by Laurie Paige
He kissed her again, taking all the wonder of her into himself until his head spun with desires he could no longer control. She was his. For tonight.
And then that thought, too, disappeared into star-dust as she touched him intimately. He groaned and made himself take it slow when he wanted only to sink into her and give way to the hunger…and yet, he wanted it to last.
Contradictions. His life had been filled with contradictions from the moment they had met.
He kissed each perfectly formed breast again, then moved slowly down her body. She watched him with curiosity in her eyes and a tender smile on her face. He gazed into her eyes for a long ten seconds, then dipped his head and slid lower.
“Oh,” she said on a gasp.
Eyes closed, the blood humming through him with the muted roar of a high-speed train, he tasted the sweetness of her flesh, felt the throb of desire in her, the welcome in her body. Her whimpers of passion and the feel of her fingers in his hair filled him with a primitive joy that made him want to shout.
But not yet. First there was this.
“Dev, oh, darling, please, I’m going to…to… Please. Come to me. Now.”
Her wild hunger drove his own. He rose and lifted himself away from her.
“No, don’t go.” She reached for him.
“I’m not leaving.” He couldn’t have left if the devil himself appeared and told him his soul was in peril if he stayed another second. He went to his room and returned in less than a minute. She saw what he had done and nodded solemnly as if praising him for thinking of protection.
“Now,” he said.
He covered her slender nakedness with his body. Slowly, carefully, while she watched, her eyes slumberous yet bright with interest, he fitted them together in the way nature intended. When he was as far as he could go, he released the breath he’d been holding.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt,” she assured him. She gave him a radiant smile. “It’s a tight fit, but…it’s okay. Wonderful, actually.”
He had to laugh at her enthusiasm. She was as open and uninhibited as a child in her delight with everything they did. For some reason that touched something within him that had been wary and uncertain. Now it was okay. She had said so. He relaxed…as much as a man who was on the brink of coming apart at the seams could.
“Wonderful,” he murmured.
He began to move in her, knowing he wouldn’t last long if she didn’t stay still. She didn’t. She moved in rhythm with him, rising and falling in sync, a perfect duet…
With her, he found that making love could be part of the fantasy of life, composed of dreams and reality in equal parts. It was more than anything he’d ever experienced, more than he’d ever longed for or dreamed of.
She arched against him and cried out in a low, keening tone. Her breath stopped. He continued stroking her with his hand, but paused in the mindboggling thrusts for a moment.
“No,” she protested. “Move with me. Now.”
Taking a breath, he let himself plunge over the edge into the torrent of pure passion. It filled his mind like a flash flood through a narrow canyon, washing all before it but the sound and sensation of fulfillment, complete and without mercy.
It was minutes before he could move again. When he rolled onto his side, she turned with him, holding them together in the intimate embrace.
She used the sheet to gently wipe the perspiration from his face, then hers. The green eyes were hazy and warm as she watched him.
A question that had flitted through his mind then disappeared in the heat of their joining, came to him. This was a situation he’d never met before. He wasn’t sure if he should ask. She saved him the bother.
“I knew it would be like this—wild and sweet and heart-stopping…and the afterglow… It’s the deepest peace I’ve ever known. A gift to men and women for living. Wasn’t it wonderful?” She sounded so pleased with it all. As if they, instead of Adam and Eve, had discovered sex.
Laughing softly, she leaned over and kissed him, an endearing pressing of her lips to his that seemed as innocent as a baby’s touch.
He tried to ignore the thought that kept intruding. Finally he had to make sure. “Was this…this wasn’t the…this couldn’t have been your first time.”
She kissed the middle of his chest, then started working her way to his nipple. He curved a finger under her chin and made her look at him.
“Was it?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
One of her solemn expressions appeared. “Because it was the right time. Because you’re the right man. Because.”
Her slight shrug expressed a helplessness that he understood. Some things were more powerful than mere mortals could comprehend. Sex—no—not sex, but the attraction they felt for each other, was one of those.
He had never before encountered any woman he couldn’t walk away from. What had happened just now scared him. It was beyond his understanding—
“We had better dress. It’s nearly time for dinner.”
“Oh, God,” he groaned. “I have to face your father.”
She laughed out loud. “Well, yes, but we don’t have to confess like a couple of kids who stole a strawberry pie, do we?” She told him about the time two of her brothers had done that. “Father wouldn’t let any of us eat dinner until the culprits confessed. We just sat and waited. After fifteen minutes, they couldn’t stand it, so they told all.”
He swung out of bed, surprised and angry with himself when he realized he didn’t want to leave her. Not yet. He hadn’t had near enough…
With a silent curse, he gathered his scattered clothing and stalked out of her room. He showered again. So did she. When he stepped out into the courtyard, she joined him.
He was aware of her, of her scent, of the cool green silk outfit she wore, of the hot satin of her skin, of her brightness, as sparkling as a new penny, and her sweet warmth, on the way to where her family waited—her father, Lily, Matthew, Claudia, her two brothers, her aunt Mary Ellen, Logan, Mary Ellen’s younger son, and Clint Lockhart, Mary Ellen’s brother.
