Burning Seduction (12 page)

Excited to learn if he was free tonight, she finished her shower and then toweled dry. Knowing that men always liked it when a woman made a home cooked meal, she’d asked Sharon for some advice. Her father’s assistant claimed if she could just get a man to taste her food, she might be able to land him in bed. Charlotte adored Sharon, and the fact she had helped save her father’s life had endeared her to Charlotte even more.

After Sharon had helped with the unpacking on Sunday, she’d written down two fairly simple recipes she claimed all men liked. From the ingredients, the meal sounded wonderful. Charlotte had gone shopping Sunday night and purchased what she needed, figuring Trent would be over at some point.

If he couldn’t come tonight, she’d make some spaghetti for herself and prepare the fancy dinner another time. Before she dressed in something sexy for him, she called to see if tonight would be
the
night.

“Charlotte, are you okay?” Worry laced his voice.

She smiled at the overprotective man. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Trent waited a beat before answering. “No reason.”

Even if there had been, he might not share it. “I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but I moved into my own apartment Sunday, and wondered if you’d like to come over tonight?” She hoped she didn’t sound too needy, but she wanted to be with him again. The one time they’d made love only served to wet her appetite.

Besides jumping his bones, she wanted to learn more about him, and she bet he’d be willing to play a game or two of chess like they had when they were up in his dad’s cabin. If, after a few glasses of wine, they ended up in bed, even better. Charlotte was well aware it would take some work to break through his tough exterior.

“I should be finishing up here at the office in about a half an hour. Does that work for you?”

Pinpricks of joy sizzled over her skin, and moisture pooled between her legs. “It does if I can make you dinner.”

“You don’t have to. I can pick up something on the way.”

Sometimes men could be a bit dense. “I have to eat, and I thought you might like to share.”

Finally, she heard the chuckle she’d been waiting for. “Sounds fantastic. Can I bring a bottle of red or white wine?”

She had several in her wine rack, but Trent was the type who wouldn’t like coming empty-handed. He’d even brought a six-pack to Dad’s party. “White would be fantastic. I’ll start dinner whenever you arrive.” She then gave him the address, and he said he knew the building.

“See you soon.” He sounded excited, and her energy doubled. She couldn’t wait to seduce him.

*     *     *

Trent was thrilled
that Charlotte had invited him over to her place. That way, if anything should happen, it wouldn’t look as if he only wanted her for sex. He wished he could spend hours chatting with her, finding out what she liked, but every time he came near her, his libido soared out of control. If only he knew what it was about her that drew him to her, he might be stay calm.

With the white wine in hand, he knocked on her door, pleased she’d found a place in town since it was safer than being in a house on the outskirts. While the man who had been after her was now in prison, Trent still had the urge to protect her.

The moment Charlotte opened the door, all thoughts of her stalker disappeared. His pulse raced and a few other body parts reacted. She had on a pretty skirt that showed off her long legs, along with an almost see-through blouse that made him want to rip it off. Clearly, she’d dressed to entice and wasn’t concerned her attire was better suited to summer than winter. He’d have to think about some gruesome detail of his case all during dinner in order to keep his hands to himself.

He stepped inside, closed the door, and held up the bottle. “Would you like me to open the wine?”

His smoothness meter had dipped to zero. As much as he wanted to hug her, he didn’t trust himself. She slipped the bottle from his fingers and smiled. Damn if she didn’t know what she did to him.

“There’s no hurry. I want to show you around first.”

Duh
. That was why she’d invited him, and all he could think of was eating quickly and then being with her. “I’d love to see your place.” He slipped out of his jacket and placed in on the back of the dining room chair.

While the kitchen was small, he liked that it opened up to the dining room. She set the bottle on the counter and returned. “I only moved in two days ago and haven’t had time to do much in the way of decorating.”

“Looks great to me.” He’d always planned to put up pictures in his place, but he never seemed to have the time.

“I’ll show you where I do my work first. I was so excited to get two bedrooms.”

As they walked past the living room, he checked it out. It was simple, yet nice. He loved the large sofa and very comfortable chairs, but he’d pictured her buying something a bit more rustic. These pieces had more of a masculine flair. “It looks comfortable in here.”

“You like the sofa?”

“Yes.” He wouldn’t mind making love with her on that.

“Those three pieces belonged to Bill Goddard. When I redid his office, his wife insisted I give away everything, and she seemed delighted that I wanted these pieces.”

He whistled. “She could have made a lot at a consignment shop.”

“I know, right? She said the transition to being without him would be easier if she wasn’t surrounded by his things.” Charlotte threaded an arm through his. “You can enjoy it after dinner.”

His cock hardened. He hoped she was thinking of a repeat performance like the one they’d had on her dad’s couch.

Her office was small, but given the number of windows, it would be filled with a lot of light during the day. She had a desk and a long table that was covered with fabric swatches and other assorted decorating items. He should make his spare room into an office. “I like it.”

“Thank you.” She opened the door between the two rooms. “My bath is a bit small, but it works for me. Lastly, this is my bedroom.”

Trent had to work hard to hold in his groan. As soon as he saw the large bed piled deep with pillows, his mind shot to a place where it didn’t need to be. “Nice.” He sucked at knowing the right thing to say.

