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  Chelsea retrieved her coat and waited as Daniel did his usual routine. Once he was done checking things were tidy, turned off and locked, he gathered his things and waved at the door. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.” Was it her imagination or did his lips quirk at that?

  Daniel led the way out of the restaurant. Once Chelsea was through and the alarm armed, he gave her a half smile. “Which way to your car?”

  She was too pent up to go straight home. “I think I’ll walk a little bit. Get rid of some excess energy.”

  His lips curved downward. “I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I let you wander around alone at night, would I?”

  Chelsea wished he wasn’t much of a gentleman at all. The fantasy playing out in her head had him taking her into a dark corner, hiking her skirt up and doing whatever he wanted, as long as he was touching her.

  She gasped a little too loudly at the thought because she caught the questioning arch of his eyebrows.

  “What’s wrong? You don’t want me to come with you?”

  All she heard was ‘come with you’ and again her brain skidded off into the gutters. She had to get a grip. He was only trying to be a nice guy and here she was turning it into something else.

  “Not at all. Sorry. I was thinking about something else.”

  “Seemed unpleasant.”

  Far from it. “Not really. So where do you feel like going?” She looked up and down the street. What was there to do around here this time of night?

  One thing came to mind.

  He turned to her then, as if he’d tuned into her thoughts. Tension hummed between them for what felt like an eternity. Then he was wrapped around her.

  Daniel tunneled his hands through her hair and anchored her head in place as he plundered her lips. The kiss was hard, and when she gasped from the force of it, he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in to tease her own.

  Chelsea clung to him, dueling his tongue with her own. Pleasure rocketed through her, blasting all thoughts out of her head except the need to get him naked.

  Here.

  Now.

  She shoved her hands under his shirt to finally touch the taut skin she’d been wondering about. Chelsea dragged her fingers over the ridges of his muscles, marveling at his physique. Meanwhile, Daniel let his hands wander over her to cup her bottom and breast.

  Good Lord but the man could kiss.

  It wasn’t until he backed her into the car and the screech of its alarm ripped through the silence that she regained enough sense to push him back and dig through her purse for her keys. Heart threatening to punch through her chest, she jabbed at the fob until the sound stopped.

  Trying to slow her pulse, she hazarded to meet his gaze. Daniel looked just as stunned as she was as he raked his hair back into place. Chelsea’s pulse leaped again when she caught his gaze. He knew exactly what he was doing—and he wasn’t done yet.

  And she didn’t want him to be. She didn’t even consider dragging him back into the restaurant, even though that’s what she wanted to do.

  She opened the door and waved him in. “Come on.”

  He took the keys from her. “Get in.” Daniel didn’t stop to argue. He circled the car and got in the driver’s seat.

  Chelsea did as she’d been told, curious to see what he had in mind.

  The drive was quick. The beach was quiet when they pulled up. Not that she got much chance to study it. The instant the engine stopped, Daniel reached for her again. She ripped off her seatbelt and climbed over to straddle him. He immediately gripped her close and attacked her mouth and clothes with equal vigor. The buttons of her shirt pinged off the windows. He wrenched her bra out of the way and closed his mouth, hot and wet, over a hardened nipple.

  Chelsea let her head tip back as he licked and tasted.

  A tiny voice in the back of her head screamed, What the hell are you doing? Was she really about to have sex in her car like a hormone-crazed teen? She’d never done it before and she wasn’t about to now.

  “Daniel…”

  He groaned. He kissed his way up her collarbone to nip the skin just under her ear. “I love my name on your lips.”

  Shivers of pleasure skittered through her at his touch. There was nothing wrong with car sex. It wasn’t as if anyone would find out. What could it hurt? It could be the one crazy thing she’d ever done in her life. She’d followed the rules for as long as she could remember and where had it gotten her?

  Alone.

  As far as she was concerned, she was entitled to a little fun. And right now that meant getting naked with Daniel.

  She hooked her fingers into his shirt and tore it open. By the dim streetlight, she saw how taut his skin was over ridges of muscle. Who knew he had that hidden under his chef’s jacket? Fascinated, Chelsea ran her fingers over them, trailing a path to the waistband of his trousers.

  He tugged at the button and zipper of hers, but their cramped positions made it impossible to get them off. Why hadn’t she worn a skirt today?

  Undeterred, Daniel slithered his hand in and under the silk of her panties then plunged two fingers inside her. He silenced the cry that escaped her with a hard, biting kiss that only wound her tighter. He expertly coaxed an exquisite orgasm from her as easily as he would have whipped up cream.

  The slide of Daniel’s fingers within her, hot, wet and slippery, provided just the right amount of friction. He knew exactly how deep to delve to find that spot that had her writhing against him. He pressed his palm tight against her clit as he rocked his hand back and forth.

  Chelsea gasped as the combination of his thrusting fingers and the glide of his palm over her clit sent sparks of sensation along with searing waves of heat through her body. Mindlessly, she rode the sensations—and Daniel. Grinding her hips against him seeking her pleasure.

  It took her seconds for the bubble to burst and Chelsea to cry out from the force of her orgasm.

