She had so lost control of the situation and she didn’t care. He could have taken her right there against the wall and she wouldn’t have stopped him. Instead, he moved his fingers and touched her center. She moaned, and then with some pressure and a little bit of movement, he brought her to climax. Kate arched and started to cry out, and everyone in the bar would have heard her if David hadn’t pressed her face into his chest to muffle her cries. He held her tight, kept her safe, as the orgasm passed and she shook uncontrollably.

“Let’s leave.” His voice was throaty, raw. “Please.”

“I can’t…”

“Why not?”

“Because,” she said, still gasping for breath, “I hate you.”

He tilted his head back and when Kate looked up at him, she saw his mouth twitch into a grin. “I don’t believe you.”

He was so freaking smug. She looked away and cursed him under her breath. She did hate him, she did. He was shallow and arrogant and obnoxious and… and then Kate felt his lips brush against her temple and she sighed like a schoolgirl. Crap, even she didn’t believe she hated him. Flushed and sweaty, her breasts were aching for him and her girly parts were warm and wet. The air around them smelled like sex. He’d gotten her to such a point that she couldn’t go back to her friends and act like nothing had happened. There was a break in the karaoke and she heard music—Eric Clapton was wailing about not wanting to be lonely. Kate didn’t want to be lonely either, so she gave in.

“Okay,” she finally said meeting his gaze with her own. “Okay. Meet me outside.”

He nodded and dropped one last bone-melting, sense-stealing kiss on her lips before he left her to pull herself together.

She watched him walk away and Kate took a minute to assess the situation as best she could. What the hell had happened? Since when was she the woman who let herself get felt up in a bar? Why didn’t she just go back to her friends and leave him standing there? Kate ducked in the bathroom, breathed out, and touched her neck. She felt the heat and the racing pulse and she knew why. David made her made her feel sexy; he made her take risks, and do things she wouldn’t have done before. After the emotional battering she suffered when she was married, Kate wanted to feel that way. She wanted someone to want her. And even though she knew this wasn’t going to be her love story, David made her feel beautiful.

The next step was to get Julie’s attention, but it was unnecessary since her friend came looking for her. When she walked in, Kate was leaning against the tile, fanning herself, and trying to cool off.

“Holy shit,” Julie said. “What happened to you?”

“David happened.”

“He’s here?”

Kate placed her hands over her chest and tried to slow her racing heart. “He’s waiting for me.”

Julie smiled and leaned her hip into the sink. “Oh, really? Where are you going?”

“I don’t know.” Kate’s words came out like a little song. “His place, I guess.”

Julie didn’t say much. She was obviously too stunned to come up with anything witty or even cautionary. But the faint giggle that escaped her throat told Kate she was amused.

“Stop laughing at me, Julie!” Kate stomped her high heel and didn’t care that she probably looked like a spoiled brat.

“Oh, no. This is too much fun.”

“You’re a horrible friend.”

Julie laughed again and nodded. “I can live with that. You’re not too drunk? Should I get your things for you and make your excuses?”

Kate thought about David waiting for her and her heart started thumping in her chest like a drum. “Not too drunk. Just tell everyone I didn’t feel well and that I’m taking a cab home. Okay?”

Julie was still giggling and Kate was too aroused to care. “You are too much.” Taking her by the shoulders, Julie guided her out of the restroom and gave her a little push. “Go. Have fun.”

*

David leaned against a lamp post and waited. God, what that woman did to him. When he touched her there was a roar in his head—he couldn’t make sense out of his thoughts, she was everywhere. When she was close, Kate was all that mattered. No one challenged him like she did. No one made him think about being a better man the way Kate did. No one. And somehow, he had to make sure she knew that.

His eyes were fixed on the door of the restaurant and finally, she came out. She was pulling a soft wrap around her shoulders and her hair was lifted by a gentle breeze. Her cheeks were still flushed, her lips swollen and pink from him kissing her senseless. Kate walked to him and pressed her body into his without a second thought. David settled his hands on her hips and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

“You live nearby?” Kate’s eyes rose to meet his.

When David nodded, she did as well, giving him her answer. They walked to his car, hand-in-hand, and David’s only thought was that if he did this right, Kate wouldn’t want to leave him come morning.

His vehicle was right around the corner and it was a short ride to his house, but it felt like an eternity. When he got her past the door, he had to fight the urge to just pick up where they left off in the bar. He was pushing down his needs so he could focus on hers. Only hers.

Her hand trembled in his. If she knew how nervous he was, she would question whether he had enough testosterone to follow through. When he broke it down to basics, David was scared to death he was going to screw this up. They barely knew each other, but when he looked at her, he had the feeling he was messing with the rest of his life. He’d had a lot of women and never before had one made him feel like he had something to lose. He took her wrap and she turned into his arms. Kate rested her head on his chest and the sweet smell of her seeped into his blood. His hands came up and cupped her face, her beautiful face.

“Do you want to go upstairs?”

She nodded and he led her up the stairs and to his room. Once inside, he pulled her close and left kisses over her face and down her neck, while he unzipped the black dress and touched the bare skin on her back. She wiggled and the dress fell to the floor, and it was at that moment, when he stepped back and took her in, that he started to say prayers of thanks.

Kate stood next to his bed looking like every man’s erotic fantasy. Her breasts were enveloped in a frothy bra; peeking over the tops of the lace he could see the shadow of her nipples. Moving down, she had on matching lace panties that were barely there at all, and finishing him off were the stockings and heels. Talk about a contradiction. The woman was a conservative, preppy mom one minute, and then underneath it all she dressed like a centerfold. Maybe that was the missing piece with her. Kate was an extremely controlled woman on the surface. Her wild child was hidden inside.

As he moved toward her, Kate’s breathing grew heavier, and her hoarse whisper broke the silence. “I shouldn’t be here.”

David could see that as much as she had doubts, she wanted him. However, he had to give her the chance to stop it from going any further.

“Do you want me to take you home? I want you to stay, but if you don’t, just say the word…” David stepped back and waited for her answer and once again he said a prayer, this time for her to stay. If she did, he was going to make sure she wouldn’t regret it for one minute.

Her eyes met his and he could see the decision was hard for her. David was sure it was because she probably did dislike him on some level. Being here went against every safe, sensible thing she’d ever done. It took a minute, but her eyes changed, and he saw when she’d made her choice.

“I want to stay.” She reached up and took his face in her hands before touching her lips to his. The kiss was gentle, barely there, but it shocked David’s heart. “I want to be with you, even though I have no idea why you want to be with me.”