Intimate Seduction - Brenda Jackson [28]
Whatever the reason, it really didn’t matter, he inwardly conceded, taking a sip of his beer. Natalie Ford was in his system, buried deep, and he only knew one way to get her out. It was only then that he could move on to other things—specifically, other women. Until then…
“So, your best friend is one of the owners of this place,” she said as if finally deciding to make small talk. Xavier and Farrah had just excused themselves to go to the game room to shoot some pool, leaving them alone. He could tell by the way she’d glared at her friend that she hadn’t wanted to be left alone with him.
He met her gaze, held it a moment and then said, “Yes. He and several other race car drivers. I would introduce you to Bronson but he left this morning for Florida.”
To pursue a woman, Donovan thought, shaking his head. Bronson was the one man he’d figured would never do something as crazy as chasing after a woman, but he’d been proven wrong. No one had really been surprised when Myles Joseph had gotten married earlier that year. After all, they’d heard for years about the woman Myles had left behind in Florida but who still had his heart. But for Bron, a man who could basically have any woman he wanted, to willingly settle on just one—especially one determined not to even give him the time of day—had shocked the hell out of Donovan mainly because Bronson used to be an even more devout player than he was.
She must have felt him staring at her and looked up. A sensuous flutter automatically traveled up his spine. At the same time he was aware of the slight shiver that touched her body although she didn’t know he’d seen it. A man as experienced and well-versed in women as he was didn’t miss too much of anything.
The lighting in this particular section of the restaurant was low, and her features, especially her eyes, seemed more profound in the candlelight gleaming from the table.
He wondered if they were playing a game, a test of wills, to see who could hold whose gaze the longest. Who would be the first to look away? If that was the case, they could sit here all night. He was a master at seduction, and for her he intended to be on top of his game.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go join X and Farrah in the game room?”
She tilted her head but didn’t shift her gaze. “I don’t know how to play.”
“It’s not hard. I could teach you. Give you a quickie.”
The moment he’d said the word quickie he felt the lower part of his body harden, felt a spark ignite in his gut. And he could tell she’d also picked up on that single word, although she’d tried keeping all traces of a reaction from her face. But he had seen the slight widening of her eyes. He had heard her sharp intake of breath and had locked in on the judicious quivering of her lips. He didn’t have her just where he wanted her by any means, but he knew his play on words was getting to her, would eventually break down her resistance. But first he had to calm her fears about being uncomfortable with him, while at the same time continuing to let her know where he stood and exactly what he wanted. Suddenly his mind was filled with all those lovemaking positions he had jotted down on a piece of paper earlier in the week.
He took a sip of his beer, licked his lips and still holding her gaze asked, “So, Natalie, are you interested in learning something new?”
Natalie’s mouth tightened at the challenge since that’s exactly what she saw his question as. Heaven help her, but she was seriously giving his suggestion some thought. Not that she would do anything other than let him teach her how to play pool, of course. But she was very well aware that his mind was on something else. She knew a play on words when she heard it, and if he thought he would get the better of her, he had another thought coming.
“It depends on what I’m learning and who’s doing the teaching,” she finally replied.
Was it her imagination or did his eyes just darken? Either way,