“I’m with you.”
Chapter 9
Vee
* * *
Together we entered the first floor of the Vine. My nerves kicked into overdrive as I scanned the lobby for reporters. Most people were headed toward the Vine Bar or waiting for a table at the restaurant. Without thinking, I let out a relieved breath. Fin squeezed my hand. Despite the lack of obvious reporters, there was still a man monitoring the elevator.
“Good evening, Ms. Hubbard, Mr. Graham.”
“Good evening,” I managed to say.
Fin and I were silent as we rode up the elevator to the seventh floor. Each floor we passed increased the growing temperature within me. It wasn’t from the evening air—no, that was chillier than it had been all day. The sparks catching fire were from Fin’s promise of seduction. The possibilities were swirling through my mind with each step from Tony’s to our location.
Earlier, once we were alone upstairs at Tony’s, our first date in nearly a decade and a half was perfect. From the mussels to the wine. My bucatini primavera pasta was delicious. While the food and drinks were exquisite, it was the man whose blue eyes stayed focused on me throughout the evening who had my core painfully twisted.
At the door to my condo, Fin’s keycard magically appeared and he placed it over the sensor. The green light showed and the locking mechanism whirled. He pushed open the door. “Wining and dining complete,” he said, his deep baritone timbre ricocheted through me. “Now we move on to the extracurricular portion of our date.”
I stepped inside the dark condo and entered the security code, ceasing the humming. Once the door was shut and locked, I reentered the code. Before I could step away, Fin spun me toward him, lifted my chin, and brought his strong lips to mine. The kinetic energy that propelled us to this place exploded, setting off detonations throughout my nervous system.
His bruising kiss stole my breath as Fin seized my wrists, pinning them to the wall above me. Memories of our first kiss on this second journey came back. Only this time, I wasn’t unsure about the man in control. I was most certain that I trusted him, with my body and probably my heart.
I gasped for breath as Fin’s kiss continued, his tongue unapologetically seeking entrance as he pressed his hard body against mine. With his other hand, he tugged the side zipper on my dress, creating an opening for his fingers to splay over my ribs, holding me against him. His erection probed my stomach.
Moisture bathed my core as I longed to touch him as he was touching me. The ironclad grip of my wrists was too strong to fight. I was effectively trapped by his ministrations.
My lips tingled as his kisses wandered, trailing down my neck to the sensitive skin behind my ear. Farther down, his lips kissed and sucked until they made their way down the V of my neckline. Lifting his head, his laser stare focused on me as he trailed his forefinger over the route his lips had just explored.
Goose bumps materialized and my core clenched at the emptiness.
“That dress needs to go.”
I nodded in agreement, my ability to speak was in question.
Fin released my wrists long enough for me to pull the sleeves over my shoulders. He took over, tugging the material downward, exposing my breasts, my stomach, and the trimmed small triangle of hair. My maxi dress pooled around my shoes.
At Fin’s audible gasp, my lips curled.
He stood tall, dwarfing me as his eyes shimmered with desire. “You accepted my challenge.”
“Not at first,” I explained as heat no doubt filled my cheeks with crimson. “I took my panties off when I went to the restroom before we left Tony’s. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Mission fucking accomplished.” He tilted his handsome face. “And the walk home?”
My cheeks were already warm. “Stimulating.”
Fin’s laugh filled the air. He offered me his hand. My fingers appeared dainty in his palm as his long fingers encased mine, and I stepped away from my dress, wearing nothing except my black high-heeled sandals.
“You’re fucking gorgeous, Vee.” He removed his jacket and placed it around my shoulders.
The soft lining was warm against my skin as my senses filled with the aroma of sandalwood.
“Almost like New Year’s Eve,” he said, his warm breath on my neck. “I want to do something we’ve never done.”
I pressed my lips together, unsure of his plan. “What have we never done?”
“Living room sex. I remembered a conversation with your roommate.”
