by Renee Wynn
She was glad to get it out of her system. She remembered that night and the pain of his rejection, but she got over it—she flinched from the lie.
She threw up her hands. “What the hell, we don’t owe each other anything.”
“You’re wrong about that, Danielle.”
“All of sudden you want change, to be different?” She threw up her hands. “Why?”
“I want to explore what’s between us.”
She gasped in stunned disbelief.
“Do you believe our meeting at the bar tonight was by chance?” he asked.
For a moment she stood, frozen into stillness by the question and the strength of his presence. He sounded so cocky. There was certainly an underlying answer to the question. She was treading in dangerous waters. She shouldn’t be here with him. There was something raw and untamed. Primitive. She’d sensed it the first moment she saw him in the bar.
He continued, “Well, it wasn’t. Davina Bellini—”
“The CEO of Adore Cosmetics? What about her?”
“She was at a function I attended in Prague. Her team was scouting a new location for their new campaign. I knew you were the model chosen to be the face of Dreamlake, so I suggested my ranch.”
“Your ranch? Why?”
“She’s a friend—”
“You mean one of your bed partners?”
He ignored her. “When she confirmed it was indeed for their new launch, I wanted you here.”
She pretended she didn’t hear the last part of his sentence.
“Did you sleep with her to get her to agree?”
A vision of the owner of Adore Cosmetics, a tall busty redhead with sultry blue eyes flashed before her eyes. She was just the type of woman that Brody liked. Danielle grimaced at the picture of them in her mind. She shook her head to clear the image. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t give a damn who he slept with in the past or in the future.
“That was uncalled for. She’s a friend.”
“Yeah. Right.” She expelled each word with disgust.
“Davina and I had a brief encounter, years ago.”
“Not surprising.”
“Look, Danielle, I get it. I’m not on your win list right now. But you shouldn’t be angry about the location. Davina sent a full team to scout the ranch. If she didn’t believe it was the right location she wouldn’t have agreed.”
She huffed.
He gave her a stern look. “You don’t believe me?”
“It doesn’t matter whether I believe you or not. The point is you used your influence with one of your women to get me to Montana. I don’t like being manipulated.”
“Damn, Danielle. Most models would kill to be able to live at an exclusive resort and do a full shoot on secluded and private property. There’s over five hundred acres of prime land here.”
“I’m not every girl, Brody. I like to make my own decisions when it comes to my career.”
“I believe you are more angry about the fact I slept with Davina, which was years ago, than me getting her to use my ranch for the shoot.”
She sputtered, stood and planted her hands on her hips. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
A humorless laugh escaped from him as he came to his feet. “Ah, I believe you protest too much.” He ran a finger along her cheek. “I hit a nerve. What do you want, Danielle?”
“Something you can’t give me.”
“Try me.”
“Forever,” she said cheekily.
“I didn’t know you believed in fairy tales.” His lips thinned to a tight line. Cynicism laced his words. “Nothing lasts forever.”
“You insult my intelligence.”
“Is it possible to insult a woman, a supermodel, who has travelled and partied around the world?” His tone was sardonic.
“I thought you knew better than to believe the hype about models. We are all different.”
“I have had experiences with models in the past.”
“Of course you have. How stupid of me? Bedding women is a past-time, so that definitely makes you an expert.”
His lips tightened even more but he didn’t comment.
She tilted her head back and studied him. “What are you afraid of?”
His jaw clenched and he placed his hands at his waist. It was a warrior stance. He certainly wasn’t going to share his inner most thoughts.
“Don’t try and psychoanalyze me.”
“The great Brody Beaumont.” She fanned herself as if she was about to swoon and then placed her hand over her heart. “I wouldn’t presume to dare.”
At that moment chagrin spread across his face. Whether it was his own rudeness or because she was smart enough to see through him. He’d riled her. Either way Danielle didn’t know for sure or cared.
“I never liked people trying to dissect my brain. It’s my problem and I own it.”
She cut across his halfcocked explanation with a smile so icy she thought it might crack her lips. “No explanation needed.”
“You’re going to make me work for it, aren’t you?”
Danielle jerked her head at the words.
“I seem to be apologizing to you a lot lately.”
Really? Was that an apology? Maybe she should look up the definition so she could get a clearer understanding of the word. She squinted not certain of his motives or his sincerity.
“I’ve been told I can be a jackass.”
“True.”
“Then let me live up to it.”
He pulled her to him, captured her lips and kissed her.
She let him consume her and damn it felt good.
Chapter Sixteen
She couldn’t breathe.
She didn’t want to breathe.
God she needed to breathe.
Danielle shoved at his shoulders but couldn’t find the strength to pull away. The impotency from his kiss made her vulnerable. Standing seemed impossible but she managed to stay upright. The blaze he ignited electrified her mind.
He consumed her.
Brody leaned back and stared at her. His beautiful eyes were like cut pieces of unique green diamonds, mesmerizing and inviting. Then he touched her hair and pulled it behind her ear with delicate caution.
