Love and Splendor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 5

by Patricia Hagan

  Suddenly it occurred to Dani that she’d not seen a lobby for registration, nor had there been any sign of hotel employees, other than the concierge. When she asked why, he explained, “There are people available if you need anything, but the concept here was to provide a cozy atmosphere amid quiet opulence as opposed to the usual starkness of hotels.”

  She saw the ornate wrought-iron lift and was quite impressed to realize, when Drake touched a small switch, that it was electric, not steam-driven. She said nothing as he opened the gate to the interior compartment, but as they stepped inside she could not help feeling a bit nervous. “I have to admit I’ve never been on one of these things when they’re operated by electricity. Are you quite sure it’s safe?”

  Amused, he assured her it was. “The mechanism for this, an electric motor to drive a winding drum down in the basement, was shipped over from New York. It’s just like the first one that was put in operation in the Demarest Building over there two years ago. It’s still running fine…”

  Dani leaned back against a wall, her gaze beneath lowered lashes moving over him. All the while she was aware of how his nearness was making her senses quicken. “I thought you told me you lived in an apartment. You seem to know an awful lot about the hotel.”

  He was leaning against the wall opposite, arms folded across his chest. There was a space of only two feet or so between them, for the lift was small, would comfortably accommodate only four people.

  Without raising his hand, he merely lifted a finger to point upward, the play of a smile on his lips as he said, “I’ve lived in an apartment on the top floor for almost a year.”

  “Before that?”

  “London for a spell. Before that, Madrid. A few months in Amsterdam. I spent some time in Algiers.” He shrugged, the look in his eyes almost hypnotic as he met her stare. “I can’t remember dates, or all the places. I suppose I’m nomadic…can’t seem to settle down in one place for very long.”

  Sardonically Dani wondered if his nomadism extended to his relationships with women…but dared not ask. She told herself it did not matter because she would not let it matter and went on to say, “As much time as we’ve spent together, we’ve never talked about what makes you such a gypsy…

  “…or such an enigma,” she added with a mischievous gleam, “as I’ve gathered from having fortuitously overheard young ladies’ talk from time to time.”

  Drake threw back his head and laughed heartily. Then the lift came to a slightly jerking halt, and, caught off balance, Dani lurched against him, and he reached out to steady her. As their eyes met and held, the mirth faded, and Drake pulled her against his chest, holding her closely, tightly, as his lips tenderly claimed hers.

  They stood, locked in embrace, and time seemed to stand still as they savored the stirring moment.

  From somewhere below in the dark cavity of the shaft, a bell sounded impatiently to pierce the magic spell.

  Reluctantly, they parted. Drake attempted to lighten the moment. “Should’ve known not to expect privacy in an elevator,” he said with a grin, pulling open the gate to reveal large, shining brass doors.

  Dani realized they had not reached an ordinary hotel floor, with doors lining each side of a hallway. Instead, she stepped across a marble threshold into a small room illumined by the glow of a regal crystal-and-coral chandelier.

  “I call this my Silver Room,” Drake said as he closed the lift and sent it downward. Locking the heavy brass doors behind them, he held out his hand to her. “The chef said he’d have our dinner served promptly at nine. Meanwhile, I’ve got some delicious beluga caviar and a tasty caraway vodka I had sent all the way from Russia that I think you’ll like. But would you like to see my apartment first?”

  “I’d love to.” Dani paused to admire a mother-of-pearl table, which held a group of silver decorative pieces. To one side, a mirrored table held a collection of rose-quartz figurines. A Venetian mirror, heavily edged in silver, hung above a marble-topped side table.

  “I use this as an entrance foyer,” Drake explained. “I didn’t want people stepping off the elevator directly into the parlor.”

  Dani was impressed. “But I didn’t know they had apartments in hotels like this.”

  Drake nodded. “Ordinarily they don’t, but since I liked Paris and thought I might be spending a lot of time here, I just had this designed and renovated especially for me.”

  Dani’s interest was piqued, and she followed him eagerly into the next room, anxious to see more of his decorating skill.

