He had dark blond hair, long enough on top to have that messed-up look, as if a woman had just run her fingers through it. His eyes were a greenish-blue and were now looking at her as if imagining her covered in chocolate sauce and served as dessert. He was well over six feet, making her tip her head to look him in the eye, and he either went to the gym regularly or did manual labor for a living because he was big, but clearly solid muscle.
20
Just Like That
As if all of that wasn’t enough to make an impression, his confidence and sexual energy were thick enough she felt it wrapping around her and pulling her toward him. Strangely, that was what usually made her avoid men like him. She
hated
feeling overwhelmed or distracted or…seduced. But with this guy, being close—as close as possible, in fact—was practically all she could think of.
This was exactly the fudge-brownie effect she’d been worried about.
Besides that, he knew the effect he was having on her and rather than seem surprised by it, he seemed to be taking it for granted. He was so cocky, so confident.
He thought he’d be the first to give her an orgasm. He was sure of it. She could tell.
Which made her want to prove him wrong.
Guys like this always got their way. Especially with women. It might be entertaining to be the first woman to show him that he could be cute and charming and sweet…and still not get everything he wanted.
The guys she dated weren’t losers with women. They didn’t do it for her, because she wouldn’t
let
them do it for her. This guy seemed to think he wouldn’t have any trouble. It was cute. And a little hot.
She’d never had tingles like this. Not to say she’d never had tingles at all. She just stayed carefully in control of where they led.
That was why she picked the guys were who less threatening to her hormones. It made resisting falling in love with them easier. She was an intelligent woman and knew that sexual chemistry was only one part of a relationship. But if she could mentally review her daily planner or grocery list during a seduction she was much less likely to fall for the guy. It was easier to stay detached if she wasn’t overcome with lust and passion. Being distracted by wanting to lick sugar off of someone could make it difficult to stay aloof.
She’d have to be careful with this guy. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to say no to him. A red flag in and of itself.
“I can live with only knowing your first name as long as I get to know what makes you moan and pant,” he said.
The husky voice nearly did her in then and there. Red flag or not, she was already addicted to the shot-of-whiskey flare of heat he created in her stomach.
Then it traveled lower. She took a deep breath.
“Danika,” she said. “And—” she licked her lips, “—I’m not sure what all will make me moan and pant.” She never really got to that point. But just standing near this guy might be enough.
“Sam. And I intend to find out.”
Sounded good to her. Which was shocking. She should be panicking right now. Or at least nervous.
Instead, what she felt was pure anticipation. She smiled at him. “What’s next, Sam?”
“We’re going shopping.”
21
Erin Nicholas
Shopping. Not what she’d expected. Dancing maybe. Having a drink together. Maybe even making out in the back hallway. But leaving… “I already have condoms.” That made him pause. Then grin. “Good. That’s not what I meant. But good.”
“Oh.”
He took her hand and turned to head in the general direction of their tables.
“I thought you didn’t think I needed a costume.” Though she might be willing to wear a French maid’s uniform or something for this guy.
“No costumes,” he agreed.
They stopped in the space between the table where her sisters and his friend sat.
“Ladies,” he greeted.
Carmen and Abi looked up. Carmen’s eyes went from his to Danika’s to their joined hands. “Um, hi, Sam.”
Danika felt a jolt of surprise. Then her eyes narrowed. Her sisters wouldn’t look at her. But they were both grinning. At Sam. About Sam. Terrific. They knew Sam. And they approved of her leaving with him.
Just terrific.
“I’m going to be helping your sister with a few things tonight so she’s going to be accompanying me on some errands right now. You don’t need to call her, text her or go over to her apartment tonight. And you’re definitely not welcome at my place.”
His place.
“Um…” Danika was momentarily distracted from being irked at her siblings.
Sam turned his stomach-flipping grin on her again. “If this is going to work, you’re going to have to trust me, Danika.”
Oh, she was pretty sure that Sam could make it work just fine. Which meant that trusting him was the last thing she was going to let herself do.
22
Chapter Two
He was probably the dumbest man to walk the planet, but somewhere between the tiny hallway by the bathrooms and the table where her sisters sat, Sam had decided that he would not sleep with Danika tonight.
She wanted an orgasm. But Carmen was right about what she needed most—the knowledge of what turned her on, what she wanted from a lover, and the confidence to ask for it.
That was going to take more than one night. And he was very, very okay with that.
Her sisters said that it was supposed to be a one-night stand, that she couldn’t fall for him. That simply meant he couldn’t sleep with her more than once or romance her. They didn’t need to worry. He had no intention of
dating
her.
He was simply going to mentor her. In sex.
But if they slept together right away and she had the long-awaited orgasm it would be because he was just that good. All it would teach her would be how much she’d been missing all this time. Not necessarily how to get it again.
It was Sam’s new purpose to be sure she knew exactly how to get her maximum pleasure.
Sam put Danika in the passenger seat of his car, then jogged around to the driver’s side.
Neither of them said anything until he’d pulled out onto the main road.
“Shopping?” she finally asked.
“Shopping.”
“How do you know that I don’t already have what we’re going to buy?”
“Show me your bra.”
“What?”
He looked to find her staring at him with wide eyes. He laughed. “Come on, Danika. Just unbutton a few buttons. I’m trying to make a point. I intend to see a lot more than that eventually.” She narrowed her eyes but undid the top three buttons of her shirt. She pulled the material to one side, revealing a white strap and the white lacy edge at the top of the left cup. It was the smallest glimpse of women’s underwear he’d ever been given and it still resulted in a fast, hard erection.
He shifted to try to get more comfortable in his pants and she covered back up. “Have you felt sexy today?” he asked.
“Sexy? No. That wasn’t why I picked this bra out.”
