To Have a Wilde (Wilde in Wyoming) (8 page)

Chapter 11

W
hen the main course arrived, Sonia’s face lit up. “So much food...it’s like thanksgiving!”

“This one I’m sure you’re familiar with,” he began, jumping right in with explanations. She grinned—if she didn’t know better she’d swear he was enjoying his food tour as much as she.

“It’s seasoned mahi mahi, a pelagic fish. Next to it is fried nenue, another tasty fish, but this one is eel,” he said, using a fork to lightly pierce the flesh. “This is laulau, which can be pork or chicken—in this case the Mai-Kai used chicken. And this piece is a butterfish wrapped in taro leaves, held together with ti leaves and steamed.” He paused, brought a small mouthful to his lips and took a bite, his eyes closing. “And the best fish you’ll probably ever have,” he said, and Sonia’s eyes darted to his mouth and throat as his strong column worked the small bit of food down.

She forced her eyes away and focused her attention on the food. She caught but ignored the knowing look that passed over his face. “Continue,” she said, waving a hand over the food.

He inclined his head briefly. “I aim to please,” he murmured, and their glances caught and held. It was she who broke away this time. He cleared his throat, continuing. “Sweet-and-sour spare ribs, beef stew and poi, a Portuguese bean soup, round out the rest of the meal.”

She sat back, her eyes wide, taking it all in.

“Oh, my...” she murmured, her mouth watering as she glanced at the food. “Why did they bring us so much?” she asked.

Keanu grinned. “It’s just a sampling of each, not full servings. Besides, I wanted to make sure you got the full...flavor of the island. Didn’t want you to go away...unsatisfied,” he said, and her eyes flew to his.

She got the impression he wasn’t exactly talking about food.

* * *

“And for dessert, we will bring you our famous kulolo,” the pretty waitress said, dimpling as she returned to the table. “It’s made primarily from mashed taro corms and coconut milk.” She stopped and frowned, considering the dessert, then snapped her fingers. “It’s kind of like a pudding, or fudge. Tastes like caramel, you’ll love it!” she enthused, and Sonia smiled, knowing the young woman had given the description for her sake, as Keanu no doubt knew of and had eaten the dessert many times before.

“I make it myself. My mother handed the recipe down to me, from generations,” she finished with a look of pride crossing her young face. “Please enjoy!”

At that moment Sonia’s stomach growled loudly and she glanced up and caught his grin.

“Hungry?” he asked, a small smile playing around the corner of his sensual mouth. The incredible spread before her was completely forgotten briefly.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

Their glances held, and had it not been for their waitress bringing a fresh pitcher of the delicious, tinkling, pineapple iced tea, Sonia feared she would have made a complete and utter fool of herself by hauling him over the table and feasting on him instead of the meal in front of her.

She felt heat warm her cheeks at the thought. In addition to his other talents, she hoped like hell the man wasn’t a mind reader, or she was in serious trouble.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked, and she nearly groaned but kept it together. Without looking down, she nodded her head.

“Do you?” she asked boldly, and was rewarded when she saw his reaction to her words. A flicker that came and went in his light blue eyes.

“You could say that,” he agreed huskily.

Again the moment stretched out before them. It was as though the two of them were alone in the crowded, popular restaurant.

“I’m glad we did this,” he said, and she nodded her head.

She wiggled in her seat, rubbing her hands together, her attention diverted to the delicious array of food in front of her.

She glanced up in time to see Key trying to not show the grin on his face, but she waved it away. “Laugh all you want!” she said, one side of her lips kicked up in an unrepentant grin. She held three fingers, ticking them off as she spoke. “One, this looks good. Two, I’m starving like Marvin. Three, I haven’t eaten since breakfast and a certain person left me hanging for lunch, and, four, did I mention this looks absolutely divine?” she asked, and laughed outright when she heard his low chuckle.

She had just taken a bite of the flaky white mahi mahi when she heard a rusty-sounding laugh from Key.

Surprised, she quickly chewed the fish and looked at him. “What?” she asked, after swallowing.

“Nothing,” he said, the smile lingering. “I’d better eat in case you finish it off before I can even get my napkin open,” he said, deadpan, the humorous glint in his eyes making her laugh.

As they continued to eat, the conversation flowed smoothly, with rarely a moment of silence. By the time the meal was complete, Keanu had never known a moment where he’d felt so relaxed in the company of a woman.

“And when he
and
the dog both began to howl to ‘Atomic Dog,’ in harmony...I lost it. Game over,” she said, her laughter bubbling over and contagious. She’d been regaling him with stories, or Hollywood horror tales of the wannabe rich and famous, as she dubbed it, sharing the story of the time she’d helped her best friend, Dee Dee, in a casting session to pick contestants for a new game show. Not only was she hilarious in the retelling, but her humor was contagious and Keanu found himself actually laughing out loud several times throughout the evening.

