Playing With Seduction (9 page)

“Ahh, more wine for you, then,” she teased, but he didn’t even crack a smile. He obviously took his wine very seriously.

He went back to his wine list, which gave her a few more minutes to just sit back in her chair and relax. This was her third outing with Grant—the first had been coffee at Starbucks with easy conversation and the second an informal lunch that had ended with a nice kiss. This was their first evening date, and she’d agreed to meet him at the small, casual bar and grill a few miles from her studio after they’d finished work for the day.

He’d offered to pick her up at home, but she wasn’t quite ready for that next step. Him knowing where she lived made things more intimate, and she wasn’t ready to deal with that awkward
should I invite him in for coffee or not
scenario when he dropped her off at the end of the date.

As a chiropractor who worked in an office setting, he wore a nice dress shirt and tie and slacks. His sandy-blond hair was cut short, his jaw clean shaven even though it was after six in the evening. He was well put together, successful, and he acted like a gentleman. They could carry on an intelligent conversation about world events, though he always seemed uncomfortable when she talked about her boudoir photography. She knew what she did for a living was unusual, and figured he just needed to wrap his mind around the fact that she took pictures of women in lingerie and men in their briefs.

Like Jase in his briefs, then nothing at all
.

She almost groaned at the inappropriate thought that popped into her head, but then again, since her night with him the previous weekend, she’d found it difficult to
stop
thinking about him. And fantasizing about him. And remembering all the hot, dirty, erotic things he’d done to her. Those sexy, provocative images were forever branded in her mind, a reminder of what she’d walked away from and given up.

It had been the right thing to do, for the both of them. And she’d been telling herself that excuse every day since.

Yet she couldn’t help but think how ironic it was that she’d gone ten years with bland, vanilla sex, another two long years without sex, then
finally
had the absolute best and most orgasmic sex of her life when she’d finally given up on ever experiencing that kind of passion. And now she was at a point in her life when it was more important for her to find a man who’d be a good husband and father, and
not
a man who could rock her world, make her deepest, most forbidden fantasies a reality, and use his tongue in ways she’d never imagined but had absolutely loved.

As if she could feel that wicked tongue of his sliding between her thighs, she shivered and squirmed in her chair.

Grant set the wine list down on the table and looked over at her again, concern in his gaze. “Are you cold? Do you want me to go get my sports jacket from my car?”

Her date was so attentive and thoughtful, while her mind had been back at The Players Club with another man. Dammit, she really needed to stop thinking about Jase. “No, I’m fine,” she said to Grant and smiled.

Their waiter came by, and Grant ordered their drinks—the Zinfandel for him and a lemon drop martini for her.

“What can I get the two of you for dinner tonight?” the young man asked.

Both men were looking at her—polite and considerate, ladies first—so Kendall placed her order. “I’ll have the pasta carbonara.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to get one of the grilled seafood entrees?” Grant asked seriously. “It’s a much healthier choice.”

Kendall blinked at him. She hadn’t seen
that
coming. She knew Grant was health conscious and liked to run, including marathons. Yes, she hated running, but she did yoga three times a week and watched what she ate for the most part. But when she had a meal out, which wasn’t all that often since she was single, she liked to indulge.

She gave him a decisive look. “No, I’ll take the pasta.”

He finally glanced back at the waiter. “I’ll have the grilled shrimp and steamed vegetables.”

Once the young man left, Grant braced his arms on the table and raised a disapproving brow her way. “You know you’re going to have to spend an extra half hour on the treadmill to burn off all those excess carbs, right?”

Kendall resisted the urge to laugh but knew Grant wasn’t kidding. “I don’t have a treadmill.”

“That’s not a problem,” he said, and flashed her a pleased smile as he shared his brilliant idea. “I’ll set you up with a membership at my gym, and we can go together.”

Now that sounded like fun
. Not. She didn’t begrudge Grant’s routine of working out, respected it even, but sweating in a gym held no appeal to her. “I think I’ll stick to my yoga sessions.”

“Then you might want to watch those carbs,” he said with a wink.

The waiter came to their table at that moment to deliver their drinks, saving Kendall from having to reply. She took a big drink of her lemon drop martini while Grant swirled his Zinfandel in his glass and sniffed the contents before tasting the wine.

She thought their health and fitness discussion was done, but Grant launched into a spiel about a new all-natural dietary supplement he was offering to his clients who were looking to improve their energy and lifestyle, and for her, he’d sell it at his cost. She thanked him and declined and took another drink of her martini.

When their meals arrived, he enthusiastically continued his sales pitch, talking about amino acids, minerals, antioxidants, and all the benefits of this all-natural supplement—better digestion, tissue repair, disease prevention, and most importantly, those vitamins worked to neutralize free radical chemicals that caused oxidative damage in human cells.

What the hell was a free radical chemical?
All the information was enough to make her head spin and her eyes glaze over. Since he was on a roll, all she could do was nod every once in a while as if she actually understood what he was talking about—because she didn’t want to be rude and flat-out tell him he was boring her to the point that she needed another drink.

Nowhere on his online profile had he mentioned being a health nut, which wasn’t a bad thing. It just wasn’t
her
thing. Their compatibility Q and A had matched them as having common beliefs and core values. They were the same age. They both wanted a family. They each had a stable and successful career. They had the same political views, and religion wasn’t an issue for either of them. They both preferred committed relationships instead of dating around.

On the surface, when it came to their fundamental beliefs, they were extremely well suited. But she’d yet to find a connection when it came to their personal interests or leisure activities, and this evening with him brought that to light. There wasn’t a strong physical attraction on her side, and while she knew better than to expect butterflies and fireworks with him—and especially not the kind of passion she’d experienced with Jase—it was the whole package that made her realize that Grant just wasn’t
the one
.

