Page 31 of The Hookup
“Then maybe I’ll come in for a cold drink.”
Her heart missed a beat. “You’re feeling hot?”
“Looking at you, yes.”
That was a move. For sure.
She smiled. “Let me cool you down.”
Chapter 11
Cool him down?
She was going to do anything but that.
He had gone to her place out of curiosity, and because he had an idea of how the night would end.
He hadn’t gone because he was dying from thirst.
He cast his eyes around the room. It was small but cozy, more lived in and homely than his sparse apartment with its minimalist décor and black and silver color scheme. “Cute place,” he commented, watching her heading into what looked like the kitchen. His eyes lingered on her bare back as he followed her.
“Thanks,” she said. “Would you like water, or something fizzy?”
“A glass of water, please.”
“Drinking and dancing always makes me so thirsty.” She poured a glass each and handed him one. She was smoke and mirrors, with that little white lie. Dumbing herself down and making out that she was a secretary, of all things. Yet he understood that, the need to pull back, and not reveal too much. Everyone wore masks and maybe she was more like him than he had at first thought. Maybe it went a way towards explaining why he seemed drawn to her, why he had offered to drive her home rather than get her a cab, even if her place was on the way home. He never went out of his way like that.
But she was obviously interested in him; maybe finding out who he was and how rich he was might have played a part in that.
He’d been with enough women by now to know that things like that mattered to some. Maybe it did to Kay.
“So thirsty,” she exclaimed, emptying her glass and setting it down, her lips wet as she pressed them together. “Did you want something hot?” she asked, noticing that he hadn’t taken a sip.
He set his glass down. “We both know I didn’t come here for water.” He tried to read her face, tried to guess what she might be thinking, and whether this was wise. It was one thing, sitting inside the confines of a car with darkness encroaching from the outside. It was an altogether different thing being here, in her kitchen, with the light on, staring at one another, wondering which one of them was going to make the first move.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, eyeing his lips.
“No?” he asked, stepping towards her and closing the gap between them. He was pretty sure she did, but given the situation, he liked to be 100% sure, even if she was looking at him with eyes shiny with lust. He wondered what those plump lips of hers might feel like against his. He traced his finger down her bare arm. “My apartment is only ten minutes away. I didn’t need to come here to get a glass of water, and you didn’t have to insist.”
“That’s true. I didn’t. But I’m glad you came up, anyway,” she said, stroking her fingers along the lapel of his jacket. “We could talk.”
“About what? The global economy?”
She blushed. “Let’s ditch the conversation, then.”
“And get straight to it?”
She angled her head. “You don’t beat about the bush much, do you?”
“Time is of the essence.” He traced his finger along her bare arm, looking into her eyes for signs that this was what she wanted.
“That feels good,” she murmured.
“Cold?” he asked, as goosebumps sprang up everywhere he touched.
“Not cold.”
He snaked his other arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She looked up, lifting her hands to his shoulders and he dropped a line of kisses along her neck. She moaned and slid her arms around his neck, pressing against him and sighing. She was so responsive, and so appreciative. With her there was no hint of playing-hard-to-get, no wasting time or chasing.
