by Неизвестный
he was causing a stir within her so effortlessly.
And it wasn’t just about tongue play; it was a lot more than that. It was about body heat and the way she
felt pressed against him, with his arms wrapped firmly around her waist and hers finding their way
around his neck.
And then it was about a need. She could not characterize his, but she could certainly define her own. It
had been seven years since she had been kissed by a man. Seven years of denying herself this one
particular pleasure as well as numerous others. Those denials, especially the primal ones, were coming
back to haunt her in the worst kind of way, thanks to him.
And then, she thought, when he pulled her body closer to his, closer to his heat, there was the idea, the
very fact, that after all this time she was still attracted to him and he to her. Some things couldn’t
change. There was the chemistry, physical attraction, sexual tension. Lust was a strong benefactor,
especially when motivated and fueled by sexual need.
He changed the angle of his mouth to deepen the kiss and tightened his hold around her waist. And then
he used his tongue to taste her in a way he’d never done before. It was as if he were trying to get
reacquainted with her flavor, sliding his tongue from one side of her mouth to the other.
Then, in a move she could only deem as sensuously strategic, he captured her tongue with his and began
mating with it in a way that nearly brought her to her knees. He was building desire within her, slowly
escalating their fiery exchange. Her hands moved from his neck to his shoulders, and then she spread her
palms over his back as he elicited a response from her that she felt in every pore of her body.
Despite the greedy protest of her lips, he finally pulled his mouth away from hers. She drew in a muchneeded
breath. The kiss had been totally unexpected—completely without warning—and had managed
to leave her breathless, speechless, with her senses heightened to their full capacity.
And then reality returned. She stiffened, determined that he would not assume the kiss would be the first
of many, or that he was on the verge of finding his way back into her heart with the sole purpose of
finding his way back into her bed.
Too late she began berating herself for letting the kiss last as long as it had. He was staring at her and
she wondered if the kiss—especially the intensity of it—had been some kind of point he’d wanted to
make. Probably, but she had news for him.
“If you want to keep your job, Darius, I would advise you to never do that again,” she said in a cutting
tone. “If you do, I will report your actions to the Texas Cattleman’s Club. I’m sure there are other
security companies they could use to do what you were hired to do.”
She thought she saw a smile touch his lips before his gaze narrowed slightly. “Does it matter that you
kissed me back? Moaned in my ear? Rubbed your body against mine?” he asked with a hint of scorn in
his voice.
Summer felt heat flush her cheeks. Had she actually done all those things while they’d been kissing?
Okay, she had returned his kiss, possibly even moaned a few times in his ear, but had she really rubbed
her body against his? Due to the intensity of the exchange, that may very well have been a possibility.
But that didn’t mean she’d given him free rein to enjoy her mouth anytime the mood suited him. She
needed to make sure he understood that.
“Fair warning, Darius. Kevin Novak of the TCC will be meeting with me this week to see how things
are going at the shelter, and we’ll be discussing ways that things around here can be improved. I’m sure
getting this job was a feather in your cap and I’d hate to ask that you be replaced, but I will if you don’t
keep your hands to yourself.”
His gaze locked on to hers for longer than necessary, and then he stepped back. Evidently, he realized
she hadn’t just made an idle threat. There was a long silence as they stood there staring at each other and
then to her surprise, he smiled and said, “You enjoyed that kiss just as much as I did and I will bring up
that fact to Mr. Novak if he questions me about anything. If you’re thinking about putting me on the hot
seat, then be ready to join me there. The TCC hired you to do a job, just like they hired me.”
His dark eyes hardened. “And need I remind you that I’ve been living in Somerset a lot longer than you
have? People around here know I’m a professional who’s selective when it comes to friends. I have a
tarnish-free reputation. This is a nice town, close-knit. You’re the stranger here, Summer, not me. But I
will heed your wishes. The next kiss, you’ll initiate. Until then, you’re safe with me.”
She lifted her chin, wondering when he had become so arrogant, so sure of himself. For him to assume
she would make a move on him was outright preposterous. “That won’t happen.”
He smiled. “Then I guess that means you’re safe with me.”
She was about to give him a blistering retort when his cell phone rang. “Excuse me,” he said, and
Summer watched as he quickly pulled it from his belt clip. She figured it was probably some woman
calling him.
He muttered a few words to the caller and then glanced back at her and said, “I need to take this call.
Remember what I said.” And then he turned and walked out of her office.
Darius strolled into the lobby of the shelter, a safe distance from Summer’s office, yet close enough so
he could see if she left. He pulled in a deep breath and then remembered he had Kevin holding on the
phone.
