Reluctantly he moved his hand.
A soft moan of protest was muffled against his mouth. "It's ok," he whispered, kissing the corner of her mouth and the smooth skin behind her ear. "I only want to take this off."
The ties of her maillot fell away and he drew the fabric down to reveal the gentle swell of her breasts.
Her eyes were wide and the most incredible shade of aquamarine he had ever seen. There was pleading in those languorous depths, a silent request for acceptance that he found so unnecessary.
Splaying his fingers around her waist, he turned her to face him. The huskiness in his voice was enhanced by the feel of her as her knees settled on either side of his hips. Drawing his hands slowly up her sides, feeling the tremors shimmering through her, he cupped her breasts, taunting their rigid tips with his thumbs. "You're perfect, princess," he assured quietly, grazing one tight, umber aureole and then the other before looking back up.
Her head was above his, and her fingers lay curled over his shoulders. Slowly her head lowered and he met that enchanting mouth.
The dull throbbing between his legs escalated to a demanding ache when she arched toward him. Following the line of her throat, his mouth covered one of the hard buds, rolling its tip with his tongue. Her skin tasted like honey, and with each flick of his tongue her sweetness made him crave even more.
Never had Toni allowed a man to touch her so intimately. Never had she dreamed how wonderfully bewildering the sensations he was evoking could be. She wanted Kyle to feel everything she was feeling, to know the love that guided her unpracticed caresses and fueled the desires he was creating within her.
Stroking her fingers through his hair, she kissed its softness, then traced a path with her lips to his shoulder. Tactile senses merged with less definable ones. He tasted warm, and his skin felt like satin, and steel.
His hands were on her waist again, and his lips claimed hers. She felt him drawing her down to his hardness. Something hot coiled inside her, a tension so foreign that she couldn't begin to identify it. When his hips thrust forward, pressing his masculinity against the fabric separating them, she felt that heat become a deep, pulsing ache. Unconsciously, she imitated his slow, erotic rocking motion, unwilling to acknowledge the threat of feminine fear tensing her body. She had nothing to fear. Kyle would . . .
"My God, Toni," he rasped, his fingers digging into the small of her back. "Slow down!"
She hadn't been prepared to cope with the insistent demands of her body. Those demands fought her, begged her to ignore the words that penetrated the sensual fog holding her in its misty grasp. But his last words had been spoken too emphatically to be avoided, and he was pushing her away.
He edged her toward his knees, and she saw her own needs mirrored in his beautifully tortured expression.
"Is this what you had in mind when you asked me to hold you?"
If it hadn't been for the desire so evident in his voice, he might have sounded teasing.
Toni's own voice, that husky contralto, was deeper than usual, too. "Not quite."
Who was she trying to kid? It was exactly what she'd had in mind!
Tracing the fullness of her bottom lip with his finger, he whispered, "So what do you propose we do now?"
He had told himself that she would have the choice. She had started this, and he'd thought that he'd leave it up to her to dictate how it would end.
Her hesitation made him change his mind.
Picking up the strings of her top floating between them, he tied them around her neck. She still hadn't answered him, not verbally anyway. But the message in her eyes was clear.
She wanted him.
"It's getting late," he said, forcing his own desires behind a mask of controlled indifference.
He wanted her. Toni was just as certain of that as she was her own name. His shuttered expression didn't fool her one bit.
"You're right," she managed with a tremulous smile. "It is getting late."
Not another word was said as he helped her out of the spa, handed her one of the towels from the bench, and watched her pad quickly through his bedroom to hers.
Kyle headed straight for the shower.
❧
It was Saturday. Since it was also only a little after nine in the morning, that meant that Madeline would be working in the kitchen, and Kyle would be downstairs working out.
Toni could hear pots and pans rattling in the sink as she headed toward the kitchen. She'd have a quick cup of coffee with Madeline—if Kyle was on schedule this morning, he wouldn't be upstairs for at least half an hour—and then she'd leave for the office. She didn't trust herself to see him yet. The wistful smile clinging to her lips simply didn't want to go away, and that would be far too revealing.
Her memories of what had happened last night had given way to her wonderful old dream. It had seemed so real, and in her mind she could still see his smile of adoration as she floated toward him in a billowing white gown while an organ played and the scent of orange blossoms filled . . .
She gave her head a shake and dropped her briefcase on the entryway table. She'd made progress last night. But not that much! And right now, she'd be better off thinking about the Westline Clinic account.
That thought effectively removed her smile. It was going to be a while before she could implement her decision not to "work on weekends anymore. This business of working six and seven days a week was definitely beginning to lose its former appeal.
"Morning." Toni directed her greeting to the skirt of her winter white wool dress and flicked a piece of lint from the pleat. Tossing her matching jacket on the counter, she smiled up at. . . Kyle. Rather, his back. He was standing at the sink.
Thank God that dumb, misty grin wasn't plastered on her face anymore!
"Morning," he returned, not bothering to turn around. "Coffee's ready."
Toni headed for the cupboard, watching him through her lowered lashes. "Where's Madeline this morning?"
