Thoughts of his date came to mind. Had it fallen through? Was he here for a consolation prize? Is that what she’d now become? “Oh stop!” she said to herself in the mirror as she powdered her nose. “You’re being ridiculous,” she continued to whisper softly. “This is the perfect setup. Who could ask for more? The guy’s body is unreal!” Now she pointed at herself menacingly. “Don’t you dare let your feelings get involved and ruin this!”

After rinsing with mouthwash and spraying a little perfume on, she hurried to the front door. He’d already knocked once.

“Hey,” she said, trying to tone down the huge smile and not look so ecstatic to see him as she opened the door for him.

“Hey,” he said with a smile just as big as hers felt then stepped in. Before she could say another word, he pulled her to him. His mouth was on hers instantly, kissing her feverishly.

Nellie fell into his possessive embrace, feeling every inch of his hard body press up against hers. His mouth continued to devour hers as if he hadn’t kissed her in months. She held onto him tightly, feeling her legs go weak with every stroke of his tongue, which wrapped around hers. When he finally came up for air, he leaned his forehead against hers and smiled. “You busy?”

Taking a deep breath but still unable to even speak, she shook her head and gulped. His eyes were so dark and full of shine. It had always amazed her how sexy and welcoming his stares could be only to turn into such a contrast when those very same eyes were in the ring, staring down an opponent ominously. They were still sexy as sin either way, but she’d only recently begun to see the smoldering stare—a new one she liked to think he reserved just for her. But she knew better.

Her mind had wandered off to what he would do to her tonight. The very thought unbelievably had her tingling already.

“You wanna go to dinner?”

That shot her right out of her thoughts. “Dinner?”

Abel shrugged, pulling away a bit, and she had to fight the urge to pull him back to her. “Yeah, I figured I owe you that much.”

Immediately she shook her head, wondering if Noah or Roni had somehow put him up to this. Maybe Roni had picked up on the dive her mood took over the phone and told Noah to do something about it. “You don’t owe me anything, Abel. We went over this in the beginning, and I’m good with the way things are. I really am. In fact, I’m great with this arrangement. It’s for the best this way. No demands, remember?” She really hoped she sounded convincing, because as much as she hated to admit it, she was more than thrilled to know he was here and not out on his date, regardless of why. The last thing she wanted was for him to start thinking that she was expecting more and for his visits to cease.

She noticed his eyes going a bit dark, and he lifted a brow. “Yeah, I remember. I just thought it’d be cool if we went to dinner first.” His jaw clenched for a moment then added. “There’s a place downtown I think you might find interesting.”

Secretly excited that he wanted to do more than their usual but amazing romps, she lifted a shoulder and tried to appear as indifferent as she could. “I guess. I had skipped dinner.” She nodded in the direction of her dining table with her laptop and a still-full single wine glass. “I was just going to do a little work, but now that you mention it, I am a little hungry.”

“Good.” His lips spread into a sexy smile. “Then let’s go.”

She loosened her hand from his so she could go grab her purse from her bedroom, but he grabbed her hand back and pulled her to him again, diving into her neck. Feeling his warm tongue lick her neck then suck it made her tingle in the most private of places, and her entire body trembled in response.

In reaction to her trembling, he sucked harder, moaning against her neck. “God, you taste good.”

Unable to hold it in, she gasped as his tongue continued to tease and work its way down to just below her earlobe. She felt him chuckle softly against her ear. “Don’t worry,” he murmured. “After dinner, I have every intention of coming back here and tasting every part of your body.”

To her dismay, on those words, he let her go, and she walked away, feeling light-headed, nearly stumbling in the process. His words still lingered even as she grabbed her purse and a light sweater . . . tasting every part of your body.

Nellie took one last trembling breath, trying to compose herself before she walked out of her bedroom. No sooner did she reach him in the front room than he took her hand and pulled her to him again. There was a noticeable gentleness about the way he kissed her now. It was still very sensual and very deep, but he toned down the aggressiveness.

“Damn, Nell,” he whispered against her lips in a tone that was new to her then inhaled deeply before finally pulling away and leaving her confused.

“What?” She asked, looking into his eyes.

He shook his head, and for a moment, he appeared unnerved as if those last two words had maybe slipped out. “Nothing,” he smirked. “You just taste damn good.” He kissed her again quickly. “I can hardly wait until later.”

She almost got the nerve to suggest that maybe they shouldn’t wait. Maybe they could just skip the restaurant and get down to the business of him tasting her. But the nerve evaporated quickly as her face heated just from thinking about it.

Without saying it, she did want him to know that she was looking forward to later just as much as he was. Biting her tongue, she smiled at him seductively, sending an unspoken message with her eyes. That seemed to do it. His eyes were on her lips immediately as the corner of his mouth lifted. She’d leave it at that and then show him later exactly how much her body was yearning for him as well. For now, they were off to dinner.