Some Like It Hot (19 page)

The restaurant was quiet, quaint, and upscale, and the aroma of French food reached Sydney as soon as they entered. She felt the heat of Tyrone’s hand in the center of her back when he touched her as they followed the waiter to their table. Just being with him made her appreciate being a woman.

“Would you like some wine?” Tyrone asked when they had been seated.

She wanted to tell him that she thought she needed something a bit stronger than wine, but refrained from doing so. “Yes, please.”

Tyrone gave the waiter their drink request. After the waiter returned with their drinks and they gave him their meal selections, Sydney eased back in her chair and relaxed somewhat. She noted Tyrone did the same.

“So, what else have you been doing since the weddings, other than winning court cases?” Although he’d asked her a rather simple question, the heat in his eyes almost unnerved her. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her wine, hoping the liquid would somehow calm her nerves and cool her insides. “That particular court case took up the majority of my time,” she finally found her voice to say. “It was a long, bitter battle and I’m glad we won.”

He nodded. “What type of case was it?” he asked with genuine interest.

Sydney appreciated his response. She really liked her job, and with everyone in her family being attorneys, it was hard for anyone to want to talk shop at the end of the day. Even Rafe, who was also an attorney, used to get annoyed when she’d tell him how her day went or attempt to discuss some of her court cases, just to get another opinion.

“It was a David versus Goliath case, a little woman going after a major corporation that dropped the ball and didn’t want to admit it. My client is a working mother of two girls, and for years she’d been tucking away money into one of these educational plans that guaranteed the money would be there when she needed it to fund her daughters’ college expenses. Well, when her daughter turned eighteen and applied to colleges, evidently some of the rules for dispersement had changed without my client being notified, which included the fact that now only certain colleges and universities fell under their umbrella. As far as I was concerned, it was an outright case of a conflict of interest, since the majority of those schools somehow benefited from the company in the long run, as well as the fact that none of the schools on that list were ones my client’s daughter wanted to attend. They made it seemed like she didn’t have a choice. As her attorney, I had to send a message out there that she did have a choice. If she had one when she took out the plan then she had one at the end, especially if their change of policy wasn’t dictated to her.”

Tyrone nodded. While she’d been talking, he’d kept his gaze glued to her mouth. He liked the firm fullness of her lips and was turned on by the color of her lipstick. He’d never been so attracted to a woman’s mouth before. And when she stopped talking and nervously licked her lips before taking another sip of her wine, he knew that if he ever got a chance, he planned to feast on that mouth until he got his fill, then wondered if such a thing were possible. He had a feeling that across from him sat a hot-blooded woman, filled with passion of the highest degree.

He could feel it. And he wanted it.

Tyrone blinked when he realized that Sydney had asked him a question.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” he asked.

She smiled, and the way that smile touched her lips made heat settle in the pit of his stomach. “I asked what you’ve been doing since the weddings.”

Nothing much, other than fantasizing about you,
he wanted to say. Dreams of making love to her had been the norm for months following the wedding. He would wake up at night in a cold sweat with visions of her naked silky flesh entwining his. He could even hear her tiny cries of pleasure when they both came. He didn’t think he would ever forget his vision of her moving beneath his thrusting body. On some nights, the only thing he could do to calm himself was to get out of bed and belt out a few, slow melodic tunes on his sax, or play a soothing number or two on his piano. One night things had gotten so heated he felt the need to beat out his frustrations on his drums, but in consideration of his neighbors hadn’t done so.

Tyrone shifted in his seat and decided to give her what he considered a watered-down version of what he’d been doing since they’d last seen each other. “Most of my time has been spent booking entertainment for Leo’s for the rest of the year. Wednesday nights will continue to be Amateur/Open-Mike Night, when we showcase new and upcoming talent, but we’ll like to continue to bring class acts on Fridays and Saturdays, when we do live entertainment.”

