“Then let’s not be. What’s your name?”
Who are you, and what have you done with Kiera?I remain calm, but I’m shocked at the coy responses coming out of my mouth.
He takes my hand, his palm sliding against mine, somehow making the action so seductive I nearly melt. “I’m Jonathan.”
“Kiera.” I manage to smile in return.
“That’s a beautiful name,” he says, sinking into the seat beside me, his eyes gleaming as he wraps an arm around the back of the sofa and leans closer. His bright smile could charm the pants off a mannequin.
“Thank you.” He’s doing such a good job pretending he’s interested in me that I blush.
“What’s your drink of choice tonight, Kiera?”
“Vodka cranberry.” I lightly shake my half-full drink.
“Is vodka your favorite poison?”
“Mainly. But I like the occasional margarita, too, especially with Mexican food.”
“So you like your liquor…hard?”
The sexual innuendo in his question makes me giggle. “You could say that…”
He grins in return. “Besides being gorgeous, what do you do? For a living, I mean?”
“You think I’m gorgeous?” I coquettishly tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I think you’re the hottest woman in this club.” He scans my body unabashedly.
When I suddenly realize how little space there is between us, I swallow hard. There are a scant few inches between his lips and mine. Heat rises within me, along with a need to pull him closer. But I refrain.
“I’m an assistant to the CEO of a social media tech company,” I murmur.
“What a coincidence. I happen to be the CEO of a social media tech company.”
“Small world.” I play along with the faux irony.
“Very.” His already deep voice lowers an octave, full of seduction. “I’m surprised your boyfriend isn’t beside you, keeping guys like me at bay.”
“I don’t have one.”
He brushes his knuckles along my cheek, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. “What a shame…”
My breath catches. For a long minute, we just stare at each other. His blue eyes have a hold on me. I can’t look away.
Then he lets out a choppy exhalation. I’m drawn to his perfect lips, wide and sculpted and so manly. So close…but so far away.
I squirm in my seat, more aroused than I should be after exchanging a handful of words and lingering glances.
“You want to go somewhere more private, Kiera?”
It’s ironic. For most of my adult life, I’ve been trying to avoid this very question from guys. I’ve scoffed. I’ve refused. I’ve run away. For the first time in my life, I’m really, really tempted to say yes. I know this isn’t real. This isn’t even a date, nor is it a promise to see each other tomorrow. There are no expectations beyond the moment.
Right now, given the way I want Jonathan, that’s enough.
“Yes.”
As quickly as it came, his seductive demeanor melts away. “That was a good start.”