Читать книгу Seized By Seduction - Brenda Jackson - Страница 11

CHAPTER FOUR

QUASAR FELT RANDI FULLER’S presence long before he saw her. Since it was a gorgeous day in May, he’d chosen to sit at an outside table in the beautiful historic section of Georgetown. His gaze searched up and down the cobblestone sidewalk, but he didn’t see her.

He would have been the first to admit that nothing about his attraction to Dr. Randi Fuller was normal. He’d been attracted to beautiful women before, but this was different. It was something he couldn’t explain...like what was happening now. When had he actually been able to feel a woman without being buried deep inside her body? All he knew was that he was convinced Randi was close by, either parking her car or coming up the sidewalk...although he had yet to see any sign of her.

“More coffee, sir?”

He glanced up at the waitress, who was smiling at him. She’d been to his table three times now, and his coffee cup was still pretty full. She was young, probably no more than twenty-two. And more than likely a student. He’d seen her looking at him a couple of times, and he’d felt nothing. Not even a twinge of excitement or a flutter of desire. “No thanks. I don’t want any more coffee.”

She gave him a sexy look...or at least she tried to. “Would you like anything else, then?”

He didn’t have to ask, Anything like what? “No thanks. I’m good.”

“Yes, I’ll just bet you are.” And then she walked off, deliberately sashaying her hips as she moved toward another table.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Quasar quickly switched his gaze from the waitress to the woman standing beside his table. He couldn’t keep his eyes from dragging all over her before staring into the most gorgeous pair of brown eyes he’d ever seen. Up close they were lighter than he’d thought they were. “No, you’re not interrupting anything,” he said, standing.

He liked everything he saw. Smooth, creamy, cocoa-colored skin; high, perfectly sculpted cheekbones; a cute nose; a pair of lush lips and pretty ears with dangling gold earrings. He thought she was gorgeous. Irresistibly hot.

And there was no way he could overlook the thickness of the black hair spilling to her shoulders and framing her face in such a sassy and sexy way. He could imagine her raking her fingers through it or pushing it back off her face. She was wearing a yellow print sundress with spaghetti straps that highlighted beautiful shoulders. And he couldn’t help noticing she had a gorgeous pair of legs. She managed to look both graceful and sensual at the same time.

He extended his hand to her. “Randi.”

She took it. “Quasar.”

Why did his name sound so damn sexy on her lips? And why were they standing there holding hands while something akin to hard-core sexual chemistry flowed between them?

“I hope I’m not late,” she said, finally easing her hand from his.

“Not at all,” he said, sitting back down after she’d taken her seat. “What would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea? Juice?”

“Tea will be fine.”

“Anything else?” he asked, handing her the menu.

“What do you suggest?” she asked, placing it aside and looking over at him.

Quasar focused his gaze on her too-luscious lips and thought he honestly didn’t want to go there. The first thing he would suggest was for them to go back to his hotel room. He could visualize her naked and stretched across his bed while he kissed her all over. He would see if all that creamy cocoa-colored skin was as sweet as it looked. Deciding not to let erotic thoughts get the best of him, he said, “They have delicious pancakes here.”

“Then that’s what I’ll have with my tea.”

“Okay.” He motioned for the waitress, who, unlike all those other instances, seemed to take her time coming to his table. He gave her their order and was glad when she finally left. He liked being alone with Randi. Although there were people sitting at other tables, it seemed as if she was the only one in his little corner of the world.

He knew how dangerous getting this caught up in a woman was, but he brushed the concern aside. He was a man and she was a woman, and the strong attraction between them was nothing more than a normal aspect of human sexuality, right? Even she’d alluded to that. However, he couldn’t shake the idea that the chemistry between them was way too explosive, and there had to be more to it. Randi Fuller was too deeply embedded in his system, and for the life of him, he didn’t know how she got there.

Or how long she would stay.

Other than dealing with an annoying ache in certain places, though, he had nothing to worry about thanks to Lilly Alpine, the woman he’d planned to marry. She’d known the reason he’d gone to prison and had promised to wait for him. She hadn’t. Instead she’d married the person he’d gone to prison to protect. His brother, Doyle. Because of Lilly’s betrayal, Quasar would never share his heart with another woman. So whatever this thing was with Randi, he was fine with it since he wasn’t doing anything foolish like putting his heart on the line again.

