Close to You

my
dad’s. He owned a club in Oakland back then, and my parents used to
go there for dates, right up to the day he died.” Treat’s smile
saddened. “My dad used to say my mom was a goddess, but never more
so than when she was dancing.”
    She put her hand on his. “I’m
sorry.”
    He shook his head. “My dad lived out
loud. He’d have been the first one to scold anyone who mourned him.
The real tragedy is my mother.”
    “ How so?”
    His expression clouded, walling up so
she couldn’t read what was behind his eyes. “She used to be a
vibrant woman, going out and doing things. Her laugh was amazing. I
haven’t heard her laugh since he died. You would have liked her
back then,” he said with a cryptic look.
    “ Your father sounded
great,” she said wistfully.
    “ You say that like you
don’t get along with yours.”
    She made a face. “We get along, as
long as he’s in charge.”
    “ You don’t seem like the
kind of woman who’d let someone else be in charge of
you.”
    “ I’m not, but he doesn’t
get that.”
    Their drinks arrived, a champagne
cocktail for her and something dark in a tumbler for him. He lifted
his glass. “To parents. Can’t live with them—”
    “ Wouldn’t be alive without
them,” she finished.
    He laughed as they touched
glasses.
    Little appetizers came out one-by-one,
each one more delicious than the next. Or maybe the company that
made the food so great. Treat leaned close to her, asking her about
her former life as a marketing director and telling her stories
about his construction company.
    Finally, Eve had to give up. “Enough.
If I eat more I’ll burst out of my dress.”
    He seemed to think about that as his
eyes swept over her body. “I’m torn about that.”
    “ How so?”
    “ On one hand, I’d love to
see what’s under the dress.”
    She nodded. He’d be especially keen if
he knew about the bustier. “And the other hand?”
    “ When it’s time, I want to be the one to
take your clothes off. Very slowly.”
    She tried to remember the last time
she let a man take her clothes off. A lifetime ago, before she’d
opened the café. She’d been so busy building her dream she hadn’t
been tempted to play.
    She was tempted now. And willing—very
willing.
    “ Come on.” He stood and
held out his hand.
    “ Where are we going?” she
said, taking his hand and sliding off the stool. She imagined
sneaking off to the restroom for an interlude, and she flushed.
She’d never done anything like that.
    But Treat surprised her by leading her
to the tiny dance floor. “To put your shoes to work.”
    He faced her, and she automatically
stepped into his arms. Grinning, he pulled her close and led her
into a bluesy salsa.
    He had moves, and they made her hot.
His thigh moved between hers, brushing her in all the right spots.
She’d never danced with a guy who knew what he was doing. Treat
definitely knew.
    She looked into his eyes, her breath
catching at the heat she saw there. He wanted her.
    The music changed, slowing down, and
he pulled her closer. Bending his head to her ear, he whispered,
“You’re bewitching me, Eve.”
    Emboldened by the cocktails, she made
a quick decision. Taking his hand, she said, “Come with
me.”
    He did, and she could feel his hot
gaze on her back the entire way. She led him back to where the
restrooms were, looking left and right. No one was watching, but
her heart still pounded at the thought of getting
caught.
    There were two restrooms. She went
into the one that was unoccupied and pulled him in. Locking the
door, she faced him, her heart in her throat.
    He watched her with a mixture of
desire and amusement. “You’re surprising me.”
    “ I’m surprising me
too.”
    He lifted her and set her on the
counter by the sink. “I’m not going to take you in a restroom. Not
the first time.”
    She shivered, arching her neck to let
him nibble it. “But maybe one day?”
    He laughed low. “I thought you were a
good girl.”
    “ I am.” She wrapped her
legs around his waist, feeling him hard against her. “I’m very
good.”
    “ I can tell.” His hand
speared into her hair, holding her tight, as he took her mouth. He
kissed his way along her jaw. Down her neck. Across the top of her
dress.
    His hand followed, trailing down her
shoulder, tracing her collarbone and slipping down over her
breast.
    She lifted her head and looked into
his eyes. She thrilled at the intensity there, all focused on
her.
    Seeing how much he