He did agree that now she was old enough to handle her own business and wouldn’t butt in again. She had ended up giving him a kiss on his bald head after telling him how much she loved him, and that he was the best dad in the whole wide world.
His confirmation meant that what Derringer had said the other day was true. He had shown interest in her years ago, but her father had discouraged him. Although she knew she would always wonder how things might have gone if her father hadn’t intervened, she was a firm believer that things happened for a reason. Besides, at eighteen she doubted she would have been able to handle the likes of Derringer Westmoreland and was even doubtful she could have at twenty-two. She wasn’t even confident she had the ability to handle him now, but was determined to try. She was convinced there was a reason she had shared his bed that night.
She just wished she had a clue what that reason was.
She was grateful that one didn’t have anything to do with the other. The reason he had asked her out had nothing to do with them sleeping together and she felt good about that. She had played the details of their night together over and over in her mind so many times that she knew practically every single movement by heart.
All week she had found herself going to bed but unable to sleep until she replayed in her mind every sensation she’d felt that night. It didn’t take much to remember how it felt to grip his iron-steel shoulders beneath her fingers while he thrust in and out of her. The thought of making love with a man like Derringer sent sensuous chills up her spine.
She knew the exact moment Derringer pulled into her driveway. From the smooth hum of the engine she could tell he was driving his two-seater sports car instead of his truck. That meant the car’s interior would be that much cozier. The thought of being in such proximity to Derringer stirred all kinds of feelings inside.
She had spoken to Chloe earlier and her best friend had said the Westmorelands were torn as to whether or not her dating Derringer was a good idea, considering his history with women. Bottom line was that no one wanted to see her get hurt. But what they didn’t know was that she had loved Derringer so long that to her tonight was really a dream come true. And if he never asked her out again that would be fine because she would always have memories of tonight to add to those she had of that Monday night. Not that she expected things would get as heated tonight as they had in his bedroom, mind you. But she couldn’t wait to see what was in store for her tonight. Just knowing she was Derringer’s date made her feel good inside, and knowing he had no ulterior motive in taking her out made it that much more special.
Derringer smiled when he pulled into Lucia’s driveway, thinking her house was the brightest on the block with floodlights in every corner, the porch light on and a light pole shining in the front of the yard. He thought it was a real nice neighborhood with beautiful trees on both sides of the street and the silhouette of mountains in the background. But he felt crowded. One of the pitfalls of being a Westmoreland was that because each of them owned a hundred acres of land, living anywhere else would seem restrictive and too confining.
As he walked up to the porch, he felt as if he was under the bright lights and wouldn’t be surprised if some of her neighbors were watching him. In fact, he was certain he saw the front curtain move in the house across the street. He chuckled, thinking if she could deal with her nosy neighbors then he certainly could.
Besides, he had enough on his plate dealing with his own nosy relatives. Maybe it had been a bad idea to mention his date to Bailey. She hadn’t wasted time spreading the word. He’d gotten a number of calls warning him he had best behave tonight—whatever that meant. And yet, the one call he’d expected, the one from Chloe, had never come. That made him wonder if she knew a lot more than he thought she did.
He glanced at his watch before ringing Lucia’s doorbell. It was seven-thirty exactly. He’d made good time and since he’d already reserved tickets online, they wouldn’t have to stand in line at the theater. He had thought of everything, including when would be the best time to drop the bomb on her about that night. He had decided that they would enjoy the movie first before dealing with any unpleasantness.
He heard the lock turn on her door and then seconds later she was standing there, illuminated in the doorway. He blinked in surprise when he gazed down at her. She looked different. She’d always been a pretty girl, but tonight she looked absolutely stunning.
Gone was the ponytail. Instead, her hair was curled and fell in feathered waves to her shoulders. And she had done something with her eyes that made them look more striking and the entire look somehow showcased her dazzling sophistication.
And then there was the outfit she was wearing. Not too daring, but enough to keep him on the edge all evening. Her sweater dress was a plum color and she had black suede boots on her feet. She wasn’t overly dressed for the movie and he thought her attire was perfect…and it fit her just that way, emphasizing her small waist, and falling above the knees, it definitely showed off a beautiful pair of thighs encased in tights.
A second passed and then several before he was able to open his mouth to speak, and from the smile that touched her lips she was well aware of the effect she was having on him. He couldn’t help but smile back. She had definitely pulled one over on him. Gone was just the “pretty” Lucia and in her place stood a creature so gorgeous that she took his breath away.
“Derringer.”
He exhaled an even breath. At least he tried to. “Lucia.”
“I just need to get my jacket. Would you like to come in for a second?” she asked.
He felt another smile pull at his lips. She was inviting him in. “Sure.”
When he brushed by her, he almost buckled to his knees when he took a whiff of her perfume. It was the same scent he had awakened to that Tuesday morning. The same scent that was all in his head. She was the one woman who had him sleeping each night with her panties under his pillow. He took in a deep breath to pull more of the fragrance into his nostrils. There was just something potent about the scent of a woman.
