Let Me Tease You: Steamy Older Man Younger Woman Romance (Let Me Love You Book 5)(11)

“That’s what I’m hoping you can help with, though. Help me show off. I’m a fast learner.”

I smiled. I was warming up to the idea of being able to show a man how I wanted to be treated, to tell him exactly how he was making me feel in any given situation. It would certainly be a change of pace from Desmond, who had always expected me to stay in the background, and never asked my opinion on anything, especially not the kinds of things Miguel was asking for.

“I’ll do it,” I confirmed, taking the last drink of wine from my glass. “Gladly. And I think we can get started tonight. Right now.”

He seemed a little taken aback by my enthusiasm, but only for a moment. He finished his wine in one long sip and nodded, his wide smile reappearing. My heart leapt at the cute dimple that popped up as he revealed his adorable smile.

“I’m ready,” he said. “What do we do first?”

“First,” I looked around for our waiter, “We pay our bill and get out of here.”

“Already taken care of.” He shrugged when he noticed my look of surprise. “You’re doing me a favor. The least I could do was pay for drinks.”

“See, learning already,” I said, only half-joking. He really was a lot more attractive and appealing than he gave himself credit for. His self-confidence just needed a boost, and I couldn’t fault him for that. After so many years of shitty relationships, he’d started to believe that he wasn’t worthy of a good one. It was definitely a feeling I could relate to.

I was just too stubborn to believe it.

We made our way out of the restaurant and onto Ocean Drive. It was one of my favorite places, especially in the evening, when the neon lights bathed all of the old art deco buildings in vibrant shades of blue and pink and yellow. It was the perfect spot for a date. Or a practice date.

“Lesson one,” I said, taking his hand, “is a little bit of PDA.”

“PDA?”

“You know, public display of affection. When you’re out with a woman, she wants to feel the romance. It’s okay to let the world know you’re a couple. So you hold hands, you get close.”

To emphasize my point, I leaned into him as we walked. I was a little surprised at how perfectly my body fit against his, and how nice it felt when he put his arm around me and pulled me even closer. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time, and one I could definitely get used to.

We got to the corner and stopped. There were people all around us, and music and laughter spilled out of the sidewalk cafes and the cars slowly driving by, but I barely noticed any of it. With Miguel next to me and the endless expanse of sandy beach and bright blue ocean in the distance, it was paradise.

I looked up at him. “See, it’s nice, right?”

He nodded and smiled down at me. “Very nice.”

I wasn’t sure if he was talking about the view, or our surroundings, or the way my body was pressed against his. Maybe, like me, he was enjoying all of it.

“Thank you for tonight,” he said, turning his body to stand in front of me.

He had both hands around my waist and I felt so safe, so secure, so damn nice that I never wanted the moment to end.

I wanted to tell him that it had been just as enjoyable for me, that I was really glad we met, that I hoped we could spend more time together soon. But as my lips parted and I tried to speak, the only thing I could say was, “Kiss me.”

Then his lips met mine, and nothing else mattered. The people, the lights, and the noise all faded to the background as his hands roamed up and down my back and my body melted against his.

Like everything else about him, the kiss was sweet and simple, not overpowering, not too much. It was gentle, and caring, and… perfect.

When it was over and he was smiling down at me again, I knew without a doubt that there was nowhere else I wanted to be.

And that if I wasn’t careful, I was going to seriously complicate everything.





Miguel





It had been twelve hours since I’d said good night to Bianca, and I still hadn’t stopped smiling. Even once I’d arrived at work, it felt as though I was walking through a dream, like she might be waiting for me around the corner, or in my office, ready to walk hand-in-hand again.

Ready to kiss me again.

I didn’t even care that I’d been walking around all morning like a grinning fool — not even when three different people stopped me to ask what had made me so happy on a Wednesday morning. I couldn’t have explained it, even if I’d wanted to. And they probably wouldn’t have understood, anyway.

It was eight thirty, and I was sitting in the conference room, waiting for the one person on the planet who could have potentially made the smile slip from my face.

He was late, of course, leaving me sitting and waiting with one of the senior partners from my firm in the large, otherwise empty room.

“Do you think he’s going to make it?” Terri asked, glancing at her watch.

I had to fight back a smirk. “It’s still pretty early for him, I’d guess. I’ll give him a few more minutes before I start making phone calls, though.”

She nodded. “If it wasn’t Desmond Bond—”

“I know, believe me.”

If it wasn’t Desmond Bond, she wouldn’t have been waiting in that conference room with me in the first place. Terri Watts wasn’t a woman who waited for anyone.