He felt his stomach clench when she nervously licked her lips. “Thanks for agreeing to join me for breakfast, Randi. Did you enjoy the gala last night?”

“I did. There was a large crowd.”

“Yes, there was,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

“What about you? I know you were working, but I hope you managed to enjoy some of it.”

“Yes, I did.”

Their gazes held, and he felt a tightening in his chest. He wished at some point he could be unaffected by her but had a feeling that wasn’t possible. Especially when his fingers were itching to run through all that hair on her head. He couldn’t help but be drawn to how it cascaded around her face.

“You did an outstanding job assisting law enforcement with the Erickson case,” he said. “I don’t want to think of what would have happened to Striker and Margo Connelly had we not gotten to the cabin when we did.”

“I’m glad I was able to assist. I got a call from Ms. Connelly thanking me personally, and I enjoyed our conversation. I understand she and Striker Jennings are seeing quite a lot of each other these days.”

Quasar chuckled. “Yes, they are.” There was no need to mention that he had a feeling a wedding would be in the works before the year was out.

“I could tell that night that you, Striker Jennings and Stonewall Courson are close friends. I watched you and Mr. Courson race into that burning house to help get Mr. Jennings and Ms. Connelly to safety.”

Quasar thought about the night and the fear racing down his spine that he and Stonewall would not be able to get Striker and Margo out alive. “The three of us are more than that. I consider them as close to me as brothers.” Then, deciding to be up front with her in case she didn’t know his history, he said, “We served time together in prison.”

He watched her features for some kind of shock. When that didn’t happen, he waited for the questions. They didn’t come, either. He could only assume that she’d known. Evidently her psychic powers were at work.

“Not sure if you’ve heard the federal government has completely taken over the Erickson case,” he said. “They’re determined to find out how he died while locked up at that federal prison. It’s still all a mystery.”

She nodded. “Yes, I heard that.”

“It seems the murderer covered his tracks well. So far there aren’t any leads.”

“Well, I’m sure justice will prevail and the killer will eventually be caught,” she said, tilting her head in that sexy way of hers.

The shrill ring of his mobile phone disturbed the comfortable conversation between them. He tried to hold his anger at bay when he recognized the ringtone. The call was from his father.

“Do you need to get that?” she asked him.

He shook his head. “No. I have the rest of the weekend off,” he said, although he knew the call was personal and not business.

“I like this place,” she broke into his thoughts to say. “It reminds me of a restaurant back home.”

“And where is home for you?” he asked, knowing already but wanting her to tell him anyway.

“Richmond. But I love coming to DC. I attended college here at Howard for my BS, and then Georgetown for my master’s and PhD. Georgetown is my favorite part of DC.”

He nodded. “You come to the nation’s capital often?”

“Often enough. I have family here, and I like visiting them as often as I can. Sometimes my work can take me away a lot.”

“You have a big family?”

She smiled, and he could feel his stomach tighten even more when that smile produced beautiful dimples. “Depends on what you mean by big. Compared to most, I don’t consider it big, but when my parents have family get-togethers, inviting both my mom’s side of the family—the Haywoods, and my father’s side—the Fullers, there are a lot of us. We’re a close-knit group.”

“Is it a coincidence your sister’s name is Haywood, after your mom’s family?”

Her smile widened. “No coincidence. Mom says she’d always been proud of being a Haywood and wanted to pass the name on to her first child, whether it was a son or daughter.”

She’d angled her head to look at him, making a mass of hair cascade even more over her shoulder. “What about you, Quasar? Do you have a large family?”

He could feel his jaw tighten at the question. “No,” he said and decided not to add they were definitely not close-knit.

“Any siblings?”

He immediately thought of his brother. His one and only brother...at least biologically. “Yes, I have a brother. An older brother by four years.”

“And where did you grow up?”

Quasar loved her smell. Why did her scent have such sexy undertones? “Los Angeles.”

“You’re a long way from home.”

