Eva hadn’t been aware of just how hungry she was until he’d walked into the hotel room and she’d been smacked upside the head with the scent of all things heavenly. Oregano. Garlic. Tomato sauce. Cheese. Basil. Pepperoni. Was there anything in the world that smelled better?
“Here you go.” He handed her the mug of wine, and that’s when she caught Scott’s scent. Masculine, powerful, fresh, and just a touch citrusy.
Okay, well, maybe pizza was the second-best scent in the world, because the man in front of her smelled pretty damn delicious too.
She took the mug and thanked him.
He lifted his just a touch higher in the air. “To … ” His crooked nose wrinkled, and he glanced up into the corner of the room. “To … ”
She smiled. He was cute when he was confused. “To heroes not in capes. You saved me from … ”
Peeing my pants.
“A very embarrassing fate,” she finished, clinking her mug against his.
“To heroes not in capes,” he repeated, taking a sip of his wine while eyeing her over the rim of his mug. The twinkle in the lighter brown flecks of his eyes spoke of mischief. Sure, Scott was a nice guy, but she could tell just by the way he smiled so confidently, held himself with such carefree ease and squinted just slightly when he stared at her, this man had a wicked side. And not necessarily the bad kind of wicked.
“So, shall we start?” he asked, setting his mug down on the table.
Well, that was blunt.
No foreplay, no seduction, nothing. Just right to the point. In and out. Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.
She choked on the wine in her throat and began coughing, her eyes widening as the thought of dying in a hotel room with a sexy stranger began to edge its way to the forefront of her mind. “Excuse me?” she gasped.
Scott pounded on her back. “I asked if you wanted to start.”
She took another sip of her wine and glanced up at him, her eyes watering. “Um … I’ve never … this is, uh … ”
“I mean the pizza,” he said, his warm chuckle sweeping over her like a velvet throw. He shook his head. “I’m not a complete asshole. Remember that this was all your idea. I just wanted to go for pizza. If you want to sit on your bed and watch movies, drink wine and eat pizza all night, I am A-OK with that.” He grabbed a napkin from the side of the pizza box, then reached for a slice of pepperoni pizza, handing the napkin and pizza to her. “My mama raised a gentleman. No means no. You, beautiful Eva, hold all the power here.”
You, beautiful Eva, hold all the power.
Had she ever heard any sexier words uttered?
Nope, she certainly hadn’t.
She’d never held any kind of power ever either.
And yet, Scott just handed it all to her on a silver platter.
She swayed where she stood and reached out, gripping the back of the chair to stabilize herself. Was she already drunk on power? Did it happen that fast?
He stepped into her space and tilted her chin up with his knuckle. Her lips parted. “I really just want to get to know you, Eva. Any part of you.”
Scott couldn’t say he’d ever had a woman literally throw herself at him. Sure, women had done so figuratively, but Eva actually launched herself into his arms, crushing her mouth against his and shoving her tongue down his throat.
Whoa!
He could not get a read on this woman. One minute she was all smooth and seductive, oozing sexy confidence and inviting him back to her hotel suite, saying she’d be the one taking advantage. The next minute she was nervous and choking on her wine. Only to turn around and leap into his arms and kiss him.
She confused the hell out of him but also intrigued him to no end.
He liked that.
He liked her.
Wrapping his arms around her back, he parted his lips and took control of their kiss, sweeping his tongue into her hot, wet mouth and tasting everything she had to offer. The sweet zinfandel tasted even better on her tongue.
A small, feminine moan slid up her throat, and she pressed her tits against his chest, his leg wedged between hers to keep them vertical.
Without breaking them apart, she set her mug down and somehow her pizza too and began to back up toward the bed, her hands free to roam across his chest, and began to unbutton his shirt.
But something tickled at the back of his neck—a warning? Red flags? Alarm bells? He broke the kiss, much to the protestations from his other head.
“Let’s eat first. Have some wine and maybe talk a bit,” he said gently, easing her down to the bed, then retreating to the table to grab her wine and pizza. “You’re sending off some real conflicting signals, and I just want to make sure you know what you want.”
Big, gorgeous green eyes looked up at him with total confusion, and her puffy lips opened to form the perfect little O. He had to stop himself from groaning at how utterly fuckable she looked at that moment. How he wanted to do nothing more than grab all that hair into a tight ponytail at the base of her head and ease that little O over his now throbbing erection.
But his mama had raised a gentleman. He had a little sister, and even if he didn’t, he could see that Eva wasn’t entirely sure of what she’d proposed to him downstairs half hour ago. He needed to give her a bit more time to think things through. He also just wanted to get to know her better. Even though he had no problem with a one-night stand with no strings, no expectations and sometimes even no names, the tickle at the base of his skull told him Eva was not one of those women.
“A-are you having second thoughts?” she asked, accepting her wine and pizza. “D-did I do something wrong?” The slight shake in her voice made him want to scoop her up into his arms and hold her, take away whatever insecurities or pain she was clearly harboring.
But instead, he kicked off his shoes, grabbed his own slice of pizza and his mug of wine, then sat down at the head of the bed, propping himself up on the pillow. “You did absolutely nothing wrong, beautiful Eva. I just want us to get to know each other a bit first. Have a drink. Have a meal. Have a conversation.”
The sexy line of her long throat lifted and dropped as she swallowed, still sitting on the edge of the bed, staring beneath the table. “Didn’t we already do that downstairs? The drink and the conversation?” She blinked slowly, then pivoted her head to look at him. “What is it you want from me?”
Scott was midway through a bite of pizza, but he dropped the slice to the napkin, put it aside and leapt up to his knees, taking her mug of wine from her and setting it on the nightstand. Then he took her hand in his. “Eva, I don’t want anything from you. Except to know that you’re not going to regret something tomorrow. I hardly know you, but what I do know I like. But I’ve also had enough one-night stands to know that the women aren’t usually as conflicted as you seem. I want to get to know you, that’s all.” He tugged on her hand. “Come sit. Eat, and let’s talk. My son is with his mother tonight, and tomorrow is Sunday, so I have no curfew.” He winked, hoping to settle some of her nerves.
She seemed to relax a bit and nodded, ditching her own shoes and climbing onto the bed beside him with her pizza. He handed her the mug of wine, and she took a sip.
Before reaching for his own wine, he grabbed the television remote and flicked the TV on, surfing until he found a rerun of The Office. Glancing over at her with raised eyebrows, he waited for the yay or nay.