“I’m not sure how to go about doing all that. You’ve certainly made it very clear that you don’t want to be protected. You don’t want to make love. And your experiences are probably as vast as mine. I’m terrified to bring up the subject of marriage. You’d probably scamper off to the Caribbean and hide out until I go back to Cedar Rapids.”
Tina heard the raw edge of frustration and sincerity and responded to it. She wanted to believe he was telling the truth, but was it all of the truth or only a convenient portion?
“What about Harrington Industries?”
“That has nothing to do with you and me,” he said firmly and without hesitation.
“Does that simply mean you are able to separate your professional and personal life?”
“No. It means precisely what I told Gregory Hanks. My interest in you is personal. My interest in Harrington Industries, except as it affects you, does not exist. I can’t say it any more clearly than that.”
The cards were all on the table now. She might as well play them out, even if she wasn’t sure where the game would lead. “But you said something earlier about merging.”
“True.” He ran his fingers through his damp, wind-tousled hair. His eyes met hers and pleaded for understanding. “I suppose I was only half joking when I said that. I’ve already seen how much that company takes out of you, how much it dominates your life. Even now, with all that’s on your mind at home, you’re as concerned about the impact on Harrington Industries as you are for yourself and your friends. A part of me would like to relieve you of that pressure so that you’ll have time for me. For us.”
“Someone else may save you the trouble, once the news breaks about my wacky household. My friends and my company may be taken away.”
Drew put an arm around her shoulder. Tina found herself feeling grateful for the warmth, responding to the comfort. “Want to hear how I see it?”
“Why not?”
“Despite the chaos that went on in there this morning, the state is not going to do a thing to disrupt your household and even if it did, those people would still be your friends. You wouldn’t lose them. You could even find another way to help them, maybe get them an apartment. Mr. Kelly has his own home already. He could go back there.”
“And die of loneliness?” she retorted. “I won’t allow that. As for the others, they’d never accept charity like that from me. Here they feel they’re making a contribution.”
“Tina, you could work it out. I know you. You’re an ingenious lady.”
“And Harrington Industries? I wouldn’t care so much for myself, but it’s Gerald’s company. He spent a lifetime building it into what it is today. Even Martin, who has the business acumen of a sea turtle, pointed out that all of this notoriety is bad for it and for me. I just can’t lose control of it. It would mean I’d failed Gerald.”
“Don’t you see?” he chided. “That’s exactly what I’ve been talking about. Your priorities are all twisted around. You’ve put business first, albeit in the disguise of some emotional commitment to your late husband.”
Tina felt a cold knot forming in her stomach. “You don’t expect me to turn my back on my obligations to the company, do you? Would you be happier if I just quit or turned it over to you?”
He apparently heard the frost in her voice and interpreted its cause correctly, because he replied quickly and with satisfying certainty. “No, of course not. Your career is obviously an important part of you, just as Gerald’s memory is. I wouldn’t want to change that. I just want you to keep it in perspective. Besides, Harrington Industries is not in any real danger.”
“How can you be so sure? Do you have a magic wand to make wishes come true?”
“No. You’re the one with the magic. I’ve been watching you in action. You wrapped those media people around your finger this morning. Even Edward Grant was bedazzled by your style and I doubt he’s easily charmed.”
“Edward Grant was bedazzled because I have more bathrooms than the average hotel.”
“Whatever. If I hadn’t been sure before, I would be now. I know you can handle anything the board of directors or stockholders throw your way. Trust me. I’m a terrific judge of character.”
As her stomach unknotted, she realized with a tremendous sense of relief that she did. Whatever doubts she might have had about Drew’s motives had been banished, perhaps only because she needed right now to believe in someone. She wanted desperately—for reasons she didn’t dare analyze—to trust Drew Landry. For now if he said everything was going to be okay, then she’d just have to believe him—even if her normally healthy self-confidence seemed to be taking a royal beating.
“Care to come in out of the rain now?” he asked gently, brushing her wet hair off of her face, then cupping her chin between his hands. The touch of his lips against hers was warmer than the sun that had been lost behind the clouds. His gentle touch held a blazing promise and a raw hunger that tempted her beyond all reason. Right or wrong, she wanted all that he offered. She wanted him to banish the cold that had seeped into her bones, into her very soul. She sensed only Drew could fire such an incredible warmth in her that nothing else would matter. Not the past. Not the future.
He led her back along the edge of the water, then turned toward his home, rather than hers. She didn’t hesitate. She needed one timeless afternoon with him. Tomorrow and its problems would come soon enough, especially if David found the information she feared he might. Then it would be too late and she would have lost her one chance to discover if the sensations Drew aroused were as unique as she believed them to be. Because of Gerald, she’d learned that life can be cruelly short and that joy was something to be grabbed and savored.
As she went with Drew, never had she felt more reckless, more on edge with anticipation. Never had she simply felt, without reason, without fear.
At the edge of the lawn he paused. “It’s up to you,” he said. The fingers curled around hers loosened ever so slightly, as though to signal his willingness to release her.
