Taming the Tease Page 4

  "Mmmmmm...." she said again, thinking about the possibilities.

  The sun soaked into her back until she couldn't bear it anymore and she turned over, reapplying sunscreen to her front. That got the attention of the two college guys that she'd been talking to yesterday; they were across the pool in about the same place they'd been before, setting down their stuff. Both of them waved at her and she waved back, winking and jiggling a little bit.

  A little shiver went up the back of her spine as goose bumps popped out all over her skin. She had the strangest feeling that someone was just behind her, watching... but when she looked, no one was there.

  Weird.

  ******

  She was in the office when Humberto, one of the servers, came back to let her know she had family in the house. Lara and Victor to be exact. She still hadn't actually called any of her family back, although she'd texted all of them just saying that she'd been tired and had gone home but hadn't wanted to interrupt the celebration. She should probably just be grateful that they hadn't descended on the restaurant en masse. Besides, this was Lara's favorite restaurant so it was very possible they were here just for that and not to ask her about her sudden disappearance from the party.

  Hopefully Jeremy hadn't said anything to Victor about their little confrontation. Not that Maria had done anything wrong, but who knew how that little douche canoe would have spun things. How someone as awesome as Victor could have such a butt monkey for a friend...

  "Hey guys!" she said, pasting a smile on her face as she walked up to their table. Lara looked as effortlessly gorgeous as ever in a light blue t-shirt and shorts, and Victor was her perfect match in his khakis and green polo shirt. They'd been seated at one of the corner booths and were snuggling in the corner of it. If she wasn't so happy for Lara the sight might have been a little gag-worthy. "Is everyone taking care of you so far? No one's spit in your food?"

  "Mariiiiiia!" Lara said laughing, dragging out Maria's name the way she'd done her entire life. "You're so bad, as if anyone here would ever do that."

  "That's because you don't know how many of our servers are in love with your fiancé," Maria teased back, winking at Victor who grinned his appreciation. "And now that he is your fiancé, they might not be above taking a little bit of revenge."

  Her younger sister rolled her eyes. "It's a good thing Ryan's our server then."

  "You know Ryan's one of the servers in love with your fiancé, right?"

  "Yeah, but I asked him to help me plan the wedding. He'll protect me," Lara said smugly.

  Maria had to laugh that that. It was true, Ryan loved weddings. In fact, he wanted to be a wedding planner but he needed to build up a portfolio to help him attract customers. If Lara wanted his help then she'd get a wedding planner for cheap, and be able to help him out by providing pictures and a reference. A win-win for everybody.

  "Is that the only reason you came in today?" she asked in mock anger. "Stealing my employees away from me?"

  "That and for the crepes."

  "You and your crepes," Victor said laughing, squeezing Lara tightly against him. She gave him an absolutely adoring look and Maria felt a little twinge of jealousy. Only because she couldn't remember a time any man had looked that way at her or she at him. Kinda sucked. Fortunately Victor broke eye contact with his fiancé before Maria had time to become uncomfortable or feel like a complete outsider, looking back up at her with an inviting smile. "We were hoping you might be able to sit down and hang out with us for a bit, too."

  Man she liked Victor. He was absolutely sincere in his invitation, not at all awkward or reluctant to spend some time hanging out with his fiancé’s sister, even though they were on a date. So she sat down with them and they chatted, and talked a bit with Ryan and she got to hear some of the ideas that Victor and Lara were batting around about the wedding. As a bridesmaid she knew she was going to hear a lot of wedding talk over the next year, but she was okay with that.

  She talked with them until about halfway through their meal, when she went back to work, letting them have the rest of their date to themselves. Their visit did make her feel better, especially since - unlike the rest of her family - they didn't make any remarks about her single state or seem to feel the need to tiptoe or be "considerate" of the fact that she was single. They just talked, shared their joy, and had a good time. Which was exactly how she wanted it.

