but she'd looked.
With a grin, he rose and followed with silent steps.
"It's an irrelevant question, anyway," she said, then glanced over her shoulder.
Her eyes widened when she saw him closing in on her.
"Irrelevant how?" he challenged, voice purposely soft.
"I--I don't date, really. Too busy."
"Maybe you just didn't have the proper motivation."
"And you would be the proper motivation?" She managed to inject a hint of disdain in her voice.
"It's possible. You never know until you try."
"Are you asking me out?"
"If I was?" He sauntered another step closer.
A deep breath had her breasts rising, her nipples rasping against the cotton and tightening. Damn, the woman was about to kill him.
Nicki backed away, shaking her head. "The answer is no."
"Because ... ?"
"I told you, I just don't have time. I'm a serious businesswoman with a club to run, and I think some of the other dancers would think ... I was playing favorites or something. They'd think it isn't a good idea."
"But what do you think?" He edged closer. "If it weren't for the other dancers and all."
"It would still be no," she said, voice turning breathy. "I don't need distractions."
"How do you know I'd be a distraction?"
Her gimme-a-break stare nearly had him laughing out loud. "You're a walking, talking distraction. The fact we're having this conversation when I should be laying down the law about your costume tells me the answer needs to be no."
"Hmm," he murmured and came closer still. "Good thing I didn't ask."
Retreating another step, Nicki did her best to put space between them. If he gave her a second to think about how much ground she was giving, how revealing her actions were, Mark had no doubt she'd stop now and ream him out. He'd bet his last dime that Nicki's idea of a good defense was usually a good offense.
Instead of stopping to think about it, though, she eased back again--until her back hit the wall.
Mark smiled.
"Then I guess I'll just have to settle for pizza ... and that kiss you owe me."
Chapter 4
"K iss?" Nicki's heart beat against her chest hard enough to do a battering ram justice. Mark stared his hazel eyes sizzling her with intent. His look said it all--sex. Fast, hot, demanding, explosive--just the way she liked it. Now.
Air. She needed more air. Despite quick, short breaths, she felt dizzy. And flushed all over. Damn, he smelled good, like spice and vitality. He oozed musk and mystery. Nicki feared she had all the resistance to his scent that an addict had to crack.
Mark slid a large hand across her cheek, curled it around her nape. Tingles burst across her skin wherever he touched. His hot, insistent fingers tilted her face up to his. Breathless in a way she never had been, Nicki waited. Her sensitive nipples scraped her cotton tank with every breath. He leaned in, not close enough to touch ... but the heat of his body penetrated her, scorching her like a Vegas afternoon in August. Suddenly, her stomach had more knots than a sailboat in a raging storm.
Mark edged closer still and anchored his other hand to the wall beside her head. A dangerous ache coiled between her legs. She felt every minute of her two years of celibacy.
"Yeah," he breathed as he nuzzled her ear. "A kiss."
Nicki shivered.
Lust and self-preservation arm-wrestled in her mind. To her passionate side, the concept of saving herself for anything, like a less dangerous man, held all the appeal of scrubbing off shower scum with her toothbrush. But her head told her that resisting him now would save her problems in the future. First, she needed all her time and mental energy to run this place. Second, she didn't need romantic ... complications. Mark didn't seem like a forever kind of man. While Nicki wasn't ready for a picket fence quite yet, succumbing to a charmer who would give her the ride of her life then pack his bags seemed downright stupid. Generally, she had more intelligence than a horror movie victim, and hiding in a closet had never been
With a grin, he rose and followed with silent steps.
"It's an irrelevant question, anyway," she said, then glanced over her shoulder.
Her eyes widened when she saw him closing in on her.
"Irrelevant how?" he challenged, voice purposely soft.
"I--I don't date, really. Too busy."
"Maybe you just didn't have the proper motivation."
"And you would be the proper motivation?" She managed to inject a hint of disdain in her voice.
"It's possible. You never know until you try."
"Are you asking me out?"
"If I was?" He sauntered another step closer.
A deep breath had her breasts rising, her nipples rasping against the cotton and tightening. Damn, the woman was about to kill him.
Nicki backed away, shaking her head. "The answer is no."
"Because ... ?"
"I told you, I just don't have time. I'm a serious businesswoman with a club to run, and I think some of the other dancers would think ... I was playing favorites or something. They'd think it isn't a good idea."
"But what do you think?" He edged closer. "If it weren't for the other dancers and all."
"It would still be no," she said, voice turning breathy. "I don't need distractions."
"How do you know I'd be a distraction?"
Her gimme-a-break stare nearly had him laughing out loud. "You're a walking, talking distraction. The fact we're having this conversation when I should be laying down the law about your costume tells me the answer needs to be no."
"Hmm," he murmured and came closer still. "Good thing I didn't ask."
Retreating another step, Nicki did her best to put space between them. If he gave her a second to think about how much ground she was giving, how revealing her actions were, Mark had no doubt she'd stop now and ream him out. He'd bet his last dime that Nicki's idea of a good defense was usually a good offense.
Instead of stopping to think about it, though, she eased back again--until her back hit the wall.
Mark smiled.
"Then I guess I'll just have to settle for pizza ... and that kiss you owe me."
Chapter 4
"K iss?" Nicki's heart beat against her chest hard enough to do a battering ram justice. Mark stared his hazel eyes sizzling her with intent. His look said it all--sex. Fast, hot, demanding, explosive--just the way she liked it. Now.
Air. She needed more air. Despite quick, short breaths, she felt dizzy. And flushed all over. Damn, he smelled good, like spice and vitality. He oozed musk and mystery. Nicki feared she had all the resistance to his scent that an addict had to crack.
Mark slid a large hand across her cheek, curled it around her nape. Tingles burst across her skin wherever he touched. His hot, insistent fingers tilted her face up to his. Breathless in a way she never had been, Nicki waited. Her sensitive nipples scraped her cotton tank with every breath. He leaned in, not close enough to touch ... but the heat of his body penetrated her, scorching her like a Vegas afternoon in August. Suddenly, her stomach had more knots than a sailboat in a raging storm.
Mark edged closer still and anchored his other hand to the wall beside her head. A dangerous ache coiled between her legs. She felt every minute of her two years of celibacy.
"Yeah," he breathed as he nuzzled her ear. "A kiss."
Nicki shivered.
Lust and self-preservation arm-wrestled in her mind. To her passionate side, the concept of saving herself for anything, like a less dangerous man, held all the appeal of scrubbing off shower scum with her toothbrush. But her head told her that resisting him now would save her problems in the future. First, she needed all her time and mental energy to run this place. Second, she didn't need romantic ... complications. Mark didn't seem like a forever kind of man. While Nicki wasn't ready for a picket fence quite yet, succumbing to a charmer who would give her the ride of her life then pack his bags seemed downright stupid. Generally, she had more intelligence than a horror movie victim, and hiding in a closet had never been
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