Voluptuous (2 page)

“All that,” Sam said, his voice low and slow, his gaze
heated and heavy, “is seriously hot.”

She felt her cheeks burn. “Oh, come on.”

“Really.” He leaned back as if to get a better look. “I’ve
never seen you without your lab coat on until now, and wow.” He slid his palm,
cool from his glass, over her knee. “You have curves that won’t quit.” He
leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I like curves.”

His breath was warm as it skimmed over her skin, his jaw
rough and oh so arousing as it brushed against her cheek. Did she want to
follow him in that direction? They had to see each other at work every day.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. She cleared her throat and leaned back just
enough to break contact. He smiled as he settled back on his stool.

“Have you ever been stood up?” she asked.

“No. But there were a few times when I wished she’d never shown
up.”

She shifted on the hard stool. “What happened?”

He lifted a brow. Did he know how sexy he looked when he did
that? “I thought you were telling the stories.”

She laughed lightly. “Oh no. We’re swapping, remember?”

Sam looked at her for a moment, just held her gaze until she
wanted to squirm. “Okay. Bad first date,” he said. “There was one woman who
wanted to go to the Upper Limit for dinner.”

“Of course, the most expensive restaurant in the area.”

“Exactly. She ordered the highest-priced item on the menu.”
When Meredith rolled her eyes, he said, “Really. I watched her skim her eyes
down the right-hand column. Ordered that fast. Wanted champagne. Appetizers.”
He threw back the rest of his whiskey. “Then she didn’t eat more than two
bites. Didn’t drink her champagne. Talked about shopping for clothes the entire
meal. She took all her food home in a box. I never heard from her again.” When
he grinned, she noticed sexy little crinkles around the corners of his eyes.
She wanted to press her lips there. “Of course, I never called her again
either.”

“Once I went out with a guy who ordered the most expensive
meal, appetizers, drink after drink, dessert. Ate it all. Drank it all. Much
more than what I ordered, you understand. Which would have been fine except then
he wanted to split the bill down the middle.”

Sam shook his head. “Maybe there should be a rule. First
dates shouldn’t be to expensive restaurants.”

“I agree. But maybe they shouldn’t be in crowded bars
either.” Her ass was killing her. She shifted on the hard stool again and
fanned her face.

A loud group of guys pushed by and bumped into Sam, causing
him to almost fall into her lap. Or maybe he merely used it as an excuse to
grab onto her hips in order to catch himself. His face was so close to her breasts
she could feel his breath on her skin.

He slowly, perhaps reluctantly, pushed away. “I don’t know.
I think a crowded bar has its benefits.”

She laughed and turned back to her drink. “So do you think
we’ve officially been stood up?”

Sam pulled out his phone and checked the time. “How long do
you usually wait before you give up? In college, guys only gave it ten minutes
before they walked.”

She laughed. “Sometimes I get a text with a lame excuse. And
that’s fine. Really. I’d rather get that than sit around waiting and wondering.
I give myself a two-drink limit. If he’s not here by the time I finish my
second drink, I call a cab and get the hell out.”

“How many drinks have you had?”

“Um. Three now. But the first two were for the blind-date
guy. I was just about to leave when you came over.”

“I got lucky, then.”

Her heart raced from the erotic promise in his voice. “I
don’t know. Are you still waiting for your date?”

“I stopped waiting for her as soon as I saw you.”

Delightful shivers danced along her skin and she leaned in
close, placed her hand on his shoulder. “Okay. What are we doing here?”

He leaned in even closer. “Getting to know each other a
little better?”

The scent of spicy musk reached her over the smells of booze
and perfume, and she took a big whiff. “Are you hitting on me, Sam?”

“I’d hoped the hitting on was mutual.”

It was hard to resist a guy who made her laugh. Especially a
hot guy who made her laugh and squirm on her seat. But from prior experience,
she knew a hot guy like Sam wouldn’t want her for more than a one-night stand.
“We have to see each other at work.” Life could get awkward fast.

“I know.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Those guys are
leaving. Want to grab that booth?”

“Yes!”

He laughed, grabbed her arm and snagged the back booth before
anyone else noticed it was free. She scooted onto the bench seat and instead of
taking the seat on the opposite side of the table, Sam slid in beside her.
Between the two of them—one big and tall, one big and wide—they took up most of
the space.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Sam said softly. “We can talk
without shouting across the table and besides, now I can do this without
drawing too much attention.” He placed his hand on her knee, then began to
slide it slowly up her bare thigh until he reached the edge of her dress. Her
pussy quivered in anticipation and he wasn’t even close to her center.

Two could play that game. Meredith put her hand on his
thigh. It was so hot and hard. But his leg was covered by fabric and that was
so not fair.

