Forged of Steele Bundle (Books 1-4) - Brenda Jackson [152]
It was past midnight when they called it a day and began walking back toward their hotel, still holding hands. She recalled they’d even held hands throughout all the concerts they had attended.
“Did you have fun today?” she asked as they walked lazily through the streets. The crowd on the sidewalks had thinned out a lot. It was evident the people passing them by were party animals, still in a festive mood on their way to some nightclub or other.
Bas smiled at her. “Yes. This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
She grinned and leaned in closer to him. “Even more fun than the fishing trip last weekend?”
He chuckled. “This was a different sort of fun. I hadn’t realized how much I’ve missed by not going to a jazz concert. CDs are nice but there’s nothing like being right there in the audience, having the strings of a guitar and the melodic tune of a piano slowly hum through you. The vitality of it was awesome. Thanks for suggesting that we come.”
She smiled, pleased. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
When they reached the entrance to the hotel he suddenly stopped, turned toward her and slid his arms loosely around her neck. He leaned in closer, his mouth barely an inch from hers. “In fact, I may have had too much fun. I’m not ready for the night to end. Feel it?”
“Feel what?” The only thing she felt at that moment was the slow sizzle in her blood from the way he was looking at her. He was so close she could see the dark rings around his pupils, and that look made a deep-rooted longing uncurl inside her.
“Night heat.”
She swallowed against the thickness that suddenly settled in her throat. “Night heat?”
“Yes. Maybe it’s the sound of all that jazz, being surrounded by it while it works inexplicable sensations all through you. But I honestly think it’s something else.”
“What?”
“You. Me. Here. The night. The heat. The connection,” he breathed against her lips. “Close your eyes and feel it.”
Jocelyn closed her eyes and she began to feel it. She mentally savored the sounds around her, the conversations in the distance, the jazzy music that wasn’t ready to end and the breathy sigh that escaped from between her own lips.
A sultry breeze made her sniff the air and she took in the smell of Cajun food, spicy barbecue ribs, the steamy aroma of blue crabs. Then there was the scent of man, at least of the man standing in front of her. Of all the things she had taken in, he was the one thing that made the night steamy. Hot. He was everything she imagined night heat was about—a male rich in sensuality, masculinity and irresistible charm. A man who could make her heart pound from just one heated look. A man who gazed at you as though he was a predator and you were the object of his intent. “Yes, I can feel it,” she murmured truthfully, before opening her eyes.
Her senses were jolted with the sudden feel of his mouth on hers. Hot and quick. His tongue captured hers before she could take her next breath and then just as quickly, he pulled away.
“There’s a nightclub in the hotel. Do you want to go dancing?”
Jocelyn suddenly felt light-headed, dazed. The air surrounding them flickered softly across her skin, adding to the odd feeling she was experiencing. And at that moment she knew she too wasn’t ready for the night to end. Trembling with a mixture of sensuality and excitement, she met his gaze, smiled and whispered, “Yes, I want to go dancing.”
A deep tremor passed through Bas the moment he took Jocelyn into his arms on the dance floor. The air surrounding them was thick. The jazzy music encircling them was rich and smooth, and she was soft.
If she had been any other woman he would have suggested that they go up to his room instead of going dancing. Holding her against him, moving his body with hers to the sway of the music only intensified the temptation he was trying like hell to fight. He had been feeling something practically all day, but it had become more prevalent