She glanced at him. “You sound like you’re homesick.”
“Maybe a little,” he said. “The sea is cleansing. The rhythm of the waves is soothing. Even though I conduct business on my yacht, I can turn it all off if I want and just enjoy the ocean. No crowds, no rush. Instant getaway from it all.”
Nicole couldn’t help thinking how Tabitha had always wanted to be in the middle of the party. “How in the world did you ever get involved with my sister?” she couldn’t help asking.
He chuckled again. “You have to admit she was a head snapper, seductive when she found something she wanted, charming.”
She nodded reluctantly. “She was charming. But you seem deeper, smarter. How could you have fallen for her?”
“I was younger. She was everything I wasn’t. Privileged. Pedigreed. Classy. I was a foster kid from the poor part of Philadelphia. She was a dream come true.”
“And she was beautiful, wild and sexy,” Nicole said.
“She was beautiful and alluring. Wild at times. Sexy, but not really sexual.”
“Really?” Nicole said, unable to contain her curiosity, even though she knew this was a taboo topic. “I always got the impression she was a man-eater.”
“Not in a sexual way,” he said. “She was actually perfunctory about sex. Hot before, but not so much during.”
Nicole gaped at him. She’d always thought that Tabitha made men crazy with her sexuality.
“You seem surprised,” he said, his expression amused.
“I never knew—” She broke off. “I just heard what she said about herself and what other people said about her.”
Meeting her gaze, he nodded. “I’ve learned that some women are hotter when they’re teasing than when they deliver.” He looked at her as if he wanted to find out if she fit into the first or second category.
Surprised at the rush of heat that suffused her, she took a quick, calming breath. “Tabitha talked about being a master of the tease.”
“She was,” he said. “That seemed to be all she wanted out of it. There’s more to pleasure than teasing.”
His dark gaze felt as if he penetrated all the way to her soul. She was acutely aware of the contrast between his masculinity and her femininity. The night seemed to close around them and curiosity trickled through her. It had been a long time since she’d felt curious about a man, since she’d felt desire. Why now? Why with him?
She should back away. Right this second, she told herself, but her feet may as well have been lead weights. She held her breath as he stepped closer and lifted his hand, rubbing his fingers over a strand of her hair. “Soft,” he said. “You could be a crazy-making contradiction.”
Her heart hammering in her chest, she swallowed. “What do you mean?”
“Soft hair, soft skin, a voice that reminds me of good brandy. All that softness and a titanium backbone.”
She couldn’t help laughing at the wry tone when he’d described her backbone. “Ah, you’re just used to being surrounded by yes men and yes women. The great Rafe Medici has spoken, so that’s the way it goes.”
“Ah, you think I’m great,” he said and his lips lifted in a sensual smile that sent ripples all the way down her body.
“I’m sure you can find crowds of people who will tell you how great you are. You don’t need another one,” she said, wishing she could pull back, but his fingers on her hair kept her captive. Or was it the way he looked at her that prevented her from moving away.
“Sometimes one is more compelling than a crowd,” he said and gently tugged her hair, drawing her closer to him.
“I’ve been curious about that mouth of yours since the first time I saw it, since the first time you blew me off. I’m betting you’re a little curious about me. I think it’s time we took care of our curiosity,” he said in a such a low voice that she couldn’t turn away.
He lowered his head and she should have backed away, should have at least turned her cheek or dipped her head, but she didn’t. Although she would die before she confessed it, she was curious about Rafe Medici. Too curious.
It was just a kiss. Just one, she thought. Then never again. His mouth pressed against hers and she immediately felt dizzy. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the scent of his cologne, the promise of strength from his chest just inches from hers. The sensation of his mouth was both firm and sensually soft as he rubbed against her lips as if he was determined to savor her.
She instinctively parted her lips and he gave a low groan of sexy encouragement. Nicole felt a ripple of awareness in her most sensitive places. Yet, he only touched her lips.
Her heart rate picked up and a burgeoning need swelled inside her. More. She wanted to slide her breasts against him. She wanted to feel his arms around her. She wanted.
She could sense that he wanted more, too. He slid his tongue over the seam of her lips and she opened for him, giving in to her curiosity, in to the delicious, decadent sensations he generated in her.
He plunged his tongue deeper, as if tasting weren’t enough. He wanted to devour. Her mind began to spin and she reached for his shoulders, trying to stabilize herself, but he slid his arms around her and drew her flush against the front of his hard body.
She felt his arousal and the craving inside her tightened like an overstretched rubber band. Breathless, but loath to pull away from him, she returned his kiss with a passion that surprised her.
Seconds later, he pulled back slightly, lifting his head. His eyes glittered with potent arousal. His nostrils flared slightly as he caught his own breath.
“I don’t think one kiss is going to take care of our curiosity.”
Rational thought returned slowly. Nicole felt a hard smack of regret. Shaking her head, she backed away. “Oh, no. I can’t believe—”
He put his hands on his hips and looked skyward. “Oh, tell me you’re not going to play the innocent virgin who was taken advantage of by the bad, bad man.”
She blinked at his description. “Well, I’d like to, but I’m not that innocent and it’s not like you forced me.” She bit her lip, trying to pull herself together. “Combination of wine and a long day,” she said, turning toward the house. “I like that explanation much better.”
“Explanation or excuse?” he asked as he walked beside her, one stride of his for every two of hers.
“Either is fine with me. I’m sorry for giving you the wrong impression.”
He stepped in front of her just before she reached the door. “The word is teasing,” he said. “Must run in the family.”
“I said I’m sorry.” She swallowed. “We shouldn’t be doing this. I need to keep a clear head about Joel. He’s my first priority.”
“We have Joel in common,” he said. “You and I are already entangled.”
How could she possibly maintain the cautious perspective she needed if they became lovers? What about the warnings Tabitha had made? “There’s also your history with my sister.”
“And that’s been over for more than four years.”
Frustration and apprehension skittered through her like jabbing needles. “Why me?” she demanded. “You could have any woman you want. You probably do have any woman you want.”
“I’m not sure if that was an insult or not,” he said. “But have you ever