"At the store." He turned off the water he'd been running into a large saucepan—Madeline had already been busy with more preparations for tonight's party—and dried his hands on the towel he'd flipped over his shoulder. "I got left in charge of KP. You have an appointment?"
Toni drowned her vague sense of disappointment with a sip of coffee. It was normal conversation. Depressingly normal.
With an inward sigh, she glanced down at her dress. She knew what had prompted his question. Usually, she wore slacks to the office on weekends. "Actually..." She picked up his empty mug from beside the coffeepot, silently asking if he wanted more by lifting it toward him. He nodded. ". . . I have a couple of appointments. They're not until this afternoon though, and I thought I'd spend the morning trying to find my desk. The last I saw of it, it was buried under a pile of computer printouts."
She handed him his cup. Only the slight pinch of her eyebrows indicated that she'd noticed how carefully he'd avoided touching her fingers.
"When will you be home?"
"By five or so ... I hope." Her blue eyes swept cautiously to his face. He looked tired. "Why?"
"Just curious. How did you sleep?"
He was watching her over the rim of his mug.
It was a simple question. Rather like asking someone how they were and expecting nothing more than an equally simple, "Fine."
Toni knew that he wasn't just making idle conversation though.
"Ok, I guess." She held his unblinking gaze steadily. "And you?"
Cat and mouse. It was an unusual game for them to play.
Kyle's gray eyes were deliberately traveling the length of her body, their depths unrevealing when they returned to her slightly flushed features. "I've slept better," he informed her dryly.
Toni's small surge of triumph—if he was losing sleep because of her, she was definitely getting somewhere!—was interrupted by the doorbell.
She didn't quite understand his taunting smile as he took another sip of coffee, then announced that "Madeline's back."
❧
Kyle willingly complied with Madeline's request that he stay out of her way, and threw himself into a sweat-inducing workout on the weight machine.
The Toni he'd known five years ago no longer existed. Somewhere along the line she'd been cured of that delusive Polly anna innocence. In many ways, he liked her better without it, or so he told himself. She had clearly given up all of those idiotic romantic notions she used to have. And after last night, it was obvious enough that she had no compunction about adding sex to their relationship. So, why not take advantage of what she was offering? There was no denying that he wanted her!
Hell, he corrected, his muscles straining as he fought the resistance of the machine's hydraulic system. He ached for her!
His need for Toni was more than physical though. She was becoming more important to him every day. If they had an affair, she'd become even more important. Then what would he do?
Marriage was out of the question. If Toni had become the person he thought she had, she wasn't interested in it anyway. But was risking the loss of their friendship worth it for something that could never lead anywhere? Affairs had to end, didn't they? And what about the other men in her life?
Kyle didn't have the answers.
❧
His last question presented itself again several hours later. It was seven-thirty and his guests had already started to arrive. Toni still wasn't home.
Kyle had just opened the door to greet another couple, when he saw the silver Mercedes pull into the drive. He recognized that car immediately—as well as the man behind the wheel.
The driver of that car was Dr. Greg Nichols. And Toni was with him.
The couple Kyle turned toward saw nothing of the strain behind their host's welcoming smile.
The schedule Toni had planned for the day had fallen apart right after her first meeting. Who would ever have thought that her last appointment would take four hours? Or that her rental car would pick this particular Saturday to develop a temperament?
"Thanks, Greg," she said, picking up her briefcase from the floorboard and opening the passenger door of his car. She glanced toward the house. The driveway was full of cars, and they'd passed at least two dozen more parked along the street. "I appreciate the ride."
Greg nodded his curly blond head and flashed her a glimpse of his even white teeth. The dark tan he'd acquired during the medical conference he'd just returned from in Hawaii, and his imported cashmere sweater in a shade of green that matched his eyes perfectly, hardly helped promote the image of a struggling young doctor. Struggling and young were his terms. He was almost forty and, being quite familiar with his financial statements, Toni knew that his only struggle was one for tax shelters.
"No problem," he returned amiably. "How about dinner some night this week?"
The invitation was casual. Probably an attempt to return the favor she had just done him by presenting the investment package he wanted to his associates. That's what they'd been discussing all afternoon.
"Sounds fine." She swung her legs out the door. "We can talk about converting those gas bonds into the stocks I mentioned earlier."
"Good idea. I'll call you the first part of the week to set something up."
Toni let herself out of the car and headed up the walkway. She enjoyed working with Greg. Their business relationship was a good one. It was too bad that Kyle nearly turned green every time he heard Greg's name. Too bad, and very flattering.
The laughter coming from inside the house greeted her before she even reached the front door. The party was well underway. Somehow she had to make it to her room without attracting anyone's attention—especially Kyle's.
The Fates were with her. Breathing an excited sigh as she burst through the door of her room, she headed straight for the closet.
Kyle had made that comment about her legs when he'd subjected her to that nerve-wracking massage her first Saturday here. He'd also asked her to wear a dress for this party.
Well, she smiled to herself, stepping back out into the hall twenty minutes later. If he wants to see legs, he most definitely will. Along with a flash of thigh and a bared back.
The halter-style skim of toast-colored crepe brushing her knees had cost a small fortune. Considering the possible return on her investment, it was worth every penny.
