‘We should go out.’ Ruben jumped at the idea, grateful for the distraction. If they stayed where they were a moment longer, he would forget his intention of getting to know her a little better and showing her there was more to him than she had given him credit for.
She looked stunned at his change of pace. ‘Can we do that? I mean, won’t you be harassed or stalked or something?’
He laughed at her choice of words, but she had a point. ‘I am sure you know some quiet little restaurant where we won’t be disturbed?’ She nodded and mentioned the name of a place he had obviously never heard of, but he told her that was fine and asked if she could book a table.
‘I’ll get my bag from the car. I have a change of clothes,’ he said, moving toward the door.
Ten minutes later, he had showered and shaved and put on a black linen suit with a v-neck t-shirt. Her appreciative smile told him he’d chosen his outfit wisely, but the look that followed it stopped him. Her heart was in her eyes. He saw excitement there, but he saw fear too. Comprehension dawned. Damned if she wasn’t afraid of him.
Giving her a dirty wink, he was relieved to see a smile appear. Trying to understand why she had acted the way she did had driven him crazy for weeks, but now he knew what it was and how to deal with it. She would not get away from him so easily again.
Leading her briskly out of the house before that dress weakened his resolve, they drove into the city, the promise of an unforgettable night ahead of them.
* * * *
watched him tear into his steak. He ate with the same amount of restraint with which he made love.
Meaning none
.
She could tell he loved to eat and marveled at his body, wishing he would share the secret of how he managed to maintain his weight considering the amount of food he’d just consumed. He was pretty wild on stage, she recalled, which probably explained it. She bet he burned most of it off that way.
And what he didn’t burn off there, he sure did in bed.
The decidedly dirty turn her thoughts had just taken must have been apparent on her face, she realized, as he had stopped eating to stare back at her. He held her gaze while taking a sip of his wine, before raking his eyes over her breasts. Shaking his head as if to clear his mind, he smiled ruefully before continuing with his meal, giving her a look that pretty much told her not to tempt him.
loved the way he made her feel. She had never been with a man who made it so clear what he wanted or appeared to enjoy life so much. You couldn’t fail but to feel womanly and sexy with a guy like Ruben around. Sure, the way he looked did an awful lot of the groundwork for him, but it was his absolute lust for life that made him truly irresistible.
It felt so strange to be sitting across from this beautiful creature and know that he wanted her and couldn’t wait until they were alone. She looked around the restaurant, wondering what people thought of them together. Did they wonder, as she did, what he saw in her?
None of the women were looking at her that was for sure. They all totally ignored her but she could understand why. Not only was the man dining with her drop dead gorgeous, he was also very famous. She was beginning to forget that, to the rest of the world at least, he was a star, albeit a very elusive and private one. She couldn’t remember ever hearing or seeing any news articles about him, besides the initial furor around him when he first hit the music scene.
Why had she never heard of him being involved with anyone?
The question burst from her lips before she had time to stop it.
The change of pace seemed to take him by surprise, causing his eyebrows to rise warily. ‘There hasn’t really been anyone for you to hear anything about,’ he replied flatly. He didn’t seem too keen to expand on his reply.
‘I don’t believe for one moment that I am your first,’ she teased, finding his careful answer very strange. Thankfully, he laughed.
‘I thought you were asking about relationships, not sex.’ His voice lowered as a devilish look played across his face. ‘Did I seem inexperienced to you…?’
blushed and couldn’t hold his gaze. When he looked at her that way, she felt it right to her core. His suggestive chuckle made her squirm. He knew what he was doing to her —the look on his face confirmed it.
He broke the tension by offering her more wine.
‘Are you ok?’ He’d sensed her change of mood. ‘You are very quiet.’
scrabbled for the right words. ‘Yes, I am fine.’ She hesitated. ‘This is an unusual situation for me. I don’t usually do this kind of thing.’
‘Have dinner with a man?’ He smiled to take the sarcasm out of his words, but his look of concern was genuine.
‘I mean this…us.’ She shook her head. ‘I am not explaining myself very well. Sorry.’ Laughing self-consciously, she wished she’d never brought it up.
‘Relax, Beth. It’s just you and me.’ He picked her hand up from the table. ‘I am a little nervous too, you know.’
‘You?’ She didn’t mean to sound so incredulous, but she couldn’t help it.
‘Yes,’ he laughed. ‘Well, you’re the first doctor I have ever dated.’
He was teasing her, but it worked. She laughed with him, glad at least one of them wasn’t taking things too seriously. He seemed determined not to let her push him away and scurry back into her comfort zone.
The thought of what would surely happen later both frightened and excited her. At least she’d had no idea what to expect the last time she had considered spending the night with him. Now, she knew what he could do to her and how she would react. Her heart pounded at the thought.
Her hand was still in his and a gentle squeeze brought her attention back to him. As usual, he seemed to have picked up on her thoughts. His expression made it clear he was thinking about the same thing.
‘Are you ready to go, Beth?’ He was asking much more with his eyes.
