His words gave Tina the courage to explore as she’d yearned to do since the moment days ago when he’d climbed out of that pool and stood before her in a proud display of all of his masculine virility. The corded muscles of his thighs were hard, his skin practically hot enough to sear her. A wild sense of abandon seized her as she touched the bare flesh above his waist, then followed the touch with a moist kiss that left the taste of him on her lips and filled her head with the sharp, musky scent of him.
“More?” she asked as a low groan rumbled through him.
“More.”
It was just as well he agreed, because she wasn’t sure she could have stopped now, even if he’d wanted her to. She needed to know all of him, to drive her senses mad with his essence. Her lips found masculine nipples, buried amidst dark swirls of crisp hair. She teased at them with her tongue, first one, then the other until she could feel the buds turn hard and felt Drew shudder with each new caress. His shoulders, tan and warm, were dusted with an inviting collection of freckles, each one worthy of attention and a mind-drugging kiss.
She touched her lips to the base of his neck, lost in the smooth, pulsing heat she found there. A satisfying tremor ripped through him and then with a suddenness that stunned her, she was on her back, Drew’s knee between her parted thighs, his hands braced on either side of her. His eyes, glittering like rare blue topaz, were filled with laughter and a blazing excitement.
“Thought you were going to turn the tables on me, didn’t you?” he teased in a husky whisper that rasped along her spine. “I invite you up here for a seduction and you take charge.”
Dramatically, she threw a hand to her forehead. “I was carried away. I admit it,” she murmured, her voice laced with laughter. “Never again.”
“Never?” he questioned, lowering his head toward hers at the same time he began slipping his robe off her shoulders with excruciating slowness.
Laughter died as suddenly as it had begun. “Never,” she said, breathless with anticipation. His lips were so close she could feel the whisper of his breath, but still the promised kiss didn’t come.
“You’re sure?” The question was soft, taunting. Tina moaned, put a hand behind his neck and pulled him down. “To hell with it,” she muttered, just before she claimed his mouth.
It was the last conscious decision she made. After that, it was all sensation, drawing her in, tormenting her, lifting her to spectacular heights, then waiting for her to free-fall back to earth before taking her ever higher.
Drew’s touch, deft and sure, was pure magic. Perhaps even black magic, it was so devilishly certain, so craftily confident. His eyes revered her, and she thrilled to the look. A hand caressed, and she soared. Hair-roughened skin chafed, and she writhed with unbearable delight. Hot lips plundered, and she burned with a flaming ecstasy. He filled her, and her world trembled and tilted on its axis, never to be quite the same again.
The culmination, so satisfyingly slow in coming, was a wild, demanding thrashing amid passion-dampened sheets. Drew’s name exploded from the depths of her soul as wave after never-ending wave of pleasure rocked her.
It was the untamed fury of a storm, just as she’d expected.
It was the magnificence of heaven and the torment of hell and everything in between.
It was, God help her, love.
From the moment that she recognized that, the afternoon was timeless and filled with a joy that was almost frightening in its intensity. Tina had never expected to experience so much feeling, never known her body could respond like a finely tuned instrument, resonant with pleasure.
The afternoon was also filled with lazy talk of inconsequential things, with the discoveries and sharing of new lovers, talk that circumstances seemed to have robbed them of having sooner.
“Drew,” Tina murmured sleepily as shadows crept in to magnify the intimacy, their sense of being isolated in their own private world. “What did you mean today when you told the reporters about your interest in the elderly? Did it have something to do with your father? The look you two exchanged was so...I don’t know, special. Sad, maybe.”
She could feel his heartbeat still beneath her cheek. When she started to lift her head to study his face, he held her in place and when he spoke at last, his voice seemed faraway and filled with incredible pain.
“It was sad. We were thinking about my mother.”
“Is that why you don’t talk about her? You’ve told me all about the farm and your dad, but you’ve hardly ever mentioned your mother. I saw the picture. She’s very beautiful.”
“Was. She was very beautiful.”
“She’s dead? That’s why you don’t talk about her?”
“I think it’s because I can’t bear to remember how it was at the end.” Tina could feel his body tremble and she tightened the arm she had wrapped around his waist.
“Tell me.”
He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he stared straight at the ceiling. “She developed Alzheimer’s disease when I was just out of college,” he began quietly, his voice tense. “At first, there were just the little signs that something was wrong. She’d forget the car keys or leave her purse someplace in the house and not be able to remember where. I don’t think even she realized it was anything significant. In fact, she’d laugh about it.
“One day, though, I came home and found her in the kitchen, crying. She’d been trying all afternoon to remember her brother’s name. It just wouldn’t come and she had panicked. She had photographs scattered all around, trying to find one with his name on the back. She was almost hysterical.”
“What did you do?”
“Once I’d calmed her down, I wanted to make an appointment with a doctor, but Dad convinced her she was making too much fuss over nothing. He said everybody forgets things. It was nothing to get all worked up about. There hadn’t been quite so much attention focused on Alzheimer’s back then, so it seemed reasonable. Mother wanted to believe him, so she let herself be convinced. In the end, I did, too.”