Tina tightened the grip. She could feel the wave of relief that shuddered through him. “I want you, Drew. For today, no matter what, I want you.”
“For always,” he countered.
She put a finger on his lips to silence him. “No, love. No promises. Just today.”
His arms went around her then, holding her close, heat spreading from the points of contact until Tina was surprised that in their damp clothes they weren’t leaving a trail of steam as they walked through the gate and slowly up the graceful, curving drive.
“Upstairs, love,” Drew said, the minute the door of his Spanish-style home closed behind them. They were standing in a large interior courtyard. A fountain bubbled in the middle, and a profusion of purple and pink flowers splashed a riot of hot color against the cool white stucco walls. Tina was charmed. She was also impressed with the amount of work he had done to restore the house which had fallen into disrepair after its previous owner died several years earlier, leaving his affairs in a mess that had taken months to untangle.
She concluded her rapid survey and grinned back at Drew. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Are you referring to my invitation upstairs or the work I’ve done around here?”
“Both.”
“The house is coming along,” he said with pride.
“As for the other, when the time comes, I guarantee you, I’ll use a little more finesse,” he promised, his dimple forming as he teased, then vanishing as he turned solemn again. “For now I was thinking perhaps you’d like a nice, hot bath. You’re shivering.”
“Is that all?” she asked, her mouth turning down in disappointment. He kissed each corner.
“Oh, I think we can work out something else, if you’d like.”
She lifted her eyes boldly to meet his as her imagination soared
and her pulse raced. “I’d like. But what about your father?”
“I suggested he might want to have dinner at your place.”
“I see,” she said dryly.
“I doubt it,” Drew retorted just as quickly as he drew her along a cool corridor, then up a narrow staircase. She peeked into the rooms they passed, pleased with his choice of cheerful colors and masculine, but not oppressively heavy furniture. In the bedrooms, brightly-striped Mexican blankets lay across the foot of each bed and cool breezes streamed through sheer curtains that billowed sensuously at the windows. He led her at last to a magnificent bathroom with a sunken marble tub, pots of orchids hanging from the ceiling and mirrors everywhere except on the exterior wall, which was open to the western sky with French doors leading to a flower bedecked balcony.
Finally, Drew’s remark registered. “Don’t doubt it. I saw the way your father’s eyes were following Sarah every time she budged an inch and the way he jumped to her defense,” she said. “I don’t think you could pry him away from her just yet even with the promise of one of those cutthroat poker games you say he loves.”
Drew nodded as he turned on the water full force and poured in scented bath crystals. Tina wondered if he planned to join her. The tub was certainly more than big enough for two. The image sent a wave of heat through her that was torrid enough to fog up the mirrors. She tried to concentrate on the conversation and not the sultry, languid setting.
His blue eyes sparkled with amusement when he added innocently, “That’s part of it.”
“What more could there be?”
He winked and handed her a towel. “He wants grandchildren almost as much as Sarah does,” he said casually, then turned and headed out the door and back down the stairs, leaving Tina wide-eyed and choking.
“Drew Landry, I am not going to sleep with you just to give your father and Sarah a baby to spoil rotten,” she fumed indignantly and stomped back down the steps after him, dragging the towel along behind her like a child’s security blanket. She caught him halfway down and spun him around.
“Not this afternoon, anyway,” he said with infuriating calm.
“Not...”
“Ssh,” he said, pressing a finger against her lips. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Oh, I can keep this one.”
He swept her into his arms, and carried her right back up the stairs. “Wanna bet?” he said, as he sat her down in the steaming tub of water.
“Drew,” she squealed. “You idiot. I still have my clothes on.”
He shrugged. “They were soaked anyway. I’ll leave something dry on the bed for you.”
He was chuckling as he walked out the door. Tina sent a splash of water in his direction, but it only soaked the towel she was supposed to use to dry herself. The day was not improving by leaps and bounds.
Then she thought about Drew, about the blaze of desire she’d seen in his eyes, the hunger in his kiss, the tenderness of his caresses and the throbbing tension that made her body feel as though springs were coiled inside. She grinned. On the other hand, there was a definite possibility that it could get a whole lot better.
Chapter Ten
Tina soaked in the fragrant water until it turned cool and her knotted muscles were totally relaxed. She stretched languidly, enjoying the luxurious sensation of endless time. It was the first time in ages that she had pampered herself. With all that had been going on at home and at work, she was lucky if she had time for a quick shower before racing out the door. Was it possible that Drew had sensed this need in her when she herself hadn’t recognized it?
Stepping out of the tub, she wrapped herself in the warm, oversize towel, then padded across the marble floor of the bathroom to the thick carpeting of Drew’s bedroom. He had been true to his word. She found a velour robe waiting for her on the king-size bed. She had to roll up the cuffs, and while it was probably a knee-length size on Drew, it fell nearly to midcalf on her.
Standing in front of the mirror, the expression in her amber eyes softened by a lazy sensuality, she rubbed the thick collar across her face. Taking a deep breath, she caught the lingering scent of Drew’s distinctive after-shave. The act was thoroughly innocent, yet held such a hint of intimacy that it sent a tingle racing down her spine.
