Those were just some of the reasons his heart was now beating erratically in his chest and he had an erection. They were also the reasons his tongue felt thick in his mouth, filled with a greedy desire to mate with hers.

  But the main reason he was in such a bad way was how she’d felt in his arms and how with every sway of her hips against him he’d had to take a steadying breath—and each breath only intensified his desire for her. So now, although he was fighting like hell to remain calm, he was feeling every amorous bone in his body tilting over the edge. And it wasn’t helping matters the way she was looking up at him, with an expression that said she was waiting for him to do something, even though she didn’t have a clue what he’d be doing.

  Deciding not to keep her in suspense any longer, he lowered his head to hers, his lips delivering minimum pressure on hers, fighting back his desire to devour them to the full extent. He nibbled at her, used his tongue to lick the corners of her mouth over and over again.

  And then under their own will, her lips parted, eased open slightly, enough for his own tongue to slip inside and claim her mouth fully with a possessiveness that had him moaning deep in his throat. And then he confronted something else he knew that would do him in. Her taste.

  He felt his erection throb. He felt the tips of her nipples press hard against his shirt, and immediately his hand went into action and drifted lower from her back and beyond the smallness of her waist to settle on the curve of her butt. Amazing and magnificent all rolled into one single piece of hot flesh.

  He groaned again, and the tone of the kiss changed. He became greedy as sensations washed through him, sensations he felt all the way down to his toes. He heard her sexy little moan, and he couldn’t help wondering how it would feel to share an orgasm with her. To ease his throbbing erection. To press the hard strength of his body inside her all the way to the hilt. To thrust into her with the same rhythm he was using on her mouth.

  In his bed.

  He wondered if he were to ask whether she would go home with him tonight, sleep in his bed, make love with him as many times as the two of them could handle. All night long sounded pretty damn good about now. With his hand on her backside he pressed her closer, knowing there was no way she could not feel his hard-on pressed against her stomach.

  He slowly pulled his mouth away from hers but it didn’t go far. It nibbled around her lips, kissed the corners of her mouth. “Natalie, come home with me tonight,” he whispered hotly against her moist lips.

  Natalie wasn’t sure why she allowed Donovan to kiss her, why even now she wasn’t resisting while he continued to kiss her, other than by doing so she was proving Karl wrong. If she couldn’t kiss worth a damn like Karl had claimed then someone had forgotten to tell Donovan Steele. He appeared to enjoy locking lips with her as much as she was with him. If he hadn’t liked it he wouldn’t have let it last so long. He sure wouldn’t be still messing around with her mouth the way he was, licking it, greedily nibbling on it like it was better than any candy he’d eaten. And it sure wouldn’t have him hard to the extent that she could feel his aroused shaft pressing against the lower part of her.

  But more than anything, he wouldn’t be asking her to go home with him if she was such an awful kisser. However, she wouldn’t be going anywhere with him since she wasn’t fooled, not for a second, what he was all about. He wanted a wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, and unfortunately she didn’t know the first thing about engaging in short, meaningless affairs. But then the one she thought was going to be a long, meaningful one with Karl had left a bad taste in her mouth…a bad taste she had to admit Donovan had just replaced with a pleasant one.

  “Natalie.”

  He whispered her name again in this deep, husky voice that could make the area between her legs ache, make her panties get wet. She could barely resist the urge to reach out and undo his zipper and take that aroused part of him in her hand to see how the thickness would feel touching it.

  How could she think of doing such a thing? She was actually contemplating playing out what her mind had dreamed several times. For the first time in years her body felt ravenous for a man.

  Her lips parted with a groan. That was all the opening it seemed that he needed to slide his tongue back into her mouth in an attempt to kiss her into agreeing to go home with him. She wouldn’t change her mind about it. But he could try.

  And he did.

  This time his lips were hard and demanding yet at the same time persuasive. So persuasive that she had to grip his shoulders to keep her knees from buckling beneath her. Never had she been kissed like this, being rendered helpless to do anything but to kiss him back.

  At that moment the back door flew open and they quickly pulled apart and glanced over at the intruder. One of the cooks stood in the doorway with an apologetic look on his face. “Oops. Sorry. I just wanted to come out here to grab a smoke.” And then just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone back inside.

  But his appearance had given her just enough time to clear her head and make her take a step back. She glanced up at Donovan, met his gaze and swallowed deeply. He had desire in his eyes, deep, dark, seductive, and she knew if she wasn’t careful she would be falling under his spell.

  “We need to go back inside, as well,” she managed to say. “And I won’t be going home with you tonight, Donovan.” There, she’d said his first name. To call him Mr. Steele now wouldn’t make much sense, especially after the torrid kiss they had just shared. So much for keeping things on a professional level. All she could do at this point was make sure things between them didn’t escalate any further.

  “Well, at least you’re not calling me Mr. Steele anymore,” he said, mimicking her very thoughts. “And you’re sure you don’t want to go home with me?”

  She tilted up her chin, met his gaze. “Positive. I know when and where to draw the line.”

