Page 70 of Fish out of Water
In that case I wanted to buy it in every color it came in.
And then never let her out of the house in it.
I wanted her to wear it only for me.
“That dress isn’t conducive to a man keeping his sanity.”
Her head slowly tipped my way, eyes fixing on mine. “I’m not worried about the men here losing their minds.”
I leaned closer, moving in until my lips barely brushed her ear. “You should be worried about it happening to at least one of them, Julia.”
Her chin barely lifted. “I doubt that.”
“Do you?” I pressed closer, letting my words drag across her skin. “Why do you doubt that?”
“You seem perfectly sane, Grant.”
Looks could be deceiving.
In my case, very deceiving.
I should be proud. Happy I’d fooled one more person into seeing me the way I thought I wanted to be seen.
But Julia wasn’t simply one more person.
“I can promise you I am anything but sane right now, Julia.” I nosed along the soft curls she’d put in her dark hair, breathing in the scent of rose and amber surrounding her. It was different from how she normally smelled. Deeper. Darker.
Dangerous.
I dragged my lips along the side of her neck. “You are a problem for me, Jules.”
“Grant.”
There was a warning in her tone, but it barely registered. “I know I should stay away from you, but I can’t.” I ran the tips of my fingers along the smooth skin of her shin, sliding them over her knee as I caught the lobe of her ear between my teeth. I wanted more of her. All of her.
The dam was gone and there was no stopping the flood. All I could do was ride it out. Keep my head above water.
Hope I survived.
My hand slid higher, stroking up the inside of her thigh, completely intent on one thing and one thing only.
Proving I could be what she needed.
“Grant.” This time the warning was sharper.
Sharp enough to drag my attention kicking and screaming from its sole focus. “What’s wrong?”
“People are watching us.”
“They’re not watching us, Jules.” I teased higher, the heat coming off her body luring me in like a freezing man chasing fire. “They’re watching you.”
“I don’t think so—” She gasped as I brushed against her.
It was more than I could handle. “Come on.” I stood up just as our waiter arrived. “We want a bottle of the Joseph Colin Chardonnay and two filets.” I kept moving as he stared. “We’ll be right back.”
Julia’s stride was choppy as she tried to keep up with me. “Where are we going?”
This place was my mother’s home away from home when she was in town, which meant I’d been here more than a few times. Enough to know the layout of the place like the back of my hand.
