It reminded him of Sasha’s hair, set off to perfection by the dark purple shirt she wore with a long white skirt that swirled around her ankles as she walked. Once again she’d twisted her hair up on top of her head. He pictured himself kissing the elegant curve of her neck just before he removed the wooden sticks to set her hair free.
He’d dearly love to see it down loose around her shoulders—or better yet, spread out on his pillow as he kissed that sprinkling of freckles on her nose. Something of what he was thinking must have shown in his expression, because when Sasha glanced in his direction, she blushed and immediately hurried on toward the next bed of roses.
But she did take his hand and tug him along in her wake. That small gesture vanquished the knot of nerves in his chest. For the moment, it was enough to pretend they were just an ordinary couple out to enjoy an evening of music and each other’s company.
The concert was winding down, the musicians putting one last burst of high energy into their encore. Sasha couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed a night out more. Larem had produced a blanket from his pack for them to sit on. After they’d staked out their spot, he’d gotten each of them a lemonade and a piece of strawberry shortcake.
Watching him savor the sinful berries heaped high with whipped cream had been an amazingly sensual experience. It was almost as if he were tasting the decadent dessert for the first time.
She barely knew the man, but there was just something about him that stirred emotions in her that had lain dormant for a long, long time. First college and then her heavy work schedule had left little time for a social life. Or at least that had been her excuse. The truth was, when she’d met David Booker, she’d fallen fast and hard for him. Although she’d known the risks of getting involved with a Paladin, she’d hadn’t been able to help herself. And when he’d died, it had almost destroyed her.
Yet here she was, risking the same kind of pain all over again. At twenty-eight, she should be old enough to know better, but obviously not. The more time she spent in Larem’s company, the more reckless she felt. How would it feel to kiss that stern mouth? What kind of lover would he be? Maybe she should just toss the dice and see where the night led them.
Despite its being late summer, there was a chill in the air as the sun went down. Larem noticed when she shivered and leaned toward her. “Are you cold?”
“A bit. I’m not used to the way the temperature drops here at night.”
He hesitated, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close, sharing the warmth of his body.
“Is that better?” His voice was a deep rumble near her ear, sending a whole different kind of shiver through her.
Oh, mama, yes!
But she kept that comment to herself and just nodded. Too bad the concert was about to end. She could’ve happily spent hours sitting right there, enjoying the night with Larem.
When the song ended, the crowd surged to their feet, applauding loudly. She reluctantly joined them, immediately missing Larem’s touch.
He folded up the blanket and stowed it back in his pack. “The zoo is open for another hour. Want to wander around a bit before we call it a night?”
“Sure.”
It seemed only natural for him to take her hand, especially with the jostle of the people surrounding them. In just a few seconds, the crowd thinned out, leaving the two of them wandering down a path with only a handful of others nearby.
“Did you like the music?”
Larem nodded. “Very much. We should do this again sometime. I think they do a whole series of concerts here.”
“I’d like that.” A lot.
When a smaller path branched off to the left, Larem took it. The sign said it led toward the animals of the African savanna. As dark as it was, they’d not likely be able to see much, but at the moment she didn’t care. She was really hoping Larem was more interested in finding them a bit of privacy than seeing what the zebras were up to.
Sure enough, when they were alone, he dropped his bag on the ground and turned to face her in the faint glow of a distant lamppost. His big hands gently came to rest on her shoulders. She responded by sliding her palms up the hard planes of his chest. His pale eyes stared down into hers for the longest time.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been wanting to do this all evening.”
Before she knew what he was going to do, he tugged the chopsticks out of the knot on top of her head. The heat in his smile climbed several degrees as he finger-combed her hair, sending the unruly waves spilling down around her shoulders.
“I knew it would feel like silk. You should wear it down all the time.”
“It gets in the way when I work.”
His accent thickened considerably when he murmured, “Then wear it this way just for me.”
Then he kissed her—finally. His lips settled over hers, gently at first but then with considerably more fire. He tasted hot and male and potent. Grabbing on to the soft cotton of his shirt, Sasha held on with all the strength she could muster. The feel of his hands as they touched and tempted warmed her from the inside out. The man sure knew how to heat up a cool Seattle night.
She liked that about him. Before she could tell him so, he lifted her off the ground and carried her backward several steps.