Charlotte turned and faced him. “You want to help me cook dinner?”

I’d rather help you undress.
“Me? I can do the basics, as I demonstrated in the cabin, but if it’s fancier than scrambled eggs, hamburgers on the grill, or spaghetti, you might be on your own.”

She laughed. “We’ll try together. Sharon promised me it was a no fail recipe.”

He’d heard Vic brag about his assistant’s cooking. “Then I’m game.” He followed her into the kitchen and caught himself staring at her ass. He needed to take his mind off of sex. “How’s the decorating gig going?”

She swiveled around and his gaze latched onto her breasts—breasts that he could see quite well through her rather translucent top.

“We paint tomorrow, and then I can start doing my magic.”

“You’re moving quickly.” He always had suspected Charlotte of being a hellfire when it came to her job. “What’s Mrs. Goddard like to work with?”

He told himself he wasn’t trying to find information about the possible suspect, but that wouldn’t be completely true. Getting Charlotte’s perspective would be extremely helpful. His team had cleared the scene the day after the murder, and the next day, the woman was knocking on Charlotte’s store asking her to redecorate.

“Easiest woman I’ve ever worked with. She sweet and nice and doesn’t fuss.”

He laughed. “Perhaps I should go into the decorating business.” Most of the people he ran into were hostile, either by their attitude or by wielding knives or waving a gun.

She raised her brows. “I say, go for it.” She grinned. “How about opening that wine now?”

Charlotte had a knack for making him laugh. Happy to have something to do, he brushed past her and picked up the corkscrew she’d set out on the counter. In a flash, he had the bottle opened and two glasses of wine poured. “Now what can I do?”

She ran a finger across a piece of paper that contained some written instructions. “How about you get me the bottle of capers in the refrigerator?” She sipped from the wine and groaned, as if it was the best tasting drink in the world. He swore she did it on purpose.

“Capers?” he asked. He’d seen those mentioned on a menu, but he really didn’t know what they looked like.

“I’m putting them on top of the fish.”

“Ah.” That didn’t help.

Once he opened the refrigerator, he scanned each shelf, but didn’t see anything that might be a likely candidate. A second later her hands landed on his waist and his cock shot to life.

“Excuse me.” She reached around him, and her breasts brushed his arm. She then lifted the small glass bottle from the shelf on the door. “These are capers,” she said waving it at him.

Clearly, Charlotte found his lack of knowledge humorous. He wouldn’t be surprised if she’d set him up. “Okay, master chef, let’s see you do your thing.”

He stood close to her and pretended to be studying her technique, when in reality he was inhaling her scent and admiring her sensuous curves. She diced the capers and sprinkled them on the fish. Not wanting to look like a fool, he didn’t dare ask what kind it was.

She poured some crumbs on top as well as some cheese, and then popped it in the broiler. “Dinner in few minutes.”

“It really looks good,” he said.

“It does, doesn’t it?” She stepped over to the refrigerator and retrieved two tomatoes, some lettuce, croutons, and a bag of diced stuff and then placed everything on the counter but the tomatoes. “Can I interest you with cutting these?”

“Can do. I’m quite good with a knife, or so I’ve been told.”

He withdrew a sharp blade from a butcher block and went to work on his assignment. As they worked in companionable silence, he remembered the good times he and his mom had preparing meals together. When a wave of sadness descended, he pushed aside those thoughts and glanced over at Charlotte who was staring at him. “What? Do I have something on my face?” He swiped at the imaginary food particle.

“No. You looked lost in thought again, and I feared you might cut yourself.”

Charlotte was being polite. They both were aware he had too many issues. He set down the knife, rinsed his hands, and then dried them. He stepped close to her and cupped her face. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I keep having these memories of my childhood whenever I’m near you. I’m sorry that I often seem distracted.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Her lips slightly parted.

“I can think of something.”

Like let me kiss you.

Chapter Twelve

I
f she didn’t
know better, Charlotte would say that Trent wanted to kiss her. Oh, hell. So what if the fish burned and they were forced to go out to dinner. She wasn’t one to miss an opportunity.

She placed her palms on his chest. “You said I could help? What would that be?”

“This.” Trent leaned over, and the moment he planted his lips on hers, her insides heated and her heart did a rapid tattoo.

She thought because they’d made love before that her reaction to his kiss wouldn’t be this intense, but she was wrong. Charlotte wrapped her arms around his waist and then dragged her hands up his back, melting against his body. Even through his cotton shirt, she could feel his strong muscles as he twisted against her.

This time she waited for him to open his mouth and invite her in. When he did, she groaned and nearly devoured him. Trent tasted of the wine mixed with a hint of mint, and here she thought he’d come straight from work. He must’ve taken some time to get ready, and that pleased her.

His hands roamed along the sides of her breasts, and as his thumbs brushed her nipples, intense pleasure skidded through her. His hard cock was evident underneath his jeans and she couldn’t wait to strip him naked.

Then reason intruded. Always being so eager to make love with him might not be the best strategy. Sometimes making a man wait worked better—or so Sharon had claimed. Charlotte broke the kiss and stepped back, her breath coming out fast. “Dinner will be ready soon.”