“Of course it was.” Her sly grin told him she had her ways, and he’d probably be better off not knowing. Laughing, he shook his head as he left them.
Clay stood in the back of the meeting room taking stock of what was unfolding before him. He had caught Dana’s eye before it started, but chose to stay in the background. The first row of chairs read like a family history; Uncle Charlie, then Leo with Mary. Dana was next, with Jeff at her side.
The first several motions on the docket were dispensed with quickly. When the room settled back down, Dana’s permit application was read aloud. Clay couldn’t remember when a board meeting had gotten so much attendance. Comments were asked for. Several questions from the audience members were addressed by Dana. Standing before the crowd, her presentation was concise and accurate, her numbers in order. She fielded the questions with ease, charming every person there, including Clay. Her choice of the peach suit with the white blouse was the perfect look for tonight, wholesome yet professional. Clay couldn’t wait to take it off piece by piece.
When it came time for the board to make the final vote, he slipped up the side aisle, going to her side. Jeff moved down a seat, making room for Clay to sit beside her. He and Jeff exchanged a look, a small, resigned smile forming on Jeff’s lips. Clay was glad he had made time to stop and see Jeff earlier in the day. While they were friends, he didn’t want the news of his engagement to Dana to come from another source. They had both shared a hug, and then Clay listened while Jeff gave him the lecture about hurting Dana, with important parts of Clay’s body being broken at best. It had ended with them laughing.
He held Dana’s hand in his, and they waited while the vote was taken. He knew she hadn’t taken a breath. When the unanimous vote was completed, she finally gulped for air.
Clay choked back his anger as Linda stood, taking control of the meeting. “If that’s all that’s on the docket, I’d like to add one last item.”
She had dismissed Dana’s victory while shuffling some papers before her. Linda waited for the crowd to come to order. “It is with sincere regret that I take this opportunity to advise the board that my resignation will be handed in tomorrow morning. While I’ve enjoyed my time working for the betterment of this community, I find it’s time for me to move on. I’d like to thank…”
Neither Dana nor Clay heard the rest of her words, until the final statement. “Private practice and becoming Mrs. Jason Harris will keep me quite busy.” Her phony smile didn’t fool many people in the room, most of whom had gotten her number a long time before. Everyone knew it was a power play, deflect the gossip and make them wonder.
As the meeting ended, the Brittons stayed to thank the board members for their support. Mary was the one who confronted Linda Cole. Leaning in to hug the woman, Mary’s stage whisper quieted the room.
“My dear, we’re so happy for you. What did you blackmail Jason with to accomplish this feat?” With a wide smile, Mary pulled back.
Clay was glad she was moving to the next county. As mayor of that county’s largest city, Jason Harris already had his hands full. Having Linda as a wife would make his life a living hell. From what he knew of Jay, they deserved each other.
“Dana, Clay.” Linda leaned in, kissing Clay on the lips. An instinct told him to wipe it away with the back of his hand. He didn’t suppress it. “Congratulations, Linda. I hope you and Jason will be as happy as Dana and I are.” With an exaggerated move, he brought Dana’s left hand to his lips, running them across it lightly. The diamond glinted from the light. He knew it was a cruel moment, one Dana deserved but wouldn’t take for herself. With a grunt, she moved past them.
“Everyone back to the Mansion,” Jeff told Dana.
“What, why?”
“To celebrate, of course.”
“But…”
Dana was surprised to see the cars in the driveway. She recognized a few as she and Clay walked from his car. “What is going on, Clay?”
“Go inside and find out.” Taking her arm, he all but dragged her up the front stairs. Lisa opened the door for them, taking Dana into her arms for a warm hug.
“Congratulations, honey. We’re so happy for you.” Dana glanced at the faces gathered in the foyer. Somehow Lisa and Ruth had transformed the area. Candles glowed from every surface. The center table was covered in white linen, with trays of cookies and mints laid out. Bottles of champagne sat iced in a huge copper bucket, waiting their turn to be opened.
