Chapter 8 #2
She pushed a lock of hair back from her face, making him even more aware of her stunning facial features, especially the beauty of her eyes.
“I would have felt like a traitor. After all, I learned everything about it in Paris.” She shook her head.
“You still haven’t told me why you’re here.
Who gave you the passcode to get off on this floor? ”
“You ran off so quickly after dinner. I wanted to make sure you were okay. You’re here all alone. I was worried.” For an unclear reason, he had developed a protective instinct toward her.
But there was another reason he’d sought her out.
He had gone almost four weeks without interacting with her.
He had to admit, avoidance had taken the edge off his horniness somewhat.
And flying out to LA last week to spend some time with his nephew also helped.
However, being in Desiree’s presence during dinner─although for less than an hour─had changed things.
Just sharing space with her had immediately sent his libido into overdrive.
Sitting across the table, he’d had a good view of her, and he’d been close enough to be enveloped in her sensual scent.
She barely looked at him, but he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her.
He was glad Richard had carried most of the conversation, with him and Desiree responding only when prompted.
“Well, as you can see, I’m alone but fine. And I happen to enjoy my privacy, so there’s nothing to worry about. Feel free to leave,” she said, dropping onto one of the rink-side benches to remove her skates.
Not ready to leave just yet, he slid onto the bench beside her. She looked up and glared at him. “Do you mind?”
“Do I mind what?” he asked.
“Could you give me some alone time?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he’d already done that. For four whole weeks, he’d avoided her. This weekend would mark a successful nine months of celibacy, with only three more to go. That was almost historic. “I’d prefer to spend some time with you, Desiree.”
“Oh? Is that why you’ve avoided me for nearly four weeks?”
He could tell by the way she suddenly returned to the task of removing her skates that she hadn’t meant to ask that question. It would appear that she had been bothered by his absence. “Do you miss me not coming to the office to take you home, Desiree?”
“Of course not!” she said with indignation.
“Then what’s the issue? I haven’t changed my schedule since you moved back to New York. I still play chess with Richard every Thursday night at the condo where you live. So, it seems to me that you’re the one doing the avoiding.”
“I have no reason to avoid you, Cobra. You’re the one who wanted to kiss me that night. I was just a bystander.”
Her words hit a nerve because, yes, he had wanted that kiss.
Desperately so. And although he should have regretted their encounter, he didn’t.
Memories of that kiss were what had kept him sane for the past four weeks.
Even now, just looking at her mouth was gripping his gut because he wanted to taste her as he’d done before.
“What about you, Desiree? Do you ever think about that kiss?” he asked, trying like hell to keep his gaze on her face and not let it dip to her chest. He lost the battle, and nearly swallowed his tongue when he saw her hardened nipples pressing through the fabric of her outfit.
Didn’t she know that was one of the signs of an aroused woman? Damn, he wished he didn’t.
“I can barely remember it,” she said lightly as she stood.
He stood as well, and their bodies brushed against each other. His breath caught in his throat, and his gaze moved to her lips. She was so close… But he couldn’t. Could he?
“Prove it,” he said, in a voice so deep he almost couldn’t recognize it as his own.
What was wrong with him? Why was this woman, of all the women he’d been with, driving him so insane?
Why was he so drawn to her? He again blamed it on his celibate state.
That had to be it. If he had been spending time with other women, he wouldn’t be giving Desiree a second thought.
Of course, he knew that was a lie the moment the notion flashed through his mind.
When their lips were mere inches apart, she whispered, “Like I said, Cobra, you were the one who wanted to kiss me that night. The same way you want to kiss me right now.”
Because of that damn bet with his brothers, he knew the dangers he faced each time he and Desiree kissed.
The temptation, the allure, the desire for more.
However, he knew there was a reason he wanted to be so close to her, even now, though it was driving him mad.
He was priming her for what was to come.
Satisfied with that reasoning, he captured her mouth, needing the feel of it, and more importantly, the taste. When she released a soft moan, he dug in, kissing her for all it was worth, and in his book, that was plenty.
***
Over the past weeks, Desiree had managed to convince herself that she didn’t want to see Cobra, yet tonight, she hadn’t been able to stay away, and had decided to dine with him and her grandfather.
Although she had done her best to ignore him during the meal, she had felt the heat of his gaze each and every time he had looked across the table at her.
It had been like a heated caress, touching her entire body.
And those times when he had responded to something her grandfather had said, the deep, husky sound of his voice had stroked something inside her.
It felt like a warm blanket settling over her—a blanket she would love to cuddle beneath with him.
That was the reason she hadn’t wasted any time leaving the condo after dinner, coming here to skate out all the emotions she hadn’t wanted to feel but did.
Why was she letting Cobra get under her skin?
Or maybe a better question to ask was why she was now letting him devour her mouth as if he owned it?
