Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) (17 page)

“This place is amazing,” she said, looking around.

He smiled. “Thank you.”

Danielle reappeared. “Mr. McIntyre, dinner is served.”

Shane stood and offered Beth his arm. “Shall we?”

“I would be delighted, sir,” she said, standing. “Should we bring the wine?”

He shook his head, setting her wine glass on the sofa table. “There’ll be a different wine with the meal. I just need you.”

Shane escorted Beth to the dining table, where two place settings were laid out at one end. The lights in the apartment dimmed throughout the floor, and an elaborate crystal chandelier hanging over the dining room table came on, casting a golden light over the table setting. There were a half-dozen tapered candles, already lit, randomly placed at their end of the table. The setting was beautiful and romantic, and she realized he’d gone to a lot of effort to make the evening perfect.

As soon as they sat, Danielle and a young man with short, curly blond hair came to the table carrying wide, shallow bowls.

“Italian Wedding Soup,” Danielle said as she placed a bowl in front of Shane. 

Her companion set the other bowl in front of Beth. “I’m Robbie,” he said.

Danielle returned to the table with two salads. Robbie carried in a basket of sliced warm bread and another bottle of wine – a Chianti, he said – which he presented to Shane for inspection.

Robbie opened the bottle with a well-practiced flourish. “May I pour you a glass, sir?” Robbie said.

“Please,” Shane said.

Robbie poured Shane a small amount of the dark red wine. Shane took a sip and nodded, and then Robbie filled both Shane’s glass and Beth’s.

Danielle and Robbie remained standing quietly at attention, and Beth wondered if they were going to stand there watching them throughout the entire meal.

Shane tasted the soup. “Excellent, thank you,” he said, and Danielle and Robbie visibly relaxed.

Beth tasted the soup as well. “It’s delicious.”

Danielle smiled at the praise and said, “Thank you, ma’am.”

“We have Pasta Bolognese for the main course and Tiramisu for dessert,” Robbie said.

“Thank you both,” Shane said. “Please, help yourselves in the kitchen.”

That must have been the cue they were waiting for, because they retreated quietly to the kitchen, leaving Shane and Beth to enjoy their meal in private. Beth was relieved when they left; their attentive hovering was making her self-conscious.

When they finished their soup and salad, Danielle and Robbie reappeared as if on cue. Danielle cleared away the dishes, while Robbie set out plates of pasta. He poured Shane another glass of the Chianti and asked Beth if she wanted her glass topped off, but she declined and asked for a glass of water instead.

Once again, they were left to enjoy their meals. Beth was blown away by the delicious food and the beautiful table. It was like dining at a 5-star restaurant at home. She’d never experienced anything so extravagant.

“This is an amazing meal, Shane. Thank you.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you like it. This is one of the perks of having friends in the restaurant business.”

“I’ll never be able to eat all of this, though,” she said, looking at the bowl of pasta in front of her. There was enough food in front of her to feed a small army.

“Just eat what you want,” he said. “We can have the leftovers tomorrow, if you’d like.”

Tomorrow
. As in, she was going to be an overnight guest?

And just like that, she lost her appetite. Butterflies began tumbling wildly in her stomach, and she felt a little queasy. She didn’t want to stuff herself if what she thought might happen tonight actually happened. From the way Shane kept looking at her with his heated gaze, she suspected that it just might happen. And the thought of being intimate with him definitely killed her appetite.

“The pasta’s delicious, but I’d better stop now,” she said, laying down her fork. She picked up a burgundy cloth napkin and discretely touched her mouth, just in case she was wearing some of the delectable sauce.

He frowned at her plate. “You hardly touched your food. Would you rather have something else?”

“No! The food is wonderful. I just can’t eat any more.”

She sipped her water while Shane finished his meal. When he laid down his own fork and wiped his mouth, Beth’s heart rate kicked up a notch.

“You have to have some dessert, though,” he said, giving her the most disarming smile.

As if on cue, Danielle carried in two dishes of Tiramisu and set one down in front of each of them.

“I’d better not,” Beth said.

