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‘I couldn’t care less if you are. It isn’t any of my business.’ The heat rushed into her cheeks and Dino found himself struggling to concentrate. The scent of her hair numbed his reactions and the soft curve of her mouth pulled him in.
‘You think I’d be asking you to the ball if I was seeing someone?’
‘You’re a popular guy. It’s like a hornets’ nest around your office on some days. The women are three deep.’
‘I’m not involved with anyone.’
‘So who did you take to dinner last Sunday?’
‘Her name is Anna Townsend. She’s a lawyer who has done some work for me in the past. And it was just lunch.’
‘You said the date ended exactly the way you wanted it to.’
‘It wasn’t a “date” in the sense that you mean,’ he said calmly, ‘and it did end exactly the way I wanted it to. She went home and I went for a walk in the mountains.’ Outside the snow might be falling but here, inside her kitchen, the heat was building between them.
Her breathing wasn’t quite steady. ‘It doesn’t make any difference. I still can’t go with you. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to arrange babysitting at this short notice.’
‘Your mum is babysitting. I already asked her.’
Meg’s mouth dropped open. ‘You asked her? You’ve already asked my mum? Is this a conspiracy to get me into a dress or something?’
‘Actually my long-term plan was to get you out of your dress.’ Dino slid one hand into her hair, amused to see her so flustered. Her soft curls wrapped themselves around his fingers. ‘Judging from your expression I gather flirting isn’t on the list of things you usually do either. How about kissing, Meg?’ He lowered his head so that his mouth almost touched hers. ‘Is kissing on the list of things you do?’ The tension hovered there between them, sharpened by the knowledge of what was to come. For a moment neither of them moved. Sexual chemistry arced through the stillness and he saw her lips part and her breathing grow shallow.
Losing his grip on control, Dino claimed her mouth in what was supposed to be a teasing, exploratory kiss, but the moment their lips touched it was like lighting a fuse. Heat ripped through his body and pulsed across nerve endings. It was scorching and wild and he heard her gasp. Her fingers clutched his shoulders and then she was kissing him back, her body yielding against his as he pressed her back against the cupboard.
‘Mum!’ Through the haze of passion, Jamie’s voice came from upstairs. ‘I’m ready for you to tuck me in!’
She jerked in his arms and Dino released her instantly. ‘Sorry.’ His voice came out rough and raw. ‘Bad timing.’
‘Yes…’ She rubbed her fingers over her scarlet cheeks. ‘You— How did you learn to—? Never mind.’ Deliciously flustered, she moved away from him. ‘I have to go and read to Jamie.’
‘Go.’ Dino thought about asking whether he could use her bathroom for a cold shower. ‘I’ll pour the coffee.’
‘No. Perhaps we’d better call it a night.’ She ran her tongue over her lower lip, her expression dazed. ‘By the time I’ve read to him and tucked him in, you’ll be bored. There’s no point in you waiting around…’ She looked confused, as if she wasn’t quite aware of her surroundings, and he understood that feeling. He’d thought about kissing her for a long time, of course; since the first day he’d started working in the emergency department and had seen her talking some drunk out of hitting her. He’d had plenty of fantasies about tasting her smart mouth, but all those fantasies had just been blown apart and replaced by hot, pulsing reality. If Jamie hadn’t called out when he had…
‘All right, I’ll go. This time.’ His voice sounded husky. ‘But next time, Meg, I won’t be leaving before coffee.’ Having delivered that warning, Dino grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. ‘Thanks for the pizza. I’ll pick you up at eight o’clock on Saturday. And I’m not taking no for an answer.’
Meg banged into the doorframe and tripped over Jamie’s schoolbag.
‘Look where you’re going, Mummy.’ Jamie’s voice was sleepy. ‘You took a long time. Were you talking to Dino?’
Focus, Meg, focus. One foot in front of the other.
‘Yes, we were talking. Just—talking.’ Her mind still on Dino, Meg stooped to pick his schoolbag up off the floor, wondering how a single kiss could have a negative effect on balance. The world was hazy and there was a strange buzzing in her head. Maybe it was the champagne.
She ran her tongue over her lower lip again, still tasting the warmth of his kiss. Erotic images exploded in her brain.
‘Mummy, why is your face all red?’
Because she was thinking of Dino. ‘Because I’ve been rushing around making supper, pulling pizza out of the oven and generally slaving away all evening.’ Turning her back to Jamie, she laid his clothes over the back of the chair, taking her time so that her face calmed down, telling herself that the only reason she felt this way was because she hadn’t been kissed by a man for such a long time.
But was that really true?
Since when had she had a burning urge to rip a man’s clothes off? When had she ever been so aware of a man, physically?
Cross with herself, she reminded herself about all the women who were interested in Dino. There were so many, she’d lost count. She wouldn’t be human if she didn’t notice how good looking he was. And as for kissing—well, no doubt Dino Zinetti had a PhD in kissing. Dr Hot indeed.