  ******

  The rest of the week, Maria didn't make it out to the pool while the Greek god was there. Which was disappointing. She ended up having to work later than usual a couple nights and was just too exhausted the next morning to get up early enough. Not that it kept her from the pool, but being there just wasn't nearly as exciting without the possibility of running into him. And it kept her thinking about the fact that he lived just a floor below her.

  Every so often, she actually had a full Saturday off. This was one of those weeks and she decided to make some granola. A guy with a body like that who worked out every morning probably wouldn't want a plate of brownies, but she could make some pretty killer homemade granola. It was healthy, easy, and gave her an excuse to more formally welcome him to the neighborhood.

  Yeah, most people weren't that neighborly anymore, but that was okay. He had no way of knowing that she didn't normally do this. She’d had mentioned Mrs. Pierce when they’d talked, so he knew that she was friendly with at least one of her other neighbors. The others she all knew by name, which wasn't too hard since there were only three floors of apartments, with four apartments on each floor except the ground which only had three plus the laundry room. It was part of why she liked living in a garden apartment; even if you didn't know your neighbors, you at least knew who they were after a couple of months.

  The smell of toasted oats, almonds and coconut filled her apartment as she got ready. When she took the tray out of the oven, everything looked nicely browned and crispy. Yum. Just give it time to cool and then she'd add something a bit sweet, maybe raisins or even chocolate chips. Or maybe just a bit of honey.

  She'd picked out her favorite pair of jean shorts - not daisy dukes because she didn't like her ass cheeks hanging out, but they fitted her curves nicely and came to just about three inches under her butt, which meant that she was still showing off a fair amount of leg but she didn't feel like she was showing too much - and a bright blue tank top. Thick straps with a deep V-neck that was edged with lace, it had an empire waistline so that the under her bust it fluttered a little more freely, covering the parts of her stomach that she wasn't a huge fan of. Strange how she could feel like walking out in a bikini, but she didn't like it when her clothing was stuck to her rolls.

  Maria shrugged. Just one of the many contradictions of being a woman she supposed.

  Since her hair was relatively well behaved today, curling without too much frizz, she decided to let it fly free. Chances were she'd put it up later, but sometimes she liked the feeling of the big mass bouncing around her shoulders and upper back. It just felt fun. Plus she'd been told by a lot of men that they loved seeing her hair like that - although most of them wanted to touch it and run their fingers through it which just made her want to smack them. Naturally curly hair did awful things when people ran their fingers through it.

  Mixing the granola up with some raisins, deciding against the chocolate chips, Maria hoped he would be home. It was the middle of the day on a Saturday though, so her chances should be pretty good. Unfortunately she wasn't on the side of the building where she'd have a view of the pool, but if he followed his usual pattern it was too late in the day for him to be there anyway. Humming to herself, she wrapped up the granola in the red-colored plastic wrap she had left over from Christmas (still).

  When she rapped on his door, she shifted back and forth on her feet, feeling a bit nervous and hoping that he really was as nice as he'd seemed at the pool.

  "Coming," she heard him call.

  Well at least that answered the question about whether or not he was home. S
he shifted her weight again, finding a comfortable position and pasting a smile on her face before she could talk herself into abandoning the granola at his door and running. It was just nerves. Totally normal.

  The door opened and she nearly dropped her jaw. He was wearing a black tank top that was practically suctioned against his gorgeous body and a pair of workout shorts and he looked absolutely, effortlessly delicious. The dark color of his tank top just made his golden boy looks even brighter and his blue eyes glow even bluer. Everything about him screamed confident male, from the shaggy mess of his hair to the way he was leaning against the door frame. It wasn't until a slow smile crept across those expressive lips that she realized she was staring.

  "Um... hi again. I brought you some home-made granola. You know, to welcome you to the neighborhood. Officially. I was gonna make cookies, but I wasn't sure if... um yeah." Mentally screaming at herself to shut up, Maria thrust the granola at him. His eyebrows went up in surprise, but he accepted the offering, the warmth of his hand brushing against hers and making her skin tingle as he took the packet of granola from her.

