Up close, she was surprised to discover his eyes were a startling shade of gunmetal gray. They were like nothing she’d ever seen before. The color was a sharp contrast to his fair skin and dark hair, but it had nothing on his smile. She’d always been a sucker for good teeth and dimples, and he had both behind that five o’clock shadow.
The devilish grin that he flashed hooked upward on the right side, and her pulse soared. She prayed he couldn’t feel the heat rolling off her. If a bump of the knee and a flash of dimples made her feel this way, what would it be like to really touch him? She wanted to find out. Whether or not she could handle it was an entirely different question.
“One of those all work and no play types?” His words hung between them, heavy with sexual suggestion. Any other day she would have dismissed the line, but not tonight. His boldness had her stomach churning and her heart racing. This was a man used to getting what he wanted and tonight he wanted her. It was a heady feeling unlike any other.
“Something like that,” she replied.
“Then it must be my lucky day. Cole Bennett,” he offered, reaching to shake her hand. “And you are?”
“Olivia Masterson.” She met him halfway, her delicate hand slipping inside of his as he enveloped her fingers in warmth. A tingle danced over her skin and she felt her cheeks redden at his touch. There was no doubt about it—Cole Bennett was the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on.
“Very nice to meet you, Olivia Masterson.” He released her hand, giving her a pang of disappointment. She wanted that tingle back, damn it! “You see, it’s my first night in the city, so it must be luck that our paths crossed, seeing as how you don’t get out much.”
“Oh, really?”
“True story,” he swore, placing his hand over his heart and drawing her eyes south to his muscular shoulders and broad chest. He wore an expensive Italian suit that reeked of money, but it did little to hide his solid torso. If anything, the tailored jacket emphasized his perfection. “I just moved from England,” he explained.
“And yet you have no accent,” she noted as she plucked an olive from her glass. “Too bad. Women love a man with a sexy accent. Find them irresistible, actually. I’d say a British accent would do wonders for your otherwise lacking pick up lines.”
Unable to resist goading him, she slipped the olive between her glossy lips and smiled, curious to see how he’d respond.
“Sexy and sassy. A dangerous combination in my experience,” he mused as he studied her.
She gave him her best “Who me?” look and sipped her martini.
“Can I tell you a secret, Olivia?” His tone was conspiratorial as he leaned in, turning his smoky eyes on her. She didn’t know much about the fine art of seduction, but she knew shrinking wallflowers weren’t sexy. Refusing to back down and determined to make good on the dare, she closed the gap between them, leaning forward until their shoulders brushed. She raised her brow in reply.
“I thought your friend was never going to leave.”
“Is that right?” she asked, smiling as she drew out her inner flirt. “Better watch your manners, Cole Bennett, or a girl might get the sense you don’t play well with others.”
“I don’t,” he growled. His gaze rolled over Olivia, lingering on her mouth. There was no doubt about his meaning, or the tension simmering between them. She fought the urge to lick her lips, wondering if he tasted as sinfully good as he looked. “When I see something I want, I find a way to make it mine. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to share.”
His expression was hunger in its purest and basest form. She swallowed, not trusting her voice. Desire surged from between her legs. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had made her feel so sexy.
Forget the dare. She was riding a wave of pure, animalistic need that demanded to be unleashed. It didn’t make any sense. She was as straitlaced as they came, and Cole was a virtual stranger, but Olivia wanted him more than she’d wanted any man in a very long time. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know what he did or where he lived. It only mattered that she know what he felt like inside her.
She took a final sip from her martini glass, solidifying her resolve. Her heart hammered so hard in her chest she was sure he would know she was a fraud. She was probably the only twenty-eight-year-old in the city who couldn’t check the “one-night stand” box on her resume.
That was about to change.
“Your place or mine?”
Surprise flickered across his face, but was quickly replaced by a grin. Her heart fluttered and she was grateful for the support of the stool. Without it she would’ve surely melted into a helpless puddle on the floor of the bar. Cole Bennett had a killer smile.
“I’ve got a room at the hotel across the street.”
“Perfect,” she replied, slipping off the stool and planting her feet firmly on the hardwood floor.