Meddling with a Millionaire by Cat Schield Page B

wished he hadn’t. The dreamy expression on her face reminded him of how she’d looked moments before her friend had interrupted them. His chest tightened. His groin stirred. And he heaved a sigh.
    Tonight, whether she was ready for it or not, he was going to make something memorable happen.

Six
    E mma watched Nathan navigate the Houston traffic and tried to harden her heart against the lost boy she’d glimpsed a moment earlier. An impossible task now that she understood a little bit more about what made him tick. He wasn’t the unfeeling businessman who thought only of money and deals. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t ruthlessly stomp all over her heart in pursuit of his agenda. Which meant, the more charming he became, the more she needed to be wary.
    â€œWhere are we headed?” she asked, her stomach seizing up with hunger pangs and anxiety.
    He’d been a little too nonchalant about her continued determination not to move out of the loft. She knew he’d arrived tonight because she’d stonewalled the men sent to remove her things, but he hadn’t mentioned it, and that aroused her suspicions.
    â€œI thought we’d try Mark’s American Cuisine.”
    Knowing their destination was a public place didn’t settle her nerves the way it should have. She’d been convinced hewas taking her to his condo to ply her with red wine and sex appeal until her resistance dissolved. To her immense shock, she was disappointed that he had no such nefarious plans.
    â€œI haven’t been there,” she admitted. “But the food is supposed to be wonderful.”
    â€œI hadn’t heard about the food,” he said, casting a wry grin her way. “I was taking you there for the ambiance.”
    Mark’s had been voted Houston’s most romantic restaurant. “Is that so?” she quizzed, her tension unraveling beneath his flirtatious smile. “That’s so.”
    At the restaurant she waited while he came around the car and opened her door. As he pulled her to her feet, her heel caught in a hole. Unbalanced, she stumbled against his long frame. He caught her by the shoulders. Her heart stopped as the heat of his body enveloped her.
    He hummed. “You know, we could grab some takeout and head back to my place.”
    Now, that was the Nathan she knew and…
    â€œYou were bringing me here for the ambiance,” she reminded him, her eyes half closing as his warm breath stroked her cheek.
    â€œMy place has a great ambiance. Perfect for just the two of us.”
    And she wanted to go. So much. Despite the warnings from her rational side. Giving in now would signal Nathan that he’d won. He’d become even more relentless.
    Her earrings tickled her neck as she shook her head. “Now that we’re here, nothing could persuade me to leave without tasting Chef Mark’s food.”
    â€œWhat about a chance to taste me?” The dare in his quicksilver-gray eyes touched her like a caress. She trembled.
    What madness had led her to believe she could master herattraction to Nathan? It throbbed in her body like a drumbeat, insistent, steady, increasing to a heady climax.
    â€œYou can be dessert,” she whispered.
    His eyes widened at her response. “After dinner we’ll stop and buy some whipped cream.”
    Gulping, she grasped at something to defuse the sudden influx of sexual tension. Teasing him seemed to be the best way. “You don’t think you’re sweet enough for me?”
    His grin blindsided her.
    â€œNot by a long shot.”
    Emma gave him a shaky smile in return and lifted onto the balls of her feet to kiss him on the chin. “Then bring on the whipped cream.”
    â€œDammit, woman,” he muttered, guiding her inside the restaurant. “How the hell am I supposed to enjoy dinner when all I can think about is dessert?”
    He sounded as disturbed as she felt. Emma’s head spun at the