At his words, her stomach rumbled loudly, as if viscerally responding to his comment. She pressed a hand to her stomach and grinned. “Try breakfast.”
He shook his head. “Well, this team can’t have another one of their leaders down for the count. Come on. Let’s get some dinner.”
She arched her eyebrow. “Together?”
He shrugged. “We need to eat. And I hate eating alone.”
“I would’ve thought you’d be used to that by now, with your consulting business with different teams.”
“Doesn’t mean I like it. What do you say? Afraid to be seen with me? Afraid your hormones will overcome you and you’ll make a pass for me? Have dinner with me and I’ll forget all about you making a trade without my approval.”
She laughed. “You wish, Wainright. Give me a minute.”
She shut down her laptop and locked it in the desk. For one night, she would go out and enjoy herself, not checking in on work, except maybe on her phone for any trade updates. The deal wasn’t quite final and she might have to authorize other details before Cole could make the trade. But first, she’d enjoy her night and not think about how long it had been since her last date.
Not that this was a date.
*
Lucas steered Mirandato the elevator and into the employee parking garage, his hand on the small of her back, branding her with heat. She started towards her parking space but he guided her left and his car.
“My mother always told me that a gentleman always drives the lady, no matter what.”
“Even for a business dinner?”
“Always, but this isn’t business. It’s two friends catching up on old times.” He paused with a sideways glance at her. “Maybe more.”
She suppressed a shiver at his words, excitement and nerves all bundled inside her at once. Her inner woman was thrilled at the sensual promise in his words and tone. Her long-denied desires waking up and reminding her she was a young woman and he was a sexy man whom she wanted very much. What could it hurt, one night? She could fulfill her teenaged fantasies that had never quite gone away, and her very adult woman who wanted to know if one taste would suffice or if he was as addicting as she suspected. She decided to play it cool, see where the night took them.
He escorted her to a black BMW M4 and clicked the remote, unlocking the doors as they approached.
“I see major league baseball pays you very well indeed for you to rent a BMW for months. Sporty yet practical.” She mused, eyes running over the sleek lines of the car.
He grinned and opened the passenger door. “I like my cars just like I like my women—sexy and smart. And this lady’s mine.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Smart too? Most guys run screaming from a smart woman. Probably afraid we’re smarter than they are.”
“Some men might find that intimidating, but I think it’s a turn-on, better than sexy clothes.” His eyes ran down her fitted business suit, stopping at the bottom of her skirt that was a few inches above her knee. “Not that I don’t appreciate sexy clothes.”
She tossed her purse on the seat and turned to face him, leaning back against the frame. “Brains before beauty. How unusual.”
He pulled the door out further and stepped around it, making room for himself, crowding her slightly against the car, a playful expression on his face. “Not really. The brain is the most sensual organ in the human body. Although my preference is for the skin and the lips.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, gently at first, then his hand slipped around her waist and pulled her against him, crushing her lower body into his. She moaned low in her throat and wrapped her arms around him, seeking a closeness her body craved. He deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing the seams of her lips, then slipping inside to tangle with hers. His other hand tugged her hip closer and he crowded her into the car frame. Heat exploded deep within her body, fanning long dormant flames, and she tilted her head back to allow his lips to trail over her throat to suck gently on the pulse beating wildly.
Suddenly, he lifted his head, breathing heavily, still holding her hips to steady her or himself, she didn’t know. She struggled to calm her racing pulse and slow her breathing while staring wide-eyed at him. Finally, after a few moments, they were both breathing regularly, though the memory of that kiss would take far longer to erase from her memory. Not that she wanted to forget it.
He stepped back and she realized her hands were clenched around his forearms, nails digging into him, the shirt sleeves the only thing preventing her from drawing blood. He looked down at her fingers, a half smile on his face, and she slowly unclenched them, feeling the ache as she released the tension in them, wiggling them to get blood flowing. He gestured into the car.
“Shall we go to dinner?”
“Dinner first.” She nodded, licking her lips. “Then dessert.”
He laughed and walked around to the driver’s side.