His visit had been a surprise. She hadn’t expected him tonight. He was the most unlikely person to show up at her place tonight or any other time. Not only had he shown up, but he’d taken her out again. Skating. It was their second date and he claimed the reason he was here was because he had needed to see her.
She knew needing to see her had only been a line and men like Derringer were good at saying such things. They said whatever they thought a woman wanted to hear. But that hadn’t stopped her from allowing herself to be taken in, relish the moments spent with him and be greedy enough to want more. She would take whatever part of Derringer she could get. Tomorrow she would wake up and hate herself for being such a weakling where he was concerned, but she would also wake wearing the blush of a satisfied woman all over her face.
There was no doubt in her mind that he intended to make love to her. He’d done it before, and from the dark, intense look in his eyes, he planned to do so again. And tonight he wouldn’t get any resistance, because she loved him just that much and was secretly grateful for this time with him.
He slid down beside her on the sofa. “There is just something tantalizingly sweet about your scent, Lucia.”
Another line, she was sure of it. “Is there?”
“Yes. It makes my body burn for you,” he said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
She drew in a deep breath, thinking she would love to believe what he was saying, but knew better. However, tonight it was all about make-believe. Besides, it was hard not to melt under the intense look he was giving her and the way his arm felt around her shoulders. And he was sitting so close, every time he spoke his warm breath blew across her lips.
He then pulled back slightly and gazed at her thoughtfully. “You don’t believe a word I’ve said, do you?”
She began nibbling on her bottom lip. She could easily lie and assure him that she did, but deep down she knew she didn’t believe him. She tilted her chin upward. “Does it matter whether or not I believe you, Derringer?”
He continued to stare at her for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face, and for a split second she thought he was going to say something but he didn’t. Instead, he reached out and cupped her chin with his fingertips before slowly lowering his mouth to hers.
Sensations ripped through her the moment their lips touched. She closed her eyes when his tongue eased into her mouth and he began kissing her with a hunger that had her groaning deep in her throat.
Her heart thundered when he captured her tongue with his and began doing all kinds of erotic things to it, sucking on it as if there was a time limit to get his fill, mating their tongues as if all they had was the here and now. This was the kind of kissing that made a woman forget that she was supposed to be a lady.
She wanted this. She wanted every mind-blowing moment because she knew there was a time limit on this fantasy. Everyone around town knew of Derringer’s reputation for getting tired of his women quickly. There was only a chosen one or two who were determined to hang in for the long haul no matter what—by their choice and not his. She refused to be one of those women. She would take this and be satisfied.
When he broke off the kiss to shift their positions to press her back against the sofa cushions, she moved willingly with him. She gazed up at him when his body eased on top of hers. She could feel his hard erection between her thighs.
He lowered his head and began nibbling around her throat, taking the tip of his tongue and licking around her chin. “Too many clothes.” She heard him utter the word moments before he leaned up and, without warning, pulled the sweater over her head. He tossed it to the floor. He then proceeded to tug her jeans down her legs.