Shane picked up his dessert spoon and scooped up a small bite of his Tiramisu and offered it to Beth. “Just one bite?”

She opened her mouth, and Shane slipped the spoon between her lips. His gaze was fixated on her lips as they closed around the spoon.

“Oh, wow,” she moaned, tasting the sweet combination of cream, espresso, and chocolate. The spongy cake literally melted on her tongue. “That’s really good.”

“Another bite?” he said, offering her another spoonful.

Beth grinned. “All right. Just one more.” She opened her mouth for him to feed her another spoonful of the creamy confection.

“You have some cream on your lip,” he said, reaching out to wipe her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. He licked the cream from his thumb, never taking his eyes off her as he watched her cheeks flush. My God, she had no idea how sensual she was.

He was watching her intently, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t Italian desserts he had on his mind. But the glitter in his eyes was giving her a little bit of confidence, so she thought that two could play this game. She used her own spoon to scoop up some of her dessert and held it out for him.

Shane reached out and wrapped his fingers around her hand, guiding her spoon to his mouth. He readily opened his mouth and drew the spoon inside, his gaze never once leaving hers. When she pulled the empty spoon back, he leaned forward and kissed her, and they both tasted like sweet cream and chocolate.

Shane growled as his hand slipped around to the back of her head and he held her still for a deeper kiss. “Hmm, dessert as foreplay,” he said. “I don’t think I can take much more. I’ll tell the caterers we’re finished.” He rose from the table. “We can save the leftovers for tomorrow, unless Cooper eats it all in the night. How’s that?”

Beth nodded, and her nerves went into a sudden tailspin. Her expression must have given her away, because Shane looked down at her.

“Relax, sweetheart,” he said, reaching down to gently touch her face. “No pressure, right?”

She’d never been any good at hiding her emotions.

“Why don’t you go sit by the fire and relax?” he suggested, pulling her chair back from the table. “I’ll show Danielle and Robbie out.”

Beth stood. “Thank you for a wonderful dinner,” she said. “And please thank Danielle and Robbie for me.”

“You’re welcome, and I will.” Shane leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. “Go sit down before you fall down. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

Beth was only too happy to escape for a few minutes. She headed back to the sofa and sat in front of the fire, which was a soothing distraction. She leaned her head back on the sofa cushion and closed her eyes, focusing her mind on the quiet music coming through the sound system. In the background, she could hear Shane speaking with the caterers, thanking them as he walked them to the door.

A few minutes later, she felt the sofa cushions dip as he joined her on the sofa.

“They’re gone.”

She opened her eyes and looked at Shane. He’d loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

“Are you all right?” he said.

She nodded. “I’m fine.”

“You’re very quiet.”

She chuckled. “I think I’m in a 5-star coma.”

“I hope you mean that in a good way.”

“I do,” she said. “The food was amazing, especially the dessert.”

Shane picked up the remote control and pressed a couple buttons. The soft blues segued into big band and the air was filled with the unmistakable vocals of Frank Sinatra telling some lucky lady he had a crush on her.

Shane stood and offered Beth his hand. “Dance with me.”

Despite the fact that her heart immediately took off into a gallop, she took Shane’s hand and let him pull her up from the sofa and lead her to an open space in the middle of the room. The sun was setting, and the night sky was now a light shade of indigo. Out on the lake, lights from the chartered cruises sparkled like diamonds on the water, as the stars twinkled faintly overhead in the clear night sky.

Shane pulled Beth into his arms.

“I’m not very good at this,” she said, trying to follow his subtle movements without stepping on him.

“It’s okay. Just relax and follow my lead.”

Shane proved to be an excellent dancer, guiding her smoothly in sync with the music. His hand nearly engulfed hers, while his other arm wrapped around her torso, holding her close. She leaned into him, taking pleasure in his clean, masculine scent.

“Dancing is just an excuse to hold you, you know,” he whispered in her ear.

His voice was low and intimate, and she shivered.

The music morphed to a favorite of hers as Sinatra crooned about some lovely lady flying him to the moon. Their pace slowed until finally they were practically standing still, simply holding each other. Shane leaned down and kissed her gently. Then he pulled back and gazed down at her, questioningly.

