Nothing In Common Read online

  Tom smiled and shifted his weight, which made his thigh rub against hers. Again. "I’ll send your compliments to the chef."

  They'd all gone to The Foxfire after the successful gallery meeting, at which Lila and Tom had not had to interact directly. But everything changed when they got to The Foxfire.

  Though the restaurant was only a few blocks from her house, Lila had never eaten there before and hadn’t realized Tom was the owner. The food was delicious, the atmosphere elegantly casual. Tom had made menu suggestions then left the table a few times to make his rounds through the restaurant. She'd watched him greeting new customers and old alike with the same easy grace. He’d even stopped to admire a little girl’s placemat masterpiece, drawn with crayons Tom himself had provided. Lila had to admit she was impressed.

  It wasn’t until he’d actually sat down to eat with them that the problems began. Lila had been prepared for him to ignore her, especially after the way they’d last parted. He didn’t ignore her. He watched her. His eyes caught hers at every opportunity, which, since she wasn’t able to stop looking at him, happened a lot. His hand brushed hers "accidentally" when he passed her the butter for rolls she couldn’t bring herself to eat. His thigh pressed on hers every time he shifted in his seat. His fingers caressed the back of her neck when he reached behind her to take something Rivka handed him.

  In short, the damned gorgeous man was seducing her in front of her sister, Mick and Martin, and not one of them had any clue.

  Every time he touched her, it sent a shiver of anticipation straight between her thighs. Lila blessed the thick sweater she wore. It hid the sharp peaks of her erect nipples. She wasn’t so pleased with her choice of skirt. It rode too high on her thighs, leaving too much room for air to caress her body in all the ways she was wishing Tom would.

  "How was your dessert?" Tom’s tone was a trifle concerned. "You hardly touched your plate."

  "It was delicious." She hadn’t eaten a bite, unable to stop imagining the smooth whipped cream coating Tom’s stomach while she licked it off.

  Tom’s slow smile traveled from his sensuous lips to heat his striking hazel eyes, and the tension rose even higher between them. Why, exactly, had she not wanted to go out with him? Something about him being too good looking? She couldn’t really remember. Tom’s stare caught her like a stream catches a fallen leaf in its current, and she swirled around and around until she no longer knew which direction she ought to go.

  "Well, folks, this old girl’s got to roll," Rivka announced suddenly with a loud yawn.

  Martin glanced at his watch. "I do as well. It’s late. I’d best be getting home. I’ve got a long drive to North Carolina tomorrow to oversee the packing of those paintings Rivka was showing down there."

  Rivka stopped putting on her coat. "Are you ready, Lila?"

  She wasn’t, but didn’t quite know how to say so. "Actually, I’d.…"

  "Let her finish her dessert," Mick scolded. "Just because the desserts go straight to your thighs, don’t deny sweet Lila her pleasures."

  Rivka slapped him lightly. "You, my husband, are aching for a breaking. We all came together. Remember? If Lila-love doesn’t come with us, how’s she going to get home?"

  If she had her way, it wouldn’t be dessert going straight to her thighs. "I’ll walk. You can drop off my car for me later."

  Rivka looked doubtful. "If you’re sure."

  Lila tore her gaze away from Tom’s long enough to look at her sister. "I’m sure. Go on. I’d like to eat the rest of this cheesecake."

  "All right. Talk to you soon." Rivka pressed affectionate kisses to her sister’s cheek and Tom’s. "Can’t thank you enough, Tom."

  Before Lila knew it, the table had cleared and she sat alone with Tom. She glanced at her watch. Martin was right. It was getting late. Not only had their group left, but most of the restaurant had cleared out as well. The staff had already begun putting some of the chairs up on top of the tables in preparation for closing. "I guess I’d better go, too." Lila didn’t move.

  "I’ve been thinking about you all week." Tom’s voice was so low it was almost as though he didn’t want her to hear.

  The sweet spot between her legs pulsed, once, twice. "You could’ve called."

  "You didn’t give me your number." His voice was quiet, but his eyes were hazel fire.

  Her fingers itched to smooth the errant lock of dark hair away from his forehead. His gaze felt heavy upon her mouth. When she licked her lips, the brief tightening of his jaw showed he had been watching her lips.

  "Lila, I know I’m not your type of guy. I know we both got off on the wrong foot, but I like you. I’d like to try again. If I wear a bag on my head, do you think you can stand to be seen with me?"

  His utterly incongruous statement forced a startled laugh from her. Once out, another joined it, until she had to hold her sides from the force of her mirth. Tom laughed with her, their mingled chortles ringing through the nearly empty room. An oversexed blonde stopped to stare at them with narrowed eyes, but the rest of the staff ignored them.

  "Do you want me to call you a cab?" His eyes caressed her mouth, and she licked her lips again just to watch his gaze darken.

  "I don’t live very far. How about you walk me home instead?"

  He reached for her hand and, for one breathless moment, she thought he meant to kiss it. Instead, he used the grasp to pull her to her feet. With no more than a few inches between them, his presence surrounded her like a cloak.

  "Only if you promise to invite me in," he said.

  "I think I can manage that." Anticipation made her entire body tingle. "I’m ready."

  And this time, she wasn’t lying.

  * * *

  Tom slapped freezing hands against his sides. "When I promised to walk you home, I had no idea you lived so far away."

  Lila laughed. She had a truly lovely laugh, deep, infectious and achingly sexy. Hearing it made him want to sweep her into his arms and kiss the breath out of her…but he held back. Like a long-simmering sauce, there were some things that tasted better the longer you had to wait for them.

  Lila patted her stomach. "After that meal, I had to have a long walk. Besides, one more block and we’re there."

  In the light of the streetlamps, her eyes looked as blue and clear as a spring-fed stream. Her nose had reddened with the cold, as had her cheeks. Her hair had tousled in the breeze and tangled about her face in dark tumble he wanted to straighten with his fingers. It would feel like silk. Feel like silk and smell like heaven.

  "You’re staring." Unlike the last time she’d accused him of it, Lila didn’t look upset.

  "I can’t help it."

  She nodded and smiled, and that tempting pink tongue slipped out to glide along her lower lip again. His groin tightened in response. She pointed to a narrow Victorian house to their left. A solitary light burned in a lower window. As they approached, the porch light also flickered to life.

  "That’s mine. I have the light on a timer."

  He followed her up the front steps, and when she turned to say something, Tom gathered her into his arms and did what he’d wanted to ever since the night of Rivka’s show. He kissed her. She stood stiffly in his arms at first, and his first thought was that he’d made another mistake. Then she eased into his embrace like sliding between a set of flannel sheets, and he knew it was all right.

  She tasted like cold air with a hint of the spicy sauce she’d had on her pasta. Her lips were soft and warm against his; her tongue a sweet surprise when he urged her mouth open with his own. She twined her fingers in his hair and tickled the sensitive spot at the nape of his neck.

  She pressed into his embrace. The bulky field coat she wore obscured any hint of the body beneath it, which was just as well because he needed nothing more to arouse him. He was already hard and throbbing just from the taste of her and the touch of her fingers in his hair.

  Lila broke the kiss and stepped away from him. Her blue eyes had grown dark with a p