Sydney nodded. One weekend before Linc’s marriage, the two of them had had dinner at Leo’s, and Smokey Robinson had made a rare appearance. It had been a wonderful show. “Sounds like you’ve been busy,” she said smiling. “Who’s running things while you’re away?”

“Clyde Burrell. He’s the entertainment manager for the club. Normally when I’m in town we work together, and when I’m away I leave things in his capable hands.”

“Do you get away a lot?”

“I take extended trips two or three times a year. Any dedicated musician needs to keep his fingers on the pulse of the music industry.”

Sydney tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth as she listened. She could imagine those same fingers keeping a pulse on something else, too. She’d studied his hands earlier while he’d been taking a sip of his wine. They were firm hands, strong and beautiful, and she believed they were capable of giving a woman all kinds of pleasure. Her heart began beating relentlessly at the thought when suddenly she was reminded of the last time she’d had pleasure. It had been the kind she had with Rafe Sutherlin, the kind that had left her still wanting.

Suddenly she wanted to make love to Tyrone. She craved it with a desire so deep it almost took her breath away, and the way he was looking at her didn’t help matters. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it when the waiter appeared with their food.

She sighed, thankful for the timely interruption, since she’d been tempted to act more brazen than she’d ever been with a man by asking Tyrone to make love to her tonight.

“It was a lovely evening, Tyrone, thanks for taking me to dinner.” They stood in front of her door and she tried not to stare at him too much and too long. But when he nodded and let his gaze drift to her mouth, she knew he wanted to kiss her, that he would kiss her, and the kind of kiss he would give her needed to be done inside.

“Would you like to come in for a while?” She didn’t include the phrase “for a drink” because she knew he would be coming in for something other than that. There was no use pretending otherwise. Curiosity between them had reached its peak, and they needed to sample this unusual, mind-blowing attraction before it got the best of them.

“Yes, I’d like to come in for a while,” he responded in a voice that sent sensuous chills down her spine.

Sydney knew that if she’d had the presence of mind, she would have told him good night after thanking him for dinner. But she didn’t have the presence of mind. The only thing on her mind was finding out if he tasted as good as he looked.

She slowly unlocked the door and opened it, all the while feeling the heat of his body standing close to her. Her breathing was irregular and her breasts ached. She didn’t need anyone to tell her she was turned on to the third degree and had been all evening.

She heard him close the door behind her and turned around expectantly. Tyrone was glancing around the room.

“Where’s Denzel?” he asked.

She lifted a brow. Her thoughts were focused on kissing him and his were on a dog? He evidently understood what she was thinking. “I don’t want any interruptions, Sydney.”

Her skin suddenly felt hot when she realized what he was saying. She swallowed deeply and then answered, “It’s late. Denzel has probably turned in for the night. Not too much will wake him after that.” She couldn’t help but smile when she added, “He’s not a very good watchdog.”

Tyrone chuckled lightly. “Maybe that’s a good thing, because I’m not sure I’d want him to watch this,” he said, reaching out, taking her hand, and pulling her toward him. He gently eased the coat off her shoulders, then did the same for his, tossing both garments across a nearby chair.

When he met her gaze again, she felt her pulse increase its racing. As if he knew, he slid his hand up her wrist and touched the area that was beating out of control. While she watched him, he slowly lifted it to his lips and placed a kissed there.

It took everything Sydney possessed not to swoon. The touch of his lips to her wrist was hot.

“Do you remember the first time we met, Sydney?” he asked huskily.

She didn’t have to rack her brain to remember that day. She and Rafe had broken up and, needing to lick her wounds, she’d shown up unexpectedly in D.C. At first it hadn’t seemed like good timing on her part since Linc had had an argument with Raven. When Raven had shown up at Linc’s apartment to make up and had seen her standing in the living room with nothing on but her slip and bra, she’d gotten the wrong idea. Needless to say, things had gotten straightened out and the three of them, along with Raven’s two sisters and the men they loved, had met the next day at Leo’s for brunch. That Sunday she’d been introduced to Tyrone.

“Yes, Tyrone, I remember when we first met.”

