Chapter 5
Maya couldn’t believe Ian was standing at her door. How had he gotten her address?
“You left without saying goodbye.”
“I—”
Ian moved closer until their bodies were touching. “Invite me in, Maya,” he whispered against her lips. When she nodded, he backed her into the house and shut the door behind him, pulling her into his arms and slanting his mouth over hers.
Heat shot to her core and she moaned in his mouth. Their tongues tangled and danced and she felt herself losing control. Maya broke off the kiss.
He eased back and rested his forehead against hers. “Why did you leave?”
“How did you get my address?”
He smiled. “The chef. He said you told him to pass along your information to interested clients,” Ian clarified.
She remembered being distracted and thinking about Ian. Had she written down her home address instead of the one to her shop?
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Maya exhaled deeply. “I don’t know. I just started thinking and...” She turned and walked over to the sofa and sat.
He followed, lowered himself next to her and took her hand. “Talk to me, Maya. I thought we were in agreement. Did I do something, say something?”
“No, no. It’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?”
She closed her eyes briefly to gather her thoughts. “Ian, two months ago I was engaged and had planned to get married next month.”
He tried to hide his shock.
“That all changed when my ex decided he wanted to take his life in a different direction, namely one with a woman whose father could give him better access to the corporate ladder he was determined to climb,” she added wryly.
“I know I agreed to something casual, but I really don’t know if I can do that right now. ”
Ian’s jaw tightened. “I’m sorry, Maya. I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m sorry, too.”
“I still want to see you.”
“I want to see you, too, but...”
“I can’t even imagine how much he hurt you, but you’re a beautiful woman, too beautiful to lock yourself away. Can we just keep with our agreement and see where it goes?”
She needed to stop looking into those eyes that threatened to suck her in.
And he really needed to stop touching her.
There was no way she could stick to her decision with his hands on her.
“Ian, I...ohhh.” Now he was playing dirty, bringing his lips into the action.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and trailed kisses along the curve of her jaw and neck.
“We’ll have so much fun together,” he said, still kissing his way to her chest.
Maya’s eyes slid closed and she breathed a sigh of surrender. She reached up, brought Ian’s face to hers, and gave him a slow and sultry kiss.
“What are you doing tonight?” Ian asked when they came up for air.
“I don’t have anything planned. Why?”
“I’d like to take you out to dinner. And before you say no, you skipped out on brunch, so you kind of owe me,” he added with a sly grin.
A surge of guilt rose and Maya felt her face flush. “I know. I feel really bad about that.”
Ian did his best to look sad, but the smile playing around the corners of his mouth ruined it. “Left me all alone and starving.”
She burst out laughing. “Yeah, right. You look like you haven’t eaten in days.”
His smile faded and his eyes lit with desire. “Actually, I haven’t. I’ve been craving something decadent and I only know one place to get it,” he murmured, sliding his hand up her thigh.
The air surrounding them changed from playful to sizzling in a nanosecond.
She didn’t know who moved first, but they nearly tore each other’s clothes off.
Within a minute, they were both naked and she was straddling him on the couch.
He palmed her face while his mouth plundered hers.
She squirmed, trying to get closer, and he grasped her waist, lifted her and drove into her with one deep stroke, filling her completely. Maya cried out at the sweet invasion.
Ian muttered a curse and pulled out. “Wait...wait a minute.” He reached for his discarded pants, found his wallet and dug out a condom.
She had totally forgotten about protection. Thank goodness one of them was thinking.
He sheathed himself and brought her down on him again. “Ride me, baby.”
Holding on to his broad shoulders, she raised her body and eased back down, once, twice and a third time. She shivered and moaned when Ian captured a nipple between his lips and tugged gently.
“Ah, yes. The brown-sugar sweetness I’ve been wanting,” Ian groaned.
Although Maya was on top, Ian dictated the pace, firmly holding her hips and moving with deep steady strokes.
He thrust upward with every one of her downward strokes.
She rode him faster and faster and he matched her pace, their moans filling the room.
Ian locked his mouth on hers, reached between their bodies and teased her using his thumb, increasing the sensations.
Sparks shot up her spine and she jerked her mouth free of his and screamed as an orgasm hit.
Before she could recover, Ian bucked wildly beneath her.
“Maya!”
Their bodies shook and shuddered while they fought to catch their breaths. Maya collapsed against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. Reason number ten why I need to stay away from this man.
At length, Ian asked, “Is it just me, or is it hot in here?”
She laughed softly. “Only in LA will you find eighty-degree temperatures in November.” She rose and went to turn on the air conditioner. “I’ll be right back. There’s a bathroom right down that hall you can use,” she added, gesturing in that direction.
Maya closed the door to her bedroom and lightly banged her head against it.
“What are you doing, Maya Nicole Brooks?” As much as she enjoyed sex with Ian, she had to find a way to keep her emotions from coming into play.
She had never been good at separating the two, but this time she would. Her heart depended on it.
Ian watched Maya’s naked body until she was out of sight.
His passions stirred to life. He flopped back against the sofa and closed his eyes.
The air conditioner did nothing to cool him off.
The more time he spent inside her body, the more he wanted.
And he shouldn’t want her this much. Sighing deeply, he came to his feet and went to wash up.
