To Have a Wilde (Wilde in Wyoming) (7 page)

“Yeah, she would,” Nick replied, his voice rough.

Alek looked from one to the other, cleared his throat and clapped his hands together. “Okay, well now how ’bout we dig in. Looks like Mahi outdid himself,” he said, and both men laughed. Although he was a sentimental man, their father was, when at his best, succinct in both action and words.

He gave them a questioning look, but they simply shook their heads and, after a silent prayer of thanks, dug in to the feast Mahi had prepared.

Key put the quandary of what he would do about the note...the invitation, to the back of his mind to contemplate later.

Chapter 9

S
onia stared at her reflection, examining her body.

She carefully moved the lapels of her robe to the side and, with hands loaded with cream, swiped her hands over her breasts and down the length of her body, slowly.

When she came to the juncture of her thighs, she paused, one hand brushing over the low curls that covered her mound.

Biting the corner of her mouth, she feathered her finger over her clitoris, imagining it was another’s hand doing the caressing.

She stopped before she could go any further, her face burning with color.

“God, what am I doing?” she asked aloud. She turned on the faucet and quickly washed her hands, drying them on the hand towel she’d grabbed after the shower.

It wasn’t as though she was embarrassed to touch herself—she was an adult woman. It was simply that as she began touching herself, images of another’s big hands in the place of hers came to mind, and she knew to continue along that thread was a recipe for disaster.

Especially as she was set to meet up with her would-be fantasy lover in less than an hour.

With a deep sigh, she closed the ties to her robe firmly. She reached up and, using the ends of her robe, wiped away the dewy moisture left over from the steam of the shower on the mirror before plopping down on the small, tufted chair and examining her face.

Any other time, for any other date, she wouldn’t be putting herself through this drill. Although it had been a while since she’d gone out on a real date. Immediately the thought rang in her mind—is this what this was, a real date?

Sighing, she reached for her moisturizer, squeezed a generous dollop on her hand and smeared it on her face, her mind going over exactly what had brought her to this time.

After the kiss she and Keanu had shared, she hadn’t known what to expect the next day. Would he be cold to her, as was his normal MO, ignore her and act as if it didn’t happen, or would he seek her out and pick up where he had left off, and take the intimacy to the next level. Or somewhere in between.

What he’d done instead had completely shocked her. Normally they rarely saw each other, besides occasional glimpses, during filming. She hadn’t known if it was by accident or design that it happened that way. But when she hadn’t seen him at all the next day she’d felt a sting of disappointment, one she tried to brush aside and pretend didn’t exist, but it refused to go away.

The next day she’d been given a note from one of the stable hands, from Key.

Name the place and time. If lunch works best, let me know. If not, I know of an out-of-the-way place we can meet for dinner. Either way, doesn’t matter to me. ~ Key.

Succinct and to the point. What the hell was she supposed to make of that, anyway? Was that his way of asking her out to eat? Was it a date? she’d wondered, frowning as she reread the brief note. Then it dawned on her that perhaps it was simply to go over the contract, and she felt all kinds of stupid for thinking otherwise. The kiss hadn’t meant a thing to him.

Damn him. She shouldn’t feel this way about him. Shouldn’t give a damn if he wanted to pick up where he left off, shouldn’t care that it had all been some game with him. Her only thought should be getting his signature on the contract. And if that was what he wanted, that worked for her, too.

To that end, for the rest of the day, she’d firmly put Key and her confusing feelings for him out of her mind. Told herself to keep it business and nothing more. To do anything else was a surefire way of getting hurt.

After careful consideration she’d sent him a text agreeing to the date, and he’d given her the name of the restaurant to meet him.

Sighing, she reached for her under-eye cream and lightly dabbed it on the undersides and corners of her lids. She considered her reflection in the mirror. Although she never considered herself a raving beauty, after having worked in the entertainment industry for a number of years she was convinced that she could hold her own. What did he see when he looked at her? Did he find her attractive?

“Why do I even care?” she murmured aloud as she dusted her face lightly with powder before applying her makeup. “I’m beyond ridiculous.”

