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  Kira threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him in place while she licked his lips and the inside of his mouth with her tongue. At last he lifted his head and gave her lips one last brush with his.

  “Bathroom,” he whispered.

  “Wha—”

  “You do have one here, right?”

  She blinked, and pointed with a limp hand toward a corner. “Over there.”

  He washed quickly in the tiny bathroom and looked at his face in the mirror. He saw desire burning in his eyes, and the same tension gripping his body lined his face. What the hell was he doing, anyway? He shook his head, wondering if Kira was a witch of some kind. It seemed the moment he laid eyes on her he couldn’t keep his hands off of her.

  And what were the chances he’d move into the house right next door to her? How the hell was he supposed to handle that? He’d probably end up fucking himself into an early grave. And to complicate things even more, he was still hard enough to drive nails into concrete.

  Sighing, he opened the door and walked back into the studio. Kira was still on the table, still naked from the waist down, but she was sitting up with a satisfied smile on her face. She leaned back, bracing herself on her hands.

  “You have a very educated mouth, Mr. Havers.” Her voice was low and thick with sexual satisfaction.

  “All compliments humbly accepted.” He grinned at her. “But it’s easy when the morsel is so delicious.”

  She wiggled to the end of the table. “But I’ll bet you didn’t get everything out of it you could.”

  He bracketed her with his hands and drifted a kiss over her mouth. “You didn’t hear me complaining, did you?”

  “No.” She drew out the word so it sounded as if it had three syllables. “But you’re probably too much of a gentleman.” She reached for his t-shirt and started to drag the fabric upward.

  Grant clamped his hands around her wrists. “No.” He nearly shouted the word.

  Kira jerked and let go of the fabric. She hitched herself back on the table. “You don’t have to shout at me. What’s wrong with me wanting to get you naked? Maybe getting you up here on the table with me.” She dropped her voice. “I like having you inside me.”

  Oh, shit. “I, um, don’t have any condoms with me. Didn’t think I’d need one just hanging out in my yard.” Hell, he pulled that one out of thin air. “I came in here expecting to call the fire department.” His lips curved in a slow smile. “Instead I found a different kind of heat.”

  “But you didn’t…you aren’t—”

  “I’m fine, sugar.” Like hell. “Next time I’ll be better prepared.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Next time?”

  “Uh-huh. And there will be a next time.” Shit, he was just getting himself in deeper and deeper. He needed to keep his distance from this woman, not get more involved with her. Or with any woman.

  “So, what did you have in mind?”

  Yeah, Havers, what did you have in mind?

  “Well, how about starting with dinner? I think we’ve done everything backward here.”

  Kira burst out laughing. “Ya think?”

  He drew in a deep breath and let it out very slowly, then held out his hand. “Hi! I’m Grant Havers, your next-door neighbor and a cousin of the Brody brothers. I’m sure they’ll vouch for me.”

  Mischief danced in her eyes. It didn’t seem to bother her that she was sitting on the table half naked, the scent of sex a rich cloud in the air around her. “Okay, I’ll play.” She took his hand. “Kira Jacobs, sister of one bride and cousin to the other. And they’ll vouch for me.”

  “Okay, Kira Jacobs. Nice to meet you. Would you have dinner with me tonight?”

  She blinked. “Dinner? Tonight?”

  “Sure. You know. Where two people sit at a table, order food, chew and swallow it.”

  Kira giggled, the only word for it. A very feminine sound. “Why, yes, I’d love to have dinner with you.”

  “Tonight,” he repeated.

  She nodded. “Tonight. Okay.” Then, as if she’d suddenly become aware of her situation, she hopped off the table and picked up her yoga pants and panties.

  Grant thought he’d lose it for sure watching her wiggle into them.

  “Seven good for you?” he asked.

  “Seven’s fine.” She cocked her head and looked at him as if something had suddenly occurred to her. “I never thought to ask. What are you doing home in the middle of the day? Don’t you have a job to go to?”

