Wrapped In Pleasure - Brenda Jackson [87]
Whatever other thoughts were filtering through his mind suddenly dissolved when Johari walked into the door. His mouth fell open and he could only sit there and stare. Last night he had thought she was beautiful. But now in the brightness of daylight, beneath the rays of the sun, she literally took his breath away.
There was an early-morning glow to her features and for some reason he felt the smile on her lips was meant just for him. And gone was the minidress from last night. Today she was wearing a pair of jeans and a blouse, and she looked absolutely stunning.
He stood when she moved toward his table. Ignoring the lust-filled looks from the other men who had stopped eating to gape at her luscious curves encased in formfitting jeans, she walked with the ease of someone who had an ingrained sense of grace and style. A sense of pride filled his chest knowing the woman that they were feasting their hungry eyes on belonged totally to him.
When she reached his table she nervously licked her lips, and the body part behind his zipper that had been throbbing all morning in anticipation of seeing her again and inhaling her scent suddenly wanted to misbehave.
“Good morning, Monty.”
He thought, just like her looks, her voice had a breathtaking quality, as well. And there was a silkiness to it that flowed across his skin, had desire taking refuge in several of his body parts. “Jo. You look beautiful this morning,” he said, responding to her greeting while inwardly frowning at the thought that he was behaving like an anxious suitor. “And thanks for joining me.”
“Thank you for your invitation.”
When she took a seat he did likewise. The waitress who’d known he was waiting on someone brought over menus. “Thank you.” He then glanced over at Johari. “Has Celine left the city?”
She smiled over the menu at him. “Yes. It was a straight flight and she’s called to let me know she made it to Miami.”
He nodded. “That’s good to hear.” Then after glancing at his menu a few moments, he asked, “Do you see anything you would like?”
She smiled up at him and closed her menu. “I’m not a big eater so a bagel and cocoa will be fine.”
Deciding since he was a big eater and needed more than that, when the waitress returned he gave her their breakfast orders. He saw Johari looking at him with a smile on her face. Automatically his gaze was drawn to her lips and remembering how perfectly they had fit his last night sent all kinds of sensations radiating through him.
He shifted his focus to her eyes, and with a slow smile he leaned over the table and asked in a low voice, “May I ask what you find so amusing?”
“Your appetite,” she whispered, returning his smile. “You eat as much as my brother.”
Rasheed arched a brow. “You have a brother?”
She said nothing for a moment while staring at the silverware, and he studied her, thinking that once again she had said something she would have rather kept secret.
He didn’t intend to let her off that easy. “Jo?”
She lifted her head. “Yes, I have a brother, but I prefer not talking about him.”
“All right.”
She held his gaze for a moment. “Are you always this easy?”
Rasheed almost muttered at the absurdity of that claim because he was not an easy person by any means. Although most of the people of Mowaiti considered him a fair man, one who would go to any lengths for their needs, they knew on certain issues he could be as difficult as crossing the Sahara Desert. He had matured a lot over the past few years and was no longer the hothead that he used to be. The two things about him that hadn’t changed were that he always put the people of Mowaiti first and he chose his friends wisely.
“No, I’m not always this easy,” he finally said, laughing softly. “I’ve made you an exception.”
“And I appreciate you for doing so.”
Instead of responding Rasheed