“Oh, I intend to,” he replied in a low voice.
A thrill shot through her body as she pulled her gaze away and focused on walking in a straight line. She’d expected a little resistance, but propositioning Riley Scott had turned out to be a lot tougher than she’d anticipated. His reluctance had been written all over his gorgeous face, and yet at the same time, she’d seen the way his eyes had glimmered with passion when she’d asked him to bed. He wanted her, and the knowledge that he returned the attraction made her break out in shivers. It also made her wonder why he’d fought it for so long.
And why he’d looked almost guilty when she’d suggested acting on it.
Ah well. No time to think about any of that now. She finally had Riley exactly where she wanted him, and she wasn’t about to spoil what was bound to be the best night of her life by over-thinking it. She did that a lot, turned things over in her head and analyzed them to death, until she’d sucked the fun right out of them.
Tonight would be different.
Tonight there would be no thinking.
She led him to the dark corridor in the back of the bar, toward the staircase leading up to the second-floor apartment. They climbed the stairs, neither one saying a word. As she paused to unlock the door, she felt Riley’s warm breath on her neck. A second later his hands cupped her butt.
“You’ve got such a sweet ass,” he muttered from behind.
“Wait ’til you see the rest of me.”
Click. The lock unlatched and she pushed the door open. When they got inside, she didn’t turn on the lights. She didn’t want to ruin the moment by shedding light on this barren little apartment. She didn’t want to look at all the boxes full of her possessions or think about the fact that she was sleeping on a mattress in an empty bedroom. She missed her old place. No, she missed her old life, the one she’d led before the bar had been snatched out of her hands and she’d been evicted from the brownstone she’d lived in for years. Hard as she’d tried to turn a profit, her little corner bar simply hadn’t been able to compete with all the new, hip establishments that kept opening up on the block. She’d poured every dime she had into the Diamond, until she was totally and completely broke, unable to pay the phone bill, let alone her rent.
But she forcibly shoved all the ugly thoughts out of her head. At the moment, she didn’t want any of her troubles tainting what was about to happen.
So she left the light off, smiled at the big sexy man in front of her, and squashed any notions of time-consuming pre-sex pleasantries by reaching for the hem of her tank top.
She pulled the material over her head and bared her breasts.
“Are those real?” Riley rasped, his voice thick with desire.
“Come here and find out.”
He took two steps forward and cupped each full mound. Flicked his thumbs over her nipples, and then dragged his hands along the underside of each breast. “Real,” he remarked. “Rare, in this day and age.”
She almost purred as he fondled her breasts, his big calloused hands scraping over her sensitized skin. Damn, she’d wanted this for so long. Envisioned it. Fantasized about it late at night while fingering herself. She’d been with other men, of course, but none of them even compared to this ruggedly gorgeous one who practically triggered an orgasm with one sinful stare. Riley was all man, rough edges and all.
“Why did we wait two years to do this?” he muttered as he stroked her breasts. “You actually thought I’d turn you down?”
“I wasn’t sure I was slutty enough for you,” she replied dryly. “I’ve seen the girls you leave my bar with.”
“You’re right. You’re nothing like the women I usually go home with.”
“Because my tits are real?”
“Because you make me laugh.” He shrugged, still palming her breasts. “Because some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had in my entire life have been with you. I didn’t want sex to ruin our friendship. If I were the commitment kind of guy, I would’ve asked you out on a date.”
“I don’t want a date. I want to fuck you.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath and grinned.
She stepped back, her chest feeling cold without Riley’s hands fondling it. Reaching for the button of her jeans, she raised her eyebrows. “So, what do you do with a girl you don’t date? You’ve just walked into her apartment, you’re hot and horny and staring at her half-naked body, and what do you do?”
“You really want to know?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, I’d tell her to unzip my pants and suck my dick.”
An ache pulsed between her legs. Oh yes. She knew he’d be like this. Dirty. Demanding. Bold.