Blind Attraction (4 page)

But then there was a knock on the front door and her breath stilled when she saw James standing there, looking even more attractive than he had that morning. He was wearing a long-sleeved knit shirt and a pair of jeans and he was even more devastatingly gorgeous dressed down. Stumbling over to the door, she unlocked it and stepped out, nervously locking it back up behind her. “Hey.” Glancing behind him for his assistant, she asked, “You’re alone?”

James smiled down at her, making her heart trip over itself. “Cate dropped me off.”

“Then we’re going somewhere close by?” Victoria asked, fascinated by the green of his unseeing eyes. It seemed as if his eyes were searching hers and it was hard to believe he was blind. Still, she continued to stare at him, emboldened by the very fact that he couldn’t see. And being this close, she could smell a subtle aftershave and something that seemed to be inherently him. She could have stood there all evening just drinking him in.

“There’s a little café down the street,” he told her, holding out his arm for her.

“I thought we were going for drinks.” She was slightly confused, her entire body trembling with something between excitement and fear. She had the strangest feeling of free falling and it was exhilarating.

“I think this will be better,” he explained. “And since it was close to your shop, I figured it would be easier.”

With a slightly creased brow and the knowledge that she was going to have to lead them, Victoria murmured, “But, I don’t know where we’re going.”

“Just keep walking straight and we’ll get there,” he assured her. Pulling her arm against his rib cage, he smiled down at her, “Trust me.”

“A literal interpretation of the blind leading the blind,” she stated, before clamping a hand over her mouth at her faux pas.

He chuckled, “Something like that.”

“I am so sorry,” she apologized, feeling the heat in her cheeks.

“Don’t worry,
Victoria,” he told her. “It bothers me more when people pretend my blindness doesn’t exist and tip toe around the topic.”

“Well, if it makes any difference, I think that my internal monolog button is faulty or something,” she admitted. “My mom says I tend to ramble on when I’m nervous – not that I’m nervous – well, not much anyway. If it gets to be too much, let me know and I’m sure I can stop.”

“All right,” he said solemnly, the corners of his luscious mouth turning upwards, obviously trying not to chuckle.

“Are you laughing at me?” she asked lightly, smiling up at him. After he shook his head no, they continued to chit chat about trivialities and her heels were hardly noticeable at all. After a few minutes of idle chitchat, she stopped
. The smell of coffee and pastries wrapped around her, the scent of decadent desserts brought a smile to her face; she loved desserts “I think we’re there.”

“
Indulgence
?” he asked, his voice velvety rough.

She tilted her head back and read the elaborate sign, particularly liking the little swirl of chocolate drinking a mug of coffee. “It is. You know,
I’ve lived around here a couple of months and I never knew this place existed.”

His smile melted her panties, “I hope it pleases you.”

Victoria said, “It’s perfect.”

“It serves the best desserts,” he told her as she opened the door and they walked through with her in the lead, holding his hand.

“Ooh,” she moaned. “A man after my own heart; desserts are the whole reason to eat salads and low fat food.”

He maneuvered it so that his arm was around her waist and he pulled her into him.
Bending his head until his lips were against her ear, he asked in a low voice, “And what is your favorite dessert?”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not talking about crème
brûlée or chocolate cake?” she whispered, tilting her head back until her forehead brushed against the smooth line of his jaw. He must have shaved just before he picked her up for his skin was so soft. This close, his breath fanned across her face and his heady essence filled her senses.

“Because I’m not,” he grinned, tracing the indent
of her waist with his fingers. Her skin was on fire, burning all the way to her soul and she wanted to feel his fingers on her bare skin.

“Mr. Templeton?” the hostess asked, interrupting the moment.

“Yes,” James answered, his voice a bit husky. He held onto her as they followed the hostess to a quiet table near the back. Victoria automatically helped James get situated, making sure he knew where everything was. Then she took the seat right next to him so that her thigh was brushing up against his.

“Wow,”
Victoria said, looking around at her surroundings. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn she was in some out of the way European café. The colors were earthy and the art on the wall varied, from modern art to pastoral scenes. Soft, classical music played in the background, just enough to add to the ambiance without being overbearing. “This is really nice.”

“I like it,” he
rasped, his velvet voice a little rough.

“Do you need a menu?” a waitress asked,
discretely checking James out. She looked at Victoria and gave her a look of approval making Victoria grin like a fool.

“Just one,” James murmured.

Victoria thanked the waitress for the menu and silently read through the selections. Her mouth was watering before she finished reading through the first five options. She was fairly certain she was drooling and discreetly wiped the non-existent moisture away as she glanced up at the waitress with a sheepish smile.

“Have you decided what you want?” James asked.

“What do you recommend?” Victoria asked him, watching his face. She allowed herself the luxury of just taking in his masculine beauty, especially his delectable lips and gorgeous green eyes. She wanted to draw her fingers through his thick, black hair, over his cheek bones. Temptation changed everything. Of course, wanting him didn’t mean having him.

He cleared his throat before he turned his face to the waitress, looking past her as he ordered,
“Um, we’ll have the Chocolate Orgasm.”

Victoria
bit her lips until the waitress left and then she laughed, “What is that?”

“Double fudge brownies with chocolate ice cream, rich melted fudge, real whipped cream,” he told her, lowering his voice to a seductive rumble.
“And about a thousand calories a bite.”

S
he groaned in anticipation, “It sounds absolutely sinful.”

“It is,” he assured her. “If you love chocolate, you’ll love it.”

