She lit up and scooted an inch closer. “It will be now.” She touched his arm. “I’m very glad we met.”
“Me, too.”
She tilted her head up. Her lips were very nice, full and defined, with just a touch of lipstick. Even her scent was subtle, a hint of lavender drifting from her skin. “Do you want some coffee?” he asked.
A smile touched her lips. “Not now, Nate. Kiss me.”
Oh. Duh. He’d missed that one completely. Kennedy would’ve zapped him good. He pushed his thoughts away and complied. His lips fit comfortably over hers. This time, she opened her mouth and invited more. All the books he had studied, erotic novels he’d dutifully read, and Cosmo magazine surveys and articles he’d pored over came down to this. Time to pull out the big guns.
He took the offer and slid his tongue in her mouth. Her hands rested on his shoulders and she kissed him back. She was an excellent kisser, the strokes of her tongue matching his, the pressure of her lips not too hard and not too soft, and her fingers somehow managed to massage his skin lightly without digging in. He kissed her for a while, then slowly eased back.
She smiled up at him. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”
What?
He stared at her. Wasn’t this too soon? Four dates wasn’t enough for sex, right? Wait a minute, who cared? An attractive, intelligent, single woman who liked him wanted to have sex. Damn, it had been way too long since he heard those words. This was awesome.
“Do you think it’s appropriate to sleep together on the fourth date?”
She blinked. Her smile disappeared. “What do you mean?”
“Well, when I signed the contract with Kinnections, they told me no sex until the relationship is completely solidified and we decided to be exclusive.”
Sue gave a half laugh and patted his shoulder. “I think that’s exactly what we’re moving toward. And I won’t tell Kinnections if you won’t.” She winked.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to commit completely on the fourth date. Won’t you be limiting your options?”
Irritation flashed in her brown eyes. “No. But it seems like you’re telling me you’d rather wait to see if someone better comes along.”
Oops. Definitely a double zap. “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I’d hate for us to breach our contracts.”
“I don’t care about the contract, Nate. What’s the real problem here? Are you not attracted to me?”
Sweat prickled on his forehead. He fought the urge to wipe it off. “I’m extremely attracted to you. You’re beautiful.”
She sighed. “Good. I don’t think we need to talk about this anymore, do you?”
“No.”
“Let’s go to the bedroom.”
Shit. What was wrong with him? Sure, he’d experienced a bit of a tingle at the kiss, but mostly his dick was flat as a pancake, and this type of pressure definitely wasn’t helping things down there. Maybe the fifth date would be more of the pop he needed. Maybe—
She screamed.
He jumped off the couch, ready to beg her forgiveness, and noticed her pointing to the front window. “There’s someone out there!”
Nate peered out the window. His brother’s face pressed against the glass, displaying a huge grin.
Thank God.
He opened the door and pulled him across the threshold. “Connor! Man, what a surprise! Welcome, welcome, come on in.”
His brother looked awestruck at the enthusiastic greeting. Sue stiffened on the couch and forced a polite smile as she stood. Connor smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, didn’t know you were on a date. Figured I’d pick you up for a beer since Jerry bailed on me. Hope your mojo isn’t messed up.” He turned toward Sue with a friendly leer that most women actually found appealing. “Nice to meet you. I’m Nate’s older brother, Connor.”
She offered her hand, which Connor took and pumped heartily. “Nice to meet you. What a pleasant surprise.”
Her face said it was anything but pleasant, but she was a lady to the core. Nate wondered why he was so frickin’ relieved that his brother had just interrupted his one opportunity to get laid. Maybe he did need to talk to Arilyn. “Hey, nice place. A little girly but doable. So, darlin’, how did you two meet? At that crazy matchmaking place?”
“Er, correct.”
“May have to sign myself up if it means I’ll meet a hottie like you.” Connor strolled through the rooms, grabbed a Sam Adams from the refrigerator, and popped it open. Nate noticed his date studied the construction boots, worn jeans, and T-shirt. His brother’s muscles were evident, and his shaggy blond hair gave him a bit of a rocker look that never had him lacking for dates, but Sue crinkled her nose just a bit like she smelled something bad.
And in that moment, Nate didn’t like her anymore.
“Did Nate tell you he works on rockets? That he came from NASA? This is one together dude.”
“Yes, he is. And what do you do, Connor?”
“I’m in construction. Know that new court building in Westchester County? I headed up the crew.”
“Very nice. It’s lovely to see two brothers so . . . close.”
Connor laughed and squeezed his shoulder. “Taught him everything he knows, darlin’. If you know what I mean.” He gave a good-natured wink.
Sue dropped her mouth in horror.
Nate smothered a groan and said good-bye to the possibility of any close encounter of the sexual kind. “Sue, why don’t I walk you out?”
The direct approach wasn’t a good idea. The room dropped a few degrees under her chilly stare. “Of course. I don’t want to interrupt your family time. I’ll speak with you tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’ll call you.”
“Fine. Nice to meet you, Connor.”
“You too, babe.”
Her shoulders stiffened as she walked out. He closed the door behind him and faced his brother. Connor took another slug at his beer, wiped his mouth, and grinned. “You get any?”
Nate couldn’t help it. He laughed. His brother was a walking, talking chauvinistic cliché and would never change. What the hell. Blood was blood, and anyone who judged that quickly was someone he didn’t want to sleep with. Connor’s heart was pure gold.
“Nah, I got none.”
Connor paused. “Sorry, man. Did I screw it up for you?”
Nate shook his head. “Nope. Let’s go to Mugs. I think you’ll like it.”