Seduce Me Read online

  She laughed. “I can’t believe the lines you have. Do you expect me to fall for them? Really?”

  “Are you saying you don’t want me to return the favor?” Leaning in, he took a nibble out of her shoulder, gratified to hear her suck in her breath. “Because I’ve got great hands, Sam.”

  A helpless little moan escaped her when he started a trail of open-mouthed kisses back up to her throat. “Are you just trying to avoid talking?”

  His hands gently squeezed her thighs and then moved to her waist. He lifted her from the table and set her on his lap.

  Perfect. “Why would I do that?”

  “I don’t—” Another sexy little half whimper when he took the lobe of her ear lightly between his teeth. “I don’t know.”

  “I have nothing against talking,” he murmured, and made his way down her jaw, his hands encircling her, gliding up and down her slim spine. “You talk all you want.” Mouth to her ear now, he added, “While I kiss you from head to toe.”

  Laughing, she leaned away from him. “Your knee must feel all better.”

  “Actually…” He stretched it out. “Yes. Much.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Good.” Rising, she grabbed the bottle and held it out to him. “You can take this with you. Rub it on a couple of times a day—”

  Her words were cut off when he tugged her back down, pulled her against him and covered her mouth with his. A little overwhelmed, Sam went still for a second.

  Apparently he took this for a challenge because he softened his hold immediately, as if instinctively knowing she could resist his aggressive hunger, but not slow and seductive desire…

  He slid a hand into her hair at the nape of her neck, the other arm banding low on her hips, all while gently, tenderly, playing at her mouth with his knowing, talented one. He kissed one side, and then the other, and then slowly licked her lower lip until she let it tremble open.

  And only then did he glide his tongue against hers in an age-old dance that had her hips mimicking the motion, and giving away what her mind had resisted but her body had no intention of withstanding.

  “Your bathing suit is still damp.” Over the material of her dress, his hand slipped down her back again, lower this time, over the curve of a buttock, which he palmed.

  Her eyes drifted shut, and she let out a little shiver of anticipation.

  “Cold?” he murmured, pulling her even closer, his hands warm on her body.

  “No.”

  His gaze met hers, his fingers spread wide on her belly now, the very tips just brushing the underside of her breast, which tightened in its eagerness. “Sure?”

  She nodded, silently admitting it wasn’t a chill giving her goose bumps and hard nipples.

  A soft smile curved his mouth, which he touched lightly to hers, just as the hand on her back softened its grip as well, soothing now as it stroked the length of her. “You really did invite me up here just to put that lotion on my knee, didn’t you. Not to have wild, uninhibited sex—”

  “That’s right.” She laughed, touched her forehead to his. “But I’ve thought about…wild, uninhibited sex. A lot. Does that count?”

  “Oh, yeah.” His sigh was long-suffering. “I guess it’s another cold shower night for me.”

  That got a choked laugh out of her. “Another?”

  “I spent a half hour in one after the midnight bodysurfing event.”

  “What, the ocean wasn’t cold enough for you?”

  “Not with you in it.”

  He saw a cocky smile break over her face, and he groaned. “Oh boy, now I’ve done it, I’ve given you even more power over me.”

  “I have a feeling you never let anyone have power over you,” she said.

  “Not often, I’ll give you that. That lotion is good stuff. What other magic do you have?”

  “That was it. My one trick.”

  Cocking his head, he studied her, a small smile playing on his lips. “I doubt that. You’re an interesting woman, Sam. I like that. I like you.”

  “I’m not so interesting.”

  “You run a café that serves sandwiches like ham, seaweed, artichoke hearts and mozzarella cheese on whole wheat, and yet you can’t make brownies to save your life. You’re a natural around kids and yet the thought of settling down with a man in a relationship gives you hives—”

  “You’re not exactly one to talk—”

  “But this is about you.” He touched a finger to her cheek. “You’re nervous dangling above a small tank of water and yet you’ll surf in the ocean.” Laughing, he shook his head. “A bundle of contradictions, but the sexiest bundle I’ve ever seen.”

