An Exceptional Twist (5 page)

Oh yeah, this girl
definitely wants me
.  

Those sweet innocent brown eyes met
his. “Um...I didn’t use the key, just in
case.”  Holding up her bag, she added, “I made a rice
dish and salad to go with the rest of the food.”

“Come in.” Stepping aside, he let her
pass, unable to take his eyes off of her.  As she
took the food out of the bag, the aroma hit him.  “Wow,
that smells delicious.  I don't think I've ever drooled
over the smell of rice before.”

“It's my
abuelita's
recipe.” She smiled fondly. He stared at her, confused,
and she explained, “I'm sorry, I mean my Grandmother's
recipe.”

“What's in it?”  He’d never been
so excited about rice before but, damn, it smelled good.

“Rice with grilled
asparagus, mozzarella cheese and cream cheese.” That sounded like
an odd combination no matter how delicious it smelled. She must’ve
read his mind, because she added, “Believe me, it's super yummy and
great with steak. We usually save it for the
holidays.  It's 
that
 special.” She confidently
raised her eyebrows.

He nodded, then ran his hand through his
dark hair. “Well, I'm honored then,” he said in his most charming
tone, “that you brought a special family holiday rice dish just
for me tonight.”  

She looked away, a blush travelling up from
her neck.

Finally.

Normally, he could make a girl blush in the
first five seconds of meeting her.

Secretly pleased, he pointed to the large
bowl in her hand. “What's in the salad?  That looks good,
too.”

She cleared her throat, nervously setting
out the different containers. “Oh, this one is Abby's
favorite.  It has romaine lettuce, feta cheese,
scallions, sesame sticks and poppy seed dressing.”  

She chewed on the side of her mouth, and he
found himself wanting to do the same thing to her. “Wow, Abby's
favorite dish, too?  I must have impressed you.” He
winked and could’ve sworn he heard her let out the tiniest
gasp.

 ”You, sir, are too cocky for your own
good,” she shot back.

 ”Oh, you have no idea,” he
replied, using his deepest tone. He moved toward her as she pulled
the bruschetta out of the bag, but she was too fast, sidestepping
him before he got a chance to get close to her.

 She clasped her hands in front of
herself and asked, “Can I help you with the grill?”

 He snickered and shook his head before
picking up the platter of steaks.  “No, I've got this
part.  Why don't you follow me out though, and we can eat
by the pool.”

 He guided her out through the French
doors that led to the backyard, watching her as she eyed the
pool.

“I wish I had thought to bring my suit. A
swim sounds kind of nice.”

She blinked hard as though she regretted her
words, but it didn't stop him from saying, “I went swimming
this afternoon but wouldn't mind going again.”  The meat
sizzled as it hit the grill, and he watched for her reaction.

Staring off toward the pool, then
subconsciously looking at her chest, Leah said decidedly, “That’s
okay, I'd never fit into one of Abby's, and I don’t really want to
drive back home to get mine.” 

He followed her gaze and understood. 
Abby was very large chested and Leah was…not. Normally he was
drawn to women with big racks. But Leah’s boobs were perfect for
her body.

I wouldn’t mind seeing them for myself.

A perfect thought came to him. “It's only
us. You don't really need one.” He shrugged, smiling with
devilish innocence

She glared. “Skinny dipping? Really?”

Stefen bit the inside of his lip to avoid a
chuckle. Her words may have said that she was offended, but the
fire that lit in her eyes was definitely intrigued.

Suddenly, he was reminded
of his cousin’s warning, and his laughter died in his
throat.
Shit!
  He had to fix this.  Caleb would kill
him if he found out. “Sorry, I didn't mean to offend
you.  I just thought I'd throw it out there if you were
interested.” Hopefully he masked the panic in his voice.

 ”Don’t ask again,” she warned, fists
on her hips and daggers shooting out of her almond shaped
eyes.  She really was insulted, which surprised the hell out
of him.

Damn, I thought she would’ve been all over
that.

He put up a hand. ”Okay, sorry
again.  Here, have a seat, and I'll go get the rest of
the food while the steaks cook.”  

He pulled a chair out for her and she
begrudgingly sat down.  Going inside, he grabbed a shirt,
threw it on, and took the food she brought out to the backyard. He
had better watch his step and not push his luck, at least not
tonight.

Stefen placed everything
on the rod iron patio table, then checked the
steaks.  
Nice and well
done
, he thought as he moved them to the
top rack to let them rest. Turning the grill off, he headed to the
table.

Seemingly lost in thought, Leah stared off
at the ocean view. Following her line of sight, Stefen noticed the
sun was setting in the horizon.

No wonder it’s starting to get a little
cooler.

Stefen pulled his seat back, and Leah began
to anxiously fidget with the cutlery as she took a deep breath.
“Listen, Stefen, I've had a great time with you and all, but I
don’t think we should spend any more time together.” 

Stefen’s eyes widened. “I said I was sorry,
Leah.  Won't happen again.  I'd rather not be
stuck in this lifeless town by myself. I have some work that can
keep me busy, but I thought we could hang out some
more.”  He huffed, struggling not to let his annoyance
show too much.