With her hair knotted in a sleek French twist, the gold squares adorning her ears, and the carmel-toned pumps accentuating the long line of her legs, she was all honey and cream and sultry turquoise eyes bright with anticipation. Cool sophistication wrapped around a bundle of nerves.
Kyle had invited some sixty-odd people. Though she knew that a lot of the guests were downstairs, she could have sworn that most of them were packed into the spacious living room. There may have been over thirty people there, but her eyes unerringly fixed on Kyle.
He was standing by the wet bar talking to a group of men. His back was to her, but even with the crowd separating them, she could feel the impact of his presence. Odd how one person could affect her so when she was surrounded by so many others.
"Toni?"
The question that accompanied her name was to become a familiar sound within the next hour. She never did reach Kyle. Since he hadn't appeared at her side either, she was almost certain that he didn't even know she'd come home.
Most of the guests were people Toni had known from years ago. People she used to work with and clients of Kyle's company. Her conversations were polite, her smile genuine. But her eyes were constantly seeking the one person who seemed to have disappeared completely.
It was while she was still looking for Kyle that she spotted Jana Rand standing by the sofa. The tiny brunette looked like she was about to deck the bald man talking to her cleavage. Toni and Jana had only spoken briefly—they were old "lunch buddies"—and Toni decided that now was as good a time as any to have the little talk they had promised each other. Jana might also know where Kyle was.
Snagging two glasses of wine from the bar, she cut her way through the crowd.
"Do you have a minute, Jana?" Toni extended one of the glasses to her and was blessed with relief in the woman's wide hazel eyes.
"Do I ever," Jana breathed.
Toni smiled tightly at the glassy-eyed man she recognized as an old client of Kyle's. Both women ignored his sputtered, "Hey, baby, where ya going?" as they moved out to the deck.
The night was cool, almost cold, but the people lining the redwood railing either didn't notice or didn't care.
Todd Ruger, looking considerably cleaner than he had at the football game, materialized from somewhere beside them. "Hi, ladies!"
"Don't take this personally"—Jana winked at Toni, then looked up at her co-worker—"but since you have the misfortune of being a male, I don't think we want to talk to you."
Todd's smile faltered, his glance jerking from one woman to the other.
"Oh, stop looking like a wounded puppy," Jana muttered, taking a cigarette from her purse and lighting it. "I was only kidding." She exhaled a puff of smoke. "Thanks for the rescue, Toni."
"What rescue?" Todd's eyes were still darting back and forth.
"From Larry the Leerer," Toni supplied, referring to the man who'd been practically salivating down the front of Jana's blouse.
Todd was frowning. Jana laughed. "Larry Norman," she clarified. "The lech of the Northwest's Wall Street."
Todd's boyish features split in a grin. "And the ink isn't even dry yet."
It was Toni's turn to look puzzled, but Jana's quick response answered her unspoken question.
"I guess it's something I'll have to get used to. I'd swear that all men think it's open season on any woman who's about to join the ranks of the single."
Jana was apparently getting a divorce. Toni had attended her wedding. "I'm sorry, Jana," she said quietly.
The small woman pushed back a handful of her dark brown curls and squinted through the haze of smoke. "Me, too."
Todd had gone through a divorce a
couple of years ago—he'd told Toni that at the game—and she took his silence now for empathy.
Unwilling to let that silence become acute, she glanced up at her companions. "Have either of you seen Kyle?"
It was Jana who answered. "The last I saw of him, he was headed downstairs. Shall we go find him?"
"No, that's ok. I just haven't seen him yet and . . ."
"You're about to." Jana~was nodding toward the doorway.
Before the words had even left Jana's mouth, Toni felt the fine hairs on the back of her neck begin to prickle. That slightly unnerving sensation traveled down her bare back, and it was impossible not to shiver. Her eyes, eager for the sight of the only man who could have evoked such a reaction, darted over her shoulder.
Kyle stepped into the space between her and Todd.
"Hi," she managed softly.
"Hi, yourself," he returned. His mouth curved upward, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He glanced from Todd to Jana. "Am I interrupting anything interesting?"
Toni hadn't expected anything more than his perfunctory greeting. After all, this party really was a business function. And Kyle was always the same around his business associates. Reserved. Coolly aloof. He could be very intimidating if he wanted to. Or like now, appear friendly without ever allowing anyone to see behind that unemotional facade.
His manner now was a striking reminder of the Kyle she had first come to know.
"Heavens no," Jana was replying to his question. "We were just about to discuss the perils and pitfalls of marriage, which car manufacturer will get the next government subsidy, and who's going to drop the first nuclear bomb."
There was something about Jana that prevented her words from sounding bitter. Maybe it was the sad smile that never seemed to leave her eyes. Or the sense of strength packed into her petite frame. Whatever it was, Toni couldn't help but admire her. Her world was probably falling apart, and she was still able to poke fun at it.
"I'm all for light conversation." Kyle crossed his arms over his tailored gray suit jacket. He looked wonderful in gray. "So let's start with cars. Where's yours, Toni?"
Remember the Dreams Page 11