Read Online Indulgent Pleasures by Karen Erickson - Free Book Online

for another go around just shifted. Not as if he could deny her anything, not after what she just did for him. “You still want to go to that Italian restaurant I told you about?”
    “Mmm, yes.” Her sexy little murmur made his skin tingle and he kissed her yet one more time. Her tongue met his, slow and searching and delicious and he deepened the kiss, his arms tightening around her.
    “If we keep this up we won’t leave,” she whispered after he broke the kiss to catch his breath.
    “Sounds like a good idea to me.” Damn he had tunnel vision with this woman. Single-minded focus on getting inside her tight body and that was it.
    “Justin.” Hearing her say his name made him pause and he withdrew, staring down at her pretty upturned face. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her lipstick long gone and he noticed a dark freckle dead center on her lower lip. “If you want me to keep up my strength you have to feed me. And I’m not talking those stale candy bars in the vending machine down in the lobby either.”
    He chuckled and drew his thumb across her lower lip, lingering at the freckle in the center. Damn, her mouth was sexy. Even that freckle was sexy. “Then let’s go.”
    She bit the tip of his thumb, the sensation of her teeth and tongue on his flesh making his heart rate spike. “Yes, let’s.”
     
    * * *
     
    The restaurant was small and cozy and Stephanie could tell it had been around for years. Photos lined the walls, most of them black and white, full of smiling family members, wait staff and celebrities.
    She even spotted a photo of Justin standing with who she assumed was the owner. It must’ve been taken years ago. His face appeared younger, his body leaner though he was still just as handsome.
    He sat across from her sipping a glass of red wine, the waiter questioning him about his injuries and the status of the Miners team without him. She listened covertly as she had been a little too embarrassed to question him about his career.
    Embarrassed and now feeling more than a little guilty. If he knew she worked for City Magazine he would drop her so fast her head would spin. She’d Googled him while still at the office and discovered he rarely spoke to the media, that his past was shrouded in secrecy.
    The last thing he’d want to do is see a reporter. Well, she wasn’t a reporter per se but still. He wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her, she just knew it.
    Propping her elbow on the table, she rested her chin in her hand, listening to Justin as he still talked to the waiter. His expression somber, he talked of his team with great pride. It made her wonder just how upset he was, forced into early retirement. How extensive his injuries were though she knew briefly about them after reading an article regarding the accident.
    The accident hadn’t been his fault. He’d been out riding on a two-lane highway back in the spring, when a car barreled down on him in his lane driving in the opposite direction. He’d had no choice but to swerve, flipping his brand new motorcycle so it landed right on his leg, nearly crushing his knee.
    His already bum knee that had given him trouble for years. He’d been a done deal career-wise in one fateful moment.
    The waiter finally left and Justin’s gaze met hers, sympathy etched all over his handsome face. “Sorry about that. I’ve been coming here for years and I haven’t been around lately. They’re eager to catch up with me.”
    “It’s no problem.” No way would she admit she could sit and stare at him for hours. He was so gorgeous and it was still so unbelievable he was out with her. Little ol’ Stephanie Shaw, Ms Nobody. “Does it ever feel like everyone wants a piece of you?”
    “Well yeah.” His eyes widened as if surprised by her question and he reached toward the middle of the table, grabbing a piece of warm garlic bread from the basket. “I mean, I understand. When you become a public figure, you have to be prepared for people acting