  He turned and headed for the studio door, unwilling to have this conversation. “I’m between…opportunities. When your doorbell rings at seven, I’ll be the one pushing the bell.” He turned as he opened the door. “Wear something sexy.”

  Then he was out of the building, pulling the door shut behind him.

  Holy hell. Tonight he’d have to figure out a way to keep the conversation away from the job front. He just wasn’t ready yet to tell her the truth.

  Chapter Three

  Kira brushed stray wisps of hair back from her face and tried to figure out just how things had gotten so out of hand so quickly. One minute she was sketching, the next her neighbor was charging in like a wounded bear. And the next she was flat on her back and he was doing wonderful things to her with his very educated tongue.

  Way to go, slut girl. You’ve done it again.

  Why was it she just couldn’t seem to break the pattern? She wanted real things in her life—a home, a responsible husband, a solid marriage. Even children. So how did she keep getting herself tied up with men who were…between opportunities. Looking for a quick lay.

  At least he’d asked her out to dinner, and indicated he wanted to get to know her better. But what did that mean? The relationship would last two weeks instead of a few nights? Kira wanted to put her head down on the table and bang it against the solid wood. Instead she picked up her cell phone and punched in her sister’s number.

  “Hey!” Kasey said when she answered. “How’s the glass business?”

  “Hotter than ever.” It was the standard greeting they always used with each other.

  “And speaking of hot, wasn’t that Grant Havers I saw you disappear with at the party?” Kasey couldn’t hide the blatant curiosity in her voice.

  “Um, well, I didn’t exactly disappear.” She should have known Kasey would nail her on that. The only reason they hadn’t had this conversation already was because Kira had been gone to a trade show for the past week. Probably the same reason she also hadn’t met her new neighbor before today.

  “Give me a break,” her sister laughed. “One minute the two of you are dancing, the next you’re both gone and that’s the last anyone sees of you.”

  “We, uh, just decided to leave early.” Damn, damn, damn. “You know how I hate parties anyway, and I guess he does, too.”

  “Uh-huh.” Kasey chuckled. “If you say so. How was the trade show?”

  “Great. It was great.” How was she going to get around to her questions when Kasey was already on the alert? “So, um, anyway, has this guy been friends with the Brody brothers for a long time?”

  Now Kasey laughed outright. “Is that interest I hear in your tone of voice?”

  “Just…idle curiosity.” Kira paced now, trying to choose her words carefully. “What do you know about him, anyway?”

  “Not a lot,” Kasey admitted. “Just that he and the guys have been close since they were kids.”

  “Do you happen to know what he does for a living?” Does he even have a job?

  “Not really.” Kasey was silent for a moment. “I asked Sky and he said Grant was making some major changes in his life but he wasn’t real specific.”

  Great. Just great. Besides being Mr. Hot-to-Trot he’s also unemployed.

  Kira cleared her throat. “I don’t suppose you happened to know that he bought the house next door to me, did you?”

  “What?” Kasey’s voice was so loud Kira had to hold the cell phone away from her ear.


  “You heard me. He’s my new next-door neighbor.”

  “I had no idea. Wait until Sky gets here tonight. I’ll roast his balls for not telling me.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t know,” Kira suggested.

  “Let’s hope not or he’s in big trouble. So, I take it you and he have run into each other.”

  Kira smiled. “You could say that. Listen, not that it’s any big deal, but since he’s right next door, will you try and worm anything out of Skyler that you can? I want to make sure we don’t have an axe murderer in the neighborhood.”

  No, just a sex fiend.

  “Sure, honey. No problem.” She laughed again. “Oh, this is just too rich.”

  “Don’t go conjuring things up, sister dear. I’m just mildly curious.” She paused. “Is he, um, seeing anyone? You know, just wondering if I’m going to see hot and cold women running out of the house.”

  “Mildly curious, huh?” Kasey was off again in a fit of laughter. “I don’t know if he’s seeing anyone,” she answered, still catching her breath. “I’ll make it a point to ask Sky when he gets home.”