  “You’re not that different,” she said, but her words faded away when he ran a hand from her toes up her calf, to just beneath the material of her sundress. Breathing became a challenge.

  “Really?” he whispered. His fingers played with the back of her knee in a way that made her want to let her legs fall open.

  She kept them together by sheer will. “No. Not that different at all.”

  “How’s that?” he asked softly, that little smile still dancing around his mouth. He knew exactly what he was doing to her. “Because I don’t cook. And as for kids, I’m not a natural.”

  That made her laugh. “Yes, you are. Kids love you. They think you’re a role model.”

  “I’m no one’s role model.”

  “And yet children love you anyway.” His fingers slipped up a few inches higher on the back of her leg, and her words stuttered to a halt. “Uh…” Where had she been? Oh, yes…“I know you had a hard time in the press, being labeled difficult—” Those fingers spread wide on the back of her thigh now. “A—and a prima donna.” Now his fingers tightened imperceptibly before purposefully relaxing. Her gaze shot to his face. “That one hurt, I bet,” she said, reaching out to put her hand on his chest. “But the truth is, you’re too private for any of those things they say about you to be true.”

  “I was not a saint, Sam.”

  “Good, because I’ve never been a saint, either. Saints are boring. In any case, the past is the past.”

  “Yeah, thankfully.” His hand danced over her skin to her thigh, his thumb making lazy circles on the very inside of that thigh.

  Her blood hummed.

  She put her hand over the material of her dress, halting his movement because she couldn’t take it. “And I can say all this to you, because as I mentioned, we’re very alike, you and I.”

  “I prefer the differences.” His first finger stretched out of her hold and barely, just barely, skimmed over her bikini bottoms.

  Her entire body jerked, but she wasn’t ready to let loose with him, no matter what her hormones were begging. “Do you—”

  “Do I…?”

  She looked at him. “Ever feel like your life is in a sort of holding pattern? Almost…stalled?”

  He went very still, his gaze intent on hers. “Maybe.”

  “I wonder about it, especially since I met you,” she whispered. “Can people outgrow their life? Because I’m just starting to worry that I have.”

  “Maybe we only outgrow parts of it,” he said just as quietly, suddenly as serious as she was. “And maybe new pieces fall into place.”

  “That’s pretty intuitive for a man who doesn’t like to think about the future.”

  “I thought that wasn’t a problem for you.”

  “Oh, it’s not. Actually, it’s one of the reasons you’re so damn attractive,” she admitted. “Because this is all very in the moment, very loose and carefree.”

  He looked at her for a long moment. “Right up your alley, is it?”

  “Yep. No pressure, no worries.”

  “No pressure, no worries,” he repeated softly, and smiled. “Then why aren’t we jumping each other’s bones and calling it a day?”

  “Because even women with commitment phobias have their boundaries.” She stood up, and smiled down at him. “And one of my boundaries is knowing what I’m getting myself i
nto. Before falling into bed with someone.”

  “Hey, what you see is what you get,” he claimed, but he also stood. She walked to the door, opened it, and hoped like hell he wouldn’t touch her again, because if he did, she’d cave faster than a cheap suitcase.

  With a sigh, he moved to the door as well. Night had fallen. He eyed it, then her, and then smiled. “Time flies with you.”

  She looked out into the black sky, a little surprised to find it so.

  “I still owe you some basketball lessons,” he said. “And in return, I have a favor.”

  “Hey, I paid for those lessons.”

  “Relax, this one will amuse you. I want you to teach me to surf.”

  She gaped at him, then laughed.

  “Is that so strange?”

  “No, but…” She shook her head. “Why do you want to learn to surf now?”

  “Because you do it.”

  Oh. Oh, how…lovely. “I’ve been surfing since I could walk, Jack.”

  “So teach me.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  He grinned. “But you like crazy.”

  “I do,” she admitted.

