Sorry for the delay. I've had a horrible cold for a week and haven't felt like sitting up long enough to write. Thank you all for your reviews! I appreciate them!

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Chapter 4

“You look gorgeous Cheyenne.” Mark said when she walked in the kitchen of the business space she leased for Shy’s Noshes.

“Thank you very much.” She said and twirled for him, smoothing a hand down her red sundress. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright at the banquet hall without me?”

“Absolutely. So? What are you up to tonight doll?” Mark asked as he stirred the steaming risotto.

“I have a date.” Cheyenne smiled as she handed him the chicken broth.

“Oh yeah? And who’s the lucky guy?”

“His name is Blake. He’s an orthopedist.” She said.

“A foot doctor. Sounds fascinating.” Mark laughed sarcastically. “And where did you meet Dr. Sole?”

Cheyenne rolled her eyes and blushed when she admitted “The dentist office waiting room.”

Mark laughed again and fanned himself jokingly. “How romantic.”

It had been five weeks since Amber’s wedding and two weeks since she had last seen Dane and she had nearly forgot about his gorgeous smile, irresistible heat and almost kiss. Nearly.

The memory still pushed itself forward a few times a day but she forced it away with relative ease. Nothing she couldn’t deal with.

“Shy?”

“What?” She asked, realizing he had asked her a question a few thoughts back.

“I asked you where he was taking you.”

“An auto show.” She said and steeled herself for his retort. Sure enough…

“An auto show?” Mark huffed. “You have absolutely no interest in cars.”

“I know. But he did the asking of the date so he picked the activity. It could be fun.”

Mark snorted and moved the risotto off the burner and began mixing an alfredo sauce before turning back to her.

“Whatever, you and I both know you would have more fun watching paint dry. You should be outlawed from picking your own dates. You have horrible taste in men. I think we need to set up a scanning policy. Is he at least gorgeous?”

“He was a very nice man and had a great personality.” She said tactfully.

“Ok that’s a no.” Mark said with a roll of his eyes.

“You are so shallow. It’s not all about looks.” Cheyenne argued.

“It’s not all about personality either doll. There’s a certain heat and chemistry that can only come from someone you’re sexually hungry for and as shallow as it sounds that usually comes from someone you find attractive. When is the last time you’ve had great sex? No. Make that any sex?” Mark asked seriously as he halted his mixing and turned to her.

Cheyenne stared at him blushing and wondered how the conversation had got so turned around. He was supposed to congratulate her on her date with a successful doctor not harass her about her non existent sex life.

“How long?” He prodded when she remained steadfastly silent. Then he began guessing, which was almost more discombobulating.

“Two months?”

She shook her head and looked down as her cheeks heated further.

“Longer? Four? Six?” Each embarrassed shake of her head him going further up the ladder until he said “Sixteen?” She didn’t shake her head and had turned her back on him.

“You haven’t had sex in a year and half?” He asked in dismay as he turned her back around. “No wonder you’re wound so tight.”

“It’s not as if I haven’t had an orgasm in a year and a half.” She said.

“Too much information doll.” Mark replied.

“Gorgeous men hurt you. They use you until they move on to the next more beautiful, younger piece of ass they can find.”

“Cheyenne you know I love you sweetie but I’m going to tell you this for your own good. You need to get over Hunter.”

“I am over him. It’s….residue. And it’s not just Hunter. Remember Adam? And Corey? And Jack? All cheats and liars.” She argued.

“See? You have horrible taste in men. I’m putting you on restriction.” Mark said with a laugh as he resumed mixing his sauce.

“Yeah? Who do you suggest?” Cheyenne asked with a smile.

“What about the best man from Amber’s wedding? What was his name?” Mark asked. “He was yummy…..and I bet he knows fifty different ways to make a woman scream.”

His ability to speak his mind was one of the reasons that she liked Mark so much….most of the time.

“Dane Brice? Forget about it. If I never see him again it will be too soon.” Cheyenne said, stiffening at the thought of him making a woman scream.

She didn’t doubt he could. She had almost lost it when he had made light circles on her back through her clothes. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what pleasures he could wreak on her naked body.

Why is it so fucking hot in here, she wondered irrationally angry. She pushed that thought away without dissecting it and put an end to the conversation. “Anyway, I just stopped by to grab my purse. I forgot it earlier so Blake is picking me up here. You can send him back when he gets here.”

She headed toward her office and flipped the light on. It flickered a moment before she heard the telltale popping sound of a dead bulb and she swore softly before she made her way to the supply closet.

Dane shoved a hand through his blonde locks as he stood in the parking lot of Cheyenne’s building hesitantly for a few moments. He couldn’t really figure out why he was here.

All he knew was that it had been five weeks and Cheyenne Cooper was still haunting his dreams. He told himself it was because of the way he had rudely treated her but if he was honest with himself it was something more. She was definitely not like any other female he had ever met.

Resolutely he pushed the door open and found himself in a dark foyer with only two table lamps bathing the area in light. As he looked around he found it was a reception area. The walls were covered in a very warm butter color and the squishy looking armchairs were done in a deep brown velvet color. The palette reminded him very much of chocolate.

The unmistakable noises of a bustling kitchen caught his attention and he moved through the doorway on his right.