“Okay, Kev, I can talk now. What’s up?”
“Just a reminder we’re meeting at the TCC’s game room Thursday night to shoot pool.”
Darius couldn’t help but grin. If Kev was calling to remind everyone, that meant he was feeling lucky. “I
won’t forget.”
“Where are you?” Kevin asked.
“At Helping Hands. I decided to install the security system myself since I’m the one who’s going to set
up TCC’s billing account for the shelter. Besides, all my men are handling other projects.”
Darius then remembered something. “Your name came up in a conversation I had with the social worker
here, Summer Martindale. You’re supposed to meet with her sometime this week.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me. That was something Huntington was supposed to do and he delegated it to me
like he’s the king and I’m one of his lowly subjects. That man really grates on my last nerve.”
Darius understood just how Kevin felt. He, Lance, Mitch and Justin all felt the same way. The five of
them, along with Alex Montoya, were the most recent inductees into the Texas Cattleman’s Club. This
didn’t sit well with some of the club’s old guards—namely Sebastian Huntington and his stuffy cohorts
—who for some reason felt the younger men really weren’t deserving of membership in what was
known as the most exclusive social club in the state of Texas.
“Hey, man, I thought all of us agreed to just overlook Huntington and his band of fools,” Darius
reminded his friend.
“Yeah, but he just rubs me the wrong way at times. He doesn’t want to put his full support behind the
shelter since the funding of it was our idea and not his.”
“But he was outvoted, so eventually he’ll get over it,” Darius said. “And if he doesn’t, then that’s too
bad. Maybe
it’s a good thing that he’s having you do it instead of him. He wouldn’t do anything but find
fault with everything anyway.”
“You’re probably right. So, you’ve met Ms. Martindale?”
“Yes. She’s the Summer I was involved with before moving here to Somerset.”
“Damn, man, she’s that Summer?”
“Yes, she is that Summer.” Kevin didn’t know as much about what had happened as Lance, but both of
his best friends knew Summer had screwed him over in a bad way, which was the reason he’d wanted to
leave Houston and start a new life here in Somerset.
“I need you to do me a favor,” he said to Kevin.
“Sure. What do you need?”
It had always been this way between him, Lance and Kevin since their college days. Kevin had agreed to
the favor without even knowing what would be required of him. The three trusted each other implicitly.
“I’ll go into full details when I see you Thursday night, but when you meet with Summer Martindale, if
my name comes up, I don’t want it mentioned that I’m affiliated with the TCC.”
“No problem.”
Darius had made the decision to tell Summer the truth when he was good and ready. He couldn’t wait to
see her face when she realized he was probably just as wealthy as the old man she had left him for.
He and Kevin began talking about the update he’d gotten on the fire at the Brody refinery. Darius was
listening to Kevin’s take on why he thought Alex Montoya was responsible when he heard footsteps on
the tile floor. He glanced up to see Summer walking out of her office. He was standing behind a pillar,
so she didn’t have a full view of him, which to his way of thinking was a good thing. That way he could
check her out at his leisure.
She walked over to a row of file cabinets and he quickly recalled that he’d always thought her walk was
a turn-on. There was a sexy sway to her hips with every step she took. She was wearing a pair of brown
slacks and a light blue blouse. The lush curves of her hips and the firm swell of her breasts were outlined
to perfection by her outfit. He couldn’t help standing there staring, taking in everything about her. He
easily picked up on the differences in her, differences that, considering everything, he still couldn’t help
but appreciate.
She seemed a lot more self-assured, had taken ownership of her life and didn’t easily back down from a
fight. She certainly didn’t have any problems trying to put him in his place earlier. The key word was
trying. As far as he was concerned, when it came to her, he didn’t have a place, especially not one she
could put him in.
He should not have kissed her. But in all honesty, he could not have not kissed her. And now that he
had, he wanted to kiss her again. Hold her in his arms. Take her to bed.
Darius tightened his hand in a fist at his side, not liking the way his thoughts were going and liking even
less that he wanted to do those things with the same woman who had crushed his heart. But her response
to the kiss had caught him off guard—her complete surrender had made him hard in a way he hadn’t
been in years.
He had forced himself to end the kiss before he’d taken a mind to do something stupid like take her on
her desk. He had been that far gone and she had been right there with him, although she’d gotten a little
hot behind the collar later.
“Darius? You still there?”
His concentration was pulled back into the phone conversation, and he was trying like heck to recall
what Kevin had just said. “Look, Kev, I’ll get back with you later. There’s something I need to do before
it gets too late.”
“Sure, man.”
After snapping the phone shut, Darius walked toward Summer. She glanced in his direction with a
surprised look on her face. “I thought you had left.”