“Lifeless town?” She looked at him, insulted
again.  “This place is gorgeous, and you should feel
privileged to be here. There are plenty of things to see and
do.”

She was
irritated.  
Good
.  He was getting to
her as much as she was getting to him.

About damn time.

His eyebrow cocked, challenging
her. ”Prove me wrong. Where should we go tomorrow?” The
innocent grin with a hint of devil was back. He gave her a moment
to think while he plated the steaks and set them down at the
table.

There was a slight crease in her forehead.
He could almost see wheels turning in there.  

“I'll think about it,” she said, propping
her chin in her hand.  “I have to work this week, but
maybe next weekend I'll take you to some of our fun spots.”

 ”Fun spots?” Stefen grinned, his
frustration easing. “I look forward to it.”

Leah picked up the phone
and put it down several times. She didn’t want to call Stefen. He
bugged her. He was conceited.
And
beautiful…dammit, Leah. You’re not going there.

Finally, she dialed his number. All week
she’d told herself she wasn't going to see him again, yet here she
was, listening to the phone ringing.

He had to lay down that damn challenge. She
was a sucker for challenges. Besides, before she left last Sunday,
he made a point to get her number, even programming it into his
cell, then he had the nerve to call it right then to make sure it
was correct.

He’d looked up at her with his sensual smirk
and said, “Now you’ll always have my number.”

She’d wanted to smack him, but thought
better of it.

“Hello?”  A deep sexy voice
answered.

“Hey, Stefen, it’s Leah.  Are you
busy?”  She began to bite her cuticles. Something about him
made her nervous.

“Not at all,” his voice deepened further.
 “I just dropped Madison off at her grandparents’ house. We
saw that new dinosaur flick. What’s up?”

She heard blankets
rustling in the background and an image of him sprawled out over a
bed flooded her mind.
Oh my.

Gathering her thoughts, Leah replied, “I'm,
uh…at, um…work right now. But I wanted to see if we could, um…get
together later?” When he didn’t answer right away, she started to
worry. Maybe she shouldn’t have called him. It was a stupid idea.
She gripped the phone a little tighter, then rambled
on. ”There’s a Spanish-style resort and spa named Escalona a
little north of here.”

“I'm not much of a
salsa dancer.” He wasn't going to make this easy for her at
all.
Damn him
.

She put his own challenge in her tone.
“Aren't you up for a little adventure, Mr. Hunter?  I thought
you wanted to find out what our little ocean town had to offer.
Stick with me, I'll show you all the moves you need.”

Once those words came rolling out, she
realized how they sounded. “Um, I mean to salsa dance. All the
moves you need to salsa dance.”  She hated how breathy her
voice sounded and was glad he couldn't see her red face
through the phone.  It was bad enough that he could hear her
stumble over her words.

Stefen’s irresistible chuckle rumbled
through the line. “Okay, I'm game.  What time should I pick
you up?”

“I'm shutting down my shop at six, so if we
leave my house by seven, then we should be there in plenty of time.
I have a wedding to work in the morning and need to be in bed
early.” Smacking her forehead, she realized what she just said.

In bed? Really? Did I just say in bed?

She could hear his grin through the phone.
“See you at seven, then. And I’ll make sure to get you into bed at
a decent hour.” He chuckled darkly before hanging up.

I'm totally screwed.

Leah swooshed the hangers in her closet back
and forth, wondering what she should wear. In the end, she decided
on a red backless halter dress that matched perfectly with her
strappy ruby-colored heels. Digging through her underwear drawer,
she grabbed her favorite pair of red lace panties, then hurried
into the bathroom for a quick shower.

She ran later than she anticipated, given
that her last customer didn't leave the shop until almost
six-thirty. Ready in record breaking time, she’d just sprayed her
perfume when she heard a knock on her door.

She answered it, and Stefen’s eyes raked
down her body. His gaze was unrushed and heated as he scanned
upward to meet her eyes.

“Wow, Leah.  You look unbelievable.”
 His eyes narrowed, taking her in.

“Thanks.” Flustered by his flattery, she
self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You clean
up pretty nicely yourself.”

And damn did
he
. It took everything she had not to
slide her hands under his dark jacket and run them down the
material of his grey button-down shirt.

“Ready to go?” she said in a rush. Not
waiting for his answer, she grabbed her purse and held her breath
as she turned to lock the door, knowing his eyes were now checking
out how low cut her dress was in the back.

Glancing over her
shoulder, she caught his stare focused on her ass. She smiled and
shook her head.
Men.

“What’s the matter?” she teased, happy that
she’d finally gotten to him.

Stefen gulped as he looked up at her face.
“Nothing. I just didn’t expect...I don’t know what I expected.” He
closed his eyes and shook his head once. “Let’s go.”

He placed his hand where the dress gathered,
leaving his thumb access to rub her bare lower back. Goosebumps
broke out on her arms, and she gulped.

How the hell am I going to get through this
evening without throwing myself at him?