Triple Diamonds (Mystic Nights #2)(16)

She found her voice. “Thank you,” she finally accepted the compliment finding her own voice raspy and seductive.

His fiery eyes gazed at her face, her hair, and then he looked down at her abundant bounty once more. He liked what he saw. And from the sound of her voice, she liked being in his arms too. He would definitely press his advantage and did so by pulling her closer so she could feel the attraction he felt for her.

The way this man was looking at her gave her confidence a boost. He was very attracted to her. That she could tell easily by his arousal pressed up against her. It made her feel powerful. That she could do that to him.

After leaving Boston, she had lost some of her nerve. But she hadn’t had much time for fun since she’d been back to Lantern Hill, or dates, or even nights out for that matter. Lately, she’d been wondering if she still had what it took to attract a man. When in college, she’d enjoyed her social life very much. But covered up by her uniform, and jeans and bulky sweaters around the house, she hadn’t had the occasion to dress up. She had to admit it felt good to do that again. And to dance. With a man. A very good looking one, who looked like he could eat her up, and not just the food she prepared.

“Real good.” He repeated. “And you are an amazing dancer, too.”

She gave him a shy smile. It had been a long time since a man complimented her on anything except her cooking. “You’re not too bad yourself.” Her voice came out a seductive purr, shocking even her. She was a bit rusty at this. But he hadn’t seemed to notice.

His only reaction was to pull her in even closer. “I’m so glad you are here. I was going to call you tomorrow. I wanted to get to know you better. Really better.” His suggestion caused her nostrils to flare. Her chest rising and falling.

“Is that so?” was her response. She tried to make it sound causal, but he could tell the woman in his arms wasn’t used to his blatant charms.

“I told you today I was going to call. I never lie.” His eyes were fierce. It made butterflies swarm in her stomach, and left her feeling breathless. His hands roamed down to her hips, and then just a bit lower to her legs, as he led her movements. She could barely think when those hands found the skin on her legs.

They continued to dance together, their bodies so in tune through the rest of the song. He’d seen his sisters start to return to the dance floor with Jewel’s friends, and figured it was his chance to get Jewel alone by buying her a drink. Get her talking before her friends and his sisters crashed the party. Plus, if she kept dancing that way, and rubbing her chest on his, he thought he might explode. That, or he’d take her upstairs this minute, and he didn’t think she was going to be that easy.

“A drink?” He offered as the song came to its conclusion.

She nodded her assent, and wet her lips with her tongue. He groaned, and stifled the urge to swoop down and take that tongue into his mouth, but she’d already turned towards the bar.

He followed her off the dance floor, passing his sisters and her friends. He gave them a quick wink and continued following the sexy woman he wanted to possess that evening.

Jewel looked dazed for a moment and paused while passing her friends, so Joseph pushed her ahead of him not giving her the chance to make the choice of rejoining them. Her slight delay might mean she was having a moment of doubt, and he didn’t want her to doubt where this night was headed. “Come on gorgeous, you must be thirsty,” he encouraged smoothly in her ear.

Jewel began to move. She was. So thirsty. This man had her hot.

At the bar she gave her order, and the bartender remembering his earlier order replaced his forgotten drink with a fresh one. He indicated to the bartender that he was taking the small booth beside the bar, and he led Jewel there. She slid in, and instead of sitting across from her, he surprised her by sliding in beside her. The bartender followed with their drinks and quickly disappeared. They now had some privacy in the crowded bar.

She had a moment of panic when his hip bumped hers, but she pushed over to make room for him. She felt trapped, and from this seat couldn’t even see her friends. Another moment of doubt crept in. Why was he pursuing her? These Sassacus men had reputations, she reminded herself. They were the love ’em and leave them types. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. The oldest, Jonathan, had recently married. But even the sisters were known to have been around the block a time or two, if the rumors being spread about were true.

“Don’t worry, I don’t bite.” He saw her nervousness as she toyed with her glass. “Unless you want me to,” he teased inching closer.

The wanton image of him biting one of her nipples before sucking it into his mouth gently came into her mind’s eye. Oh God! She realized she did want him to bite her. Badly. But could she handle this? A fling with Joseph Sassacus. She’d been dreaming of him lately. Ever since she had encountered him that one evening he had seen her packing her car with items to be delivered to the food bank. A fling? Could she? She’d never had a causal affair before. A one night hook up. She realized she very much wanted too. Her battery powered boyfriend of late was not as exciting as it used to be. But would there be repercussions? Could she handle that?

Joseph saw her mind working. She was smiling though and that was a good sign. He gave her the time she needed. He wasn’t into forcing himself on a woman, but he knew the signs. She was just as attracted to him as he was to her. And she was considering the possibilities. This was going to happen, he knew that. But it would be her choice. He watched her as she picked up her drink and took a sip of the sweet concoction, a mango flavored margarita. “Mmm, these are so good,” she murmured seductively. “Delicious.”