Her Unexpected Admirer (4 page)

“Yes but…” she still wasn’t sure, although his explanation did make her feel slightly better.  Was she being naïve by believing him? 

“No buts,” he countered.  “Just relax.  Nothing will happen that you don’t want to happen.”

She smiled slightly, still hugging herself.  “I think that’s actually the problem,” she whispered, then looked up at him nervously, to see if he understood what she was saying. 

Of course Davis understood, and he stopped in his tracks, staring down at the lovely woman.  The heat in his eyes made her shiver, but in a good way.  “We’ll take it slow, okay?” he offered.  He moved closer, tossing her jacket on top of his own. 

He could see that his words hadn’t eased any of her tension.  “Let’s go out onto the balcony.  The butler should be here soon with the wine.  We can enjoy the stars.”

She laughed.  “Are there stars out tonight?” she asked, knowing that Boston had the same problem with many east coast cities.  The humidity and lights of the city clouded the sky so the stars weren’t as bright.  The cold, night air would help though.  It was easier to see the stars in the fall and winter because there was less humidity.

“Won’t it be too cold out there?” she asked.  The temperatures were forecasted to drop into the forties tonight as winter started to creep into the world. 

“No.  There’s a fire pit that will keep us warm enough.”

He took her hand and led her out onto the beautiful balcony.  And he was right, the stars were out, the sky looked beautiful.  They were high enough up that she could see the city laid out like twinkling earth-stars.  The Charles River was obvious since it didn’t have any “stars”, just a black band separating the two sides of the city. 

“It’s beautiful,” she sighed as he led her to one of the chairs.  He pressed a button and, a moment later, a fire flared out of a stone fire pit.  Almost instantly, warmth flooded the night, pushing the chilly air away.  She smiled as she compared the light of the fire against the lights of the city.  “It’s strange,” she said as she leaned back into the comfortable chairs. 

“What’s strange?” he asked, handing her a glass of wine.

That startled her because she wasn’t aware of anyone bringing the wine into the suite. 

She took the glass and sipped, amazed at the excellent wine.  “Oh my!  This is really delicious.” She looked up at him as he sat down next to her.  “Almost as good as the watermelon martini downstairs,” she teased.

“Bite your tongue, woman,” he said as he laughingly glared at her from across the fire pit.  “And tell me what is strange.”

She sighed and curled up even more into the chair.  It was large enough that she could tuck her legs up underneath her.  “I just think the difference in the fire against the lights all over the city is strange.  I wonder if someone looking over here would know that it is a fire or if they would just assume it is a light.  And if so, how far away would the person have to be before the light of the fire just looked like another star?”  She looked up at the sky and smiled, “Or even how far away the fire can be seen from earth.  Do the people on other planets look down at us and wonder why we’re so bright?”

Davis could tell her exactly the distance to answer all of her questions, even how far away in space the fire could be observed.  She was a romantic little thing, he thought.  And definitely not a seductress, or at least not a conscious seductress.  The women in his past would never have tucked their legs up underneath them.  They would have displayed their legs as alluringly as possible.  But looking across at her, he was more turned on by her position than all his past women’s not-so-subtle ploys.  And she didn’t even know what she was doing to him. 

Or maybe she did, he thought, and he liked that even more. 

He changed the subject, asking her more questions about herself and enjoying her laughter as she told him stories.  Some of the stories about her family weren’t funny although she shrugged them off.  They were more poignant than humorous.  He suspected that was her way of dealing with her past. 

Every time she asked him a question, he answered it as honestly and succinctly as possible, then changed the subject back to her.  He was fascinated by her and enjoyed just listening to her speak. 

He glanced behind her and realized that the suite’s butler was setting up the table for their dinner.  With a nod, he dismissed the man, preferring to dine alone tonight. 

“Dinner is here,” he told her and stood up, extending his hand to help her up.

Kate sat up straight and looked around, not surprised that she hadn’t heard someone come in and deliver their meal.  “Oh, that looks lovely,” she said, noticing the small bouquet of flowers and the candles.  “What about if we bring it out here and eat by the fire?” she suggested.  “Would that be too weird?”

She saw the strange look in his eyes and quickly shook her head.  “Of course that would be too odd.  And the table looks beautiful,” she walked over to where a small dining table had been covered with starched linen and flowers, candles flickering in the dim lights and the place settings meticulously set up.  “Everything smells delicious,” she told him, feeling silly for even suggesting such a thing.

“You really like sitting outside by the fire?” he asked, his whole body waiting for her response.  He remembered being a kid and thinking that the best thing a woman could do was to like being by a campfire and sleeping in a tent.  He must have been about fifteen or sixteen, when he and all of his friends had gone out to the back yard to spend the night, laughing and joking around a fire, roasting marshmallows and seeing how long it took for a potato chip to catch on fire.  It was one of his fondest memories. 

Kate was clutching her linen napkin in her hands nervously.  “I’m just being silly,” she said, shaking her head. 

“Here,” he said, taking her plate and lifting the silver top off.  The smell of the food wafted to her nose more quickly now that it wasn’t covered and she realized how hungry she was.  “We’ll sit over there,” he told her, thinking that she really was incredibly beautiful, more so now by the light of the fire. 

Kate’s eyes lit up as he carried both of their plates over to the big chairs by the fire.  She grabbed their napkins and utensils, hurrying over to sit down again. 

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.  “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable at the table?”

He shrugged and handed her the plate.  “It feels nicer out here,” he explained.  “Besides, you were going to tell me about your first dance and I’m intrigued.”

She laughed and accepted the plate, hungrier than she had been in a long time.  Normally, she lost her appetite when she was under stress.  And that stress could be from having to go to work, stay at work, actually anything to do with work, being at the office during work hours…so her appetite wasn’t the healthiest.  When she got home from work, she lost herself in her painting and sometimes forgot to eat dinner.  She knew she’d lost a lot of weight over the last few months, and she didn’t look very healthy because of it.