Beth lost herself in his gaze, in the heat and desire she saw there. This close, she could see tiny flecks of pale gold in his irises. She also saw a hunger that aroused her as much as it unnerved her.

“Will you stay with me tonight, Beth?” he said. His hand came up to cradle one side of her face, his thumb brushing her lower lip. “It’s okay if you’re not ready – ”

She felt like a champagne bubble about to burst. All she knew was that she wanted this. For once in her life, she wanted to let go and experience the heat and the passion that she’d been living without. Before she could chicken out, she took a deep breath and stepped right off the cliff. “I’ll stay. Yes.”

Chapter 15

Beth didn’t remember how she got there, but all of a sudden she was standing in front of a closed door at the end of a long hallway. Shane opened the door, and she walked inside.

She was expecting a bedroom, of course, and a really nice one based on what she’d seen so far of the rest of the apartment, but this wasn’t a bedroom by any stretch of the imagination. It was an entire suite of its own, an apartment within an apartment, with a sleeping area, a living and entertainment area, and a small gourmet kitchen and bar.

It was a masculine space, decorated in warm browns and blues, and as warm and cozy as the main room of the penthouse. On the hardwood floors were a number of large area rugs in browns, blues, and creams positioned about the room.

The ceilings were high in here, too, framed in crown molding with recessed lighting throughout, and the exterior wall was also glass from floor to ceiling, providing a panoramic view of the lake to the left and the city to the right. The nighttime scenery was magical, all flickering lights and towering glass, steel, and stone buildings. Long, heavy chocolate brown drapes hung from rods over the windows that they could be pulled shut to block out the light when needed – surely a necessity for sleeping in.

“Make yourself at home,” Shane said, loosening his tie. “I’m going to lose the tie and jacket.”

Shane disappeared through an open door, which presumably led to a walk-in closet. Beth wandered around the suite and quickly discovered her overnight bag perched on a padded bench at the foot of a massive bed. She grabbed her toiletries from her bag and went in search of the bathroom.

The en-suite bathroom turned out to be just as impressive as the rest of the apartment. The floor was brown travertine marble with flecks of gold. The walls were slate gray stone, and there was a stone hearth at the far side of the room. In addition to the large walk-in shower, there was also a hot tub in the corner that was big enough for half a dozen people. There were two private toilet stalls in the bathroom and a long marble counter with two sinks and full length mirror. Built-in cherry cabinetry provided plenty of storage for linens and toiletries.

“I could live in here,” she said, taking in the spacious and elegant space.

She made quick use of the facilities and brushed her teeth, then went in search of Shane. She found him standing barefoot at the wet bar, dressed in his trousers and shirt. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and all she could think about was undoing the rest of the buttons to uncover what was underneath.

He turned to her and smiled. “Would you like a drink?”

“I’ve already had two glasses of wine, which is two glasses more than I usually drink. I’d better not.”

“A little bit of whiskey probably wouldn’t hurt,” he said. “It might help you relax.”

“Do you think so?” She’d never had hard liquor before, but if it might help her relax, she was game to try it.

He nodded. “It’s worth a try. Maybe then we could talk.”

Talk?
The irony wasn’t lost on Beth. She was trying to get up the nerve to have sex with him, and he wanted to talk. “Talk about what?”

“You said you’d tell me about what happened to you. Maybe we should start there.”

She stepped back. “Oh, no,” she said, shaking her head. “No.” She walked to the windows and looked out at the inky night sky, feeling suddenly chilled to the bone. She rubbed her bare arms in a futile attempt to warm herself.

Shane came up behind her and placed his hands on her arms, stroking her.  “You’re shaking.”

“I’m nervous,” she admitted. And wasn’t that a huge understatement. She knew she should tell him she was in over her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She’d just have to muddle through the best she could. “It’s been a while.... And it didn’t go well.”

His warm hands on her bare arms felt so good, she moaned. When she looked up, she saw his reflection in the glass in front of her.