Shades of Sexy (15 page)

Nick took the menu from her and laid it on top of his. “Then we’ll have one of everything.”

“Don’t tease me.” Her stomach growled at the mere thought of all that delicious food.

A playful grin lifted one corner of his mouth. When their waiter approached the table, Nick ordered her a carafe of wine. “You do drink wine, don’t you?”

“Not usually, but—”

“Tonight you will, right? It’s a special occasion.”

Before she could inquire as to the nature of that occasion, he spoke to the waiter again. “Bring us a sample platter of your ten best entrees.”

April’s breath caught. Could he be serious? She licked her lips. She’d have to summon all her willpower not to make a pig of herself. Her father always joked that she could eat any of her brothers under the table. Not her most attractive attribute.

After the waiter left, Nick sipped his water, then gave her a smoky stare that nearly undid her. “So what do you envision for me? Clothing wise.”

She stared at him, picturing him in chinos, then in a suit and tie. Her cheeks burned when she imagined him stark naked, hard and lean and roped with muscle. She grabbed her water and swallowed a big gulp to cool the heat blooming in her belly.

Nick refrained from grinning at April’s blush. He’d obviously been on her mind as much as she’d been on his, judging from the way she looked at him. And that pleased him.

She straightened and cleared her throat. “Tell me about the occasions you’ll be attending. I mean, what’s good for a weenie roast isn’t necessarily right for a casual dinner.” She stabbed a piece of Veal Saltimbocca with her fork then slid it into her mouth.

He couldn’t tear his eyes from her pink lips. Her eyes shuttered for a moment and she let out an almost inaudible sigh. The way she savored every bite as if eating was an orgasmic experience made him think randy thoughts. What would her face look like when she climaxed?

His cock pressed uncomfortably against his fly. He shifted in the chair. Ripping his attention back to her question, he squared his shoulders. “Occasions. Let’s see. I’m thinking I should nix my idea for the weenie roast, huh?”

That coaxed a smile out of her. One that lit up the room.

“Probably some kind of cocktail party and definitely a few business lunches.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. We should probably pick up a couple of suits and a pair or two of chinos, maybe a couple polo shirts. Of course you’ll need some dress shirts, two or three ties, a pair of black wingbacks and some socks.” Her gaze slid down to her plate. Staring at the lobster ravioli, she parted her lips. She had to be pretty full by now, after a salad, garlic bread and all the entrees.

He cut the pasta in half and scooped the smaller piece onto his fork. Lifting it to her lips, he grinned. He held the morsel there a long moment, then he stuffed it into his mouth.

Her eyebrows snapped together. “That was mean.”

“Not really. You know you’re too full to eat another bite.”

She leaned her chin on her hand. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fine.”

The waiter showed up and cleared away the plates. He returned moments later with a dessert tray.

April’s jaw dropped at the sight of the delicious looking confections.

“Do you have room for a slice of tiramisu?” Before she could answer, Nick pointed to the cake. “With two forks, please.”

She rubbed a hand over her belly. “I really shouldn’t.”

“It’s the best I’ve ever had.” He shrugged. “But if you don’t have room, you don’t.”

The waiter set the dessert between them.

Nick slid it closer to him. He could hardly squash his chuckle at her devastated frown. Taking a bite, he shut his eyes and moaned. When he opened them, April had commandeered the plate and was helping herself to a taste.

He folded his arms and enjoyed the sight of her gratified expression. Yeah. He wanted to see that look more. God, he loved a woman with a healthy appetite. That gusto usually extended to the bedroom. And that pleased him even more because he planned to have April in his bed. Very soon.

After he’d paid the check, they left the restaurant and climbed onto his bike. April slid her arms around him. This time though, he didn’t sense the hesitation he had before and that gave him hope. He chose the scenic route to prolong the ride, enjoying the feel of her warm curves against his back.

When they arrived at Ramos Motorcycles, he rolled his bike into a bay. “Truck’s parked in the lot.”

April narrowed her eyes as she climbed off the seat. “This is all yours?”

“Mm hmm.” Could he blame her for assuming he didn’t have much, considering what he’d looked like only two days earlier when he’d marched into her place? But he didn’t want that to be the reason she gave him a shot. He’d had women who’d wanted nothing but his money. Two of them. And both had let him down.

But he sensed April was different. Even though he’d lured her with cash, she didn’t seem the gold-digger type.

He unlocked the pickup and helped her in. “Where should we start?”

She held a finger to her lips. Did she have any idea how sexy her found the gesture? “Let’s try Jordan’s at the mall. I bet they have a good selection.”

He climbed in behind the wheel and had her at the mall in less than fifteen minutes. Usually places like that gave him a headache, but having her with him took away the unease. He had a feeling that as long as she came along, he’d agree to go just about anywhere.

“The men’s department is upstairs,” she told him as they entered the store.

When they reached their destination, a short dude who smelled like a woman gave him the once-over then crinkled his nose. The jerk walked as if he had a stick shoved up his ass. “May I help you?” he said.

“Absolutely.” April marched past him to a display of suits.

Nick watched her pick out clothes and bicker with the snotty salesman about style and fit and fabric.

Time passed in a dizzying haze. He‘d tried on about a hundred pairs of pants, jackets, shirts and shoes by time the closing announcement played over the loudspeaker. He handed over his credit card and signed away almost the wholesale cost of a brand new fully dressed chopper.

“The alterations will be finished on Thursday and I’ll personally see to it that they are delivered to your home by Friday morning, Mr. Ramos.” The salesman glanced down at a yellow paper beside the register. “It’s the Dade Avenue address here?”

