by Madeleine Oh
“And you think this person in your dream was him?” He began stroking her hair again.
“Yes, I think so. I just can’t explain it.” He heard the frustration in her voice. “Don’t ask me how I know, I just know.”
“When did it begin, this stalking?”
“About three years ago. I’d taken a few months off to heal from a hamstring injury and I’d just bought a house in California. Flowers began arriving from a man who called himself an ‘ardent admirer’. At the time I didn’t think much of it. Let’s face it, it’s easy to find out where the stars live in Los Angeles as you can buy a star map every ten feet.” She shook her head. “After a few months he started sending me dinner invitations and I refused them. That’s when it began to escalate and soon he started threatening me. It got really bad when I started dating Ricardo and that’s when he started making serious threats.”
Rage simmered just below his skin and Drake had to struggle to keep his tone even. “And the police never found this bastard?”
She shook her head. “They knew he existed because of the letters, flowers and such. By the time of the accident I’d already made several police reports but they had so little to go on. Because I’d had a head injury from the accident and there were no other witnesses, they didn’t believe my story. They chalked it up to my hitting my head, and that’s where it stands now.”
He cupped the back of her head. “And what a beautiful head it is.” He dropped another kiss onto her hair.
She sighed and snuggled closer, her slim arms snaked around his waist. “I’m so tired.”
“Sleep now. You’re safe here and that’s what matters.”
“Thank you,” her voice was silky soft.
She fell silent and he held her until she fell asleep, his mind working like a dervish. In the morning he’d call his cousin who was a private detective and have him look into this stalker business. If there was some crackpot out there trying to harm his woman, Ryder would be able to track him down. Drake’s grip tightened on Gia’s slim shoulders. He’d spare no expense to keep her safe.
He looked down into her sleeping face. It was also time to confess what he’d done to lure her into his bed. He needed to come clean about the fake personal ad and the one time they had met so many years ago.
Tomorrow, he’d talk to her tomorrow.
* * * * *
Gia fingered the heart necklace, her mind in turmoil. She wasn’t sure what had made her tell Drake about her stalker. After the LA police had discounted her story the night of the accident, she rarely ever spoke of le bastardo. Seeing that her memories of that night were sketchy at best, there were many times that she doubted herself.
She looked across the room where her lover was sleeping. His dark hair obscured his rugged features and his tanned skin looked erotic against the crisp white sheets. A frown tugged at her lips. There was something so familiar about him, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
She looked out the window again, the lights of New York gleaming against the dark velvet sky. What she felt for him was more than just sex. While she couldn’t quite define it, she did know that she felt secure with him. It was in the way he carried himself, his sense of humor and his attention to her pleasure as well as his.
In short, Drake was a man she could trust.
Her gaze drifted back to the bed. In her experience, a man who could be trusted was a rare commodity. She knew she could trust him with her body, but could he be trusted with her heart as well?
She dropped the heart pendant and it landed between her breasts. She’d learned that when dancing with a new partner, there was only one way to find out if they were trustworthy—she’d have to take the leap and see if he would be there to catch her.
Chapter Nine
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
Gia’s husky voice slid over his skin like oiled silk. Drake looked up from the canvas, a palate in one hand and a brush in the other. He was sitting on a platform roughly eight feet in the air, which enabled him to have an aerial view of his subject. She lay on her back, her dusky limbs tangled with creamy silk sheets in the middle of the bed. Sunlight poured in through the studio skylights illuminating her flawless skin. Her dark hair was tumbled across the pillows, and with a naughty expression she was sex incarnate.
“Are you kidding?” He dabbed his brush against the palate. “I’m enjoying every minute of this.”
She sighed and tossed her head. “I’m getting tired of just lying here…”
“A few minutes more and you can get up for a while. Let me capture the curve of your arm then we can order up some lunch from a Chinese place around the corner.”
Gia made a soft humming sound that made him smile. He couldn’t blame her for being restless, they’d been at it for over three hours, and anyone would be tired.
“Amuse me while I finish up. Why don’t you tell me about your last boyfriend,” he said.
She wrinkled her nose. “Why would you want to hear about him?”
“He left you after the accident.”
“No real loss there. He knew the money train was coming to a halt. My ankle was shattered and the doctor had just told me I would never dance again.” Drake didn’t miss the shadow of sadness that dimmed her lovely features. “So the next day Ricardo showed up at the hospital and announced it just wasn’t working out between us. He kissed me on the cheek and headed straight for the door. I promptly called my friend Constance and made arrangements to come to New York.” Her dark gaze met his. “So there you have it.”
“No broken hearts?”
She laughed, a silky sound of amusement. “No, no broken hearts. Ricardo was good-looking, energetic in bed and he adored me as long as the money ran his way.”
“He was a wuss,” Drake said. “No real man would have done that to a woman.”
She gave a startled laugh. “Well, he was that.” She shifted her legs and the sound of silk against her flesh set every hair on his body to alert.
“So tell me, what does the future hold for Gia Conti?”
“Mmm, I don’t know for sure. I have some options.” She bit her lower lip and a rush of heat raced toward his groin. He loved her mouth.
