Ocean of Love (7 page)

If she didn’t stop him, she’d be lost in a
stream of desire. A current roiled through her body, pushing aside
rational ideas, sane expectations, until all she could do was
inhale the scent of him. He released her finger and clasped her by
the arm. The raw intensity of his gaze tossed aside her excuses.
The rhythm of her breathing quickened.

“
Your place or mine?”
That’s all he said before he looked away, catching the waiter’s
attention.

Her heartbeat hammered along with a growing
exquisite pleasure filling her. Wyatt stood, pulling her with him.
“Let’s go, darling.” He rubbed his hand down her arm. His body was
an inferno, blazing powerfully over and into her. She fought both
sides of mental skirmish between her brain and body.

Wyatt slapped cash across the waiter’s hand.
“This should take care of our check. Keep the change. Right?”

“
Yes, Sir.
Thanks.”

He was looking at her in a way that
threatened to make her knees buckle. “Christ, I don’t think I can
take much more. But damn. You sorely tempt my self-control.” He
swore in a voice that crawled up her spine.

She went with him without a peep as he
smoothly entwined his fingers with hers.

They walked beyond the outdoor seating.
Wyatt combed a hand through his hair as he looked up and down the
street. “Come this way.”

“
But our cars are that
way.” He strode for a few steps, stopped and brought her against
him. Before she could respond, he swung her backwards, cradling her
head, but setting her firmly against the wall of the
restaurant.

“
I wasn’t looking for a
ride.”

“
Wyatt—”

“
Hush.” He pressed one
finger across her lips, sealing away any of her qualms. And then he
was on her, cupping her face with his hands. Brushing back tendrils
of her hair, he bent his head, and then kissed the corner of her
mouth. “I’ve wanted to do this since the moment we met.”

She capitulated when he sucked a point on
her neck. Digging her hands into his arms, she took hold of forged
steel. He slid his mouth up to her ear while his hands moved down
from her shoulders. The sensation of his lips on her throat nearly
sent her over the edge. She reached forward, taking hold of his
shirt. He pushed her back against the wall, making her entire body
clench.

“
Wyatt,” she groaned
softly, pleading with him to free her from decision.

He pulled back slightly, far enough to look
into her eyes. “Stop looking at me like that or I swear I’ll find
an alley and take you here and now.”

There was no use denying him. Wyatt’s power
and arrogance were playing tricks with her—tricks she liked very
much. “I want you. But, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“
Sure you do.” He moved his
hands down her shoulders, pushing up snug against her.

Oh, no. She thought he’d changed tactics. He
now lightly trailed his fingertips up her neck, his eyes pinning to
the wall. “What does your body want? Yes or no?” His words had her
wishing to break free, shivering from his touch, melting and
pooling.

The way he crowded over her had her spinning
out of control. Her body, every atom, was aroused with a force
demanding fulfillment unlike anything she’d ever imagined. Wyatt’s
mouth and tongue had the capacity to possess of her, unlocking
exquisite undercurrents. The demanding feel of his hands down to
his fingertips lashed against her willpower.

Right now, she was about to wipe out instead
of riding this aching wave. If left unchecked, she had no doubt
their sexual tension would build into a tsunami.

He had posed a question. She had no answer
for him or herself.

“
I’m not free to act out my
fantasies. I live here—work here.” She inhaled unevenly, staring up
into his eyes.

“
This isn’t about anything
other than you and me and what we want. Just tell me what you feel.
How about we go someplace where we can get to know each other
better?”

She pulled back even though she continued to
grip his rock-hard arms. She fought the urge to give in entirely,
fearing she’d drown. “You’re confusing me. I thought I made myself
clear. Earlier.”

“
I’m only hearing what your
body is telling me. Baby, you’re speaking loud and
clear.”

She’d better strike while she still could.
She inhaled, and then glared up at him. “What I want is to broker a
deal as a professional. What I want is to have a client who
respects me. What I want is to wake up tomorrow and not think I’d
sacrificed my ethics. Is this why Sinclair picked me to handle your
sale?”

She noticed with each verse exclaimed, his
body had eased back from her until the heat from him lessened.

“
No. You’re way off base
with that assumption.” Then he stepped away, giving space for air
to move between them. Cooling, calming air.

Her body revolted. Deep inside, she didn’t
want cool or calm. She wanted fiery heat. A mind-searing burn to
crumple and tear down the walls that kept her fantasy captive.

She crossed her arms in
front of her chest, fighting the urge to give into lust.
Lust
. That’s all this
was: physical need. Without his body up against her, thinking came
easier. Quietly, firmly she said, “I don’t think so. I think I’ve
brought up a valid point.”

His beautiful lips thinned. He appeared to
gather himself, and looked away from her, then back again just as
two patrons dressed in short skirts and high heels exited from the
restaurant.

He ignored them. “Darling, don’t shut down
on me. You’re harder to read than a manifesto written in invisible
ink.”

She smoothed her skirt and jacket. She
refused to be the object of his unrelenting study. He continued to
contemplate her as though he might unearth a piece of useful
information to aid his case.

“
What are you thinking?” he
asked in a husky voice that swam across her skin.

He continued to evade a direct answer. He
hadn’t refuted her and maybe that was her answer.

“
Nothing. It’s getting
late. Don’t you agree?” Having spotted her car at the end of the
block, she turned in the opposite direction along the sidewalk and
considered just sauntering away. Oh, to be able to see out the back
of her head and observe his expression. This was business, so there
wasn’t any gliding away. Besides, she wasn’t going to let him
unhinge the last vestige of her professional ability. She rifled
through the portfolio, ready to hand it over to Wyatt, and tell
him,
Adios Muchacho
.

“
You’re correct. It is
getting late.” His voice swathed her from behind.

