Red Shoes and A Diary. Mia Zachary
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she tried another “Elise move.” She leaned back in her chair, resting her left elbow on the arm. Her fingers skimmed across her collarbone, back and forth.
She had all of his attention now. The look in his light green eyes could only be described as penetrating, his expression a heady blend of fascination and desire. Knowing that Nick wanted her sent a jolt of excitement through her. She felt powerful, feminine, wildly erotic.
She watched Nick watching her. His gaze slowly roamed her body, pausing on her breasts. She wondered if he was undressing her with his eyes. Arousal warmed her skin and sent pulses of desire throughout her body. She met his grin with a confident smile of her own.
If he were to undress her now, he’d discover her delicious secret. She shifted on her chair, uncrossing her ankles to enjoy the slide of one bare leg against the other. The change of position made her intensely aware of her new thong panties.
With a quiet intake of breath, she imagined Nick’s fingertips delving under the satin edge, stroking her damp flesh… Heat rushed to her cheeks as she took a sip of her water, hoping to cool off.
“You’re staring at me, Nick.”
“Yeah. I am.”
Grinning in smug delight, she basked in the discovery of her new appeal. Maybe clothes did make the woman. She’d traded her glasses for contact lenses and styled her hair into soft ringlets. Julie’s skillfully applied cosmetics emphasized her eyes and transformed her lips into a sultry pout. Meghan almost hadn’t recognized herself in the mirror.
The dress she’d borrowed had looked so sweet and breezy hanging in the closet. Its pale-pink color and flared skirt seemed too innocent for seduction. Julie had smirked, then convinced her to try it on.
Ooh, baby.
“Do you like what you see?”
“You know I do, Trouble.”
The waiter came back to take their orders. Nick asked for a manly portion of red meat and potatoes while she chose the prawns in beurre blanc with wild mushroom risotto. She couldn’t help but giggle over their choice of entrees. Opposites did attract. The pivotal question was, would they wrinkle the sheets anytime soon?
Nick rested his elbows on the table and laced his fingers. He tilted his head, regarding her with an attentive expression and a raised eyebrow. “So tell me more about yourself.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Everything.”
She narrowed her eyes and leaned back, dropping her hands to her lap. The whole point of acting out her fantasies was to keep things impersonal. If they knew too much about each other, it might cause complications at the end of the week.
“Where’s the fun in knowing everything? There won’t be any secrets or surprises left to discover.”
A shadow crossed his features, darkened his eyes. “Guess I’ll have to settle for whatever you reveal.”
“I’m five-feet eight-inches tall. I refuse to tell you my weight.” She batted her lashes.
“Fascinating.” His tone of voice belied the word. “I’m more interested in whether you’re seeing anyone, if you have plans for tomorrow and whether you sleep in the nude.”
She smiled at the waiter who brought her salad before turning her attention back to Nick. “Not involved. No plans. Not telling.”
“You’re on vacation. Why not try something different, something you’ve never done before?” His voice was rich with challenge, low and sexy.
Meghan drew in a quick breath. Was she that obvious? If so, seducing Nick would be easier than she’d thought. “I’d love to be adventurous. Do you have any ideas?”
“How about joining me for a tour of the Dry Tortugas? The national park is supposed to have great snorkeling.”
Snorkeling? Unless it was a new euphemism for sex, that wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. “Um, sure. That sounds fun.”
“Is there something else you want to do instead?”
She hesitated. Did she dare mention it? Elise would. “My sister told me there’s a nude beach on the southwest shore.”
“I prefer to show my body to only one woman at a time, thanks. I sleep naked, though, in case you wondered.”
What a visual. Nick’s long, lean body stretched across a white sheet wearing only a fine gloss of sweat…
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She tried to match his casual tone but the catch in her voice betrayed her interest. Had it been this hot a minute ago? She took another sip of her wine.
“On the other hand, you don’t strike me as the au naturel type. I’ll bet you sleep in one of those lace things I saw in your luggage.”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” Meghan shot him a coy glance from under her lashes and wriggled her brows.
He flashed her the friendly-sexy grin. “Want to play the Fashion Model and the Photographer?”
She laughed, her fork paused in midair. “What’s with you and the theme games?”
“A guy can dream.”
“Dream on, Nick.” She lowered her voice, made her tone alluring, and changed a phrase that was normally a rebuff into an invitation.
It seemed she’d found a guy who liked fantasies almost as much as she. Could he be any more perfect? Nick was definitely her Mr. Fabulous. All she had to do was find the right time to mention her plan.
“You have salad dressing on your mouth, Meghan. Want me to get it for you?”
“No, but thanks for offering.”
Heat flared in his eyes and he shifted around in his seat as he watched her lick the drop of Creamy Italian from her lip. She really wanted to be licking his lips. And neck and chest and stomach and… And if she didn’t stop picturing him naked she was going to explode right here and now.
“Okay, Trouble. Quit holding out on me and get personal.”
She wanted to get personal all right. But not about her snuggly flannel pajamas. “I usually just sleep in my panties.”
“Which panties? The tiny little blue ones with—?”
“Start talking, Nick. I’m not going to be the only one playing True Confessions. Where’s the most unusual place you ever had sex? Do you self-indulge in bed or the shower? How do you like to—?”
“Hold it.” He looked a little shocked. Obviously he hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. “Let’s change the subject.”
“Chicken.”
“Fine. I once had sex in a stalled elevator for two hours.”
Her pulse quickened and she reminded herself to breathe. One of the entries in her diary involved an elevator, a strange man and a melting pint of ice cream. “You were stuck for two hours or had sex for two hours?”
“Sex for two hours. Impressed?”
“That depends. Are you bragging or flirting?”
He turned his smile up a notch, a cocky expression on his handsome face. His smoke-roughened voice dropped to a purr of sound. “There’re two things I do well, darlin’. And flirting is the other one.”
Omigod. Now it was really hot. Well, she could flirt too. She slipped off her right sandal and crossed her legs at the knee. She wiggled her foot until it came in contact with his ankle. Nick shifted as though it had been an accident, so she did it again, this time rubbing her toes along his shin.
His beautiful green eyes issued an invitation from their smoldering depths. Her heart fluttered and a sweet tingling pressure bubbled in her belly.
“Seems