‘Nice tux, by the way. Very debonair.’
‘Glad you noticed.’
Their gazes locked again and this time he didn’t look away.
He’d already got what he came for tonight: vindication he’d made it into the big league, recognition he was more than the blue-collar farm boy he’d once been.
Time to get this party really started.
‘Come with me.’
‘Where?’
‘Does it matter?’
She shook her head, the tendrils framing her face swaying gently and beckoning him to reach out and twist one around his finger, draw her close and hold her all night. But there was plenty of time for that. For now, he’d settle for getting her alone and kissing her senseless.
‘Come on.’
He grabbed her hand and they fought their way through the crowd. He was surprised by the turnout, hundreds of well-dressed revellers who had descended on his property, bringing their own supplies, including tents for camping overnight.
Singles balls were all the rage these days and, while he liked seeing people having fun, a huge part of him was relieved he was no longer a bachelor.
It wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be, especially now he had a fortune behind him, with the women who’d once shunned him for having grease on his hands and dust in his hair clambering for a date—or, worse, a relationship.
Britt had never been like that; she’d liked him regardless and the thought sent a burst of warmth through him, urging him to pick up the pace.
‘Great turnout, huh?’
With her blue eyes glittering with excitement, she looked like a society hostess basking in the success of an event. ‘And the film crew are getting loads of footage I can use in my pitch.’
‘That’s great, though personally I can’t believe there are so many desperadoes out there.’
‘Most people are here to party, not pick up.’
They caught sight of a couple kissing in the back of a ute at the same time and Britt chuckled. ‘Well, most of them.’
‘Get a room,’ he muttered, suddenly annoyed by the sight of the amorous couple doing exactly what he’d like to be doing with the gorgeous woman by his side.
‘What for? If they’re anything like us, a room won’t sweeten the mood.’
He risked a quick glance at her face, wondering if she were serious but, by the cheeky smile tugging at the corners of her glossed mouth, she wasn’t.
‘The room doesn’t matter to us because we have an arrangement. And we’re friends.’
More the pity. Though he planned to change all that, starting tonight.
‘So are those two, by the look of it. Good friends.’ She chuckled and slipped her hand around his elbow, a casual gesture that shouldn’t have sent the blood rushing to his groin. But it did and he could barely focus on anything other than the way she smelt and how she felt tucked in to his side.
Having her stand so close to him, her signature vanilla enveloping him in seductive sweetness, was hard enough to tolerate without her smoky midnight eyes sending him signals he knew were all in his own head.
‘So what did you want to show me?’
‘It’s in here.’
He all but dragged her through the back door into the dimly lit kitchen, knowing this was crazy but unable to stop.
Her soft laughter echoed in the empty room, his favourite in the house. He had a lifetime of family memories here: making ravioli from scratch while his dad pored over the Sunday newspapers, Britt poking her tongue out at him from across the table as she lobbed a bread roll and feigned innocence.
Yeah, this room was a definite favourite and he was about to add another treasured memory.
‘Okay, apart from this place needing some light, what’s the prob—?’
Nick covered her mouth with his, cutting off her words and sliding his arms around her waist, marvelling at how right this felt.
Rather than protest and try to shove him off, she groaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, opening her lips beneath his, teasing him to pleasure her, to taste her and come back for more.
He was more than willing to comply, deepening the kiss to the point where he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t feel anything beyond this incredible woman in this unforgettable moment.
She hung on tight, her hands stroking his neck, tugging him closer until he could feel the heat of her skin through his dress shirt, the sizzling, wicked heat urging him to back her up against the table and do what he’d wanted to do for weeks now.
Make sweet love to his beautiful bride.
He must’ve moved a fraction for she groaned, brushing her breasts against his chest, and he slid his hands around her ribcage, filling them with her full breasts, caressing them, skimming the peaks with his palms until she murmured incoherently, almost making him explode on the spot.
Alarm bells clamoured in his head—what happened to just business? What happened to getting her to make the first move this time? And he happily ignored them, allowing himself this one brief taste of pleasure before sanity returned and he’d be forced to apologise for making a complete jackass of himself.
She sensed his hesitation, for she broke the kiss, only to snuggle into his neck and playfully nip the sensitive skin there.
‘I can see your problem.’
‘What’s that?’
His hands glided over the slinky material of her dress to caress her butt, the heat of her scorching his palms through the thin silk of her dress.
‘You’ve got the hots for me.’
She chuckled, the small sexy laugh of a confident woman who knew exactly what sort of a schmuck she was dealing with.
‘It’s your fault. You’re irresistible.’
He kissed her again, softly, lingering, wondering how he’d ever had the will power to turn this amazing woman down all those years ago and wondering what the hell he was going to do when she walked out of his life this time around.
She had his libido firing on all cylinders but it was more than that. They’d reconnected on so many levels, their special friendship a thing to be treasured.
But what had changed?
Career-driven Brittany Lloyd would hightail it out of Noosa without a backward glance, leaving him cursing the day he’d been foolish enough to let her back into his heart, a heart he’d deliberately closed off from ever loving any woman too much.
He might’ve obliterated memories of his mum but he’d never forgotten the pain of abandonment, the intense loss that had clawed at his insides, the doubts that had plagued him for years that he wasn’t good enough to be loved for ever.
‘How irresistible?’
Now wasn’t a time for doubts or deliberating or questioning as he kissed her again, deepened the kiss, craving intimacy as the parched outback craved water to sustain life. The thought of losing her did it, prompting him to do all manner of crazy things like back her up against the table, wishing he’d had the sense to lock the back door.
Her hands dived into his hair, angling his head for better access to his mouth as she wrapped a leg around his waist, bringing him into delicious contact with her heat, and blind, raging need slammed through him to the point of no return.
He was out of his mind with need for