Intimate Seduction Read online

  “Natalie?”

  She knew she had to say something or Farrah wouldn’t let up. “I plead the fifth.”

  Farrah chuckled. “You can plead the fifth all you like, but it’s not going to help you since both men are headed this way.”

  Natalie refused to turn her head to see if Farrah was teasing her. She knew she wasn’t. There was no way for her and Donovan Steele to be in the same place without him trying to use his power of persuasion on her. “Remember what I said. He doesn’t know what I actually do for a living and I want to keep it that way,” she whispered.

  Farrah smiled. “I’ll keep your secret, but from the way he’s looking at you, I doubt what you do for a living is what’s on his mind right now.”

  Natalie couldn’t resist temptation any longer, and she shifted her gaze to see the two men walking toward them. Farrah was right.

  Xavier Kane glanced over at Donovan. “Hey, man, are you sure those ladies don’t mind being interrupted?”

  Donovan smiled as they kept walking toward where Natalie and a friend were sitting. He liked Xavier. Known as X, he was a close friend and personal attorney to the man who’d married his cousin Vanessa last year, Cameron Cody, and was the godbrother to Donovan’s friend from college, Uriel Lassiter.

  “We’ll find out soon enough, X. Doesn’t she look happy to see us coming?”

  X chuckled. “Depends on which one you’re focused on.”

  “I’ve got my eye on the one in blue. We have a little matter we need to resolve.”

  X let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good because she’s the one shooting daggers at us. I’m glad I’m focused on the other one. She’s smiling. I can work with that smile. All I have to do is turn up the heat.”

  As Donovan got closer to the table, he decided regardless of the cold look Natalie was sending his way, he intended to turn up the heat, as well.

  Chapter 6

  “How are you tonight, Natalie?”

  She would be a lot better if he didn’t seem to be in such a good mood. He was smiling, and his white teeth against his creamy cocoa complexion made his smile even sexier. And then there was the sound of his voice—throaty, husky, just enough to feel like a caress across her heated skin. This man had the ability to stir every nerve-tingling sensation in her body and was doing so. Probably intentionally.

  “I’m fine.” And then she asked, “What are you doing here?”

  He chuckled. “I could ask you the same thing since this is my hangout. I’m here every Friday night unless I’m out of town. My best friend is one of the owners. Considering all of that, it’s my turn to ask. What are you doing here?”

  Telling herself it would serve no purpose to argue with him, she glanced over at Farrah and quickly recalled her manners. “I’m here with my friend from high school. Farrah, this is Donovan Steele.”

  Donovan quickly took up the introductions by taking the hand Farrah offered him and said, “It’s nice meeting you, Farrah, and I would like the both of you to meet a friend of mine, Xavier Kane.”

  Pleasantries were exchanged and handshakes were made. “Do you mind if we join you?” Donovan asked.

  Natalie was about to say yes, she did mind, but Farrah spoke first. “No, of course not. We’d love for the two of you to join us.”

  Donovan, Natalie noted, was already pulling out a chair before Farrah had finished issuing the invitation. She also noted that he took the chair closer to her while Xavier sat beside Farrah.

  “So, have you ladies ordered yet?” Xavier asked, smiling at everyone but especially at Farrah.

  “No, we were checking out the menu. We’ve never been here before so what do you guys suggest?” Farrah asked. Farrah glanced over at her, and Natalie merely raised an arched brow—her way of sending a silent message that she was not happy. Instead of being bothered by her soundless threat, Farrah merely smiled sweetly over at her, and at that moment Natalie knew Farrah was up to something. That had her worried.

  “Since you asked,” Donovan said, “for appetizers I would suggest their coconut shrimp if the two of you like seafood.”

  “We do,” Farrah quickly spoke up for the both of them. “And especially shrimp.”

  Donovan smiled. “Then you’re in luck because for the main course it’s all the fried shrimp you can eat tonight. They also have a variety of other seafood dishes that are just as delicious.”

  Natalie pretended to concentrate on the menu. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Donovan had leaned back in his chair as if listening to the getting-to-know-you conversation between Farrah and Xavier. He was also pretending, because she was fully aware his attention was focused on her.

  “How is your aunt?” he asked.

  His question made her glance at him over the top of the menu, and she wished she hadn’t. Tonight he was sitting under a light fixture that seemed to highlight all those features she had tried forgetting this week but had found herself dreaming about anyway. He had a beautiful pair of eyes. She had noticed them before, but for the first time she allowed herself time to literally drown in their dark depths.

  “She’s fine. Thanks for asking,” she heard herself say before returning her attention back to the menu. Suddenly feeling hot, she reached for her cold glass of water and took a sip.

  “Better?”

  She glanced over at him again. “Excuse me?”

  He smiled. “I asked if you felt better. Did the water quench your thirst? Cool you off?” he leaned over closer and asked silkily.

  She stiffened at the underlying assumption. Okay, it was true that she was hot but not necessarily in the way he assumed. Although he was probably right. “As a matter of fact, yes, I do feel better.”

  At that moment the waitress returned to take their order, and Natalie had a feeling before the night was over she would be drinking plenty of cold water.

