The Ultimate Seduction

Chapter One

"If I had to choose one guy in this place to get naked with, I'd pick Noah Sommers. He's so damn sexy." Gina fanned herself with a cocktail napkin and slanted Natalie Hastings an envious glance. "Unfortunately, there's only one woman in this bar he's interested in, and it certainly isn't me."

With a patient smile, Natalie set down her serving tray at the end of the mahogany-and-brass bar as Murphy poured drinks for the waitresses to deliver to the Saturday evening customers. Her friend's insinuation was as clear as the crystal hanging from the glass racks overhead. Noah Sommers wanted her, and for the past nine months he'd made his interest in her blatantly obvious, despite how many times she'd turned down his advances.

Unerringly, her gaze sought and found the man in question, a gorgeous male specimen with dark, tousled hair, striking blue eyes and a lean, honed body made for sin of the carnal variety. He'd certainly inspired a few private fantasies of her own.

He stood across the room in the gaming area of Murphy's Bar and Grill playing a round of pool with one of his good friends, Bobby Malone. As Noah lifted a bottle of beer to his lips, she admired the strong line of his jaw and the broad chest that filled out his plain blue T-shirt. Snug, faded jeans encased lean hips, muscular thighs and long, strong legs.

Oh, yeah, the man was sin incarnate.

Noah turned his head as Bobby made his shot and caught her looking his way. A slow, sexy grin eased up the corner of his mouth and he winked at her, causing a tingling warmth and awareness to pervade her entire body. Suppressing her sexual reaction as she'd taught herself to since her last relationship, she smiled back and returned her attention to her drink order.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Gina teased. "Or are you just playing hard to get with Noah?"

Natalie rolled her eyes at her friend. "You know I don't fraternize with the customers." A personal rule she'd established for herself, and one Noah sorely tempted her to break with his devastating smile and male charm.

"Or anyone else for that matter," Gina added as she loaded drinks onto her tray. "And Lord knows with that killer body of yours you could have just about any man you wanted."

Natalie inwardly cringed at Gina's assumption. If anything, she tried to downplay the centerfold curves that turned heads, but the bar uniform she was required to wear-jeans and a kelly-green T-shirt with "Murphy's Bar And Grill" emblazoned across her well-endowed chest-didn't hide much.

Reaching for a wedge of lime, Natalie settled the garnish on top of the bottle of Corona on Gina's tray. "Trust me, this body is more a curse than a blessing." Her lush figure had brought her more heartache than joy, more insecurities than confidence, not that she'd expect anyone to understand what she'd been through before coming to live in Oakland, California, nine months ago.

Gina glanced down at her own insubstantial chest, then back at Natalie, her brow raised with amusement. "Pardon me, but my triple A's tend to disagree."

Natalie shook her head as she refilled a bowl of shelled peanuts for Gina's customers, then her own. "You know how the saying goes-you always want what you don't have." The statement certainly held true for her. She'd spent too many years as a young girl wishing for a flat chest and a couple of pounds off her hips, not that anyone had granted her request.

"I'm very familiar with the saying," her friend said with a toss of her dark brown hair. "And I covet those." Her hazel-eyed gaze dipped briefly to Natalie's chest. "I'm hoping the 'be careful what you wish for' saying comes true for me."

Natalie laughed, and Gina sashayed off to deliver her drinks, garnering a fair share of male attention as she crossed the room. In Gina's case, the ogling and playful come-ons of the male patrons were appreciated. In Natalie's case, she tolerated the comments and stares as part of the job and the reality of her life.

At the age of twelve she'd been wearing a size 36B bra, along with acquiring curvaceous hips and long legs that had made her feel like a giraffe. Her bust size had eventually increased to a 36D, and by the time she'd graduated high school she'd learned that most boys and men looked at her and thought of one thing: sex. They'd dated her believing she'd put out, and were sorely disappointed when she didn't allow their wandering hands to make it inside her blouse or pants. Even the boy at the last foster home she'd lived at until the age of eighteen had attempted to coax her into his bed, to no avail.

Amazingly, she'd remained a virgin until two years ago, at the age of twenty-three. Her first sexual encounter had been with Chad Freeman, a co-ed with her at the University of Nevada, Reno, who'd pursued her for weeks, until she'd finally accepted an invitation to dinner, which led to a series of dates thereafter. When she'd finally agreed to sleep with him, believing she was ready to take that intimate step, the experience had been awkward and one-sided. And their sexual encounters failed to improve for her. Despite wanting more physically, she'd settled for less-than-fulfilling sex.

