“No?” she repeated as her heart dropped.
What could he possibly be objecting to? She hadn’t asked for anything?
“Dinner.” He stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “You agreed to dinner.”
“Oh, that.” She had figured that was his way of getting out of an awkward situation after she’d dumped all of her hardships on him. He couldn’t really just get up and say see you later. Maybe him bringing it up now was just because he was a stand-up guy that felt like it was the right thing to do. “Yeah, I guess we could do that.”
“No. I want you to promise me.” The tension that was rolling off of him as he stared down at her was intense and…hot. “Tonight we can do whatever you came over to do, but when I get back you let me take you out. That’s my ground rule.”
She was so stunned she couldn’t find the right words.
“Deal?” he asked, his tone gentle.
Her mouth watered and she was barely able to get the one syllable word out. “Deal.”
The possessive look that flared in his ocean-blue eyes when she agreed to his condition captivated her, holding her in a dimension where time stood still. Where the only thing that existed was the two of them. Not tomorrow. Not yesterday. Not work. Not family. Just them, here and now.
“Hi,” she whispered a needy sigh as his gaze drew her even further in.
“Hi,” he rasped.
His hand cupped her face. Closing her eyes, she luxuriated in the roughened texture of the pad of his thumb as it traced the line of her jaw and then brushed across her bottom lip. Her heart pounded beneath her rib cage at his gentle yet authoritative touch. Tingles rolled through her body in waves and as excited as she was to see what would happen next, she also wanted to stay right here, in this moment, for as long as possible.
Anticipation mixed with nerves and the combination had her feeling a little lightheaded. Never before in her life had she claimed to be psychic but somehow her body and her mind knew that Ace could give her immeasurable pleasure. It wasn’t a guess, it wasn’t hope, it was a fact.
Her lips parted and she let out a slow breath as the world spun around her. The only thing anchoring her to this moment was the pleasure of arousal spreading through her from Ace’s large fingers cradling her. If not for his touch, she would be lost in the sea of sensations crashing over her.
As tempted as she was to keep her eyes closed, to let herself float away into the bliss that felt just beyond her reach, she forced herself to open her heavy lids. When she did she was met with a sight that caused her knees to buckle slightly. The smile in his striking blue eyes was backlit with a sensuous flame burning brightly. His stare was equal parts predatory and playful, and her entire being responded to both as she sucked in a shaky breath. The look was so potent it sent a shock of sensation bursting low in her belly that had a ripple effect spreading all the way to the top of her head and down to the tip of her toes.
She was determined to memorize every look, every touch. Tonight was her happily-ever-after night and she wasn’t going to miss a single second.