Natalia pulled her rented Ford Focus into the parking space beside Brad’s car and cut the engine. Grabbing her purse, she took his outstretched hand as he helped her out of her car, and with their hands still clasped together, they walked toward the front door.The drive there had been pretty much a blur, so she got her first glimpse of the restaurant as she neared the entrance, and as soon as she did, her steps faltered. She thought she’d recovered rather quickly, but her hesitation must have shown on her face, because Brad turned to her and asked, “Is there something wrong?”She flashed him a small smile. “I guess I was expecting someplace a little more….casual,” she said as she glanced up at the sign for Alain Ducasse, the ultra chic, upscale French restaurant just outside Bayside in the small, but trendy town of Summerlin.Brad’s eyes twinkled as he smiled. “You’re an international superstar. I couldn&rs

They drove for about ten seconds until they pulled up to the side of Kevin’s first story apartment. She’d known Kevin throughout high school, but she’d never given him the time of day. He was handsome enough but he’d always seemed a little weird to her, as if something was off about him. But then he graduated, and somehow he seemed cooler, more sophisticated now that he was a freshman at Bayside Community College. So when she ran into him at a party a couple of nights ago she’d let him have her number this time. She hadn’t been surprised when he’d called her last night to invite her over to watch a movie. He’d expressed his interest in her many times before. But what had surprised her wasrunning into Brad right outside Kevin’s apartment.She twisted her head around to glare at Brad. “Alright, what is it that you have to show me?”“Just look through the window.”She turned her head in t

“I’m sorry Brad for insulting you,” she said quietly as she took a step back, but she didn’t get very far when he snaked an arm around her waist and brought her body flush against his.Her lips parted and she stared up at him with wide eyes.“You were wrong so you owe me a kiss?” His eyes twinkled with mischief as his dimples popped out in his cheeks.She gasped, recalling the familiar words he’d said many years before.“You remember the last time I said those words, Natalia?” He whispered softly, his voice wrapping her in warm velvet. She wanted to tell him that she would never forget what followed after he’d said those words, but all she could do was nod. Her body was now on fire for him. From the moment she’d locked eyes with him in the gym, her body had come to life as if it had lain dormant for fifteen years. In truth, it had. No matter how many men she dated, she always compared them to Brad

She dragged her lips from his to drink in the sight of his hard muscled chest. Then with trembling hands she slowly pushed the dress shirt from his torso and just let it tumble to the floor. She moved to reach for his belt buckle but stopped when Brad seized her hands in his.“Now it’s your turn.” He flashed her a wicked grin as his hands reached behind her to grasp the zipper at the back of her neck. He held her gaze as he inched it down until the flaps hung open at the back. Then with achingly slow movements, he pushed the dress off her shoulders and down the length of her body until it pooled at her feet.His eyes slid over her and she shivered under his heated stare. Her cheeks flushed with heat as she stood there while he drank his fill of her until finally his eyes returned to her face. Then before she could take another breath, he hoisted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom area of the suite.With gentle hands, he laid her down

“What!”The shock of her words had him reeling. He knew the reason why they were even there now was because she still cared about him, but he had no idea how much. To realize that she’d been unable to have lasting relationships with other men because of her feelings for him left him humbled. It also raised his need to claim her as his even more. The primitive man inside him just couldn’t resist the desire to shout that she was his, always had been, and always would be.She stared over at the wall as a red tinge swept up from her neck to darken her cheeks.“I know what you must be thinking. Two years? Believe me I triedto make things work with other men. But eventually I just gave up when I realized I always found something wrong with them simply because they didn’t have your smile or your laugh or they weren’t as chivalrous as you. You were right all along. It felt so different just being in the arms of another man, that