  Given the way that he and Natalie had parted on Tuesday, if anyone would have told them that on Friday night they would be sitting next to each other sharing a meal he would not have believed them.

  She didn’t have a lot to say; her friend was the talkative one. She seemed satisfied just to eat and listen. And he was content just to sit and watch her. She was affecting him more than he’d ever imagined any woman capable of doing. In a way that bothered him; actually it frustrated the hell out of him.

  The only reason he could come up with for his obsession was the fact that he’d found her in his bed. The same bed no other woman had ever lain in. Relying on his memory of those psych classes he’d taken in college, he knew there had to be an underlying meaning, a valid connection, between his fixation and her in his bed. His theory? She’d stepped into a part of his space that no other woman had ever invaded, and because of it, he was determined to get her back in that bed.

  Whatever the reason, it really didn’t matter, he inwardly conceded, taking a sip of his beer. Natalie Ford was in his system, buried deep, and he only knew one way to get her out. It was only then that he could move on to other things—specifically, other women. Until then…

  “So, your best friend is one of the owners of this place,” she said as if finally deciding to make small talk. Xavier and Farrah had just excused themselves to go to the game room to shoot some pool, leaving them alone. He could tell by the way she’d glared at her friend that she hadn’t wanted to be left alone with him.

  He met her gaze, held it a moment and then said, “Yes. He and several other race car drivers. I would introduce you to Bronson but he left this morning for Florida.”

  To pursue a woman, Donovan thought, shaking his head. Bronson was the one man he’d figured would never do something as crazy as chasing after a woman, but he’d been proven wrong. No one had really been surprised when Myles Joseph had gotten married earlier that year. After all, they’d heard for years about the woman Myles had left behind in Florida but who still had his heart. But for Bron, a man who could basically have any woman he wanted, to willingly settle on just one—especially one det
ermined not to even give him the time of day—had shocked the hell out of Donovan mainly because Bronson used to be an even more devout player than he was.

  She must have felt him staring at her and looked up. A sensuous flutter automatically traveled up his spine. At the same time he was aware of the slight shiver that touched her body although she didn’t know he’d seen it. A man as experienced and well-versed in women as he was didn’t miss too much of anything.

  The lighting in this particular section of the restaurant was low, and her features, especially her eyes, seemed more profound in the candlelight gleaming from the table.

  He wondered if they were playing a game, a test of wills, to see who could hold whose gaze the longest. Who would be the first to look away? If that was the case, they could sit here all night. He was a master at seduction, and for her he intended to be on top of his game.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go join X and Farrah in the game room?”

  She tilted her head but didn’t shift her gaze. “I don’t know how to play.”

  “It’s not hard. I could teach you. Give you a quickie.”

  The moment he’d said the word quickie he felt the lower part of his body harden, felt a spark ignite in his gut. And he could tell she’d also picked up on that single word, although she’d tried keeping all traces of a reaction from her face. But he had seen the slight widening of her eyes. He had heard her sharp intake of breath and had locked in on the judicious quivering of her lips. He didn’t have her just where he wanted her by any means, but he knew his play on words was getting to her, would eventually break down her resistance. But first he had to calm her fears about being uncomfortable with him, while at the same time continuing to let her know where he stood and exactly what he wanted. Suddenly his mind was filled with all those lovemaking positions he had jotted down on a piece of paper earlier in the week.

  He took a sip of his beer, licked his lips and still holding her gaze asked, “So, Natalie, are you interested in learning something new?”

  Natalie’s mouth tightened at the challenge since that’s exactly what she saw his question as. Heaven help her, but she was seriously giving his suggestion some thought. Not that she would do anything other than let him teach her how to play pool, of course. But she was very well aware that his mind was on something else. She knew a play on words when she heard it, and if he thought he would get the better of her, he had another thought coming.

  “It depends on what I’m learning and who’s doing the teaching,” she finally replied.

  Was it her imagination or did his eyes just darken? Either way, she suddenly fought a tightening in her stomach and a warm feeling between her legs. She broke eye contact with him long enough to reach for her glass of water to take a cool refreshing sip. At the moment, she didn’t care what he was thinking.

  “What if I promise to make any training session worth your while? And it doesn’t have to be learning how to play pool. Is there anything you want to learn how to do for the first time or learn how to do better?” he asked, his voice deep, strong and quietly seductive.

  While deep longing and need seemed to wrap her in their strong embrace, Natalie studied his eyes with the same intensity that he was studying hers. She could not deny that something was building inside of her, an urgency she wasn’t familiar with or used to.

  Her eyes shifted from his eyes to his lips—full, sexy and kissable. It was then she remembered something that Karl had once told her; she couldn’t kiss worth a damn. It had only been his opinion but it had still hurt, and she hadn’t felt inclined to kiss another man for fear of him rendering that same verdict. Karl’s remarks about her kisses had been rather kind compared to the score he’d given her lovemaking skills.

  “Tell me,” he repeated, his tone remarkably patient, “is there something you wish to learn how to do or learn to do better?”

