Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen #3)(25)

Holland shook her head, but she was looking at his mouth. Her breath had gone shallow. “We finished. And I walked away.”

He moved closer, crowding her. “I definitely didn’t get my fill, sweetheart. Maybe if I had, you wouldn’t have left. I think it’s time we fixed that problem.”

Dax leaned in slowly, giving her the opportunity to protest. He’d never force her . . . but persuasion was something else entirely.

“Tell me you don’t want me to kiss you right here, right now.”

“You know I can’t,” she whispered.

That was what he wanted to hear. He braced his hand against the wall above her head and hovered close, breathing in her scent. She smelled like ripe peaches and something so her. It thrilled his senses.

Slowly, he reached for the soft skin of her face and cupped it. “I never stopped thinking about you. Not once, Holland. I don’t think I’m capable of forgetting you.”

“This is a mistake.” She breathed the words onto his lips, their mouths drawing ever closer. “It can’t end well.”

He closed the remaining distance between them and brushed his lips over hers, giving her a taste of what was to come. “It can if we make it. We choose our fates.”

He would make his marriage work. Together, they would have children who always felt loved and never worried that their parents didn’t put them and each other first.

Dax deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over her plump bottom lip and thrilling when she shuddered. Her trembling hands skated up his torso as she pressed their bodies closer and kissed him harder. Then she opened her mouth and he felt the slide of her tongue against his.

Pure fire threatened to consume him. Usually, he took his time and worked up to sex, but the feel of this woman in his arms made him rough and ready in a heartbeat. He wanted to shove her against the wall and thrust his cock deep. Take her. His whole being screamed out to claim her once and for all.

He pinned her to the wall, covering her body with his as he prolonged the kiss. With greedy palms, he hugged her curves, then settled on her waist and pulled her hard against him. He hated the clothing between them, wanted nothing more than to feel her silky flesh.

“Dax, we shouldn’t,” she breathed against his mouth.

“Stop thinking. Feel. Feel how much I want you, Holland.” He pressed his pelvis against hers. It wasn’t a gentlemanly thing to do, but he couldn’t be polite with her. She brought out the caveman in him. He wanted to mark her, to let everyone else know this one woman was his.

He silenced her with his kiss, delving deep again. Her fingers clung to his shoulders as her body molded to his, fitting together. Chest to chest. Belly to belly. His erection nestled against her pussy.

Could he take her in the bathroom? He had a condom. All he needed was a few minutes of privacy to ease the ache they were both suffering. But as much as he wanted her, Dax couldn’t fathom that his first time with Holland would be in a public john. She deserved better. So did they.

As he forced himself to ease back, an unfamiliar voice drifted down the hall. “If you’ll come this way, we’ll take a peek into the private dining room.”

Holland gasped at the intrusion and shoved at him. Dax stared at her flushed cheeks and swollen lips, a ribbon of satisfaction winding through him.

“As you can plainly see, Antoine’s is noted for its romantic environment. Like everything here in New Orleans, we keep it spicy,” the male voice said again.

Dax grimaced when he noticed a group of tourists taking one of the food and wine tours conducted daily throughout the city. As the group passed, Holland looked even more flustered. Obviously, she hadn’t been caught in many compromising positions before. Luckily he had.

Dax stepped in front of her and nodded to the guide as he walked past.

“Y’all have a nice night in the Quarter,” he said with a smile, taking all of the attention off Holland.

A few eyes widened and some whispers followed, as if someone recognized him, but the tour walked on.

“I can’t believe I did that.” Holland still panted behind him, her chest rising and falling when he turned back to her.

“That was nothing to be ashamed of, sweetheart. I bet we’re not the first couple caught kissing in a hallway.” He smoothed back her hair. “I’m sorry. I should have waited until we got home.”

Her blond hair shook. “No, you shouldn’t have done it at all. I told you, if we’re going to investigate together, we can’t be involved.”

“Why? We’re adults. We don’t actually work together. Neither of our jobs have rules that prohibit a relationship between us. If you’re still worried about my lifestyle, I assure you it’s quiet. I only want you. I want to settle down. No more parties. No more craziness. Let’s pursue this thing between us that’s been building since the day I met you.”

She blinked up at him. For a moment, he thought she would acquiesce. “I can’t. If you want to look into your father’s case, you have to put aside any romantic relationship with me.”

Frustration welled up inside him. She’d told him she wanted him. She’d responded to his touch like she’d been made for him. So why was she pushing him away? The only reason he could see were her illogical fears. “Is this an either/or proposition? I can investigate my father’s case or I can have you?”