Burning Hunger (3 page)

Val nodded, glancing around as if looking
for someone. A couple of times she waved at someone but by the time
he looked whoever it was had gone back to what they were doing,
becoming just another face in the crowd, another body twisting on
the dance floor.

“Looking for someone?” Chaz wondered if it
was Craig, whom she had yet to explain her relationship with. Not
that she had to. He was just curious.

“Old friends,” she explained. “I haven’t
been here in a while.”

Chaz lifted an eyebrow but remained quiet.
He’d known what kind of woman Val was the moment they’d met, yet
her behavior toward him had surprised and amused him. He knew their
attraction was mutual, yet the lady was definitely nervous around
him.

She smiled. “Oh, come on, Mr. Evans. I used
to thrive on the nightlife. The bar hopping and parties, the
one-night stands.” She took a sip of her wine. “Just like you.”

Chaz’s gaze lingered on the pretty lips
taking in wine. “So you think you know me?”

She shrugged. “It takes one to know one. And
I could tell you were a Casanova the second my eyes lit on you at
Marissa’s last month.”

She was right. He liked women,
all
women. And until recently he was the fuck-them-once-and-move
on-type. He wasn’t proud of himself. But it wasn’t as if the lady
didn’t benefit from it, too. Most of them were like him, and
understood that a night in his bed was all they would get. He
wasn’t looking for emotional attachments or happily ever after.
Neither were they. Just fun and games. The problem was the last
couple of women he’d been with hadn’t satisfied him. Something had
changed.

Chaz supposed that now that his brothers
Beau and Blade had found love, he wanted that too. He’d never seen
them as happy and content as they were with Marissa and Callie, not
to mention little Mason Evans, born just a few days ago. His
brother Beau, older than him by four minutes, was captivated by his
first son. He couldn’t help but wonder if Callie and Blade would be
starting their own family soon.

Bringing his beer up for a long drink he
stared at Val over the rim. She was a beautiful woman, and a month
ago he would have wooed her into his bed, fucked her senseless, and
said goodbye. He’d known she was a party-girl. Yet something
significant had changed that evening. A man knew when a woman was
interested, just as he knew when she was giving off “keep your
distance” vibes.

“Come on; let’s dance before our dinner
arrives.” Chaz got to his feet and held his hand out to Val.

She rose slowly. It gave him a chance to run
his gaze over her changed appearance with appreciation. She’d
exchanged her skirt for a pair of form fitting jeans. The georgette
blouse, though loose fitting, flowed against her figure giving him
glimpses of her generous breasts and slender waist. Chaz had the
urge to feel her curves against him. When she finally put her hand
into his he led them to the dance floor.

She turned gracefully into his arms, and he
pulled her even closer against him. The first thing Chaz noticed
was her light scent, then the softness of her fragrant hair against
his nose. He clenched his teeth, unprepared for the rapid reaction
of his body. They moved slowly to the music, and he was aware of
every movement her lower body made against his tortured hardening
cock.

A soft sigh escaped her, and to his surprise
Val wound her arms up and around his neck. It meshed their bodies
until they became one.
Does she know what she’s doing?
There
was no way he could hide his hard-on, and he found he didn’t want
to. He wanted her to know what she was doing to him, to know that
he wanted her. Without protest from her he wedged his leg between
hers. He felt her shudder.

His hands flexed against her waist. Then,
unable to help himself, his palms smoothed over her hips and around
to her shapely bottom. Her jeans were skin tight, letting him feel
that she wasn’t wearing panties. His cock throbbed at the discovery
and he squeezed her rounded cheeks before he could stop himself.
His breathing turned heavy as he imagined what it would feel like
fucking her sweet ass.

Chaz wasn’t the only one breathing hard. Val
was definitely affected by their intimate proximity. In fact, the
lady was straining against him like a cat seeking to be petted.
Smiling to himself, he nuzzled his nose into the hair behind her
ear, before clamping his teeth down onto her earlobe and giving it
a tug. He wanted to devour her.

