And then she felt it. A wild, uninhibited dive into waters she had never been in before. But instead of drowning she was caught up on a wave so electrifying, she groaned deep within her throat before screaming out his name.
“Spencer!”
He refused to let up. His tongue went on in a frenzy, as out of control as she was, and she arched her back as an explosion ripped through her. She felt every muscle in her body take a hit as she moved relentlessly against his mouth, unable to remain still.
She experienced a sense of loss when he pulled back and watched through glazed eyes when he shifted to pull off his boxers. And then he was there, straddling her, and in one swift, smooth move he entered her. Her body’s reaction to his invasion was spontaneous. Flesh against flesh, he moved and she moved with him, every thrust as potent, deep and overpowering as the one before. Skin against skin, he slid against her, interlocking their limbs in a hold that was meant to go unbroken, uninterrupted and unremitting. Any boundaries she’d established were shattered, totally demolished under the powers of his torrid lovemaking.
And then it happened again, another explosion tearing through her. She called out his name a second time, at the same moment he called out hers. And again she felt her body explode, shoot to the stars and beyond. Before she could gather her wits, Spencer’s mouth covered hers in a long, slow and drugging kiss that erased all logical thought from her mind.
And she became caught up in Spencer’s forbidden passion once again.
* * *
What woke Donnay was the feel of a masculine hand running along the side of her thigh, a slow and gentle caress. She slowly opened her eyes. And if she had any doubt just where she was, the hardness of the naked body pressed up against her own was a stark reminder.
She lay there knowing Spencer’s hand was intent on serving a very sensuous purpose; one she had come to expect since last night. He had warned her that when it came to making love he had inexhaustible energy, and over the past three hours he had proven that to be true. The man was so disturbingly virile she hadn’t been sure she would be able to keep up. Surprisingly she had. There hadn’t been a time when he had reached out for her that she hadn’t willingly gone into his arms, knowing the pleasures that awaited her there. And at no time had she been disappointed. Each and every lovemaking session with him had left her totally and completely satisfied.
When she felt his hand ease between her legs and his efficient fingers went to work, she softly moaned his name.
“I see you’re awake,” he whispered, rising up on an elbow to gaze down at her.
She looked up at his naked chest, broad and muscular with a spray of dark hair. She remembered burying her face in that chest, taking her tongue and tracing a trail over it when he had been making love to her in one hell of a unique position. The man not only had an infinite amount of energy, he was also very creative. “Did you really expect me to sleep?” she asked, switching her gaze to his face and almost drowning in the depths of his dark eyes.
He smiled and that single smile, sexy to the bone, sent tingles through her body. “I didn’t want you to get into any trouble.”
She raised a brow. “Trouble?”
“Yes, it’s rather late. And as much as I would love for you to stay here with me all night, I don’t want to get on your grandmother’s and mother’s bad side by not returning you home at a decent hour.”
She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. It was already close to two in the morning. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Just what do you consider decent?”
His own voice was slightly amused when he said, “Anytime before daybreak.”
Donnay inwardly shivered when his fingers began caressing her womanly core, making her hot and wet again. “Um, you don’t have anything to worry about. Grammy is spending the night at the hospital and Mom is meeting a girlfriend in San Francisco and staying overnight. So I would have been home alone anyway.”
His fingers went still, and he leaned in closer to her. “Are you saying that you can stay all night?”
She met his gaze and saw the intensity in it as well as the deep-rooted desire. It did something to her to know that even after making love several times tonight he still hadn’t gotten enough of her. Robert was always eager to send her away from his apartment afterward. Of course she later found out why. She nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
His expression indicated her words had pleased him and he had no intention of letting her leave his bed now…which was fine with her.
When he lowered his head she was ready and parted her lips the moment he touched them, immediately becoming caught up in the throes of the passion he could generate so effortlessly.
From somewhere deep inside, she was suddenly struck with a terrifying realization. If she wasn’t careful and protective of her heart, she could very easily fall in love with Spencer Westmoreland.
Chapter 9
The following morning, Donnay awakened to the loud sound of some sort of heavy machinery. She got out of bed, grabbed Spencer’s shirt and slipped it on while quickly walking over to the window to peek out. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, and from a distance across the wide expanse of the vineyard she could see huge construction trucks making their way down the road toward the winery.
“I see Steve’s men are on time as usual.”
She swung around to see Spencer coming out of the bathroom. It was obvious that he had taken a shower. A towel was tied at his waist, and there were beads of water on his shoulders and chest. She narrowed her eyes and tried not to recall the role his shoulders and chest had played in their lovemaking during the night. There were more important matters to be concerned with right now. “What are those trucks doing here, Spencer?”
He walked over to the dresser, pulled a few items of clothing out of the drawer before dropping the towel. “I think it’s obvious what they’re doing here, Chardonnay.”
