Realizing she’s cornered, she changes tactics. “Look, I just wanted to get Ryan settled and it looks like he is so I better get going. I’ve got a lot to do before I start work again tomorrow.” She looks up at me, donning a fake smile that doesn’t reach her eyes before making a step to the side to pass by me.
I shoot my arm out and gently grab her bicep. “Sammy,” I murmur in a low, controlled voice. We both look down at my hand touching her bare skin, the electricity sparking between us like an arcing current buzzing between two power sources—the strength of the connection thrilling yet shocking. I watch her chest rise and fall, her breaths coming short and fast.
“You can continue to deny this, but I’m not going away this time. I’m not going to let you walk away without at least having dinner with me.”
“What?”
“Dinner. Two people meeting in a public restaurant where they enjoy a meal and maybe a glass or two of wine. They converse, they laugh, they share what’s been going on in their lives for the past decade. It’s a common pastime I’m led to believe.” I don’t try to hide the veiled humor in my voice. Her reaction tells me that she’s very much attuned to me and my nature, and that she’s fully aware of what she is, yet still trying to deny that fact. But she’s failed to hide her still existing attraction to me. That much is obvious.
“I’m very aware of what dinner is,” she snaps.
I grin at the sudden rediscovery of her backbone. “Then you’ll meet me this week for a meal? For old times’ sake. A toast to old friends.”
“We were never just friends, Sean.”
“No, we weren’t.” My reply is direct and forceful, my voice strong and unwavering. “But I’m hoping to find out where we stand now because Sammy …” I release her arm and step in front of her, our bodies so close that I can feel the heat radiating off her, but she just stares at my chest, her brows furrowed as she visibly tries to process our close proximity. “I fully intend to find out what you’ve learned in the years we’ve been apart. Whether your eyes still turn dark when I use words to caress your soul. Whether you’re as breathtaking as you always were when I turn you on and finally …” I stop and lift my hand between us, using my index finger to lift her chin until she meets my gaze. The desire I'm feeling reflects back at me from her eyes, and I bite back a groan when her tongue darts out, licking her parted lips. Our eyes lock together, neither one of us willing or wanting to pull away. It hits me that the pull this woman has over me is as strong as it ever was.
When I continue, my voice is low and full of grit. “I want to know whether you’ll still scream my name until your voice is hoarse when my mouth is on you …” I lean in to place a gentle lingering kiss on her soft red lips before kissing her cheek with the same treatment, then whispering in her ear, “Whether you’ll still tremble when my cock’s buried deep inside you, our bodies so close you can’t tell where yours ends and mine begins.”
Her eyes turn dark and her body unconsciously lean toward mine, and I realize that if I don’t end this now, I’ll push her too far, too fast. I take a step back and try to reel in the unbridled desire pulsing through my body. She looks down and sees exactly how I’m feeling right now, and when her eyes snap back to mine I decide to press my case, using all the confidence and bravado I’m known for in the courtroom.
“But these are all things we can discuss at dinner. I’ll call you with the reservation details. Now I must check on my impromptu house guest before I get back to my case. Do you need me to show you the way out?”
She looks at me a heartbeat too long before breathlessly answering, “No.”
Fuck if I don’t feel that deep in my groin.
I give a short sharp nod of approval before spinning on my heel and walking toward the hallway. The string may be stretching between us as I leave but not once do I feel it snap and recoil.
My week is suddenly looking brighter.
Chapter 8: “Can’t Remember to Forget You”
Sam
“What the f**k was I thinking, Helen? Dinner with Sean? That’s it. I’m calling to cancel.”
“No, you’re f**king not. You’re going to finish getting dressed, you’re going to go to that restaurant, and you’re going to show Sean Miller that you are even more of a knockout than you used to be. You’re going to sit down and have a friendly meal with the man. You’ll be cordial, witty, charming, and funny. All of the things we both know you can be. You’re not going to shut down on him, you’re not going to brush him off and, repeat after me, you’re not going to go to bed with him.”
“But … what?”
“You heard me …”
“Helen, like hell that is going to happen. This is a dinner between old friends.”
“You two were never old friends. You were made for each other. Well, I thought so until the lingering doubts in your head were fed and cultivated and you f**ked it all up.”
“Why am I friends with you again?” I ask, half serious and half deflecting. She’s right, of course, but I’m pushing back the need to admit that she’s one hundred percent right.
“Because you love me and I’m the annoying voice of reason at the back of your head that you need to hear when you’re thinking about being a dumbass.” She giggles and I struggle to hold back a smile.
“See! That’s what you needed to hear. A good ol’ Helen pep talk before the big game.”
“Game?”
“You and Sean. I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the restaurant. I just know the sexual tension is going to be epic.” She claps her hands in glee. “I’m kind of glad there is finally a man with brass balls in your life again.”
“Helen!” I growl.
“What? You cannot tell me that Tanner is not a pu**ycat in the sack. I’ve seen that guy around and I’ve seen him around you. He’s a pu**y whipped sap who would let you spank his ass and literally bust his balls.”
“He is not a pu**ycat in the sack. He’s a pu**ycat out of bed,” I retort with a smirk.
I think back to last night when Tanner had turned up on my doorstep, disrupting me from my CSI New York episode. “Tanner,” I mumbled through a yawn as I answered the front door wearing a tank top, pajama shorts and purple fluffy slippers. Turning up unannounced was not an uncommon occurrence for him, but knowing that I had dinner with Sean the next night, I wasn’t in the mood for company. My mind changed when he presented me with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ‘Karamel Sutra’ ice cream. He had the cutest grin on his face, so I couldn't turn him away after that, could I?