She was concentrating so hard on putting one foot in front of the other, Candy was surprised when Lucas caught her by the crook of her arm, halting her progress. The table they’d stopped in front of was in a quiet corner of the room. As Lucas seated her, he leaned down, brushing her temple with his lips. “Breathe, sugar.”

Candy laughed and felt some of her earlier apprehension disappear. Now that she was seated at their table, she didn’t feel like she was on display. While Lucas took his own seat, she surveyed the restaurant with interest. The hardwood gleamed beneath tables set with fine linen tablecloths that fell all the way to the floor, delicate china and heavy silverware. Thick, white candles sat in silver holders on every table, their glow creating a muted, romantic atmosphere. A low, jazzy music played in the background as potted plants, strategically placed, created an air of intimacy about the place.

“Do you like it?” Lucas’ much bigger hand reached over and covered hers. She hadn’t realized she was clutching her purse in a death grip and made herself loosen her hold.

“It’s lovely.” That was an understatement. She didn’t think she’d ever been anywhere quite this nice before.

“Not as lovely as you are, but then, I don’t think anything else could be.” Clasping her hand in his, he slowly raised it to his lips and kissed each of her knuckles.

Candy was suddenly robbed of breath, not only by his compliment, but also by his actions. She couldn’t take her eyes off her hand as he held it so gently in his. The contrast of his darker, much larger one clasping her smaller, more fragile one was spellbinding. And when he licked one of her fingers, she almost moaned with pleasure.

The sound of someone discreetly clearing his throat next to their table made her keenly aware once again of her surroundings. She tried to yank her hand away, but Lucas’ closed firmly around her fingers. And although he wasn’t hurting her, there was no way she could escape him. He placed one last kiss on her hand before slowly returning it to her lap. Then he turned to the waiter as if nothing had happened.

Their waiter, obviously a man of great self-possession and discretion, greeted them and offered Lucas the wine list. With both men treating the whole incident as if it were nothing, she relaxed and began to enjoy her evening. Once the wine was ordered and sampled, they debated what to order for dinner. In the end, she chose the salmon in dill sauce with baby potatoes and glazed carrots while Lucas chose the evening special, halibut in a cream sauce.

When the waiter was gone, Candy picked up her wineglass and took a sip of the rich red wine, rolling it around in her mouth before swallowing. “So,” she began.

She could see the amusement in Lucas’ eyes as he took a sip of his own wine. “So?” he returned her words to her.

“So tell me about yourself.” She reminded herself that she was a publicist, for heaven’s sake. She knew how to talk to people. The key was always asking the right questions.

“Not much to tell.” His eyes warmed as he watched her. “I’d much rather talk about you.”

“What about me?” Was it her, or was the restaurant suddenly very warm? Her dress felt confining suddenly as her breasts swelled under his appraisal. She could feel her nipples tightening and pushing against the fabric.

“What secret fantasies do you have?”

Candy could barely catch her breath. “I don’t have any fantasies.” Even as the words tumbled past her lips, she knew she was lying. Right now, she had a very detailed fantasy running through her head, one in which they were both naked and Lucas was fucking her senseless.

“Now that’s a pity.” He leaned closer to her, his eyes and words seducing her. “I, on the other hand, have many fantasies. Shall I share one?”

She nodded, unable to speak as heat flooded her veins.

“I have a fantasy of you sitting here having supper with me wearing no panties. In fact, I want you to take off your panties and give them to me. I want to see what you wore for me, smell your arousal and feel your heat.” She couldn’t believe what he was saying to her, but he wasn’t anywhere near finished yet. “Then I want you to spread your legs wide so I can touch you and make sure you’re ready for what I have planned later.”

Lucas broke off suddenly and sat back in his chair as the waiter arrived at their table with their dinner. Candy couldn’t even look at the man as he placed her plate in front of her, but she did manage to nod her thanks. The images that Lucas conjured up were almost more than she could handle. Her body felt as if it were on fire.

As the waiter walked away, Lucas leaned forward again, his eyes intent. “Will you give me my fantasy, Candy?”

She didn’t recognize the sultry voice that answered him. “Yes.”

