by Karen Booth
He got serious again, the crease between his eyes deepening. “Emma, you couldn’t disappoint me if you tried. Tonight has been incredible.”
However much she’d wanted him a minute ago, that desire was tenfold now. She reached back and pulled the clip from her hair, letting her hair fall down onto her shoulders. Daniel sucked in a sharp breath and she knew she was not only on the right track, but this was the only way she wanted to go. She tightened her grip around his waist. “I want you to show me what I’ve been missing.”
A lustful groan came from the depths of Daniel’s throat. “I will.” He slipped the thin strap from her shoulder. She shuddered with anticipation. He pressed a kiss to her bare skin, and she tilted her head to the side, silently begging him to kiss her neck again. Daniel claimed the stretch of skin with his mouth. His kisses were wet and hungry. Heat pooled between her legs. “Just do what feels right. Do what feels natural.”
She anticipated no problem with that. Daniel was so sexy, her body was giving her hundreds of cues. Heat coursed through her veins. Her skin was alive with electricity. She turned her back to him and twisted her hair to the side. “I’ve heard you’re good with zippers.”
“I’m terrible. I can’t promise you’ll ever be able to wear this dress again.”
She smiled as he unzipped her, his breath warm against the back of her neck. “That’s okay. I’ve already been seen in it.” Her pulse picked up when she realized that, unlike the other night, she was free to let her dress fall. He undid the tiny hook at the top and she pulled the garment from her shoulders, letting it flounce to the floor.
Daniel placed his hands on her hips and flattened himself against her back. She could already feel his erection, hard against her bottom. He smoothed his palms around to her belly, pulling her into him while he dragged his fingers up her torso. Her nipples drew tight just waiting for his touch.
He kissed her neck again. “It’s so sexy that you didn’t wear a bra tonight,” he muttered into the sensitive spot behind her ear. He cupped her breasts with his sizable hands, enveloping them and squeezing.
She felt light-headed as pleasure and excitement had her heart racing again. “The dress did the dictating.”
“Bravo for the dress.” He rolled her nipples between his fingertips. Emma clamped her eyes shut, sinking back against his chest as currents zipped from her breasts to the tops of her thighs. He slid one hand down her midline and into the front of her panties. His fingers spread her delicate folds. “You’re so wet.” His breath was warm against her ear. He gently nipped her lobe.
“I want you,” she gasped, as he found her apex and began rubbing in small circles. He knew precisely what he was doing, his fingers driving her straight toward her peak. She felt it zeroing in on her, building so fast she could hardly think straight. “I’m going to come...”
The words had hardly left her lips before she knocked her head back and the orgasm slammed into her, hard. It felt so impossibly good, waves of blissful heat washing over her. Still she was a bit mortified that it hadn’t taken much to bring her there. She turned in his arms, grabbed both sides of his head and brought his lips to hers, threading her fingers into his hair. “That was amazing. I’m sorry it happened so fast.”
“Don’t apologize. That’s just the beginning.” He reached down and scooped up her legs, lifting her into his arms. “Which way to your bed?”
She pointed to the hall and he strode to her bedroom, taking charge, every inch the confident man she was so immensely attracted to. She coiled her hands around his neck, still reeling from the pleasure he’d delivered. He ducked into the darkness of her room and placed her feet on the floor. Emma took both his hands and walked backward to the bed. Her calves met the mattress and she raced to start on his shirt. He caressed her bare shoulders while she freed the buttons, then pushed the crisp cotton down his arms. Being able to smooth her hands over his firm chest was the best reward. His muscles were hard and defined, even better than her brain had imagined. But there was more waiting for her, so she unhooked his belt, the hook and zipper on his trousers. They dropped to the floor and Daniel took her hand, pressing her palm against his erection. His body was telling her just how primed he was. She’d made him feel like that.
She pressed harder and he groaned, but she wanted to touch him for real, not just through his boxer briefs. Pure instinct taking over, she shimmied them down his hips and took him into her hand. She wanted to feel every inch of him. Her thumb smoothed over the head, silky smooth. Daniel groaned again. She slid her fingers along his length and began to stroke from base to tip, matching the tension coiling beneath his skin with her firm grip. He kissed her with abandon, mouth open and craving. He needed her. She felt it in every inch of him that she touched. She sensed it in every kiss and subtle moan.
The pressure was building between her legs again and she ached for him to touch her. She placed a knee on the bed and, wanting him to truly see her, stretched out on her back, her body on full display. She wanted him to see that she was his for the taking.
He reached down and curled his fingers into the waistband of her silky panties, tugged them down her legs and tossed them aside. She expected him to stretch out on the bed next to her, but he watched her instead. She squirmed against the sheets, rubbing her head back and forth. It felt like she was on fire.
“Do you have a condom?” she asked, kicking herself for not thinking this through and buying a box ahead of time.
“I do.” He reached for his pants and opened his wallet. “A gentleman is always prepared.”
Emma sat up, her heart racing. “Come here. Let me put it on.”
