Free Burn Me if You Can by Mahalia Levey Page B

date.
    If she’d thought she suffered from butterflies coming into the establishment, entering the Aqua Lounge was much worse. She cast a surreptitious glance at the bar, her eyes widening at the sublime man chatting easily with the bartender. It was all Bekah could do not to fall over or drool. He presented a side pose, his relaxed shirt fitting the contours of his broad shoulders and back. Land sakes, when he stood up, she got the most delicious view of his ass. And what an ass it was—nice, round, and muscular. He stuck his hand in his pocket and shrugged at something the bartender said. She eyeballed him for all she was worth, getting the ogling out of the way. One glance was all she wrote. She hadn’t expected her date to be ultra hot. If not for her drenched panties, gravity would’ve pulled her cream along the inner seam of her thighs. The decor of the lounge fell away.
    Honed in on her date, she sashayed her way across the floor, adding a little bounce to her step, her breasts jiggling. The stool next to him remained unoccupied. She smoothed her kimono-style sundress to mid-thigh.
    “Ashton.” Where did her normal voice go, and when did she start speaking in 4

    Burn Me If You Can
    such an earthy tone. Hands clasped ladylike in her front of her, holding onto her pocketbook. Her breath came out in a swoosh when he turned to face her. A burning warmth filled the sexiest eyes, and not just any brown, but the color of milk chocolate, a shade lighter than her skin tone.
    “Bekah, we finally meet,” He extended his hand to take hers. She accepted his hand and let out a startled sound of surprise, ill prepared for the jolt of awareness humming from such brief contact.
    “Yes, we did…do.” She fell over her tongue, color rising in her cheeks. Boy, did she feel hot. He broke out in the sexiest smile—lordy above, a perfect smile—and her name all but purred from his mouth. He could call her Bekah anytime.
    “You okay?”
    “Peachy keen.” She licked her lips and studied him from under her lashes.
    “Would you like a cocktail?”
    “Can we just go straight to shots?”
    “Nervous?”
    His teasing demeanor made him all the more attractive. His manners pleased her, as well, when he stood, showing her his height, and pulled out her barstool.
    She sat, and he returned to his position on the stool next to her, his gaze never leaving hers, until she had to break eye contact to gather her thoughts. He inspired instant hot, naked, orgasmic fantasies. A flicker of question crossed his features, pulling her back to the present. Fantasy in check she smiled. “Very.”
    “Me too,” Ashton said, motioning for the bartender.
    “Really? You have such confidence about you.” She found herself relaxing, and hoped her mic caught all their byplay. When he leaned over to whisper in her ear, her first reaction was to pull back, but his warm hand settled over hers, brushing in gentle sweeps. She gulped in anticipation.
    “I half thought you would run the other way when you entered.” The bartender approached and wiped her hands on a towel. “Two shots of coconut rum.” Ashton kept his eyes on Bekah while he ordered, pinning her with his gaze.
    “The thought did cross my mind.” She didn’t admit the gravitational pull demanded she park her ass right next to him. “Being paired with you astonished me. I wasn’t expecting the full package, you could say.” Bekah took the shot of 5

    Mahalia Levey
    rum and raised it to his. “To new people.”
    “Cheers.”
    They tossed their shots, and Bekah licked a drop that lingered on her lips. Her date’s nostrils flared as he watched. She inhaled in a shallow breath and fought to clear the fog hazing her self-control. Seduction at that moment wasn’t planned.
    Yet, as his face descended toward hers, she didn’t pull away but leaned forward to meet his lips. Awareness spiked to new levels as he kissed her with masterful control, easing her mouth apart to taste her. Under his