“Lisa, how did you do all this?” she asked, accepting the glass of cold wine.
“Ask Clay. It seems with a few phone calls, he can accomplish a great deal.”
“Clay, you did this?”
“You earned it, sweetheart. For all the hard work and planning.” He tipped his glass to hers, sipping lightly. “And to all the work yet to come,” he added, getting a round of applause from the rest of the guests.
Dana counted eighteen people when she glanced around. Mavis was deep in conversation with Mary, Leo, and Charlie. Within an hour, everyone slowly headed out. With just her core family left around her, Dana finally let hers tears come. Not a huge body-racking cry, but a few stray tears of understanding. Finally, she knew what it was like to be home with her family, and especially with Clay.
“Just leave this for tonight, honey. I’ll come with you in the morning and give you a hand to straighten it up.”
“Thanks, Lisa.” Hugging her aunt and uncle, Dana was surprised when Mary pulled her closer.
“Dana, your mother would be proud of you. So would your father.”
“Thank you, Aunt Mary. That means so much to me.”
“Take good care of my childhood home. It was a grand place in its day, make it that way again.” Releasing her, Mary stood straight, looking around her. “Well, isn’t someone going to take us home? It’s been a long day, and I’m sure Jeff and Lisa would prefer to see me and Leo safely tucked away in their guest room for the night.” With one of her rare smiles, she swept from the house, her exit complete.
“You two coming?” Leo asked.
“Actually, no. Dana and I have a previous engagement. Why not plan on having lunch in town with us before you head home tomorrow?”
“See you then.” Leo gave Dana a hug, then followed Mary out to the car. Jeff grabbed a bottle of champagne from the bucket, smiling at Lisa. With one eyebrow raised, she accepted his arm. “See you at lunch,” Jeff told them as he and Lisa left them alone in the old mansion.
“Clay, I don’t know what to say. Thank you doesn’t seem to cover it.”
“Let’s get out of here, and maybe I can think of something that will.” Teasing her came so naturally. They bantered back and forth until most of the debris had been cleared away. Clay took the last bottle of champagne from the bucket and waited while Dana went about blowing out the candles.
Outside, there was a light breeze, and the air smelled clean. Seated in the Corvette, Dana finally asked, “Where are we going?”
“Home, kid. Home,” was all he would tell her. She assumed he meant his home, and that was fine with her. Instead, he took the road for the river house. She glanced at him as he shut off the ignition and released his seat belt. Taking a flashlight from beside his seat, he went around, opening the door for Dana.
“Clay?”
“It’s all right. I know the owner.”
“What?” She followed him to the garage doors, holding the light as he fitted the key in the lock. Once inside, he made a point of locking the door and double checking it. In the darkness of the house, Dana held tight, following the light he held. Up the stairs and to the right, the master suite, she knew.
Just outside the doorway, Clay turned. “Wait here.”
Standing in the hallway, Dana wasn’t sure what emotion to feel. They swamped her all at once. The relief of the permits, her love for Clay, being in someone else’s house. Light flooded the dark room, forcing Dana to shut her eyes against it. When she opened them, Clay stood before her. He swept her into his arms
, carrying her toward the bed he had prepared in the center of the room. Gently, he laid her down. Dana slipped off her shoes as she looked around.
Candlelight flickered all around her. There were glasses set out, waiting. Clay went about opening the wine before he settled next to her. Handing her a glass, he smiled. “Dana, do you think we could be alone here for a few hours?” he teased.
“I don’t know, what about the owner, won’t they mind us…christening their home?”
“Probably, but let’s do it anyway.” Taking the glass from her hand, she laid back on the layers of sleeping bags and blankets he had laid out. Following down beside her, he unbuttoned her jacket, pushing it aside.
“Where were we when we were so rudely interrupted this afternoon?” His lips teased her ear and her neck as he talked. She struggled to get out of the jacket, finally pushing him away, standing to take it off. .
