intense. For once, call me Mitch.
The sudden change in him startled her, but also made her more determined not to give into his demand. Mitchell suits you much better. She fingered the collar of his red knit shirt. Responsible, respectable and much too strait-laced for me.
Her blithe comment was meant to point out their vast differences and establish much-needed distance between them, but only served to spark a fierce, steely determination in the depth of his eyes.
Without preamble, he grabbed her hand firmly in his and pulled her through the crowd still enjoying the reception. He nearly dragged her down the dark, secluded path toward the beach, his long-legged strides easily eating up the distance while she had to use quick double-steps to keep up with him in her heeled shoes. Her head was spinning when he finally stopped where the walkway ended at one of the small shacks used during the day for guests to borrow beach towels.
Abruptly, he turned around to face her. Silver moonlight cast shadows over his lean, handsome features and made his eyes glitter with purpose. He was unadulterated male magnetism, raw and untamed, and a trifle dangerous. But it wasnt him she feared; rather it was her own electrifying response to all that strong-willed aggression.
Excitement and apprehension mingled. Shed met her match. She shivered at the thought, aware that they were very much alone. She could hear the faint, faraway voices of the people at the mixer and the crash of the waves on the shore behind heror was that the frantic pounding of her heart against her chest that was echoing in her ears?
He stepped toward her, and she took a hasty step backand found herself pressed up against the locked door of the shack. He moved closer and, before she could side-step him, he flattened his hands on either side of her shoulders, trapping her between hard, rough wood and his unyielding length. He didnt touch her physically, not yet anyway. But she could feel the simmering heat of his body and see the predatory light in his stare. While everything within her urged her to duck beneath his arm and bolt, she stood her ground.
Shed never been afraid of confrontation or conflictshed experienced plenty of both through her childhood and her one-sided relationship with Jonathan. She refused to retreat now, no matter how much this man continually evoked varying degrees of emotions from her. At the moment, wicked desire was most prominent.
What are you doing? she demanded, and wished her voice sounded more convincing, instead of so breathless.
He bent his head and skimmed his mouth along her cheek to the delicate shell of her ear, a riveting touch all the more erotic for what it promised. Im about to prove I can be just as reckless and daring as you, he said, his voice a ragged kind of velvet as dark as the night around them.
Her pulse quickened as she watched his full, sensual lips descend toward hers to make good on his word. She prepared herself for a wild, outrageous kissthe kind of frenzied joining that would reflect their tempestuous relationship so far. Her posture stiffened, ready to divert his domination with some kind of defiant response.
She couldnt have been more wrong in her assumption.
With lazy deliberation, he brushed his mouth along hers, throwing her off-kilter with his featherlight, velvety strokes designed to soften her demeanor. Warm, delicate kisses to coax an ultimate surrender. And despite knowing she ought to do something to stop his slow seduction, her lashes fluttered closed and she rewarded his sensuous efforts with a sultry moan that was pure pleasure, without a trace of any protest.
Mitch knew the moment that Nicole was his for the taking, and experienced a surge of supreme satisfaction. This woman, for all her impudence and stubbornness and sass, couldnt refute the undeniable craving between them. Her warm, fragrant breath fanned his lips, intoxicating him with the ambrosial scent of sweet apricots and chocolate, a rare delicacy he had every intention of sampling deeper. Very, very soon.
Threading his fingers through the thick, silky strands of her hair, he smoothed his thumbs beneath her jaw to keep her face tipped up and her mouth poised right below his. Holding her slumberous gaze, he closed the distance between their bodies, gradually easing his hard length against her ultrasoft curves until hed imprinted her from breast to thighs with scorching heat and pulsing awareness.
This time, it was him that groaned, at the rightness of this woman in his embrace, and the primitive need that gripped and consumed him. Done tormenting them both, he settled his mouth over hers. His tongue flicked out to taste and tease and gather the exotic flavor that was uniquely hers, and her lips parted on a breathy sigh, giving him the invitation he sought.