Remembering the way her eyes darkened when she was aroused, as they were doing now, he swallowed hard. ‘Now that we’ve established the reason for my agitation, shall we go?’
‘I … of course … but …’
‘No more buts. You’ve thrown enough obstacles in my way. Let’s go and get this over with. Then we’ll deal with the buts.’
‘I’m sure there’s a saying somewhere about arrogance and bullheadedness.’
‘We can add it to the many subjects to discuss later.’ He held out his arm to her. After a second’s hesitation, she took it. Satisfaction oozed through him. When her fingers found his forearm, Damion’s pulse jumped.
Within seconds each and every muscle in his body tautened with need. He’d woken up this morning in the same state, his senses on high alert, as if held on a knife-edge of heady possibility.
A part of him still resented her for taking another man to her bed so soon after him. But he’d realised during the course of a long, restless night that he risked hypocrisy since he’d done the same with Isadora mere weeks after leaving Reiko.
The whole situation between them had been handled badly. He aimed to fix it.
As for that nonsense about being incapable of having sex … Reiko oozed sex. If she thought that would throw him off, she would find out just how mistaken she was.
Reiko Kagawa wanted him with the same intensity he wanted her. And he intended to make her face the reality of them tonight.
The nightclub was located in Gion District, famous for its geisha interests. One look out of the window at the row of shabby warehouses and Damion was ready to tell the driver to keep driving. The grunge-wearing clubbers were so far removed from the members of the private gentlemen’s club and the exclusive social circles he moved in it was beyond hilarious.
His gaze swung back inside the car when Reiko sat forward and rapped on the closed partition.
When his driver pulled over, Damion frowned at her. ‘What are you doing?’
She ignored him and went for the door handle. ‘We’ll walk from here.’
‘No, we won’t. This is a dangerous neighbourhood.’
She merely raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Scared?’
‘Selectively risk averse.’
‘Club Caramel is just around the corner. If you pull up in a money-bags car like this, we won’t be allowed in.’
‘That makes no sense whatsoever.’
‘I know, but trust me.’ She flung open the door and stepped out.
Damion’s gaze dropped to her feet and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she’d chosen more sensible-heeled shoes tonight. Although the red ties criss-crossing their way up her firm calves to end in saucy little bows made breathing an extremely trying exercise. Just as the thought of abandoning his car exercised any common sense.
He followed her out, but before he could question her she’d dismissed his driver and was pulling him along the kerb.
‘Now, remember what happens in Fight Club …’ She reached up and sank her fingers into his hair, and the rest of her words dissolved under the force of desire that punched through his gut.
‘Qu’est que tu fais? What are you doing?’ he translated hoarsely when he noted he’d lapsed into his mother tongue.
She continued to muss his hair, teasing her fingers through it in a way that turned him on so hard he barely bit back a growl.
He firmly took hold of her wrist. ‘I’m perfectly presentable.’
She looked him up and down. ‘That’s the problem. You look like a billion dollars.’
‘Only a billion?’
Her brown eyes rolled. Damion knew his libido was in danger of skidding way out of control when he remembered just how sexy he found that.
‘I know you’re worth several more. I just don’t want to advertise it.’