Page 39 of Some Like It Deadly
Recognizing a familiar tune, she couldn’t stop her grin. With the breeze coming in off the ocean and the sun slanting down over it, the entire set up promised romance and seduction. He’d declared his intentions and armed his theater of war. Being the target of so much effort had never happened to her before, and damn if her stomach didn’t quiver and her heart skip a beat.
Letting herself out, she met his heated gaze when he glanced over his shoulder and skimmed his gaze over her. The caress of his attention was an invitation to join him. Padding across the sun-warmed wood, she paused at the table and spotted thebottles of water in a tub of ice and the wine—an Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon. He’d opened the bottle to let it breathe.
Pouring two glasses a quarter full each—she wasn’t taking another one of those damn pain pills—she set the bottle down and carried the two glasses to the grill. “It smells wonderful.” She kept her attention on him as she passed over his glass.
He eyed hers curiously and swept his gaze up to meet her eyes. “You sure?” Laden with so many meanings, the two very simple words packed a punch.
“To open doors,” she toasted and his grin grew wider, creasing his face in delight. Her breath hitched because the man had no idea of the devastating effect he had on her equilibrium.
“To open doors,” he murmured and their glasses clinked together. They both sipped, but he kept watching her.
“And to not burning these beautiful steaks you’re preparing.” Pleasure twisted in her chest at his muttered oath. He handed her back the wine glass before flipping the steaks.
In addition to the meat, he had created a foil pan on the top burner with onions, asparagus and peppers grilling together over the heat. The combination of scents made her hungry, but it was the man, not the wine, who intoxicated her most.
“How is your shoulder?” He cast her a sidelong look and took his wine glass back.
“Can’t feel a thing.” It wasn’t a lie. Beyond a twinge, she couldn’t care less about the ache. Since he wasn’t touching the grill, she gave into the impulse and traced her fingers down the line of his arm. The tiny hairs tickled her skin. It didn’t take much of a leap to imagine how sensuous it would be to rub against him. Her nipples tightened at the thought.
“Really? So would you say it’s a temporary reprieve or result of the care you’ve received?” Another question lurked beneath the surface and she spread her hand over his shoulder and stroked the cottony softness of his shirt.
“Hmm. Hopefully not temporary, but then I have a very high threshold for pain. This tiny ache certainly can’t compete with my other needs.” She tipped the glass up for another drink. His throat bobbed with a swallow and she hid a smile. “Did I mention that this is a wonderful wine? The fruit is very evident in it.”
“You did say you loved fruit and, of our local vintages, this is one of my favorites. The licorice and cloves are subtle, but they bring out the bite in the grapes.”
Of course he knew about wine, the man was perfect.
Kate laughed. “Well, we’ve exhausted what I know about wine.” Dragging her hand off him, she padded lazily to the rail and glanced out over the ocean. “So…”
“Yes?” He didn’t follow her, but the weight of his gaze scorched her senses.
“Are you enjoying being impossible?” Twisting to lean against the rail, she drank in the view of him. His dark eyes, the way the wind tugged at his hair, and that damn lock of hair that continued to drift down onto his forehead. She loved that stupid little lock of hair. It made him look younger, easing the hard planes of his face, and transformed him from good-looking to breathtakingly handsome.
Someone could write a book about a man like him. Blunt, forceful and wielding charm the way others did sarcasm. The corner of his mouth quirked and a devilish glint gleamed in his eyes. “You’re trying to seduce me.”
“Am I?” She might never win a war of words with him, but damn would she have fun trying.
“So it would seem. Or perhaps it is merely a distraction to throw me off my game?” He flipped the steaks and checked the veggies. The heat from the grill left a primal shimmer of sweat on his skin.
“Could you truly be distracted from an impossible seduction by a counter of seduction?” Swirling the wine in her glass, she considered the possibilities. “Isn’t that like fighting fire with more fire?”
“An effective technique if you have a range fire you can’t control. You start a backfire and consume all the fuel in front of it so that when the two fires collide…” He clucked his tongue.
“I’m sorry, Richard. Are you trying to tell me that if we collide, you’re going to fizzle out?”
Surprise blustered across his face and his eyes narrowed. For a split-second, she thought not only had she scored a point, she’d won the match, but he recovered. “I can assure you I don’tfizzleout of anything.”
“Well, that’s very good to know, but we may have to test that theory later.” They locked gazes and her body pulsed with the naked desire in his eyes. “For now, you need to feed me. I think we’ll need all the caloric intake we can manage.”
It was an offer.
He didn’t answer right away, his attention dipped to the food he cooked then one by one, he removed the pair of steaks and added the veggies to the platter. The silence dragged on long enough that worry began to nibble on her spine. Shutting off the grill, he carried the platter and his wine glass to the table and set them down. Turning, his lashes swept up and he gave her a lingering look from head to toe.
Extending his hand, a smile full of dark promises curved his mouth. “Then would you allow me the honor of feeding you?”
That was an acceptance.
Her stomach bottomed out. She’d been calmer about jumping out of planes. Fear and nerves had never made her balk before and tonight would not be the exception. Pushing away from the railing, she sauntered toward him. “Open door?” she murmured, sliding her hand into his.
