He abandoned the DVDs and left the music channel playing on the TV instead. Moving to the sofa, he sat easily on one end, his attention apparently all hers.
Oh boy. Taking a deep breath, she took the opposite end of the sofa to him, placing herself closer to Adrian in his armchair. Adrian looked as if he approved of what she had said, which gave her strength.
“I don’t want us to feel awkward anymore.” She directed her attention to Seth. “Adrian I have been chatting online for about three months. Things got pretty steamy.” That felt like the understatement of the century, but considering what had happened with Seth the night before, she was pretty sure she didn’t need to go into more detail. He could figure it out for himself.
He looked as if he was trying to remain serious and inscrutable, and yet there was a simmering sense of expectation about him and a dark twinkle in his eyes. Bastard. He thought it was funny.
She took a deep breath and continued. “Yesterday was supposed be our first meeting in person. Adrian was very kind and suggested that I go to his office so that I would feel safe, in a public place. So you see, this is all feels a bit awkward because Adrian and I know a lot about each other, but we don’t really know each other.” She paused. “The deal was that I could walk away, and so could he, if we didn’t feel comfortable during our date. Without even having had any time to get past that first meeting, we’re locked up together. With you.”
It felt good to have said it out loud, for the first time.
“I can see why that would be difficult, of course,” Seth commented, in a very matter of fact way. “That’s it, out in the open, over with. It wasn’t so hard now, was it?”
She dipped her head on one side as she looked at him, considering why he had said that. He gave her a brief smile and rested one elbow on the back of sofa. Maybe he didn’t want her to say anything else, or maybe he was suggesting she did? Whatever, she was on a roll and she wasn’t stopping now, because as far as she was concerned she’d only got halfway through the problem. “There’s something else that I want to get off my chest, as well.”
Thank God for the wine. It didn’t exactly make her throw caution to the wind, but it made this a hell of a lot easier to get this off her chest. Forcing herself to glance at both of them, she quickly took in their expressions. Adrian was curious, and Seth looked bemused. His eyebrows had lifted imperceptibly, those sharp eyes totally focused on her. Oh yes, he knew what she was about to say, he’d guessed. Was there a touch of admiration there? Maybe. Maybe this is what he’d been pushing for all along.
She turned to Adrian. “When I arrived at your office, I thought…well, I thought you would answer the door, and that you had in fact answered the door. So I…kissed you.” Now it was Adrian’s eyebrows that lifted. “I mean, I kissed him.” Nodding her head in Seth’s direction, she barely dared look at him.
Would Seth laugh at her? Would Adrian hate her? She hoped not.
The sound of the music from the TV only seemed to emphasise the silence that hung in the atmosphere. Adrian stared at her for what seemed an age, and she had to fight the urge to squirm in her seat or flee from the room. Then he shook his head, a wry half-smile taking up residence on his face. “Well, that explains a lot.”
She stared at him, unsure of how to respond.
He nodded at Seth. “The way you look at Lily. It was more than just casual interest, now I see why.”
Seth lifted his hands. “Sorry, buddy.”
Adrian kept staring from one to the other of them, his eyes flickering with curiosity. “Is she a good kisser?”
Lily’s skin raced hot and cold, her senses on high alert.
“Hellish hot,” Seth responded, watching her in a blatantly assessing way. She suddenly wished she hadn’t sat on the same sofa as him. His proximity made this even worse, and she had to force herself to breathe. He smiled a lopsided grin that made her think he was referring just as much to what happened between them last night, as in London.
Lily’s face burned, and that wasn’t all. Between her legs her pussy felt hot and heavy, the pulse at her core beating wildly, a frantic need for contact controlling it. “This is embarrassing,” she muttered to herself.
“Hey, don’t be embarrassed, Laidbacklady, no need. You’re a sexy woman.”
“It was a genuine mistake,” Seth commented.
Adrian shot him a glance. “I’m sure it was, and I don’t blame you for enjoying it.” His mouth tightened for a moment, thoughtful. “You did enjoy it, right?”
Seth nodded.
“Of course you did. You’d be an idiot not to.” Adrian knocked back some more wine before he continued. “But if you’re going to snog my sex-chat buddy, the least you can do is let me watch.”
Did he really just say that? Lily stared at him. Had he had too much wine?
“You’d like that,” he added, “wouldn’t you, Lily?” He looked straight at her, his smile knowing and darkly suggestive.
She saw it in his eyes, the secret knowledge he had about her. She had confessed about wanting to be watched, and now he was calling her on it. Really calling her. Her mind raced. Was this actually happening to her? Did Adrian honestly want to watch her with another man?
One look at his suggestive smile left her in no doubt that he meant it, and the combination of shock and dynamite arousal she experienced made her feel dizzy on the subsequent rush. Disbelieving but wildly aroused, she shifted restlessly and ran her fingernails over her upper arms, needing the sting to make her breathe.
Seth’s soft laughter drew her attention back. The suggestive smile he wore made her shiver with arousal, her body moving rapidly towards total meltdown. “Lily would like that, huh?” Seth put his glass aside. “You two really are into the sex chat.”
Before she had a chance to respond, he reached out across the length of the sofa, breaching the space between them, and put his hand on hers. Weaving their fingers together, he drew her towards him, forcing her to move in his direction. Lily’s heart hammered in her chest.