When he had questioned Mary Ellen’s side of the family, Dev had liked her openness. The two men had been more difficult to read. The son was impatient as were all the Fortunes. The brother had been full of helpful advice, volunteering more information than was asked, but there was an undercurrent of surliness about the man.
As they approached the others gathered in the shade of the trellis for before-dinner drinks, Dev felt as if every pair of eyes was looking right inside him…and could see every caress of that wild romp between him and the daughter of the house.
Heat slithered into the back of his neck. He hoped his ears weren’t red. He wondered how long they would have to sit before he broke down and confessed all to her father, who watched him with a narrowed gaze and more than a hint of—suspicion?—in his dark eyes.
Dev swallowed hard. He had never let anything interfere in an investigation, had never let passion come between him and the job to be done. He’d never slept with a redheaded, green-eyed virgin, either, one who had turned him inside out and upside down before their tryst had ended.
A jolt of lightning ran through him. He didn’t know if it was delight or despair. A hell of a mess he’d gotten himself into.
Vanessa faced her family with self-enforced calm. She accepted her usual champagne from her brother and chose a seat a little apart from the others. She needed to be alone for a while to mull over this new knowledge of the male-female relationship.
In making love with Dev, she had expected the excitement. But the closeness…that was something new. And the deep peace she’d felt in her soul in the afterglow.
She wanted to hug it to herself, keep her secret—hers and Dev’s—and not share it with anyone else. Not yet. It was too new, too fragile, too perfect.
Glancing at her family, she observed her father and Lily, seated beside each other. She wanted her love to be close to her. She wanted to be
free to touch him and feel his presence nearby.
Seeing her father watching her in a pensive manner, she dredged up a smile for him. She now understood why couples went on honeymoons. They needed this special time for each other, to bond—
“I don’t suppose you have anything new?” Matthew asked.
His face was so grim Vanessa felt a deep pain in her heart for him. His life wasn’t working out. She didn’t know if he and Claudia would make it. She wondered if she should probe a bit to see if she could help.
Maybe she should talk to Claudia. Her sister-in-law had problems with the family name and wealth. However, she needed to find the confidence in Matthew’s love within herself. No one could give it to her. Sighing, Vanessa turned to Dev.
He hesitated, his gaze surveying the group before he spoke. “As a matter of fact, I do have information. The detective has a lead on the cowboy who was here.”
Vanessa watched him observe the reactions of her family to this news. She, too, glanced around the group. They were all staring at Dev with varying expressions—some with hope and anxiety, some with doubt that this was helpful news, and some with anger in their faces.
Clint waved his hand in disdain. “I don’t see how that will help. He certainly didn’t leave with any baby. I saw him take off in his truck.”
“He can verify your location at the time of the kidnapping,” Dev remarked in that polite way he had, which gave nothing away.
Anger erupted as Clint stiffened and glared at the agent. “Are you doubting my word?” he asked with a dangerous edge.
Dev wasn’t intimidated. “I like to tie up loose ends,” he said smoothly.
Vanessa relaxed. Dev had everything under control. Catching Lily’s gaze on her, she felt heat slide into her face. There was something in the older woman’s eyes that spoke of understanding. There was tenderness in her expression. Vanessa was suddenly sure her future stepmother knew about her involvement with Dev.
Lily smiled, glanced at Dev, then nodded.
Vanessa, bathed in the warm glow of the other woman’s approval, smiled, too. At that moment her aunt, seated to her left, laid a hand on her arm and squeezed. Vanessa saw kindness in the gaze Aunt Mary Ellen turned on her.
Her heart swelled, filling her with so much love she felt it would burst out of her, showering all her family in the richness of her feelings.
She wanted so much for each of them—for Matthew and Claudia to get their son back and find the happiness they deserved, for her aunt to find someone who would be true and love her with all his heart, for her father and Lily to be able to marry and share their love freely—
“It’s time to go in,” her father announced. He stood and held his arm out toward her.
Surprised, Vanessa joined him as they headed for the dining room. Uncle Clint bowed, then gallantly escorted Lily while Logan did the honors for his mother. Matthew, Claudia, and the rest followed.
“Dev, won’t you join us at this end of the table?” her father requested.
The next thing she knew she was seated to her father’s right with Dev beside her. Lily sat on the left side of the table. Vanessa didn’t miss the scowl that flashed through Uncle Clint’s eyes at the arrangement. She wondered what his problem was. But then he’d always been a person given to dark moods.
Glancing at Dev, she saw his deep blue gaze take in the scowl, then pass swiftly around the table. She wondered what he thought as he scrutinized her family with eyes that seemed to see all. He turned his head and looked directly at her at that moment.
Pleasure speared through her, painful in its intensity. She couldn’t wait until they were alone again. She wanted to explore this new experience with him again and again until she understood all the many nuances of making love.
The meal seemed to take forever, but at last they finished.
“Excuse me,” she said as soon as they adjourned to the great room for coffee. “I think I’ll go now. Good night, all.” She kissed her aunt and father, then crossed the courtyard to her room, aware of several pairs of eyes on her back. Her heart dipped and reeled like a drunken butterfly.