  In the dining room, one wall was dominated by a painting of a Roman gladiator and horses, done in gold leaf on canvas. The table was set with silver-gilt and crystal appointments, glimmering beneath a sparkling gold-and-crystal chandelier.

  “I had that brought in from Russia.” Drake gestured to the fixture. “It belonged to my uncle. I wanted it here since I’ll probably always keep this place, no matter where I settle down permanently…if that ever happens,” he added with a wry grin.

  There was an octagonal drawing room, a small parlor, a tea kitchen, all lovely and elegantly furnished, but it was Drake’s study that made Dani gasp aloud. The curving sofas were covered in alligator skin, and she declared incredulously, “Don’t tell me you find that soft!”

  “Actually, I do.” Drake laughed. “Try it, and so will you. I had the hides shipped in from Africa, and I knew a man who really has a knack for tanning in Madrid, so he did them up for me. The actual sofas were made in London.”

  Gingerly, Dani touched the rough-appearing surface, then marveled that it felt as smooth and soft as the finest leathers.

  “Sit down,” Drake said. “I’ll go and get the vodka and caviar.” He walked out of the room, pleased with her reactions to his decor.

  Dani chose one of the small chairs in the room, which was covered in actual leather, as she could not so soon relish the thought of sitting on an alligator’s hide, however comfortable. Glancing around the fairly large room, she observed other mementos from Africa—the angry face of a tiger stared down at her menacingly from its place on the wall next to a rhino’s indifferent gaze. She shivered in revulsion, turned her attention to the rows and rows of books on the shelves and marveled at the selections in so many different languages.

  Drake returned with a tray containing a bottle of colorless liquor, glasses, a bowl filled with bright red caviar, and a plate of tiny crackers and squares of bread. “I see you’ve been admiring my ‘museum’,” he said jovially. “I’m afraid I haven’t been as lucky on safari as some of my colleagues.”

  “Thank goodness,” Dani cried with exaggerated approval. “I don’t like to see animals killed merely for sport.” She gestured to the books. “How many different languages do you know?”

  Drake pursed his lips thoughtfully as he sat down and filled the glasses with vodka. “Let’s see,” he mused. “Fluently, I speak Russian, of course, and English, as you know…French, Spanish, German, and the Scandinavian languages, which are basically alike—Norwegian, Swedish, Danish.

  “And…” he went on thoughtfully after a moment, “I can communicate a little in maybe four or five other languages, enough to ask for directions if I get lost in, say, Morocco, Algeria, or Egypt.” He laughingly added, “Enough Swahili to tell the cannibals they’d have to boil me for a week before I’d be tender enough to eat.”

  Dani could not help giggling at that. “Cannibals don’t speak Swahili!”

  “Of course they don’t,” Drake said with a chuckle, “but I like to tease you. Here. To us!” He held up his glass in toast, and Dani joined him.

  She took a sip, wrinkled her nose slightly at the unfamiliar taste, then declared, “I rather like it.”

  “I thought you would.” Drake leaned back on the alligator-skin sofa, crossed his legs, took a deep breath, then softly urged, “So. Now that we’re relaxed, would you like to tell me why you were so upset when I called for you?”

  Dani took several more sips, liked the warm tickli
ng all the way from her mouth, throat, and down to her stomach “It’s Colt. He came by the shop after you left and told me he and Lily are going to be married.”

  Drake leaned forward, refilled their glasses, then sat back and gave her his full attention as she recounted the entire conversation and the subsequent scene with Lily.

  She finished with an apologetic shrug. “I wasn’t trying to be rude when I rushed us out of the house. I just didn’t want a scene with Colt over the dispute between Lily and me, nor did I relish being around when he announced he plans to marry her. I thought it best we leave.”

  She did not see any point in relating Lurline’s tale of having spied on Lily and thereby concluding how the engagement might have come about. No need to drag out family skeletons that might not even exist.