  She sagged against him, fighting to regain her breath. Sex had never been so all-consuming with Richard—or as hot. They had been together a few years and she couldn’t remember a time when they’d just let passion take over. He’d most definitely never brought her to orgasm in a car. The quiet sex they’d had was just that, quiet and sedate.

  Boring.

  When Chelsea could focus her eyes again, she found herself staring at a half-naked man pinned between her and the driver’s seat and found that the world hadn’t imploded. No one was the wiser. It was just her and Daniel—and she felt good.

  Fantastic.

  And a little awkward.

  “I don’t know what to say. Thank you?”

  Daniel chuckled and nibbled at her lips. “I’m not done yet. Think you’re up for round two? How far is your place?”

  She slid off him and righted what she could of her clothes with a smile. “Not too far.”

  Chapter Two

  Chelsea opened the door to her apartment and led him in—and regretted not thinking it through first.

  “Wow.” He scanned the spartan room. “You at least have a bed, right?”

  She wasn’t in the mood to discuss her décor choices, or lack thereof. She took his hand and dragged him into the bedroom, which indeed had the requisite furniture. She might not have splurged on other things for her apartment, but she did have a good bed. A strong one. One that she intended to put to the test right now.

  She quickly dropped her ruined shirt on the floor and followed it with the rest of her clothing as he did the same with his. Chelsea studied him and sensed his eyes roving over her the same way.

  Chelsea enjoyed letting her eyes wander over Daniel. The play of light on his muscles left interesting shadows over his torso—ones she itched to explore. When her scrutiny reached his groin, she couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her. His cock was huge and ready for her. She traced the veins with her gaze as she stared, following them from root to tip. The glistening bead gathered there had her mouth watering. She’d never seen anything
so beautiful—or that turned her on as much.

  Reaching out, trying to hide the trembling of her hands, she linked her fingers with his and pulled him closer. Chelsea wasn’t a virgin, but she’d never taken the lead before. She’d never felt the need to. But with Daniel, she definitely wanted to. It was as if she couldn’t go another second without feeling him. Tasting him. If she didn’t go for it now, she never would.

  She pushed him over to the bed, laid him down on it and crawled over him. Chelsea reveled in the way his breath hitched when she flicked her tongue over his abs, the gooseflesh that followed her hair as it trailed over his skin.

  It gave her a thrill. A rush of power she’d never experienced before. She was the one who made him react this way. He groaned when she dipped her tongue into his belly button. Shivered when she raked her nails over his rock-solid thighs.

  What would he do if…?

  She curled her tongue over the head of his cock before closing her mouth over it. He was salty, tangy. Addictive. Chelsea sucked him deeper, as far as she could manage. Daniel gripped her hair, holding her there for a moment before pulling her back.

  “As much as I love what you’re doing. I don’t think I have the control at the moment, and I want to be deep inside you when I come.”

  She didn’t have to be told any more. Allowing him to tug her back over him, she loved the feel of his skin as it glided against hers. That alone was more erotic than anything she’d felt with Richard.

  He twisted her beneath him and quickly took care of protection before he sank deep into her. Chelsea was the one to hitch her breath this time as he plunged and withdrew only to push deeper with his next thrust. Sensation erupted low in her belly. The heat coursed through her veins as he moved. Clawing him closer, she could feel the pleasure peaking, cresting. And for a crystalline moment, it was as if the world stopped—then it splintered.

  Inexorably, he cupped her ass, tilting her in a way that allowed him deeper. Before she came down from her first orgasm, the second hit, rending a cry from her. Daniel joined her seconds later, pressed deep within her.

  Chelsea stared up at him, half in awe and half in a dazed panic. While it had been the most amazing thing she’d experienced in memory, they hardly knew each other. It definitely wasn’t her usual MO. What must he think of her?

  She vaguely wondered if she had tensed up or otherwise given him some sort of signal, because he raised his head right then, his dark eyes sated and riveted to hers. “Stop.”

  “Stop what?”

  “Thinking so hard. We just had incredible sex. You shouldn’t be so tense again already.”

  The part where he described the sex as incredible made her heart buoy a little but the word ‘tense’ only made her muscles bunch more. “That’s how you see me? Tense?”

  He rolled, taking her with him. “Look. I heard about what you’ve been going through. I know what your ex did to you. If you weren’t a little stressed out after all that, I wouldn’t think you were human. I’m just glad that you could let go, at least for a little while.” He ran his hand deliberately down her side to sweep over her ass and pull her close.

  There was no doubt from what she could feel that his interest was renewing. “Now, why don’t we see if we can make you let go a little longer this time?”

  “Think you can make that happen?” Chelsea wound her arms around his neck and arched herself against him.

  He returned the teasing smile she gave him as he nodded. “I guess you want me to prove I can, don’t you?”

  Daniel’s hair was tousled and his chin was dark with stubble. His gorgeous dark eyes were hooded, but they sparkled with promise. He would prove it, all right.

  She settled back. “Please do.”

  He sat back with a smile and cracked his knuckles as if he was about to go into a fight. “Well, I’m not one to back down from a challenge.”