He forced a smile. “I’m sure you were hoping so, but I’m not the type who takes off without letting a
person know why, unless there is reason outside of my control. Not like some people.”
She glared at him. “And just what is that supposed to mean?”
“Think about it. When you do, it won’t take you long to figure things out. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Without giving her a chance to say anything else, he walked away.
Darius tried to keep his composure as he eased his long legs into his car. Moments later, after he’d
driven away from the shelter and was headed toward home, he let out the expletive that he’d been
holding back. Summer was certainly playing the innocent act well, having the gall to pretend she hadn’t
a clue what he was talking about when he’d thrown out his dig. He couldn’t help but wonder what else
she was concealing. For all he knew she could very well know about his vast wealth or his membership
in the TCC.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Despite the deep animosity he was feeling toward her, his
body refused to deny that it wanted her. She could stir embers of passion within him without saying a
word. All it took was a look, her presence or her scent to bring his libido to full awareness. He had to do
something about her. She had invaded his comfort zone. His space.
For six years he’d been living in Somerset, enjoying peace and harmony. Of all the cities for her to
relocate to, why Somerset? Avoiding her wasn’t an option, although it would make his life a whole heck
of a lot easier. Her very presence unsettled him in the worst way.
He breathed in deeply and fought back the anger that was getting him riled all over again. If she wanted
to pretend, then two could play that game. He was in a position to teach her the very lesson she deserved
to learn. She’d wanted a rich husband and in his own way, he would let her know just how she’d lost out
on one. He would bide his time, get on her good side and then, when she assumed things were going
great between them, after he’d gotten her back in his bed, he would do the very same thing to her that
she had done to him.
Walk away without looking back.
Three
T he following morning, with butterflies floating around in her stomach, Summer swiped her security
card through the scanner before stepping into the shelter, hoping she was early enough to have arrived
before Darius. He was the last person she wanted to see. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night and he
was the reason. She’d been unable to get the kiss they’d shared yesterday out of her head.
As she made her way toward her office, she refused to even consider the reason why she’d taken more
time getting dressed this morning than she usually did. Why she had spent a good ten minutes more
putting on her makeup and why had she pulled out the curling iron for the first time in weeks.
When she stopped at Marcy’s desk, she checked her watch. Marcy wasn’t due in for another hour or so.
Summer unlocked Marcy’s desk to retrieve a clipboard that listed all her appointments and meetings for
that day. Perusing the clipboard, she began to see what her day was going to be like.
“You look nice today.”
Summer didn’t bother to turn around. She didn’t have to. She had left home with a made-up mind that
no matter what, she was not going to let Darius rattle her. She was not going to allow him to make her
come unglued and she would not look for condescension in his every word. So with that resolve, she
would take his
compliment in stride and assume he meant no more by it than what was said.
She turned around and her hands automatically tightened on the clipboard the moment she did so. She
then swallowed deeply as the nervous sensations stirring in her stomach escalated. How was it possible
that he looked even better today than yesterday? He was casually but impeccably dressed. A different
pair of jeans and a different shirt, but the utterly breathtaking look was still there. All lean. Well-defined
muscles. Perfect abs. And with the tan-colored Stetson sitting on his head, tilted at an angle that
shadowed his dark brows, she couldn’t help but admit he was truly a fine, handsome specimen of a man.
“Thank you for the compliment. You look nice, also,” she heard herself say, determined not to get in a
sparring match with him. “Will you need to be in my office today?”
“No, I’ll be working in the other offices the majority of the day, other than when I start setting up the
accounting for the TCC. It will be a while before I start on that.”
She nodded, not wanting to prolong her time with him. “Then I guess I need to let you get started.”
“How about lunch?”
She stared up at him, certain she had misunderstood. “Excuse me?”
He smiled and she felt a semblance of heat stirring in her blood, through her veins, in a number of other
places she didn’t want to think about. “I asked if you wanted to do lunch with me.”
“Why?” She couldn’t help but ask.
“Why not? You gotta eat and so do I.”
“But that doesn’t mean we have to share a meal,” she pointed out.
His smile widened and the heat stirring in her blood intensified. “No, but it would mean that we’re
trying to put the past behind us and move on,” he said. “It’s not like we’re going to become bosom
buddies, because we aren’t. But I’ll be hanging around here for the next couple of weeks, so we might as
well learn how to get along. I’m not going anywhere and I doubt you are, either. So, what about lunch?”
“I’m not sure that would be a good idea, Darius.”
“What was it that you said yesterday? Oh, yes, your very words were, ‘We’re professionals and are