  “So you’ll teach me.”

  What the hell. “Okay. You teach me some basketball, and I’ll teach you to surf.” In the spirit of fun, she thrust out her hand for a handshake. “In fact, I’ll even go first. Meet me here next weekend. Saturday morning, five-thirty.”

  “A.M.?”

  “A.M.”

  Jack stared down at her hand, then into her eyes, his slow smile full of wicked intent as he hauled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her that left her head spinning and her body weeping.

  “Make it six-thirty,” he murmured against her mouth.

  “Six.” She licked her bottom lip to get the last taste of him. “Or no deal. The surfing’s best first thing in the morning.”

  Another sexy smile, along with a sigh. “Six, then.”

  Then one more long, hormone-rattling kiss, and by the end of it, her knees were knocking.

  “’Night,” he whispered.

  “’Night.”

  “Sweet dreams,” and he walked out into the night.

  Smiling like an idiot, she dreamily watched him go. This was perfect, surface only, fun only, just the way she liked it.

  But at the thought, her smile slowly faded.

  9

  HALFWAY THROUGH the following week, Heather found her brother in his huge backyard, sitting by his oversize pool. She took one look at the surfer magazine in his hands and burst out laughing.

  Jack sighed and tossed it aside. “So nice of you to knock.”

  “If you didn’t want me to walk in, you shouldn’t have given me a key.”

  “You could still knock.”

  “Right. Next time.” She plopped down on a lounge chair next to him. “Want to talk about it?”

  “It?”

  “The brooding look on your face.”

  “I’m not brooding.”

  She poked at the surfer magazine. “Maybe we should talk about Sam then.”

  “What about her?”

  “Oh, don’t give me that carefully blank look. You like surfer girl and we both know it. She’s hot, she’s also adorable, though I’m sure she’d hate me saying so.”

  “Is there a point to this?”

  “My point is, I can see why you like her. I like that you like her.”

  “I don’t need your opinion.”

  Her smile was fond, and she ruffled his hair. “You never have, but when has that stopped me?”

  “I just don’t want you roping her, or me, or her and me, into another event where—”

  “Where what? Where you have to have a good time? Where I get to see you smile and look happier than I’ve seen you since you hung from baskets for a living? Oh, Jack, give up. Give in. Make it easy on yourself. Talk to me.”

  “You want me to talk to you? Fine. This weekend, she’s going to…teach me how to surf.”

  “That’s so sweet. She wants you to be a part of her world.”

  “I asked her to teach me.”

  “Then that’s even sweeter, you wanting to be a part of hers. But you couldn’t think of a better way to be with her than risking life and limb? Have you thought about being traditional and going out for pizza and a beer?”

  “I don’t like traditional.”

  “You don’t trust traditional. And why would you? Your professional career was anything but normal and traditional, Jack. But you have a normal life now.” She checked her watch and stood. “Look, be snide and keep your secrets then. I’ve got to run. We’re presenting a check for the rec center today at city hall, and—”

  “I like her. Okay? I really do.” He grabbed her wrist. “And it scares the shit out of me.”

  She sank to the chair at his hip and threw her arms around him. “Oh, Jack—”

  “I know. I’m so screwed.”

  “She’ll like you back. She will,” she said fiercely. “Or I’ll kill her.”

  That got a laugh and he peeled her off him.

  She leaned in again, kissing him noisily on the cheek. “I love you, Jack. Now don’t go all broody again, I’m just looking out for you, and in keeping with that, I’m going to say this with love.”

  “Oh, boy.”

  “Listen up, smarty-pants. Stop sulking and go live your life. Go get her.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And, hey, it could be worse. She could be into skydiving. Or chucking herself off cliffs doing extreme skiing, something like that.”

  Right. It could be worse.

  He’d remember that.

  AS THE DAYS PASSED, Sam spent hours on the phone with Jack, which was strange since she usually hated the phone. But his voice in her ear made her feel oddly giddy, and she’d hang up wondering how the hell she was supposed to relegate him to just a quickie affair when she liked him so very much.