“Such as?” He dabbled his brush in the scarlet paint.
She squirmed. “I’ve been toying with the idea of opening a studio to teach children ballet.”
“Really?” She’d surprised him again. Con had always claimed that Gia was a little bit of a prima donna and he’d yet to see any signs of it. “I think that’s a great idea, Gia.”
A slow smile moved across her face. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”
“The second floor of this building is empty. It would make a great space for a dance studio.”
She blinked. “Do you think so?”
“Yes, I do.” Drake set the palate and brush on a small table near his elbow. “I also think it is my duty to do everything I can to erase that fool, Ricardo, from your memory.” He climbed down the ladder then walked toward the bed he’d set up in the middle of his studio. “Starting with, kissing you from head to toe.”
She squealed when he grabbed the sheet and pulled, baring her body to the brilliant sunlight. “Stop!”
“Mmm, lunchtime.” He dove onto the bed and gathered an armful of warm, fragrant female. “This nipple will hit the spot.”
Her fingers tangled in his hair when he suckled her nipple, teasing the gold ring with his tongue. He released her and she grabbed onto the front of his shirt, pulling him close for a kiss that threatened to rock his world. Nibbling on her lips, he wanted inside her mouth. His tongue snaked out and just as it touched her lips, she twined her legs around him and rolled to the side. Taken by surprise, he allowed her the movement and she ended up sprawled on top of him.
Drake grasped her by the waist while her busy hands tore at his shirt. Her hair hung long and tangled and he couldn’t resist twining the locks around his fingers. He pulled her toward him, their lips meeting i
n a greedy kiss of need. A soft moan sounded from her throat and she sucked his tongue, driving sensation directly to his throbbing groin.
“Let me,” she hissed, her fingers tearing at his pants.
He lay back and propped his head on his hands, willing to let her take the lead for once. “Do you have any idea of how beautiful you are?”
To his surprise, she rolled her eyes. “Beauty is highly overrated. I can’t take credit for genetics.” She leaned forward and teethed his nipple, eliciting a hiss from him.
He grabbed her head and forced her mouth back to his. Every time they were together it was like this, as if it were the first time. Drake felt as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Like a starving man he wanted to spread her across the bed and feast on her. Her nipples would—
All thoughts of tasting her flew from his mind as her hand plunged into the front of his pants and her fingers encircled his cock. She squeezed gently, causing licks of fire to race over his body.
“I think I like you like this,” she purred. “At my mercy.”
He spanked her on the ass and chuckled. “Don’t get too used to it.”
She sat up, her thighs parting to bracket his hips. Her breasts shimmied as she moved onto her knees over him. Wrapping her hand around the base of his cock, she positioned him at the entrance of her pussy and, with a heady sigh, sank him deep.
He grabbed her by the hips, glorying in the raw beauty that was Gia. She began to move over him, her body angling to capture her clit. With her head tipped back, she lifted her body from his only to return, barely giving him time to draw breath. A dreamy smile curved her mouth and she moved easily, her pace slowly increasing.
Her release came hard and fast, her tight muscles caressing him with mind-numbing accuracy. His teeth gritted, as her silky cries threatened to send him over the edge.
No, it was too fast.
He grasped her waist and rolled, catching her by surprise, and she ended up beneath him. Tangling his fingers in her hair, his hips began to hammer into hers. Heat raced through his body when she wrapped her legs around his waist urging him deeper.
Together they scaled the peak, heat rode low and hard in his body and when he felt her come apart, he lost another piece of his soul as he came inside her.
* * * * *
The dream came as it always did, sneaking up on her while she slept.
Once again she was trapped in her shattered car, paralyzed by pain from her broken angle and the metal wrapped around her lower body. Through the windshield she saw the shadow over her and even though she didn’t want to look up she knew it was inevitable.
The figure was in shadow and the rain fell from the sky. The ball cap was pulled low and he moved toward her. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky illuminating him and a scream lodged in her throat when, for the first time, she saw his face.
It was Drake.
Gia came awake with a start, her breathing harsh. Sweat bathed her limbs and she was shaking from head to toe. Tilting her head back, the night sky shone through the skylights and reality slowly gained a foothold in her consciousness.
She was safe.
She was in Drake’s studio.
All was well.
Forcing herself to relax, she concentrated on slowing her breathing. Beside her Drake was still sound asleep with his arm tossed over her waist. She looked down at him and her stomach twisted.
Now why had her subconscious fabricated Drake as her stalker?
She smiled and reached out to touch one of his tumbled locks. Talk about running scared, she’d probably conjured him up because falling in love with him was the last thing she’d expected. Then again, wasn’t that what usually happened? When you least expected to find love, that’s when it appeared. Soft, contented warmth stole through her body.
Imagine that, Gia Conti was on the verge of falling in love.
Taking his hand, she gently removed his arm from her waist then slipped from the bed. He made a sound as if he objected to her leaving. On the floor near the foot of the bed she found his shirt. Smelling of turpentine and man, she pulled it on to cover her naked body. Her heart lifted and the remaining darkness brought on by her dream vanished.
