Bare Pleasures Read online

  “And you’re very persistent.”

  “But hopefully not a pest.” He wanted this to be the moment they connected, but he wasn’t going to force it if she really wasn’t feeling him. He knew the power of his charm, but he also knew its limits.

  Noelle tipped her head to look up at him, the smooth tumble of her hair sliding over her shoulders in a way that made him long to tug it firmly until her throat was bare to him and she was gasping for his touch. “You’re not a pest yet,” she said, oblivious to his slow but steady burn.

  Lex widened his thighs under the table, making room in his pants for his growing...problem. He released a silent breath and turned his attention to the tea and sandwiches in front of them. “That looks good,” Lex murmured. “I’ll share it with you if you share my taro smoothie with me.”

  She still seemed undecided, like at any moment she would shove away from the table and bolt. Lex made the decision for her. He poured a cup of tea for her and one for himself. The tea, fragrant with ginger and chamomile, steamed against his face, the same tea he’d scattered all over the floor earlier. “So what happened back there? Your girlfriend bail on you?”

  He smiled with relief when Noelle only looked amused as he sipped the tea. Her internal shrug, just before she reached for her own teacup, was almost comically obvious. “Margot isn’t my girlfriend, although she can be as overbearing as the worst kind of wife.” She tilted her head, her forehead wrinkling. “I’m actually a little surprised she just left me here. Half the time I swear she thinks I’m some naïf wandering through the deep, dark woods about to stumble into danger at every turn.”

  Naïf. Lex smiled at the word. He had the sneaking suspicion that Margot’s opinion of her sister’s proximity to suicidal cliff jumping was very far from reality.

  “I’m sure you’ll set her straight soon enough.” Lex took another sip of the tea and nodded in approval. “This is good. I’ve never tried this blend before.”

  “You come here a lot?”

  He grinned. “You’re asking if I come here often.”

  “Oh my God. Your ego is large, isn’t it?”

  She was perfect, really. Lex chuckled. “Not my ego, no.”

  Her lips twitched again. She was restrained, even in her amusement. It made him want to pull out all the stops to make her laugh, even make a fool of himself if that was what it took.

  “Sir, your taro smoothie.” A young girl appeared at Lex’s shoulder. He thanked her and took the tall glass, which was filled to the top with the lavender smoothie and had boba resting like dark pearls at the bottom.

  Once the girl left, he slid his glass across the table toward Noelle. “Try this. Your mouth will thank you.”

  She shook her head. “In a minute. I’m not sure I’m ready for a mouth-changing experience.” She held the tea under her nose, steaming her face with the fragrant blend and closed her eyes for a moment. “This is what I came here for. I’ve been trying to convince Margot to come here forever. Then the day I finally get her to come, she gets called away on a mystery errand.” She sipped her tea, and the taste of it on her tongue seemed to make her smile. “Figures.”

  “Well, it’s my lucky day,” Lex said. He reached for one of the sandwiches and took a big bite. “Mmm. Definitely my lucky day.” And he made sure he conveyed with his eyes just what part of the day’s good fortune he was truly grateful for. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, after swallowing her tea. “I think. I’m not really into being considered a prize in this scenario.”

  “Not a prize. Just interesting company for a guy who’d otherwise be having a lonely day.”

  He suspected an admission of loneliness might resonate with her and make her open up to him in a way that bold flirtation wouldn’t. Deliberately, he did not think about just how else he wanted her to open up for him.

  You’re celibate. Control yourself.

  Under the table, Lex pinched his thigh until the image of her spread across his bed and open to his every desire disappeared. But, damn, it was hard. He was hard.

  “I think you’re trying to play me.” Noelle blew across the surface of her hot tea, her lips pursed and her eyes perceptive. “But my sister threw me to the lions today so I might as well play with one. Right?”

  Lex wondered again why Margot thought her sister needed a fake lover to heal an old wound that he sensed was on its way to being mended already. This woman was strong. And she was breaking down every one of his defenses.

  “I wouldn’t call myself a lion,” Lex managed with a smile. “Just a friendly pussycat.”

  Noelle made a disbelieving noise. “Have some more tea,” she said. “It’s getting cold.”

  They finished her pot of tea and his glass of taro smoothie, sharing their different experiences of the tea shop—when they’d first discovered it, who brought them, their favorite thing to eat or drink there. At first, Lex asked these questions to distract himself from how breathtaking she was, how knee-weakeningly sexy. Then it was because he really wanted to know about her and was pleased that, although Margot was the one who told him about the tea shop, he liked it nearly as much as Noelle seemed to, having visited it twice before the day Margot had arranged for them to meet.

  Because he was Jamaican, tea was part of his everyday life. He drank a hot cup every morning and sometimes before bed. The different varieties at the shop exposed him to new flavors he’d never tried before. He’d already bought a few ounces of different teas to drink at home.

  “If you’re ever curious enough to try a few select tea blends,” he told Noelle while smiling around the last small bite of the sandwich, “you should come over to my kitchen. I have some tea from here that you might like. In case you’re ever fiending for a cup when they’re closed.”

  Noelle almost grinned, Lex could tell. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.