  Saturday dawned clear and beautiful; the sky was tinged pink and lavender. The waves crashed onto the sand with a satisfying thunder that made her anxious to be out there with her board beneath her feet.

  She sat on the sand next to Lorissa and Red. Cole was there, too, and Sam hadn’t been happy to discover he fit her worst nightmare of a boyfriend for Lorissa. He was beautiful, she’d give him that, all long and rangy and blond, with carefully sculpted muscles that would have been perfectly at home on the cover of GQ, but his eyes were cold. When he broke Lorissa’s heart—and he would, she was sure of it—she was going to kick his ass, and enjoy it.

  She and Lorissa and Red had just done some warm-up stretching. The ocean lapped their feet, and at their backs were their surfboards, standing up in the sand waiting for them.

  Sam had an extra board behind her.

  “Four- to six-footers,” Red said, watching the sets roll in. He wore a one-piece wetsuit hacked off at the knees and shoulders. His long silvery hair was pulled back in a strap of leather.

  “So why aren’t you out there?” Sam asked. “It’s not like you to sit and watch the others.”

  “I have a feeling this is where the show is today.”

  Lorissa laughed. She wore surfer shorts and a sunshine-yellow bikini top. “Definitely gotta see this. Cole’s brought his camera for blackmail shots.”

  Cole had wandered off to get some pictures of the surf, so Sam felt free to roll her eyes. “I shouldn’t have told you I was teaching Jack how to surf this morning. A camera will send him running.”

  “Do you really think he’ll show?”

  “Depends on if she’s done the deed with him yet,” Red piped in.

  “What?” Sam turned her head and glared at him. “What did you just say?”

  “It depends on if you—”

  “I heard you! I just don’t know what that has to do with anything.”

  “Well, if you haven’t, he’s still in that wanting-to-please-you stage. He’ll be here. Trust me, I know these things.”

  “And if you have been with him�
�” Lorissa’s eyes danced with laughter “—he won’t feel the need to get up at the crack of dawn, because pleasing you is no longer necessary.”

  Sam shook her head. “You guys are sick, and for the record he asked me to teach him to surf.” She heard Jack’s SUV roar into the parking lot of the café on the bluff above them and her heart kicked it up a notch.

  “She hasn’t slept with him yet,” Lorissa said to Red, who nodded sagely.

  Sam shook her head and got to her feet. “Stay here, both of you. Don’t say a word.”

  Jack appeared at the top of the dune. The light morning breeze ruffled his hair. He wore a light blue hoodie sweatshirt and black swim trunks that came nearly to his knees. As always, no matter where he was or what he was doing—whether in a tux sipping champagne or getting ready to surf for the first time in his life—he looked completely at home.

  She knew the exact moment he laid eyes on her because he smiled.

  And her heart, still racing, tipped right on its side. She lifted an arm and waved to him, and he began walking down the steps. “What?” she hissed out of the corner of her mouth to Lorissa, who was staring at her.

  “Nothing.”

  “Really? Because that was the most loaded nothing I’ve ever heard.”

  “You just waved to him, and jumped up and down at the same time.”

  They all watched Jack, who had eyes only for Sam, come closer.

  “I did not jump up and down,” Sam snapped.

  “Yeah, you did. Oh, baby, he’s got you wrapped,” Red said. “And it’s quite possible you have him wrapped right back.”

  “I thought you weren’t going to say a word,” she said a little unevenly—God, Jack looked good—and started walking to meet him.

  Jack’s smile spread. “Hey. Sorry I’m a few minutes late. I’m not used to my alarm anymore. Or early mornings.”

  “No problem.” She glanced over her shoulder, eyeing Red and Lorissa with a silent warning to be good. “Jack, you know Lorissa. And this is my uncle, Red.”

  The two shook hands and Sam looked at Jack. “So are you sure you want to—”

  “I’m sure.”

  “But—”