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'Not at all. Someone once said that no woman can be too rich or too thin, or something like that, and I'm inclined to agree.' She wasn't sure she meant what she had said, but it seemed to please Dex.
'Good girl! I knew the moment I saw you you were my type of woman,' he drawled, watching her with a gleam of satisfaction in his grey eyes.
Beth felt the colour rise in her cheeks. She was delighted he thought she was his type, but not absolutely sure if she had been complimented or insulted.
By the time the main course arrived Beth had just about got her chaotic emotions under control, and was actually beginning to feel as if she had known the man for years.
'Honestly, Dex, I don't think I'll be able to eat all this.' She eyed her duck and cranberry sauce. It looked delicious, but they had started with roasted asparagus salad, followed by a fish course—A trio of smoked fish with beetroot—and now, with the main course before her, she wondered if she would ever get through it all.
'Eat what you like and leave the rest. For myself, I am a big man with a big appetite. I intend to enjoy. . .' His silver eyes gleamed with blatant desire as they caught and held hers, then deliberately dropped to the soft valley of her breasts, delicately exposed by the neckline of her dress. 'Everything. . .' he husked, his gaze lifting to her face. 'It is the only way to live.'
Beth was not stupid, she knew what he meant, and she could feel the colour rising in her cheeks yet again, as her stomach clenched. She knew it had nothing to do with the food but everything to do with the potent appeal of the man opposite.
'Eat. I did not mean to embarrass you,' Dex offered quietly. 'But you have the most amazing effect on me. I look at you and I want you in my bed.'
Beth gasped out loud, and his eyes narrowed with piercing intensity on her flushed face.
'You know
this is true, and you feel the same; don't try to deny it,' he commanded arrogantly, but then in a softer tone he added, 'But perhaps now is not the time to talk of such matters.'
She wanted to deny it. His supreme confidence was somehow insulting. But she knew what he said was true, so instead she contented herself with fiddling with her fork and asking, 'Are you always so blunt on a first date?'
'No,' he said, and, reaching across the table, he covered the hand holding her fork, 'Only with you, Beth.' Suddenly grinning, he added, 'So, tell me more about yourself. Your friends, parents, whatever. Talk to me, so I can take my mind off your luscious body and get back to my meal, hmm?'
He was impossible, but Beth found herself grinning back and doing exactly as he had said. 'Family—I don't have much. I don't remember my father; he died when I was a baby. I've spent most of my life in Devon with my mother. She had aspirations to be a famous singer, but unfortunately also a tendency to get married a lot. She is on her fifth husband now and lives in Australia. I haven't seen her for three years, though we do write occasionally.' Beth broke off, raised her glass to her mouth and took a gulp of champagne. She didn't really like talking about Leanora, and sometimes it still upset her, though she never liked to admit it.
'That explains a lot,' Dex murmured.
'Sorry, what did you say?' Lost in her own thoughts for a moment, she had missed his comment.
'That must have hurt a lot,' Dex repeated softly.
'No, not really,' she quickly assured him, comforted by the sympathy in his tone. 'I got used to it, and on the plus side I acquired a stepbrother—Mike. If it hadn't been for Mike I wouldn't have met you.' She stopped. The champagne was going to her head and she was revealing more than she meant to.
Dex, a smile curving his firm mouth, lifted his glass. 'A toast to a much-married mum and Mike, without whom you and I would never have met.'
Embarrassed, but oddly pleased, Beth lifted her glass and returned the toast. Replacing her glass on the table, she said, 'No more champagne; I think I've had quite enough.' And, pushing her almost empty plate slightly forward, she continued, 'No more food, either. It was delicious, but I really can't eat any more.'
'I don't have that problem,' Dex drawled, clearing his plate and placing the cutlery on it. 'In fact, I think I'll have a dessert; I love sweet things.' And, catching her green eyes with his, he continued throatily, 'You are the sweetest thing I have met in a long time. Can I have you, Beth?' Then, tossing his head back, he laughed out loud at her look of confusion.
She wanted to be offended but his laughter was infectious, so she smiled, then laughed as well. 'You know, I've discovered something about you, Dexter Giordanni,' she finally managed to say pertly. 'You are an incorrigible flirt.'
'Only with you, Beth, only ever with you.'
If only she could believe him, she thought, gazing at him as he paid the bill, adding a very generous tip. She had been out with plenty of men—well, not plenty, more like half a dozen. Her last date had been with a young man from the office. She had spent an enjoyable evening in a local wine bar with Dave, but they had both decided without a word being spoken they were destined to be workmates and nothing more. Now, watching Dex, she knew this was different. She could very easily fall in love with him, and it frightened her even as it excited her.
He turned his head and caught her staring, and one dark brow arched enquiringly. 'Have I got a smudge on my nose?' he asked, perfectly aware she had been studying him.
'No, you have a very nice nose,' she shot back. 'I was simply thinking what a lovely evening it has been.' That was not exactly a he, she told herself, rather proud of her ability to appear cool and collected in his sophisticated presence, when inside her heart was beating like a drum.
'Has been? But it is not over yet; the night has hardly begun.' Getting to his feet, he took the shawl the waiter handed to him. 'Come on, you look the sort of girl who likes to take chances. I will show you my new casino.'
Beth stood up and smoothed her skirt down over her slender hips, intensely aware of Dex's blatantly sensual gaze following the movement of her hands as his own large hands carefully slipped her wrap around her shoulders,
'You look beautiful,' he murmured, his hands lingering for a moment on her shoulders. His dark head bent and his lips brushed the top of her head. 'Let's get out of here before I make a fool of myself.' Slipping his hand down to the small of her back, he guided her out of the restaurant and into the waiting limousine.
Inside, seemingly casually, Dex curved his long arm around her shoulders and pulled her swiftly close to him. All Beth's hard-won poise deserted her in an instant, and, looking up at him through the thick brush of her lashes, she quivered at the glimpse of fire that blazed in his eyes.