  “Please do. It’s a very sincere invitation.” Lex winked at her, feeling a bit silly. But her brief look of amusement made it worth it. Noelle made him want to say and do the most ridiculous things just to see that sparkle in her eyes.

  He drained the last of his tea and was about to suggest they get another pot, this time something that he recommended, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Frowning, he excused himself to answer it.

  It was Kingsley. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Not much.” His brother sounded distracted. “Have you talked with Alice about the new project she’s working on?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I don’t think it’s legit. She may be getting taken for a ride on this. Can you take a look at it? We’re at her apartment. There’s some computer-coding stuff I don’t get. And I don’t think she understands it either. It could come back to bite her in the ass.”

  Dammit. Not today. “No problem,” Lex said. “I’ll come over there now.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

  Lex hung up the phone with a look of apology. “I have to head out.” He was more than reluctant to go, but his family needed him.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say folks are allergic to my presence today.” Noelle’s tone was wry.

  “Only if they’re allergic to beautiful and charming women.” Lex pulled out his wallet and a ten-dollar bill to leave for the tip. After a moment’s hesitation, more for show than anything, he also took out a business card and scribbled his number and name on the back of it. “I would love to see you again.”

  Noelle slid the card into her purse. “We’ll see what happens.” She stood up. “At least your call waited until we finished our food.”

  “My family is nothing if not courteous,” he said. Or some of them were.

  Noelle stood up and walked with Lex toward the front door. He held it open for her to go first.

  In the parking lot, he walked her t
o her car, hyperaware of her thoughtful silence. Something suddenly occurred to him. Something Margot may not have known.

  “Are you seeing someone?” he asked. The thought of it made him nearly sick, but it made sense to ask. “Because if you are, I’ll back off. I don’t want to break up anyone’s happy home.”

  She touched the side of her neck, skated long fingers up behind her ear, lightly touching the shell-like curve like she was listening for something. It was the same gesture her sister often made, but, on Noelle, it made the breath stutter in Lex’s chest. He imagined her touching him like that, her fingers light down his chest like a promise. “I’m not seeing anyone,” she said and gave him permission to breathe again. “I’m not really in that place right now. Or at least I wasn’t until very recently.”

  Despite the circumstances, foolish hope sputtered to life in his chest. Just maybe she would allow herself to want him and to say yes to whatever was brewing between them. He liked Noelle very much and wanted to see her again, separate from anything Margot wanted him to do.

  His phone vibrated again, probably Kingsley telling him to hurry it up. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at his brother’s number.

  “I have to go,” he said, his finger hovering over the screen. “But call me. I’ll have tea and anything else you need.” He felt another glow of triumph at the almost smile on her face. “See you soon. Yes?”

  She nodded and waved him away. “Go answer your call.”

  Lex turned away, grabbing the call before it got sent to voice mail. “I’m on the way,” he said.

  “Are you on a date?” Kingsley asked.

  “Why are you asking?” Lex was fully prepared for his brother to make fun of him about his short-lived celibacy, but that didn’t come.

  “Don’t worry about the meeting. Wolfe is looking into it right now. He’s at home on his laptop right now. If there’s anything we can’t take care of, I’ll call you back. But things should be cool.”

  Lex slowed his footsteps on the way to his car. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. We can handle this one. Go back to the unlucky girl. Hope she knows you’re not giving anything up.”

  “Thanks for the reminder.”

  “Anytime.”

  Lex was already turning to Noelle when his brother hung up, his heart beating fast with possibility. Across the parking lot, she climbed into her car. He tucked his phone away and waved to her, walked quickly (not ran) to get her attention before she drove away. He wanted more of her.

  It was a fault of his, he knew, this endless hunger for pleasure, grabbing more and more of whatever felt good since he never knew when it would end. He wanted so much more but didn’t want to scare Noelle away. He was a stranger who basically bogarted his way into her private tea party. And even though their attraction was mutual, she was cautious of him. Rightly so.

  Still, nothing ventured and all that.

  Lex called out her name as he approached her car, and she looked up from her cell phone, a smile twitching across her face.

  “I’m unexpectedly free for the rest of the day,” he said, bracing his hands on the roof of the car. “Do you want to do this some more?”

  Her gaze was a naked flame, alternately hot then simmering, moving over his face, searching. “Yeah, why not?” she said at last, her voice a slow and thoughtful hum. “Get in.”

  He got into her car without a second thought, although, right after issuing the invitation, Noelle immediately looked ready to take it back. Lex flashed her a smile and sank into the cloth seat that smelled vaguely of coconuts.

  After he made himself comfortable, reclining the seat as far back as it could go and stretching out his legs, he let down the automatic window and waited for her to start the car. He didn’t care where they were going. Teatime was over—that much was clear. The car started up and a slow, bass-heavy song began to play. The Weeknd. Lex felt her taking peeks at him, but he continued to look forward, enjoying the feel of the breeze through the window, the sunlight on his face.

  “So, if it’s not too private, what were your plans for the day?” she asked.