She liked Grant. He was a genuinely nice guy despite his quirks, but she just didn’t see herself with him long term. And it wasn’t fair to him for her to continue seeing him after tonight.

Grant’s cell phone buzzed on the table, and he glanced at the caller ID, then gave her an apologetic look as he stood up with his phone in hand. “I’ve been expecting this call. I need to talk to a colleague about a charity golf tournament that’s coming up. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Golfing. One more thing she had absolutely no interest in. “Go right ahead,” she said, and watched him walk out into the lobby area as he answered the call. As soon as he was gone, she breathed easier. Another sign that they just weren’t going to work out.

Finished with her dinner, she set her fork on her plate and waited for him to return. Her cell phone, also on the table, buzzed and lit up. Not with a call but a text message from Jase. Just seeing his name for the first time since
that night
made her stomach execute a little flip of awareness, and she unlocked her phone to read his note.

You look gorgeous in that pretty pink lace dress you’re wearing.

The comment startled her because she
was
wearing a pale pink lace-lined dress. Frowning, she glanced around where she was sitting in the dining area. Most of the tables were full, but she didn’t see Jase anywhere.

She typed in a reply.
How would you know what I’m wearing?

Because I’ve been watching you for the past thirty minutes.

She shivered at the thought.
Where are you?

In the lounge area, sitting at the far end of the bar having a beer and a burger. Look up, to your left, and through the partition separating the bar from the dining area.

She did, and finally saw him, tucked away in a shadowed corner. He tipped his beer bottle in her direction in greeting, and Kendall couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth or the butterflies fluttering to life in her belly.
Damn
.

Are you stalking me?
she teased.

I have dinner here occasionally. Just so happens you were here tonight with
him
. I swear I’m not stalking you, but I am lusting after you. Always will.

A swell of emotion rushed through her, and he continued before she replied.

I wish I was sitting next to you right now. You can bet my hand would be under your dress and stroking along the insides of your thighs, and higher, until my fingers were stroking bare, naked flesh.

She clenched her legs together. A groan rose up in her throat, and she swallowed it back. She wasn’t sure how to reply to something so intimate and erotic, so she didn’t.

But that didn’t stop him from tormenting her further.
I can still remember how soft and wet you got when I touched you, how it felt to have your hands twisting in my hair as I went down on you. You tasted like peaches. Ripe, juicy, and sweet.

Her heart raced in her chest, her face flushed, and she wet her suddenly dry lips with her tongue. Logically, Kendall knew she should stop his sexting, knew all this was so inappropriate when she was on a date with another man, but she couldn’t look away when he sent another message.

Lick your lips like that again. Slowly.

As if he had complete control over her actions, she met his gaze from across the dining room and bar area and did as he asked.

She watched as his jaw clenched and his eyes flared with heat before he glanced down at his phone and sent her another text.

I am so fucking hard right now. I want your hot mouth on my cock and my tongue on your pussy. At the same time.

His wickedly dirty suggestion jolted through Kendall and flooded her entire body with desire and need. The image of her engaging in that sixty-nine position with Jase was now emblazoned in her mind and would no doubt be a staple in her nightly fantasies.

I fucking hate seeing you with him
.

Jase’s words and the heartfelt emotion in them cut through her like a knife, because she knew the sentiment was real and sincere. And what could she say to that?
I know? I’m sorry? It’s best this way because long term isn’t in our future?

“I apologize for taking so long on that call,” Grant said, startling her as he returned to the table and slid back into the seat across from her.

Kendall quickly turned off her phone and put it into her purse. Out of sight, out of mind.
Yeah, right
. Jase hadn’t left her thoughts since she’d left the club nearly a week ago. “Is everything okay with the charity event?” she asked Grant.

He shook his head, his frustration evident. “No. I’m on the committee to recruit sponsors for the golf tournament, and we had one of the major brands just pull out when the event is only a few weeks away. Getting someone this late in the game to fund and promote the event is going to be next to impossible.” He waved a dismissive hand in the air. “But enough about that. I don’t want to ruin the evening with me ranting about something that can’t be changed right this moment.”

No, instead she was going to ruin
his
evening when she ended things with him. And yeah, she felt really bad about that. But she refused to lead him on or give him false hopes about the two of them.

The waiter came by to clear away their dinner plates. “Can I get you two dessert tonight?”

Without even asking Kendall if she might be interested in their chocolate mousse, cheesecake, or anything else from their after-dinner menu, Grant shook his head. “No, thank you. Just the check please.”

Kendall wasn’t going to order dessert, not when she knew how this evening was going to end, but the fact that Grant hadn’t even given her a choice—probably because he’d been counting the carbs, fat, and calories in her pasta dish—helped to further solidify her decision to move on.

She wasn’t giving up her dessert or sweets for any man.

Once the bill was paid, they stood up, and Grant ushered her toward the front of the restaurant with his hand low on her back. As they passed the bar area, Kendall didn’t look in Jase’s direction, though she felt his gaze on her, anyway.

Once they were outside, Grant walked her toward her car. When they reached the driver’s side, she turned around to face him, to do what needed to be done.

Except he pushed his hands into the front pockets of his slacks and spoke first. “I was thinking…maybe you and I could go on a day trip this weekend to Solvang and stop at some of the wineries for a tour and tasting. I’m hoping to show you what you’re missing out on.” He grinned at her.

The idea didn’t appeal to her in any way. She shook her head, exhaled a deep breath, and got right to the point. “Grant…you’re a really great guy, but I don’t think you and I are going to work out.”

His smile fell away, and Kendall felt horrible.

“Why don’t you think we’ll work out?” he asked, genuinely confused. “I thought we hit it off pretty well. And our online profiles showed us as extremely compatible.”