Her mind was whirling with the implications of what was
happening here tonight. She’d been stood up by one guy but now was getting up
close and personal with a coworker. A totally hot coworker who at this moment
was sneaking his fingers underneath her dress. She slid her hand up at little
closer to his groin.

“It’s your turn,” she said, her voice a little breathless.

His slow slide up her thigh stopped and he gently squeezed
her flesh. “My turn?”

She settled in closer, shoulders touching, thighs rubbing,
hands a little hungry for more. “For another bad-date story. Surely there was
someone worse than the greedy woman who just wanted you to buy her food for the
next week.”

Sam smiled and resumed his voyage beneath her dress. The
waves of arousal swimming through her system grew larger and more insistent.
She was glad she hadn’t worn a tight dress. The waitress came and they ordered
another round of drinks. This would have to be her last one, and then she’d
have to get some food in her stomach. Her head was whirling slightly but it was
more from the man beside her and the intimate way he was touching her.

Meredith shifted in the much-more-comfortable seat, dropping
her leg to give him better access. She barely worried about what he thought
about her fleshy thigh. The liquor had apparently done a good job of lowering
her inhibitions.

“There was the woman who took her cat with us on our date,”
he said. “The furry thing was curled up in her lap the entire time. She petted
it and talked to it for the entire drive down the coast. I might as well have
been their chauffeur.”

“Maybe she was afraid you were going to try to get in her
lap and she wanted protection.” She laughed louder when the thought hit her.
“Ha! She was petting her pussy so you couldn’t.”

Sam joined in her laughter. His fingers had made it to the
edge of her panties. Any worries she had about her thick thighs went flying
from her mind when he skimmed a finger down the wet center.

Sam’s cock throbbed at the sound of Meredith’s breathy gasp.
Her silky panties felt damp and as he lifted the edge of her dress, the scent
of her arousal rose to mix with the smells of booze and perfume. His cock was
aching behind his fly and as her hand inched closer, he hoped he didn’t explode
from the pressure building there.

Whenever he’d seen her at work, he thought he’d detected
hidden depths in those green eyes. A passion hidden behind the white lab coat
and hair pulled back tight. The time had never seemed right for him to approach
her for a drink or a date until now. If he hadn’t scared her off by his
advances so far, he hoped they might have a chance to explore the possibility
of a relationship.

As long as he could make sure this didn’t turn into a bad
date.

He hooked one finger beneath the elastic around her soft
leg. “Your turn.”

“Um. What?”

“Dreadful date story. Your turn.”

“Right.” She took a deep drink before sliding her hand all
the way up to his groin. His cock jerked in response. “I wasn’t sure if I
should share this one with you but if we might, you know, take this thing a
step further tonight, you probably should know I can get a little,” she lowered
her voice, “kinky in the bedroom.”

“Kinky? You?” He shouldn’t be surprised, considering how
open she’d been to his touches so far. He snaked his finger along her slick flesh
and smiled at her hip wiggle. “Tell me all about it.”

“Well, we were getting on okay. He seemed as if he was a
nice guy and we actually made it past the first date. Dinner at a fancy
restaurant, of course,” she added with a halfhearted grin. “No sex that night
but he asked me out again and we ended up back at my place.” She looked into
her glass. “Let’s just say he got his satisfaction and then left me tied to the
bed.”

Sam’s hand was out from beneath her dress in a second. He
grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “He left the apartment? He
actually left you restrained?” Sam knew he should have kept his voice down but
he was so angry there was no way he could do it. Luckily, no one reacted, so
the noise level from the conversations around them must have covered the words.

“Yeah. Bastard. When I heard the front door shut, I was so
angry. And scared.” She shuddered. “He came back a few minutes later. Said he
thought it was funny to pretend to leave. Obviously, I was not amused. I threw
his ass out and then was pissed at myself for letting myself get in that
situation.”

He swept her hair back from her face. “You thought you could
trust him.”

She nodded, her gaze bouncing all over the room. “My
mistake.”

His fingers tangled in her hair and brought her eyes back to
him. “You can trust me, you know.”

“I know.” She placed her hand over his. “Does this mean you
don’t object to a little adventure in the bedroom?”

“In the bedroom. Out of the bedroom. I’m not picky.”

There was that laugh again. “I like you, Sam.”

“I like you too.”

“You sure you wouldn’t rather be with one of those little
things over there?” She nodded over to the group of girls still flirting with
the bartender and a couple other guys nearby. He could detect vulnerability in
her eyes and he vowed right then to never hurt her. There might end up being
other reasons they wouldn’t stay together but he would never give her reason to
believe he thought she was too heavy.

