“Did you catch him?” Ellie asked anxiously when he was close enough to hear.
“All taken care of.” He looked at her pale face and put his arm around her. “C’mon. Let me take you home.”
Driving down the dark, icy streets, they didn’t talk much. Garek thought about the incident in the club and Ellie’s reaction. She should have been delighted about that picture. She could have parlayed it into publicity for the gallery and thus for herself. What kind of sane person turned down such a golden opportunity?
He stopped the car in front of her apartment building and looked at her.
“You didn’t introduce me to any clients tonight,” she said.
“No,” he said.
There was a slight pause.
“Would you like to come in for some coffee?” she asked.
The streetlight haloed her face, emphasizing her wide, clear eyes and sweetly smiling lips. Maybe she was as honest and genuine as she appeared. The only problem was—he didn’t want her to be. He didn’t want to be attracted to her. He didn’t need to complicate this situation any more. If he had any sense at all, he would let her go up to her apartment alone…
He looked at her, all softeyed and dewylipped.
That mouth.
“I’d love to come in,” he said.
Chapter Seven
As they stepped into the apartment, Ellie pulled off her glove and reached out to turn on the light. Before she could do so, however, Garek’s hand closed over hers. He’d taken off his gloves, too, and his fingers were warm. He shut the door, cutting off the glow from the porch light and casting the apartment into complete darkness. Ellie stood perfectly still, the blackness pressing against her, the scent of damp wool, icy wind and male musk filling her nostrils. Outside the apartment, the savage sleet and wind howled; inside, all was quiet—except for the wild beating of her heart.
His arms came around her, he pushed her against the door, and he kissed her.
The darkness whirled around her. His mouth was hard against hers, the intensity of its demand shocking.
She put her hands on his chest to push him away, but then the kiss changed. It became gentle, tender.
She hesitated. She’d wanted him to kiss her. Really kiss her. She’d been curious ever since that frustrating half kiss he’d given her the night of the basketball game. And now she knew. She knew…oh, dear heaven! She knew it felt wonderful to be kissed by Garek Wisnewski. He was so big, she would have thought he would crush her, but he held her so lightly, so gently, it was like being cradled in a cocoon. But at the same time, there was nothing soft about him. His body felt hard and muscled, his lips firm against hers. Rippling sensations flowed over, around and all the way through her. She liked being kissed by him. She liked the way his mouth felt on her lips and her chin and her neck…
She felt his fingers undoing the buttons of her coat; his hands burrowed underneath, stroking her sides. That felt good, too. She reached up, entwining her fingers in his hair, pressing herself closer to him.
His hands slipped down the velvet of her dress to her waist, then up to the undercurve of her breasts, then down to the tops of her hips. And then back up again until his thumbs were resting against the sides of her breasts.
She was aware, suddenly, that she was on the verge of breaking some tenuous thread of restraint, of allowing herself to go beyond what she’d intended. She’d only wanted to know what it was like to kiss him. She hadn’t intended it to go any further than that. She hadn’t expected to feel like this. To want him so intensely…
But she did. She didn’t care about anything else. She only wanted the kiss to go on and on…she wanted him to touch her breasts. She wanted him to touch her all over—to make love to her…
The door suddenly pushed against her back, thrusting her forward. Garek held on to her, stepping backward, pulling her with him. The light flashed on, blinding her as a familiar voice said, “Something’s blocking the door…oh!”
Ellie blinked at Martina, who stood openmouthed in the doorway, her boyfriend behind her.
“Martina! What are you doing here?” Aware, suddenly, of Garek’s arms around her, Ellie stepped away from him.
Martina’s wide-eyed gaze flickered back and forth between Ellie and Garek. “The road was snowed under…we’re going to drive up tomorrow afternoon instead…I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt!”
“You’re not interrupting.” Ellie wondered if she looked as self-conscious as she felt. “Hi, Billy. Come sit down.”
“Uh, thanks, but I have to go,” he muttered with an uneasy glance at Garek’s stony face. “See ya tomorrow, Martina.”
“Bye, Billy.” Once Billy left, Martina started sidling toward her room. “Uh, I’m really tired.” She faked a yawn. “I better go to bed now. Good night!” She scuttled the last few steps into her bedroom.
Garek turned back to Ellie, his eyes dark and intense. “Come to my apartment with me.” His voice was low and husky.