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On the central console stood an open bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice, chocolate-covered strawberries arranged artfully on a platter, and various hors d’oeuvres on tiny plates. Upon closer inspection, she found the treats were vegetarian friendly, and unable to resist sampling each variety, she also discovered they were all very tasty. The champagne turned out to be non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice, so she poured herself a glass, feeling slightly ridiculous to be sitting in the back of a limo alone sampling rich-people food and drinking juice on her way to meet a rock star in the middle of the night. She felt like an imposter in her own life. She hoped Steve didn’t make a habit of this frivolous kind of adventure. While it was wildly romantic, and she couldn’t help but feel special, this little rendezvous was wasteful and over the top and unnecessary. Well, seeing him did seem as necessary as breathing, but the limo and the refreshments and the gifts she was afraid to touch and the drive around downtown New York made her uncomfortable. Indebted. But yes, very special. She couldn’t stop smiling. Maybe it was the delicious sparkling grape juice. She’d certainly enjoyed enough of it by the time she found the courage to open one of the gifts. The box was flat and square. She carefully peeled off the tape as if she planned to rewrap it, so no one would know she’d opened it. She set the paper aside and lifted the lid. Inside a layer of red tissue paper, she found the skimpiest, most transparent pair of black panties ever made.
She flushed, checking over her shoulder for observers before lifting them out of the box and holding them at eye level. “He doesn’t expect me to actually wear these, does he?” There was nothing to them but a few strings and a patch of gauze.
A white card lay at the bottom of the box. On it was typed Imagining you in these gets me through my next breath without you. Steve.
Emotion threatened to choke her. She checked the interior of the limo for onlookers, squinting at the dark glass to search for prying eyes, and after deciding no one would see her, she slipped her hands under her skirt and peeled her sensible panties down her thighs, replacing them with the ones Steve have given her. She quickly wadded up her discarded drawers and stuffed them into her purse.
Hooked already, she reached for the second box. This one was rectangular and made a clunking sound when she turned it over looking for tape. She wasn’t quite as careful with the wrapping on this one, and cringed when it tore, but she soon had the paper tossed aside and lifted the lid, her belly tight with anticipation. Inside were two small bottles of fragrance. She lifted them out and unscrewed the tops, giving each a sniff. The first was sweet smelling—a mix of honeysuckle and some citrus fruit. The second smelled spicier, musky. At the bottom of the box she found another neatly typed message.
Sweet or sexy? You’re both to me. Chose what you want to be for me tonight. Steve.
She inhaled a whiff of each fragrance again, deciding she loved them both. How could she choose? She decided she didn’t have to. She dabbed a bit of the sweet fragrance behind one ear, and the sexier scent behind the other.
The final gift was the smallest and a long, thin shape. She hoped good things did come in small packages. Wanting to savor this one, she took her time removing the wrapping. Her heart thudded when a black velvet box was revealed. She was going to have to tell Steve not to buy her things. She knew he could afford it, but what could she ever give him in return? She was broke.
Fingers shaking, she opened the hinged lid to find a diamond tennis bracelet with a large ruby heart in the center. She touched the red stone and sucked her lips into her mouth. It was gorgeous, but she could never accept such a lavish gift. She’d just put it on for a second to see how it looked, and then put it back in the box and ask him to return it. Her heart was thudding as if she’d stolen the thing as she released it from the fasteners securing it to a satin-covered interior and then wrapped it around her wrist. The bracelet she always wore—the silver one with the bullet dangling from it—even looked good next to the extravagant string of diamonds, as if the two were meant to be paired. She fastened the clasp and held it up to the light. It glittered prettily on her wrist. Oh God, she loved it!
“You’re not making things easy on me, Aimes,” she muttered under her breath, running a finger over the faceted diamonds and tracing the ruby heart. And he had exquisite taste. Or was some Exodus End lackey responsible for choosing her gifts? She discovered another neatly typed card caught in the lid of the bracelet’s velvet box.
Not sure if you’re ready to give me your heart yet, but when you are, wear this, and I’ll know you’ve given me the greatest gift I could ever receive. More than like you, Steve.
