Read Online Attraction (Love & War, Part I) by Katrina Liss - Free Book Online Page A

reached almost to her waist.
    My God I want
that hair...
    His hands were
mentally in it, grabbing dark shiny handfuls.
    The top of it
was pinned up here and there, styled in one of those artfully
messy, just-had-sex affairs, which he adored.
    She had now
been elevated in his mind from a reserved and promising beauty to
damn fucking hot. And he was more interested than ever. Adrian
might be waiting a while for him to finish with Nicole.
    Adrian opened
the door for her, greeting her with a few pleasant words, smiling
at her broadly and then scowling at him immediately afterwards, as
he caught his eye. Ashton ignored him as Nicole gracefully glided
into the seat next to him like a long legged gazelle. Her cloud of
heavy perfume swamped his male brain so completely he was almost
speechless. She turned to face him with a knowing look, dazzling
him with her amazing eyes. She knew exactly what her little
surprise was doing to him.
    He stared at
her, openly brimming with lust and not caring that she could see
it. Her made up face was way too sexy not to react to it. It might
be a superficial aspect of his personality but he completely loved
an excess of mascara and red lipstick.
    “ Hello Ashton,” she said, almost in a whisper. He couldn't
remember hearing that breathy tone to her voice before. It was
obviously a new addition to her repertoire.
    “ Hello again, Nicole. How stunning you look and what a lovely
dress.”
    “ Thank you. I always keep a spare dress at the office, just in
case,” she explained.
    “ Well aren't I the lucky one today,” he added with a glow of
pleasure.
    “ I'm glad you appreciate it, but I had to get dressed for my
other engagement later. As I won't have time when I get
home.”
    That deflated
his ego momentarily, until he realised she'd said that
deliberately.
    “ It's much appreciated, even if I am the secondary reason,” he
replied quickly, allowing her a small and gracious smile. “And what
are you doing later, can I ask?”
    “ It's a friend's drinks party. At a local bar. So tell me,
where are we going for dinner?”
    “ L'Anima. D'you know it?”
    “ I do. I love it there. My ex and I used to eat there, when he
was on leave.”
    “ He's in the armed forces?”
    “ Yes, Will's a Lieutenant Commander, he's hoping for Captaincy
soon. He's doing very well in his career.”
    “ How pleasant for him. And when did he become your
ex?”
    “ A few months ago, we'd been together for years, since
Uni.”
    “ It must have been frustrating to be apart so often. Was that
the reason it ended?”
    “ Not really, we liked our space. We just outgrew each
other.”
    “ What do you do with your space, Nicole?” he
probed.
    “ I have my work, which is very time consuming. And I have my
friends and hobbies.”
    “ And what might those hobbies be?”
    “ I go to yoga class twice a week, swim and play
tennis.”
    Fit and supple
women appealed to him greatly. He desperately tried to keep his
mind out of his pants, but it was a struggle, one he lost, and one
he enjoyed losing.
    “ You lead an active life and seem to be a very busy
woman.”
    “ Exceptionally busy,” she replied, with a flare of her eyes.
Was she telling him something unsubtly. That she was too busy for
him? He couldn't be sure.
    They arrived
at the restaurant a few minutes later and Adrian dropped them off
outside. Ashton could feel the bad vibes hit him with the force of
a gale when he opened his door to let him out. He could almost see
the black storm cloud raging above his head. He got back in without
a word and drove away to wait at a nearby car park.
    He needed to
ensure Nicole didn't see too much of Adrian, while Ashton battered
down her door and captured her undivided attention. He'd sleep on
that one. But for now, he was going to put Adrian's jealous and
unpleasant behaviour out of his mind, and was determined to enjoy
his date with his gorgeous legal advisor.
     
    They entered
the restaurant and were seated at a table at