Sam turned to study the group at the end of the bar. “Why do
some women want to look the same as everyone else? There is nothing about those
women to make them stand out from each other.” He slipped his arm around
Meredith’s waist and pulled her closer. He nearly sighed as her warm, soft body
pressed up against his.

“Look at them,” he went on. “They’re all dressed alike in
those short, tight skirts that barely cover their asses. And those skimpy tops.
I think I can even see their ribs. And hipbones. Do they think that’s
attractive?”

Meredith didn’t say anything but she snuggled a little
closer against him.

“They even wear their long, straight hair the same, sprayed
into place so not a strand could move. No man would risk his fingers trying to
comb through that.” He flashed her a grin and wrapped a finger around one of
her silky curls. “And look at their makeup. It’s so heavy a guy can’t even see
what they look like underneath.” He turned back to Meredith, with her tousled
curls and tasteful makeup and tempting flesh. He wrapped his arms around her.
“I don’t know why any man would want to hold anything but a soft, curvy woman.”

She smiled but it appeared to be more indulgent than
accepting.

“What are you thinking?” he asked with a frown.

“That your words sound good but that hasn’t been my
experience.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those bad dates? When they leave me, they go on to someone
who looks like them.” She shifted out of his arms. “And that sounds pitiful and
I don’t mean it to. It’s just life. I haven’t found any man who wants to hang
around with a big girl for long.”

He hated all those men who’d hurt her. “Maybe you haven’t
found the right guy yet.”

“Maybe so.” She shrugged, trying so hard to look as if she
didn’t care.

Sam knew she did. Of course, she did.

“Since I like you, Sam? I’ll admit I’m not sure I want to
risk our work relationship for what we’ve been headed toward tonight.”

“I didn’t take you for a coward.”

She narrowed her eyes. “It’s not cowardice. It’s reality. We
have to see each other every day at work. If we have a one-night stand, and I
don’t doubt it would be a really great one-night stand, I’ll have a problem
looking you in the eye on Monday morning. It would be too hard, too awkward.”

“And if I want more than a one-night stand? If I want to see
you outside of work again?”

“It’s nice of you to say that but—”

He grabbed her shoulders again. “I’m not saying anything to
be nice. Fuck nice. I like you, Meredith. I’m attracted to you. I think you are
hot and sexy. I’ve already told you that. I don’t know why you won’t believe
me.”

“Because I’ve heard it before,” she snapped.

“You haven’t heard it from me before.”

She took a deep breath and her expression softened. “No. I
haven’t.”

“All right.” He released her and picked up his drink, took a
small sip when all he wanted to do was toss it back. Could they recapture the
sexy atmosphere they’d had before? He glanced over to the bar, put his hand
back on her thigh. “See? They’re leaving. All of them together. Not one of them
hooked up tonight.”

She smiled, took a sip of her drink. Her fingers stroked the
stem of her glass and he wished they were on his cock.

It wasn’t much of a shift to lean in and nuzzle his face in
her soft hair. He took a deep breath, inhaled her sweet, yet musky, scent. “You
smell good,” he whispered.

Meredith turned to look at him and her lips were so close,
they brushed along his. Her surprised gasp caused her lips to part and Sam took
advantage of the moment to turn it into a proper kiss. Her lips were as soft as
the rest of her. Her taste just as sweet. He might have moaned into her mouth
as he dove in to claim her with his tongue.

She slowly drew away but not too far, just enough to murmur,
“I’ve never been one for PDAs.”

“You’re okay being kinky in the bedroom but public displays
of affection bother you?”

“Guess I’m not much of an exhibitionist.”

“Pity.” He winked. “No, it’s okay. I like my privacy too.
You’re just trying my self-control tonight. I want my hands on you.” He leaned
in again to bury his face in her neck, to feel her silky hair on his cheek and
brush her ear with his lips. “I want to have you all to myself. I want to hear
you scream when you come against my mouth. I want to bury myself deep in your
soft body and hear you scream again when you climax around me.”

She shivered. “Wow. You sure have a way with words.”

“I have an even better way with my hands. And other things.”

“I’ll bet you do.”

He sneaked another quick kiss and when he pulled away she
caught his lower lip with her teeth, drew it back into her mouth for a quick
suck. “You taste good,” she said. “Maybe I should have had whiskey tonight.”

“I taste like whiskey? That’s what you liked?”

Mischief sparkled in her eyes. She grinned and nodded, then
snagged his glass and took a swallow. “Mmm.” She giggled at his mock frown and
then offered him her glass. “Dirty martini?”

