Hunks: Opposites Attract (14 page)

“Don’t count yourself short. What you’re doing is wonderful and I can’t wait to eat,” she said, surprised again by this unpredictable man.

Sapphire was shocked when Brian’s eyes suddenly filled with fierce sparkling. “How about we get through tonight and you can see how wonderful I truly am?” Planting a kiss on her mouth, Brian stepped back from her with a huge grin on his face. “Don’t stand there looking so stunned. We’re only going to be here for a few more days and I have to use everything I can to win you over.”

New and unexpected warmth surged through Sapphire as Brian spun around from her and made his way towards the kitchen. She was beginning to see there was a lot more to him than she realized.

Brian probably knew his good looks and killer body were the first two things that caught her interest, but after spending some time with him he showed her there was more to him. Sapphire was excited about what new parts of his personality Brian would reveal to her while they were together.

Spinning away from where Brian left her, Sapphire went back over to the front door and picked up her skates. She would sit them out on the enclosed patio so they could be close by the next time she went ice skating with him.

As she walked past the kitchen, Sapphire stopped and took a peek inside. She spotted Brian digging around in the panty across from the island. He looked at home with his sleeves pushed up past his elbows.

A lock of his dark brown hair had fallen across his forehead giving a restless look to his already handsome face. If she wasn’t careful, Sapphire knew she could fall hard for Brian. He made her want to spend time with him snuggled up in front of the fireplace or even laughing over a cup of coffee in the morning.

The goal of the hunk challenge was to find a blue collar man to date, not to fall in love with after being around each other for only a few days. Sapphire’s willpower was stronger than it was acting at the cottage. She stole one final look at Brian before backing away from the door allowing it to close softly behind her. She didn’t want him to catch her staring at him.

****

Brian felt Sapphire’s eyes on him the second the kitchen door opened. He was going to say something to her, but he got the feeling she was already deep into her own thoughts. The kiss at the pond probably took her by surprise, but he couldn’t help it. She’d looked so beautiful standing there in the snow .

He kissed her before the thought had completely left his mind and he wasn’t a damn bit sorry about it.

The sweet taste of her mouth still lingered on his lips. He wouldn’t be able to get the memory of their hot exchange out of his mind for a while. His cock was still hard begging for release that he wouldn’t get tonight because he wasn’t going to push things with Sapphire.

She was already battling her own emotions concerning him and he didn’t want to make it worse by pushing her too soon to make love. He was more than ready to strip the clothes from her luscious body and show Sapphire how much he craved her touch. But she wasn’t on the same page as him yet, so it wouldn’t do him any good.

This meant he would spend another solo night in his bed having the twentieth wet dream starring the woman down the hallway from his bedroom.

Brian would never forget his first dream about Sapphire. It came the day he noticed her coming off the elevator where she worked. She was wearing a white dress with a black belt around her waist showing off all of her curves. Her legs had looked a mile long in the leopard high heels.

He never knew a dentist could look so sexy and professional at one time. Sapphire had worn her long hair pulled back in a tight bun. All he could think about was undoing it and running his fingers through it while they kissed.

The memory of Sapphire stayed with him all through the day and well into the night. She was oblivious to how deep his feelings ran for her. He was practically already down the street to halfway in love with her.

When he finally saw the woman he was meant to be with for the rest of his life nothing else mattered in the world to him but getting her to notice him. Brian never knew what was missing from his less than exciting life until Sapphire came into his.

Moving away from the pantry with the steak seasoning in his hand, Brian went back over to the steaks on the counter and began working his magic on the meat.

Cooking always relaxed him after a long day of delivering mail. Most of the time he cooked for himself, so it finally felt good to be cooking for someone else. More than anything, Brian needed something to get his mind off Sapphire and how much he wanted to be with her.

Just being in her presence was enough to set his body on fire; however, he wouldn’t be able to win Sapphire over with sex alone. He would have to romance her, show Sapphire how much he thought they should be together even after New Year’s Eve was over.

Something about Sapphire made him see that he could have the white picket fence with the kids and a couple of pets. However, Brian got a sense he might have a hard time winning her over.

If he was a betting man, he would gamble that he wasn’t like any of the other men Sapphire dated. She probably only went out with guys who could still afford three hundred dollar meals even in this economy.

Right now, he didn’t have too much to offer her since his web design business wasn’t off the ground yet.

Could Sapphire accept dating a man who was working his way to the top? He would happily settle for an exclusive relationship between the two of them.

Brian picked up the plates with the steaks on them and placed them in the refrigerator. He still had to go outside and get the grill fired up. When he got back inside he would check to see if there were potatoes in the house and if so, Brian decided to toss them on the grill too. A good romantic home-cooked meal was only the first step into placing himself into Sapphire’s world.

Chapter Twenty-One

New York

“The view from this window is unbelievable,” Shauntie gushed as Nash kissed the back of her neck before wrapping his arms around her waist. “I never thought about staying here before with the girls. This place is totally Emerald.”

“I’m glad you haven’t been here before,” Nash said, turning her around in his strong yet gentle grip. “I want us to have some firsts on this trip.”

“Sweetheart, we can have all the firsts you want while we’re here on our mini vacation.” Leaning closer, Shauntie gave Nash a quick kiss on the mouth. “I love you too much not to have an outstanding time.”

Green eyes smoldered with fire a second after the words left Shauntie’s mouth. She loved how much her strong, rugged boyfriend turned into mush anytime she told him those words. One day in the future she hoped Nash would be more than her boyfriend, but she didn’t want to rush things with him.

They hadn’t been seeing each other that long, but it felt like she and Nash had been dating for years instead of weeks. Would Nash be ready to marry her in the New Year or was he content with the way their relationship was going?