The desire in his eyes flared higher, but he said nothing as he sat back in his chair, picked up his wineglass and took a swallow. When she hesitated, he arched an eyebrow at her as if daring her to chicken out.

More determined than ever, she grabbed her own glass and took a large gulp, needing the warmth of the wine in her stomach. Plunking the glass back down, she reached beneath the table. Taking care to make sure the linen tablecloth was covering her lap, she eased the fabric of her dress over her thighs.

She kept her eyes on Lucas as she pushed her hands higher, grasped the thin strings on the side of her hips and tugged. His face looked as if it had been carved from stone, and as she watched, she could see a muscle in the side of his jaw twitch. Mr. Squires wasn’t as unaffected as he pretended to be.

That knowledge gave her the courage to lift herself as discreetly as she could and pull. Slipping her panties over her legs, she pushed them over her knees, letting them fall to her ankles. Carefully, she unhooked the garment from one foot before leaning down slightly so she could reach them with one hand. Quickly she pulled them off her other ankle and sat up straight once again.

“Give them to me.” His voice was almost a guttural snarl as he held out his hand. Candy hesitated briefly before pressing the small wad of fabric into his palm. His fingers closed over it immediately.

As she watched, he raised his closed fist to his nose and sniffed before lowering it to his lap. “You smell delicious.”

She felt her cheeks flush with heat. Trying to act nonchalant, she picked up her fork and took a bite of her salmon. After all, her dress and the tablecloth covered her completely so no one could see her. But that didn’t seem to matter— she still felt totally exposed. It was embarrassing and arousing at the same time.

Lucas lowered his hand back to his lap and slowly opened it, rubbing his thumb across the silky material. Candy almost choked on her food, the action was so erotic. Finally, he slipped her panties into his jacket pocket and began to eat his own meal.

She’d just swallowed another mouthful when he casually leaned over and pushed the tablecloth away from her lap. “Are you wet for me?”

It was all she could do not to whimper aloud. “Yes.” She could feel the cream seeping from her slit.

“Hmmm.” He nodded as he eased his hand into her lap, sliding it under the fabric of her dress. His fingers sifted through her pubic hair and straight between her swollen labia. He didn’t stop, slipping his finger into her core and pushing it deep.

Candy gasped and grabbed the edge of the table, her gaze sweeping around the room. Surely people knew what they were doing. But the tables around them were filled with people chatting and eating. Nobody was paying them the least amount of attention. It was instinct that made her try to close her legs, but Lucas pressed his thumb against her clit and rubbed it. “Keep your legs open, sugar. I want you soaked in your own juices by the time I take you back to my place for dessert.”

The man was diabolical. Casually, he picked up his own fork and enjoyed a few mouthfuls of his meal. At the same time, with his other hand, he pushed another finger inside her to join the first, stretching her even more. “Lucas,” she gasped, almost panting for breath. “Please.” At this point she wasn’t sure if she was asking him to stop or to give her more.

His eyes smoldered and the smile that turned up the edges of his mouth was wicked. “Oh, I aim to please you, Candy. And I will, over and over, all night long.” But he withdrew his fingers, stroking over her sensitive skin one final time before resuming eating.

Candy focused on just trying to breathe. All around them people were laughing, talking and enjoying themselves. Lucas made casual conversation as he enjoyed his dinner. She managed to respond to several of his questions with what she hoped were intelligent responses, but for the most part she just nodded when appropriate. She could feel Lucas’ eyes on her, watching her intently as she picked at the food on her plate.

Candy no longer had an appetite, at least not for food. Her needs were much more primal and basic. She couldn’t stand the waiting. Placing her fork across her plate, she finally met his gaze. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

Lucas frowned and glanced at her plate. She shuddered when he reached under the table and smoothed the skirt of her dress back over her legs. His frown deepened as he skimmed his thumb across her full bottom lip. “You hardly ate anything. I didn’t mean to make you so uncomfortable you couldn’t eat. This is all about pleasure and it seems I’ve made you feel anything but that.” Leaning forward, he kissed her lips ever so gently. Her insides clenched tight. “I’m sorry, sugar.”

Not feel any pleasure! Was the man insane? If she felt any more pleasure, she was going to have an orgasm right in the middle of the restaurant.