As their relationship progressed, Chad's attitude toward her changed. He'd grown distrustful, domineering and jealous. Anytime a man looked her way he'd comment that if she didn't dress like a tramp she wouldn't draw so much attention. If she gave any indication that she wanted more sexually, like an orgasm of her own, he'd tell her she was easy.

He'd been a master at mind games, and the possessive relationship had continued until she'd accepted a job as a showgirl at a Reno casino to make some extra money while going to school during the day. Chad's temper had exploded for the first time, and after berating her for flaunting her body in front of other men, he'd demanded she quit her new job.

Done with him controlling her mentally, emotionally and physically, she'd refused his order and broken off their relationship, which only enraged him more. For the next three months he'd stalked her, threatened her and finally attacked her one night after work. Afraid a restraining order wouldn't stop his madness, and having no loved ones to leave behind, she'd packed up her meager belongings and abruptly moved to Oakland to start out fresh, leaving no forwarding address.

Her chest tightened at the awful memories, along with the wave of insecurities that had come in the aftermath of that tumultuous relationship. Diligently pushing those disturbing recollections aside as she'd done hundreds of times before, she focused on her new life in Oakland. She might lead a solitary, monotonous existence, but she was safe here. And that was all that mattered to her. Or so she tried to convince herself during long, lonely nights when she wished she had more to keep her warm than college textbooks and sensual fantasies of a certain blue-eyed, dark-haired Adonis.

But that's all she'd have-private musings and erotic dreams of Noah, because she knew how dangerous it was to let her desires be known, to get involved and allow a man control over her mind and body. Her relationship with Chad had turned into a humiliating experience that had left her second-guessing her longing to be treated like a real woman, to enjoy her body's response to a man's touch.

"Yo, Earth to Natalie," Murphy said, his deep voice penetrating her thoughts. "You've got drinks to deliver and the crowd's getting restless."

Startled that she'd allowed her mind to drift while her order sat waiting, she hustled to load up her tray. "Sorry 'bout that, Murph," she said, slanting him a sheepish look. "Just resting my brain for a few minutes. I had a hellish day at school today."

He smiled, his brown eyes gentle with understanding. "I'm thinking you're spending too much time with your head between those college psycho-babble books and not enough time taking care of yourself."

"I'm fine and it won't happen again," she promised, and headed toward the lounge with her drinks before Murphy could launch into one of his well-meaning lectures about needing more of a life than work and school.

Her classes and studies were her lifeline and what kept her sane and her mind occupied. And she honestly loved her major, which was in social work. Counseling troubled kids was her goal, and she'd even taken on part-time work at a foster-care agency over the past summer months to gain hands-on experience and further her credentials. She'd been where those foster kids were. She knew how it felt being an outsider looking in, and being a number in the system that didn't always work in a child's favor.

She understood what they needed emotionally and wasn't afraid to share her own personal stories to put them at ease.

Minutes later she was lost again in the demands of the patrons. The atmosphere in the bar was casual, and she chatted with the regulars she'd developed a friendly rapport with over the months. It was especially nice that most of the customers that frequented the establishment were blue collar, and a good percentage of them worked in law enforcement, which made for a safe environment in Natalie's way of thinking. Bobby Malone was a detective, and even Noah was a private investigator who worked at his brother's agency, Sommers Investigative Specialists.

She placed a plate of potato skins on a table between a couple on a date and shivered at the thought of Noah uncovering all her secrets. And what about the erotic fantasies she harbored involving him? He'd either be very shocked or very pleased to discover her private thoughts with him in the starring role. Not that he'd ever find out how she truly felt about him.

After nine months of looking over her shoulder, she was just starting to feel safe and secure with her life. The last thing she needed to do was allow sexual urges to lead her astray, despite how much Noah's flirtatious behavior beckoned her to take a chance on him, to be a bit wild, reckless, and adventurous for a change.

It couldn't happen.

She delivered kamikaze shots to a trio of guys in a corner booth, took more orders for drinks and appetizers, refilled bowls of peanuts, cleaned tables and collected generous tips along the way. Once she had the customers in her section of the lounge taken care of for the moment, she headed into the gaming area and stopped at Noah and Bobby's pool table first.

"Hey, boys, I'm getting ready to clock out in about ten minutes." She picked up their empty beer bottles and swiped peanut shells onto her tray. "Can I get either of you a refill before I go?"

Bobby smiled her way and racked up the billiard balls for a new game. "I'll take another Miller."