He grinned and handed over the packet, standing between her knees. Their gazes connected as she rolled it on. Her fingers didn’t fumble. It was like she was a different person. She felt him get harder in her hand. She’d never wanted anything as badly as she wanted Daniel. She lay back on the bed and spread her legs for him. He lowered his beautiful body onto her, positioning himself at her entrance and then slowly driving inside.
Emma raised her knees and he sank down until his hips met the back of her thighs. He felt so impossibly good, filling her completely. He lowered his torso against hers, resting on his elbows, but putting a delicious pressure against her center. His thrusts were pure magic, his hips rotating with every pass. She might not last long the second time, either. They fell into a kiss that had no logical end. Passionate. Unafraid. It was like they’d done this hundreds of times together, but the newness was there, too. It was a feeling unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
Daniel’s breaths were getting shorter, his thrusts longer and deeper. He pushed back with one arm and lowered his head, drawing her nipple into his mouth. Emma wrapped her legs around him, muscling him closer. She felt like her entire body was about to burst. She was poised. Muscles tight and inching closer to release. And she gave way, ecstasy washing over her in a colorful array of light. Daniel followed, his torso freezing in place, deep moans coming from his incredible mouth. He took several more slow passes, his hips delivering aftershocks of pleasure to her.
As her heart rate slowed, he collapsed next to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of her head over and over again. Emma was overcome with a powerful realization, one she hoped wasn’t born of too much naive optimism. On paper, she and Daniel did not belong together. But alone, away from the rest of the world, they might be perfect.
Seven
Daniel woke to a feeling he hadn’t given into for a very long time. He was daring to wonder what came next with a woman. Here in her bed, sheets tangled around them both, he wasn’t thinking about any work he had to do today. He was instead wondering if they could go out to dinner. He was wondering if she might want to come over. He was at ease with her already, and she was more than comfortable with him. He’d loved every minute of seeing her open up to him physically last night. She’d picked up on h
is cues and given herself fully to him. He hadn’t banked on the emotional side of that. He felt connected to her. Fast. Exactly what he’d feared.
He already knew he couldn’t let his mother continue to believe he was trying to extract information about Eden’s from Emma. The small bits he’d learned thus far would remain under lock and key. Still, he had to devote some time to thinking through how this might possibly work. Was there a happy middle ground? Or was he fooling himself because he was in bed with a beautiful woman?
Daniel’s arm was pinned under Emma’s shoulders, and he was starting to lose the feeling in his fingers. He carefully tried to unthread himself from her, but that was enough to make her stir.
“Are you awake?” she grumbled. “It’s still early.” Her morning voice was soft and velvety, just like her. She rolled over and faced him, settling her head on his chest. “You smell nice in the morning.”
Such a funny and sweet thing to say. It made something in the vicinity of his heart swell. He shook his head, trailing his fingers up and down her back, bringing back memories of their night together and the ways they’d pleased each other. “You smell nice, too. I should get up, though. The dogs will surely want to get out.”
Emma sat up, her wide eyes popping open. She didn’t bother to cover herself, baring her luscious curves to him. “I can’t believe we forgot.”
How adorable was it that she’d used the word we?
“It’s okay. I snuck upstairs after three to let them out and to grab some different clothes. They don’t like it when I don’t come home at night.”
Emma arched her eyebrows and narrowed a skeptical stare at him. “Does that happen a lot?”
“Not at all in New York.”
A wide smile bloomed on her face. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, then swatted his leg. “Good. Come on. I’ll go with you.” She hopped out of bed and traipsed over to her dresser, fishing out some clothes.
He was inclined to let the dogs wait a few more minutes just so he could enjoy watching her flit around the room naked. But he couldn’t let responsibility get too far away from him. He was doing enough of that already. “You don’t have to come with me if you’d rather sleep.”
Emma tugged on a pair of black leggings and a white tank top. “I love your dogs. I like being around them.” She zipped up a gray hoodie. “I like being around you.”
“I like being around you, too.” Again, Daniel was wading in deeper. The depth didn’t scare him so much as his own enthusiasm for going there.
When they arrived upstairs, the dogs were raring to go, especially Jolly, who was running in circles. Emma got her on her leash while Daniel took care of Buck and Mandy. Minutes later, they arrived in the park. Emma took his hand and he led the way on the loop the dogs preferred. He was struck by how this was all so normal. So calm. Of course, things might change when they ended their walk at the newsstand. Daniel cringed at the thought of what the papers might say. Hopefully, there had been more interesting tabloid fodder in attendance last night.
They came to a stop so the dogs could mark some bushes. Jolly was sticking to Emma’s side. “She likes you a lot. A lot more than she likes me.”
“She doesn’t realize that you made a sacrifice by adopting her. She’s probably still waiting for your brother to come back.”
He wondered if that was true. “Probably. I think my mother’s wondering the same thing.”
“What happened? When he died? It clearly caused some problems in your family. I can hear it in your voice.”
Daniel cleared his throat. He’d never had his chance to tell his side of the story. He’d kept it all bottled up inside for two years. “William and I had an argument the night he got into the accident. I was quite angry and told him that he was no longer my brother.”
Emma held her hand to her lips. “Wow. What made you say that?”
