Free Not Until You: Part VII by Roni Loren Page B

working out like I thought it would.”
    “Expected to meet your perfect match?”
    She made a sound that was some mixture of a snort, a sob, and a laugh. “Oh my God. Hardly. What a joke that is. A perfect match.”
    His mouth lifted at the corner, his blue eyes sparkling with a hint of amusement. “So you’re telling me you paid two hundred dollars to attend something you don’t buy into?”
    “I didn’t pay,” she admitted. “A friend told me she’d get me on the list. And I—I wanted to learn to cook and to taste the food.”
    He chuckled and glanced back at the closed door. “A party crasher. How scandalous.”
    His low laugh was like a gust of summer air across her nerve endings, reminding her of someone long ago. Someone she hadn’t had to be a chameleon for. She found herself smiling, her dour mood lifting. “That’s me. A scandal a minute. And now I’m causing more. I’m sure your perfect match date is anxiously awaiting you inside.”
    “Nah, I don’t believe in perfect matches either. Just instant attraction.” He stepped closer and the air in the room seemed thicken, warm. “So answer me one question. Are you leaving because you were opposed to the money or me?”
    She blinked, caught off guard by the question and his nearness. “What?”
    “You came out here tonight to take a class and have a nice meal. I was happy to help you do that. So, did you turn down my offer because you think the money comes with strings or are you just opposed to spending the evening with me?”
    “I—” She wet her lips. The way he’d said
spend the evening with me
had her mind conjuring pictures of him braced over her, his blond hair mussed, his eyes heated, and that sensual mouth whispering dirty things to her. Her thighs clenched, and she tried to come up with something to say that wasn’t
God, you’re beautiful, please push me up against this wall and make me forget my name.
“I can’t accept the money.”
    That answer seemed to please him. “And me?”
    She couldn’t tell if it was the warm, smoky spices from the restaurant mixing in, but even the scent of him was exotic and dangerous, tempting. She wanted to bury her face in the open collar of his shirt and inhale. All her resolve seemed to disintegrate in the space between breaths. “I’m not opposed.”
    He reached out and pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, the simple brush of fingers like lightning rods touching her skin. “So if I promised you I wouldn’t pay a dime for the rest of the evening, would you agree to spend it with me?”
    She swallowed hard, the notion almost too much for her psyche to absorb. She knew what he was offering wasn’t simply dinner and a chat. There was a ripple of heat beneath each uttered word, a promise. Her body was on board with this plan, whether her good sense agreed or not. Already, she could feel the flush of arousal tightening her nipples and dampening her panties. She hadn’t been touched by anyone other than Doug in years, and her experiences with him had always been underwhelming. Just being this close to this mystery man made everything inside her feel hot and alive. But it’d be stupid and reckless to say yes. She’d never had a one-night stand. She didn’t even know if she was capable of it. Plus, what if she really
was
boring in bed?
    She’d told herself that Doug had thrown that out there just to hurt her, but what if there was some truth to it? Her sexual history was brief since she’d gotten married so young. What if she hopped in bed with this guy and was completely out of her league?
    “I can’t leave. I’m my friend’s ride,” she said, her voice thready and breathless from his being so close.
    His smile was slow, sexy. “I never said we had to leave.”
    She closed her eyes, his mere presence overwhelming her system and making her heart pound in her throat. “What do you mean?”
    His breath brushed her ear. “Just take my hand, and I’ll show you.”
    A shiver