  Kiss every part of you until you’re a whimpering mess under my mouth, and then take you hard and rough until we’re both hoarse from shouting. He licked his lips and rolled his head on the headrest to look outside. Or just, you know, stay celibate. “No plans,” Lex said instead. “I had a meeting this morning and after that, nothing in stone. I like to keep my weekends flexible.”

  Beside him, she kept both hands on the steering wheel at ten and two, sitting upright in the seat, her back straight. Despite her posture, though, she actually seemed comfortable, turning her eyes away from the road to look at him every so often while the car rolled smoothly toward wherever they were going.

  She smelled like the tea shop, hints of the sweetness of taro in the flutter of her shirt from the car’s breeze, the faintest traces of green tea caught in her hair. Lex allowed himself the brief fantasy of reaching up to tangle his fingers in her hair, pulling her down to feel her soft mouth on his, the hot dance of her tongue.

  He blamed The Weeknd’s baby-making music.

  “You mind if I change the station?” he asked.

  “Not at all. Go for it.”

  He played with the knobs of the sound system until he found a reggae station playing grooves from the seventies. Smooth and mellow. Nothing distracting. He hummed along to the music. Felt the corners of his own mouth lift when Noelle smiled.

  Minutes later, they arrived in what looked like North Beach and pulled onto a side street. At four o’clock on a Saturday, in the middle of a Miami autumn, the sidewalk was far from crowded. More locals than tourists. The whisper of the beach from across the street, food trucks parked next to the sidewalks pouring out delicious, meaty smells.

  Lex sat up in the car. “What’s the party for?”

  “Do we ever need a reason to party?”

  “Nope.”

  When she stopped the car, he climbed out and stretched. Lex pretended not to notice Noelle watching his shirt ride up to expose his stomach and the blue stripe of his underwear. He’d always been aware of his body, of its effect on women back when he’d been muscular and pumped from his five-days-a-week gym regimen. These days, he was more into doing laps in the pool instead of lifting weights and it showed in his wider shoulders and less dense torso. No one ever complained though. He twitched his shirt a little higher before settling it back around his hips.

  “Nice.” His jaw cracked open with a yawn. “I wish I was hungry enough to get something from over here.” It smelled damn good.

  “We can grab something after my class.”

  Class? He tilted his chin. An obvious question.

  “I have a dance class here.” Her eyes skipped away from him when she said it, like she was embarrassed and trying not to be. “It starts around six and goes until seven thirty. We can get a bite to eat after.”

  “Hmm. I like how you think.” He leaned close, keeping his voice low and secretive. “I love stuff like this. Outdoor food. When I was a kid, I could never get enough of the state fair.”

  Shaking her head, she locked the car door and shouldered her purse. “Come.” He could see her smile peeking out at the seams.

  Lex fell into step beside her as she took off across the sidewalk toward the sand. “What about you? What’s your stance on food trucks? Sensational or unsanitary?”

  Noelle was trying too hard not to laugh. He could tell by the faint crease on her forehead, the dip in her cheek betraying that she was biting the inside of her mouth. Sweet thing.

  “This is serious,” Lex said. He was on the hunt to tease more out of her. Her humor, her love of pleasure hovered just beneath her neutral looks, waiting to be scratched to the surface. “Our entire relationship from this point on depends on your answer
to that question.” He tilted his eyebrow at her.

  “Why are you so silly?”

  “Why are you avoiding the question?”

  She shook her head and pushed past him, her Converse sneakers sinking into the sand. “Food trucks are all right,” she tossed over her shoulder.

  Her bottom, ripe and entrancing, shifted under the jeans and the shapeless T-shirt draped attractively over her hips. Lex stopped staring long enough to jog after her. He easily caught up in a few strides of his long legs. “I think you’re being coy,” he said. “You’re hiding a secret love from me. I guess we’ll find out later.”

  “Maybe we will,” she said.

  Laughter sizzled at the back of his throat. “Definitely a tease,” he said.

  They walked across the sand together, aimless and slow, his sandals sifting through sand with every step. The granules were warm against his toes, the sun a burning kiss along his cheek and throat, through his thin T-shirt. With a look at the horizon, Lex realized he and Noelle had already been together for at least three hours. It still felt easy and very, very good. So good that it all felt like a risk. Margot. His celibacy. The things he wanted to share with Noelle despite the very tricky situation he’d put himself in.

  “Are you a risk taker, Noelle?” he asked. The waves rippled with foam along the sand’s edge.

  “Uh...” She blinked, surprise at the question all over her pretty face. “Strange. I was actually just thinking about risk.”

  Interesting. He resisted the urge to make their conversation a more serious one and find out exactly what she was thinking if it was about him.

  “Were you thinking you might—” the corner of Lex’s mouth ticked up “—take a chance on me?”

  Noelle breathed out an almost sigh, her eyes like black diamonds in the sun. Then she shook her head. “You can probably tell.” She gestured to herself, but he didn’t know what he was supposed to assume from her gorgeous body and soft-looking mouth. “Everything’s conservative about me, except the way I vote.”

  “I can guess a lot of things by looking at you,” he said. “Conservative is not one that comes immediately to mind.” He licked the corner of his mouth and his eyes swept her from head to toe. “Not at all.”