“I’m at your mercy. You decide. You’re the movie connoisseur.”
Dylan picked an Oscar-nominated film about a boy’s journey growing up and took the seat next to her. Wrapped chocolates, sour gummies and cashews were set out on a side table and a blue bottle of zillion-dollar water sat in the cupholder beside her chair.
“All set?”
She nodded. “Ready when you are.”
Dylan hit a button on a remote control and the overhead lights dimmed as the screen lit up. Emma relaxed in her lounger and focused on the movie. They shared a bag of popcorn, and by the time they got to the bottom of the bag, her eyes had become a teary mess, a few escapees trickling down her cheeks from the poignancy of the film, its depiction of the heartfelt joy of family life, the struggles and cheerful moments and all the rest.
Picking up on her emotion, Dylan placed a tissue in her hand. She gave him a nod of thanks, wiped her watery eyes and focused back on the screen. It wasn’t hormones that wrecked her heart this time. Whenever she witnessed a real family in action, the ups and downs and the way they all came together out of love and loyalty, she realized how very much she’d missed out on as a child. Though she was proud of the fact she hadn’t let her childhood hinder her in any way. It had only made her more determined to seek a better life for herself, and now for her child.
Dylan reached over the lounger and took her hand. She glanced at their entwined fingers, his hand tanned and so very strong, hers smaller, more delicate, and she welcomed the comfort, the ease with which they could sit there together and watch a movie, holding hands.
The movie ended on a satisfying note and Dylan squeezed her hand, but didn’t let her go. They remained in darkness but for the yellow floor lamps lighting a pathway around the room.
“Did you enjoy it?” he whispered.
“Very much.”
“I didn’t realize you’re such a soft touch.” His thumb rubbed over the skin of her hand in round, lazy sweeping circles.
“Only when it comes to movies.”
“I find that hard to believe. You’re soft...”
Her breath caught as she gazed into his heart-melting eyes.
“Everywhere.”
Oh, boy.
He turned his body and leaned in, his mouth inches from hers. “I’ve been thinking about the other night. If we hadn’t been interrupted, what would have happened?”
It wasn’t really a question he expected her to answer. She thought of that night, too, so often. Wondering what if?
And then his lips were on hers, his mouth so exquisite as he patiently waited for her to respond, waited for her to give in. “Dylan.”
“It’s just a kiss, Em.”
He made it seem so simple. “Not just a kiss,” she insisted, yet she couldn’t deny the temptation to kiss him back, to taste him and breathe in his delicious scent.
“This is what people do when they’re dating,” he whispered over her mouth.
“Is it?” Kissing Dylan wasn’t anything ordinary. Not to her. It was the stuff of dreams.
“Yeah, it is,” he said. “I want us to be more than friends, Em.”
She wanted to ask why. Was it all about the baby, or had he somehow, after all these years, miraculously found her appealing and desirable? It was on the tip of her tongue to ask, but she chickened out. She didn’t dare, because in her heart she already knew the truth.
He swept his hand around her neck and caressed the tender spot behind her ear. She closed her eyes to the pleasure and breathed deeply, soaking it in. His gentle touch and the power of his persuasion weren’t anything to mess with. She could stay like this for hours, unhurried, just enjoying being the sole focus of his attention.
“I think we already are, Dylan. I’m having your baby. That puts us on a little higher level than friends.”
“Maybe it’s not enough,” he rasped, and with a little tug, he inched her closer until their mouths were a breath apart. “Maybe we need to be more.” And then he kissed her.
“What if that’s not possible?”
He swept into her mouth again and deepened the kiss, his tongue working magic until her entire body grew warm and tingly. Her nipples pebbled and she gasped for sustaining breath.
“It’s possible,” he urged, rising from his seat and reaching for her hands. He seemed attuned to the exact moment when her body betrayed her. With both her hands in his, he gave a gentle yank and she came to her feet to face him in the soft glow of the floor lamps. “Let me show you.”
