smooth. Either that or she didn’t really want to leave in the first place.
Shey glanced down at the plate. He’d bought all her go-to-lunches from her favorite deli. She thought again about the effort he must have put into this meeting. It warmed her heart, especially when she glimpsed the fairy lights above. It was almost romantic. Not to mention over-the-top, since she got the vibe he was only looking to take a dip beneath her panties.
‘How about you answer my other questions?’
The air crackled with something taboo, and Shey felt drawn to him like he was a black hole, sucking her in. She tried to fight it, but that was the hardest thing she’d ever done. She needed to keep her head.
‘I own the building. Marco wanted to renegotiate the rental agreement to expand Storm’s offices to this floor.’
Suddenly the effort she found so romantic didn’t seem that way anymore. Sure the fairy lights, the candles, and the hamper of her favorite foods, were all lovely. But that was the extent of it. Surface stuff that didn’t involve any more effort than picking up a phone and ordering someone—probably Mandy—to do it for him.
‘You look disappointed,’ he observed.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she shrugged. ‘I only agreed to lunch to tell you that you’re wasting your time. I’m not interested.’
He grabbed her wrist; his hold firm but gentle. Her skin sizzled, and she tried to keep her mind sharp, but all she felt was a stronger pull and she couldn’t stop herself from falling into the spiral of urgent desire. He traced his thumb over the veins on the underside of her arm and Shey’s breath caught in her throat. Calvin’s smile slipped, and his eyes promised things she should know better than to want.
‘I think you’re as interested as I am, though I seem to be the only one willing to admit it.’
Shey snatched her arm back, his self-assured observation giving her the strength she needed. ‘Lust is irrelevant. It’ll take more than some sandwiches and wine to get me to swoon over you.’
He picked up some parma ham and cheese with his fingers. ‘I don’t want you to swoon over me. Eat.’
Calvin popped the food into his mouth. Shey watched that sculpted jaw work as he chewed. She forgot for a second what he’d said. His thick throat bobbed and her heart raced, the pull in every cell of her body intensifying as she wondered what it would be like to lick her way from the hollow in the center of his collarbone all the way up over his Adam’s apple.
She reached for the wine and took a huge gulp. It was smooth as silk, just like him. The fruity taste was divine. Not even close to distracting her from his presence, though. He seemed to dominate the entire lobby, his impressive Armani-clad body the only focal point.
‘Then what do you want?’ she found herself asking, even though she knew.
‘You. In a bed. For a few nights, perhaps a week.’
The husky tone of his voice touched her like a caress and his words painted images in her mind of the two of them naked, rolling around sweaty and desperate. She tried to pull herself together; after all, he’d pretty much told her he wanted to fuck her and nothing else, but her body reacted like it was readying itself to welcome him inside, and her mind clouded over.
‘I want to do things with you, Shey. Things that will bring us both immense pleasure. I want to fuck you with my tongue, fingers and cock until you can’t stand. Then I want to do it all over again.’
Before she could stop herself, his deep baritone voice roused more dirty fantasies. Her clit swelled, her nipples ached and a volcanic rush of hormones vibrated through her. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think of a cutting remark to throw at him to make him stop the assault on her senses.
‘Why?’ she asked, cussing the fact her voice was all breathy.
His gaze dipped down the upper half of her body, and when he returned his attention to her face, his eyes were wild. ‘You are every man’s wet dream, Shey Lopez. Curves in all the right places. Gorgeous. I can’t not want you. Believe me, I’ve tried.’
She swallowed.
‘And you want me just as much.’
Unable to speak, she stared at him.
That was when he rose, stalked around the table, and offered his hand.
God help her, she placed her hand in his and then she was off the chair and pressed against his chest. Lost in the darkness of his eyes. Lost in the crude words that made her want to spread herself out on the table in offering. He ran a finger up her spine over the silk dress, enticing a shiver and igniting a sharp need at her core.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Losing control was dangerous. It led to bad things, like the end of a career and accidental pregnancies. The thought gave her the strength to pull away. His mouth opened in disbelief, but she wasn’t giving him a chance to let him talk her around again. Shey grabbed her bag.
‘Thank you for lunch, but this is a bad idea.’
Her heels clicked urgently across the floor. Just as she was about to turn the lock, he spoke.
‘I never would have guessed you’d be uptight about sex.’
Her hand froze on the key and her teeth clenched. She wasn’t uptight, just careful.
Then Friday night’s conversation flashed into her mind. Safe and controlled relationships were all she allowed herself. Ever. But every cell inside was screaming to turn around and let him kiss her, and maybe more. And why not? She could do crazy, just once, couldn’t she? As long as she kept her head, it didn’t have to go too far.
Shey turned. Calvin’s expression was closed off, but he couldn’t hide the heat in his eyes. She dropped her bag, then walked back to him slowly, with an extra sashay in her hips.
‘I’m not uptight about anything.’
The grin was back as he rested his hip against the table. ‘I’ll believe that when you stop running from this.’
She stopped right in front of him. ‘I’m not running anywhere.’
‘What changed your mind?’ he asked, but his attention was on her lips.
‘I had to prove you wrong.’
He chuckled again, and the noise shivered through her. Grabbing her hips, he maneuvered her until her ass hit the table, and he closed in. Her heart rate spiked, her breath coming in short gasps.
His palms rested on the table either side of her. ‘I’m happy to be proven wrong in this case.’
Calvin’s head lowered slowly. She closed her eyes, totally lost in the unique scent of him, but still retaining control of herself. His body pressed so close to hers she could feel his erection prodding her stomach, his hard pectorals buffering the soft flesh of her breasts. She was sliding into the erotic moment with him; the urge to let go and enjoy was overwhelming.
His lips brushed her earlobe, soft as a whisper, and she made an incoherent sound in her throat. ‘Is this what you want, Shey?’
Shey was trembling so hard she didn’t know how to answer. She was wired to him, barely hanging on to reason. All she wanted was to be closer. To have his hands on her. For him to stop talking and fulfill the promises he made earlier with actions.
As if reading her mind, his palms made contact with her outer thighs. The charge that ran through her ignited her senses. She was aware of every one of her pulse points, especially the one aching between her legs. Knees weakening, she grabbed onto his shoulders for support. His lips brushed her collarbone, and her head rocked to the side to give him better access. That seemed to be the reaction he wanted, because slowly he slipped her dress up her hips as he nibbled her throat.
The pull towards him intensified like gravity. The closer she got, the closer she needed to be. His breath tickled her neck as