  Natalie swallowed. She had to regain control of her senses or else she would be spilling her guts to him, telling him about every deficiency Karl claimed she had and asking him to prove her ex-lover wrong. Further complicating matters, she would probably go as far as asking him to disprove some men’s belief that a woman who possessed a high IQ was nothing more than an intellectual geek who didn’t have a sensuous bone in her body.

  For one instant she was tempted, but then she realized her limitations with this man. He wanted an affair, which was something she could very well do without. That pushed her to say, “No, there’s nothing new I want to learn and nothing I want to improve at, although that doesn’t mean I’m perfect in everything.”

  He continued to look at her as if he was trying to read her mind. “If you’re sure…”

  “I am.”

  “All right, but if you ever change your mind, let me know.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that wouldn’t be happening when Xavier and Farrah returned to the table. She could tell by the smile on her friend’s face that she was enjoying Xavier’s company.

  “Who won?” she asked.

  Farrah made a face. “He did, of course. But I think I surprised him.”

  Xavier laughed. “You most certainly did.”

  At that moment music from the live band began playing, and before Farrah could settle into her seat, Xavier had captured her hand and was pulling her back to her feet. “Come on, let’s dance.”

  “All right,” Farrah said smiling and off they went.

  “Let’s not allow them to outdo us this time,” Donovan said, pushing his chair back and standing up.

  Natalie stretched her neck to look up at him. The band was performing a slow number, and she wasn’t sure it would be a good idea for them to dance together. The thought of their bodies connecting, rubbing against each other, while the smooth, often sensuous melody of slow music surrounded them was too much to consider.

  She opened her mouth to decline when he held out his hand to her. “Don’t be afraid of me, Natalie.”

  His tone was quiet, not challenging nor mocking. There was no way she could explain to him that at the moment her emotions were too strong for a slow dance. “I’m not afraid of you, Mr.—”

  “No, not tonight. I am not Mr. Steele tonight, or are you afraid to call me Donovan?”

  “I’m not afraid of anything,” she said drawing in a controlling breath.

  “Then prove it.”

  A part of her felt she didn’t have to prove anything to him, but another part knew she had to prove something to herself. It had taken her months to get over Karl’s mental abuse, to build up her self-esteem. She would be the first to admit that other than her coworkers at the university, her students, her professional affiliations and the few neighbors she’d gotten to know, she basically lived a solitary life, and in a few years she would be turning thirty with no plans to change the way she existed.

  So, she would get through this dance not for him but for herself. With that thought in mind, she placed her hand in his. The moment their hands touched there was a spontaneous reaction. Fire and passion seemed to rush through her veins and settle in every finger in her hand. She made an attempt to pull her hand away but he held it in a tight grip.

  She recalled very little about crossing the room to the dance floor or the smirk she saw on Farrah’s face. But she did remember the exact moment Donovan pulled her into his arms, settled her against his rock-solid muscular form to bury her body into his heat and his scent.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she instantly responded and then tried to bring some semblance of control to the clamoring going on inside her body. As if it belonged there, her head automatically settled against the firmness of his chest.

  A warning alarm went off in her head, a warning she decided not to heed. She rarely stole moments for herself to just chill and relax, enjoy the moment. She’d never taken time to enjoy a man. However, she intended to do so now.

  She closed her eyes not wanting to think. Instead she allowed her mind and her senses to drink in the perfection of t
his moment on the dance floor in the arms of a man who was as handsome as handsome could get.

  And he was caring, although such a depiction might be stretching it a bit. For all she knew, his current show of tenderness was just part of his ploy to get inside her panties. But still, the large hand gliding softly across her back was tumbling her into a myriad of sensations and feelings she hadn’t counted on. For the moment, she didn’t have to think about her class load for the fall and how many lab projects she would have to assign. The only thing she wanted to think about was the here and now in Donovan Steele’s arms.

  It didn’t take long for the music to stop, and with the ending came the return of her senses. She lifted her head from his chest and retreated a step, noting he kept a firm hand on her back. “Let’s take a walk,” he suggested softly.

  “A walk?”

  At his nod, she asked, “Where?”

  “Outside. For just a minute. I need to catch some fresh air.”

  She was about to tell him that he didn’t need her to go with him to catch some fresh air, but the hand in the center of her back was propelling her forward, through the double doors that led out back. The moment their feet touched the porch, he turned her into his arms to face him.

  The moment she looked up into his eyes, she knew. And it had nothing to do with getting fresh air but had everything to do with him getting her.

  Donovan tried drawing in a controlling breath and knew it was a waste of time. As calm as he might have looked, he was totally out of control. And he placed the blame solely at Natalie’s feet. He wasn’t sure if it was the way she was dressed, in a pair of snug-fitting jeans that were molded to her hips and to her backside with flawless precision and the white blouse that had a few buttons undone to show the rounded curve of her full breasts. Or it could have been the perfume she was wearing that made his body think of hot sex every time he sniffed it. But then it could have been the way she was wearing her hair, pulled back in a cute ponytail with ringlets of curls crowning her face. He felt a naughty urge to remove that rubber band from her hair to see it tumble around her shoulders and then run his fingers through the lustrous locks.