“He was having an affair with my fiancée, Bea, and I found out about it. We’d always competed with each other and they’d dated once or twice before she and I started going out. I don’t know if she just liked the idea of playing us off against each other or what, but that’s what happened. So those were the last words I said to my brother. My mother never forgave me. She’s convinced that William wouldn’t have crashed if he hadn’t been so upset.”
Emma shook her head. “No. I’m sure that’s not what happened. And of course you were upset. Your brother betrayed you.”
“But there’s no winning that argument. He’s gone now. I will always have regrets.”
Emma scooped up Jolly and looked her right in the face. “You and your dad need to get things worked out. You both miss the same person.”
Daniel smiled. She was truly amazing. Just then, his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket. The caller ID said it was Charlotte Locke, his real estate agent. He wasn’t sure he should take this call with Emma nearby.
Emma put Jolly back down on the ground. “It’s okay if you need to answer your phone.”
“It’ll just be a moment. I’m so sorry.” Daniel handed her the leashes and distanced himself. “Hello?”
“Daniel. It’s Charlotte. Do you have a minute? We need to talk.”
Daniel watched Emma with the dogs. They were already hopelessly head over heels for her. Mandy and Buck were practically climbing over each other to get to her, while Jolly circled her ankles. Their tails wagged with endless excitement. “Of course. News on the lease?”
“I’m afraid not. I’m not going to be able to work with you any longer.”
“What? We’re in the middle of a negotiation.” Daniel couldn’t believe this. Charlotte was one of the top agents in the city and he’d still come up empty-handed. He’d never get Stone’s off the ground with someone else. “Why now?”
“A long-time client has asked me to stop working with you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t explain further.”
“Can you tell me who the client is?”
“I’m sorry. No.”
Daniel was reeling. Who would cut him off at the knees like this? As he eyed Emma, he couldn’t help but suspect this could be connected to Eden’s. The conclusion made his stomach lurch, but the history between their families made sabotage likely. “Can you at least refer me to someone else? You told me you have a great relationship with this landlord.”
Charlotte cleared her throat. “I do. And I’m sorry, but I can’t. But you have plenty of resources, Mr. Stone. I have no doubt that you’ll land on your feet. Have a good day.” Before Daniel could utter another word, Charlotte had hung up.
Daniel jammed his cell phone into his pocket. His blood was on the brink of boiling. If he were in London or Paris right now, he’d have no problem finding a new agent. Now he was starting over from scratch.
“Everything okay? You look terrible.” Emma approached, the dogs not so much leading the way as staying by her side.
It was such a shame. He liked Emma a great deal, but the suspicions going through his head right now were exactly why he had no business becoming involved with her. When he was younger and felt indestructible, he would’ve thumbed his nose at his gut feelings. He’d ignored the signs with William and Bea and it had destroyed his world. “Actually, everything isn’t okay. It appears my real estate agent has left me. I’m wondering if you know anything about this.”
“How could I?”
“Then perhaps your sisters?”
“You think they got your agent to dump you? They would never do something like that.” Her eyebrows popped up as a realization crossed her face. “So you really are opening a Stone’s in New York. This isn’t early days or you just exploring your options. You’re doing this.”
“You had to know that. I don’t for a minute believe you are naive enough to think I’m spending time in New York looking at real estate for anything else.�
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Emma reared her head back. Jolly growled at him. “Wow.” She shook her head slowly, looking him square in the eye. “You could have just been up front with me. You hedged your answer and I took you at your word. Now I’m thinking that was a foolish move on my part.”
Daniel’s anger was quickly replaced by guilt. He’d skirted the issue when asked. That much was true. “I thought we were toying with each other.”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t play games, Daniel. Maybe other women have done that to you, but not me. Maybe your old fiancée did that to you, but that’s just not my style.” Emma collected the dog leashes and placed them in his hand. Her touch sent an ache right through him. She began to walk away.
“Where are you going?”
She turned around, walking backward. “To talk to my sisters. If you’re right, this has to stop now.”
“And if I’m wrong?”
“It won’t be the first time you’ve had to apologize to me.”
* * *
Emma called Sophie as soon as she was back in her apartment. No answer. Next, Mindy. Voice mail. What in the world was going on? Had those two really resorted to cutting Daniel off at the knees? She’d told him they wouldn’t do such a thing, but she worried she might be wrong. She had to get to the office right away to track down her sisters.
She got into the shower. “This is so stupid,” she muttered to herself. “What kind of families feud with each other?” She placed a foot on the stone ledge meant for shaving her legs and aggressively scrubbed, suds splatting against the glass walls of the shower enclosure. “It’s not like we’re the Montagues and they’re the Capulets. We’re not even the Hatfields and the McCoys. If we’re fighting, we’re talking about who might sell the most perfume and designer shoes. Why does anybody need dirty tricks to do that?”
She shut off the water, stepped onto the plush bathmat and wrapped herself up in a fluffy towel. Swiping at the fog on the mirror with her hand, she looked at herself. If what Daniel had accused her sisters of was true, this was worse than stupid. It couldn’t continue. It didn’t matter how much money was on the line, she wasn’t about to be a part of underhanded tactics.