Clay looked like he hadn’t taken a breath. Standing before him, she slowly took off her clothes. First the jacket, then the skirt. As she unbuttoned the silk shirt, it fell away with the rest of her things. She hadn’t worn a bra. She was bare to him except for a scrap of white lace that covered her femininity. Slowly, she lay back down next to him.
“Is that about where we were?” she asked.
Clay seemed to have lost his train of thought, as if the sight of her slow strip before him had turned his brain to dust. Lying next to him, she knew she was the luckiest woman alive.
“Well, is that about where we were interrupted or not?” Teasing him, she slowly eased his shirt over his head, her nails dragging against his nude skin.
“Dana,” was all he could say before she dragged him to her, mouth to mouth. For a long time they kissed, touched, and explored. Her hands were light and graceful against his skin. Her fingers found his erection through his pants, stroking him as she had earlier.
“Clay, get rid of these, please.” She tugged at the waistband of his pants. He seemed reluctant to release her but eventually stripped away the barriers that kept him from her.
He didn’t hesitate this time. Clay made love with Dana the way she had always dreamed he would, long and slow, teasing and tasting. Her hands were all over him, touching him everywhere. His mouth locked with hers, he pulled the last barrier away from her, tossing the lace underwear into the darkness. “Dana?” In the candlelight, he was even more handsome, if that was possible.
“Don’t stop, Clay, please don’t stop,” she murmured against his chest. Her hands were on him, holding him as they changed positions.
Chapter Seventeen
Clay was warm and giving. She didn’t hesitate to explore him with her mouth. She took her time, glancing up at him occasionally, asking him what he liked and didn’t. His moan was her only answer, so she kept going.
“Clay, remember when I was a kid and you used to torture me, all the time?”
“Uh-huh,” was all he could manage. Her laugh surprised him, and he opened his eyes just in time to watch her engulf his hardness with her mouth. Clay let his head fall back. She was enjoying the sweet torture she was providing him. His hands found her, pulled her up to him. Dana understood if he left her alone, she would finish him. Apparently, he wanted more, and so did she, much more. The discomfort at waiting only prolonged his enjoyment. His hand found her center, touching her in the most intimate of ways.
Dana remembered their afternoon, how he had given her such a gift, now she wanted it again. Sensing it, Clay slipped his finger inside her, feasting on her nipple as he had. Again, she felt the wave hit her, a soft cry escaping from her lips. With that, Clay moaned against her breast and then left it.
Dana opened her eyes just as she felt his kiss to her clit and then long licks of his tongue along her pussy lips. She could never describe the pleasure he gave her at that moment. When she closed her eyes, lights flashed against her eyelids, dancing in patterns as she gave in to his actions. His lips and tongue moved over her again and again, his hand somewhere in the mix, until she thought she couldn’t take any more.
Clay kept his hand against her and started at the beginning. His lips to hers muffled her plea for more. Moving against him, against his hand, Dana finally pulled away from him.
“Clay, please come inside me,” Her raspy words were his final undoing, as her hand sought him out.
Pausing only to slide a condom over his erection, he whispered, “Just until the wedding,” and then his lips went back to hers. Straddling her, he held her head between his hands, forcing her to look. “Dana, I love you. I’ll never hurt you, sweetheart. I will accept any and all of your unconventional ways when we’re alone together. In public we’ll have to show some restraint, but in private…”
“I know that now, Clay. I love you too.” Her hand pulled his head to hers as he slowly entered her. She wanted more, writhing under him, trying to get him to hurry. He pulled back one last time and smiled down at her. Then he engulfed her nipple as he pushed his way deep inside her. For one deafening second, Clay froze. She could feel him straining above her. Finally, he began the small jutting motions with his hips that pushed him farther inside her pussy. Her fingers grasped his butt cheeks and pulled him tighter inside. “Damn you’re huge inside me. I knew you would be. I’ve dreamt about you stretching me with your cock. Please, Clay, don’t stop, not now.” Her body writhed under him, forcing his movements faster and harder until he was consuming her body with his cock. She felt the shift in him. He was taking from her too.