He’d never been fond of olive juice, but he tossed back the
rest of her drink and then shuddered. She laughed again and with that throaty
sound, he pictured her in his bed, those curls tumbled on the pillow, those
curves bared to his eyes, to his hands, his mouth. His cock ached, throbbing
with insistent need.

He’d finished her drink, so he gestured to Meredith to
finish his. She downed the rest in one gulp, then held the whiskey in her mouth
as if she were savoring it. After she swallowed, she licked her lips with a
slow sweep of her tongue.

“I don’t know about you but I need some food,” he said. That
inner teen was back again, nervous as hell as he asked, “Would you like to go
get something to eat?”

“You’re asking me out to dinner?” she asked softly. “Does
that mean this is a date?”

“Yep. First date.”

She took a deep breath, let it out on a shaky sigh. “Okay.
But we can’t go to a fancy restaurant. It’s the kiss of death.”

“Agreed.” He paused. So far it had been all flirting and
foreplay. Would she actually want to see how far this thing between them could
go or would her concern about them working together make her hesitate? He
didn’t like rejection any more than any other guy but he had to take the
chance. “My apartment is just down the block. Don’t suppose you’d be up to
grabbing a pizza and taking it back to my place?”

Meredith turned on the bench, one leg hitching up on the
seat. Her dress rode up as her legs parted. She leaned forward, placed her
hands on his thighs, her breasts close enough he could have buried his face in
her cleavage with only a small dip of his head. It took all his willpower not
to dip. Not yet. Not here.

“Your place?” she repeated as she slid her hands slowly up
his thighs.

“My place.” He grasped her hands and drew them to his groin.
“This is what you do to me. My stomach needs food. The rest of my body needs
you. What do you say?”

Her fingers traced the length of his cock but her gaze
stayed fixed on his. “No mushrooms or anchovies.”

“Got it.”

* * * * *

Sam’s apartment was in an old corner building above the
pizza place. The living space was one huge room and Meredith fell in love with
it immediately. Large windows looked out over the town. It was dark enough now
that she couldn’t see much more than the lights from neighboring buildings.

“I bet you have a great view,” she said. She draped her
shawl over the arm of the khaki-colored sofa. “My apartment faces the alleyway
between buildings.” She followed Sam into his small kitchen where he was
grabbing plates and napkins from bright-white cabinets. “But I’m not sure about
smelling pizza all the time. I’d be twice as big.”

Sam looked over at her with that brow lifted, as if he
didn’t want to hear her talk that way about herself. “I probably eat more pizza
than I should, but it’s usually because it’s so damn convenient. I think I’ve
gotten used to the aroma.” He opened the refrigerator and studied the contents.
“All I have to offer is beer or water.”

She didn’t need any more booze right now. “Water sounds
great.”

“Coming up.” He nodded to the small table in the corner.
“Not much room but I don’t often have company.”

She was surprisingly pleased to know he didn’t bring a lot
of women here. She looked back into the living room, at the long coffee table
and soft, dark area rug. She grabbed the pizza box off the counter.

“Plenty of room in here.” He followed her into the living
room with the plates, napkins and bottles of water. Meredith put the box on the
coffee table, dropped to the floor and then looked up at him. She smoothed her
dress. “Wish I’d worn pants now.”

His eyes darkened as he looked at her. “I don’t.” He sat
down beside her. “I like seeing these pretty legs.” He pushed her dress up her
thighs and she resisted the urge to tug it back down.

She knew her thighs looked even thicker when she was sitting
down but she was going to pretend he really did think they were pretty. Would
he have pushed up her dress otherwise? Meredith’s stomach tickled with nerves,
anticipating where she knew this night was headed. Maybe that’s all he was
thinking about too.

“I hope you don’t mind sitting on the floor,” she said, a
little after the fact. Her head had been getting a little tipsy from all the
alcohol, so she was grateful for finally getting some food in her system. “My
mother would never let us eat in the living room when I was growing up, so this
is one little rebellion I enjoy. Kinda harmless, you know.”

“Do you rebel a lot?” he asked as he dished out slices onto
the plates.

She took a bite and let all the incredible tastes explode in
her mouth while she contemplated her response. “My mother had a lot of rules,”
she told him. “She would be horrified if she knew I was sitting on the floor in
a dress, eating pizza in the living room, planning to have sex on the first
date.”

Sam chuckled and leaned over to drop a quick kiss on her
lips. “I am so glad to discover you’re such a rebel.”

“How about you? A rebel or a toe-the-line kind of guy?” Dumb
question. “No. You don’t need to answer that.”

“Why not?”

“You’re here with me, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. But what does that have to do with rebelling?”

She looked down at her pizza, pretending to study the
pepperoni and onions. “Nothing.”