Still, she took extra care with her makeup. She lifted the dark pencil to outline her lids but hesitated as her hand hovered over the gold eye shadow. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the gold kimono hanging on the outside hook of the closet. Dare she wear something so overtly sexual?

She stood and padded over to the silky dress and pulled it from the hanger, spinning around to examine herself with it in front of her body.

Her mother had bought the dress last spring while she and her father had been overseas, filming a documentary in Japan. It was authentic and beautiful. She’d tried it on once and found that not only was it those things, it also fit her body like a second skin. Laughing, she’d placed it at the back of her closet, knowing she’d never dare wear something so form hugging.

Yet she’d brought it with her to Hawaii.

Even as she’d packed the dress, she’d had Keanu in mind, as from the beginning, even though she hadn’t met him, he’d already begun to filter into her thoughts often.

She was tempted to put it away and wear something a little less sexy, less...revealing.

Either way, doesn’t much matter to me.
Something about that phrasing had set her teeth on edge.

As though she didn’t matter. As though she made no impression or had any lasting effect on him.

She smiled.

Let the games begin.

Chapter 10

S
onia arrived at the restaurant they’d decided on, a place she had never been to, but one that he’d chosen, called the Mai-Kai, and as she closed and locked her car door, she carefully made her way along the stone path leading to the wooden porch and opening to the restaurant.

From the outside the establishment, the place appeared to have seen better days. Looking like a run-down old building in need of repair, she took in the shabby appearance with a wave of disappointment. Obviously he hadn’t given much thought to where they would eat.

With tension playing havoc on her nerves she’d stepped inside, only to be pleasantly surprised at what she encountered the minute she entered.

Authentic Polynesian decor tastefully accented the large dining area. Complete with authentic and detailed beautiful wood carvings and various maritime antiques, the atmosphere was both classic yet casual, a tasteful blending of both.

A smile lifted the corner of her mouth as she glanced around, searching for Key. When the maître d’ approached her and asked her name, he held out a hand, indicating that she was to follow him as he led her to a perfectly stationed table, hidden away from the main floor.

Key stood as she approached and pulled out her chair. As she walked over to where he waited, her eyes drank in the sight of him, just as he was returning the favor.

He could have stepped out of any one of the shows she produced and fit right in. Tall, his body would look good in anything, but the casual slacks he wore clung to his long muscular legs, the silk shirt open at the neck exposing a fine dusting of hair on his chest.

When he smiled at her, she blushed, embarrassed to be caught ogling him so openly.

But when she caught the admiring look in his eyes, part of her embarrassment melted, and she gave him a genuine smile in return.

“I’m glad you made it,” he murmured, and her gaze flew to his, wondering at the wording, but she simply smiled in return.

“Glad you made it, as well,” she replied. When her stomach growled she groaned, laughing lightly. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so busy with the day and fixating on what she would wear to the date that she’d been a mass of nerves.

“And now that the pleasantries are over, are you hungry?” he asked, completely deadpan.

When she looked his way, she saw the small lift of one corner of his mouth and, for some reason, the small humorous quip had helped to break the ice.

“I hope you don’t mind but I placed our orders for dinner.”

When she asked what he’d ordered he told her he wanted to surprise her, give her a sampling of what Hawaiian food had to offer.

She took a sip of the ice-filled goblet and hummed in appreciation. “What drink is this?” she asked.

“It’s pineapple iced tea. I took the liberty of ordering that for you, as well. If you prefer I can order you something else,” he asked, and she waved a hand, shaking her head no.

“This is delicious,” she said, smiling up at him.

He returned the smile. “Glad it meets with your approval. I also ordered appetizers,” he said, and, as though on cue, the waitress came over with a platter in her hand, placing it down in the center of the table.

“I had no idea this would be such a feast!” she said, rubbing her hands together, a grin splitting her face.

“And this is only the appetizer,” he said, and she groaned, but the grin remained.

When he’d asked where she’d like to go, she’d said she wanted something local, but local for Hawaii was unlike any other place in the world, as it was a mixture of cultures with Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese cultures highly influencing their food.

Before her was a veritable smorgasbord of exotic foods on the large, pretty platter.

She had an idea of what some of the dishes were but turned to Keanu to find out about the rest of the food.

He smiled slightly as he pointed out what the dishes consisted of.