He sucked her nipple deep into his mouth as he pushed deeper. She felt his warmth inside her and used her inner muscles to milk him toward orgasm. Dana had never experienced a man like Clay. Now, her mind and body worked together, telling her what she needed, and she followed its lead, taking from him what he had waited so long to give her.
“Dana, look at me,” he whispered. Her eyes opened halfway; her gaze at him took his last breath of restraint. He pulled back and grabbed her thighs and held her in place while he thrust a few last times, his body spent.
She pushed him over the edge when her eyes flew open at the sensation he had created within her. Her only word was his name, “Clay,” whispered as she gave in to the feelings he stirred inside her. He moved with her, working through her second peak as his own overtook him.
For a long time they stayed together. Clay tried not to collapse on top of her, using his arms to support his weight. Dana held him close, refusing to let him move off her. When her breathing had settled, she whispered in his ear, “More.”
With that, she started to move under him, forcing him back to life inside her. “I’ve created a monster,” he teased, raising himself back up to complete the rocking movement she was working toward.
“Be careful what you wish for,” she told him, pulling his lips to hers. His kiss was a beginning, and she relaxed back as he slid down her body. His tongue to her clit, he used his fingers to punctuate his movements, and Dana came again, a short ripple of climax rushing through her body. Finally, Clay moved back beside her. She was exhausted and watched as he rolled to the side. He’d ditched the used condom, but she didn’t know where, didn’t care right now.
Dana lay in Clay’s arms, sated for the first time in her life. As if reading her thoughts, Clay asked what she was thinking.
“I’m almost embarrassed to tell you.” Her smile let him understand the nature of her statement. Even in the candlelight, he watched the blush creep up her neck, warming her cheeks.
“But, since you are going to marry me.” Suddenly, she pulled back, searching his face. “Well, you are, aren’t you?”
“Yes, kid. Yes. Tell me.” Her slight hesitation started to alarm him, then he felt her warm hand engulf him. She stroked him gently, enjoying the texture of him
“I want to do it again,” she whispered.
“God help me, I have created a monster.”
“Of your own doing. Like it or not, now you’re stuck.”
“I like it, Dana.” She felt him come to life again
st her palm, thrilled she could entice him to his current state. Surprised by his body’s quick reaction, they relaxed in a slow joining, Dana learning what she liked him to do, telling him what she wanted. As he finally rolled off her, spent and exhausted, she went to his arms, laying her head against his chest, loving the rhythmic motion of his breathing.
“There’s one thing, before I forget.” He rolled out from under her. Suddenly she felt naked. Sitting up, she groped for her shirt. Clay caught a glimpse of her and tossed the closest item of clothing, his shirt, toward her as he searched for his pants. When he lay back down, he had an envelope in his hand. Dana sat cross-legged in the center of the now-mangled bed of blankets. Clay watched her pull on his shirt. It was huge on her, and it carried his scent. He never looked more handsome than this very moment. He handed her a refilled glass, taking a long drink from his before putting it aside.
“I wanted to give you this earlier, but we got interrupted.” He held out the envelope, and Dana took the sealed item, turning it over in her hand. She gave him her glass then studied what she held. “It might be easier if you opened it.” With a light kiss, he rolled away, bringing back a large candle, placing it close to where she sat. “Just open it, kid.”
Slowly, Dana slid her finger under the sealed flap, breaking the contact. From inside she pulled out several sheets of paper. Holding them up to the candle, the words leapt out. Deed of Sale. The words blurred before her as tears filled her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, but tears came anyway.
“Clay?”
“The land is yours, Dana. Do with it what you will. We can remodel this house or just tear it down and start over.”
“But, Clay, how? When?”
“I bought the house two years ago when it came back on the market.”
“That’s why you had the key. Why didn’t you ever finish it?” Her eyes were wide with shock. Of all the things that could have been in that envelope, this was not one of her initial guesses.
Payne, Lillith - His Unconventional Woman (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 20