Yes, finding a new job was pretty important on many levels. 

She sat back and had him laughing at the story of her first dance, how she’d stepped on the boys’ toes so badly that none of the others would bother asking her to dance.

“But now you’re a fabulous dancer, right?”

She blushed but was grateful that he couldn’t see her cheeks.  “Not even close,” she laughed.  “I haven’t danced again since that night.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged.  “My mother died of cancer soon afterwards.  It was pretty sad for a long time.  When my father and I started to…well, to live again, I had to study hard to get my grades up.”

“And then?”

She looked at the fire.  “Well, life happened.  I’d always dreamed about taking dancing lessons, but I just haven’t found the time.”

“So what do you do for yourself?” he asked. 

She opened her mouth to tell him about her painting but stopped.  That was something that she’d never admitted to anyone other than her best friend from college who was the gallery manager where she’d sold all of her paintings.  It was her secret, her world away from the craziness of her real life. 

Why she’d even started to admit her secret to this man, she didn’t understand.  She’d kept it to herself for so long, it was just a habit now.  “Well, I have little hobbies that I do to get away from the problems of the day.”  She looked at him.  “What do you do to handle all of your stress?”

He thought about his horse back at his mother’s place.  “I ride horses.  I fly.  I work out.”

Her eyes dropped to his shoulders, much more visible now that his suit jacket was off.  “Obviously,” she mumbled, taking a bite of the delicious parmesan crusted chicken. “Oh my, this is delicious!”  She savored the bite, loving the way the sharp cheese contrasted with the tender chicken.  And the asparagus tips were perfectly cooked, tender and delicious with just a bit of salt to ease the bitterness. 

Davis was initially struck by her mumbled response to him working out.  He liked that she’d noticed his body but he shouldn’t have looked up.  He shouldn’t have noticed the way she was eating the meal, as if she were having some sort of orgasmic response to the food.  It was erotic and insane and the lust that surged through him while he watched her teeth take the asparagus tip was like nothing he’d ever experienced before.  He wanted to toss the plates aside and pull her onto his lap.  He wanted to make love to her right here by the firelight and he wanted to sit here and watch her eat, enjoy her enjoyment. 

The pleasure on her face as she devoured the food was incredible to see and he leaned back.  There was plenty of time to make love to her, he thought.  And this was almost as enjoyable.

When she finished the entire plate of food, she delicately wiped her mouth with the linen napkin and looked back at him.  “I’m sorry,” she gasped, realizing she’d eaten quickly and without contributing to the conversation at all.  “I didn’t realize how hungry I was but that’s no excuse for being rude.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her, the heat in his eyes hidden by the night.  “I’m glad you enjoyed the food.  I’ll make sure to mention your pleasure to the chef tomorrow.”

She smiled and put her plate on the table beside her.  “You’re not hungry?” she asked, realizing that he’d barely touched his own food. 

“I’m starving,” he said and Kate instantly knew that he was no longer talking about dinner.  He was hungry for something else completely. 

“Oh,” she replied on a sigh, feeling that tightening in her stomach once more.  The pull of his scent and the allure of this man’s hands on her was more than she could control so she clasped her hands together, folding them tightly in her lap.  “I guess I’d better…”

“Come here,” he interrupted.  He’d already set his plate to the side as well but as he stood up, he reached for her hand.  When they were standing face to face, he took her other hand in his, guiding her hand up to his shoulder.  “Now, I teach you to dance,” he said.

She couldn’t believe how wonderful and terrifying it felt to be in his arms.  He was so tall, she could just barely reach his shoulders.  Plus, his arms were so heavily muscled and his chest so warm and strong, she felt protected in one way, and vulnerable as well because she hadn’t been this close to him yet.

Looking up at him, she wasn’t sure what to do.  She wanted him to bend lower and kiss her.  Just a gentle kiss, she thought.  Wouldn’t that be a nice, wonderful way to end the night?  She shivered just thinking about what it would be like to be kissed by a man as strong and powerful as Davis.  He certainly was the whole package. 

She smiled up at him, trying to focus on the present.  “Dancing.  After my story, are you sure you’re willing to risk your toes?  They might be pretty mangled by the end of this dance.”

He laughed softly, pulling her closer as he wrapped his arm around her back.  He was gentle, but firm as he held her closely to his body, her soft breasts pressed against his chest and he felt her shiver as well as the gasp at the first contact.  Taking her hand more firmly in his, he led her backwards, then forwards, his arm around her waist telling her which way to go, how to move. 

She hadn’t even noticed the music but as they danced, the music became louder.  She smiled up at him, feeling strangely in sync with him.  She’d never danced since that one night, feeling foolish whenever she tried, but with Davis, she felt like she was floating across the room.  “I guess it’s just the partner,” she said softly, feeling light-headed all of a sudden. 

The music changed and so did Davis’ movements.  This was more of a waltz and he shifted ever so slightly.  But he was so strong and gave such a good signal, she was easily able to follow his lead.  “You’re not a bad dancer,” he said, his voice husky. 

Hell, she was actually a great dancer, he thought.  She was light on her feet and looked up at him as if she were truly attracted to him, the man, not the image or the bank account.  He realized that he genuinely enjoyed being with Kate.  It wasn’t just sexual, but there was no denying the way he wanted her. 

He should be a gentleman and leave her with a kiss.  But then Kate looked up at him, her crystal blue eyes searching his.  A moment later, her eyes dropped to his mouth and there wasn’t anything that could have held him back from that invitation.  She’d been too alluring, too sweet and delectable all night.