  A smile touched the corners of his mouth, and it was so magnetic she almost felt her lips being pulled in its direction. “And I know when and where to turn up the heat, Natalie,” he countered.

  There was no doubt in her mind that he did. Nor did she doubt that he would. “Donovan,” she said, hearing his name a second time and trying to downplay how much she liked saying it. “I think we need to make some decisions.”

  He lifted a brow. “About what?”

  “Whether I should remain your housekeeper. Like I said on Monday, we have a number of other ladies who can—”

  “No. And if you’re basing your suggestion on the kiss we’ve shared, forget it.”

  She glared up at him. “You’re being difficult.”

  He raised what she thought was an arrogant brow and said, “Sweetheart, you’ve never met a Steele at a time when he’s being difficult, and trust me, you wouldn’t want to. What I’m being is realistic. I know what I want, just like I know what you want. If I didn’t before, I do now. Your kiss said it all. Stroke for stroke. Lick for lick.”

  She tilted her head back and she knew that defiance—in all its glory—was shining in her eyes. Fine! So she’d never met a Steele being difficult. Well, he was about to meet a Ford when she was. “I’m not one to act mainly on physical attraction. I will not be pushed into an affair with you.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t plan to push, Natalie. I plan to seduce, and when I do, babe, you won’t stand a chance.”

  Natalie inhaled a deep breath. In all her twenty-six years, she had never met a man quite like him. He actually thought he was all that. He figured all he had to do was snap his fingers and they would go tumbling between the sheets. Maybe that was how easy it had been for the other women he’d encountered, but he would see that she was cut from a totally different mold. Because of her mother’s wild and reckless ways, she’d grown up with a very sensible mind. She’d done without sex for over five years and could very well do without for another five—even ten or twenty if she had to.

  She was about to open her mouth to give him the dressing down that he deserved when he said, “No more arguing tonight, Natalie. Come on, let’s go back inside.”

  A moment of indecision raced through her. Should she not argue anymore with him tonight and let him have the last word, or should she give a blistering retort? She had a feeling any type of rejoinder from her would fall on deaf ears. Besides, her aunt always said that with some people you have to show them rather than tell them. “Fine, let’s go inside.”

  And without waiting for him to say anything, she headed for the door.

  “Don’t try and get tight-lipped on me now, Nat. What is going on with you and Donovan Steele?”

  Natalie glanced over at Farrah. As soon as she had gotten back inside, she had waited only long enough for Farrah to return to the table from off the dance floor with Xavier to announce that she was ready to go.

  “Trust me. You don’t want to know,” she said, glancing out the window at all the bright neon signs they were passing.

  “Yes, I do. You tell me about you and Donovan, and I’ll tell you about me and Xavier.”

  Natalie glanced back over at her. “Is there a you and Xavier?”

  Farrah laughed. “Not the way you make it sound, no. Like I told you earlier tonight, after what Dustin did I won’t ever let another man get close to my heart again.”

  Natalie nodded. “He seems nice.”

  “He is, but I was married to a nice man, remember? Or at least we thought he was nice. To some he might still be nice, but Dustin’s main problem was that he didn’t know how to keep his pants zipped for anyone but his wife.”

  The bitterness was still there in Farrah’s voice, and Natalie wondered if it would ever go away. “Would you see Xavier again if he were to call you?” Natalie asked.

  “Depends on the reason. If he calls because he’s interested in a long-term affair then, no. But if he contacts me for a booty call, then maybe.”

  Natalie knew her friend actually felt that way, and that was sad. Farrah had always been the dreamer, the one who wanted marriage and kids, the house with the white picket fence. The one who’d believed in forever after.

  “But I won’t have to worry about Xavier wanting to pursue anything serious,” Farrah said. “I recalled hearing his name before and then I remembered where. He’s one of those men in the Bachelors in Demand Club.”

  Natalie raised a brow. “What’s the Bachelors in Demand Club?”

  Farrah glanced over at her when the car came to a stop at a traffic light. “I heard some of the single women at work talking about it one day. It seems that years ago, six close friends from Morehouse made a pledge to each other the day before graduation that not only would they stay in touch but they would become godfathers to each other’s children, and that the name of each of their first sons would begin with the letters U to Z. They kept their promise, and all six sons became godbrothers to each other. Most of them are now in their late twenties or early thirties. A few years ago, for some reason the six decided to form the Bachelors in Demand Club. In other words they are bachelors in demand, men who aren’t interested in settling down until they’ve sown their wild oats, so to speak. Rumor has it that each of them has his own heartbreak story to tell so now they intend to go through life making sure there isn’t a repeat by guarding their heart.”

  Natalie pushed a curl out of her face and asked, “And you think Xavier is one of these men?”

  “Pretty sure of it, but of course I didn’t ask him about it to be certain. I do recall that there are two of them living in the Charlotte area, Xavier and a man by the name of Uriel Lassiter. The other four are spread out over the country.”

  Natalie didn’t say anything for a moment and then she asked, “What do you think is Xavier’s story?”

