Just Deserts - Brenda Jackson [19]
He rubbed his hand down his face, refusing to give in to the what-ifs. He intended to show Danielle that with the right man she could have it all—a bed partner, a best friend, a loyal mate and a man who wanted to give her everything, including the family she desired. But he couldn’t tell her any of that. They were things she needed to find out on her own.
Like the kiss they had shared. There was no way she didn’t know that she could turn him on, that he was attracted to her. It was a fact he could no longer hide. During that kiss they had melded their lips together in a lock so tight, he hadn’t wanted to separate in order to breathe. What he had wanted to do was position his body over hers and become the lover she craved. The one she said she needed. Never had kissing a woman sent his senses spinning the way kissing Danielle had. He had savored the taste of her all the way to his bones.
And she had responded in kind, just like he had wanted her to, like he had dreamed so many times that she would. For that brief moment, she had forgotten all about what she had gone through lately, what Alex and Renée had shared with her, and all the emotions she had bottled up inside of her. She had let herself go. She had allowed herself to feel and get as caught up in the moment as he had.
Moments later he rose to his feet when he heard Danielle’s bedroom door opening. He had made dinner reservations at a restaurant the hotel concierge had recommended. It was supposed to be the city’s best steakhouse, and Tristan was eager to sink his teeth into a juicy T-bone.
He leaned over to place the magazine back on the table when Danielle walked into the room. He glanced up at her and his mouth fell open. It was a wonder that she didn’t hear it when it dropped to the floor. He had to catch his breath as his gaze raked over her, up, down and sideways. He wasn’t sure which was worse, her dress or her shoes. Both had “Go ahead and take me” written all over them. At that moment the steak was forgotten and more than anything he wanted to sink his teeth into her.
Danielle saw the look in Tristan’s eyes and smiled. He’d been taken by surprise, basically caught off guard, and she liked that. Pushing back her hair from her face, she moved across the room to where he stood. “You look nice, Tristan,” she said in a voice that had a husky sound to it.
“Thanks. You look nice yourself.”
“Thank you.”
Tristan looked at her again, taking note of how the material of her short black dress clung softly to her curves and small waist. Earlier he had suggested that they not rush into anything and let nature take its course. From the way his body was responding to her, he could safely say nature was taking its course in a big way.
Then there was the scent of her perfume. There was nothing subtle about the musky fragrance that was doing a number on him, turning up the heat and arousing him a degree higher than he’d ever experienced in his life.
“You ready?”
He met her gaze. “Ready for what?” he asked in a throaty voice.
Her smile widened. “Ready for dinner. What else?”
He stared at her for a moment and then said softly, “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Enjoying what?” she asked innocently, trying to keep the twitch from her lips.
“Making me sweat.”
She arched a brow. “Are you sweating, Tris? You look rather calm to me.”
“Trust me. In this case looks are deceiving. It wouldn’t take much for me to order room service and keep you right here in this room with me.”
And to think that he’d thought moving from friends to lovers would be awkward for her. She seemed to be handling it very well. But then, the way she had responded to his kiss earlier should have warned him she didn’t need any additional time to warm up to the idea. He had wanted to make sure she understood the implications of what she had asked for. What he’d told her was basically true. He would want