As she laughed, exposing her beautiful white teeth, he bit back a groan.

God, she was gorgeous. She looked good enough to eat, and although the conversation was kept light, easy, he’d had a hell of a hard time not staring at her mouth the entire time. As she ate with gusto, enjoying her meal, his mind played tricks on him, images and thoughts of what else she could do with those pretty, full lips of hers playing hell on his mind.

As she leaned back in her chair, a satisfied look on her expressive face, he bit back a groan. He wanted to be the one to give her that look.

Every time that thought surfaced, he ruthlessly pushed it down. He was with her only to gain information and nothing more.

But he hadn’t been prepared for how utterly charming she was.

Although they’d communicated often before, it had always been business, and though he’d caught glimpses of a more carefree Sonia, nothing had prepared him for this. Funny, beautiful and sexy. Damn, she had it all. And with each moment he spent in her company he could no longer fool himself that he had agreed to the date to keep the enemy close.

He noted that she hadn’t brought up the contract once during the conversation, and he placed the ramifications of that fact in the back of his mind for later consideration.

For the moment, he wanted to enjoy...her.

“Oh, God, I could go on and on,” she said, lightly giggling. She glanced over his head, saw the clock above the wooden tiki totem and covered her mouth with her hand, one eye closing as she grimaced. “I’ve been talking nonstop! Why didn’t you stop me? Once I’m on a roll, I never stop,” she said with a grimace. “I must have bored you to death!” She groaned, and he shook his head.

“No, in fact, it was the exact opposite. I don’t know the last time I’ve had such a good time. Who knew the job of hotshot Hollywood producer could be so, uh...” He paused, not sure how to phrase it.

“Crazy?” she filled in. “Sometimes that’s the simplest way to put it!” She laughed before sobering, pinning him with a stare. “What did you have the waitress put in this drink? I’m spilling my entire life story and you haven’t told me anything about you, Keanu.”

“Nothing much to tell. You pretty much know my life story, don’t you? With the film crews around there isn’t much to hide. Besides the whole mistaken-for-my-brother episode, that happens more times than I want to share,” he said, shaking his head.

“Come on, there’s got to be something more. Something you can share with me. It’ll be just between the two of us,” she replied lightly.

He raised a brow. And just like that, his earlier suspicions came to mind. Did she know that his mother had had an affair with one of the richest ranchers in the United States? And if so, what did she plan to do with the information?

He kept his reply light. “Maybe if you stick around long enough, I’ll share all my family’s dirty laundry. But for now, would you like to dance?” he asked, as the band that had been on break returned to the stage.

Standing, he walked to her side and held his hand out for her to take.

* * *

Sonia glanced down at his hand and placed her palm inside his without hesitation. The minute the band had set up and the music began in the softly lit restaurant, she’d wanted to dance with him. But the conversation had been so good she’d quickly lost track of time. Then she noted the change in him once she asked him to talk more about himself.

Sonia knew she had said something wrong the minute the light dimmed in his blue eyes and his features, once relaxed, stiffened. But when he asked her to dance, she glanced at his face and saw the genuine warmth reflected inside.

Gladly she had placed her hand in his, and allowed him to lead them to the small dance floor.

When he brought her body close to his, she kept her hand in his and the other around his waist. With their nearly foot difference in height, she knew it would be awkward at best if she tried to place her arms at his shoulders.

He didn’t seem to mind; in fact, he drew her nearer and swayed lightly with her in time to the surprisingly bluesy number the band was now playing.

“Ranching was the only life I knew. The only life we’d been brought up knowing,” he began, his head low as his chin lightly rested against the top of her head. She drew in a breath when he began speaking, glad he couldn’t see her face, as she knew it reflected her surprise when he spoke willingly about himself.

He spun her around lightly, deftly avoiding contact with another couple who’d joined them on the dance floor.

As she listened to him talk about growing up on the ranch, her body completely relaxed into his.

As they danced close, she felt him gently rub his chin back and forth against her hair while they moved as one, as though they’d been born to dance this way together, on the dance floor.

This close to him, his natural musky, masculine scent reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into its heady embrace, and she shamelessly went along.

Nuzzling her body close, she inhaled deeply. Not only did he look good, he smelled so incredibly good.

Sonia loved a man who smelled good.

And his scent was so appealing to her that her nipples beaded beneath the silk kimono. Held this close against him, she wondered if he could feel them against the wall of his rock-hard chest. When he brought their joined hands, which lay in between them, tighter against his chest and squeezed, she knew he had.

She didn’t care, because just as he was affecting her, she was doing the same thing to him. Sonia smiled when she felt the hard edge of his shaft behind his slacks nudge her lower belly, stifling a groan at how good that felt, as well.

