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“That’s right, but not everyone agreed on what constituted the sexiest kiss, so I thought someone should show me.” Her glance fell to the table. “And I let the bottle decide who that someone would be.”
He stared at the bottle, aimed at him. Adrenaline spurted through his veins. He’d won at spin the bottle. Maybe if his whole body hadn’t tensed in anticipation, he might have laughed.
He inhaled her wildflower scent. Desire flooded him. She tiptoed, brushing against him, her luscious mouth a breath from his. He let out a stifled groan, made a move to grab her, then stopped. “Not in front of an audience,” he murmured.
Taking her hand, he led her out the closest exit, a side door leading to a thankfully empty deck. She was in his arms before he had time to think. Whether he scooped her up, or she put herself there, wasn’t clear. All he knew was that her sweet mouth beckoned him with an urgency he couldn’t ignore.
He explored her lips with tiny nips and gentle caresses. Then, framing her face with his palms, he ventured farther into her welcoming kiss. She anchored her fingers in his hair and met the tentative stroke of his tongue. For long, drugging moments he lost himself in her warmth.
A small moan escaped her. She moved against him, her breasts pressed to his chest. His hands roamed over her back, then her hips, while he savored her firm contour. Sweet. She was sweet and wild all at once, like nothing he’d ever experienced. Some unnamed emotion rose in him, triggering an innate protectiveness.
Angling his head, he parried the hungry thrust of her tongue and slid his palms up her sides, past her waist. His heart hammered. She shifted, allowing him better access as his thumbs skimmed the lower swells of her breasts.
“Um, ’scuse me guys,” Darcy’s voice sounded behind him.
Noah jerked away from Sabrina. He caught one glimpse of her stunned expression, before turning to the blonde.
Darcy’s gaze wandered sadly over him. “Guess this means you’re not coming back to my place.”
“Darcy, I—”
“It’s okay.” She held up her hand. “All’s fair in love and…you know. I’ll survive. I, um, really wanted to warn you that Cliff is looking for the birthday girl. Something tells me he might not be too pleased to find the two of you playing tongue hockey.”
“No, I don’t imagine he would be.” Sabrina brushed past Noah, stopping beside Darcy. She glanced at Noah and something hard glittered in her eyes. Then she turned to Darcy. “Thanks for the reminder.”
Noah straightened as she turned back to him. God, she was beautiful. Her eyes flashed, pink stained her cheeks and her whole face glowed.
“Seems I lost my head for a moment.” She turned, then pushed through the door, back into the party.
“Now wait a minute!” Noah bolted after her, his heart thudding. He reached for her as she rejoined her group of admirers, but she twisted away, ignoring him.
Turning to one of her entourage, she asked, “Pete, could you drive me home?”
Noah drew up to his full height. The man glanced his way. Noah stared evenly at him, sending a silent challenge. With a shake of his head, Pete shrank back into the sofa cushions.
“For goodness’ sake.” Sabrina glared at Noah.
He glared back. What was she mad about? A moment ago she’d nearly combusted in his arms. “I’ll take you home.”
She smiled a stiff smile and looked beyond his shoulder. “Thank you, but I wouldn’t want to keep you from your…bribe.”
A sick feeling hit the pit of his stomach. He turned to see Darcy at his side.
“Enough.” Noah stepped away from Darcy and reached again for Sabrina. His throat tightened at the flicker of hurt in her blue gaze.
A tall, slender blonde pushed past Mona, who had just arrived, her wide-eyed gaze taking them all in. “I’ll take you,” the slender blonde said. She gave Noah a curious look as she stepped to Sabrina’s side. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“Thanks, Bess.” Sabrina’s hands opened, then closed into fists. Her gaze swept back to Noah. “And thank you, for a most…enlightening evening.”
Noah swallowed. That sick feeling inside him grew. What had he done? “Sabrina—”
“Good night, Mona.” Sabrina gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for the party.”
Mona frowned. “Is everything okay? Are you sure you want to leave so soon?”