Dylan was an expert at seduction; what he was doing to her now was solid proof. He took her face in his palms, looked deep into her eyes and then kissed her for long-drawn-out moments. Until her heart sped like a race car. Until her knees went weak. Until the junction of her thighs physically ached. It was too much and not enough. She was dizzy when he was through kissing her. Dizzy and wanting more.
“It’s your choice, sweet Emma,” he said, planting tiny kisses over her lips, his hands roaming over her body, taking liberties that she freely offered. She moaned a little when he touched her breasts and then gasped when he cupped her butt and pressed her firmly against his rigid, hard body so there was no doubt what he was about. He whispered softly into her ear, “We can take a walk on the beach to cool off, or walk into my bedroom upstairs and heat things up. You know what I want, but I’ll abide by your decision, whatever it is.”
She was out of breath. Her fuzzy mind told her to stall for time. As ardent as his kisses were, she couldn’t wrap her head around him wanting to make love to her. It had once been her wildest dream. And yes, they’d done the deed already, but that wasn’t really logged into her memory bank. Or his, either. “Is this what usually happens on your first dates?”
He laughed and took her into his arms, squeezing her tight as if she was a child asking an adorable question. “You know me. You know it’s not what I do, Em.”
Well, no. She’d never really quizzed him on his methods of seduction. How would she know how easily or often he took his dates to bed? He’d been in enough tabloids to wallpaper his entire mansion with the stories they’d concocted. And his sister defended him on every front. He’d even sued a few papers that had stepped over the line and had won his cases.
So, if she was to believe him now, then he was truly attracted to her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your bedroom, Dylan.”
He smiled then and nodded, and the next thing she knew, Dylan was lifting her in his strong arms and carrying her out of the screening room.
And up the stairs.
* * *
She roped one arm around his neck and laid her head against his broad shoulder as he marched to the double-door entry of his master suite. She felt featherlight in his arms, tucked safely into his embrace. He gave the door a nudge and pushed through, entering a massive room with an equally large bed. It faced wide windows that angled out with a magnificent view of the Pacific. Right now, only stars and a half-moon lit the night sky, but she heard the roar of the waves and smelled the brine of the sea coming through an opened terrace slider.
She wasn’t sure about any of this, but lust and curiosity won over any rational sense inhabiting her brain at the moment. She’d done this before with Dylan, but now both were aware, both would remember. It was key. Monumental. Dylan would be in her life one way or another and she wanted this memory. Sane and rational or not, she simply didn’t have the will to deny them both this night.
She did, after all, have secret dibs on him.
He lowered her down, her body flush against his until her feet hit the floor beside his bed. He let her go then, taking a step back to lock eyes with her and lifting his black polo shirt over his head. A rush of breath pushed from her lungs. His upper body was ripped and bronzed, his shoulders wide, the muscles in his arms bulging. He’d been working out hard f
or this Navy SEAL role and he had her vote. Hands down.
“We’ll take this slow,” he said.
Slow? She was on her first official date with him and about to get naked.
He reached for her and placed the palm of her hand flat against his concrete chest. His breath hitched and she lifted her lids to find the gleam in his eyes bright and hungry. Slowly, she moved her hand along the solid ridges that made up his six-pack and tiny coarse chest hairs tickled her fingers. He was amazing to touch, almost unreal. She’d never been with a man like Dylan before. It scared her, how absolutely perfect he was.
What was his flaw? Everyone had one, but she couldn’t find it here, now.
He took her other hand, put it on him and encouraged her to explore. She did, running her hands over his shoulders, to his back and then returning to his torso. In her exploration, her fingers grazed his nipples and they grew taut from her touch. It was a turn-on, just seeing how she affected him.
He stood there, allowing her to know him, to feel his skin, absorb his heat and become familiar. She took her time, meeting his eyes once in a while, but mostly keeping a vigil on the beauty of his body.