When he came back, Maya still hadn’t returned.
He dressed and then surveyed the room. Upon his arrival, Ian had been so focused on Maya he hadn’t taken more than a cursory glance around her place.
Cream-colored walls and carpets—standard rental colors—but the blues and greens she had added gave the room a tropical feel.
He noticed a stack of large boxes on the other side of the room. Was she moving?
“I’m ready.”
He turned at the sound of Maya’s voice. She now wore an off-the-shoulder pink top, a long skirt and short-heeled sandals. “Why did you change? I rather liked the first outfit.”
“Ha-ha. That outfit does not leave the house.”
“Yeah. You have a point.” For some reason, he didn’t want any other man seeing her in such revealing attire. “I like your place. Makes me think of a tropical island.”
Maya angled her head and crossed her arms. “Most men wouldn’t notice things like that.”
“I’m an architect, remember? I notice things most men wouldn’t,” he added pointedly. He gestured toward the boxes. “Are you moving?”
“No. Those are my Christmas decorations.”
“There are seven boxes over there. Are you decorating the entire complex?”
Maya laughed. “Of course not. But I love Christmas. I collect angel ornaments, so two of the boxes are just for them. My Christmas music playlist is ready with ‘Silent Night’ by The Temptations at the top.” She shrugged. “It’s my favorite time of the year and I get a little out of control.”
He shook his head. “I’d say so.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Don’t tell me you’re a Scrooge.”
Ian chuckled. “No, but I don’t typically decorate. I live alone and can’t see spending all that money on decorations no one will see.”
“Do you live in a house, condo or apartment?”
“House. Why?”
“Then lots of people will see your decorations when they drive by. You don’t have an excuse. When I buy a house, I plan to go all out—lights, snow...”
“Like those pimped-out houses featured on TV?” A huge grin blossomed on her beautiful face and she nodded. Ian couldn’t help getting caught up in her excitement. “That I’d like to see. And where would you get snow from?”
“I’d love to drive up to Big Bear and bring some back, but, depending on the weather, it would probably melt within a few hours, so I’ll have to settle for the fake stuff in the stores. You said you’re an architect. Are there any notable buildings with your signature on them?”
Ian smiled. “Not yet, but soon hopefully. I have designed a few smaller buildings.”
“Your house?”
“No, but I did do my brother’s. He wanted it as a gift for his wife.”
“That’s so sweet. Maybe I’ll get you to design my house one day.”
“Maybe. So, where would you like to go for dinner?”
Maya shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. What do you have a taste for?”
Ian lifted his brow a fraction. He threw his head back and roared at her embarrassed expression when she realized what she’d asked.
“Um...there’s a Mexican restaurant not far. We can go there. Let me get my purse. I’ll be right back,” she mumbled, and exited like the room was on fire.
Still chuckling, he wondered if she knew just how close she had come to being on the menu tonight. Looks like it might be a great holiday after all.
Thursday morning, Rhonda breezed into the kitchen, snagged a still-warm cinnamon roll and came over to the stove, where Maya stood. “You’re never smiling at six thirty in the morning. What gives?”
Maya looked up from the raspberry sauce she was stirring. “Morning, Rhonda. As I recall, you’re the one who’s not a morning person. And what’s wrong with smiling?”
Rhonda eyed Maya. “Nothing, but we have a meeting with that man from the developer’s company this afternoon and you were pretty upset yesterday when we closed. So what happened between then and now? Did they pull the offer?”
“I wish,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Ian stopped by my house last night.”
“Ian? How did he get your address?”
“Apparently, when I gave the chef at the Bonaventure my contact information—smart me had left my cards in the car—I wrote down my home address. I told him he was free to share it with prospective clients. I’ll have to go back and give him the shop’s address.”
Rhonda sighed wistfully. “A determined man. I wish stuff like that would happen to me. So?”
“Against my better judgment, I agreed to our original agreement. The man does not play fair,” she said, recalling the way she had ridden him last night on her couch.
“That look on you face tells me, fair or not, he plays well.”
“Yeah, he does. But I need to get my mind off Ian and on the meeting this afternoon. I’m not looking forward to it, because I know it won’t be the end.”
Later, after closing, Maya sat in her office thinking about her meeting with the man from EJJ Developers.
Just as she predicted, he was not happy when she wouldn’t entertain the offer for her property.
The price he quoted was above the building’s market value and more than she had paid, but none of that mattered.
Saving her business did. And as much as she wished she could wave a magic wand and make this all go away, Maya knew she hadn’t heard the last of the developer.
Her cell chimed. Picking it up from the desk, she read a text message from Ian: I want to see you tonight.
Her first thought was to reply with a resounding yes, but the rational part of her warned against letting him get too close.
After several minutes of inner debate, she typed back: Can’t.
Need to work late to prepare for a party.
It was partly true. She did have to provide desserts for a client tomorrow. The cell chimed again.
Ian: R u free Saturday night?
Maya: Yes.
Ian: Good. Can’t wait to kiss you again. I’ll bring the melted chocolate. I just need you to provide that brown sugar sweetness I can’t get enough of.
Her pulse jumped. Warm chocolate, more of his expert kisses and extraordinary bedroom skills... She was in so much trouble.