The Tycoon's Unexpected Baby (The Abbot Sisters #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,11

herself. This man was suave and sophisticated. She wasn’t even close to being in his league. He probably dated supermodels and women who looked like celery sticks – tall, thin, and boring. She wasn’t anything like that. Pepper knew that she was short, curvy, and…well, definitely not thin.

Such was not to be, she thought wistfully and smiled when he stepped back to allow her to precede him out of the restaurant. “Thank you for dinner. It’s one of my favorite places.”

“I can see why,” he replied, placing a hand to the small of her back. “It was excellent. I appreciate you sharing your secret bistro with me.”

She grinned over her shoulder up at him, then turned onto the sidewalk. “Well, thank you for dinner. I can walk home. There’s no need to…”

“Get in the limousine, Pepper,” he intoned, his voice low and those dark eyes watching her with confusing intent.

Not a date, she reminded herself. She gestured down the street towards her loft. “I can just…”

He stepped closer. “Pepper, I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment you opened your door. But I’m not going to do it here on the sidewalk in front of that restaurant. I don’t know if Tony and his sons have weapons, but I’m fairly sure that I don’t want to find out. So, get in the vehicle so that I can drive you home and kiss you at your door properly.”

Pepper was so stunned that all that came out of her mouth was a pathetic sounding, “Oh!”

With a nudge to the small of her back, she moved towards the limousine. But just before she would have ducked into the back, she spun around, pressing a hand to the middle of his chest. “We can’t!” she gasped.

His eyes narrowed. “Can’t?”

Shaking her head, she looked at him, her eyes moving over his shoulders and arms and…well all of him! “We can’t kiss!”

Dimitri turned his head and she followed his gaze, horrified to see the stoic looking driver looking off to the side. The man nodded and disappeared, stepping into the driver’s seat to give them some privacy.

When they were alone, he looked down at her. “Why can’t I kiss you?” he asked, his hand moving to cover hers where it rested on the top of the door. Slowly, carefully, he leaned forward. “Because I do intend to kiss you, Pepper.” His eyes lowered. “Maybe more.”

Pepper trembled, wanting both the kiss and the enticing, mysterious “more”, but knew that it was too dangerous. “We can’t kiss.”

He laughed. “Get in the car, Pepper.”

She started to, then she stopped herself, glaring up at him. When he only glared down at her, she lifted one of her eyebrows…waiting.

He sighed, shaking his head, but those hard, uncompromising lips curled up with amusement at her silent reminder for him to mind his manners. “Please, get in the car, Pepper. This isn’t a conversation I want to have on the sidewalk where others might overhear.”

Pepper looked around, noticed other people walking by and looking at them curiously. “Right!” and she ducked into the back seat.

He followed, pulling the door closed. The driver pulled smoothly away from the curb and Pepper idly wondered how the man had found a parking space right in front of the restaurant. This was a big limousine and…well, this was New York City! Open parking spaces just didn’t happen. Ever!

“How did you…?” she started, but when he looked at her, what she’d been about to say died on her lips.

“Not here,” he told her. Thankfully, it was just a short trip to her apartment. He stepped out quickly, extending his hand to help her out.

Pepper hesitated to accept his hand, knowing that she’d once again feel that zing when they touched.

But there was nothing she could do that wouldn’t be construed as rude. Slowly, she touched his palm, and gasped quietly when his hand closed around hers.

With a gentle pressure, he pulled her onto the sidewalk. They stood like that for a long moment, staring into each other’s eyes. “This is dangerous,” she finally whispered.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked, moving closer.

Pepper wanted to deny it, but honesty was too strong in her makeup. “Yes,” she told him. “But it’s dangerous.”

He didn’t laugh. Instead, he took her hand and led her up the stairs of her building. At the door to her apartment, she turned, her keys clutched in her hand. “Please don’t kiss me,” she begged.

“I must,” he replied softly. “But how about if I kiss