  “No!” Kira almost shouted the word, and forced herself to lower her voice. “I mean, no, you don’t need to bother. I was just…”

  “Mildly curious?” Kasey repeated her own words back to her. “Uh-huh. Okay, your secret is safe with me.” Her voice was still rich with humor.

  “Yes. No. Not even that. Okay?”

  “Sure, sure, sure. Whatever you say. Talk to you later.”

  Kira disconnected the call, silently cursing. She hadn’t meant to give any real indication of her interest in Grant. Probably shouldn’t even have mentioned him. Her sister knew her too well. As a matter of fact, she needed to just wipe him out of her mind. He was so not the kind of man she was looking for. She wanted a wedding dress and a honeymoon. Grant wanted hot nights and…and who knew what else. No job. Just interested in hot sex in the moment.

  She should have called Maddy. At least her best friend wouldn’t have laughed until after she’d hung up the phone, but Madison West didn’t have the same close connection to Grant. Therefore she used who and what she had to get all the information she could. Was he really worth all this trouble?

  But then she closed her eyes and remembered how his tongue felt thrusting in and out of her cunt. Remembered the rasp of his thumbs as they stroked her clit and the thrilling intrusion of his finger into her ass. The pulse low in her womb began to beat again and she knew her panties were even wetter than before just thinking about what had happened. Right here. In her studio. On the table where she worked every day.

  And how in the hell was she supposed to concentrate when images of him eating her out kept floating in her mind?

  Damn!

  This was so not good.

  How did she keep doing this to herself?

  * * * * *

  Grant cursed himself and his loose mouth. The same damn mouth that had gotten him into this sure-to-be uncomfortable dinner date. Yeah, the sex between them shot off the charts, but a conversation? In public? What the hell could he talk to her about? The numerous and varied changes in his life and body since his chest had split wide open? How he freaked out seeing the scar and couldn’t imagine anyone much less a sexy vibrant woman accepting him and all his body’s flaws.

  So fine, he straightened his jacket-clad shoulders. He’d take Kira to dinner, they’d discuss the weather, vacation spots and whatever other banal topics they could come up with. After their disastrous dinner he’d take her home, lust tamed and head back to his own bed…alone.

  Feeling surer of his emotional state, Grant straightened the knot on his tie, switched the bouquet of flowers to his other hand and rang the doorbell.

  The flowers were stupid on his part. He’d never felt more like a kid as he stood there on Kira’s porch, waiting for her to open the door and get the evening over with. He’d gone down the street where the florist was located this afternoon and without his consent his SUV had driven itself right to the flower shop.

  The soft fall of footsteps distracted his thoughts and made his gimpy heart race in a way he was positive his doctor wouldn’t approve of. Then the door swung open and all his doubts, self-recriminations and thoughts of an early night in bed alone abandoned his brain.

  “Hello,” he said as all the moisture in his mouth dried up.

  Kira wore a dress the color of flames that hugged her generous breasts and swirled around her sandal-clad feet. Imagining what she had underneath or possibly what she might not be wearing caused his heart to give a few heavy thumps before settling down to its normal, if somewhat fast rhythm.

  “Hi, yourself.” She greeted him with an open smile that made a dimple appear on the left side of her smooth cheek.

  “Um…” Unsure of his footing Grant shoved the bouquet of summer flowers at her. “Here, I got these for you.”

  Duh! He wanted to smack his own head for the sheer stupidity of his words. Of course the flowers were for her. He sure as shit wouldn’t buy such a pansy-ass thing for himself.

  Kira dipped her head to smell the colorful blooms. The actions caused a wave of black curls to tumble over her shoulders making his hands ache to tangle themselves in the silky mass.

  Grant took a step backward. “We should get going,” he prompted, wanting the protection of other people surrounding them.