"You got it." Jotting down his request on her pad of paper, she glanced toward Noah, who was watching her in that wholly masculine way of his that made her pulse race. "How about you?"

He gave his head a quick shake. "No refill for me. I've hit my limit for the night."

Two beers was Noah's max, and she respected that and him for knowing his limit and sticking to it. His older brother, Cole, was the same way, though it had been a while since she'd seen him in Murphy's for an evening out with the guys.

She tipped her head, meeting Noah's striking blue eyes. He was one of the few men who actually looked at her face instead of her chest or body, but she found his stare equally unnerving. And too damn arousing. "Would you like anything else?"

A disarming grin slid into place. "Now, Natalie," he chided in a lazy drawl that did crazy, delightful things to her insides, "you should know better than to ask me a question like that. You know exactly what I'd like, but I don't think a date is on the menu."

She laughed lightly. "No, it's not." The man was an outrageous flirt, and because he'd never made an improper advance toward her, she let herself enjoy his charm while she worked. He made her feel feminine and desired, and while a part of her instinctively curbed those reactions, she couldn't deny that those sensual feelings were still there beneath the surface, struggling to overpower their restraints.

Lord help her if those provocative cravings ever broke free with this man.

Noah chalked his cue stick for the opening break shot, his movements slow, sure, too sexy. "Then I guess there's nothing else I want tonight."

Which left every other night ahead wide open, she read in his gaze.

She had to admire his determination. Most men would have given up on her the first time she'd turned down a date. Noah was made of stronger stuff than most.

Noah bent over the pool table to line up his shot and cocked his hip for a better position and leverage. His stance drew her gaze to the muscles along his shoulders and down his back, which flexed with his every movement. The tips of her fingers tingled at the thought of touching all that virile strength, of smoothing her hand down the slope of his spine and testing the heat and texture of his skin.

God, it had been so, so long-

Her throat grew dry and she swallowed hard. A change in subject was definitely in order. "Where's Cole been lately?" she asked, clearing off a nearby table that had been recently vacated.

A loud, solid crack rent the air as the cue ball made contact, sending the rest of the colored balls scattering across the table. Three made it into pockets-two solids and a stripe.

"Solids," Noah called to Bobby, then said to Natalie, "Cole's got something better to do with his evenings than hang out here with us confirmed bachelors."

"Oh, and what's that?" she asked, curious.

He moved around the table, and spying a straight shot into the corner pocket, he lined up his cue. "Spending it with his fiancee, Melodie." He scored another point.

She crumpled up damp cocktail napkins and stuffed them into the empty glasses on her tray. "That's right. Aren't they getting married soon?"

"Next Saturday, actually." He glanced up before making his next shot, his expression heated and hopeful. "Care to accompany me to the wedding?"

There was that temptation again, and she steeled herself against his sensual allure. "Sorry, but I have to work that night."

He hit the cue ball, which barely grazed a solid. He sighed, the sound tinged with the barest hint of defeat. "Can't blame a guy for asking." He moved away from the table to give Bobby his turn, and strolled slowly over to join her where she stood in the corner of the room. "One of these days I might get lucky and you'll say yes."

"Gina would be happy to go with you," she suggested without thinking, and nearly bit off her tongue. While she knew she'd never accept a date with Noah, she hated the idea of him getting close and intimate with anyone else. God, she was pathetic! She had no claim to him, other than her nightly erotic dreams.

He stopped inches away, so close she could feel the warmth of his big body, could smell the scent of his woodsy after-shave. It struck her just how big he was, how tall. How overwhelmingly male in every way. And if he so much as inhaled a deep breath his chest would graze her full breasts and taut nipples.

She held her own breath.

He bent his knees until they were face-to-face, his mouth a kiss away. His dark blue gaze locked with hers, and in a low, rumbling voice he said, "Sweetheart, it's not Gina I'm interested in."

Her legs turned to rubber, and her heart thumped hard and fast, pumping with a need that was almost painful. He hadn't touched her physically, so why did she feel as though he'd caressed her intimately with his hands, from breasts to thighs?

She managed a smile, along with a stubborn tip of her chin. "Then it looks like you'll be attending the affair solo."

He lifted a brow at the subtle challenge in her tone, but before he could say anything more, or seduce her completely senseless with his eyes and voice, she slipped past him. Shaken, she made her way back to the bar, asked Gina to deliver Bobby's bottle of beer, and received the okay from Murphy to leave for the evening.

She headed to the storeroom to get her jacket and purse, grateful that her shift was over. And so very disappointed that she couldn't bring herself to say yes to Noah.

