Page 38 of Wicked Flirt
“You got it.” Marcus opened a fresh bottle of merlot, the muscles in his forearms flexing sensually. “It’s the Tuscany merlot you loved so much yesterday at lunch.”
She gasped. “Marcus! Seriously? How did you get it in stock so quickly?”
He grinned. “I scoured Manhattan for it and found it in a restaurant on the Upper East Side. Bought it earlier today.”
She beamed at him. “You’re amazing. Thank you.”
He smiled back. “No, you’re amazing. Thankyou.”
Ben groaned.
“Hey,” Marcus said to Ben, “we all put up with your lovesick puppy eyes plenty with Missy.”
Missy laughed from Ben’s other side.
“You in love, Marcus?” Ben asked in a teasing voice.
Lexi stilled, both wanting to hear Marcus’s answer and afraid he’d laugh it off, making her feel stupid for all her sappy love feelings.
Marcus met her eyes for a long moment, and she held her breath. “I do adore her.”
The air whooshed out of her lungs, all of her nerve endings alive and electric. A man who owned his feelings in front of the guys? Extraordinary.
Her friends chimed in a collective, “Aww!” The guys chuckled.
Ben muttered, “I’m getting cavities from the sweetness.”
Marcus grinned and turned to her friends. “What can I get you ladies?”
“I’ll have a beer, thanks,” Ben said dryly, walking around the bar and getting one himself.
Lexi sipped her delicious wine while Marcus served each of her friends with a warm smile and liberal use of “sweetheart” and “darling.” He was charming as always, her friends eating it up, but she wasn’t worried. She and Marcus had something really good going between them.
Finally the group broke up, some playing pool, some of the guys starting a poker game, but Marcus had other ideas. He walked around the bar and offered his hand. “Dance with me.”
She took his hand, and he drew her to a corner of the room, away from the noise of the pool table and the poker game. They could hear the music, thanks to an overhead speaker. He led her in a slow waltz, his heat intoxicating, his large hand resting lightly on the small of her back. The unexpected gentleness of his touch surprised her. She was used to a rougher touch from men, especially since she favored big muscled men, not always aware of their strength. But Marcus was aware. He was careful with her, and that made her feel special.
She caught Hailey’s eye at the pool table. Hailey did a little excited wiggle and quiet clapping, which made everyone else at the pool table look over, smiling and talking quietly to each other, probably talking about her and Marcus dancing alone in the corner.
“Maybe we should go back to the party,” she told Marcus. “Everyone’s staring at us.”
“Nope. You’re not weaseling out of this. I get at least one dance.” He leaned down to her ear, drawing her closer, his voice low and deep. “Pay attention. This is our song.”
But she could barely focus on the music because Marcus close up after starring in all her erotic fantasies this week was making her woozy with lust. The heat of him, his musky masculine scent, the hard muscled planes of his back under her hand, the gentle way he held her, guiding her in a sweetly graceful waltz. She was overwhelmed with sensations, her body’s needs overriding everything, even the party. “How many dates have we had now?” she asked.
He straightened and pulled back to look at her. “I figure this is date two. First date was yesterday’s lunch. I don’t think we can count the Knicks game at your place or lunch with my mom.”
She bit back a smile. “Plus when we went over my business plan over takeout. Everything counts. We’ve definitely had at least three dates.” He’d said it would take three dates before he’d go to bed with her. Priorities.
He danced with her for a few moments before leaning down to her ear, his words a husky rumble. “So you remember what I said about three dates. The question is, are you prepared to adore me and only me?”
She gulped, not used to expressing her feelings out loud, especially with a man. It made her vulnerable, something she never wanted to be. Like a turtle exposing her soft underbelly.
“Lexi?”
Her eyes unexpectedly welled. Oh, fuck. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, hiding her embarrassing cry face against his chest.
“Aw, Lex.” He rubbed her back. “Don’t cry.”
