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He’d stared at his date’s in-your-face scarlet lips and thought of another set of lips. Plump, freshly licked lips, captured in perfect celluloid. Lips that had responded to his kiss in a way that had sent the most potent pulse of excitement through him.
Forbidden lips.
In the end he’d thrown down his napkin and extracted several large notes. ‘You’ll have to forgive me. I’m terrible company tonight. I shouldn’t have disturbed your evening.’
The practised pout had reappeared. ‘You know I’ll forgive you anything, Marco.’
Candy? Candice? had leaned forward in another carefully calculated pose, designed to showcase her body to its best advantage.
‘Listen, I have an idea. I know how much you like your coffee. When I was filming in Brazil last month I absolutely fell in love with the coffee and brought some back with me. Why don’t we skip dessert and go back to my place and I’ll give you a taste?’
Barely containing rising distaste, he’d shaken his head. ‘Sorry, I’ll take a rain
check.’
He’d led her out amid soft protests and further throaty promises of the delights of her cafetière. But coffee, or sex with Candy/Candice had been the last thing on his mind.
His sudden hunger for chocolate caramel had become overpowering.
‘Take my car. I’ll walk,’ he’d said.
And now here he stood, skulking outside his own apartment like a hormonal teenager on his first date.
He entered and approached the living room.
She was curled up on the sofa, a bowl of popcorn in her lap. Her head snapped towards him. As if she’d been listening out for him too. The thought pleased him more than it should have.
The striking blue of her eyes paralysed him.
‘You’re still awake.’ Excelente, Marco. First prize for stating the obvious.
She blinked. ‘It’s only nine-fifteen.’ Her eyes followed him as he shrugged off his jacket and dropped it on the sofa. When her gaze lingered on his chest he felt the blood surge stronger than before.
He watched her fingers dance through the bowl of popcorn, the movement curiously erotic. His heart hammered harder. ‘You didn’t have the chocolate caramel after all?’
‘Charlie’s disapproving face haunted me. Popcorn is healthier.’ She looked away. ‘So, how was your date?’ she asked, her voice husky.
He wrenched his gaze from her fingers. ‘You really want to know?’
Her sensual lips firmed and she shook her head.
The need to gauge her true feelings drew him closer. ‘Jealous?’
She inhaled sharply. ‘I thought we weren’t doing this?’
His eyes fell to her lips. ‘Maybe I’ve changed my mind.’
‘Well, change it back. Nothing has changed since this morning. I can’t handle your … baggage. And I don’t want a relationship. Of any sort.’
Marco opened his mouth to tell her he didn’t want anything from her either. But he knew he was lying. His very presence in this room belied that.
Forbidden or not, he wanted her with a compulsive need that unnerved and baffled him. But the fact that he wanted her didn’t mean he would have her. He was known for his legendary control. He sat down next to her, caught her scent, and simply willed himself not to react.
Forcing his body to relax, he nodded towards the television. ‘You have a thing for vampires?’
‘Doesn’t everyone?’ she replied breathlessly.
He wanted to look at her. But he denied himself the urge and kept his gaze fixed ahead. ‘What’s the story about?’