"Better luck next time, buddy," Bobby said, and slapped Noah's back in a show of sympathetic male camaraderie.

"I wouldn't count on it." Noah pulled his gaze from where Natalie had disappeared down a short hallway to the storeroom, certain his luck wasn't going to improve anytime soon where she was concerned. "Melodie put a curse on me, and I'm beginning to think she's a true witch." His tone was wry, but the words his soon-to-be sister-in-law had spoken to him months ago haunted him now.

Bobby chuckled and continued their game of pool, sinking a striped ball into the side pocket. "Why do you say that?"

Thrusting his fingers through his thick hair, Noah alternated his gaze from his friend to the back hall, waiting for Natalie to reappear. "One day a while back when Melodie was trying to get my brother's attention, she took her frustration out on me. Not only did she call me a rake, but she also said she hoped I'd find a woman I absolutely had to have, and that woman makes me work for her affection." Some woman who'll reform you and your playboy ways, she'd added.

His stomach knotted at the recollection. At the time he'd been amused with Melodie's comment and had responded with a teasing,"It's a novel thought, isn't it?" But now that he was in that exact situation, trying to get the attention of a woman who aroused and intrigued him beyond his normal span of interest, his predicament wasn't so funny.

Natalie had gotten under his skin and kept him coming back to Murphy's on a regular basis. For months now he'd flirted with her, trying to coax her into a date, but she always turned down his invitations, despite the subtle longing he'd seen shimmering in her eyes. Initially, he'd been baffled because no woman had ever resisted his advances for so long, and admittedly his male ego had taken a direct hit. Then she became a challenge to him, and now an obsession.

One he couldn't seem to shake.

And at the moment, his randy body was making that fixation known. Just standing near enough to touch and kiss her had made his blood run hot and his groin tighten in awareness. It had taken every ounce of willpower not to taste her parted lips, and judging by the desire he'd seen flash across her features, he knew she hadn't been immune to their close proximity, either.

Undoubtedly, he was highly attracted to her, but it was more than just her incredible body and their sizzling chemistry that drew him. While she was outwardly intelligent, gorgeous and sweet, there was more to her than met his trained eye, a vulnerability he'd glimpsed a time or two. She was very private, very reserved. And there were emotional barriers she erected that gave him the impression she was hiding something deeper than feigned disinterest.

"My game."

Noah turned around and frowned at Bobby, who was grinning triumphantly. "Huh?"

"The game's over. I won." His friend leaned a hip against the pool table and shook his head. "Man, you really do have it bad for her if you can't concentrate on a game of pool."

It would be ridiculous to deny the obvious, so Noah didn't even try.

Bobby jutted his chin toward the front of the establishment. "She's on her way out, Romeo. Here's your chance to impress her with your chivalrous charm and open the door for her-which in turn might open the door for you, if you know what I mean."

Noah certainly did. "Thank you, Dr. Ruth," he joked, and made his way to the front of the bar, beating Natalie to the entrance by three paces. He opened the door for her, and she glanced up at him in startled surprise.

She adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and smoothed her hand along the jacket draped over her arm. "Are you leaving, too?"

"Sure am." He waved his hand for her to precede him, then followed, falling into step beside her on the sidewalk, welcoming the cool evening breeze on his too-warm skin. "Actually, leaving the same time as you is a shameless ploy to walk you to your car."

Abruptly, she stopped, a frown marring her brow, though there was no denying the awareness in the depths of her eyes. "I can make it to my vehicle on my own just fine. I don't need an escort, Noah."

"I didn't say you did," he replied gently, trying to put her at ease and lighten the moment between them. "This is solely for my pleasure."

Her tense shoulders loosened up, and the corner of her mouth twitched with a hint of a smile. Still, she hesitated, seemingly divided between letting him accompany her or telling him to get lost.

Not wanting to lose the ground he'd just gained, he opted for a bit of humor. "You know, if it makes you feel any better, I don't bite."

She visibly shivered and slipped into her lightweight jacket. "Oh, yeah? How can I be so certain of that?"

She was eyeing him in a way that was more playful than suspicious, and he took his cue from her. "Because if I did bite, I would have taken a nibble or two out of you by now." Without thinking of the consequences, he reached out and lifted her shoulder-length blond hair from under the collar of her jacket.

Her breath caught as his fingers delved through the warm, silky mass at the nape of her neck and his thumbs grazed the soft skin beneath her jaw. Time seemed suspended as their gazes met, hers reflecting a flare of heat that burned through his veins. People walked past them, but he was oblivious to anything but her.