He kissed her then, suckling her lips in a heady way that said he was ready to move forward. To take the next step.
“Should I undress the rest of the way?” he breathed over her mouth. “Or is it your turn?”
Fair is fair. She turned around and offered him her back. He didn’t hesitate to unzip the long gold zipper on the little black dress she wore. The zipper hissed as it traveled all the way down to the small of her back. A shot of cooler air hit her as he pressed his hands to her shoulders and helped her shimmy out of her dress. Free of the fabric that pooled at her feet, he bestowed tiny kisses along her neck. Slowly, he turned her around and his eyes met hers once again, before drifting down her body over the slope of her ample breasts encased in her black lace bra, to her tummy that bulged slightly and the matching thong she wore. He rode his hands along her naked thighs and a tiny moan squeaked from her mouth.
“You are soft everywhere, sweetheart,” he said, slipping his hand over her hip and edging up to her stomach. His palm against her growing belly, he stopped his exploration and bent on one knee to bestow a kiss there.
Her eyes slammed shut as Dylan worshipped their baby. It was a beautiful moment, so tender, so gentle, wiping away her fears. She couldn’t fault him for anything. This situation was out of their control now. Maybe she’d been too hard on him, too rigid in her stance. He had a right to love their baby and want to share in the joy. She could give him that. She could try this dating thing, go in with an open mind and heart to see where it led.
He rose up then and stared directly into her eyes. “Our child will be beautiful like you, Emma. Inside and out.”
Laying her hand flat against his cheek, scruff facial hair rough against her fingers, she whispered, “You’re going to make a wonderful father, Dylan. I have no doubt.”
Longing filled his eyes and he smiled. There was a moment that seemed to change everything; a newer intimacy and understanding passed between them in that moment.
And then Dylan reached for her again, pressing her fully against his hot, delicious body. Skin to skin, he kissed her for all she was worth. The next thing she knew, she was naked and they were on his bed and tangling in his sheets. Going slow was a thing of the past, and easily forgotten.
While one hand sifted through her long hair, his mouth created a dampened trail from her chin, along the base of her throat and farther down past her shoulders, until her breasts fairly ached for his touch. He came over her then and didn’t disappoint, giving attention to one, then the other. Her back arched, the rosy nipples pointing up, hardened and sensitive, while white-hot heat scurried down past her belly, reaching her female core. A shudder ran through her, a beautiful sensual tremor as Dylan continued. She squirmed beneath him, the pleasure almost unbearable.
His mouth was masterful, his hands ingenious. When he moved, she moved and they were in sync, their bodies humming along together at a pace that suited her. She was in heaven, a bliss that she’d never encountered before. And it only got hotter when his hand slipped down past her navel, his fingertips teasing and taunting, edging closer to that one spot that would send her soaring.
She was damp and ready, and when he finally dipped into her soft folds, a tiny plea, a cry of pleasure, escaped her lips and she did, in fact, soar. The pressure, the light stroking growing firmer and more rhythmic worked her into a frenzied state. Dylan knew how to please. His kisses muffled her soft whimpers, his mouth devoured hers and his body radiated enough warmth to heat all of Moonlight Beach.
She reached a climax quickly. “Dylan, Dylan,” she breathed, grasping his shoulders, clinging on, her heart pounding against her chest. He didn’t let up until she shattered completely and was fully, wonderfully spent.
With glazed eyes, she watched him get up and remove his pants and briefs. Through the faint light streaming into the room she focused on the entire man, stark naked, virile and majorly turned on, and could only think, “Wow.”
Before he climbed back onto the bed, he grabbed a golden packet from the nightstand, ripped it open and offered it to her as he lay down next to her. “For your protection.”
There’d been someone before her. Probably Callista. And she was grateful for his concern, even though she was already pregnant with his child. She took it in her hands as he waited for her to slip it on him. The act was intimate, perhaps even more so than what had occurred just seconds ago.