“But things didn’t get better,” Tina guessed. Drew sighed and his hand idly stroked her bare back. Even though it was a distracted gesture, Tina was still aroused by it. Her breasts tightened at the memory of where such touches had led only a short time earlier. She pressed a kiss against Drew’s chest. “Do you want to tell me the rest?”
“I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. Secrets can destroy a relationship.”
“That’s not exactly an answer. You could tell me later, if it’s still too painful.”
“It will always be painful,” he said and a tear slid down his cheek. Shaken by the sign of vulnerability that he was strong enough not to hide, Tina kissed the tear away. He sighed and met her gaze evenly, his jaw tightening. “I will never forget what happened. I don’t want to forget.”
“But, Drew...”
“No,” he said harshly. “I have to remember so that I’ll go on fighting to see that it never happens to anyone else.” He gave her a penetrating look. “Maybe you don’t want to hear this. It’s ugly, and I’m not very proud of the part I played in it.”
“Drew, there’s nothing you can’t tell me as long as you’re honest. It’s only lies and deception that I can’t handle.”
“Mother got progressively worse. It was like that case down in Miami where the devoted husband finally shot his wife after fifty years or something, because he couldn’t bear to watch her suffer anymore. Dad was falling apart watching Mother deteriorate slowly, month after month. You can’t imagine, seeing him now, what he was like then. He lost weight. He was pale, his eyes always shadowed by anguish.”
A flicker of humor flashed in Drew’s eyes. “Both of them had always been so filled with life before. It was something so wonderful to see. I had envied them the little secrets they shared, the laughter that filled the ho
use when they thought they were alone.”
Then the light was gone, as the memories once more turned sorrowful. “Now, though, Mother couldn’t be left alone for a minute. She was dying by inches, and he was dying right along with her. I knew we had to do something, so I finally convinced Dad that we had to put her in a nursing home where she could get the round-the-clock care she needed.”
Tina ran her hand along his cheek. “You did what you had to do, love.”
“Did we? Or did we take the easy way out? All I know is that the place we chose seemed fine. It was bright and cheerful. There was a garden that was filled with lilacs in the spring and roses in the summer. There were lots of white wicker chairs under the trees. We told ourselves it wasn’t all that different from the farm.”
Suddenly Tina realized where the story was headed and it made her heart ache. “It wasn’t like that, though, was it?”
He shook his head. “No. It wasn’t like that at all. We called almost every day to check on Mother and we always got very specific, professional-sounding reports. We went to see her once a week, on Sunday afternoons. That was the official visiting day. They said it disturbed the routine to have drop-in callers. It seemed to make sense. Mother did seem agitated by our visits, though often she didn’t recognize us at all.
“One week I happened to be very close to the home on a Thursday. I decided to stop by anyway. To hell with the rules. It was my mother, after all, and Dad and I were paying the enormous bills.”
A shudder swept through him and he closed his eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper. “My God, you can’t even begin to imagine what it was like. I had to wonder if anyone ever cared for those patients except on Sunday. Mother cried when she saw me. I took her out of there that very afternoon and filed a report with state officials. They closed the place down.”
“What happened to your mother then?”
“I took her home, and we hired a private-duty nurse to be with her until she died three months later. Ever since then, I’ve been working with officials and groups to see that people realize that it takes more than paint and sunshine to make a good nursing home. Dad and I were lucky. We could afford home care. I still shudder to think what happens to those who can’t.”
With something akin to horror, Tina said in a hushed voice, “And you were afraid that’s what was happening to Grandmother Sarah, Juliet and Mr. Kelly?”
“All of the anger and pain came flooding back when I got those letters from Juliet. I think if I’d discovered that someone with your resources was truly ripping off innocent old people, I’d have strangled you with my bare hands.”
Tina gave him a faltering smile. “No wonder you roared into my life like an avenging angel. I’m just glad Grandmother Sarah had that cherry pie ready. It seemed to smooth things over.”
“It was more than the cherry pie, Tina Harrington. There was so much love in that house. I could feel it when I walked through the door, even though you were scowling at me as though some awful creature had invaded your privacy.” He grinned at her, and the somber mood lifted. “It was also that sexy little bottom of yours in that jumpsuit you wore over to my house and those bare shoulders in your yellow sundress and that stubborn tilt of your chin.”
Her brows knitted, and she said with mock severity, “Are you sure you went over there to check out the living arrangements?”
“Well, there were a few distractions,” he admitted, kissing her chin and then her shoulder. He was heading lower when she sighed and murmured, “If only this didn’t have to end.”
“It doesn’t. That’s what I’ve been trying to get through that thick little skull of yours. Marry me.”
Tina’s eyes widened, and she rolled away from him, tugging the sheet around her as she went. She shook her head adamantly. “You don’t propose to a woman you’ve only known for a few days.”
“Is that written down in an etiquette book someplace?”