And he wouldn’t want it any other way. Instead of telling her that, he said, “Yes, I am.”

Wanting to shift the focus from him back to her, he said, “So tell me some more about you, Randi.”

She laughed and the sound fired his blood. “I would bore you.”

“I doubt that. Try me.”

* * *

TRY ME.

Randi didn’t want to think of all the ways she could try him, and they were ways she’d never thought of until now. She never considered herself an overly sexual being, even when she and Larry had been together. But the man sitting across from her looked so ridiculously sexy, it was hard not to fantasize a little. Um, maybe a lot.

His chestnut complexion, aquiline nose, sharp cheekbones and strong chin were what female fantasies were made of. Then there were his brown bedroom eyes and chiseled jaw that made him appear too handsome to be real. The straight texture of his dark hair that stopped at his shoulders made her curious about his ethnicity. Mexican? Italian? Or other? His mouth was holding her senses captive, namely the shape of his lips. They were the kind of lips a woman would want to kiss and lick until she was sexually silly. Pretty much how she was feeling now.

And when he’d stood, he appeared to be around six feet two or three inches of solid muscle, a lean, well-built physique with great broad shoulders. She couldn’t help but appreciate a body that was so powerfully male. And why did his scent, a masculine blend of soap, aftershave and cologne, travel along her nerve endings? What she found so mind-boggling was the fact that the man sitting across from her, playing havoc on her body from top to bottom, was meant for her.

“I’ll tell you what,” she decided to say. “If I tell you a little about me, then you have to tell me things about you.” This meeting between them was important and would establish the framework for the rest of their lives. Of course there was no way for him to know that.

He shrugged, smiling over at her. “With your psychic abilities, I’d think there’s not much about me you wouldn’t know already.”

Searching his eyes, she considered his words and knew she needed to nip that assumption in the bud. “You’re not showing up on my mental radar,” she said truthfully. “I don’t have the ability to read every single human being.”

“Then how did you know I was an ex-con?”

She tilted her head. “I didn’t until you mentioned it. I had no idea.”

He held her gaze as if trying to divine the veracity of what she’d said. “Then why didn’t you react when I told you?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “How was I supposed to react? Did you expect me to run out of here hollering and screaming?”

After huffing out a short laugh, he shook his head. “Nothing that drastic, but experience has taught me to expect some sort of reaction.”

Randi wondered what kind of response he was used to getting. Was it similar to the one she got whenever it was revealed she had psychic powers? She decided to explain a few things to him. “My father is a defense attorney, probably one of the best...at least I think so. And the one thing he’s instilled in me is the belief that not all people in jail are there because they are guilty. Not saying whether you were guilty or not. All I know is that you’re sitting here, which probably means you served your time.”

“I did. And that’s good enough for you?”

“Yes, Quasar. That’s good enough for me.” When you want to tell me more about that time in your life, you will, she thought to herself. When he didn’t say anything but continued to look at her, she said, “I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a lawyer.”

“You did?”

“Yes. From the time I found out what he did for a living. I was so proud of him. That wasn’t in someone’s plans for me. But in all fairness to my gift, which I am now very proud to have, I learned early on that it’s meant to help others more than to help myself, which is why I probably can’t read you. I’m meant to find out some things on my own.”

She’d discovered this when Georgie betrayed her and Larry broke things off with her. She’d felt with her paranormal abilities that she, of all people, should have known Georgie couldn’t be trusted and Larry would end up being a jerk.

“You said that now you are proud of your gift. Does that mean that hasn’t always been the case?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding her head. “What fifteen-year-old wants something like that dumped on her? The realization that she has psychic powers? To be considered a freak of nature?”

She forced to the back of her mind Larry’s cruel words to her that day. She figured if Larry saw her that way then others would, as well. “I knew my great-grandmother was psychic as well as her mother, but not in a million years did I think the gift would be passed on to me.”

“How did you come to terms with it?”

Randi immediately recalled that year spent on Glendale Shores. That had certainly helped. But more important had been her relatives. She decided to credit the latter. “My family’s love and support.”

“Then you should consider yourself fortunate to have such a wonderful family.”