She swallowed hard. When she was finished putting on the condom, Dylan wasted no time taking her back into his arms. “This all feels so new, sweet Emma.”
“For me, too,” she whispered, but there was no more room for small talk. Dylan was towering over her, using his thighs to move her legs apart. She was ready, watching him, his gorgeous face so determined, his body so in tune with hers, moving ever so slowly, nudging her core and finally, finally pushing forward, staking his claim.
She wound her arms around his neck and welcomed him. It was a glorious greeting, one that she’d always remember. Yet he took it slow, cautiously moving, giving of himself and making sure she was okay throughout.
He felt good inside her. As if she was home and where she belonged. As if she’d waited all of her life for this one moment. Safe. Secure. Happy.
But not loved.
She shoved those thoughts from her mind and concentrated on the amazing man making love to her. His blond hair was wild now, spiking up in sexy disarray. His chest heaving, his labored breaths fully accentuated his power and grace as he moved inside her. Muscles rippled and bunched. Skin sizzled and sensations ran rampant. Then those intent blue eyes locked on hers as he uttered her name and carried them both up, higher and higher.
Until the last thrust touched the deepest part of her.
She fell apart at the exact moment he did. In unison, they cried each other’s names. He held on, allowing her to draw out the pleasure. And then he collapsed upon her, bracing his hands on each side of the bed to accept the brunt of his weight.
Looking at him now, she whispered, “Wow.”
He grinned. The sexy man who’d just fulfilled her truest fantasy appeared to be quite satisfied. “Yeah, wow.”
Rolling away from her, he landed on his back beside her. He took her hand and interlocked their fingers, staring out the window at the starry sky, listening to the pounding surf. She sensed him straining his mind, trying to recall that one night they’d shared before. “Anything?” she asked.
He gave her a quick noncommittal smile. “Everything.”
She was taken by his sweet answer and the way he rolled over and kissed her. But he didn’t remember anything from the blackout night. Nothing they did up until this point had triggered a memory.
“It doesn’t matter if
I remember or not. We’ve got this night and many more to come. We’ll start out new, from here.”
“I agree. It’s a good plan.” It was. She shouldn’t dwell on the past any more than he should.
He laid his hand over her belly in a protective way. “New is good, Emma. Trust me.”
She would have to trust him.
From now on.
* * *
“So everything looks good, Dr. Galindo?” Dylan asked, his face marked with concern. They were sitting in the office of Emma’s ob-gyn.
“Yes, Mr. McKay, the baby is healthy and Emma’s exam was right on point,” the doctor said. She glanced at Emma and smiled. “All looks good. Be sure to continue to take your prenatal vitamins, and see me again in one month.”
“Okay,” Emma agreed. “I will.”
“Do either of you have any further questions?”
“Just that,” Emma began, “this isn’t public knowledge, and we both expect our privacy to be respected.”
Dr. Galindo gave Dylan a knowing look. “Of course. We honor every patient’s privacy.”
“Thank you. Where Dylan goes, news seems to follow.”
The thirtysomething doctor smiled. Her eyes had repeatedly traveled to Dylan during the course of the consultation. Emma couldn’t fault her. Dylan was A-list. He was hot and sought after and just about every woman from age ten to one hundred and ten ogled him. “Rest assured, your privacy will not be an issue with my office.”
“I appreciate that.” Dylan rose from his seat and shook the doctor’s hand. “Thanks.”
Emma noticed that his taut face had relaxed some as he led her out of the building and into his car. She, too, breathed a sigh of relief. “That went well.”
“Yeah,” he said. “The baby will be here in less than seven months. Hard to believe.”
“For me, too. I’m grateful the baby is healthy. It was pretty cool hearing the heartbeat.”
“It was awesome.”
“I’ll be big as a house soon.”
One Secret Night, One Secret Baby Page 10