“Would you like a drink before we leave?”
“No, but thanks for the offer,” he said, glancing around her living room.
“It won’t take but a minute to grab my jacket.”
“Take your time,” he said, watching as she walked away, appreciating her movements in the dress, especially how it fit her from behind. He forced his gaze away from her when she entered her bedroom and continued his study of her house, thinking it was small but just the right size for her. And it was tidy, not a single thing out of place, even the magazines on the table seemed to lie in a perfect position. He liked her fireplace and could imagine how it would look with a fire blazing in it. He could imagine her on the floor, stretched out in front of it on one of those days that was cold, snowy and dreary outside.
On the drive over, he did notice that this particular subdivision was centrally located to just about everything; shopping, fast-food places, grocery stores and a dry cleaner. That had to be pretty advantageous to her. He rolled his eyes wondering why the heck he cared if it was or not.
“I’m ready now, Derringer.”
He turned and glanced back at her. She was standing beside a floor lamp and the lighting totally captured her beauty. For a moment he just stood there and stared, unable to tear his gaze away from her. What the hell was wrong with him? He knew the answer when he felt blood rush straight to his groin. It would be so easy for him to suggest that they forget about the movie and hang here instead. But he knew he couldn’t do that.
However, there was something he could do, something he definitely felt compelled to do at that moment. He slowly moved toward her with his heart pounding hard in his chest with every step he took. And when he stood directly in front of her, he said the only words he could say at that moment. Words he knew were totally true. “You look simply beautiful tonight, Lucia.”
Lucia didn’t know what to say. His compliment caused soothing warmth to spread all
“Thank you, Derringer.”
He lowered his head a little, bent low to murmur in her ear, “You’re so very welcome.”
He kept his head lowered to that angle and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he intended to kiss her. And that knowledge caused several heated anticipatory sensations to flow from the toes of her feet to the crown of her head.
“Lucia?”
The throaty tone of his voice seemed to stroke everything within her and was doing so effortlessly.
“Yes?”
He lifted his hand to cradle her chin and tilt her face up to his. Her pulse rate increased when a slow smile touched his lips the moment their eyes connected. “I need to kiss you.” And before she could draw her next breath, he lowered his mouth to hers.
He had kissed her that night numerous times in the throes of passion, but she immediately thought this kiss was different. The passion was still there, but unlike before it wasn’t flaming out of control. What he was doing was slowly and deliberately robbing her senses of any and all control.
His tongue eased between her lips on a breathless moan and he seemed in no hurry to do anything but stand there, feed on every angle of her mouth, every nook and cranny. His kiss burned her in its wake, sharing its heat. He tasted like the peppermint candy he’d obviously been sucking on earlier.
But now he was sucking on her—her tongue at least; and he wasn’t letting up as he probed deeply, gently but thoroughly, plunging her into an oasis of sensations as his tongue continued to sweep over her mouth.
She felt something roll around in her belly at the same time he moved his body closer, and automatically the cradle of her thighs nestled the hard erection pressing against her, causing an ache that was so engaging she couldn’t do anything but moan.
This was the sort of kiss most men left a girl with after a date and not before the start of their evening. But evidently no one told that to Derringer and he was showing her there was no particular order in the way he did things. He made his own rules, set his own parameters. Now she knew why he was so high in demand with women, and why fathers warned him not to pursue their daughters. And why heat could resonate off his body like nobody’s business.
But tonight he was making it her business.
He shifted the intensity of the kiss without warning and the hands that were already wrapped around her waist tightened in a possessive grip. The probing of his tongue deepened and she could only stand there and continue to moan while her pulse throbbed erratically in her throat. Her hips moved instinctively against his and the heat that spread lower all through her belly didn’t slow down any.
There was no telling how long they would have stood there, going at each other’s mouths, if she hadn’t pulled back for air. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, licking her lips and and tasting him on her tongue. The pleasure she felt just being kissed by him was almost unbearable. She slowly opened her eyes to calm the turbulent emotions inside her.
For the second time that night, his hand lifted to capture her chin, lifting her face to meet his gaze. The look in his eyes was dark, intense, sexually hungry. At that moment, he looked as rugged as the landscape in which he lived. Westmoreland country. She never realized until now just how much that had defined him. She continued to hold his gaze. Mesmerized. Falling deeper and deeper in love.
“You, Lucia Conyers, are more than I bargained for,” he said in a deep, husky tone that sounded intimate and overwhelming at the same time.
She chuckled unevenly while wondering if this was how a kiss could easily get out of hand. Was this how a couple could take a kiss to another level without realizing they’d done so until it was too late to do anything about it?
“Is being more than you bargained for a good thing or a bad thing, Derringer?” she asked him.