At that moment, the waitress returned with her tea and Quasar’s cup of coffee. That was good timing since it gave Randi a chance to dwell on what he’d just said. His words led her to believe that his family was anything but wonderful, not even close.

A part of her wished she didn’t have a mental block where he was concerned. But then, maybe it was for the best. It was up to her to get to know Quasar Patterson and break down any barriers he erected. She had a feeling that doing so wouldn’t be an easy task. He had invited her to breakfast under the misconception that whatever was drawing him to her was purely sexual. Eventually he would discover that wasn’t totally true.

“You know what I think?” he asked.

She met his gaze. “No, what do you think?”

“I think with your proven track record as a psychic assisting law enforcement, especially with the Erickson case, anyone who doesn’t appreciate your gift would be crazy. What you’re doing is pretty awesome.”

A smile touched the corners of her lips. Randi didn’t say anything, but she appreciated his compliment. There was no reason to tell him that although she did have a proven track record, some of her cases weighed her down. She often dealt with the struggles of not having every single case laid out for her, like Erickson’s death. She hadn’t seen it coming. And then there was Levan Shaw, the one who got away. “Thanks.”

“I spoke the truth, Randi,” he said softly.

And what was so utterly amazing was that deep down, she knew he had. He was definitely nothing like the last guy she’d gone out with, about six months ago. The one who thought a date with her was a sure win at lotto. Colin Kennesaw had spent the majority of his time during dinner trying to get her to give him the winning numbers for Powerball.

“What about your mother? Does she work outside the home?”

She positioned her mind to return to their conversation. “Yes. She’s an architect and has her own firm in downtown Richmond. She loves what she does and designed the house my parents live in.” Randi rook a sip of her tea before asking, “What about your mother? Does she work outside the home?”

She noted the drooping of his shoulders when he said, “My mom passed away when I was fourteen.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. It’s been a long time, but I still miss her. She and I were close.” And then, as if he needed to switch topics, he said, “I shouldn’t be drinking this.”

She watched him add sugar to his coffee and stir it with a spoon. “Why?”

“I’ve consumed too many cups already, starting when I returned to my hotel room last night. I wanted to be awake in case you called. My only regret in not getting any sleep last night was that I missed having my dreams,” he said in a deep, throaty tone.

Randi lifted a curious brow. “Your dreams?”

“Yeah. My dreams of you. They’ve been coming pretty steadily since that night I first saw you.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say and honestly couldn’t believe he would admit such a thing. No way would she confess that he’d been invading her dreams pretty steadily, as well.

“To be honest, they should be classified as hot fantasies rather than dreams,” he added in a voice that had gotten even huskier.

Hot fantasies? Randi swallowed when she felt a swelling in her nipples and heat settling between her legs. All the dreams she’d had of him could have been considered hot fantasies, as well. Last night’s dreams had been hotter than ever after seeing him again at the Kennedy Center. But nothing could compare to seeing him today, this close-up while sharing space with him.

When she’d come up the sidewalk and seen the waitress flirting with him, admittedly she’d gotten jealous. But what woman wouldn’t be tempted to flirt when he was such a gorgeous specimen of a man? Even Haywood and Anna had commented about him last night. And now this handsome hunk just admitted to having fantasies about her? Hot fantasies?

“How’s your tea, Randi?”

It took her a second to realize she’d been caught staring. “Excuse me?”

“I asked how your tea is,” he said, not taking his eyes off her face.

“Delicious.” She picked up her cup to take another sip. Although she knew she shouldn’t ask, she couldn’t help doing so. “You want to tell me about those hot fantasies?”

She noticed his eyes suddenly shone with wicked pleasure. “I’d rather not. There are some things a woman shouldn’t know. Especially if it’s a woman a man desires.”

Whew. She needed more than hot tea right now. A cold glass of iced tea might have been better. But she took another sip anyway, enjoying the taste, and licked her lips afterward. When she saw his gaze lower to her mouth, her skin began tingling.

“Delicious?”

She felt that unmistakable connection whenever their eyes locked, and it resulted in a shiver oozing down her spine. “Yes. Very delicious.”

Her belly clenched, and she broke eye contact with him. She was grateful when the waitress appeared with their pancakes.