Page 14 of Tuxedos and Tinsel

“How did you get my address?”

He smiled. “The chef. He said you told him to pass along your information to interested clients,” Ian clarified.

She remembered being distracted and thinking about Ian. Had she written down her home address instead of the one to her shop?

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Maya exhaled deeply. “I don’t know. I just started thinking and...” She turned and walked over to the sofa and sat.

He followed, lowered himself next to her and took her hand. “Talk to me, Maya. I thought we were in agreement. Did I do something, say something?”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?”

She closed her eyes briefly to gather her thoughts. “Ian, two months ago I was engaged and had planned to get married next month.”

He tried to hide his shock.

“That all changed when my ex decided he wanted to take his life in a different direction, namely one with a woman whose father could give him better access to the corporate ladder he was determined to climb,” she added wryly. “I know I agreed to something casual, but I really don’t know if I can do that right now.”

Ian’s jaw tightened. “I’m sorry, Maya. I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

“I still want to see you.”

“I want to see you, too, but...”

“I can’t even imagine how much he hurt you, but you’re a beautiful woman, too beautiful to lock yourself away. Can we just keep with our agreement and see where it goes?”

She needed to stop looking into those eyes that threatened to suck her in. And hereallyneeded to stop touching her. There was no way she could stick to her decision with his hands on her. “Ian, I...ohhh.” Now he was playing dirty, bringing his lips into the action. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and trailed kisses along the curve of her jaw and neck.

“We’ll have so much fun together,” he said, still kissing his way to her chest.

Maya’s eyes slid closed and she breathed a sigh of surrender. She reached up, brought Ian’s face to hers, and gave him a slow and sultry kiss.

“What are you doing tonight?” Ian asked when they came up for air.

“I don’t have anything planned. Why?”

“I’d like to take you out to dinner. And before you say no, you skipped out on brunch, so you kind of owe me,” he added with a sly grin.

A surge of guilt rose and Maya felt her face flush. “I know. I feel really bad about that.”

Ian did his best to look sad, but the smile playing around the corners of his mouth ruined it. “Left me all alone and starving.”

She burst out laughing. “Yeah, right. You look like you haven’t eaten in days.”

His smile faded and his eyes lit with desire. “Actually, I haven’t. I’ve been craving something decadent and I only know one place to get it,” he murmured, sliding his hand up her thigh.

The air surrounding them changed from playful to sizzling in a nanosecond. She didn’t know who moved first, but they nearly tore each other’s clothes off. Within a minute, they were both naked and she was straddling him on the couch. He palmed her face while his mouth plundered hers. She squirmed, trying to get closer, and he grasped her waist, lifted her and drove into her with one deep stroke, filling her completely. Maya cried out at the sweet invasion.

Ian muttered a curse and pulled out. “Wait...wait a minute.” He reached for his discarded pants, found his wallet and dug out a condom.

She had totally forgotten about protection. Thank goodness one of them was thinking.

He sheathed himself and brought her down on him again. “Ride me, baby.”