  Drake was disgusted to think of Colt marrying a woman like Lily—a conniving little gold digger who could smell money the same way alligators sniffed out bait hounds tied to trees. He loathed hypocritical women like that, for, as much as he hated admitting it, if only to himself, they reminded him of his mother…and the way she’d ruined his father’s life with her selfishness and deceit.

  Dani shook her head and said, “Colt has a right to make his own decisions.”

  Drake silently, bitterly contradicted her, Not when those decisions are manipulated by someone else!

  Dani reached out, touched his arm in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. “Thank you for listening. I’m sorry to burden you with my family problems, but I want you to know I appreciate your kindness and tolerance.”

  “What are friends for?” he reminded softly, then a shadow crossed his eyes, and he stared at her quietly before confiding, “I have some bad memories where my own family is concerned, Dani. One day, I’ll share them with you. Until then, I want you to know that I understand what you’re going through and how it hurts.”

  He reached out to pull her tightly against his chest, so close she could feel the sweet warmth of his breath upon her face. He claimed her mouth in a kiss that ignited fires to sweep over them as wildly as a blaze in the wind.

  Dani responded with unabashed yearning, twining her arms around his neck to press close against him. She could feel her nipples grow taut as desire swelled within her breasts.

  They clung together for long, ardent moments, then, ever so reluctantly, Dani withdrew from the embrace, and their eyes met and held in wonder over the deep, swirling emotions that surged through their veins.

  Softly, Drake commanded, “Tell me you’ve never felt this way before.”

  “I haven’t,” she replied honestly, then challenged him with a saucy smile. “Can you say the same, Drakar, renowned collector of hearts?”

  He laughed and gave her a gentle shake of reprimand. “Yes, I can, you little vixen, but you wouldn’t believe me.” Then he became somber. “I’m aware of my reputation but not for the reasons you might think. Frankly, I’ve never met a woman I could trust…or maybe I just didn’t care enough to try.”

  Dani knew she might have felt his admission strange, were it not for Cyril having told her about Drake’s mother, and her subsequent supposition that his past made him mistrustful of women in general; so she understood…or felt she did. “I’m glad,” she told him, “that you care enough about me to try.”

  “I do care. More than I want to admit for the moment, even to myself. But trust me, Dani. I’ll never hurt you.”

  How she hoped, with all her heart, that it was so, because, for the first time, she was letting her guard down, and she was all too aware that doing so made her vulnerable. Yet, it was what she wanted—to take a chance on love with Drake. And because it was her decision alone to make, she accepted the risk…along with the ultimate outcome, whatever it might be.

  Dinner was delectable: fresh duck foie gras with a chicory salad, roasted Mediterranean sea bream complemented by a casserole of prawns and fresh artichokes. There was also the best of white wines and red, champagne, coffee with cognac.

  Yet, Drake and Dani hardly touched their food or barely tasted their beverages, for their appetite was only for each other.

  A waiter hovered nearby and fretted that perhaps they might find the menu unappetizing. Drake finally grew weary of his frenetic concern and curtly dismissed him.

  When they were once more alone, Dani asked, “Aren’t you worried that the waiter may have gotten his feelings hurt because you dismissed him? The hotel might think it was his fault, or the restaurant owner might blame the chef and think the food wasn’t good.”

  Drake slowly shook his head. “You see, I own the hotel and the restaurant.”

  Dani was impressed…but not by his wealth, for she was used to associating with people of fortune. What awed her was the realization that he was also, no doubt, responsible for the entire decor of the building, which now explained his whispered “Merci” when she was making comments of praise earlier.

  Drake stood, moved to pull out her chair so she could also rise. Their eyes devoured each other as he ran his fingertips down her arms and softly asked, “Would you care for dessert in the parlor?”

  With a mysterious smile, she said nothing, merely walked into the next room.

  Dani knew what she wanted, had known that when the right time came—with the right man—she would have no reservations. There would be no holding back, and hopefully, no regrets.

  Facing him, voice steady, gaze unwavering, she reached with deft fingers to slowly unfasten her gown, then allowed it to fall to the floor. Opening her arms to him as she stood in intimate lace and satin undergarments, she announced, “My darling, we are the dessert this evening.”

