His gaze caused a blast of heat to melt her insides.
She shouldn’t be thinking about his body on hers. No man was supposed to be under her sheets until she fulfilled her promise to herself. Her gaze traveled across his shirt, and before she could stop herself, she was imagining releasing each button. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time, maybe never. Her body pulsed with need. Usually, she could stay away from a gorgeous guy, but Nicolas was different. She had a feeling that his lips were better than a delicious dessert and she wanted, needed, a taste.
“All right, Mr. Hot Stuff.” She took his spoon, scooped up a large bite and swirled it around in the chocolaty sauce. “Now close your eyes and open your mouth.”
His lips quirked. “I like a bossy woman who wants to feed me a sex dessert.”
Her heart was pounding way too hard when he opened his mouth. He peeked at her through those dark lashes.
“All the way closed,” she ordered. Her hand was not exactly steady when she touched his tongue with the treat. “Don’t just taste. Feel. Listen. Take everything in. Savor the moment.”
Chewing, he tipped his head back and moaned with pleasure. Wow, she felt that between her own legs. Resisting him was going to be the hardest test on her self-journey yet. Each minute with him made her want to indulge in him and forget for a moment about the promises she’d made.
“I taste chocolate, cinnamon, mascarpone cheese. Espresso, I think. And some spices I cannot quite recognize. As for what I hear...” He tilted his head, listening. “I can hear you breathing, your heart beating strong in your beautiful chest. There. You shifted in your chair, pressing your legs together. You are thinking about all those dreams you want me to make come true.”
She gulped. How did he know that?
He opened his eyes. So damned cocky. And something else... Hopeful?
“Might be the case with all those supermodels you’ve dated, but I was thinking about taking a bite of that tiramisu.” Her hoarse voice gave her away. She shifted in her chair again, trying, as he’d said, to quell the ache.
“Admit it, Chloe. Say you want me more than any dessert.”
Oh, heck, yeah.
And that was the moment she decided to say yes.
When would she get the chance to kiss Nicky M if she didn’t go for it now? When would she feel a desire like this again? Since she’d never felt anything like it before, she refused to let it pass her by. She might have used all of those other men to forget her own problems, but none of them had ever made her feel like this.
She dragged her finger through the chocolate sauce. “I like sweet-and-sticky things.” She licked it off her finger. “About the promise...”
“Yeah?”
“If you really meant it...that you want me...”
“I did. I do.”
She chewed her lip. “I’m considering breaking my promise. For tonight.”
He grinned. “Best news I’ve heard all year.” He pushed his chair out and helped her with hers. He curled her arm under his. “Come. Let’s get out of here.”
Chloe was shaking when he led her outside, pulling her along the torchlit path toward the garden. A lot had changed in a few short minutes. Her head was spinning. Was she really doing this? Could she have one hot, unforgettable night with her fantasy man?
She swallowed hard.
As if sensing her nerves, he stopped walking and faced her. His warm hands cupped her cheeks. She could feel the callouses. Those amazing, talented fingers were now setting her skin on fire.
“Do you want me, minha gatinha?” he asked, his expression sincere. “You can say no. There won’t be any hard feelings.”
She swayed, melting from his heat. Want flooded her senses. The walls she’d carefully erected to insulate herself from her past crumbled beneath her desire for this man.
She rose up on her toes and kissed Nicolas Medeiros on his beautiful lips.
When he returned the kiss, his full lips were far more delicious than she’d ever imagined. She got lost in the taste of him, the heat pulsing through her, the pure bliss.
“Wow.” She sighed.
He rubbed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “Indeed, far better than tiramisu.” He angled in for another.
Her heart was pounding and every cell in her body was begging for another kiss. It took all the willpower she could muster to put her hand on his chest and not rip open the buttons. She held him at arm’s length. She couldn’t afford to be kissing such an important guest here, where Dad or his staff could see her. “Let’s go somewhere. A secret place.”
“Ah.” He leaned in close like he’d done when they were on the stairs. “I like Chloe’s secrets.”
She took his arm and led him through the back of the garden, past the fountain and under the low-hanging wisteria. As they passed, he reached up and plucked a purple flower and held it to his nose.
“Santa Mãe, that smells almost as good as you do.”
He’d been smelling her? She was in deep trouble here. She was already craving another taste of his lips. She had the feeling that once she let herself truly enjoy him, she would be lost. Could she throw away all the work she’d done over the last year, improving herself, for one quick fling?
She shouldn’t. She knew it.
But in this moment, she wanted to indulge in Nicolas and deal with the consequences later.
“This is it. Over here.” She pulled him through a small opening between the hedges. “Be careful that the branches don’t tear your clothes.”
When they slipped out the other side, they were in one of Chloe’s special spots—a small grassy meadow on the edge of the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There were no clouds to block the legion of twinkling stars above them. The moon was a spotlight on the midnight blue sea. A breeze rolled across the water, lifting the tips of the waves and blowing the salty fragrance their way.
“I was thinking this spot would be good for the show. You could film a few of the contestants here, especially at sunset. It’s an inspirational place. A good songwriting place.”
He whistled soft and low. “What a view. The shape of the bay reminds me of the moon when it is barely a fingernail-slice in the sky.”
God, his imagery was amazing. That’s what she’d loved the most about his lyrics. “That’s where the Harper pirates boldly dragged off all their booty. It’s where we modern-day pirates boldly strip off...” She stopped herself. “We swim at night. The phosphorescence in the water is really amazing if you’ve never experienced it.”
“Maybe later. When was the last time you brought a guy to this secret spot?”
She chuckled. “Never. It’s been years since I’ve been here. I was always alone.”
“Years?”
“Yeah. When my parents split up, Mom and I were kicked out of the mansion. But I used to come here all the time to escape the yelling inside. No one knew I was here. It’s peaceful.”
“Sounds like you had a tough childhood.” He wrapped his arms around her like a blanket to shield the bad memories and tugged her back against his chest.
“I did. Sometimes I felt so alone and helpless.”
He understood those feelings.
“You were the one who saved me,” she said.
He tipped his head so he could see the side of her face. “How so?”
“When my parents screamed at each other and did terrible things, your music was there for me. I feel like I’ve known you my whole life—you just didn’t know me.”
“I wish I had known you then. I would’ve done my best to make you smile.” He rubbed her shoulder. “My younger self would have tried to sneak a kiss or two then, too.”
“My teenage self would’ve passed out if Nicky M’s lips had touched hers.”
“How about now?” He turned her in his arms and kissed her on the lips.
“Yep, the world is spinning. More, please.” She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his lips to hers. He deepened the kiss and she felt like she was flying up and off the cliff. He shifted his stance so he could hold her tight to him. She relished the feel of him against her—his hard chest, muscular thighs and...oh. He was very hard everywhere.
She sucked in a breath.
“Chloe,” he whispered into her ear, making shivers roll up her spine and into her scalp. “It’s your call. We can go back to my room and make love all night. The rest of the world be damned.” He pressed his lips against the shell of her ear. “No stress. No strings.”
She sighed. “This won’t have any impact on the contract or the show, right? Just one fun night.”
He studied her for a long beat. “A fun, sexy night.”
She held out her hand. “Deal.”
He took her hand, turned it up and nibbled on the palm. Then he kissed a few fingers and sucked her thumb into his mouth as if she was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted.
“Deal.”
She was in way over her head.