She blinked against the sudden rush of tears, dabbing at her eyes with the back of her hand to save her makeup from utter ruin. She fingered the clasp, knowing she should take off the bracelet, especially since he’d attached such significance to the gorgeous piece of jewelry, but . . .
She was ready to give him her heart. It had likely been his from the moment he comforted her on the balcony when she’d told him about what had happened to her family. She was ready to love him, but was she ready for him to know? She knew how much he liked the chase.
She was still wearing the bracelet when they arrived at the airstrip a few minutes before two. The limo pulled to a halt, and after a moment, Arnold opened the door. She wondered if she was supposed to tip him. She had only a few dollars on her and figured that lowly amount would insult him. All her worries about proper tipping etiquette vanished as she stepped out of the limo onto more red rose petals. Feeling as if she were walking into a dream, she absently handed her champagne flute to Arnold, diamond bracelet glittering in the hazy light from street lamps, sexy new underwear riding uncomfortably up her ass crack, a mix of fragrances swirling about her face . . . and followed the trail of rose petals into the building that served as a hub for private flights. The place was deserted. Even the customer service counter had been abandoned. She could see a few small planes out along the airstrip, but it was too dark to tell if one of them belonged to Exodus End.
The rose petals continued down a corridor and around to the right into a shadowed hallway illuminated by a trail of burning candles along the floor. Her heart rate increased with each step, with the anticipation of discovering what lay at the end of the path—Steve—as she remembered him saying she’d know how to find him once she got to the airstrip. Was he here waiting for her? Or was she early? The trail of rose petals and candles ended at a closed door. She read the placard beside the door and snorted. The men’s room? All this fanciful flare to lead her to a men’s room? Only Steve would come up with something so—
The door eased open, and there he stood, so gorgeous in a white button-down shirt with his hair swept up into a bun and his dark eyes burning with desire, he stole her breath.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said with a disarming grin.
She swore the earth stopped turning and that all of existence vanished except for the man before her. She couldn’t find enough air to speak, so she stared at him, lips parted with longing, and then she reached out to fist her fingers in the front of his shirt. A desperate moan escaped her as he shifted her into the bathroom and pressed her back up against the cool tile of the wall beside the door.
His kiss seared her inside and out. Sparks of want and need crackled between them as his lips caressed hers fervently. Her fingers were at the buttons of his shirt, releasing them as fast as her fumbling hands could manage. When her palms smoothed over the warmth of his hard chest, he pressed his thigh between her legs, lifting her up on her toes. She cried out, squirming against his leg in search of relief. Too many clothes, she thought, glad he could read minds as he pulled her top off over her head and flung it to the floor.
“Only you do this to me, Red,” he murmured in a low growl that made her nipples tighten and strain toward him. His teeth scraped the edge of her jaw, and he bit down just hard enough to send a jolt of excitement down her spine.
“I didn’t do much,” she said,
refusing to take the blame for this encounter, but eager to claim the benefits.
“You just have to exist.”
He hiked her skirt up to her waist and ran a finger along her hip under the string that was posing as underwear. “I’ve been imagining you wearing these for hours, and now I’m too turned on to even look.” His breathless laugh twisted her into knots. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.” She stroked his stubbled cheek. She was completely aroused, but her deepest longing wasn’t for the pleasure she knew his body could give her, it was for the bliss of being with him.
“Is that . . .” His breath hitched. He turned his face into her palm and kissed the ruby heart of her new bracelet. “Please tell me you read the note before you put this on,” he said, his voice wavering with emotion.
“I didn’t,” she admitted. She refused to lie to him about anything.
He sagged against her, pressing her into the wall. “Oh. That’s okay. It’s yours to wear regardless.”
“I read the note after I put on the bracelet and figured I should have you return it. I’d have to be crazy to feel that strongly about anyone after such a short time knowing someone.”
“I knew it was a long shot.”
She threaded her fingers through the loose strands of hair framing his face and stared into his eyes. The hurt behind his gaze tore at her heart. She really shouldn’t torture him by going into long-winded details.
“But I’m glad you wore the sexy perfume,” he said, pushing his fingers beneath the scrap of material that barely concealed her pussy. When he touched her throbbing clit, she jolted several inches up the wall.
“Are you sure?” She turned her head so he could smell the sweet perfume beneath her ear.