It was the first time he'd touched her in any way, and the connection was inherently intimate and wholly sensual. Her lips were parted, and he ached to pull her into his arms, lower his mouth to hers and claim the kiss he'd forfeited earlier in the bar.

As if sensing his intent, she stepped back, and he automatically dropped his hands away and cleared his throat. Before she could flat-out turn him down again, he lightly grasped her elbow and ushered her toward the parking lot, which was located across the street from Murphy's. "Come on, I'm walking you to your car, and I'm not taking no for an answer so don't waste your breath arguing."

She relaxed and smiled, and they walked by the other storefronts along the street to the intersection.

"You know, we could consider this nice, casual stroll to your car a first date," he suggested, only half joking. He'd take a date with her any way he could get one.

She thrust her hands deep into her jacket pockets and slanted him a sly look. "Ah, so you do have an ulterior motive other than seeing me safely to my car."

"A very harmless motive, I swear." He held up his hands and attempted to look innocent. "We could head over to Starbucks and get a coffee and just talk about the weather if you'd like."

An incredulous burst of laughter escaped her. "The weather? Are you serious?"

He shrugged and winked at her. "I wouldn't want our first date to be too personal."

She chewed on her full bottom lip, looking torn, then said, "Noah, I can't."

The light at the intersection was red, and Noah pushed the button to give them the right of way, unwilling to give up on her so easily this time. "Not even one coffee? I promise no hand-holding or kissing."

That made her smile again, but her next words shot down his hopes. "I'm sorry, but I've got a big test on Monday I need to study for."

"We could have a study date," he suggested. "There are a few things I'm really good at teaching."

"I'm not going to touch that one," she murmured huskily. Hearing someone approach from behind, she glanced over her shoulder briefly, then back at Noah. "You don't give up, do you?"

Something in her expression had changed in those few seconds, and there was now a troubled glint in her eyes that snagged his attention, but he didn't understand its source. Wanting to soothe her sudden anxiety, he picked up her hand and drew a lazy pattern on her palm with his index finger. "I'd give up if you told me to get lost and meant it."

She stared at him, then shook her head, sending her soft blond waves brushing across her shoulders. "You're way too-"

"Irresistible?" He graced her with one of his enticing grins that never failed to score him extra points with the opposite sex.

The light changed to green, the cars on the street stopped, and they stepped off the curb to cross, severing the contact of their joined hands. "I was thinking more along the lines of persistent."

He laughed. "Hey, I do have a few faults."

She seemed distracted enough not to hear or appreciate his attempt at humor. The footsteps behind them sounded closer, and this time when she looked behind them, Noah saw her stiffen, then she hastened her steps.

He lengthened his stride to keep up. She'd piqued not only his concern but his P.I. instincts, and he glanced back, too, and saw a man about ten yards away, wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and a baseball cap. The lighting in the area was adequate, but the bill of the cap cast a shadow over half his face. The hairs on the back of Noah's neck prickled with awareness, and every investigative intuition he possessed came to full alert.

By the time they reached the other side of the street, she was nearly jogging, trying to escape a danger he didn't understand. His only thought was to grab her to keep her close and make sure she felt safe with him. Whatever had set her off, there was no way he'd let anything or anyone harm her.

Latching onto her upper arm, he forced her to stop. The street lamp overhead illuminated the sheer panic etched on her face, and he felt her tremble in fear. His gut tightened in unease. "Natalie, what's wrong?"

Her gaze shifted over his shoulder to whoever was approaching them, and her complexion paled. "Oh, God, No!" she said on a helpless moan and tried to tug her arm free from his grasp so she could bolt.

He refused to release her, knowing in her near-hysterical state she wasn't thinking straight and could hurt herself. He wanted to shake her out of her stupor but didn't want to scare her even more. He decided on verbal force. "Dammit, Natalie, talk to me!" he growled in a low tone.

"It's him!" she said on a soft, keening cry, her eyes wide and filled with alarm.

She wasn't making any coherent sense, nor was she giving him any information he could act upon. "It's who?"

She shook her head frantically, and gripping his shirt in her hands, she pulled him into a small alcove built into the back doorway of a shop.

Stunned and confused by her abrupt action, he braced his hands on the door behind her to catch himself before his body slammed into hers. "What the hell's going on?" He turned his head to get a better look at the person who'd sent her into such a tailspin, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and fisted her fingers tight in his hair, which kept him in place.

Her eyes pleaded with him to help her, to do as she requested."Just kiss me," she demanded in a hoarse voice.

Before he could say another word, she crushed her soft lips to his.