Shauntie knew she didn’t want another man in her life. Nash was it for her...for now and forever. Nash wasn’t lying to her while dating another woman on the side. She was smart enough to know she was the only woman in his life. Nash’s eyes never wandered to other women when they were out. Her hunky boyfriend was a one woman man and without a doubt that woman was her.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Nash teased, tapping her on the nose with his finger.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Shauntie apologized, shaking the last lingering thought about her future with Nash from her already cluttered mind.

“What had you in such deep thought that you didn’t hear me talking to you?” Nash questioned, running his hand up and down her back.

“I think it might be jet lag. I haven’t flown in a while. I’m also feeling more tired than usual. I don’t know what‘s wrong.”

Nash’s hand stopped stroking her back as he eased back from her. Cupping her chin in his hand, he tilted her face up so he could look her directly in the eye. “Why didn’t you tell me that you haven’t been feeling well?” he asked, concern evident in his deep voice. “We could have postponed the trip for another time.”

Shauntie’s heart swelled with even more love over Nash’s worry about her health. “There isn’t any need for you to panic.”

“Sweetheart, I can’t pretend I’m not worried about you. You work so many hours during the week. I only want you to relax a little more. That’s all.”

Pulling her back to him, Nash planted a kiss at the side of her temple. “Shauntie, I’ve been in love with you so long that I don’t like the thought of you being sick. How about we take a shower together and then a nap?”

She took a step back from Nash. Why did she need to take a nap? She wasn’t so weak that she needed to be carried off to bed after a shower. This was her first time in New York with Nash and spending her time here taking a nap wasn’t on her to do list.

“I don’t—” Shauntie was hushed by Nash placing his finger over her mouth.

“I won’t change my mind about this. You need some rest. Anything you had planned for us to do we can do tomorrow.”

Removing Nash’s finger from her mouth Shauntie thought about arguing with him, but decided against it. She was more fatigued than usual and a quick nap might just be the relaxation that her body required.

“Alright, I’ll lay down but on one condition,” she said, watching as Nash fought not to argue with her.

“What’s the condition?”

“We go downstairs and have dinner inside the restaurant instead of ordering room service. Do we have a deal?”

“You do know how hard it is for me to say no to you,” Nash sighed then planted a kiss on her mouth. “I’ll agree to dinner in the restaurant. Now, let’s get you into the shower and then bed.” Taking her by the hand, Nash led her into the luxurious bedroom.

A thought crossed Shauntie’s mind as she walked into the bathroom behind Nash. “Are you going to join me in the shower?”

“You better believe I am. Who else is going to wash your back?” he teased.

“I knew I loved you for a reason,” Shauntie said as Nash spun her around and worked on the zipper on the back of her dress.

“I thought you loved me for my good looks and boyish charm.”

Reaching behind her, Shauntie moved Nash’s hand off her dress. Turning around, she looked up into his eyes. “I love you for so many reasons besides those. You gave me back the ability to love unconditionally, something I thought I’d lost a long time ago. You mean so much to me.” Shauntie watched as the handsome man in front of her lit up with pleasure.

“Baby, you mean everything to me too. There aren’t words to describe how much having you in my life means.”

Lowering his head, Nash kissed the corner of her mouth then pulled her bottom lip between his two front teeth. “How about we take that shower? I’m getting impatient to wrap you up in my arms.”

Spinning her back around, Shauntie presented the back of her dress again to Nash giving him the chance to finish what he’d been working on earlier. The trip to New York had been excellent so far. However, a part of her deep inside hoped Nash would pull out a ring and ask her to marry him.

Was it so wrong for her to want to whole cake and be able to eat it too?

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dark gray eyes burning with hot desire followed Sapphire’s body as it swayed to the music in the kitchen while she worked on fixing a salad to go with the steak he was grilling outside.

Sapphire had come downstairs earlier and asked to help him out with dinner, so he gave her the salad to work on. He decided to go outside to put some much needed distance between them because it was getting harder for him to deny his growing feelings.

The days out here in the woods went by a lot slower than when he celebrated the upcoming New Year’s Eve at home. Brian had to admit finding different things out here to occupy himself with so he would keep his mind off making his next move with Sapphire was hard.

Bracing his shoulder against the wall, Brian liked he could observe Sapphire with her guard down. She constantly was trying to stay so perfect and well-guarded with her emotions when they were together. The only time she had let loose was when they kissed on the pond.

He approved of this side of Sapphire so much more than the unapproachable woman he encountered on his first day here. Brian noticed when he didn’t push her too much today, but allowed Sapphire to roam her own pace, how she gravitated more towards him. She wasn’t comfortable when he came across like he needed her too much.

The moment Brian suggested he should go ice skating with her Sapphire’s entire body language changed with him. She might not admit it, but she was happy he had brought something to the conversation. Going to the pond with her had rekindled fond memories of his dad taking him out on the ice for the first time when he was around two years old.

His father had given him his passion for the ice and skated with him anytime he got the chance until he passed away a day before Brian turned seventeen. Brian felt sudden tears in his eyes. Blinking them away, he gave his attention back to Sapphire and the sensual way her body moved to the music blasting from the radio.

He was trying so hard to be good...
really
he was, but the sight of Sapphire’s full hips and tight ass was too much for any sexually aroused man to take anymore.

Pushing his body away from the wall, Brian walked softly towards Sapphire so he wouldn’t alert her to the fact he had been watching her for almost five minutes. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her against his hard erection.

“You look so good dancing around,” he whispered by her ear.

“Shit!” Sapphire screamed as she jumped in his grip. “Brian, what in the hell is wrong with you?” she squirmed around trying to break free but he held her even tighter.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Brian rubbed her stomach through her sweater hoping to calm her down. “I didn’t mean to scare you but I couldn’t help it. You were dancing around and I got all turned on.”