He guides me to a seat and softly presses down on my shoulders to get me to sit. He hands me a cloth napkin and a glass of sparkling cranberry juice that my tastebuds savor. Under metal dome keepers, he reveals an arrangement of three different types of fish tacos, grilled corn and mango salsa, pico de gallo, and fresh guacamole. My hunger takes over without much warning, and I dive into the dish.
“I had this brought over from the hotel. If you like it, I can have some delivered to you in the future. It’s one of the few dishes that can withstand not being eaten the instant it comes off the fire.”
I nod, my mouth full of sweet mango salsa and fish. He stares at me in amusement, a smirk adding a sexy emphasis to all of his masculine features. Why is he watching me instead of eating? I grow self-conscious and take a sip of the sparkling juice, putting down my half-bitten taco.
“I find you irresistibly sexy when you eat. Call it an oral fixation if you want, but I find your mouth delectable and the way you use it even more alluring.”
I wipe my lips with the napkin. My feet fidget back and forth.
“Please do not slow down on my part. I’m just enjoying the show.” His words are highlighted with his flashing blue eyes.
My blush flames over my skin like wildfire. He says the most shameful things in the most shameless manner. My new black lace thong absorbs the heated moisture—the unmistakable result of Graham’s slow burn seduction. If the panties he purchased for me weren’t as pretty as they are, I would have avoided wearing them out of principle. But damn, they feel good—even when I literally have a strip of fabric stuck between my cheeks. My inner thighs itch to be touched. I try to rub them together to create the friction that I so desire, but the denim is too thick to give me what I need.
“That’s another thing I find hot.” His eyes travel up from my crotch while his hand reaches up to touch the side of my cheek. Fingers press and caress my burning skin. “You’re so desirable. I don’t even think you understand the magnitude of just how much.” Releasing my face, he grabs my mahi mahi taco from the plate and holds it up to my lips. I bite off a small amount, chewing it slowly—savoring the mix of sweet and savory flavors—before swallowing. His eyes move seductively to my throat, then to my lips, and then back to my throat. I hear a moan escape his mouth, sending shivers of warmth up my body from my toes.
Snap out of it.
I return to feeding myself, and Graham manages to do the same. We eat in relative silence until the food is gone. Without the illusion of a barrier, I feel the pressure of the situation that is about to unfold.
“We have to talk,” I start, jumping in headfirst again. “You can’t—”
“I owe you an orgasm, sweetheart. I’m sorry that I had business to handle on Saturday at the charity event.”
I ignore his comment and start plowing to the root of the issue at hand. “You canceled my dates with Mark.”
Graham’s sudden movement from the table stops me midsentence. He pushes his chair back and rises to pace in front of the wall of windows. One of his hands rubs the muscles at the nape of his neck; the other rakes through his dark locks from the front to the back.
“I warned you. Did I not?”
“Warned me? You pressured me to quit my job multiple times! That’s not the same thing.” I am speaking to the back of his head. He won’t look at me.
“I warned you to stay away from Tanner. You refuse to listen to me. I did something about it.” He reaches up to place his right palm flat against the window, smearing the pristine glass with the oils from his hand. “For your safety.”
I move my chair back, nearly knocking it down in the process, walking over to stand in front of Graham’s towering body. The man has several good inches on me even with my heeled boots. I tilt my head up to meet his smoldering gaze.
“Please don’t interfere. I am asking you to contact Dominic to fix your error in judgment. I know you two are business associates. But he’s my boss. And you are making things very complicated for me.”
“I don’t see the problem. I reserved you. I’m a paying customer. Keep your job and go out on dates with me. We both win.”
“I never accepted the dates,” I correct, my chin ticking with defiance. “It’s not fair.” After several long minutes of neither of us backing down, I ask the question that baffles me. “Graham, what do you really want from me? Surely, it is more than just physical competition or a quest at an easy lay. What do you want?”
“I want you.”
“Okay…”
“All of you, Angie.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“I don’t share.”
Um, excuse me? “Did you skip that lesson in kindergarten?” My eyes dart to his and narrow into little slits.
“Probably,” he says with a shrug, “considering I was homeschooled until third grade.”
“Okay, so you have some extreme bouts of jealousy.”
“I like to be in control. Always.”