  With a deep moan of delight and pleasure, Drake quickly lifted her in his arms and tersely avowed, “I’ve never wanted a woman more, Dani, and I’m going to prove it to you…all night long.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Drake stood staring down at Dani thoughtfully. She was asleep in his bed, lying on her side. Her naked body was bathed in the luminous glow of moonlight spilling through the window, presenting her as a flawless sculpture of the finest alabaster.

  Beautiful.

  He had never known a woman like her.

  Not only did she possess all the physical attributes a man could want but she was also keenly intelligent, high-spirited, and extremely good company.

  She had been a virgin.

  That did not surprise him.

  What he did find astonishing was her ability to please him and take him to heights of passion and delight that he’d never found in the arms of another woman. She seemed to know how to excite him, how to give pleasure, as well as take. It was as though, by giving, she was actually receiving…and he liked that rare concept.

  Drake also knew that Dani was sophisticated enough not to feel he owed her any kind of commitment for having taken her virginity. She was not that kind. She had let him know she wanted him, and if there had been seduction, then it was mutual.

  Yet, he could not help feeling a bond to her now and wished his life were not so complicated. He had vowed to let nothing stand in the way of restoring honor to his family’s name but knew now he would have to be on guard lest a honey-eyed beauty become an obstacle.

  He needed access to the Alexandrovsky Palace painting to study and search for clues that would lead him to the Fabergé egg. Perhaps the time had come to confide in Dani; then she would surely give him that access. What harm would it do, he reasoned, for her to know about his past, particularly when he was experiencing feelings for her he’d never had for any other woman…feelings that he wanted to pursue.

  He went into the study, drained the last dregs from the vodka bottle as he paced about the room. He thought of Colt again, marveled at how such musings kept coming to mind despite so many personal concerns in his own life. God, how he hated to think of him being inveigled into marrying a fortune hunter like Lily. No telling how many beds she’d romped through in England in her quest to ensnare a rich man.

  He wondered what trick sh
e’d used to get Colt to propose. A baby? Too soon for that—even for a schemer like Lily. She would have used a more sophisticated ploy, probably made him believe he’d seduced her, that she was a virgin, so she could moan that unless he married her and made a “decent” woman of her, her life would be ruined now that she was “soiled”.

  Drake chuckled with bitterness. It was a woman’s oldest ploy and had probably worked for Lily since she had the distinct advantage of being a guest in the Coltrane mansion. How terrible it would look for a prominent, important man like Travis Coltrane to have it said that his son had seduced a houseguest, taken her virginity, then refused to many her.

  Well, he figured he’d just have to step in and save Colt’s neck…maybe even, ultimately, his life, because he imagined a life married to someone like Lily would, in itself, be a kind of death.

  He thought about the night he’d had dinner with the Coltranes and how Lily had brushed against him intimately on several occasions, letting him know with secret smiles and fluttering lashes that it was no accident. Without egotism, he knew the signs, knew he could get her into his bed with little effort. The difficulty would be in devising a way to have Colt find them there. He was convinced that the quickest solution would be for Colt to see for himself just what she was before it was too late. Of course, Dani must not know about it. But he intended for Colt to come along before anything actually happened, and once he realized it was all set up, he would never tell. Neither would Lily. She’d be so embarrassed and humiliated she would head for England as quickly as she could book passage out of France.

  Drake smiled to himself. It would work. Of course, Colt would be very angry at first, but later he would be grateful.

  He glanced at a clock, saw it was the ebb of midnight. Returning to the bedroom, he gazed down at Dani once more, thought how beautiful she was, felt his desire rising again and reminded himself it was late. He needed to be getting her home, where young women of gentility should be at such an hour. Yet, as a slow warmth began to creep over him, he knew he had to hold her close just one more time to savor the memories of ecstasy shared. He lay down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, and in her slumber, Dani sighed, snuggled yet closer in his embrace.