by Debra Webb
Divide and conquer. She had to distract his mind while she tortured his body.
She’d seen it done in the movies. She just hoped it worked or she was going to end up looking more foolish than she feared she already did. As hard as he tried to pretend he wasn’t interested, she knew he was. He was definitely attracted to her and that in itself was enough to shore up her shaky determination. She couldn’t remember the last time a guy had looked at her the way Doug did. She hadn’t been kissed in God knows how long and she’d never been kissed like that.
“Where did you and Carl go to college?”
Doug threw up his guard at the question. The change was subtle, but she saw it. The slightest stiffening of his shoulders. He didn’t like talking about his past or his family. She wondered about that.
“Harvard,” he admitted grudgingly.
Her eyes widened before she could stop the automatic reaction. “That…that’s amazing.” Harvard? She took another bite of the pastry just to occupy her mouth for fear she’d say something lame. She’d known Doug was smart and very polished. But Harvard?
“I probably should call and let someone know when we’ll be back,” he suggested in a blatant attempt to change the subject.
“Where does your family live?” she asked, ignoring his comment. She had the strangest feeling that she was about to uncover some family skeleton that he fiercely did not want her to know about. He shouldn’t feel that way. He definitely knew her family’s deepest, darkest one.
“Boston.” His tone was clipped now. He did not want to tarry on this subject.
Too bad. Renewed enthusiasm struck Eddi. This was exactly the topic she needed to throw him off balance.
“You have brothers and sisters?” She snuggled her shoulder closer to his. “Older? Younger?”
“An older sister and a younger brother.” He sipped his coffee, carefully keeping his gaze forward.
She dragged the tip of her forefinger through the pastry icing and then sucked it off. “What do your folks do for a living?” She made another of those appreciative sounds as she dipped for more icing.
“My father is—”
She pressed her fingertip to his lips. “Try it. You’ll like it.”
He stalled. She leaned nearer. “I swear it’s heavenly,” she murmured close to his ear before drawing away and prodding, “What were you saying about your father?”
Just as she’d known, instead of answering her question he licked her finger. Heat seared through her and she shivered. The feel of his hot tongue on her flesh made her want to weep for more. The memory of how that tongue had teased her lips when they’d kissed made her feminine muscles clench with anticipation. The intensity of the feeling was alien and at the same time utterly delightful. She wanted more.
“Tasty, isn’t it?” she asked in the most seductive whisper she could manage.
He turned toward her then, his gaze going straight to her mouth as if he’d tasted the words she’d spoken rather than the icing she’d offered.
“Yes.”
She lifted her chin, putting her mouth nearer to his. Her heart thundered with equal measures anticipation and trepidation, but she couldn’t stop now. “Let me see how it tastes on you.”
He obeyed her command, moving closer until their lips just did touch. She licked those full, firm lips and made a tiny sound of satisfaction. He kissed her then, closing his mouth fully over hers, thrusting that wicked tongue deep inside. Her fingers threaded into that thick silky hair and urged him on. He didn’t disappoint her. The pressure of his mouth on hers became more insistent, more demanding in its own right. She melted into him, reveling in the feel of his hard body as he twisted to meet her, chest to breasts.
As his possessive kiss went on and on, she allowed the fingers of one hand to slip downward, to learn the chiseled outline of his face. The smooth, broad forehead and square, slightly stubbled jaw, and downward to his corded neck and onto the sculpted terrain of his chest. She traced the ridges of muscle beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. Could feel the pounding of his heart. Her body burned to know him flesh to flesh. To touch him beneath the barrier of silk and summer-weight wool he wore. Never in her entire life had she felt so alive…so incredibly needy. Though she couldn’t name the want…she wanted oh so desperately.
His hungry mouth left hers and she whimpered, but a moan of encouragement escaped her when those skilled lips began a path along the length of her throat. He took his time, tasting and teasing. He didn’t stop when he reached the silk of her camisole or the rise of her breasts. He kept on kissing her through the sensual fabric, adding to her pleasure until his mouth closed over her nipple and sucked. Her breath vacated her lungs, leaving her in a state so near to dying of pleasure she felt sure death must be imminent.
Her mind cleared of all thought, her focus narrowed until her world consisted only of him and the kaleidoscope of sensations he ignited inside her. Her body was a frenzy of heat and need. She wanted him to take her someplace more private and show her what this all meant…where it should go.
Plunging her fingers into his hair once more to urge him on, she arched her back, instinctively begging for more of his attention. His arms went around her waist. Her thigh came up to meet his hand as he cupped the swell of her bottom. Her knee hit the table. Stoneware rattled.
He stopped. Drew away from the breast he’d been suckling. His warm breath sent shivers over the engorged flesh beneath the dampened silk. His gaze lifted to hers and he blinked twice, shattering the haze that had shrouded them.
“I’m sorry.” He straightened, turning away from her as he thrust a hand through his tousled hair.
Just like that, it was over. Her body vibrated with an ache that was at once instinctive yet unfamiliar. She’d been on the verge of something big, she realized. And he’d denied her that.
Darn it.