She inhaled sharply the moment the towel hit the floor. He was standing before her stark naked and she was trying hard not to stare as he casually slipped into a pair of briefs. She had seen his nude body all last night and during the predawn hours, but seeing it in the bright sunlight was another thing altogether. The memory of all the things that body had done to her, shared with her, made sensations flood her insides. She shook her head and tried to clear her mind of such wanton thoughts and shift it back to what he’d said. “Well, it’s not obvious, so tell me,” she said.
He glanced over at her. “Those trucks belong to the company I hired to do the expansion to the vineyard.”
She became livid. “How dare you!”
He raised a dark brow questioningly and leaned back against the dresser. “How dare I what?”
“How dare you take over. What gives you the right to make such a move without discussing it with any member of my family? We aren’t married yet and already you’re—”
“I discussed it with your grandfather.”
Donnay locked her mouth shut but only for a second. “My grandfather?” she asked in a voice that had suddenly gone soft.
“Yes.”
“Are you telling me that you told my grandfather everything about our arrangement?”
“Of course not. During our visits, he talked and I listened, which is a good thing because he shared his dreams with me for the winery. I took in all that he said. He was giving me the big picture—his hopes and dreams. I took it and consulted the best architect I know, and decided to try to make your grandfather’s wants viable. Tonight, after telling him we would be getting married, I told him I would make his dream come true.”
Donnay stared and then frowned. She didn’t recall him saying anything like that to her grandfather. “When did you tell him this?”
“After you left the room to get him a blanket from the nurses’ stat
ion.”
She paused, tilted her head to one side as she considered his words and then asked softly. “And what did he say?”
“Thank you.”
Every fiber in Donnay’s body wanted to cry. She of all people knew just how long her grandfather had dreamed of expanding the winery, and how depressed he’d been the first time he had become ill and had seen those dreams slip through his fingers when the money for them was needed elsewhere. No one had to tell her that Spencer was giving her grandfather his life back, a reason to get better, a reason to want the surgery he’d been hesitant about having.
She met Spencer’s gaze. “It seems I owe you an apology.”
“Another one?”
He was standing in nothing but a pair of black briefs, in a sexy stance with his legs braced apart and his arms folded across his chest. From his expression it was obvious he was pretty annoyed with her for jumping to conclusions again. “Well, what was I supposed to think?” she asked in her own defense.
“I can tell you what you weren’t supposed to think. The worst about me.”
Okay, maybe she shouldn’t have, but she had. What did he expect considering the reason he was in their lives? Their marriage would be nothing but a business deal.
As if reading her mind, he said, “I’m a man of my word, Chardonnay.”
She slowly crossed the room to him. “And I’m a woman who doesn’t have a problem admitting when she’s wrong.”
“And you’re admitting it?” he asked when she came to a stop in front of him.
“Yes, on some things about you,” she said, steadily holding his gaze.
He lifted a dark brow. “And the others?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “The jury’s still out. But from now on you’re innocent until proven guilty.”
He caught her wrist and brought it to his lips and kissed it. “It’s a good thing for you that I’m a very forgiving man.”
“Are you?” she asked in a low tone, feeling heat travel all over her the moment his lips touched her flesh.
“Yes, on some things.”
“And the others?”
“The jury is still out. But I don’t have a problem with tampering with the jury if it will serve my purpose,” he said, reaching out and slipping his shirt off her shoulders to fall in a heap at her feet. She stood before him naked but she had no intention of covering herself. From the look in his eyes, he evidently liked what he saw.
And he wanted what he saw. Again.
“You’re very smooth,” she said silkily, taking a step closer to wrap her arms around his neck and to bring her body close to his. “And you have one hell of an appetite.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said, sweeping her off her feet and into his arms to carry her over to the bed.
“I won’t,” she murmured into his strong, masculine chest.
* * *
Hours later after a long and lazy morning of lovemaking, Donnay and Spencer got dressed and he walked her home. Both her mother and grandmother were there but neither seemed inclined to ask where she had been.
Spencer then went to talk to Ray Stokes, the foreman for Carr Construction Company. Fred Akron, the architect he had paid, would be presenting his plans for the expansion of the winery by the end of the week. In the meantime, Ray and his crew’s job was to clear land to extend the boundaries of the vineyard. Come spring they would be planting more grapevines for more wines to market.
It was way past noon when Spencer returned to the villa, and the moment he opened the door, memories of the night before assailed his mind when he picked up Chardonnay’s lingering scent. It seemed to be all over the place. And he liked it. He had drunk chardonnay numerous times but never had he got the taste like he had last night. Good wine was supposed to have a lingering effect, get absorbed into your tongue, your mouth, your flavor palates. He licked his lips, still able to savor her taste on his tongue. Delicious.