He laughed softly at her question and released her chin, but not before lowering his head and brushing his lips across hers. “I’ll let you decide that later,” he whispered hotly against her lips. “Come on. Let’s get out of here while we can.”
Tonight was not going the way he’d planned, Derringer thought. Even the smell of popcorn couldn’t get rid of her scent. His nostrils were inflamed with it. This was their first date and he had fully intended for it to be their last.
But…
And there was a but in there someplace. For him there were probably several and each of them were messing with his mind. Making him not want to end their evening together. Or to spoil just how good things were going between them.
After the movie he suggested they go to Torie’s for coffee. She was everything a man could appreciate in a date, while at the same time not fully what a man expected—but in a positive way. She had the ability to ease into a conversation that wasn’t just about her. And as he maneuvered his sports car through downtown Denver, he quickly reached the conclusion that he liked the sound of her voice and in the close confines of the car, her scent continued to overtake his senses.
Derringer couldn’t help but wonder if there was something with this “scent of a woman” theory that men often talked about behind closed doors and in dimly lit, whiskey-laden poolrooms. Over his lifetime he had encountered a lot of women who smelled good, but the one sitting next to him right now, whose eyes were closed as she took in the sound of John Legend on his CD player, not only smelled good but was good to smell. And he decided then and there that there was a difference. He chuckled and shook his head at his conclusion.
“Um, what’s so funny?” she asked, opening her eyes and turning her head to glance over at him.
“I was just thinking about the movie,” he lied, knowing there was no way he would tell her what really had amused him.
She laughed lazily. “It was good, wasn’t it?”
When the car slowed in traffic, he gave her a sidelong glance. “Yes, it was. Are you comfortable?”
“Yes. And thanks. This car is nice.”
“Glad you like it.” He was certain his smile flashed in the dimly lit interior. He appreciated any woman who liked his car. A number of his former dates had complained that although his car was sleek and fast, it was not roomy enough.
“Can you believe they are expecting snow next weekend?”
He chuckled. “Hey, this is Denver. Snowstorms are always expected.” They passed a moment in silence. “Did you enjoy living in Florida those four years?”
She nodded. “Immensely.”
“Then why did you return to Denver?”
She didn’t answer right away. “Because I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else,” she said finally.
He nodded, understanding completely. Although he had enjoyed living in Phoenix while attending college, he never could wait to return home…to see her again. He hadn’t been back a week when Ramsey had sent him into town to pick up a can of paint thinner and he’d seen her again.
At first he’d been taken aback, nearly not recognizing her. She had gone from the gangly young girl to a twentysomething-year-old woman who had grown into a beauty that he had noticed right away. It was a good thing her father had been on guard and had intervened again, because there was no telling where his lustful mind would have led him that day. She had gotten spared from being added to the list as one of Derringer’s Pleasers. When he’d returned home it seemed women had come out of the woodwork vying for his attention.
They soon arrived at Torie’s, an upscale coffee shop that was known for its signature award-winning coffee and desserts. He helped her out of his sports car, very much aware of the looks they were getting. But now, unlike the other times, he wasn’t so sure the focus was on his specially-designed Danish car and not on the woman he was helping out of it. For the first time since he could remember, he relinquished the car to the valet without giving the young man a warning look and strict instructions to be careful on how his prize was handled.
“Mr. Westmoreland, it’s nice to see you,” the maître d’ greeted when they entered the coffee shop.
“Thanks, Pierre. And I’d like a private table in the back.”
“Most certainly.”
He cupped Lucia’s arm as they were led to a table that overlooked the mountains and a lake. The fire that was blazing in the fireplace added the finishing touch. A romantic setting that for even someone like him—a man who probably didn’t have a romantic bone in his body until it suited him—was clearly defined. “We can have just coffee if you like, but their strawberry cheesecake is good,” he said, smiling when they were seated.
Lucia chuckled. “I’m going to take your word for it and try some.”
The waiter came to take their drink order. She ordered a glass of wine and when he ordered only a club soda she glanced over at him curiously. “I’m driving, remember? And I’m still on medication,” he said by way of explanation. “And the doctor was adamant about me not consuming alcohol while I’m taking them.”
She nodded. “Are you still in pain?”
A rueful smile touched his lips. “Not unless I move too fast. Otherwise, I’m doing fine.”
“I guess you won’t be getting on Sugar Foot’s back again any time soon.”
“What makes you say that? In fact, I plan to try him again tomorrow.”
Her look of horror and disbelief was priceless, he thought, and he chuckled as he reached across the table to engulf her hand in his. “Hey, I was just kidding.”
She frowned over at him. “I hope so, Derringer, and I certainly hope you’ve learned your lesson about taking unnecessary risks.”
He laughed. “Trust me, I have,” he said, although he knew she was a risk and he had a feeling spending too much time with her wasn’t a good thing. It was then that he realized he was still holding her hand, and with supreme effort he released it.
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