Strictly Business (8 page)

“Wade Connolly.”

“
Oh. My. God!
” Sally shrieked. “You’ve been holding out on me. I knew it!”

Nina chuckled at her friend’s accusation
and rolled her eyes in response to the drama. “I don’t have time to explain now, but I promise I’ll call you when I get home tonight.”

“
I want the full play by play!”

After making a promise to recap the date in explicit detail
Nina was allowed to hang up the phone.

The doorbell rang and she swallowed a bubble of
nervousness. She checked her face quickly in the mirror, noting the anticipation in her green eyes. On wobbly knees she walked from her bedroom through the small living area to the front door. The sight through the peephole made her breath catch. Wade stood in the hall, his large body blocking the door, his handsome face magnified through the viewer.

She breathed deeply and pulled open the door, her skin flushing as
his ocean blue gaze meandered over her face and slowly down the length of her red bathrobe, lingering where the robe made a deep V at her neck.

“You’re early.”
She ushered him in, self consciously adjusting the lapels of her robe.

He
proffered the bottle in his hand and smiled brightly. “Thought maybe we’d share a glass of wine before dinner.”

“Sure.”

“Although I think you look stunning in that bathrobe it might be a little too casual for where we’re going,” he teased.

Nina took the bottle from him and he followed her into her small kitchen.
The tiny area barely fit the two of them. She could smell his fresh woodsy scent and the short tendrils of hair at his temples were still sleek and wet from his shower. His blue button down shirt matched the color of his eyes, and she caught a hint of his incredible physique as the material molded to his broad shoulders when he moved.

“This is the latest in summer
wear. Just read about it in
Vogue
,” she retorted lightly. She hoped humor would quell her nervousness.

“
Darn, and I almost wore mine! Can’t believe I’m so fashion backward. Next time I promise to wear only my bathrobe. ”

She swallowed hard as she scrutinized his handsome features. She knew he’d slipped the word ‘only’ in there on purpose. Despite his sober continence she could see a smile twitching at the corner of his
tempting lips.

Laughing, she chided,
“Your’re impossible!” and watched him waggle his brows as he succumbed to a grin.

Nina turned to
rummage through a kitchen drawer, the sudden image of Wade draped in a luxurious robe with nothing underneath bombarding her brain. What was she looking for? Oh, yes a cock screw—ah…
cork screw
! OMG, hmmm…..
focus!

“
I can’t help but tease you. I just love how pretty you are when you blush.”

She
could feel her face color even hotter, and kept her head down as she rummaged.

“
What are you doing?” he asked from close behind, unnerving her even further.

“I thought you wanted wine.”
Her head jerked up as she grabbed the closest implement.

“I’ll open
it. You finish getting dressed.” His grin widened as he nodded towards her hand. “Plus, I don’t think that’ll help much.”

She
followed his gaze to the potato peeler clutched in her grip and they both shared a wry chuckle. He reached around her, nimbly grabbing the bottle opener from the drawer, his body brushing against hers and halting her breath.

“You want me to open
it?” she asked, and he followed her gaze to his left arm.

He flexed and opened his left fist. The sling had it
hugged against his chest. “I’ve actually gotten a lot of movement back. It’s getting better. I think I can manage a wine bottle. If I have trouble though I’ll have you peel it open for me.” He teased. Turning her gently, he nudged her out of the kitchen.

Making a
silly face at him she scooted away, his rumbling chuckle floating behind her. Inside her bedroom she could hear him moving around in her kitchen. She was surprised at how comfortable he seemed in her apartment.

“The wine
glasses are on the top shelf!” she yelled to him through the closed door.

“
Found them.”

Nina put a light dusting of powder on her nose and
passed on blush on her already pink cheeks. Her auburn waves hung loose around her shoulders. She smeared a thin film of lip-gloss on her lips and slipping her feet into her black strappy heels she walked back into the living room.

Wade had his broad back to her; he was studying pictures on the wall
of her and Sally hugging and beaming brightly. He noticed her come in and smiled appreciatively.

“Beautiful.”

She mumbled modest thanks, and embarrassed by the attention, started to explain the pictures.

“That’s Sally.
She’s my best friend. She works at the hospital.”

He
nodded, handing her a glass of wine. “I thought she looked familiar.”

“Yeah, she was there the night you came in. She recog
nized you from the morning show,” she said, turning towards the couch. Her fingers had lightly brushed his as she’d taken the glass and the sensation sent a sharp tingle up her arm. She needed to create some distance between them.

“
I’m not a regular. I’ve only been on that show a handful of times before today.”

“I guess you leave quite an impression.”

“I hope so.” He met her gaze.

“So,” she started, dismissing the sudden pounding in her chest, “what other charities are your company involved in?”

Wade’s blue eyes lit up
, his indulgent smile the only indication he was aware of her attempt to keep them on neutral ground. He explained the other charities his firm sponsored and his role.

“Sounds like very worthwhile endeavors.”

“They are. The summer ranch program is amazing. My partners and I, along with a few associates and their wives go every year. The kids really love it. It gives them a break from being in the hot city all summer long. They
play sports, swim, ride horses,” he said excitedly. “These kids are really smart and have so much potential. I love contributing to that. This year I was Cowboy Wade, in charge of outdoor sports,” he informed proudly.

Nina smiled.
She could imagine Wade in a cowboy hat, jeans and spurs rounding up a bunch of boisterous city kids to play outdoor games. She could hear the excitement in his voice when he spoke and a spot in her heart softened.

