Read Online Wicked Intentions by Linda Verji - Free Book Online Page B

Her eyes cruised up his body hungrily eating up the way the grey fabric molded his thighs with every step he took and caressed his broad shoulders. Her tongue peeked past her lips as she focused on the open collar of his black shirt, loving the flash of his strong throat. Finally her gaze rose to meet his just as he reached her table.
    “Shakira.” Even the way he rolled her name on his tongue was enough to send her heart skipping a beat. Shakira was in no condition to resist him when he bent his head and placed his lips on her softly before straightening up.
    “Hey.” She was shocked that her voice wasn’t the least bit shaky and that she didn’t reach for him and pull him down for an extended kiss.
    “Have your ordered yet?”
    Shakira shook her head wordlessly and Nathan gestured for a server. What was it about the man that had her behaving like a mute when she wasn’t panting like a horny walrus?
    Get a grip, Shakira ! Don’t you understand the concept of one-night stand? She could almost hear London berating her. Giving herself a mental slap, she shook off the entrancement Nathan’s arrival had charmed her into. By the time the server turned to her to get her lunch order, she had her wits back.
    “Just get me what he’s having,” she requested as she shut her laptop and slipped it back into her bag. When she turned back to Nathan, his eyes were on her and they were narrowed in – anger? She immediately launched into an explanation, “I promise I’m going to get you the money I just-”
    He interrupted, “You left without a word.”
    “I’m sorry?”
    “I woke up to a cold bed and fifteen hundred dollars on the coffee table.” A muscle jumped in his cheek as his piercing gaze skimmed her face, her throat and breasts and left a trail of tingles. “What was that about?”
    “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
    “No, I wanted to see the beautiful woman I invited to my bed last night next to me.” Though his voice barely rose, his eyes flared with passion. “I wanted to get a chance to make her breakfast and thank her for a wonderful night.”
    Even though they were not meant as compliments, his words were like the sounds of a well-played violin to a music aficionado. She couldn’t help feeling flattered that he thought she was beautiful. Her lips widening in a soft smile she said, “Then you should’ve called.”
    “After you ran out on me,” quirking an eyebrow, he asked, “would you have picked up my call?”
    “Of course,” Shakira said though the skeptical devil inside her jeered ‘ yeah right ’. Reaching for his hand across the table, she said, “I’m sorry.”
    His eyes slipped to her hand over his. Even that small touch was enough to spark Shakira’s nerves and she wanted to pull away. She kept her hand on his soothing one finger over his skin.
    His expression eased and sighing deeply, he turned his hand under hers and squeezed her fingers lightly. “Next time, at least wait up for me.”
    Next time? Shakira didn’t get a chance to refute the statement because their meal arrived at just that moment. She’d thought that after their one-night disaster any conversation between them would be awkward. She’d underestimated the man.
    The lunch was far from uncomfortable. Nathan was practiced in the art of making a woman feel good. He kept the easy conversation swirling around them subtly delving into her life but not so much that she felt like he was intruding. Despite the fact that beautiful women trooped by them – some even stopping to greet him- his eyes never strayed away from her. He made her feel as if everything she said was laced in platinum and covered in gold.
    Eyes lit in interest he exclaimed, “I can’t believe you grew up here!”
    “I’m a New Yorker born and bred,” Shakira said as she set her half full glass of juice on the table. “What about you?”
    “From around,” he dismissed before he asked, “What was it like growing up here?”
    Shakira was aware