He's the One by Jane Beckenham (ready to read books .TXT) 📗

feel like kid again,” he said finally. “I don't know what to say."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I'm nervous, too."

"Yeah, I guess you would be.” The anticipation in finding out more about Taylor Sullivan and why she had waited so long stirred his imagination, and more.

Dressed in a black dress that skimmed her curves, she reminded him of his cars. Curves he loved to caress.

"We can start easy,” he said and reached over and took her hand in his. He heard her exhale, accompanied by a tiny shudder.

He wasn't doing any better. His groin had taken a direct hit. Hard and ready. He tried to think of anything except sex.

He flicked another glance at Taylor. So beautiful, with her hair in a sleek chignon, exposing her neck and those sexy earrings that dangled from impossibly seductive earlobes. Oh, man. He had it bad. Sex with Taylor was definitely on his mind.

"Do you know I sat up all night because of you, wondering what lay beneath that uptight exterior you portray?"

"There's nothing beneath..."

"Really?” Cade interrupted. “Nothing, as in naked?” His eyes twinkled.

"No!” Taylor's denial rent the confines of the car. “I am who I am,” she said. Her smile slipped, and she went to pull her hand from his.

"Oh, no you don't. That stays here. Foreplay, remember? Though I must admit, the thought of you, naked beneath that sleek black dress has the very tangible ability of sending me over the edge. My concentration has taken a nose dive."

"Keep your eyes on the road, Cade Harper,” Taylor retorted.

"Yes, ma'am."

How the hell he would survive the evening, and how could he react so strongly to a woman he'd only just met? But he did, and nothing had prepared him for the jolt of heat pinning him to the spot the moment Taylor opened the door. From that moment, he'd been on the verge of losing it.

And right now, he definitely wanted to lose his hands in her hair, unpin it as he had done last night, let it slide over his hands, feel her lips beneath his.

He wanted to explore. Not listen to his conscience.

She hadn't taken her hand away, though, and that strengthened his hope. Without thinking, his fingers traced a pattern across her hand.

He continued. “Late into the night my mind played tricks on me. Had me guessing. Want to know what I came up with?” he asked. He saw her hesitate. “I reckon you're frightened of life,” Cade assessed.

"That's ridiculous, I run a successful business."

"I did a bit of research."

Taylor's jaw dropped, and this time she yanked hard and managed to pull her hand away. “You checked up on me?"

"Sure thing. Just as you did on me."

Cade drove the Mustang towards the Harbor Bridge, which spanned from the North Shore to the central city, where the city's fathers had reclaimed land at the waterfront over a hundred years earlier.

"How long have you been interested in classic cars?"

Taylor's unexpected question caught Cade off guard. “Good change of topic,” he teased. A tiny smile played on his mouth, but he kept his eyes on the road. It didn't prevent him from reaching for her hand again. This time Taylor didn't resist.

"As a kid, I used to hang out at the speedway,” Cade said as they bypassed into the traffic passing the container wharves. “My passion is anything fast. When I started making some serious money, I bought an old car and renovated it in my spare time."

"This one?"

"Yes, this is the baby of the clan,” he said with obvious pride.

"There's more than one?"

"Four to be exact."

"Impressive."

"I'll show you them some time."

A flutter of laughter escaped her lips. “Sounds like your version of etchings."

Cade wriggled his brows suggestively. “Why don't you come up and see me sometime,” he said in a fake accent.

"I don't think you're quite right. Wasn't it Mae West who said that?"

"Oops.” He laughed with her, and his thumb began circling her palm.

* * * *

Foreplay.

It had started.

Taylor clamped down on her nerves.

"But if you'd like to see the cars, I'm happy to show you."

"Thank you. I'd like that. The car is certainly exotic. It must take a long time to restore them."

"Yeah,” he admitted.

"Dedication and commitment."

"That's about it."

"Yet you're anti-commitment."

"If you mean marriage, then you're dead right on that score,” he agreed. The change in Cade's tone had been slight, but definitely there.

"Do you drive them all?"

"Of course. Cars are for driving, not simply for show. They're machines, just like humans, and meant to be used."

Taylor remembered the way Cade caressed the car's curves, almost tenderly, blessing its beauty. Would he be as gentle with her? What would his touch really be like?

"We're here,” he announced as they pulled into a car park along the waterfront.

Taylor glanced up at the two-story building sited besides the waterfront. Situated in Okahu Bay, one of the city's now exclusive neighborhoods, the building in previous years had been part of the city's control center for wastewater, and more recently converted into a top restaurant.

Cade switched the engine off and everything went quiet. The tide of nerves in Taylor's stomach performed somersaults.

He shifted to face her. “There's something I've wanted to do since last night,” he said and without preamble, his mouth covered hers. Gone was the tentative and gentle kiss from last night. This was hot and demanding—breathless.

He pulled back, eyes darkened and lids hooded. Bedroom eyes, Taylor thought.

"I couldn't wait.” He smiled down at her with a lopsided grin that tugged at her heart.

She wanted his kiss, too, but a sad and insidious seep of guilt snaked through Taylor and broke her soul.

Remember, this is an experiment. To be experienced only once.

A harsh cry wrenched from her lips. “No.” She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, trying to erase temptation. She caught Cade's accusing gaze, felt it rest on her mouth and her hand fell away. “I'm sorry. You took me unawares,” she said feeling like the prim woman he thought her.

"How old are you, Taylor?"

"Twenty-four."

"That's what I