The evening was taking on a familiar pattern. First they’d share a cozy booth and enjoy a meal along with some beer, which would loosen her inhibitions. Scruffy’s casual atmosphere made it a great place for shedding inhibitions, especially on the dance floor. She could hear the music from here and it got louder every time someone went in or came out. Grady would ask her to dance to a slow tune and they’d rub against each other until they were both ready to combust.
After that she’d suggest heading to the little house she rented with her sister, who was conveniently out of town. They’d spend most of the night having amazing sex and the game would be on. She’d vowed never to take that path again with an art-making man.
Accepting his dinner invitation had been a bad idea. Yet changing the plan now would be a delicate operation. She hoped the excuse she was about to give him would do the trick. “You know, I hate to do this, but on the drive over I continued to think about all the paperwork I have waiting at home. Dinner would be lovely, but I really need to take a rain check.”
“I see.” He nudged back his hat, which allowed the light from the building to illuminate his square-jawed perfection.
“I’m really sorry, Grady. Organizing the event put me behind.” True enough, but he didn’t seem to be buying it.
He gestured toward a spot away from the entrance and out of the glare of the lights. “Let’s step over there for a minute, where it’s not so loud.”
“All right.” She followed him into the shadows.
He paused and faced her, thumbs hooked in his belt loops. Sexy stance. “Sapphire, I’m interested in you and I get the impression you’re interested in me. But if there’s another guy, just say so. These things happen.”
“There isn’t anyone.” Not for lack of trying to find a nonartist whose company she enjoyed. She’d dated an insurance adjuster, a dentist and a systems engineer. She hadn’t clicked with any of them.
“Then why not have dinner with me?” He moved a little closer as his gaze held hers and a smile brought her attention back to his tempting mouth. “You have to eat sometime.”
“I know, but...let’s be honest.” She took a deep breath. “It’s not just about dinner, is it?”
His eyebrows lifted. “You want dessert, too? I dunno, Sapphire. That might stretch my budget.” His grin faded. “No, you’re right. It’s not just about dinner, but if you don’t have a boyfriend, what’s the problem? Am I wrong that you kind of like me?”
“You’re not wrong.” God, he was potent. Being near him fried her brain cells right when she needed to be alert. “But it’d be better if we just leave it at that.”
“Why?”
“What if it didn’t work out? That could make this week very awkward.”
He smiled and drew closer still. “If that’s all you’re worried about, there’s no problem. It’ll work out.”
“You seem pretty sure of yourself.” Too bad she found that hot as hell.
“Normally, I’m not, but this time I have my reasons. We’ve had chemistry from the minute we laid eyes on each other three weeks ago. I’ve seen the way you look at me.”
Heat sluiced through her. “Sorry. I’ll stop doing that.”
“Please don’t stop on my account. I look at you the same way. Finding you at the Art Barn that day was a revelation. From what I can tell, you’ve allowed your true self to shine through and that turns me on. You make the sexiest pottery I’ve ever seen.”
She laughed because he was the first person to say it out loud. No one else had dared. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. Holding it is quite an experience. I picture the way your hands molded each piece and I—”
“Um, right.” If she let him go on in this vein, they’d never make it back to her house. They’d end up doing it in the back of a pickup, either hers or his. She’d thought their mutual attraction would be manageable. She’d never been so wrong.
“Lady, you and I generate a lot of heat. You can head home to catch up on paperwork but that’s not going to change anything.”
“Maybe not.” She shoved her hands in her pockets and clutched her keys as a reminder that she was leaving. Just because he thought her surrender was inevitable, didn’t mean he was right. But she could feel that heat he was talking about melting her resistance. “I need to go.” She started to turn away.
“Hang on for a second.” He lightly touched her arm.
The contact sent fire through her veins. “What for?” She turned back to him and saw the intent before he spoke the words.
“A kiss.”
“No, that would be—”
“Only fair. I’ve been imagining kissing you ever since I drove away three weeks ago. If you don’t want to take it beyond that point, I’ll abide by that decision.” He smiled. “What’s one little kiss?”
A mistake. “I guess that would be okay.”
“Not a very romantic answer.” He drew her into his arms and lowered his head. “But good enough.”
The velvet caress of his mouth was every bit as spectacular as she’d imagined. If she stuck to her guns, this would never happen again, so it seemed criminal to waste a single second of kissing Grady Magee. She hugged him close as he worked his magic. She’d figured the man could kiss, but she hadn’t known the half of it. He started slow, tormenting her with gentle touches that made her ache for more.
When he finally settled in, she opened to him greedily, desperately wanting the stroke of his tongue. Kissing him was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid, but when he cupped her bottom and drew her against the hard ridge of his cock, she forgot why she’d been so reluctant.
Wouldn’t a woman have to be crazy to reject this man? Wrapped in his strong arms and teased with his hot kisses, she craved the pleasure he promised.
Taking his mouth from hers, he continued to knead her bottom with his strong fingers. “Still think we should nip this thing in the bud?”
Speaking of nipping...she wouldn’t mind some of that, too. She gulped. “You’ve paralyzed my brain.”
“Good.” His mouth hovered over hers. “Maybe you think too much.” And he delved deep again as he coaxed her to respond.
She didn’t need much coaxing. With a low moan, she slid her arms around his neck and arched against his solid body. He answered with a low growl of pleasure and locked her in tight. She’d completely lost her mind.
In no time she’d thrust her tongue into his mouth. Somehow her hands moved from around his neck down to his firm butt cheeks. When his muscles flexed, she whimpered in frustration. There was only so much that could happen in the shadow of Scruffy’s Bar and they’d reached the limit.
Breathing hard, he lifted his mouth a fraction from hers. “Okay, we’re stopping now. But this isn’t over.”
She was incapable of speech, let alone an argument on that point.
Slowly he released her and backed away. “What time are you opening up tomorrow?”
She swallowed and frantically tried to remember. It finally came to her. “Seven.”
“I’ll be there. Take care, Sapphire.” He touched the brim of his hat.
She turned and fled. If she didn’t get out of there, she was liable to hurl