Never Say Never, Part One (Second Chance Romance, Book 1) (13 page)

They went silent and tucked into their food, which was excellent and shared casual comments. “Would you pass the salt, please?”
“Great flavor; love the sauce.”
“I’m sorry—now the pepper?”
“I think I’ll order another drink. Are you still working on yours?”

Classical music played softly through the elaborate sound system, interspersed with the off-and-on murmur of conversation and the muted clink of utensils.
 

“Nice, huh?” Jonathan nudged.

Chloe sent her warm smile across the table. “It’s lovely, Jonathan. Thank you for inviting me here.”
She flushed under his teasing glances; once or twice he reached for his water glass at the same time she reached for hers. Their hands brushed in a symphony of suggestive touch.
 

Their dinner finished and the dishes cleared, Jonathan insisted they order dessert. “The Key Lime pie here is heaven. You’ll have to try it.”

Was it possible he didn’t want the evening to end? Or was she reading his intentions wrong? He was her employer. That meant no touchy, but hey, at least she could fantasize. Imagine he did find her attractive; picture them together even.

The first forkful of pie was bliss. Touch and taste were the senses: sensuality, earthiness, surrender to the flesh.

“Mmmm, sinfully delicious. I want the recipe for this.”

He smiled. “You can cook? Do you consider yourself a gourmet?”

“Most of what I do is with a microwave,”
she admitted, twinkling a bit. “I share an apartment with a friend. Camille and I are polar, but we get on great.”

“Camille, eh? And how are you opposites?”

Chloe shrugged, the bodice of silk reflecting the glimmers of light. Jonathan’s gaze lingered where it shouldn’t. That stare was a caress, and her cheeks warmed again – no way had she imagined that.
 

“She’s an extrovert, and I’m more reserved. Camille‘s a journalist and she doesn’t take guff from anyone, anytime. Whereas I…”

“Whereas you,”
finished up Jonathan, reaching out to stroke her wrist “do your best to get along with those around you. An admirable trait.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Sometimes, yes. Sometimes not so much.”
 

“Yes, I can understand how that works. It’s okay to be a people-pleaser, but you don’t want to be a jellyfish, either. You need to stand up for yourself. As for me, I’ve had a couple of roommates—female…but it hasn’t worked out.”

A stab of jealousy assaulted her. Idiot. Of course he’d been with other women over the years. Just as she’d been with other men.

“Camille is my whole support system,”
Chloe said staunchly. “She’s there whenever I need backup. She’s my best buddy.”

“So she knows you?”

No one knows me!
She murmured into the silence, over the clinking of Jonathan’s fork against his saucer of pie, “When you come right down to it, how much do you know about anyone, really?”

Conversation lagged after that.

Chloe was out of practice with prolonged contact with the male gender. No dates, no hanging out, no social interaction meant a very narrow existence. Up until now, she’d preferred it that way.

Curled up like a snail inside its shell was safer.
Much safer.

Jonathan asked for the check and then rose, escorting Chloe with a hand on her waist.

“Do you have a car?”
he asked, once they emerged into the fresh spring air.
 

The air held a slight chill. A clock chimed ten in the distance, peering between the skyscrapers. Headlights glared and cab horns blared as vehicles bumbled their way from intersection to intersection.

“Yes. I drive depending on what I have planned. Today I took the subway.”

“Oh, no, no, no,”
he objected, sternly. “I’m not letting you ride the subway alone at this hour. I’ll be happy to take you home.”

How could she refuse? Especially when his silver Porsche was parked a few blocks away. It twinkled and dared her not to fall in love with it –
much like it’s owner.

The ride, once Chloe was securely buckled into her seat and the engine purred warmly, was even better.

Jonathan followed her directions north and east toward the interstate, driving carelessly. He whooshed in and around traffic with abandon, skirting delivery trucks with inches to spare, squeaking through yellow caution lights. Chloe hung on for dear life and muttered a prayer. Did the man have a death wish? Was he taking her with him to the afterlife?

She didn’t utter a word of complaint, only sighing an almost silent relief when they pulled into her drive.

He grinned at her. “Scared?”

“A little,”
she admitted with a nervous laugh. Danger wasn’t her middle name and never would be again.
 

“Sorry. I’ve just gotten used to tootling around Manhattan without much regard for anyone else on the road. A car like this is proof of power. Ready to go in?”

A broad half-flight of stairs led up to a converted brownstone. Jonathan glanced around with appreciation, waiting while she unlocked the hand-carved and finished front door. “Nice neighborhood, and very nicely rehabbed. Expensive area, though.”

“Having a roommate helps pay the bills,”
she responded. He wasn’t being nosy on purpose; maybe she was just a little sensitive. She led him into the bright-lit foyer, the wooden floors polished to perfection. Chloe paused and indicated to another door to the left. “This is mine.”

“And this,”
said Jonathan, on an indrawn breath, “is mine.”
He pulled her into a close embrace, bent his head, and took possession of her.
 

Ambushed!

She didn’t have time to protest. For one dizzying, weakened moment, she merely submitted. Then the warmth and passion of his kiss undermined her reservation. She kissed him back, pressing against him, heat and electricity dancing through her. It had been so long. Too long. That stretch of time was eons spent in a dry, hopeless desert, lost. She’s just found an oasis and boy was the water sweet.
 

She lifted her arms, and slung them around his neck, her fingers entwined in his hair. She was alive. She sighed, drawing the breath from her toes to the top of her head. This was what it was meant to feel like.

That sigh was all the permission Jonathan needed. He broke free, snatched a breath and swept down for another kiss. He snugged his hand against her breast, pressing the silk against the lace of her bra. Oh god. She held back the moan by biting her lip.
 

The apartment door flew open with a jerk and a rasp. They nearly lost their balance and toppled inside.
 

“What have we here?”

Jonathan straightened, sucked in a lungful of oxygen, and set his suit jacket to rights. Chloe licked her lips and pulled a face –
was he angry?
 

“Good evening. You must be Camille.” Jonathan stuck out a hand.

“I am. And you are—?” Camille smirked.
 

He introduced himself, smoothly, just as he’d been with her at dinner. He turned and tweaked Chloe’s chin. “Thanks for having dinner with me. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”
Then he disappeared. Camille back pedaled a few steps with a knowing look.
 

Chloe slipped inside her apartment and closed the door. The interruption was a disappointment and a relief.
 

She’d nearly forgotten the supposed reason for their date: Jonathan wanted to discuss an upcoming special project. What was it?

“Who was that, roomie?”
Camille twinkled nearby, “And do I need to get you a towel?”

* * * *

BRAVE, EPISODE ONE - THE COLOR OF RAGE

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This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, organisations, businesses and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Melissa Shaw. All rights reserved.

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