She gasped and pulled back to meet his eyes.
Even on the dark dance floor he could see hers were ablaze with
desire. “I think we should return to our table now.”

Her tone was barely above a whisper, and
shaky, and yet Chaz heard her loud and clear. He glanced over to
see that the waitress had just delivered their food. “Maybe we can
finish this later.” A vision of their naked, entangled bodies
brought him into full-blown arousal, the kind that would linger
until fed.

He seated her and then went around the table
to sit in his own chair. God, he was hungry. And it wasn’t for the
thick steak sitting in a puddle of blood on his plate. He was
ravenous for Val, not just any woman, as it had been in the past.
He wanted to taste every inch of her…inside and out.

He fought down the primal lust simmering in
his blood and decided it would be best to focus on his dinner, as
Val was doing. He grinned to himself when it became obvious that
she was keeping her head bent so their gazes wouldn’t meet. Maybe
she’d been as turned on as he had been, and was fighting it, like
he should be.

“That was good,” she said sometime later,
putting her napkin over her plate and pushing it aside. “I always
get the veal when I come here.”

Chaz had finished up long ago, and had just
sat back and watched Val eat, pretending interest in his warm beer
and the activities around them. He was always aware of the woman
across from him and what she was doing to him. She had to know he
wanted her. Yet when she was able to look him in the eyes again she
remained aloof, and, if he didn’t know better, slightly amused. He
narrowed his eyes.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

The waitress appeared as if she’d been
waiting for them to finish. “Can I get you folks anything
else?”

He and Val exchanged glances. Chaz got the
impression she was as ready as he was to get out of there. “Just
the check, please.” The waitress pulled it out of her pocket and
handed it to him, and at the same time, he saw Val reach for her
purse. “I’ll get this.” He reached for his wallet.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“Least I can do, considering you’re going to
lend me your couch tonight.” He got to his feet. “Let’s get a good
night’s sleep. Our plane leaves early in the morning.”

“We’re leaving already? And here I thought
you wanted to finish that dance,” she teased. She rose to her feet
and reached for her purse.

So, she got her kicks flirting when she
assumed it wouldn’t lead anywhere. That was a mistake on her part.
He wasn’t some inexperienced young kid who suddenly found himself
tongue-tied when a pretty lady pays him a little attention. Chaz
didn’t move, and waited for her to realize it. Her gaze came up to
meet his. He was careful to keep his expression indifferent. He
didn’t want Val thinking she had him under her control.

“What?”

“Don’t play the innocent with me, Val.
You’re playing with fire if you think I won’t take the bait.” He
wasn’t in the mood for games

Her eyes rounded with innocence. “I don’t
know what you’re talking about.”

She sounded so sincere, only Chaz knew
better. Had she already forgotten that they were cut from the same
cloth? He knew how it worked. He decided to let it drop for now. It
was the wrong place and the wrong time. Would she test him when
they were alone? He couldn’t wait to find out the answer.

“Let’s go. Stay close.” He led the way to
the door, carefully scrutinizing the surrounding area and people as
they went.

Once outside, a different kind of threat
greeted them. It was dark, and though the businesses along the road
were well lit, and there were street lights spaced regularly
between the buildings, darkness still lurked well beyond what he
could see. Plenty of places for someone to hide in wait. Chaz
didn’t like being out in the open. He grabbed Val’s arm and pulled
her along side of him, picking up speed.

He’d been forced to park across the street.
Checking both ways, they ran the rest of the way to his truck. He
crowded Val against the passenger door with his body, ignoring her
indrawn hiss, unlocked the door and quickly ushered her inside. Not
until he was pulling out into traffic and heading back to her place
did he spare her a glance.

“Sorry for any unnecessary roughness.” He
wasn’t sorry that he’d had a moment to enjoy the feel of her
pressed snugly against him when he’d been crowding her against his
truck. It had taken all he had not to touch her the way he wanted
to, and then take her lips in a hard kiss.

“That’s okay, cowboy, I won’t break.” Her
tone was light and understanding.

