Chapter Four

Kelly growled a little, annoyed at herself for feeling an immediate tingle at the warmth emanating off the solid man now blocking her path. And for leaning forward the tiniest bit and breathing a bit deeper to catch a better whiff of his warm, spicy scent.

"Oh you....you shouldn't be back here. How did you get here?" she asked. 

“I know I'm not supposed to follow you... Or track you down like this,” he replied, “I just had to. Somehow I knew I wouldn't be happy with myself if I left without speaking to you.”

Her costume was gone, Dimitri noticed, and he missed it. Not that he had a problem with what she was wearing now. The jean trousers she was wearing hugged her waist and hips perfectly, making her curves stand out, and when his eyes caught a glimpse of skin, peeking out from underneath her crop top, he felt his heart rate quicken. Her long hair wasn't let down any more, now it was pulled back from the face, twisted, and wrapped in a circular coil around itself on top of her head. 

Dimitri wanted to reach out and undo that bun with his hands, but that would be very inappropriate, so he kept his itchy hands to himself. At least he could appreciate the fact that with her hair packed like that, he had a good view of her slender neck, and he wondered how it would feel to kiss her there, probably run his tongue across the carotid artery where he could feel her pulse. 

Her make up was still intact though, and the make up artist had done something amazing with her eyes, giving her a sexy, sultry look. 

She had big, beautiful brown eyes, Dimitri observed. Wonderfully intoxicating, and he thought he would gladly get lost in them and stay lost all night long.

  

“You are leaving so early. I know because my friends are still in there and are no where ready to leave. Yours was the only performance I enjoyed tonight, so I decided to use the opportunity to come find you. And I'm glad I did, if I had hesitated for a few, I would have missed you. You weren’t trying to avoid talking to me....” Dimitri added. 

It wasn’t a question and his tone held a hint of laughter. She didn’t think his amusement was caused by conceit, but rather the incongruity of a woman flirting openly with a man on stage and then walking out the door without ever meeting him. It was kind of crazy. 

“I, uh…the ladies’ room,” she mumbled, hating herself for letting the inane excuse cross her lips the very moment she uttered it. Ladies’ room indeed, she thought. The lie didn't sound believable... Even to her. 

He cleared his throat. “I don't know anything about this place, but I'm sure that the ladies room should be that way.” His arm moved, the hand gesturing back the way Kelly had just come. That hand was darkly tanned, strong, with neat blunt fingernails and not a hint of kept-man elegance. They looked like a worker’s hands. And suddenly several parts of Kelly's body went a little spastic at the thought of being worked by them. 

Not being the tallest woman in the world, Kelly had been able to keep her attention squarely focused straight ahead, as if minutely interested in the design of the buttons on his shirt.

Since she’d been sucked in by his hands, though, she figured she might as well muster up the courage to confront the rest of him. She could do it. She was woman. Hear her roar. 

All she could manage as she lifted her gaze, however, was a helpless whimper. The chest was, as she already knew, huge and strong. The throat tanned, the neck corded with muscle. She had seen that he was strongly built from the stage, but she'd not imagined they would be anything like those shoulders in front of her now. She hadn't imagined this width, or the bulked-up chest straining against the fabric of his shirt. Nor the thick dark hair, cut short enough to tempt a woman to do some finger tangling while not drawing one bit of attention away from the slashing brows, the prominent cheekbones, the stubborn chin. 

He was all man. Nothing like what she’d expected. His strong jaw jutted in classic male determination. His face was shaved, but already displayed a hint of swarthiness that would provide the tiniest frisson of roughness if their cheeks met. 

They won’t. She told herself. They shouldn't actually. 

Even if she acknowledged how physically attractive he was, she wasn't the type of girl that would take up with a man she barely knew. And she was sure that was what he expected her to do, especially after the way she had flirted with him. 

Still… she couldn't deny the fact that the man was extremely handsome. His thick hair was cut short, and had looked a bit lighter when she was up on stage. Now, up close, she realized it was a dark brown, but shot with hints of gold here and there that said he likely spent a lot of time outside.

Probably sailing around in yachts, hitting the clubs in or cruising around the world. Doing the types of things people in her social circle took for granted. None of which interested her. Except, maybe, lounging under the sun on a clear blue sea. 

She might not like the ennui and shallowness that often came with wealth, but she wasn’t stupid. She enjoyed an occasional luxury as much as the next silver spoon girl. And a summer day spent sailing on a cutter was one of her few genuine indulgences. 

“Why don’t you let me escort you?” he added, finally breaking the silence. 

“I’m afraid I was just leaving,” she admitted, knowing she needed to end this now, before he offered to lead her to the closest ladies’ room. Maybe even escort her inside…and do her in the lavish vestibule. 

Oh, God, what a fantasy. 

She cleared her throat. “It’s a work night.” she said, and a voice didn't sound like hers. Finally allowing herself to meet his gaze directly, all remaining words dried up in Kelly's mouth. Because those eyes, which she hadn't been able to see clearly from the stage, were a dark,warm brown, so friendly and approachable, open and engaging.