He smiled. “And do you know the first thing that went through my mind when I saw you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

He took a step closer; so close she could feel the firm peaks of her breasts touching his shirt.

“I had two thoughts. My first thought was that you had to be the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. And I mean that sincerely, Sydney. It’s not just another line a man would say to a woman.”

He then placed his hands at her waist. “My second thought was that one day I wanted to taste you in every way.”

The fire that had been smoldering in Sydney’s veins all evening suddenly escalated into a blaze. Maybe it was the fact that that same thought had gone through her mind when she’d first seen him, too. Whatever the reason, they were in a position, a very good position, to find out.

Boldly she reached out and placed her arms around his neck. “Now you have your chance, Tyrone Hardcastle, and I have mine, since I had the same thought,” she said honestly, too far gone to play games with him.

Sydney wasn’t all that clear as to what happened next. All she knew was that Tyrone’s mouth was slanted on hers, kissing her in a way she had never been kissed before, not even during the year she had dated Rafe. With the tip of his tongue Tyrone traced every part of the insides of her mouth before capturing her tongue with his own, mating with it and driving her wild.

His hand shifted from her waist to her hips. Holding her body against his, she felt his erection against her middle, leaving little doubt in her mind of how much he wanted her. By the same token, she could feel the heat between her legs intensify and the firmness of the tips of her breasts against him. He was rock-solid against her, and she imagined that hardness inside of her in a way she had only dreamed about for months.

She felt an immediate sense of loss the moment he ended the kiss, but not for long. After a deep breath of air, he was back at her mouth, kissing her relentlessly. In spite of the heat, she was shivering in his arms. Grasping his shoulders for support, she met the gentle rotation of his hips against hers, grind for grind. The musician in him had created a tempo, and the woman in her was stroking the tune he was playing.

Tyrone was determined to give in to the desire that had been driving him mad since first meeting Sydney. Her body’s response to him was making him that much hotter. She was pure temptation, and he wanted nothing better than to take her to the nearest bedroom and get inside of her. No woman had ever made him this out of control, and he had to slow down. He forced himself to think about her brother. Their relationship dictated that he not take advantage of her. Then he thought about Ayanna. He didn’t have a sister, but he thought the world of his cousin. He would be mad as hell if any man wanted to use Ayanna’s body just to satisfy an urge. He was determined to show Sydney the same courtesy and respect, even if it killed him…and walking away tonight, turning down what she was so blatantly offering, just might.

He reluctantly pulled his mouth away, but not before his tongue traced the wetness it had generated from around her lips. When she stretched her neck and groaned, he couldn’t resist brushing his lips against her neck, tasting her there.

“I’d better go before we do something we’ll both regret later, Sydney,” he whispered hoarsely against her ear.

Sydney nodded, knowing what he said was true. She appreciated and admired his willpower, because at that moment she didn’t have any. She’d never felt so out of control in her life. Never had kissing a man made her feel this way. If he’d had the mind to pick her up and take her to the nearest bedroom, she was so far gone in desire that she would have gladly participated in anything he had planned.

“I usually don’t get this carried away,” she murmured. She didn’t want him to think of her as a loose woman, although at present she was not at all together.

“I know. I think the two of us bring out a certain degree of lust in each other,” he said smoothly, still kissing her softly around her eyes and cheeks.

“Why do you think we do?” she asked curiously, since he seemed to understand more of what was happening between them than she did.

“We’re deeply attracted to each other.”

She chuckled good-naturedly. “Tell me something I don’t know, Tyrone.”

He grinned. “All right, when was the last time you slept with a man?”

She lifted a brow but answered anyway. “About fifteen months ago.” Wondering where his line of questioning was going, she asked, “And when was the last time you slept with a woman?”

He frowned as he thought about her question. When it dawned on him that he also hadn’t been with anyone since then, almost fifteen months, he decided to be as honest with her as she’d been with him. “I haven’t slept with anyone since I first met you, Sydney.”