April shook her head. “No, that’s mine, sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No need to apologize.” The man gave her a wide smile then handed a pen to Nick. “Would you mind?” The formerly stuck-up salesman had morphed into his best friend wannabe.

Nick wrote his address on the form. The man handed him a copy then shook with him. “Thank you so much, folks.”

“They must work on commission,” April whispered as they headed to the escalator. Her giggle wrapped around his senses and that overwhelming urge to kiss her took hold.

Even stronger this time.

If he weren’t loaded down with bags, he’d have pulled her into his arms right there, between the first and second floor.

“Would you mind coming to my place to help me put all this stuff away? I could use more practice tying ties too.” In truth, he’d never forgotten how to make a Windsor knot since his mother had taught him when he was in grade school. But when April had approached him and stood only inches away, fussing with the silk, he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.

April bit on her lip. She shouldn’t even be considering going to a man’s home. A biker, no less. And a darned sexy man. But for the thousand dollars he’d promised to pay her, helping him with his ties should be included. “Sure, I’ll help you.”

I can’t trust myself to be alone with him.

After Johnny’s betrayal, she’d promised herself that the next man she made love with would be her husband. And Nick didn’t seem the marrying sort of man. As much as she kept telling herself that she should stay away, her body seemed to disagree. Moisture pooled between her legs and dampened her panties. Her nipples were hard as marbles and she could hardly ignore the intense heat building inside her.

When they reached the truck, Nick tossed his bags in the back as if they were nothing more than worthless junk.

“You should be careful with that stuff. You paid a lot of money for it.” She folded her arms over her chest and waited at the passenger door.

“Yes, ma’am.” He reached into the bed and retrieved his purchases. Then he opened the driver side door and set them on the seat. He circled to her side and helped her in. “Happy now?”

“That’s much better. Now I won’t worry the whole way to your place that something will happen to them” She buckled her seatbelt then rested her arm on the bag with the shoebox inside.

Starting the engine, he shook his head and laughed. “Never know when some degenerate’s going to follow you from the mall and vandalize your purchases, huh?”

She ignored his sarcasm. But she couldn’t block out his scent, a masculine smell that hung in the air and made her dwell upon all sorts of inappropriate thoughts. Like how he’d looked in those suit pants and no shirt. And the feel of his back against her chest when she’d ridden on his bike pressed close to him, hanging onto him for dear life.

A shiver of raw need ribboned through her. She shifted in the seat to dissipate the heat between her legs. She felt her cheeks flush and she moved as far from Nick as she could.

Nick steered the vehicle onto the highway. “Thanks for all your help tonight. You seemed completely comfortable in the men’s department.”

“I had to shop for my brothers and my father. Any time there was a family wedding or funeral or something like that it was my job to outfit them all.” She thought about her family and her heart squeezed.

“Why you?”

His simple question had such a complicated answer, but she didn’t feel like delving into her family dynamics or the truth about her mother’s absence. “My mother passed away when I was eleven.”

He slid his hand over hers. “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.”

Her returned his hand to the wheel. “I know it’s none of my business, but how did she die?”

She bristled at his intrusive question. They’d only just met after all.

“You don’t have to answer that.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “It’s none of my business.”

Swallowing back the pain, she shook her head. “No, it’s okay. It was a traffic accident.” She couldn’t bring herself to voice the whole truth. A black and white photo of the mangled motorcycle on the front page of a newspaper from a faraway town, the single box of her belongings that had arrived with postage due.

“I’m so sorry.” He said nothing else for a long moment. “So your father raised you and your siblings?”

“Daddy had his hands full. My dad and my older brother were working most of the time. I did all the cleaning, cooking, helped with homework, pretty much everything that needed doing around the house.”

“That’s a lot of responsibility for a little girl. I’m impressed.”

She shrugged. “We all did what we had to.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. Many people fail to rise to an occasion.” He sped up to pass a slow moving van. “So what made you decide to become a hairdresser?”

“Barber, actually. There is a difference.”

“Excuse me. Barber.”

She wasn’t accustomed to talking about herself lately. Her clients mostly confided in her and spoke about themselves. “I come from a small town in North Florida. No industry to speak of and the population has been shrinking for years. My father encouraged me to look beyond Oakville’s limited possibilities.”

“A man with vision. And a woman with talent.”

His wink sent a quiver of desire through her. She grasped the armrest tighter.

They arrived at a large two-story contemporary home inside a gated neighborhood. Even in the dark, she noticed elegant details like bay windows and twin topiaries flanking the double front doors. He parked in the three-car garage then hit a button on his dashboard again and the door shut them inside.

“All set?” He reached for the packages.

Swallowing hard, she nodded. But the prospect of being alone with him in his big house made her stomach do little flips. He led her into a huge kitchen with oak cabinets and granite counters.

“Thirsty?” He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can of soda.

Her mouth felt stuffed with cotton. “Sure.” She took it from him then followed him through a completely empty dining room and a living room with only two lawn chairs and a TV tray to a marble floored foyer. A grand staircase narrowed as it climbed to the second story.

“Your house is…” She swept her gaze across the expansive, empty space. “Beautiful.” At least it would be once he moved in some furniture and accessories.

He sat on the third step and set his bags on the floor. “I have no idea what sort of furniture to fill it with.”

April walked the length of the foyer. “I’d put a round pedestal table here.” She pointed to the center of the room. “Like you see in the movies. And top it with a big vase full of calla lilies.”