Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(23)

Dugan looked at her. “The mysterious Sophie Lane. At last.” He held out his hand. “Kristine talks about you a lot. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to be met.” Sophie put her hand in his and was pleased to feel plenty of sparks. Oh, yeah, they had chemistry. Or at least she did.

Right now her life was a mess. She was trying to get CK Industries up and running. She was missing her cat and, while she didn’t want to move back to LA, she didn’t feel as if Blackberry Island was her home, either. She was tired and overwhelmed and out of sorts, so feeling wild attraction to a man she’d barely met was a very nice distraction.

He smiled at her. It was a good smile—no, a great one that made her feel special.

“How’d you like the class?”

“It made absolutely no sense to me. What’s with all the ocean pulling and pushing? Who thought up the movements and why are they in that order? I’m not sure I need balance in my life so much as ten employees I can trust and a better cup of coffee in the morning. Plus, why is it so slow? I think I could get into it if we could just move things along.”

Kristine looked horrified at her outburst but Dugan only laughed.

“I like that you say what you think,” he told her. “You’re wrong about most of it but it’s good to have an opinion.”

“I’m not wrong.”

“As long as you can see both sides of things.”

“Oh, I can see both sides,” she told him with a smile. “Even when the other person is wrong.”

“And you revel in their wrongness?”

“Every second of every day.”

“So the lady likes to be right.”

“The lady does.”

His gaze settled on her face. “And in charge.”

“Asking or telling?”

“I’m not asking.”

She wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about but she liked the conversation.

Kristine looked between the two of them. “Okay, then. I’m going to head home. You two have fun.”

Sophie glanced at her cousin who mouthed, “Call me later. I mean it. Call me.”

She wanted to say there wasn’t going to be anything to talk about but didn’t know how to say that aloud without sounding weird.

When her cousin reached her SUV, Sophie turned back to Dugan. “I should be going, as well.”

“How about brunch instead?”

She glanced down at her less than fashionable outfit, then at what he was wearing. “We’re not exactly dressed for brunch.”

“Then we should do something else.”

That got her attention. She thought about asking if he meant what she thought he meant, then decided that was just plain dumb. Of course he did. “How many of your students have you slept with?”

“Counting you?”

She nodded.

“One.”

While she liked the number, she wasn’t sure she believed him. “So this isn’t how you pick up women?”

He flashed her another of those amazing smiles. “I don’t need a gimmick, Sophie. And yes, I’m telling the truth. I have a lot of flaws, but lying isn’t one of them.”

She moved close and put her hand on his upper arm. Yup, he was big and strong, which she thought she might like a lot. Then she raised herself up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his.

His mouth was warm and firm. He let her do all the work, which she kind of liked, as well. Her body reacted immediately. Heat flared, desire engulfed her and she wanted to rub herself against him in a very flagrant way.

All that without any tongue action, she thought, pulling back.

“I’m still settling into my house so it’s a mess. I suggest we go to your place.” Not only did she prefer to be the one who could simply walk away, she was also testing him to make sure there wasn’t someone waiting at home.

“Works for me,” he told her. They started toward their vehicles.

“You’re single, right?” she asked. “Kristine said you were.”

“There’s no one in my life.”

“You prefer it that way?”

“For now.”

“You’re not going to ask if I’m single?”

He held open her car door. “I already know you are.”

“Oh.”

Was that good or creepy? Before she could decide, he wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her against him. Fully against him. She could feel the rock-hard muscles of his body. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. Really kissed her.

He took his time, moving his lips against hers, teasing, promising, arousing. She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned into him. When he stroked her bottom lip she parted. At the first brush of his tongue she began melting from the inside out. Hunger burned hot and bright and it was only a matter of seconds until she was breathless.

This was so much better than dating, she thought, wishing they were already in his bed and he was inside her. Time-wise it was so much more efficient.

They broke the kiss at the same time. He looked as aroused as she felt.

“You have condoms?” she asked.

“Not on me.”

She laughed. “I meant at your place.”

“Yes.”