‘Don’t you want dessert?’ Her question had been innocent, but sounded outrageously suggestive even to her own ears, causing a subtle change in his expression to one of urgency.
‘I think it’s time we weren’t here,’ he said, getting quickly to his feet. Throwing enough money down on the table to cover whatever the bill might have been and leave the waiter the best tip of his life, he grabbed her hand and propelled her from the restaurant.
She wasn’t too sure she liked the caveman routine, she thought as she barely managed to keep up with him, but at this precise moment, she had a good idea where they were going. And she was just as keen to get there.
Chapter 9
Ruben froze. Peeping into the bedroom from the darkened hallway, what he found stole the breath from his lungs. He realized she didn’t know he’d returned from the bathroom. His slight guilt at watching her was forgotten as she came fully into view.
He swallowed with some difficulty as she lifted her arms to run the brush through her hair, leaning this way and that. The tiny pink bra barely held her breasts in and as for the panties…what panties? The thong was so dainty it was near invisible. Boy, he envied that scrap of lace as it disappeared down between the cleft of her ass. Giving herself one last look in the mirror as she smoothed her hair down over her breasts, she began to walk away.
‘Stay there…’
He wasn’t sure he’d actually spoken until he saw her jump, then glance quickly over her shoulder in the direction of the darkened doorway before turning obediently back to the mirror. He walked toward her, seeing his own reflection appear over her shoulder.
‘Is this for me?’ he whispered, fingering the strap of her lingerie, his eyes holding hers in the glass.
She began to turn toward him, but he held her still as he moved to stand closer. He watched in the mirror as his hands slid around to shape her waist, before moving up to cup her breasts. Her eyes followed their path as they moved downwards again, dropping to the scrap of material between her thighs. Skimming across it, he smiled as she groaned in frustration. Running a palm down over her arm, he covered her hand with his own, edging it toward her panties. Her look of uncertainty was quickly replaced by one of satisfaction as their joined hands slipped between her legs. The wetness between her thighs coated his fingers and he told her how hot that was as he urged her to rub gently downwards.
Her weight fell back against him as she began to groan. Briefly, he moved her hand away as he pulled the gusset of her briefs to one side, allowing them both to see what her fingers were doing. Her hesitation frustrated him and he gripped her hand again. This time, he set the pace, forcing her to rub hard. Biting into the exposed skin of her neck, he lifted his eyes again to her reflection. The hardness of his erection became painful. Her ass quivered against it every time a tremor went through her and he had would have to have her soon. Sliding a hand under her buttocks from behind, he slid a finger into her wetness, moving rapidly in and out, telling her he wanted her to watch herself come. She responded instantly by doing just that. He could barely hold her weight as she bore down on his fingers, but he stayed with her.
Ruben released her long enough to drag the dresser stool across to where she stood. Bending her over to rest her elbows on it, he stripped quickly.
dropped her head briefly, but he needed her to watch. Grabbing a handful of hair, he pulled her face up toward the mirror, forcing her to look at him. She smiled at him then, chasing away any doubt he was being too rough. Shifting position to lay his body over hers, he licked a slow path over the skin of her shoulders, stopping at the crook of her neck. She cried out as he nipped her skin.
Legs trembling at the exertion, he leaned back, just enough to be able to watch himself sliding in and out of her. Just then, her fingers encased his balls. Eyes back on his reflection, he saw his own expression change into one of fierce determination as he plunged into her. No longer able to watch, he threw his head back and gave himself over to his climax, spilling into her.
Ragged breaths tore at his throat as he pulled out of her and helped her upright. He tried to embrace her, but the urge to sit before his legs gave way was overwhelming. Stopping only to grab her hand, he staggered to the bed and slept where he fell.
* * * *
couldn’t figure out where she was. It took a few seconds for her sleep-fogged brain to recognize her own bedroom and remember the reason she wasn’t actually
in
the bed. Turning her head, she saw Ruben across the room trying to slip silently into his clothes.
‘What time is it?’
He turned quickly at the sound of her voice. ‘
I was just about to wake you my love. I have to go.’
Her heart sank at his words. ‘So soon? Do you have time for coffee?’
Nodding, he told her he would make it, saying it was best if she didn’t strut around in front of him half naked. She smiled at his teasing, but wasn’t happy that he hadn’t told her beforehand that he could only stay one night.
‘I’ll call you later today,’ he said as he returned with the cups. He looked sincere enough, she guessed. Taking a long sip of her coffee—damn, he even made great coffee—she watched him silently. He returned her stare openly, seemingly scanning her face for some sign of her mood. She braced herself as she saw the twinkle in his eyes moments before he spoke.
‘Your hair suits you, all wild and punky like that,’ he smiled.
Confusion caused her to stare dumbly at him for a few seconds before she saw his eyes flick upward as he smothered a grin with his coffee. Horrified,
‘You look gorgeous,’ he murmured in her ear.
His touch became a little more serious as he began to kiss her. Wrapping her arms around him, she was just beginning to warm to the idea of taking him back to bed when he spoke, effectively killing the thought.