“How do
partners from a busy firm get the time off?”

“We make the time
. Juggle cases when we can.”

“Wow. That’s great for the kids. I think
I’d have enjoyed something like that as a kid.”

“How did you spend your summers?”

“I was a bookworm. I worked in my dad’s office and spent most of my time reading his medical texts.”

“Sounds exciting.”
His dry tone made her laugh.

“Really, it was.”

“Your dad’s a doctor too?”

“Internist.”“I guess doctoring is in your blood.”

“It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of. From the time I was a skinny little freckled faced girl.”

“It’s hard to imagine you as a skinny, freckled faced girl. I see a gorgeous, very driven lady.”

Nina felt a sudden heady rush as his stare penetrated her. He
perused her flattering knee-length dress and nodded with approval. Her mouth went dry as his gaze rove over her curves. She gulped down a mouthful of wine, hoping to douse some of her jitters.

“I guess this is a little more elegant than that bathrobe.” She laughed shakily.

“I liked the bathrobe too.” He gave a rakish grin, and in a second he was standing mere inches from her. She marveled that even with her height of five-seven and her almost two inch heels he dwarfed her considerably.

He deposited their wine glasses on a nearby table then crooked a finger beneath her chin and tilted her gaze up to meet his
. She was surprised by the tenderness she saw there. He brushed his knuckles against the softness of her cheek and she sighed inwardly.

Her lungs emptied as he lowered his head to hers and captured her lips with slow gentle pressure.
She let her lips part and felt like she was melting into a warm silky puddle as his tongue languidly traced the inside of her lips and the edges of her teeth. His scent was of the natural fragrance of his soap, and he tasted of oaky spiced wine. She groaned and leaned into him as the pressure of his lips intensified, and she almost groaned again when he lifted his head and broke the sweet kiss.

She heard him take an uneven breath. “I’ve wanted to do that since this morning.
Just thought I’d get it out of the way.”

Nina cleared her throat and nodded decisively. “
At least it’s out of our systems.”

“We should really get going. We’ll be late.”

“Yeah.”

They both smiled when neither made an attempt to move away.
She couldn’t fathom what possessed her as she laced her arms around his neck, and, standing on tiptoes, brushed her tongue along the sensuous line of his lips. She felt his breath hitch as a low growl rolled from his throat.

“Well, maybe it’s n
ot quite out of our systems yet,” he said as he encircled her waist and crushed her body against his.

She
felt like she hit a brick wall with enticing grooves and planes as her body came against his. She trailed her fingers over his broad shoulders and chest and reveled in the hard masculine feel of him. Wade captured her lips once again, this time with an urgency that matched her own. Her tongue dueled with his and she nibbled and tasted greedily. She threw her head back as he plotted a course of hot kisses down her neck and her fingers slid through his damp wavy hair.

Hot desire seeped
between her legs and she felt like every nerve ending was on alert. She watched as his long fingers adeptly undid the top buttons on the front of her sundress and she gasped when his palm moved across her bare skin to fold around the heavy swell of her straining breast. He ever so slowly circled the pink areola with the pad of his finger then trapped the nipple between his thumb and forefinger and tugged gently. Her shoulders jerked as his mouth followed his hand. His wet tongue laved her nipple and his teeth sent pinpricks of pleasure through her as he nipped her puckered flesh.

She was vaguely aware of her legs moving beneath her as Wade held her tightly against him and moved her to the couch.
The heavy length of his large erection burned into her leg and the pressure of it excited her. He placed her gently on a heap of pillows and quickly undid the remaining buttons that ran down the length of her dress. His warm breath fanned against her exposed skin and she quivered. She had on nothing but a black thong modestly covering a triangle of soft curls. His gaze skimmed over her, his dark eyes filled with desire and concern.

“
Cold?”

Nina’s heart tumbled in her chest as she gazed into his expressive eyes. She reached a hand up to the angle of his jaw and he turned to kiss her palm. A slow smile crept to her lips.

“Hardly,” she said and was rewarded with his even white grin.

She felt a little self conscious as he stepped back
and surveyed her, but the appreciation in his eyes was unmistakable.

A smirked tilted his lips
and he nodded knowingly.

“Black lace thong…nice.”

He knelt next to her and she cooed as warm fingers fluttered over the gentle slope of her stomach and dipped into the small cavity of her bellybutton. Goose bumps formed on her skin when his lips lightly brushed her stomach and traveled down to the elastic of her underwear. His teeth gave a gentle tug on the material and he nuzzled his nose into her curls, inhaling deeply.

“Your body is beautiful,
” he whispered. “You’re so responsive.”

“You’re driving me crazy,
” she confessed on a shallow breath.

He
moaned, then came up and crushed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately and possessively. She arched to his hand as it roved over her sensitive breasts and down her stomach, kneading and massaging an arousing path. Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers traced the elastic waistband of her panties and slid underneath to dance in her soft curls.

“Oh G
od…” She breathed against his mouth as his touch grew bolder. Her legs parted when his fingers dipped lower to trace a tantalizing path over her moist crevices. His caresses were agonizingly slow and deliberate. Her thighs trembled and she raised her hips off the couch, urging him to intensify his touch.

A band of heat pulled tightly in her groin, stretching every nerve fiber
. It threatened to snap and consume her. She was vaguely aware of his gaze on her face as he watched her intently. He watched her jaw clench when he stroked the slick flesh against her opening and he watched her cry out with pleasure when he thrust one long finger into her wetness.