“No. You know it wasn’t.”
He shrugged. “Look, I’m a believer in the get-something-out-of-your-system method of dealing with cravings. People fail on diets because they deny themselves what they really want. But if they had a few bites of the chocolate cake they want instead of sucking on sugar-free candies as a replacement, they wouldn’t fall off the wagon so easily.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
He leaned forward, cupping her jaw, and ran his thumb over her lips, a feather-light touch that sent swirls of smoky need curling through her. “Don’t you see? The phone calls are our sugar-free candy.” His thumb paused at the plump part of her bottom lip and his gaze moved there. “I always knew it wasn’t enough for me. But after that kiss, I know it’s not enough for you either. You want me.”
She felt the urge to pull the warm tip of his thumb into her mouth, to taste the salt of his skin. But she turned her face away from his touch, trying to find her voice. “I told you why we can’t.”
“But you can’t stop thinking about it, right?” His voice was a hypnotic song in the quiet of the condo—beckoning, tempting, a juicy apple dangling at the edge of her fingertips. “What it would be like? How it woul
d feel? I know I can’t get it off my mind.” He captured a lock of her hair and wrapped it around his finger then let the hair unfurl slowly from it. “My fist has gotten quite a workout over you, Ms. Easton.”
Her eyes were locked on his hand, that strong, talented hand that had just released her hair. And she couldn’t block the images from coming. Pike in the shower, head tilted back, fist wrapped around his cock, soap sliding over his inked skin as he stroked himself.
“I—” Her lips parted as words failed her, arousal washing over her like a rising tide.
He tucked the lock of hair he’d played with behind her ear, his gaze holding hers. “I can’t be the kind of guy you’re looking for. I’m not going to bullshit you and say that I am. But I also know that we’re driving each other to distraction and there’s one easy way to fix it.”
She closed her eyes, her head automatically moving in a no motion.
He brushed his lips along her jaw, his breath hot on her neck. “Let me have one night, Oakley. One night and I can give you what I can’t over the phone.” He pressed a kiss to the spot behind her ear—a barely-there touch that lit her aflame. “Let’s eat the cake, baby.”
A very pointed ache settled between her thighs, and she inhaled a ragged breath. How was she supposed to think with him so close? With the scent of him filling her head.
He nuzzled her neck. “We’ll do it right. I’ll take you out, get us a private table at Barcelona, maybe go dancing at that new club downtown, then I’ll show you what I’ve been wanting to do to you since that first time we talked.”
She swallowed hard, trying to quell the instant reaction his nearness and words were giving her. But she couldn’t block out the images his invitation incited. One night. Pike naked and braced above her, glistening with sweat as he pumped inside her. Pike laid out on twisted sheets as she explored all the places her eyes hadn’t been privy to. Hers for the night. An indulgence to fill the near obsessive craving she’d developed for him. A purging.
Was it really such a terrible idea?
Her biggest fear about sex with him was that she’d develop feelings for him, but if she kept up this game of talk-but-don’t-touch much longer, she’d be in trouble anyway. The effect he had on her was potent and dangerously all-consuming. The dating profile she’d set up in defense had gone untouched. Every time someone tried to chat with her, she couldn’t help but compare them to Pike. Since when had he become her measuring stick?
So maybe the best thing would be to take away the temptation. Have the forbidden thing and move on. Grab that chocolate cake by the handfuls and lick it from her fingers. She was a big girl. She could handle it. Pike couldn’t hurt her, not if she didn’t give him the power to. This was sex. Primal. Basic. Physical.
A need they could meet for each other. Simple as that.
She raised her head, meeting his eyes. “Okay.”
His gaze darkened, black eating up the green-gold. “Yeah?”
Just the look had her ready to drag him into the bedroom right now. If not for Reagan on the other side of the room, she might have done just that. “Next Saturday night Rae’s going camping overnight with my brother’s family. I’ll have the night to myself.”
“Perfect.”
She sat back a little, trying to catch her breath and regain some use of her senses. “But nix the wine-and-dine date.”
His pierced brow arched.
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want or need the rock-star treatment. I’m already a sure thing.”
He frowned. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to give you a nice night.”
“I know. It’s just—” She sighed, trying to put her feelings into words. “I’m not one of those women you need to impress with VIP tables and five-star dinners. I don’t want the image, Pike. I just want you and a bed and maybe a little adventure.”
Something flickered over his expression, something unpleasant, but he covered it quickly. “Adventure?”
She gave him a half-smile and met his eyes. “I talk a big game on the phone, but I’m pretty damn vanilla in real life. I like that you’ve pushed my boundaries.”