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It was clear she wanted to be indignant, but she was too mellow to work up much steam. She wore the same khaki skirt from yesterday, this time with a royal blue cashmere sweater in deference to the cool evening. Ian thought she looked good enough to eat with a spoon.
“Hold still,” he said gruffly. Leaning forward, he rescued a small dollop of whipped cream from her chin and popped it into his mouth. “Delicious.”
Bella gazed at him hazily, perhaps unaware that her pupils were dilated and her soft pink lips quivered. “I won’t sleep with you,” she said firmly. “You are you, and I’m me, and ne’er the twain shall meet.”
He leaned back in his chair and grinned, lifting a hand to summon the waiter for their check. “You’re a hard woman Arabella Margaret Craig. Did it ever occur to you that I don’t want my heart broken either?”
She blinked. “Who said anything about hearts?”
“Isn’t that why you’re keeping me at arms’ length? You’re afraid of love?” He tossed it out there as a dare to see what she would do.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she snapped. “Maybe I just don’t want to be bamboozled by a handsome, nerdy scientist.”
“Bamboozled? Really?” Her vocabulary was a hoot. On the other hand, she had called him handsome, so that was something.
“Men are allergic on principle to domestication. There’s a reason you’re a bachelor. I pity the woman who falls in love with you.”
“You have me all figured out, don’t you?” he said, resting his elbow on the table and leaning his chin on his hand. “We should go,” he said huskily. “There’s a queue outside. Someone will want our table.”
She finished her coffee. “Are you always so considerate, Mr. Larrimore?”
He caught her hand in his and entwined their fingers. “Apparently not. It seems I was dreadfully neglectful of a certain woman’s pleasure a few nights ago. I’d like to remedy that.”
Bella lifted her nose and stood up, wobbling only slightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
They made their way through the maze of closely packed tables and out into the crisp, cool night. Bella leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. “Plying me with rich French cuisine to seduce me is a low trick, Ian.”
He held up both hands. “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m going to wait for you to seduce me.” He curled a hand behind her neck and pulled her close. “My new strategy is playing hard to get.” With a rough laugh, mostly directed at himself, he found her mouth with his and dove in, letting the sharp, wicked pleasure roll through his veins like an electric shock.
She was pliant in his embrace, too pliant at first. “You’re insane,” she mumbled, kissing him back anyway. Her body was soft and warm against his. She curled her arms around his neck. “I would never give you the time of day. Women don’t beg. It’s unladylike.”
He nipped her bottom lip with his teeth, perhaps harder than he meant to. Bella’s groan went to his gut and hardened his sex so fast he shuddered. “Never is a long time.” It occurred to him suddenly that they were putting on a show, even though it was mostly dark by now. “Start walking, Margaret. Before we get arrested.”
Their hotel was two blocks up and three blocks over. He kept his arm around her waist as they strolled, trying his damnedest to decide what to do. He’d been kidding about the hard-to-get thing, but the more he thought about it the more he realized it was the only way to win her trust.
Hell. Being a genius was a pain in the ass sometimes.
On the corner across from the hotel, he leaned her against a lamppost and kissed her again. “Beg me to come to bed with you,” he demanded.
Bella moved her head from side to side, her lips full and pouty from his attentions. “I can’t. You’re dangerous.”
“I’m not,” he swore. He deepened the kiss. She tasted like sweet cream and dark desire. He slid a hand beneath her sweater and found the tightly furled bud beneath her lacy bra. “Say it, Bella. Tell me what you want.”
Her entire body trembled. “You, damn it. I want you, Ian. Are you happy now?”
The words electrified him. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and carry her across the threshold of the hotel… which for a man who hated to cause a scene was quite a role reversal.
“You make me weak, Bella. I don’t much like the feeling.” It was as honest as he’d ever been with her.
“Nobody’s holding a gun to your head.” She caught his earlobe between her teeth and gave it a sharp bite. “Walk away. I dare you.”
“Bloody hell.” Insanity. That’s what it was. He felt like a man possessed. Feverish. Incoherent. “Come with me.”
He took her wrist in a firm grip, prepared to drag her across the street. Suddenly, a barrage of lights flashed in their faces.
“Can we have a statement, Mr. Larrimore? Who’s the pretty lady? Are you still Bachelor number two, or are your days numbered?”
* * *