The man who was at the stove dropped his spoon on the floor with a loud clatter. “Well I’ll be damned.” He said with a smile.

“Sorry I startled you. I’m looking for Cheyenne. I’m…” Dane began.

“You’re the best man.” The guy laughed as he stooped to retrieve the spoon and toss it in the sink.

“Do I know you?’ Dane asked trying to put a name to him.

“No. I’m Mark. I helped Shy cater Amber’s wedding. Cheyenne is in her office. Down the corridor, last office on the left.” Mark said pointing him to a dark hall.

Dane nodded his thanks and made his way to the back. He found her office shrouded in the same darkness with her standing on her desk wrestling with a light fixture.

“Hi.” He said, nervously leaning on the doorjamb.

“Hi.” She said. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d forgotten all about me.”

He could hear the teasing smile in her voice and his hope lifted a bit. “You’re not the type of woman who is easily forgettable. Can I help you with that?”

“No, I got. Give me a few. The bulb is stuck in there. It hasn’t been changed in ages. Go ahead and sit down.”

She had opened her blinds and was using the light of the evening to aid her in her task. Dane sat and watched her in fascination. The sensual curve of her bare arms, the thrust of her full breasts again the fabric of her dress, the soft panting sound of her breathing as she struggled to loosen the stubborn bulb.

“You have no idea how sexy you look silhouetted in the dark.” He said huskily.

He could practically hear her blush as she whispered her thanks.

A few more pants and a gasp later the office was filled with the sound of bulb breaking and her swearing loudly.

“Are you ok?” He asked as he jumped up.

“Yes. I’m fine. I had heels on so I kicked them off to climb up here. Do you think you could help me off the desk?” Cheyenne asked.

Dane placed his hands on her waist and lifted her gently off the desk pulling her far enough to the side to make sure she avoided any stray shards. He held her close and let her lush curves slide seductively down the length of his body. Her hedonistic scent flooded his nostrils and dizzied him.

“You smell like heaven.” He murmured when her feet were firmly on the floor. He didn’t release her but instead tugged her closer.

“So do you.” She admitted as she breathed in his musky scent. This was a side she never would have expected out of him. It was always the quiet ones, she mused.

“I’ve been thinking about kissing you for what feels like ages.” He said as he blew a hot breath over her cheek. He heard the kitchen noise from a far place in his mind but couldn’t bring himself to care.

She trailed a hand up the muscled wall of his chest and over his broad shoulder until she could sift her fingers at the soft hair at the base of his neck. It hadn’t looked that long earlier and she pondered the wonders of the dark.

He dipped his head and brushed her lips with the softest graze of his mouth, as if he were sampling a fine wine and wanted to get a feel for it first.

“So sweet.” He mumbled.

He lowered his head again took another taste, more firm yet still very gentle. Then a third and a fourth. The fifth time he did it Cheyenne was tired of his teasing and grabbed his head to deepen the kiss herself.

He obliged her and swept his tongue over her teeth and the top of the roof of her mouth until it began caressing hers. He angled his head for better access as he slid his hands down to rest them on her bottom and tug her closer still, leaving her no room to wonder if he was enjoying himself.

He was so much bigger and harder than he had looked in the dentist office, her curves meshed perfectly with the muscled planes of his body and she sighed contentedly as his tongue stroked the silken recesses of her mouth. She leaned more heavily into him enjoying the taste of him, like scotch and something she wasn’t able to name, something purely him. It was addictive and pushed her further, needing more from him.

She reached for one the hands that was resting on her butt and guided it to her breast. Dane eagerly took the hint and cupped the fleshy mound through the fabric of her dress, kneading until he brushed her nipple. He felt it peak beneath his palm and she broke the kiss to moan loudly as she tossed her head back and her knees buckled.

He leaned in to trail open mouthed kisses down her exposed neck. His hands moved to the thin straps of her dress and pushed it down over her breasts, his lips following his fingers until he captured one of the crested peaks in his hot mouth.

While he suckled one nipple his free hand rolled the other between his thumb and forefinger until she was writhing against him and breathing hard as she squealed with pleasure. Never had he heard a more perfect sound.

In a million years he couldn’t have pictured her more responsive to him. Her own hand had released his hair and was making a path down his chest, pausing to unbutton his shirt and push it off his shoulders. She massaged his warm flesh tantalizingly before moving to the waist of his jeans and downward until she cupped his hard length through his straining jeans.

He stopped his ministrations and hissed a tortured breath through his teeth. “I want to make love to you.” He whispered hotly in her ear.

She felt safe enough with him and she was definitely turned on enough to do what her mind was screaming was impractical.

What woman didn’t fantasize about hot sex in her office with an almost stranger? Of course if Mark hadn’t pointed out just how long it had been since she’d had sex she didn’t know if she’d be so willing now.

She cried out when his tongue darted in the shell of her ear and she shuddered. “Oh my…Blake!”

He stiffened and pulled back so fast that she sunk to the floor without the support of his strong arms. She sat there bewildered for a moment before she found her voice again.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Who the hell is Blake?” He demanded.

Then it was her turn to stiffen as she desperately pulled her sundress back up. “Who the hell are you?” She demanded right back.

“Dane.” He replied in a plaintively hurt voice.

“Oh shit.” She swore for the second time in regards to him.