She clung to the portfolio, a ridiculous
shield of sorts. The heat poured off his body. Before he said a
word, before he touched her, she absorbed his presence in back of
her. She peered over her shoulder into his fierce expression.

She swung around to meet him face-to-face if
he had something to say to her. “Now, please don’t start to preach
a loss of time.”

He exhaled and shortened the distance
between them. “Why? I’ve wasted precious time when all along we
could be doing this.” He took hold of her and nearly dragged her
against him. Wyatt ran his hands down her arms, enfolding her body
to him.

“
Wyatt. No. I won’t be
another somebody you met during your project in South Florida.
Don’t lecture me and stop pushing me. How about just answering the
question? All this pot calling the kettle black isn’t getting us
closer to a sale. We’re moving in the wrong direction.”

“
Oh hell, you’re not hiding
in back of that file folder again.” He stared down at her, and then
released her slightly before he leaned against the building and
pulled her until she was cradled in his arms. The sidewalk outside
the restaurant was beginning to get busy, and he apparently had
blocked the people passing in front of them as he traced the side
of her arm with his thumb before he reluctantly released her
arm.

“
Then show me some
respect.” The feel of his arm against the side of her body made her
painfully aware that he was right. She wanted him.
Terribly.

“
Look, I’m sorry. Sure, I
meet women when I travel. Not always, but I’m not going to lie just
to get into your pants. If I wanted a workout in bed, I’d have
requested a hookup for a date. Not a straight shooter. Don’t you
think I know there are other realtors who would do
anything
to close a
deal? Like the fast-talking realtor in your office. Sinclair told
me about her, but I wanted you. Truthfully, I demanded a
professional. I thought I made
that
clear
. What we’ve got going on isn’t some
ploy between college friends to broker a deal and a taste of
southern comfort
in bed.
Give me some credit. Okay?”

“
You have a strange way of
maintaining a business relationship. Wouldn’t you
agree?”

He inhaled, shoving his hands into his
pockets, and shaking his head. “I didn’t plan on this attraction
happening. But I’m not wrong about what we both feel. I appreciate
you not wanting to compromise this deal. I don’t agree, but I do
understand. No pressure. We’ll work out the details and let’s just
get the sale over and done.”

She nodded. Their gazes met, holding steady.
For an instant, she felt as though he touched a part of her deep
inside. She hugged the folder even closer.

He tunneled his fingers through his hair and
even plastered on his lopsided smile. “I guess I should take that
file now. At least there’s something you’re willing to give to
me.”

“
I hope you’re only
kidding. Of course, there are things I’m willing to share with you.
For one, we still need to do a site visit on the other property.
Are you game or do you want to go alone?” Desperate for his touch
or not, she still needed to gain control of this situation or else
she’d lose more than the deal.

“
I thought you’d never
ask.” He pushed off the wall. “Tell you what, we can drive together
or is that against your business rules?” His lips quirked, pinching
her overacting arousal.

She rolled her eyes. “Can I trust you?”

“
For a sharp realtor you
have a tendency to get off topic. Stop dawdling and let’s
move.”

“
Funny.” She smiled back at
him.

He was a smart-ass, but in such a sexy way,
forgiving was all too easy. He accepted her refusal with more grace
than she’d imagined for a man with a reputation for getting
everything he desired.

He stared at her without smiling.
“Regardless of what you say. Clearly there’s unfinished business
still standing between us. I sense there’s wiggle room. I don’t
think it’s my imagination.”

She gritted her teeth, holding a groan of
frustration at bay. A colossal part of her wished to acquiesce to
his offer—the wild part of her that she’d kept locked up. This
yearning simmered within her. She might let go, once their business
was complete. A ludicrous longing—or was it? Just one night and
she’d have an opportunity to explore every sensation that
threatened to tear her apart with a man who was on a plane to
another continent. Another world.

Only this fantasy also
risked unleashing a secret that came with the potential to destroy
her life. She sighed. Yes, Wyatt uncovering her secret was more
than just an inconsequential technicality. She clutched her purse,
holding his enticing gaze, the crash of each heartbeat echoing
inside her thoughts
. On any level, could
she survive one night with this man?

This line of thinking was no help. She
huffed, taking a step and teetered next to him. “Do you want to
drive or shall I?”

“
Come, I think the least I
can do is to drive. Is dinner still a possibility. or did I blow
that?”

“
No—” she replied, about to
say more.

“
Shoot, I might as well go
out with a bang.” Lightning fast, he ate up the space between them.
He feathered his fingers along her jaw. The man clearly refused to
take “no” for an answer. “I should have done this the moment you
handed me your damn resume.”

Wyatt didn’t simply pull her against him;
his mouth slammed down overs hers, intense, fierce, commanding. And
for all that she wanted to resist, she couldn’t. She reeled in the
scent of his cologne and hardness of his mouth and body. He pushed
her back against the wall, not stopping until his tongue thrust
past her lips, fiery and demanding. She tilted her head up, opening
her mouth to him as he sensually sucked her bottom lip, licked
across her mouth, and incited her to return his kiss.

The crash of his mouth had unhinged her
resistance. He didn’t simply kiss her. He possessed her. All
thoughts dissolved. Every plan she’d had paled in significance.

Her skin tingled under from
his touch as she longed for him to do more. Much, much more; for a
moment, she considered the million
what
ifs
. She rocked against him, aching for
him to overpower her refusal, and bend her to his will.

A woman exited the front of the restaurant,
waving a manila envelope. “Excuse me, Mr. Herndon? Wyatt
Herndon?”

He arched a brow at her,
and then moved apart with a labored exhalation. He clasped his hand
at her waist, squeezing with a silent promise to return to the
current
subject
.

“
Yes. How may I help
you?”