Restless, she waited for Dev to return. It was more than two hours. When she heard the outer door open and close, she rushed to the connecting doorway.
Dev stopped inside the room and gazed at her, his eyes troubled by thoughts she couldn’t read. Some of the joy evaporated. He wasn’t thrilled to be alone with her.
“What?” she asked softly.
He sighed and tugged off his tie, then tossed it and his jacket to a chair. He crossed the room and stood in front of her. “I think we need to lock this again.”
“Why?”
“You know why.”
She crossed her arms, holding in the emotions that threatened to spill over. “No. Tell me.”
“It isn’t right—”
“It wasn’t wrong,” she interrupted. “What we did wasn’t wrong. How can you say it was?”
Dev didn’t look at her. He couldn’t. She was too beautiful, too tempting…too fragile in her unwanted feelings for him. Damn, he’d never asked for this!
“Because,” he said carefully, “you’re the daughter of the house. I’m…” He didn’t know how to describe himself. “A temporary fixture in your life. I go where the FBI sends me.”
“Doesn’t the FBI allow you to have anyone else in your life? Is it all work and nothing else?”
“Mostly,” he agreed, keeping the edge off with an effort. “I should never have touched you.”
Pain rippled across her face, but she didn’t look away. “It’s too late for regrets.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” He spun from the temptation of her. She was fresh and sweet and brave. And he wanted her more than life itself. But… “There are too many differences. My time here is almost up.”
She looked startled. “Are you about to solve the case?”
“No. I only meant that I’ll probably be sent elsewhere soon if we don’t get a break here.”
“You’ll leave alone, and you won’t return.” She faced his sharp glance with a level stare that spoke of her honesty.
“Look, you’re on a thrill kick, sleeping with an FBI agent. I’m different from your usual friends.” He saw no future for them and no point in dragging things out. “Your father is aware of the electricity between us. He doesn’t approve.”
Her eyes flashed dangerously. “He said that?”
“Of course not. He didn’t have to. I can read between the lines.” Her father would probably have his hide stripped and then tie him to an anthill.
“He sat us next to each other tonight,” she reminded him, her chin at its usual stubborn angle.
Dev saw there was no use in arguing with her. She came from a privileged life and was used to having her own way. She thought she wanted him. That was reason enough in her viewpoint to have him.
“He would probably gift wrap and hand me over if he thought that would make you happy. It won’t.”
She thought what they had shared was the promise of more good things to come, but he knew about promises. Hadn’t he seen the despair in his mother’s eyes each time his father broke his vow to never hurt them again? Hadn’t he seen the same despair in his partner’s widow? Stan had often assured her he wouldn’t get killed.
Promises, Dev had learned at an early age, could not be trusted. His job was dangerous and he wouldn’t make promises to anyone, especially her with her glowing belief in life.
“It would. We’re right together. We proved it earlier today.” Her smile was gentle, teasing.
He had to wipe the foolishness out of her. It was better to hurt a little now than a lot later on. There was no hope for them, and one of them had to be practical about it. “We had great sex. That’s all.”
She shook her head, her eyes going solemn, vulnerable in the way that made him ache to hold her and tell her all would be fine. He struggled against the pull and allure of her, the golden web of need she wove around him.
“That’s all it can be,” he muttered doggedly.
“Tell me about your family,” she invited.
He frowned as he considered the request, which made no sense. “Why?”
“To help me understand why you’re shutting me out.”
“Do you think that once a man has you, he won’t be able to resist you?”
“Not any man,” she said calmly. “Just you.”
Her words were so close to the truth he’d suspected while they were making love, it scared him. He had to crush the hunger between them.
“You’re a good roll in the hay, but I’ve had better.” He yawned and stepped back, taking hold of the door and starting to close it. “Now, I need some sleep. I have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow. I’ll be staying in town for a couple of days.”
She stepped back into her room without another word when he closed the door. He resented the quiet dignity of her acceptance. It would have been easier if she’d shouted or cried or done something to prove he was right.
When the latch snapped into place, he slid the bolt home, locking her out. Then he stood there in the dark, the glow that came from her, gone now. He wished… For a moment, he wished he believed in promises.
Dev stared grumpily at Sam Waterman who had taken over ranch security after the kidnapping. “No further information from McCoy?”
The private detective pushed his plate aside. They were at a sidewalk café in San Antonio. The noise of other diners and tourists enjoying the riverwalk kept their voices from carrying far.
“None. The cowboy hasn’t shown up at any of his usual haunts, including a shoestring ranch he’s trying to run out near Amarillo.”
“It’s a strange case, this cat and mouse game.”
“Sometimes I think it’s more about hurting the family than about money,” Sam said. His frown was fierce. “But to take a kid this way… I don’t know. The whole thing feels wacky.”
“I agree.” Dev smiled grimly when the older man gave him a quick glance. “There’s more going on than meets the eye. There’s tension between several members of the Fortune family. I can’t quite figure out how it all connects.”
“But you think it does,” Sam concluded. He glanced at his watch. “I have to go. You think we need to put some men at the ranch again? Ryan said you FBI honchos didn’t want anyone mucking about.”