  She was just about to flee until she realized that his eyes had dropped to her chest and he was making a slow perusal of her own outfit. Warmth flooded through her and she suddenly felt a million times more comfortable. When his eyes came back up to hers, unashamed of his blatant examination, she was able to smile at him completely naturally.

  "Thanks," he said. "It looks delicious. And for the record, snickerdoodles are my favorite."

  "Favorite?"

  His smile was almost blinding. "Kind of cookie. But I've never had homemade granola before, so that’s something to look forward to."

  "It's really easy to make."

  "I'll have to get you to teach me sometime." He glanced over his shoulder, she couldn't see at what. "I'd invite you in for a drink or something, but I was actually just about to head out to hang with some friends."

  "Maybe some other time," she said, letting some of her natural flirtatiousness slip into her manner, since he seemed like he might be receptive. It felt like there was a little spark, a little connection between them. Sure he might be a player, but he was hot and she was single and not looking for anything serious. "I'm the daytime manager at Murphy’s Meals, if you ever wanna come in and visit. I can get you a drink for free."

  Rick gave her a long measuring look and she actually got the impression of his eyes shuttering a bit, shutting her out. The change was subtle but abrupt and she blinked. The connection between them had shut down just like that, which told her that she hadn’t been imagining it. Something that didn’t exist couldn’t disappear, and she definitely felt the loss.

  "Sorry, I probably won't be able to do that."

  She huffed, bringing herself back fully upright, thoroughly annoyed. Yeah, she got it. Shouldn't have been surprised that a guy that looked like him would be willing to have a drink with a girl that looked like her in private, but not out where someone might see them.

  "Shocker," she said with an eye roll, falling back on her normal defense of sarcasm. Guys like him really pissed her off. Jerks who didn't hide their asshole tendencies were at least honest. Although she knew she wouldn’t be quite so defensive if she hadn’t been hurt by the sudden shut down. She really hadn’t expected it.

  As she was about to turn and flounce away, his free hand snapped out and grabbed her arm. Not hard enough to hurt, but it was not a gentle hold either. Maria jumped. Damn he moved fast.

  "What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

  She raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes at him, shoving down the hurt where he wouldn’t be able to see even an inkling of it. "I'm just saying I should have expected someone as in shape as you wouldn't want to be seen out in public with me for a drink. You're nice enough when there's no one around to see or judge you, but not when someone might be watching. Guys like you are so predictable."

  "That's not what I meant."

  "Sure it wasn't.” Derision laced her voice. First Jeremy, now him. Although at least Jeremy was obviously an ass. And she wasn’t attracted to Jeremy, didn’t care what he thought. Rejection from Rick had gotten under her skin in a way that no other guy had in a long time. “Look, I don't really care if you're a jerk, I'm used to it. I just don't know why you bothered pretending not to be one. If you're going to be an asshole at least be an honest one."

  The little growling noise he made under his breath didn't frighten her, although he was going to get it in the nards if he didn't let go of her and soon. It was amazing how many guys didn't want to think they were 'that way' and got pissy when it was pointed out to them. Maria considered it her duty to shove their prejudices in their faces. Some of them even came out the better for it. Besides, she wanted to get under his skin the way he’d gotten under hers.

  Which is why she was shocked when he flipped her around and pressed her up against the wall. What the-? For some reason, even though she was trapped between the wall and what looked like a very angry man, and probably should have been screaming for her life, she didn't feel threatened. Just turned on, like he’d flicked a switch in her body. Blinking, she stared up into a pair of furious blue eyes. His body was long and hot and very... very... hard.

  Everywhere.

  Her breath caught.