Oh, God, if she’d didn’t get away from him soon, there was no telling what would happen, and all of her good intentions to leave it as just business would fly right out the window....

He chose that moment to tilt her head back, and with his thumb, he forced her to look into his eyes. She caught the flash of hot desire within, a desire that matched her own.

It felt good to finally be in his arms.

“Come home with me.”

* * *

It felt right to have her in his arms. As Key stared down at the beautiful woman, he could no longer deny the attraction...the off-the-charts chemistry they had going on. And he no longer would.

For now, tonight, he would take what fate had offered him on a beautiful, luscious platter. As for her agenda for him, long-term, he didn’t give a damn.

Not tonight.

Chapter 12

S
onia gazed up at Key as they made their way toward his home, her heels clicking loudly, seemingly too loud, against the stone pathway that led to the house.

Nervously she looked around, wondering who, if anyone, was up at that time of night.

“No one is around the ranch,” he murmured, his hand beneath her elbow as they walked toward the side door, the one he’d told her led to his separate suite of rooms.

“The men who live here, their quarters aren’t on this side of the ranch, Dad is asleep and has been since this evening, and Nick is... Hell, who knows where Nick is.” He glanced down at her as he flipped open the keypad and swiftly pressed a series of numbers and opened the door, allowing her to enter in front of him.

Once inside she followed him in the dark hallway until they reached a door and he opened it, again allowing her to go in front of him.

The tension was thick with the knowledge of what she...what they, were going to do. What they’d both agreed, without verbal assent—to end their night together.

Yet for all of that, nerves attacked Sonia. She felt his presence directly behind her in the dark room and drew in a deep breath, holding it.

When she felt his lips fan the outer corner of her ear, that sensitive spot no other man seemed to have found, her stomach hollowed out.

Hot, forbidden anticipation ripped through her, strong and fierce, until she felt every nerve on edge.

She waited for him to turn on the light, say something...do something, and nearly cried out loud when she felt his big hands settle on her shoulders and pull her body back against his.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Sonia. I promise I won’t do anything to you that you don’t want done.” He made the promise in a low, deadly sexy voice, the minty breath again blowing against her earlobe.

“You trust me, don’t you?” he asked, and after a brief hesitancy she nodded her head.

His hands moved down her arms until he’d reached the underside of her breasts and he cupped them through the silk dress. Her heart stopped completely, and she had to force herself to breathe.

She had never felt like this before, and he’d barely touched her.

She suddenly stiffened against the feelings he was generating, fear beginning to sweep over her.

When he swept a hand down inside the V of her dress, the air lodged in her throat, clogging it, and she released it in one long whoosh of air as his fingers deftly worked their way inside the next-to-nothing bra she wore.

Her groan was long, harsh, and she heard his light masculine laughter. She licked lips gone dry and shoved at his hands, embarrassed that he found humor in her response.

“I...I don’t think this was a good idea, Key, I—” His finger stopped her speech and he turned her around to face him. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“You affect me like no other woman has. I’m not sure what this is between us, Sonia, but trust me, you’re not alone in how you feel,” he said, and the sincerity of his words struck her directly in her heart.

“But, as badly as I want you, just say the words and we can stop. I will never force you to do something that you don’t want to do,” he promised, and brought her hand up to meet his lips, delivering a soft kiss in the palm of her hand that had her melting on the spot.

She swallowed and nodded her head.

When he began to glide the sleeves of the dress down her arm, a shiver ran over her entire body, the beginning of an uncontrollable need making her tremble.

* * *

Key was impatient with the feel of their clothes. He pushed the straps of the silk dress down her arms, past her body to pool at her waist.

He leaned back simply to look at her, his gaze centered on her firm, high breasts, the erect, tight little buds of her nipples pushing with insistence against the thin fabric.

With a groan, he unhooked the front clasp and splayed his fingers across the soft brown globes, one at a time, and felt his hands shake.

“You are so beautiful. Please, don’t hide from me, Sonia,” he said when she glanced away from the heat in his eyes.

He leaned down and laid siege to her lips. Devouring them, he kissed her with a zeal that bordered on desperate.

“God, your mouth is sweet. If your mouth is this good, I can’t wait to see how good the rest of you tastes,” he said after long, drugging kisses that left his cock harder than ever, and her lips full and red.

Although it was dark, he knew his words had somehow embarrassed her as she ducked her head away.

“Hey,” he said, forcing her to look at him. “We’ll take it slow as you want, I promise,” he said, his voice low. “But I want to explore every part of you, every inch, every curve,” he said, and again stroked a hand over her breasts, making her nipples ache and crave for his return when his fingers drifted away.

He kept his gaze on hers and captured one brown, turgid nipple in his mouth and suckled it, while he used his hand to play and toy with its twin.