He heard his cell phone ring and immediately pulled it out of his pocket. He glanced at the number. It was his brother Ian. Ian was the fraternal twin to his brother Quade and had gotten married that past June. Spencer fondly referred to his brother, who was six years his junior, as the gambler, since he had this unique ability to beat the odds, whether it was poker, a slot machine or blackjack. No one liked playing against Ian since he was known to walk away with everybody’s money. He owned a casino and resort in Lake Tahoe, but if you were to ask Ian, his most prized possession was his wife, Brooke.
“And to what do I owe this honor?” Spencer asked teasingly. Since getting married Ian seldom called, saying his time was spent doing more important things. Spencer could just imagine what those other things were.
“Just checking to see if you’re still living. Stuart was here at the resort last week and said something about how bad he felt about sending you to face a scorpion.”
Spencer chuckled, wondered how Stuart would handle it when he found out that he would be marrying Chardonnay. “It’s not that bad,” he said and decided Ian would be the first family member he broke his news to. “In fact, it’s pretty good. Her name is Chardonnay and I’m marrying her.”
There was a pause and then, “You’re joking, right?”
“No.”
“You’re marrying a woman name Chardonnay? Who would name their child after a wine?”
Spencer smiled. “Someone who owns a winery I would imagine.”
“You’re serious about getting married?”
“Yes. I’m giving the family a call later today. Your call was perfect timing and as a result, you’re the first to know.”
“When did you meet her?”
“A few weeks ago.”
“Um, love at first sight?”
“No.” The answer was simple, straightforward and true. “You know me better than that.”
“Well, I’m one who knows that love can make you do foolish things.”
“Possibly. But I’m not in love,” Spencer said, being completely honest with his brother.
“Then why are you getting married? She can’t be pregnant already.”
Ian’s words reminded Spencer that they hadn’t used protection any of the times he and Chardonnay had made love last night. That thought didn’t bother him since he wanted babies, plenty of them. “I’m getting married because I want to be married. Why let you, Jared and Durango have all the fun? Besides, Mom gets to put another smile on her face.”
“But that won’t stop her from going after Reggie and Quade,” Ian advised.
“No,” Spencer agreed. “But they’re big boys. They’ll have to handle Sarah Westmoreland as they see fit.”
He glanced at his watch and saw it was almost two in the afternoon. He wanted to visit Chardonnay’s grandfather and give him a report on today’s activities. “Look, Ian, there’s somewhere I need to be in about an hour. Keep your lips sealed about my upcoming marriage. I want to be the one to tell everyone.”
“Okay, my lips are sealed…until such time as I use them to kiss my beautiful wife.”
Spencer rolled his eyes heavenward. “Whatever.” He then clicked off the phone.
* * *
“The two of you are marrying within two weeks? Why the rush?”
Donnay’s looked at Spencer sitting beside her at the dinner table, wondering how he would respond to her mother’s question. Not surprisingly, he met her mother’s eyes and in a clear voice he said, “Because I don’t want to wait.”
She expected her grandmother or mother to ask, “Wait for what?” Instead both nodded their heads as if they understood his meaning.
She rolled her eyes. If they did she certainly didn’t. It couldn’t be that he couldn’t wait for them to sleep together since they’d already done that. So the only thing she could figure was that he was an
xious to get her pregnant since he was so gung ho on starting a family.
“I think it’s romantic.”
Donnay’s lips pressed together as she ignored her grandmother’s words. Did she really think that or was she just in an extremely good mood because Donnay’s grandfather would be coming home from the hospital at the end of the week? She felt Spencer’s eyes on her and turned her head to meet his gaze. Fire immediately shot through her veins at the look he was giving her. She figured he was wondering why she had deliberately made herself scarce over the past couple of days. She’d had no choice because otherwise, she would fall deeper and deeper under his spell. And what was more pathetic than for a woman to fall for man who had no intention of ever falling for her?
“Daniel is going to be very pleased with all the work those men are doing on the vineyard,” Donnay heard her grandmother say.
Spencer dropped his gaze from hers to look across the table at Catherine Russell. “I hope that he will be. I tried to follow his exact specifications.”
Donnay would be the first to admit that he had. She knew that Spencer visited her grandfather daily and always kept him abreast of what was going on with the vineyard. One day she had walked into the hospital room to find her grandfather sitting up in bed with a bunch of architectural plans across his lap while he and Spencer had their heads together, making additional plans.
They’d been so absorbed in their discussion that they hadn’t noticed her presence. For a moment she had felt the closeness of the two men and suddenly knew how her mother had felt all those years ago. It was as if Spencer had become the grandson Daniel never had. Not knowing how she felt about that, as well as the other emotions she’d begun feeling around Spencer, she’d decided the best thing to do was to stay clear of him while she screwed her head back on right.
After dinner while clearing the table, Spencer approached her when her mother and grandmother had left to take an evening walk. She’d been hoping that he’d accompanied them and soon discovered he hadn’t.
Dreams of Forever: Seduction, Westmoreland StyleSpencer's Forbidden Passion Page 26