She knew she should end this madness now, but his mouth tasted too hot, too delectable, yet somehow soothing. For years, skating had been her solace, but his kisses offered her a refuge she’d never found on the ice.
A warning inside her head told her she should pull back, end the kiss now, but she couldn’t.
She wanted more, and couldn’t resist reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck, holding tight while mimicking each thrust of his tongue.
He was aroused. Deeply aroused. She could feel the hardness of him press into her, and she shifted to cradle his erection between her parted thighs.
She heard his guttural groan, and when he placed his hands on her backside to press her closer to him, she let out a groan of her own.
“The skating rink will close in five minutes,” a loud voice boomed over the intercom, interrupting at the worst possible moment.
She pulled back to end the kiss when it seemed Cobra had no intention of doing so. “I guess it’s time to leave,” she whispered against his moist lips.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Cobra responded, in what sounded like a grumble.
She pulled her cover-up from her gym bag and put it on over her head, then adjusted it so it fell just above her knees. “I’m ready.”
He grabbed her gym bag off the bench. After putting the straps over his shoulder, he reached for her hand. “Then let’s go.”
Nodding at the older man who stood by the rink’s door, they left, trying not to act embarrassed at the thought they had been caught kissing. At least, that was what she was doing, but she knew a blush stained her cheeks all the same.
They walked silently toward the elevator, hand in hand. Needing to regain some semblance of control of the situation, she glanced over at Cobra and asked, “So who won chess?”
He smiled. “I did. Richard wasn’t focused tonight.”
She nodded. “I bet that doesn’t happen very often.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
***
Cobra inwardly cursed at the man’s untimely interruption of their kiss, although he should have welcomed it. Damn. He had been less than a minute from unlocking his zipper and easing Desiree down on that bench and…
“Cobra, you never told me how you got access to this floor. It’s only for tenants.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Unless you’re a guest of one of those residents, who happens to share their passcode with you. The racquetball court is also on this floor, as well as several other sports amenities that I get to enjoy, thanks to your grandfather.”
“Lucky you.”
“Yes, lucky me.” Lucky that she was leaving it at that.
When they reached the elevator, he pressed the button.
Once inside the enclosed quarters, they could finish the kiss they started in the rink, though that wasn’t a good idea.
From her demeanor, Cobra could tell she was already putting distance between them again.
The last time he was all for it, but after nearly a month, he decided he needed to take a different approach with Desiree.
The less that he saw of her, the more he wanted her. It was a problem.
He glanced over at her, glad she had put on a cover-up. He couldn’t imagine the looks she would have received if they’d run into anyone while she was wearing that sexy ice-skating outfit. Still, even covered up, she looked smoking hot. “So… Do you have any plans for the weekend, Desiree?”
“And you want to know, why?”
He was getting used to her smart mouth. However, he doubted whether he would get used to tasting it. “Just curious.”
She didn’t say anything for a minute, as if wondering if she should answer his question, then admitted, “Saturday morning, I’m teaching that reading class again.”
“And Saturday night?” Cobra knew better than to ask if she would be going to a nightclub. He’d discovered that her history as a party girl was a touchy subject with her.
“Not sure. Why?”
“How do you feel about attending a Broadway play with me?”
She looked at him with surprise. “You’re asking me out on a date?”
“Yes. Why not? Since you think I have ulterior motives regarding Richard, this will give you a chance to get to know me better.”
“And what if I said that I don’t want to get to know you better?”
“That would be unfair. Especially after what you accused me of.”
The elevator arrived, and they stepped inside. The door slid closed after he pressed the button for her floor. She seemed to think about his question. Finally, she said, “Okay, Cobra, I’ll go out with you Saturday night, as long as you don’t try any funny business.”
Try any funny business? There wasn’t anything amusing about kissing her, and that was all he could do because of that damn bet.
He’d been serious as hell while devouring her mouth, trying to kiss the taste off her lips.
But if she needed reassurance… “I promise I won’t try any funny business, Desiree. ”
When the elevator door opened on her floor, she stepped out and didn’t pull her hand from his until they stood in front of her condo. He then took her gym bag from his shoulder and handed it to her. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. And I need your number.”
She lifted a brow. “My number?”
“Yes, your phone number in case I get delayed picking you up on Saturday,” he said, pulling out his phone.
She nodded and rattled off her phone number to him. “Good night, Cobra.” When she turned to unlock the door to her condo, he reached and pulled her to him.
“I want to leave you with something to remember. Think about me until we see each other Saturday,” he whispered.
He then sealed his lips over hers, wanting this kiss to have a different kind of punch than the others they’d shared.
There was no game playing, no red flags going off in his head, and no manipulative intention.
For this kiss, he wanted a genuine connection to her.
For a reason he couldn’t explain, he needed it.