  The traffic light changed to green and Farrah put the car in gear to begin moving. “Don’t know his hang-ups, and I’m not going to worry about what they could be. In addition to being pleasing to the eyes, he was also great company tonight, but that’s about it. He didn’t suggest that we see each other again so I’m leaving it at that.”

  She quickly glanced back over at Natalie when traffic slowed again. “Enough talk about Xavier Kane. I want to know about you and Donovan and what went on when the two of you went out back.”

  Natalie rolled her eyes. Did Farrah not miss anything? “What do you think went on?”

  “A quickie perhaps?” Farrah asked with a smirk.

  Natalie couldn’t help but grin. “No. Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “Heck, I bet the one who’s really disappointed is Donovan Steele. When Xavier and I got back to the table and you announced that you were ready to leave, he actually looked like he could throttle you.”

  “Whatever.”

  “At least I know he kissed you,” Farrah said, grinning. “And real good.”

  Natalie frowned. “And how do you know that?”

  Now it was Farrah’s time to roll her eyes. “Good grief, Nat. Take out your compact and look at yourself. Your lips are still swollen.”

  Not knowing whether Farrah was teasing or serious, Natalie took out compact and looked at herself in the mirror. “Oh,” she said, touching her lips while at the same time feeling a tint of embarrassment touch her cheeks.

  “Yes, oh,” Farrah said smiling. “But don’t worry. Your aunt will probably be asleep when you get home tonight and your lips will be back to normal in the morning.”

  Natalie closed her compact wondering what Xavier Kane had thought. What had anyone thought who’d seen her lips? Probably the same thing Farrah thought. She had been well and truly kissed. And they were all right. Donovan had kissed her in a way she had never been kissed before and had made her feel things that until tonight had been foreign to her.

  “Will you be seeing Donovan again, Nat? So he can kiss you again?”

  Natalie tried ignoring the flash of pleasure that shot through her body at that possibility. “That was our first and last kiss. I won’t be going out with him, which means the only time we could possibly see each other is when I’m there to clean his house. But those are the days he’ll be at work, and I plan to get in and out before he comes home.”

  “Good luck, Nat.”

  Natalie glanced over at Farrah. “And why are you wishing me luck?”

  “Because I think you’re going to need it. You asked me what I know about Donovan, and I didn’t finish telling you everything. What I didn’t say that I’ve heard is that he’s a man who gets whatever he wants, and tonight the look on his face made it pretty clear that he wants you.”

  Chapter 7

  “Hey, man, you weren’t at the top of your game today. What’s up with you?”

  Donovan shot his brother a frown. “There’s nothing wrong with me Morgan, so get off my ass.”

  Bas dropped down on one of the bleachers and took a huge gulp from his water bottle, and then said, “Sounds like we might need to play another game since that one didn’t seem to work out your frustrations, Don.”

  Donovan glared at his brothers, all three of them. It was a tradition that they play basketball at the gym every Saturday morning to work off any competitive frustrations that might have built up that week. For the four competitive adult males it was their way of not butting heads Monday through Friday at SC.

  As much as Donovan didn’t want to admit it, Morgan was right. He hadn’t been at the top of his game. And it was all Natalie Ford’s fault. There was no reason the woman should not have slept with him last night. No reason at all.

  “Do you think we need to play another game for your benefit, Donovan?”

  Chance’s question interrupted Donovan’s musings. He glared at his oldest brother. “No.”

  “Good, because I need to get home and get Alden,” Chance responded glancing down at his watch. “Kylie is hosting a baby shower for Lena and Jocelyn, so Alden and I are getting lost for a while.”

  “Can I get lost with the two of you?” Morgan asked grinning.

  “Include me in,” Bas readily said. He glanced over at Donovan. “What about you, kid? You want to hang around with a bunch of happily married men?”

  “No, I have better things to do with my time. Things married men only dream about doing,” Donovan said, using a towel to wipe the sweat off his face.

  “Don’t be so sure of that, Donovan,” Chance said grinning. “We hate to disappoint you, but married men can have just as much fun with their wives as single men have with their girlfriends—probably even more. Why is it that we, the married Steeles, are the ones in a good mood today, while you’re the one who still needs a frustration adjustment? Doesn’t sound to me like your girlfriend is doing her job.”

  Donovan’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  “Hmm, then maybe you should consider getting one,” Chance threw over his shoulder as he, Bas and Morgan headed into the locker room, leaving Donovan glaring at their backs.

  Donovan stared at the phone for a moment after hanging it up. He could not believe that he had just broken a date with Jean Carroll of all women. Jean, the one who came ready with her own set of handcuffs. And it was Natalie Ford’s fault.

  Ever since he had kissed her last night, his mind and body had started playing tricks on him. First, he had awakened after a night of dreaming about Natalie with a hard-on that wouldn’t go away, even after he’d relieved his bladder and taken a cold shower. He had finally gotten it to act right by the time he had slipped into a T-shirt and jogging pants to meet his brothers for a game of basketball.

  Then it had been the taste of her in his mouth that wouldn’t fade. He had brushed his teeth, gargled several times and still whenever he smacked his lips he could taste her—that sweet, sensuous taste that had electrified his mouth while kissing her.