Erin Nicholas
“Exactly,” he said. “You picked it out because…”
He trailed off and gestured with his hand for her to fill in the blanks.
“It wouldn’t show through.”
“Then your purpose was practical.”
She nodded when he glanced over again.
“Now, let’s say you were going to seduce a guy. You knew you were going to see him later at a party.
What would you wear?”
She didn’t reply right away and Sam knew that his point was going to be made rather easily.
“My black bra and panties, I guess,” she finally said.
“Did you buy those because they’re sexy?”
“No. I bought them for my aunt’s funeral.”
Sam coughed and looked over at her again. “Excuse me?”
“I needed a new black bra to go under my dress for her funeral. The panties came as part of the set.”
“Danika, here’s my first tip for you—do
not
wear that bra and panties any time you want to seduce someone.”
“But they’re the only ones that aren’t white or tan.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“White and tan aren’t sexy.”
“They can be.”
“Do you think red would be better?”
“Do you have red?”
“No. But we could buy some.”
“Maybe, but not just because they’re red.”
“They need to be skimpy? I have a white thong.”
The idea of Danika in a thong made his mouth go dry and he had to swallow before he said, “Skimpy isn’t the only consideration, either.”
“But I don’t…”
He put his hand on her knee and squeezed. “The important part of what you wear is how you
feel
. If you feel sexy and seductive, then it doesn’t matter what color or how skimpy anything is. To get full pleasure, you have to want full pleasure, expect it, demand it, even. You’re not going to be able to do that if you don’t feel like you’re ready for it.”
“Sexy underwear will make me feel like I’m ready to have an orgasm?” He glanced at her. “It will help.”
“I’ll defer to your obvious expertise.”
24
Just Like That
He let her think that over for the few minutes it took to get to the shop he had in mind. He pulled into a parking spot and looked over at her in time to see her eyes widen as she looked at the front of the store Tease
.
She swallowed as she took in the barely dressed mannequin in the front window. “This is it, huh?”
“This is it.”
Sam got out and came around to her side of the car. He opened the door for her and held out his hand to help her up. Danika didn’t take her eyes from the storefront for even a second as she took Sam’s hand and got out of the car.
She took a deep breath.
They were two of only eight people in the store besides the salesgirl. She drifted around inconspicuously from person to person. The others all seemed to be in couples. Two couples were looking through the racks of—sure enough—costumes including a school girl, a serving wench and a cheerleader.
Another couple was at the back looking at sex toys including vibrators of all sizes and colors while the other two were in front of the displays of erotic videos.
“I think we’ll start with what you’ll wear,” Sam said.
As he put his hand on the small of her back and steered her toward the racks of clothes, he could feel her tension, which he suspected was part shock and part excitement. He’d never bought lingerie for a woman, but he’d enjoyed what he’d seen. The truth was exactly as he’d told Danika—it wasn’t the lingerie itself, but how the woman wore it. It could be hot pink, glow in the dark, barely there, or conceal-all but if she wore it with the knowledge that it would drive him wild, it worked.
“Pick something,” he urged when the only movement she made was with her eyes.
“No, you pick it. You’re the expert.”
“That won’t work,” he argued. “It isn’t about what’s sexy to look at. It’s about what you’ll feel sexy wearing.”
“I don’t even know where to start.” She glanced at the other couples.
Sam decided that he needed to get her distracted from the fact that there were other people around.
This was about her. He moved in to block her view of everyone else.
“I was right when I said you don’t need a costume. You’ll be absolutely perfect just as you are.” Her lips fell apart.
“So let’s talk about how to highlight your assets.” He put his hands on her waist, giving her just a moment to adjust to him touching her, then slipped them around to cup her butt. “For instance, this is very nice,” he murmured. “I think you might have been right about the thong idea. Don’t want to cover this up.” She put her hand on his chest and her pupils dilated as she looked up at him and Sam knew he was getting her mind where he wanted it to be.
25
Erin Nicholas
He pulled her forward as he dipped his knees to fit the erection that had been nearly constant since he’d first spoken to her in the bar against her. “But this,” he said, pressing forward as she sucked in a sharp breath, “is more like wrapping paper around a present of a very distinct shape. You know what it is, but unwrapping it is half the fun.” He rubbed against her and she moaned softly. “And as you take the paper off and see it up close and personal for the first time it’s even better than you imagined.” He reached up between them and cupped one of her breasts. It was a perfect fit in his palm. “These you definitely want to show off.”
Her eyelids drifted shut and she arched her back slightly as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the nipple that hardened instantly. He took a huge step forward, moving her back until they were completely behind a tall rack of clothes. He deftly slipped the top two buttons from their buttonholes and slid his hand inside the top of her dress, taking her breast in hand with only soft satin between them. He desperately wanted to swirl his tongue around the stiff point, but settled for tugging on it gently as she gripped the front of his shirt in both fists.
“Sam,” she breathed.
“Are you feeling sexy, Danika?” he asked gruffly against her ear. “Are you feeling how hard and hot I am for you?” He pressed the proof against her again.
She opened her eyes and stared up at him. Sam knew that his face showed every bit of his desire for her and he did nothing to hide it. The plain truth was that this little woman, who had been settling for nice guys who couldn’t take her all the way, had made him harder than he could remember being, quite possibly ever.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“I am about this close to begging, Danika. At this moment, if you told me I could have you, I would give you anything to make that happen.” She opened her mouth but he quickly put a finger over her lips.
“Do you believe me?”
She nodded.
“How does it feel to know that I want you more than anything?” She smiled then. A slow, sexy, timeless smile that made Sam groan. “Like seeing just how far I can push you before you do beg.”
He wanted to hike up her skirt and make
her
beg against the nearest wall. But, somehow, he let go of her and watched as she re-buttoned her dress.