  "Sweetheart," he said, breathing out the words in a low, intimate tone; one that was both somehow patronizing and sexy. Something she wouldn't have thought possible before this moment. "I'm not going to meet you out in public for a drink, because you have no idea what a guy like me wants at the end of the night. Because I don't just want a good night kiss at the end of the night. I don’t want to just come in for “coffee” and tamely get into bed, touch your body and lick you from head to toe...I want..."

  He broke off, his voice ragged and his pupils dilated. Maria was panting, both a bit frightened and completely exhilarated by his response. So what did he want? He obviously wasn't a sexual predator but he must have some kind of - what did people call it? - a kink that went outside the norm. What was it?

  When he stepped away, her body felt the loss of it immediately. She remained braced against the wall, staring up at him, feeling slightly abandoned as his eyes shuttered again. The hot, hungry look in his eyes was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

  "I'm sorry, Maria." He hesitated as if he wanted to say something else, but didn't know how to phrase it. "I didn't... I don't..." He sighed and looked away. "Thank you for the granola."

  "Rick?" She found herself in the strange position of wanting to reassure him. Especially since she had a feeling that she'd come to a snap judgment herself. But what did she say. He looked at her, with those very blue eyes, obviously uncomfortable and a little ashamed. "It's okay. I... I mean, it's really okay. I'm sorry I made an assumption."

  He thawed a little bit, but not back to the person she'd first encountered when he'd opened the door. "Thanks. I guess I'll see you around."

  And then he was back in his apartment with the door firmly shut before she could respond. Although she was bristling again over that abrupt dismissal. Dammit. He was hot. And attracted to her. So what had he been keeping back? She'd gone a while without sex and she would be willing to work around some preferences.

  He definitely wasn't gay. Not with the hard on he'd had.

  Muttering to herself, Maria went back upstairs. Maybe she should leave him alone. But she didn't really want to. Especially now that she knew he was attracted to her. So he hadn't wanted to talk about whatever it was he wanted to do to her in the hallway, she could understand that.

  She was so going to make sure she ran into him again. When he had the time for a drink.

  ******

  Groaning, Rick banged his head against the wall and then glared at himself in the mirror. It wasn't really suave to be hiding out in his bathroom while he waited for Maria to vacate the hallway, but then again he'd left suave behind about ten minutes ago, hadn't he?

  "Get it together Winter."

&
nbsp; He was going to be late to the dojo, which Liam was probably going to kick his ass for. Although at this point, he could use the work out... pressing himself up against all of Maria's soft curves had been a huge mistake, but he'd just reacted. Without thinking.

  Not his normal M.O.

  When she'd implied that he didn't like her because of her body though, he'd kind of just snapped. Ha. All those soft, luscious curves packed into that tank top and shorts combo, plus her inviting eyes and sweet, babbling shyness when she'd handed him the granola had completely disarmed his defenses. Every intention he'd had of keeping things neighborly had gone completely out the window and he'd gotten a little too friendly.

  Then he'd tried to back off and she'd taken it in completely the wrong way. Which made him want to go around punching whatever guys had ever given her that impression about her body. Although she hadn't been insecure or hurt. No, she'd been marvelously, wonderfully justifiably angry.

  So damn sexy with those sparking dark eyes.

  No wonder he'd nearly blurted out his desire to put her over his knee, to spank her ass and then tie her up and work her over until she was begging to cum... and then continue to torture her some more. Yeah. Definitely not the kind of thing he needed to announce in his hallway. Or to her, period. Although for just a moment, when he'd pushed up against her and she'd looked up at him with those big dark eyes, all hot and bothered, he'd though for just a moment...

  Maybe.

  Maybe there was a submissive buried beneath all that tease and sass. But then again, maybe that was just his wishful thinking.

  Feeling like an idiot, he went back to his front door and peeked out the keyhole. As far as he could see, she wasn't there. He was both relieved and disappointed. Which meant, as far as he could tell, that he was also an idiot. Grabbing his gym bag, he opened the door and couldn't help glancing around the empty landing. Just in case.

  Nobody was around. No noise from upstairs.