“Knowing Palm Beach, it’s probably in the city code.”
“I’ll check first thing in the morning, but I think you’re wrong. I think I can ask and you can answer.”
“I did answer.”
“You did? I must have missed it. Run it by me again.”
“I can’t marry you, Drew. Not until things are settled.”
“But you will marry me?” he persisted.
Tina grinned. “Maybe. When things are settled. Knowing my life, do you expect to be around long enough to see that happen?”
“If I have to move heaven and earth to see to it that it does.”
“That might be easier,” she advised.
“Well, while we wait, do you suppose we could find a little time to ourselves?”
“I have an hour between meetings tomorrow.”
“Not good enough.” A kiss punctuated the remark. It was a very nice kiss. She wanted another one very badly.
“I’m free for lunch on Friday.”
“Not nearly good enough.” Kisses rained down her shoulder, across her throbbing breasts and onto her stomach. “I need proof that you care more about me than you do about that company.”
Tina looked at him oddly, noted that there seemed to be a tightening of his lips despite the teasing tone of his comment. Still, she couldn’t resist those kisses. There were several spots that were feeling neglected. “I could stay now,” she said breathlessly.
“That’s more like it.”
“Except your father is on his way up the stairs whistling something that sounds like ‘Don’t Fence Me In.’”
“Damn.”
“Does it help to know that I share your disappointment?”
“Not much,” he grumbled. “When you get home would you mind speaking to Sarah about the fine art of keeping my father distracted?”
“If you expect her to do it like this, you’ll have to talk to her yourself.”
“A game of chess would do.”
“Sarah doesn’t play chess.”
“Wonderful.”
“How so?”
“It ought to take Dad days to teach her.”
Laughter bubbled up in Tina’s throat, then faded. “Oh my gosh.”
“What’s wrong now?”
“Do you realize I don’t have any clothes up here? What will your father think?”
“Unless you go running out into the hallways without them, I doubt he’ll think a thing. Now stay still and I’ll go get them.”
“Drew,” Tina called softly as he went out the door.
“What?”
“Try not to get caught with my lingerie in your hands.”
“Don’t worry about it. Dad knows I don’t wear peach-colored underwear trimmed in antique French lace.”
“I was worried about my reputation, not yours.”
“Oh. By the way, I approve of your vice.”
He started away, then he stuck his head back in. “So does Geoffrey.”
Tina groaned and buried her face in the covers. She wondered if old Geoffrey had taken a vow of silence. Hopefully, it was part of the butlers’ code of ethics. Otherwise, she could very well end up right back in the headlines. Palm Beach society liked nothing better than reading about a steamy romance.
Chapter Eleven
“Out mighty late last night, weren’t you, missy?” Mr. Kelly said with deliberate coyness at breakfast, his sharp eyes obviously catching the shadows under her eyes. Tina didn’t miss the implication of his remark. It brought an immediate stain of pink to her cheeks. She was glad Billy wasn’t around to witness this particular conversation. He’d probably start hunting around for a shotgun to go after Drew.
“It wasn’t that late,” Tina mumbled, quickly stuffing a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth. Sarah was obviously miffed again this morning. She hadn’t even emerged from the
kitchen to ask what they wanted. She’d just left a chafing dish of oatmeal, a bowl of sliced bananas and raisins and a pitcher of cream on the serving table.
“You with Drew?”
“Umm-hmm.”
“Speak up, missy. Was that a yes?”
Tina glared at him defiantly. “Yes,” she repeated loudly.
A sudden glint of amusement sparked to life in Mr. Kelly’s eyes. “Guess Juliet and Sarah didn’t do so bad by you, after all, did they?”
Tina choked, then laughed in spite of herself. “No. I guess not,” she admitted.
“You might want to tell them that. They’ve been moping around ever since you stormed out of here yesterday.”
“All right,” she said meekly. “I’ll apologize. I was worried and angry, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on them.” She looked up just in time to see Juliet’s nose poking around the door frame. “Aunt Juliet?”
“Yes, dear?” She inched her way cautiously into the room and waited as if poised for flight.
Tina got up and went to her. She put her arm around her and hugged her tightly, her eyes misting as she heard Juliet’s sigh of relief. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to get so upset yesterday.”
“It’s okay, dear. I was meddling, after all. My late husband used to tell me all the time that nothing good ever comes of that.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Mr. Kelly chimed in with a wink at Tina. “Things seem to be working out just the way you and Sarah wanted.”
Juliet’s nut-brown eyes sparkled with interest. “Really? Oh, Tina, that’s wonderful. Have you set a wedding date finally?”
Tina scowled at Mr. Kelly. “See what you’ve done. You’ve gotten her hopes up again. Drew and I have no plans to marry.”
“No plans to marry?” Mr. Kelly blustered with parental indignation. “What kind of man is he, taking advantage of a lovely gal like you? I just wonder what that father of his would have to say, if he knew?”
Safe Harbor: A Cold Creek Homecoming Page 14