Tomorrow was a whole new and scary beginning for her. She’d decided tonight that she didn’t want to wake up a virgin tomorrow. Maybe she was doomed to spend the rest of her now utterly confusing life alone, but she didn’t have to spend it a virgin. That part of the curse she could do something about.
“You never did finish telling me what your father did for a living,” she grumped. If she wasn’t going to get sex out of this, at least she could have some answers about her mysterious bodyguard.
Doug sat up straighter and cleared his throat. “He’s in banking.” He allowed a brief glance in her direction. “We really should be getting back.” He eased out of the booth looking more uneasy than she’d ever seen him.
Maybe she’d been fooling herself. Maybe he didn’t want her quite the way she wanted him. One glance at the front of his trousers settled that issue. He was definitely aroused. That much was abundantly clear. Her tummy quivered.
“What about your mother?” she fished, trying not to sound annoyed as she slid out of the booth. He wasn’t going to get away scot-free.
Doug tossed a tip on the table. “She’s—” he thought about it a moment “—an art buff.”
“She’s like a collector?” Eddi wondered how he could sound so calm so quickly. Her whole body still strummed with the heat and shivery sensations he’d set alight inside her. She’d seen the proof of his need. How did he manage to appear so unaffected? She resisted the urge to shake herself. She had to focus here. Had to admit that he wasn’t going to follow through with whatever he felt. Despite her best efforts she sighed as he led her from the cozy coffee shop. It had to be the curse.
The Club was right. She was doomed.
At the car Doug hesitated before opening her door. “Eddi, I apologize for my behavior. There’s no excuse for my lack of professionalism.”
Definitely the curse. The man was apologizing for kissing her for goodness’ sake. How pathetic was that? Whoever heard of a guy doing that? The last of the fire he’d kindled died an instant death.
“It’s okay,” she told him. No use in ruining the evening for both of them. She might as well f
ace facts. Though she had certainly garnered a reaction in him physically, who wanted a plumber for a girlfriend? Men like Doug preferred the classy, sophisticated type. Something she would never be, trust fund or not. Eddi was just plain old Eddi. “I understand.” Might as well let him completely off the hook. “It’s always been this way. Guys just aren’t interested in a relationship with women like me.”
Doug drove back to the D’Martine estate in silence. He wanted to correct Eddi on her assumption. The idea that guys had looked at her as anything other than a beautiful woman infuriated him. When he looked at her he saw a sweet, vulnerable young lady who was not only beautiful, but talented as well. If some other guy saw less then he was the one lacking, not Eddi.
But telling her so would be a mistake. It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed to pull out of that intimate embrace back there in the coffee shop. He wanted her in a way that, frankly, scared him. Not only would it be the wrong thing to do on a professional level, but taking advantage of her attraction to him would simply be wrong on a personal level. He hadn’t been completely honest with her. Falling into a relationship without knowing all the facts was bad enough when a person had the appropriate experience to make an informed decision. Eddi was completely inexperienced. She had nothing on which to compare how she felt.
No matter how badly he wanted to, he would protect her from herself…as well as him. He sincerely doubted his chivalry could withstand another onslaught of her attempts at seducing him. He was certain she was merely confused, desperate for a distraction…any kind of relief from present circumstances. He was simply handy. The foolish thing was that reality did little to lessen his own desire to allow her to do just as she pleased. At this point he was barely hanging on to his honor.
The house was quiet when they entered at nearly midnight. All Doug had to do was check out her room, say good-night and close the door. He could struggle with the physical consequences of walking away with a long, cold shower. It was the right thing, he told himself again.
Eddi stood by while he performed the usual checks of her personal security. The longer she watched him move the more determined she was that she had to have this one night. Just this one. If she was cursed, doomed to be an old maid the rest of her life, at least she’d have one night to remember. If he was too much of a gentleman to “take advantage” of her, as he had insinuated, well then, she’d just have to take advantage of him. She shivered at the prospect.
While he finished his survey, she kicked off her shoes and leaned against the closed door. With a smile she reached behind her and locked it. Everyone in the house was asleep; no one would ever know.
“Everything is as it should be,” he announced with a smile that seemed a little weary. He looked just a tad rumpled from their making out in the close confines of the booth. But mainly he looked as handsome as sin and as sexy as all get out.
“Mr. Cooper,” she began in the most authoritative tone she could muster, one very similar to the one she’d heard her grandmother use with that smart-aleck lawyer. “Do you or do you not work for me?”
A vague frown of confusion stole across his forehead. “In a manner of speaking. I was actually hired by Mrs. D’Martine, but…” His frown deepened. “What’s going on, Eddi?” he asked, clearly suspicious now.
She folded her arms over her chest and leveled a gaze on him that she felt certain was nothing short of unyielding. “Well, since you work for me, you are required to obey my wishes.”
His gaze narrowed. “What is it that you wish?”
A smile slid across her lips. “Take off your clothes, Mr. Cooper.”
There was a stillness about him that told her he was weighing his options carefully before proceeding. “Now, please,” she insisted.
“Isn’t that sexual harassment?” he asked cautiously.
She shrugged. “Depends on how you look at it I suppose.”
