Page 19 of Irresistible

“Perfect,” she said as she closed her menu. “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s such a treat. I haven’t been out on a date in ages, and it’s fun to get dressed up and go someplace nice.”

“My pleasure.” Covering her hand, he grinned. “When we sat across from one another after Thanksgiving dinner and played Scrabble, I knew resisting you was futile. The moment you tried to cheat with your nonsense words, it was clear we’d make a great team.”

She lifted her glass of wine and took a sip. “Are you saying your straight arrow ways and my twisty ones are a good match?”

“Absolutely. Someone has to keep you out of jail.”

“I have never gotten close to being arrested.” Straightening her cutlery, she frowned. “Unless you count that one time we stole the mascot from our rival and painted it pink. But that was high school, so it doesn’t count.”

“Now you save all your shenanigans for your books.”

“Yeah, keeping my twisty ways confined to the pages ensures that I’ll live a long and, ideally, jail-free life.”

“Lilly Bertrand, you are more than a handful, which makes me glad that I have two.” Raising one, he winked. “One for your good.” Raising the other, he grinned. “One for your naughty.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “I tell you, the last year has tested me in ways that I didn’t know was possible. When I came up with a particularly creative revenge plan for Drew and Tina, I had to remind myself that it just wasn’t worth the jail time. My criminal mind has been put to good use as I’ve plotted my retaliation.”

“Sometimes the best revenge is sitting back and waiting for people to screw up. If you’re lucky, God will let you watch them implode.”

“That suggests I have the patience to wait for karma to get ahold of them.”

“You do,” he said as he leaned forward and kissed her lightly. “Maybe we can come up with some activities that take your mind off the lawsuit.”

“Yeah…What did you have in mind?”

“I went to the fabric store you suggested and stocked up on a rainbow of satin ribbons. You said bondage might be the answer for your next book, and I want to make myself available for research.”

Lilly glanced from side to side, then leaned forward. “You gonna let me tie you up?”

“No, darlin’, I’ll be the one in charge.”

“Fiddle-faddle. Maybe I want to be the dominant one.”

Scooting his chair closer, he slipped his hand around her shoulder. “Let’s try it my way first, and if you don’t like it, I’ll let you tie me up and ride me for as long as you want.” When her face bloomed a bright pink, Brock let out a small laugh. “Too much?”

“Having a conversation like this isn’t something that I’m really familiar with, and your graphic talk has me heating up in places that I was sure were broken.”

“Are you offended?”

“God, no.” She took a gulp of ice water and then smiled. “I’m turned on.”

“That’s good to know.” She wasn’t the only one who was heating up. If he’d had to stand up at this moment, Lilly and the whole damn restaurant would have seen how affected he was. He was harder than a steel pipe, and it had taken less than a minute to make him that way. They were sitting in one of the nicest restaurants in town in a sea of people, discussing satin ribbons and pleasure. As far as first dates went, this one was off to an amazing start. “Maybe we should try talking about something else.”

“Why?”

He took her hand, moved it underneath the tablecloth and pressed it against his crotch. “I want to be able to walk out of here tonight and not offend half the restaurant.” Her fingers moved, and he felt her trace his length. When he swallowed and glanced up, he noticed her eyes were a little glazed and her cheeks were flushed. “Honey, that’s not helping.”

“Of course. How silly. I don’t know what came over me.”

Pressing her hand down for a second, he grinned. “Make no mistake, I like what you’re doing. It’s just that I don’t seem to have a ton of control right now, and I’d hate to be arrested for public indecency. I know that makes no sense based on the fact that I dragged your hand over my crotch, but there it is. Maybe fifty percent of my brain is working, so not much can be expected from me.”

She folded her hands on the table. “Let’s talk about something else. How do you like being back home?”

Before he could answer, the waiter approached, and Brock ordered for them. “To answer your question, I love being back home.” He took her hand and laced their fingers together. “Finally gives me a chance to do something about those fantasies I’ve stored up.” Watching her eyes grow wide, he tried to think of something neutral. “Did you ever get to travel like you wanted to?”

“Not really. When the first books took off, I found myself traveling only for research. Maybe after this lawsuit is over, I’ll take a big trip.”

When he saw her smile slip, he squeezed her hand and decided that kicking Drew’s ass might make them both feel better. Just as he was about to tell her his idea, she spoke up.

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