Yeah, she was in trouble all right.
With a silly smile on her face, she turned away. Right now she had more pressing matters to attend to, like finding a bathroom. The room was full of shadows and she walked carefully across the dim expanse. In the corner were two doors. Now which one was the bathroom again? Grasping the handle of the closest one, she opened the door then flicked on the light. She winced when the fluorescent lights came on and threatened to blind her.
“Wrong room,” she muttered when she saw the nearly empty space. She reached for the light switch when a corkboard of photographs caught her eye, an eight by ten in particular.
She tilted her head, confused. Now why would Drake have a photograph of her? Her gaze moved to the others on the board and her heart dropped when she realized they were all of her.
What was going on here?
As if in a daze, she entered the room, allowing the door to slide shut behind her. With her heart pounding in her throat, on leaden feet she walked across the room, her gaze glued to the corkboard.
There were at least two dozen photographs and every single one of them was of her. With a shaky hand she reached for one of the publicity photos. Tearing it from the board, she stared down into her own glossy face. This one was taken while she’d danced as Juliet on her last tour. As far as she knew, this photograph had never been released to the press.
Just where had he gotten these?
Her arm dropped and she allowed the photograph to fall to the floor. A feeling of unreality slipped over her as images from her dream flashed before her eyes.
Trapped in the car.
The rose.
Drake smiling down at her from beneath a ball cap.
No, it couldn’t be…
Heart pounding, she turned and stumbled against a small worktable. The tall, towel-draped object rocked on its turntable and part of the wrapping fell away revealing one slim clay hand. A feeling of dread came over her and she stared at it with her heart in her throat. Even though she didn’t want to, she knew she had to look. Her arm felt alien when she reached for the wrappings. Pulling them free, she saw a clay statue of a ballet dancer.
She didn’t have to look at the face to know that it was she. The tutu was similar to the one she wore as Giselle. Her fingertip brushed over the delicate curve of one leg. Drake was sculpting her likeness in clay.
Why? Why would he do this to her?
Miss me?
The words from the packet of photographs drifted through her mind. Was it true? Could it be that Drake was her stalker?
Her gaze wavered as her heart began to pound. Her own face mocked her from the glossy photos on the corkboards. Everything in this room pointed to that being the case. Why else would he have all of these photos of her on the wall? What other reason would he have for creating this statue of her if he wasn’t obsessed with her?
Turning away, she saw the glass-fronted refrigerator and her eyes widened at the sight of a dozen pale pink roses in a vase. Her heart almost stopped as images of the night of her accident sliced through her mind. She hadn’t seen him very clearly. She’d been left with just the vaguest memory of dark hair and piercing eyes. It had been dark and she’d never been able to shake the feeling that she’d seen Drake somewhere before.
Had it been on a dark, rainy road in Hollywood Hills?
Her hands began to shake and her breathing grew harsh.
Damn him…
Stalking over to the refrigerator, she wrenched open the door and cool, rose-scented air blew out. She snatched the roses from the vase and tossed them onto the floor, barely feeling the prick of thorns against her palm. Shaking from head to toe, she grabbed an Exacto knife from a worktable and walked toward the ballet dancer. Raising her arm over her head, she drove the knife straight into the
heart of the statue. Damn him for being the man who’d destroyed her life. Damn him for lying to her.
And damn him for making her love him.
A sob caught in her throat and Gia had to fight for calm. On the verge of screaming, she knew she had to make her escape or she wouldn’t be accountable for her actions. Slipping back into the studio, she saw Drake was where she’d left him. Suddenly he didn’t look quite so innocent, quite so loving anymore.
You don’t know for sure that he’s guilty…
Sure, everyone keeps photos of her on the wall. She pushed that thought away and began gathering her strewn clothing. She had to get out of there. She had to think and she couldn’t do that when she was with Drake. She stripped out of his shirt and hurriedly pulled her clothing on. Carrying her shoes and her cane, she slipped out the studio door without a backward glance.
As luck would have it, a man was getting out of a cab just half a block away from the front door of the building. He held it for her and she flashed him an absent smile before climbing in the back. After giving her address to the driver, she was shaking by the time the cab pulled away from the curb.
Don’t think…don’t think…
The drive to her building was a blur and by the time she reached her destination she was freezing cold. Even though it was still in the eighties outside, her teeth were chattering. After giving some bills to the driver, she stumbled into her apartment building. The guard desk was empty but this wasn’t an unusual occurrence. Sometimes security stepped out to assist a resident or to visit the bathroom.
At the elevators, she pushed in her code and the doors slid open. Stepping in, she pushed the button to her floor and the doors closed. Looking up at the glowing lights over the door, the elevator seemed to be moving slower than usual. A whimper caught in her throat as tears scalded her eyes.
Just a few more minutes and then you can fall apart…
The doors slid open and Gia stumbled out into the hallway. Her hands were shaking so hard that she could barely handle the keys. Finally she slid her key into the lock and opened the door to her apartment. Stumbling inside, she slammed the door, desperate to lock herself away from the world before the damn broke on her emotions.