“Eddi.” He came closer, her pulse reacted instantly. “I know what you’re doing, but I promise you it would be a mistake. One I’m certain you don’t want to make.”
“Ah, but you’re wrong,” she countered. “I’ve spent my whole life being a good little girl.” She pushed off from the door and closed the distance between them. “Just for tonight, I want to be bad. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Cooper?”
He was breathing harder now, she could see the rapid rise and fall of his chest. The firm set of his lips softened making her heart thump harder.
One long pulse-pounding moment passed before he responded. “Miss Harper, I do believe you’ve had too much excitement. Perhaps you should sleep on this proposal and we can discuss it tomorrow.”
She shook her head resolutely from side to side. “No more waiting. Now, take off your clothes.”
Something like a challenge flashed in his eyes. “You’re certain about this?”
“Absolutely.”
He was going to do it! The challenge in those blue eyes morphed into determination. Eddi’s breath caught and held in her throat, right behind the knot of tension lodged there.
The elegant jacket hit the floor first. Then the leather shoulder holster and the big, mean-looking gun dropped down next to it. Her eyes widened with anticipation as he slowly released button after button, drawing out the wait. When he finally shrugged out of the shirt, she gasped. Wide, wide shoulders narrowed into a lean waist, and the terrain in between was simply awesome. Ridges and planes of sculpted muscle and just a sprinkling of dark hair. She’d seen her share of guys in swim trunks at the lake, but never had she seen anyone like Doug in real life. On television maybe or in some magazine. But never, ever had she laid eyes on anything like this in the flesh.
Her heart hammered so hard she could hardly breathe. He watched her every reaction, read her like an open book as he toed off his shoes. She knew this because she saw it in his eyes…in the ghost of a smile that lingered on those sexy lips.
Leather hissed as he dragged his belt free of his trousers. Then he reached for the fly and the sound of the zipper sliding downward echoed in the silence of the room. Her mouth went completely dry.
The trousers dropped to his ankles and he kicked them aside. Long, muscular legs and silk paisley boxers completed the picture.
“What now, Miss Harper?” he asked, his voice husky.
Her gaze locked on a scar on his left side, small but jagged. “What…” She moistened her lips. “What happened?” She didn’t have to clarify.
“Hazard of the job.”
She blinked, only now realizing that his job could be dangerous. That thought only made her more desperate to touch him.
She swallowed tightly and firmed her waning courage. “The rest,” she mumbled, unable to say the exact words.
He cocked his head toward his shoulder. She stood so close to him now she could see the tension radiating through every honed muscle of his body.
“I’m not doing this alone, my lady,” he murmured. “Before I go any further, you’re going to have to show me just how bad you intend to be.”
Then she understood. He thought he’d scare her off. If she had to play, too, she’d lose her nerve.
Well, he just didn’t get it. She was one determined, however doomed, woman.
“Fine.” She turned back to the door just long enough to flip off the overhead light, leaving them in near darkness save for the one table lamp in the sitting area on the far side of the room.
While he observed her intently, she slowly, mimicking the moves she’d learned from him moments before, undressed. When she stood there in nothing but the camisole and her panties, she stopped. Resisting the urge to shield herself with her arms, she squared her shoulders, leveled her gaze on his, hard as that proved, and forced a smile. “It’s your move.”
Chapter Twelve
It was at that moment that Doug fully comprehended just how serious Eddi was about this.
She intended to have sex with him whatever the consequences.
For the first time in h
is life he wished for the inability to properly respond. It was insane, he knew, but the lack of physical ability was the only possible solution to his current dilemma. There was no way in hell he could stand here and not react to her, emotionally as well as physically. And that made the matter all the worse. It wasn’t just his physical reaction that posed difficulties, it went far deeper than that. He wanted to please her…wanted to know her. That simply couldn’t happen, not while he was on the job.
Fine time to consider that, he mused as he stood before her naked save for his shorts. He’d let her goad him into this and now they stood here, staring at each other with hunger in their eyes and each waiting on the other to make the next move.
He was in serious trouble here.
With clear purpose she closed the remaining distance between them, but he didn’t miss the fine shiver that swept over her as she paused directly in front of him.
“Show me what all the fuss is about,” she ordered softly. “You’ve taught me how to dress, how to walk, how to react amid the socially elite. Teach me this.”
He was dead.
No way in hell could he turn her down….
Just looking into those devastatingly innocent blue eyes sapped the final remnants of his resolve.
He started to reach for her but hesitated. Innocent was the key word here. Though she was almost twenty-five, she’d spent her entire adult life struggling to keep her family afloat financially and to hang on to the family business. From all accounts, she’d forgone any kind of social life. She deserved for her first time to be special. Doug didn’t doubt that he could make it very special for her, but would it be fair to her? Yes, they were attracted to each other. More than that even. But she’d waited all this time, she should share this moment with the man with whom she planned to spend the rest of her life.
That probably wasn’t going to be him. An ache settled heavily upon his chest. He didn’t understand it, didn’t even try. Instead, he decided to focus on making Eddi feel like the beautiful young woman she was without taking away the treasured moment that only her future husband deserved the right to take.