“Is there another way to get to your
apartment other than through the main lobby? A delivery entrance?”
Chaz was almost certain there was. An upscale place like Ivory
Towers wouldn’t want cleaning services and deliveries walking
through the foyer all day long.

“I know there’s a loading dock, and I’m sure
there’s a back door entrance, but I don’t know where it’s located.
Why?”

“I don’t like the idea of taking you in
through the front.” Too much could go wrong between where they
parked and walking to the building.

“That didn’t bother you earlier today,” she
said.

“It wasn’t dark then,” he explained,
shooting her a look.

She laughed softly. “Well, I can guarantee
you that no one will expect to see me pull up in a truck.”

She had a point. If Cramer had made plans to
get rid of her, they’d be looking for her Mercedes which was back
at her office.
Unless, we were followed from the club.
There
was really no way of knowing the who, when or how of any attack
planned by a psycho. Chaz was glad they were flying out of there in
the morning.

“And the place is lit up like a Christmas
tree.”

Chaz decided to see just how lit up the
front was. He could always valet park. He pulled up the circular
drive and stopped at the door. “Wait till I come around.” By the
time he reached the passenger side of the truck, the lobby
attendant had exited the building and was nearing the vehicle.

“Park it for you, sir?” The guy was young,
eager, and dressed professionally.

Chaz tossed him the keys. “Thanks.” He
opened the door for Val, his gaze taking in their surroundings.
“Park it as close as you can.” They might have to leave in a
hurry.

Val met his gaze, taking the hand he
offered. “You don’t like to take any chances,” she said,
smiling.

“No, ma’am, that’s not what I get paid
for.”

Chaz quickly directed Val inside, keeping
his body between her and the glass door. He didn’t let down his
guard until they were in the elevator heading up to her floor. She
was leaning against the wall, amusement swimming in her eyes, and a
smile on her pretty mouth. He had the sudden urge to crowd her into
the corner and kiss her until she was breathless.

Would she fight him? The thought made him
smile, especially when it occurred to him that he hadn’t had a good
fight in a long time. And if they didn’t end up in bed, at least it
would ease some of the sexual tension that had a grip on him. It
was bad enough he wasn’t going to get a good night’s sleep on that
short couch of hers.

“What are you smiling at?” There was
suspicion in her tone.

Funny, he’d been about to ask her the same
thing. She made the mistake of crossing her arms, which only
emphasized her large breasts. Her nipples poked through the thin
material like little bullets, aiming directly at him. Chaz’s palms
itched to touch them, his lips burned to taste them, roll them
around on his tongue until she begged him to do more.

“I was just wondering if you’re a fighter.”
He decided to be truthful.

“When I need to be,” she said smartly. “I
studied self-defense classes a few years ago.”

Studied? That was an interesting way of
putting it.
“Really? Show me your best move.”

“Oh, I will,” she said, stepping out of the
elevator when the doors opened. “When you least expect it.”

Chaz watched the sensuous sway of her hips
as she walked down the hall toward her door.
I can’t
wait.

Val was very much aware of Chaz’s close
proximity behind her. He made her nervous because she was attracted
to him, and she didn’t want to be. No matter what he said, she knew
he was a player and that his main objective, other than protecting
her, was getting her into his bed. She knew all the tricks, and she
wasn’t going to fall for any of them.

Ignoring him, she slipped her key into the
lock, opened the door, and turned the alarm off. Next she flipped
on the light switch, which bathed the living room beyond with a
warm, muted glow, and dropped her purse onto an arm chair. She
smiled, thinking about why the lights were set so low. It was for
atmosphere, in case she’d brought someone home with her for the
night. Though she hadn’t for quite some time, she’d forgotten to
re-set them.

“Nice.” Chaz passed her when the room opened
up, heading for the patio doors that led out onto a large balcony.
He pulled the drapes closed, and swung back to her. “Were you
expecting to bring someone home with you?”

Val didn’t care for his smug tone, or the
sexy gleam of amusement swimming in his eyes that seemed to say he
already knew the answer to that. “I never know who I might be
bringing home, so I like to be proactive.”