  She looked up startled at the harshness of his voice. “Oh, okay,” she agreed. “Just let me put these beauties in some water and grab my purse.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Had the bypass removed his smooth lines as well as his confidence? Grant wondered, as he watched Kira walk away from him. Nothing about this woman or their situation felt familiar or comfortable to him. He was used to his dates knowing the score. His wealth and stature in the Austin community had been no secret. The women he escorted to various functions knew it, but this particular female, an artist, had no clue who he was or rather who he’d been.

  In a way it was kind of refreshing. The pigeonhole he’d once been so comfortable being confined in had disappeared. In its place a kind of freedom surrounded him. No one other than his cousins knew his specific background. If Kira chose to spend time with him then it had nothing to do with his bank statement and everything to do with him as a person, a man and a lover.

  “I’m ready.” Kira’s reappearance jolted him out of his internal turmoil.

  A smile curved his lips. “Then let’s get you fed.”

  The smoldering look she shot him before taking his arm sent bolts of heat straight to his cock. Oh, hell, no he wouldn’t be going to bed alone tonight, not with the sexy and available Kira Jacobs sending him all the right signals.

  * * * * *

  “I can’t eat another bite,” Kira protested and patted her not quite flat stomach. “Everything was amazing, Grant. Thank you so much for inviting me out tonight.”

  Desire darkened his normally light blue eyes until they were nearly black with need. “It was my pleasure, Kira.” The words might have sounded normal and familiar to anyone else, but Kira had gotten to know this complicated man over the past few hours. His response was heavy with knowledge and sexual intentions.

  Exactly like everything else about this night. Grant had started seducing her from the moment she’d opened her front door to him. First with the flowers, then an expensive bottle of wine and now a fabulous dinner.

  At first she worried that someone with no job shouldn’t be spending money like water, but she reminded herself it wasn’t her problem. Grant wasn’t going to be in her future as anything but a neighbor. The responsibility of taking care of him could fall to some other lucky or unlucky woman.

  “Sir, ma’am,” A tuxedo-clad waiter interrupted their heated stare. “Tonight’s dessert menu.”

  The twenty-something server handed both of them small leather-bound binders and discreetly left.

  “Can I tempt you with a little something more?”

  “Really, Grant, I�
�m stuffed. I couldn’t eat another bite.”

  “Well, I’ve recently developed a taste for certain tartly sweet cream.” Hooded, heated eyes dropped to where the table hid her from the waist down. “But since I can’t have a sample of what I really want I might as well go for second best.”

  With an easy gesture Grant lifted one hand in the air for no more than a second, but almost before he put it down their eager waiter returned.

  “Have you found something to tempt you?” he questioned innocently.

  Grant never took his eyes off her as he answered the man. “Indeed I have, something very tempting.” His slow wink heated her blood and flooded her panties with creamy need. “But I’ll settle for the Key lime pie, instead.”

  The young server said nothing, just nodded his head and rushed away to place Grant’s dessert order.

  “You don’t play fair,” she accused while secretly delighted by his game.

  His eyebrows rose in a silent question and Kira couldn’t stop a small burble of laughter from spilling out of her lips.

  “You really are incorrigible.”

  At the sound of her giggle Grant’s face lost its haughty expression and resumed its normal handsome teasing expression. “Can I help it if everything reminds me of you?”

  “I don’t see how a simple dessert can in any way remind you of…well, you know.” If they’d been alone Kira wouldn’t have hesitated to speak bluntly, but here in a public place with other diners surrounding them she edited her words.

  Grant had no such compulsions. “Eating you out?”

  Heat warmed her cheeks at his blunt words, but she gamely kept her gaze on his. “Yes.”

  “Both are sweet with the lightest touch of tartness that makes me crave another taste, another lick until I’m drowning in the flavor and still can’t get enough.” Then the devilish seducer slowly licked his lips as if remembering when her cream coated them.

  Feeling overwhelmed, turned on and way out of her comfort zone, Kira did the only thing she could. She fought white-hot desire with blazing red need.

  She thanked providence—and whatever other benevolent deities floated around—that the restaurant Grant had chosen covered each table with a dark linen tablecloth that almost reached to the floor.