Once she was enfolded in the robe, though, she wasn’t quite sure what to do next. Did Drew expect her to come back downstairs? The thought of bumping into stuffy old Geoffrey in the hall and being subjected to one of his haughty, disapproving glares made her decide to wait right here. She walked around the room curiously, wondering what clues it would yield about the man who slept there.
There was a single photograph in an ornate antique silver frame on the dresser. A woman with laughing, adoring eyes and an abundance of thick, dark hair was gazing raptly at a man Tina immediately recognized as a much younger Seth Landry. He looked so much the way Drew did now that it took her breath away. Both men radiated warmth and strength and a certain air of bold self-assurance that bordered on arrogance. Impertinence, evident in the quirk of their lips, was mellowed by a gentleness that was all the more enchanting because it was not expected.
The woman in the photo had to be Drew’s mother and, for all the adoration in her eyes, she too appeared strong and filled with an impish humor. It was odd that Drew never talked about her. Had she died? Were she and his father divorced? Perhaps she had been unable to take the isolation of living on a farm, though Drew had never hinted at that when he’d shared his childhood memories with her.
Tina replaced the photograph and moved on, stopping at the desk Drew had set up to face the window, its top covered with neatly arranged stacks of paper and rolls of blueprints tied into a tidy bundle. Tina grinned. She had known, somehow, that Drew would be organized, that there would be no haphazard clutter, no need for wasted motions. No wonder a man like him had been appalled by the disorganization of her household, the flighty nature of her friends. Left up to him, they’d probably be on a schedule in a week. She shuddered at the prospect. Although she ran her business with a precise attention to detail, she preferred her private life to be easy and relaxed. That’s probably why it had been enhanced, rather than disrupted, by her strays.
Tina found a novel Drew had been reading on the nightstand. She curled up in the middle of the huge bed and glanced through it, wondering what kind of book would hold the interest of an intelligent, busy man. In minutes she was caught up in the story, written by a Cuban immigrant, of a man’s survival in shark-infested waters after his rickety boat capsized en route to America. It was a lyrical testament to a man’s will to live and his desire for freedom. It was yet another confirmation that Drew was filled with intriguing contradictions. She would have expected efficient, informative nonfiction on that nightstand. Instead, she had found the work of a man whose writing was almost poetic.
As she read, her eyes grew heavy. The next thing she knew she was dreaming that she was caught up in the middle of an earthquake. Her world shook violently, buildings crumbled around her and she woke with a sudden start, only to find that the jiggling motion had not been in her imagination. Drew was standing beside the bed, bumping it rhythmically with his knee.
Tina peered up at him balefully. “You need some work on your technique, Landry. That is not a good way to start a seduction.”
“I do not seduce sleeping women, even when they are in my bed.”
She sat up and tucked her legs under her, her voice sultry. “But you do plan to seduce me, don’t you?”
“What if I said no?”
“Then I’d suggest you get that look out of your eyes, blow out these wonderful scented candles you’ve lit and get my clothes back to me right this minute.”
“In that case, I suppose I’ll have to seduce you,” he said with feigned resignation. “Geoffrey has your clothes. Who knows how long it might be
before they’re ready.” He waved a bucket at her. “I brought champagne just in case.”
“French or California?”
“Does it matter?”
“Just checking to see if you’re going for taste or snob appeal. I’ve had my fill of snobs today.”
“Then I’m glad I chose the California.”
“Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to sit down here and open the bottle?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, and Tina detected an odd note of hesitancy in his voice.
“What’s the problem?”
He glanced significantly at her legs, which were displayed almost to the point of indecency by a rather provocative gap in the robe. “Unless you do something about that, I’m not sure we’ll get to the champagne.”
Tina wriggled sensuously.
“Tina!”
“Okay, I’ll behave,” she said, and tied the robe more securely. She peeked at him through seductively lowered lashes. “For now.”
Drew groaned and put the tray he’d been holding on the nightstand. The bottle of champagne nearly toppled over, and the two crystal glasses tilted precariously. Tina reached for them just as Drew sat down. She grabbed him instead.
“Oh,” she said softly, as his arms came around her. Her laughter died in her throat, replaced by an exquisite tension as Drew buried his face in her still-damp hair.
“You smell wonderful.”
“Are you suggesting I stick to shampoo and forget about fifty-dollar-an-ounce perfume?” she said, struggling to recapture the lightness she was far from feeling. There was an aching tightness in her loins. Her breasts, full and throbbing, were almost painfully sensitive as the rough texture of Drew’s robe rubbed across them.
“The scent of your warm skin alone is enough to drive me wild,” he confessed, drawing Tina’s glance down to the evidence. Tina’s eyes met his and she was lost, hardly aware of the instant when he took her hand and placed it where only a moment before she had been looking. A tiny gasp escaped as her fingers encountered denim-encased heat. Drew’s eyes closed and he moaned softly. “That feels wonderful! Do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted to feel your touch just like that?”
Safe Harbor: A Cold Creek Homecoming Page 13