“Everything’s fine. It was a wonderful party. Thanks for all your hard work.” Sabrina glanced back again at Noah. “I’m sorry. I’m just really tired.”
Her icy tone sent chills down his spine. Regret rooted him to the floor as she turned with Bess, then left.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Sabrina sank into the pile of antique lace pillows strewn across her four-poster bed. She’d spent days scouring dozens of flea markets and antique dealers to find them. She captured one, bunching it between her palms. “That’s it, Bess, the last straw.”
The bed dipped as Bess sat beside her. “I can understand you’re upset, but just because your brother and his partner are jerks doesn’t mean you should toss aside your values.”
Sabrina smashed the pillow into the mattress. “What have my values gotten me?”
“Bree, you’ve got a great life. You own your own business. At twenty-five that’s quite an accomplishment. You have this wonderful apartment, and you’re free to come and go as you please. No strings tying you down.”
“Maybe I want some strings.”
“And getting laid by the first willing male will do that?”
“Hah, willing, there’s the problem. No one wants me because I’m a virgin, so how the hell am I supposed to lose my virginity?” She rolled over and tossed the pillow to the floor. “I don’t know. I just know I can’t go on like I have. Something has to change. I have to change.”
“You’re not the type to have a one-night stand, though. Think about it. When you take on a project, you always go all out. Remember when you wanted to repaint the dining room and ended up holed up in here painting every wall of every room?”
“And the ceilings. Boy, were my arms aching.”
“Then what about the time you wanted to make a shelf for some of your knickknacks and you ended up with…” She gestured to the floor-to-ceiling unit gracing the far wall.
“Who would have thought I had it in me?”
“Then look at the bookstore.”
Sabrina blew out a breath. She’d gone in for a part-time job, then ended up buying the place. “I’d always planned on owning a bookstore once I’d earned my business degree.”
“But you see my point. You won’t be satisfied with a one-night stand. You’ll want a relationship, and trust me, that isn’t the way to start one.”
With a sudden movement, Sabrina sat upright. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. The old Sabrina may have felt that way, but the new me won’t. He took a woman as a bribe, Bess. And did you see her? How am I supposed to compete with that? I’m reinventing myself. Drastic times call for drastic measures.”
She drew herself up. “It’s time I lost my virginity.”
“Sabrina—”
“My mind’s made up. In fact, I’ve already planned the rest of the weekend away. It’s the perfect opportunity.”
“So, you’re talking about some type of affair, then, because I still don’t see you having a one-night stand.”
“A fling, I think.”
“A fling?”
Excitement poured through Sabrina. “Yes, that’s it. A weekend fling. That should do it.”
Bess shook her head. “You’ll get attached.”
“Not if he’s from out of town.”
Bess’s brows rose in question.
“Cliff’s probably warned every single guy in Atlanta. I’ve got a reservation at a beach resort. I leave for Florida first thing in the morning. I’ll find myself a weekend fling.”
“You’re not serious.”
Sabrina swung her legs over the side of the bed, and waved to where her bags stood packed and waiting. “Oh, but I am.”
NOAH GRIPPED the steering wheel and glared at the red traffic light. The air had grown heavy. Moisture swirled around the streetlights, distorting their glow.
Guilt gnawed at him. The memory of the look on Sabrina’s face as she’d confronted him tightened his gut. When he’d made that deal with Cliff, he hadn’t thought of the consequences. He hadn’t thought of Sabrina. At the time, she’d been a faceless chore, a means to his selfish ends, not a flesh-and-blood woman.
The light changed. He whipped into a parking lot, then circled around toward her apartment. He had to see her, had to apologize—somehow explain how all that had changed once they’d met. Darcy meant nothing to him. Any fleeting attraction he may have felt for her evaporated once he saw her beside Sabrina.
He let his memory roll back over that incredible kiss. She’s a virgin. The old mantra haunted him. Cliff had probably been right to keep him away from Sabrina, but now having seen her, met her…kissed her, there was no possible way Noah could stay away from her.