  Laughing, she dragged him back down to her. She never would have imagined that the quiet, stern head chef she’d come to know would be so different outside of the kitchen. Or so good in bed.

  Daniel ran his hand over her, tracing patterns over her skin as he lowered his head to taste her breast. He curled his tongue around her nipple, drawing it between his lips and sucking. The groan he uttered shot straight to the growing ache between her thighs.

  “If I could replicate your taste, I would make a fortune.”

  Chelsea giggled. “I doubt Cara would give you the go-ahead for that.”

  He arched an eyebrow at her. “I don’t know. We’re talking a lot of delicious potential here.” He licked her nipple again. “And I’m guessing, here…” Daniel slipped his fingers into her only to withdraw them and bring them to his mouth for a taste. He closed his eyes for a second before he met her gaze and smiled. “I was right.”

  Chelsea watched, mesmerized as he licked his fingers clean. That was the dirtiest and hottest thing she’d ever witnessed and she hadn’t even known that could be a turn-on. What else had she been missing out on?

  When he sidled down her body and settled between her thighs, she tensed a little. It wasn’t like she’d never had anyone go down on her before. Richard had a few times, but he had hardly made an impression.

  Daniel glided his hand up the outside of her thigh comfortingly. “Relax.”

  She did her best to ease the tightness in her legs and she did manage, somewhat. Chelsea propped herself up on her elbows to watch him.

  “You have the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen.”

  Heat climbed to her cheeks. Before she could think up a reply to that, he dropped lower and she felt his lips graze her folds gently, reverently. An instant before the hot, velvet sensation of his tongue replaced them.

  He ran the tip up and down, teasing her, coaxing more of her juices to flow. Then he blew a jet of air, chilling her, before quickly closing his lips over her clit and sucking. Over and over he repeated the pattern until Chelsea clawed at the bed and arched beneath him.

  Just as she was about to explode, Daniel pulled back. He quickly replaced the condom with a new one and slid over and into her in one smooth movement.

  “I need to be inside you again when you come.” He thrust deeply, almost savagely, into her as he sought to catch up to her.

  Chelsea fell apart. The sensations exploded, ricocheting through her as he joined her with a deep groan.

  For a long while they lay in a tangle of limbs as they caught their breaths.

  Daniel kept on his elbows, sparing her most of his weight. Brushing her hair out of her eyes he asked, “How did I do?”

  “Ask me again when I can see straight.”

  Chuckling, he withdrew and took care of the condom before wrapping himself around her.

  It was the last thing she was aware of before drifting into the abyss of sleep.

  Chapter Three

  A few days later, Chelsea stared at her bare walls and sighed as she talked to Cara for the second time in as many hours. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. You just concentrate on you and that man of yours.” She hung up and smiled at the darkly handsome man whose long limbs tangled with her own. “Cara worries way too much about…everything.”

  Daniel grinned. “Maybe if you told her about us, she wouldn’t worry about you too.”

  “I will, eventually.” If what they had didn’t burn out. At the moment, she was content that they were the only ones privy to the knowledge. Chelsea wasn’t interested in having other people dissecting her life any more than they already had. What she and Daniel had was between them and she liked it that way.

  “You think she knew I was here?”

  “If she did, I’d never have gotten her off the phone.” She stretched languidly, enjoying the feel of his solid body against hers. “She’s been going on and on about how I need to get over myself and find someone to have fun with. She’s mentioned you as a possible fling more than a few times.”

  He chuckled. “So that’s all I am? A fling?”

  Of course
, that’s what it was. A niggling voice at the back of her mind reminded her that they’d been all over each other for several days now. But there had never been any discussion about anything further in advance of the next night. And why would there be? It wasn’t as if they were in a long-term relationship. She changed the subject with a shrug. “We should get out of here. Cara’s going to be gone a little while longer and she’s trusting me with the restaurant.”

  If he noticed her evasion, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he levered himself out of bed to stand proudly naked before her.

  For a long moment, she could only stare at his magnificent body.

  “Keep looking at me like that and we’re never going to get out of here.” With a smirk, he leaned in, slowly parting her lips with his own.

  Chelsea let him, enjoying the way he lazily plundered her mouth. It was several long, breathless minutes before she pushed him off. Getting carried away was too easy to do with him. “Come on. I’m not letting Cara down.”

  He let out a long breath. “You know she won’t stop being your friend if you miss one smudge or a napkin isn’t folded to perfection, right?”

  Daniel knew what she worried about, he just didn’t understand that she had been the one to abandon her friends once before. She wasn’t going to let them down again—any of them.

  Instead of a reply, she just gave him a withering glance. “You want the shower first?”

  His smile was back. Tugging her against him, he brushed his lips against hers, as well as more interesting parts of his anatomy. “Why don’t we save some time and get in together?”

  How could she say no to that, even with the flawed logic? She took his hand and led him to the tiny bathroom and equally cozy shower. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. She ignored the sneering voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her mother, and turned on the shower, hard and hot. It was much more fun to focus on the man who was sliding his slick hands over her.