“What is it, exactly?” she asked, staring down at the good-smelling yet odd-looking assortment of delicacies.

“You’re going to love it. This,” he said, pointing to one of the white, flaky, steaming buns on the platter, “is manapua, which comes from our Chinese culture—char siu. It’s barbecue pork in a bun,” he said, lifting one of the steaming buns and breaking it open.

Sonia closed her eyes, inhaling. “Smells divine,” she said.

“Tastes even better. Wanna give it a whirl?” His voice was husky low.

Sonia opened her eyes to find his gaze on hers. She glanced down at the roll in his hand, the offer to eat from him one she couldn’t resist.

Leaning forward, she took a bite, allowing the sweet juice to stream down the corner of her mouth. His finger dipped, caught the juice on the tip of his forefinger.

She watched as he brought it to his mouth and licked the juice away.

“Delicious. Just like I knew it would be,” he replied.

Oh, God, she felt her heart drop and her gut seemed to hollow out at the simple yet intimate gesture.

She blew out a long breath, forcing a break in their connection.

Just like that, he had her. The man did things to her like no one ever had.

Suddenly shy for no apparent reason, she swallowed, forced a bright smile on her face and, with a shaky finger, pointed to another appetizer. “And this one?” she asked, clearing her throat. “What is this?”

She glanced up at him from beneath lowered lashes to see the familiar, sexy, small smile play around his mouth.

“This one is nori maki sushi rolls, from our Japanese heritage. It’s vinegar rice with tuna, shrimp flakes, egg, carrots, gobo all rolled in nori and sliced. Want to try this one, too?” he asked, the light in his eyes challenging as he deftly picked up the chopsticks and lifted one of the rolls onto it.

She straightened her back, lifted a brow. And smiled.

She knew he expected her to say no.

Which is exactly why she leaned forward and opened her mouth for him to feed her.

* * *

When she moved to take him up on his challenge, Key bit back the groan. God, the woman was turning him on even as she ate, tempting him to not only lick the sauce that dripped down her sweet, full lips but to take those lips and give her the kiss he’d wanted to give her since he’d seen her walk into the restaurant earlier.

When she’d entered, looking like sin wrapped in the skintight gold-colored silk kimono, she was a gift he wanted to open. When he’d glanced down at her small feet in the stiletto heels, the ends tied in a bow around her slim ankles, she definitely was a present Key wanted to unwrap.

He wondered how he’d kept his cool and not carted her off to the nearest hideaway to see what lay beneath the sinfully wrapped present. From head to toe, the woman was gorgeous.

He was used to her hair being straight. When she was on set, she wore a ponytail, positioned at the back of her head.

But for tonight she’d left it loose. The normally straight strands were a riot of natural wild curls that cascaded down her bared shoulders in the sexy dress that hugged and outlined each one of her scandalous curves.

Damn.

She’d used a light touch when it came to makeup, as she normally did; however, she’d paid close attention to her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, deftly outlined in a soft shade similar to the color of her dress.

The cut of the dress gave ample attention to her generous breasts, outlining and lifting them, emphasizing their perfection, making his mind race with thoughts of peeling the material to the side to get a small glimpse of what lay beneath, what she kept hidden from his view.

His cock hardened at the thought.

He glanced over at her, keeping the smile away. He hadn’t thought she’d go for it again. Thought he’d scared her into chickening out. Despite himself, his admiration for her seemed to keep on growing.

He quickly reminded himself what his mission was. He was the seducer, not the other way around.

He brought the roll to her mouth and watched as her small, white, even teeth took the entire roll in her mouth, gently, thoughtfully chewing before swallowing.

“You’re right. It is delicious,” she said. “As delicious as anything I’ve had in a long,
long,
time,” she finished, a small dimple appearing in her cheek.

Key ignored the way her quirky smile, the one that was as much a part of her as her humor, came out after she made the quip. He ignored the way it made his heart seem to thump harder against his chest.

Before he could say anything more, the waitress brought them the main meal. He sat back in his chair, feeling as if he’d just been run over by a steamroller, more than glad for the interruption.

It was getting to be where he was second-guessing who was the seducer and who was the one being seduced.