Closing his eyes, he groaned. The whole time she’d known about Darcy. She’d been baiting him, no doubt, knowing the memory of her hot mouth would torment him. Guess he deserved that.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as he sped down the interstate. The first fat droplets splattered his windshield as he turned the corner to her apartment. Tucked back off the main road, the complex rose like a dark fortress braced by tall pines, oaks and maples.
He glanced at the clock on his dash before he exited his car. It was after midnight. His pulse quickened as he climbed the short flight of stairs to her door. Light seeped through her front curtains. She was still awake.
Drawing on his resolve, he knocked. The curtains parted a fraction, then fell back into place. For one long moment he held his breath, willing her to turn the knob. The door opened, just enough for her to peer out. He exhaled.
“What are you doing here?”
The flat tone of her voice had him wincing. “May I come in…please?” He ground out the unfamiliar word.
She hesitated a moment, then stepped back and gestured him in. “Why not?”
Her floral scent surrounded him as he brushed past. She wore a thin robe that brushed the tops of her thighs. His blood warmed. He let his gaze skim the pointed tips of her breasts, outlined by the silky fabric, then quickly diverted his eyes.
He took in the main living space of her apartment in one glance. The glow of a ceramic lamp on a side table lent a warmth and closeness he hadn’t noticed earlier, probably because he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. The room had an inviting appeal. Picture frames and cat figurines dotted the area, and potted plants covered every available tabletop and shelf.
“What are you doing here?” she asked again.
“I came to talk to you…about tonight,” he said.
“I would have thought you’d be otherwise engaged by now.”
He drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t making this easy. “As I said, I’d like to explain.”
She stared at him, her brows raised and her arms crossed over her rounded breasts.
With an effort, he dragged his gaze upward. “Look, Sabrina, I’m sorry about that stupid deal I made with your brother. I never considered how you’d be affected. It was thoughtless and cruel.”
Thunder rumbled in the distance. She narrowed her eyes, then let her arms drop to her sides. “Okay, apology accepted. It was good of you to come all this way. Now, I have a big day planned tomorrow.”
He blinked. “That’s it? You’re not going to tell me what a jerk I was?”
“Since you’re aware of the fact, why waste my breath?”
“What I did was rotten. I’d like to make it up to you.”
She eyed him a moment, then shrugged. “That isn’t necessary. I’ve accepted your apology. You can run along back to your bimbo.”
He gritted his teeth and stepped closer to her. “I don’t care if I never again lay eyes on Darcy.”
“Well, that certainly isn’t my business. It isn’t as though you need to report your comings and goings to me.” She picked up a brass picture frame from the end table. “Why not?”
“Why not what?”
Her fingers absently stroked the glass-covered photograph. “Why aren’t you with her? I thought that was the idea—the reason you took me to dinner.”
He swore under his breath. “It was, but I didn’t know you when I agreed to that whole thing. It just wasn’t right.”
Sabrina set the picture back on the table. “Well, I’m sorry the night didn’t work out for you.”
“It wasn’t all bad.” His gaze held hers. “Parts of it are quite memorable.”
She swallowed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, a warm glow illuminated their depths. “You didn’t mind it, then—that kiss? I suppose I should apologize for it. I wanted to get back at you, to make you think I was desirable.”
He couldn’t take his gaze from her mouth. “How could I think otherwise? In case you didn’t notice, I was enjoying that kiss far more than I had a right to.”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She set down the picture, then moved toward him. “I did it to make you jealous.” Pink tinged her cheeks. “I mean, I meant for one of the others to kiss me.” A sigh escaped her. “But none of them seemed interested.”
“Fools.”
“You were, then?” She smiled.
Desire beat through his veins. “I was what?”
“Jealous.”
“Hell, yes.”
Her lips parted. She placed her hand on his chest, over the place where his heart pounded. “You didn’t need to be.”
God, what was it about her that made him want to beat his chest and roar? Her simple statement sent euphoria tripping through him. He pressed his hand over hers. “Sabrina, I—”
“Kiss me again, Noah.” She held his gaze, her eyes warm, but hesitant. “No one’s ever made me feel that way.”