“I
love
chocolate,” she admitted. First dates were always nerve-racking, but it felt right being here with James. Almost destined. After a few minutes of small talk, her curiosity got the better of her. Leaning closer to him, breathing in his scent, she asked, “What’s it like to suddenly lose your sight?”

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully,
unhurriedly considering his answer. “At first it was terrifying; I didn’t realize how much I relied on my sight until it was gone. I also wasn’t prepared for how it would impact my mobility. I was used to hopping in my car and taking off for a weekend of skiing in the mountains or getting together with my friends. Now, it takes a little more coordination to get things done, and some adaptation, but I’m glad it was my sight and not my life.”

“Oh, absolutely,”
Victoria agreed, tilting her head to the side and watching his expressive lips, the calmness with which he spoke. “How long ago did this happen?”

“Almost t
hree months,” he said matter-of-factly, taking a shaky sip from his water.

“Wow,” she said with awe. “I am so impressed with how you’re dealing.”

“It’s amazing how quickly the body adapts.” His hand was still faintly trembling as he set his glass back down on the table. He grimaced as if embarrassed by his perceived weakness. He wasn’t weak, not at all.

Amazed by this man’s strength, she reached out and took his hand in hers. Turning his hand over, he entwined their fingers in what seemed to be
a perfectly natural act. Leaning closer, she asked, “Is it true what they say about your other senses compensating for the loss of one?”

The corners of his lips turned upwards in
a  sexy grin. “Very much so.”

“Like how?” she asked, stroking her thumb along the ridge of his hand, enjoying the feel of his skin.
The tremor in his hand had stilled but she continued holding it, not wanting to let go, wanting to bask in his strength. She was sure that if something like that had happened to her she’d be railing at the world. Or shutting herself off and becoming a recluse. Or both.

“Like the feel of your fingers caressing me is a hundred times more erotic than when I was sighted,” he told her softly. Leaning closer to her, he pressed his nose right be
hind her ear as he whispered, “And your scent is like a drug; I could spend all day and night just breathing you in.”

Color flared up on her cheeks as his words whispered through her head, as the heat from his body embraced her. For the briefest moment, she thought she felt his lips against her neck but then he was sitting stra
ight and she felt the loss throughout her body. Clearing her throat, she asked, “And taste?”

“I’m eager to find out,” he said seductively, leaving little to
Victoria’s imagination as to what, exactly, he was referring to.

“I’m glad you came into the store this morning,”
Victoria murmured.

In a darkly sensuous voice, he whispered, “So am I.”

Victoria was well aware of the dull flush along his cheek bones, the deepening of his breath, his increased pulse rate; they all matched her own. Staring at his face, she moistened her lips, thankful that he couldn’t see her, couldn’t see the effect he was having on her. She wasn’t used to feeling this hot and bothered by anyone, let alone an almost perfect stranger.

H
er heart raced in her chest as she watched him, his full lower lip and strong jaw, the throbbing of his pulse along his throat. Despite knowing him less than twelve hours, she was already a little bit in love with him.

*****

James smiled slightly at her discomfort with his not-quite-appropriate teasing; little did she know that coming into her store was all part of his plan to seduce her. Her image had gotten him through the worst days following the accident. But then, whatever it was that she was doing to his hand was affecting his entire body. That slow, rhythmic caress had him imagining slow, rhythmic sex; of twining his fingers in her blond hair and burying his cock in her blond core, of claiming her and making her his forever.

She had to be conscious of it, this instinctual awareness that she was his.

James was very aware of the heat emanating from her body, the slightly musky scent of her arousal. Without his sight, he was able to better appreciate her pure, feminine smell – and it was intoxicating. His own body responded eagerly and it was all he could do to try to cool his ardor. Even talking about the accident did little to lessen his lust.

He hadn’t been quite as calm as he usually was when discussing the accident and it had embarrassed him to be shaking like a little dog in front of the girl he most wanted to impress. But then she touched him and it was as if he was able to accept whatever the future held. Before, he always assumed he’d be getting his sight back, but sitting here, talking to this girl, he was starting to realize that it might not be coming back.
But if she was by his side it would be okay.

Softly, she
asked, “Did you have any other injuries?”

It took James a moment to follow what she was saying, that she was
still talking about the car accident and not being sexually frustrated. Swallowing down his urges, he shook his head, “Nope; just bumped my head and got knocked out for a couple of days.”

The quick intake of breath signifying her shock appealed to him; she cared more than a new acquaintance should. She definitely felt the connection. He was the one who was shocked when her slender hand cupped his jaw, her thumb caress
ed his cheek, “Thank God it wasn’t worse; I don’t think I would want to live in a world where you’re not.”

The air around him stilled at her would-be-outlandish statement if it weren’t for the fact that it was all-too-true. Now he knew why he was drawn to that little store; it was because of her. She truly was his soul mate
, something he had never given much credence to before his coma. Covering her hand with his, he turned his head and pressed a kiss into her palm. “Victoria….”

“Here we go,” the waitress’s bright voice came between them.
Victoria dropped her hand and he wished her palm was still pressed against his cheek. He heard the waitress set the plate down, knowing it was overfilled with chocolate. “I hope you enjoy it!”

“Thank you,”
Victoria murmured, her voice breathless.

He
hoped he didn’t look as bewildered as he felt; and there was no doubt that she probably looked stunned as well. For a moment, it was just the two of them and they were completely connected. The words
Soul Mate
drifted through his mind, like an angel’s breath.