Dirk: A Stepbrother Romance(19)
“Listen to me Alexandra, every man in here has been cheerfully contemplating strangling me since I walked in with you on my arm,” he said earnestly, leaning forward to take her arm. “If you will believe nothing else I tell you, believe this; you are an insanely attractive woman and any man would be lucky to have you.”
Alexandra grinned slowly, “Including you?”
“Why the hell else do you think I’ve been panting after you like a dog on steroids?” he asked.
Alexandra dissolved into laughter, all her insecurities ebbing away as she let the stark honesty on his face rebuild her confidence bit by bit.
Leandro watched as she drank the last drop of champagne from her glass and he slowly took her hand in his, acknowledging the instant frisson of awareness with resignation. “What next?”
“You tell me,” she said, smiling at him, her head cocked to one side in a way that made him want to lean across the table and gently nibble on that naked expanse of neck.
Sudden inspiration struck and he grinned at her, his dark eyes gleaming hotly as he suggested, “How about a moonlight stroll down the beach?”
“Sounds like something straight out of the players’ manual,” she laughed, already rising to her feet and reaching for her purse.
“Well you would know, you seem like the kind of girl to lead men on a merry chase right before you break their hearts. Have mercy on a poor sap like me,” he said, half-seriously as he helped her into her coat.
Alexandra rolled her eyes. Why did she feel a niggling sense of unease in the middle of her back at his words? It would be very easy to fall for this man; he was so handsome, kind, charming and debonair and she was as desperate for love as a flower in the desert was for a cool drink of water.
She had to slow down before she lost her heart to Leandro, she decided.
Chapter Four
“What are you thinking?” Leandro asked, slowing his strides to look down at her. She had been quiet ever since they left the restaurant.
“Nothing,” she said with a shrug.
A woman with three children loitered under a tree, watching them with hungry eyes. She didn’t say a word but they were so dirty and unkempt and skinny it was obvious they were begging for alms. Leandro made a mental note to get Thomas to find out who she was, and if it turned out she had any skills at all, to find her a job in one of his hotels.
Alexandra followed his gaze, and then inexplicably, she brightened.
“I’ll be right back,” she told him.
In a flash, she was gone from his side. He saw her reach into her purse and hand the woman a tiny, tattered bit of tissue paper before turning back to him. Leandro was confused at the exchange and as she reached his side, he opened his mouth to ask her what she had done when the thin woman let out a cry and came running up to them, tears in her eyes.
Leandro saw then the diamond earrings in the woman’s palms and he felt something clench and then ease in his chest.
When they were alone again, he said, “That was a wonderfully generous gesture.”
Alexandra shrugged, “It was a gift from an old boyfriend. I don’t want them anymore. They are just a bad reminder of him and his drama. But perhaps she could sell them. It could make a big difference for her and her kids.”
Leandro stopped, staring down at her, his nostrils slightly flared. Then before she could guess his intent, he leaned down and took her soft lips in a hard, urgent kiss. His tongue dipped into her mouth, stroking and seeking and she sweetly received it with her own. Leandro hungrily deepened the kiss, his hands holding her curvy, voluptuous body tighter against his. Alexandra whimpered against his lips, unused to such torrid passion as he swallowed her cries. She clung tighter to him, her lips trembling sweetly beneath his. All his years of experience sent alarm bells clanging through his head. The way she responded told him something immediately; the woman in his arms was unlike any he had ever met. Disbelief froze him in place, and he noticed for the first time how she had melted against him at his first touch; worse, his own reaction was out of the ordinary. He had been hard put to keep his hands from her all through dinner!
He raised his head, holding her gaze as he deliberately said, “Alexandra? I want to make love to you. Now!”
Her blue eyes widened into twin pools of lust and embarrassment. Lust quickly gained the upper hand and she nodded her assent.
With a groan of pure triumph, he lowered his head to hers and took her lips in a deep, drugging kiss. Heat flared, immediate and hot as he held her tight against him, exploring her exquisite mouth with his.
As they parted for a moment, Alexandra innocently stroked her hand down his chest and Leandro lost every last vestige of control. “I need you now!” he groaned urgently.
“O-okay,” she stammered. “We’ll just use the elevator?”
“I can’t wait,” he interrupted, as he hustled her in the direction of the parking lot.
“Where are we going?” she asked, almost running in her haste to keep up with him.
“My limo is close,” he ground out in a thickened voice.
He hustled her into a plush, butter-soft leathered limousine and as soon as he shut the door, pounced. He drew her across his lap, kissing her deep and hard as his hand urgently tugged off her coat and unzipped her dress. The gown fell open at the back and he pushed it down to her waist, allowing her full, thrusting breasts to rise creamily in front of his face.