With reluctance he pulled away from the sweetness of her breasts and ripped his shirt in half in his haste to get it off before he tossed it to the floor. Swiftly he unbuttoned his slacks, unzipping them enough so that his cock, hard and ready, could find some relief from the too-tight confines of his pants.

Not giving her time to think, he lifted her in his arms and strode though his sitting room, kicking open the door to his bedroom. Once inside he carried his bundle toward the center of the room and gently deposited her on the bed.

He joined her there, immediately going back to work on her breasts.

He heard her heartfelt mews of pleasure and felt her arms wrap around his neck, tugging him closer. He obliged her and, after switching sides, greedily latching on to the other perfect breast, giving it as much attention as the first.

“Oh, God, Key...it feels so good,” he heard her say, the huskiness in her voice turning him on even more, his cock so hard he felt as though he’d release before he even entered her if she kept on moving against him the way she was.

He needed to see her. Reaching over, he turned on the bedside lap and instantly the small light gave an amber glow to the room, and his eyes sought hers.

She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

The glow from the light accented her pretty brown body and his breath caught in his throat at the picture she presented, with her bra hanging halfway off her body and her dress pooled around her waist. Her hair hung in loose waves around her beautiful face.

He kept his face on hers as he slowly finished undressing her, the act itself erotic, somehow forbidden.

He watched her as she licked her lips, her head slightly down, her eyes lifted, watching from hooded eyes as he undressed her. He smiled lightly. Nudging her, he encouraged her to lift her body so that he could ease the dress the rest of the way down her body and, drawing it from her, allowed it to drop on the floor beside the bed.

She lay before him, wearing nothing but the sheer bra and a scrap of lace, the small triangle barely covering her pretty pussy from him.

He fingered the silk aside and inserted his finger inside, and saw her breath catch at the decadent act.

“Do you like that, Sonia?” he asked, and she nodded her head wordlessly.

He kept his gaze on hers and lowered his head, his mouth and lips replacing his fingers. At his first touch her body arched high from the bed and she cried out.

“Keanu...wait, please, wait...I can’t take it,” she said on a harsh moan, her body mindlessly grinding against his face, and he felt a purely masculine satisfaction.

He held on to her hips and continued his assault. As he licked and stabbed against her slick folds, he inserted a finger into her opening and her walls immediately clamped down and tugged.

He drew his mouth away to look at her. “God, you’re tight,” he said, his cock hardening to granite as his fingers continued to press inside her clenching walls.

He leaned down between her legs again, and this time he separated her folds and exposed her clit to his gaze. He slowly drew the bud deep inside his mouth and sucked.

* * *

Sonia nearly came apart.

At the first contact of his mouth on the most secret part of her body, she held her breath.

Although she’d experimented sexually, she’d never allowed a man such an intimacy with her.

In fact, she’d never actually experienced full lovemaking, a fact she knew if Key were aware of, he would stop.

But God, she didn’t want him to. She’d never felt anything so incredible before. And she was helpless to stop what he’d...what they’d started.

She closed her eyes and allowed the orgasm she felt to burst free, her body spasming even as he continued his oral sensual attack. Her body was no longer hers to control.

Spent, she could do nothing but lie down, her head lolling to the side, a smile of satisfaction on her face. When she felt the bed move, she opened an eye to see him opening the side table drawer, and, although she couldn’t see him, the telltale sound of foil ripping brought her eyes fully open and her body into a sitting position.

“We’re not done by a long shot.”

She swallowed. She knew she had to tell him. Tell him before he found out and it was too late.

She feared he would stop what she so desperately wanted him to finish.

With her gaze locked on his, she watched him as he stood and swiftly finished undressing; his body unclothed was a pure work of art.

His long legs were thick with muscle, his thighs so hard they looked as if they could choke a horse.

And what lay between his tree-hugging legs would make any stallion envious. His cock lay long, thick and curved against his stomach, the triangle of dark wavy hair nestled around it, covering part of his heavy sac drawn tight against his body. Her eyes traveled up the rest of him, past his tight six-pack abdomen and up to his chest, where his nipples peaked erect through the light pelt of hair.

Her eyes moved to his face, and the light of desire in his vivid blue stare that watched and waited for her perusal, allowing her the time to absorb the moment even.

He was the picture of masculine beauty.

Keeping her gaze, he slowly, methodically, placed the condom over his shaft, his long thick fingers deftly and efficiently working the latex over his massive length.

Sonia felt hot liquid ease from her body at the simple act.

When his body covered hers, she gladly accepted the weight, her mouth eagerly seeking the haven of his. The kiss went on so long that by the time it was over, her body was on fire with need.

But she had to tell him before it was too late.

When he took her mouth with his, again, all else but the feel of his mouth and body covering hers went out of her mind, and she gave in to his touch.