Page 5 of The Last Date

The ends of her blond hair trailed through the water like seaweed, and I was relieved that she wasn’t the kind of girl who freaked about keeping her hair perfect.

Using any excuse to touch her, I reached out to fix a piece of hair that was creating an awkward loop, then tucked it behind her ear. Watching her lips curl very slightly into a smile made my heart lurch. She was intrigued.

“So, why didn’t your date work out tonight?” I asked.

Her tongue darted over the surface of that perfect pouty bottom lip, making me thankful for the cover of the water so she didn’t notice my instant arousal.

“We don’t want the same things,” she said.

Leaning in, I breathed into her ear, “Did he kiss you?”

Watching the shiver run through her from my breath on her cheek stirred something deep inside me.

“No.” Those fascinating gray-blue eyes looked up at me. “Why?”

“Good.” The dark tone in my voice was unintentional. “The thought of anyone else claiming those lips is painful.”

Pulling away, her eyes moved to my mouth as I smiled. Let her think about kissing me for a while, then I’ll know if she’s into me.

“Do you date a lot?” I asked, swimming in a lazy circle around her corner of the pool.

“You’re nosy,” she said, but her eyes were sparkling. “Yes, if you must know, my mother sets me up every week.”

“Sounds annoying.”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. I’d be happy if I never had to date again.”

My arm floated out to brush her shoulder for half a second. “Do you mean you don’t want any set up dates? Or do you mean no dates, as in, no social meetings that are pre-planned?”

Her laugh was pure sunshine. “I guess I’d like to meet people naturally. No planned dinners. Nothing forced and stiff.”

Every healthy man was going to be stiff in her presence, but I kept that to myself.

“Meeting people naturally, huh?” I shot a glance to the group of lounging men as Carter bragged at length about a certain bottle of scotch.

Placing my feet back on the bottom, I moved from her right side to her left, passing by her through the water with barely half an inch between us. Leaning in to nuzzle her ear, I whispered, “Is meeting someone when you’re naked natural enough for you?”

I stepped away before she could gasp, loving the glare she tried to pin me with. She was clearly a bit sheltered. Naive. Those were the dangers of growing up rich in a posh neighborhood where problems were magically solved with money and connections.

She’d likely never really been with a man. That thought was like a shark circling the back of my mind.

“So you don’t want dates, but I’ll bet you want a boyfriend someday,” I chuckled. “Don’t worry, angel. We’ll figure it out.”

“What I want is none of your business,” she said softly.

“What if I want to make it my business?”

“What do you mean?” Her wide eyes blinked slowly, clearly enjoying the way I stared at her. Those pupils were huge, as her chest rose and fell more quickly.

As a big laugh rolled through the group of men behind us, I took the opportunity to lean in beside her ear again. “You’re my main focus now, gorgeous. I’ll tell you the details soon.”

She turned slightly toward me, our lips so close that for three solid seconds I thought she was going to bridge the gap and kiss me. But she froze. I leaned toward her just enough to barely brush my bottom lip against hers. It wasn’t even a kiss. It was the ultimate tease.

Backing away as if nothing had happened, I grinned. “I’ll see you soon, sweet little Sasha.” Her eyes blazed, as her slight blush made her cheeks glow.

Climbing out of the pool, I grabbed a towel from the stack on a lounge chair, joining the other men as I helped myself to some chips.

It nearly killed me to leave her there to go talk to Caspian, Carter, and the other stuffy corporate types. But I knew that if I wanted that gorgeous angel to be mine, I was going to have to set up a plan to take her.

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