Brody nuzzled her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Her knees wobbled. Her subconscious warned her to stop but she was too consumed by what he was doing to her to obey the command. Danielle felt the warmth of his breath and heard him moan in her ear.
She whispered, “Brody… I…need.”
“Shh. I know.”
She quivered and bit her lips, fighting the growing ache between her legs.
Her willpower was rapidly fleeing. She took a deep breath and pushed at his shoulders.
“Brody…stop.”
He did and stared at her.
“I’m sorry. Give me a moment.” His voice was low, husky, and filled with raw sex. Then he touched his forehead to hers, his long black strands of hair enclosing them in a cocoon.
She could feel his penis, throbbing, hard and thick as it pushed against the fabric of his jeans.
“I didn’t come here for this,” she said, feeling vulnerable and emotionally exposed.
“I know.” He took a deep breath, threw back his head, drawing in deep cleansing breaths and flung his long hair over his shoulders. He held out his hand. “I need to feed you.”
“No. I believe it would be best—
“I’m taking you to dinner.”
“Don’t you have food here?”
“Yes, but I believe it would be best if we go somewhere else.”
She studied him for a moment and then nodded.
They arrived at a quaint but large restaurant that looked like an old French farmhouse. A man greeted them as they came through the door and Brody shook hands with him. Brody introduced her and the man kissed her on both cheeks.
They were escorted to a small table near an oversized window overlooking slow moving cars and semi-dimmed street ligh
ts. The heat from the large fireplace, across the room, was built into the back wall, which covered one side of the room produced a lazy warmth. The fire in the hearth produced a cozy hue of light and intimacy. There were no more than fifty seats at best, which created an atmosphere of closeness. A waitress set a menus in front of the two them.
“Will you allow me to order for you, Danielle?”
She paused and looked at him skeptically.
“I promise you will enjoy it. I come here often.”
“You know the owner?”
“Yes. He was the one who greeted us at the door.”
“Alright,” she said and handed her menu to the waitress who was standing patiently at the table.
“We’ll start with the Parmesan Pepper Kale chips, then a Caesar salad for the lady, a house for me, hold the onions, Cremini Meringue Mushrooms and for the entrée the Herb crusted Beef ribs with parsley potatoes, brandied carrots and Pinot Noir Jus.”
The woman wrote everything on a pad and took his menu. “Your appetizer will be out shortly.”
Brody offered a genuine smile, said thank you, and the woman blushed but hurried away.
“You have a powerful effect on women.”
He frowned with confusion. “Sorry?”
“The poor waitress could barely escape with her dignity intact.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Brody, your long, jet-black, gorgeous hair flowing around your shoulders causes a woman to lose her train of thought. Those green eyes, piercing and mysterious are nothing to laugh at. A pool of sin. And your face with that sharp jawline isn’t partial to smiles and then when you do offer one; which is rare, it knocks a woman off kilter.”
He glared at her as if she was crazy and then leaned over the table.
“I believe you just gave me a compliment…no actually a couple of them.”
“It wasn’t a compliment. I was only stating your effect on…women…people. It doesn’t mean it’s all good.”
“Does that mean you are off-kilter?”
“I wasn’t talking about me.”
“I believe you were.”
“Stuff it, Brody.”
“Let’s talk about the kiss.”
“Let’s not.”
“I believe you felt exactly what I was feeling—a need—”
“I don’t scratch every itch, Brody.”
“Ouch. That was a direct hit.”
Embarrassed about how much she revealed about her feelings, she avoided eye contact with Brody. Danielle scanned the room and noticed every table was occupied.
She glanced at Brody and felt the connection between them. She lowered her eyes. The chemistry was still there, undeniable. She was nervous and searched why she was here with Brody. The kiss at his house should’ve never happened but it did. Mistakes were made every day but returning his kiss was a big one. Or was it? Brody was placed in her past and he was going to stay there. She needed to start enjoying life. Maybe she would seriously look for a relationship. One that was beneficial to her where she would set the rules.
The melodic soft sounds of music in the room shifted over her, somewhat calming her nerves. Finally, she lifted her gaze and his eyes bored into hers, holding everything within her prisoner. At that moment she wanted him more than she should. She ran her tongue across her lips, trying to squash the sudden shot of desire in her groin. She was fighting a war inside of her and she didn’t know if she would win the battle.
“Champagne?” he asked.
When had it been ordered? She nodded. He filled her glass and then his own.
Taking a sip of chilled champagne, she turned back, looking through the window at the play of lights casting shadows over the few people brave enough to stroll in the cold night air. For a few restful minutes, she reveled in what she saw through the window. One couple threw back their heads and their shoulders shook with laughter. She envied their carefree ability to just let go.
“You’re very quiet tonight. What are you thinking about?”
The words were so quietly spoken, Danielle wasn’t sure they were directed at her. The tone coming from Brody was one she didn’t recognize. It was subtle, curious—almost concerned. His stark green gaze was fixed on her.
“I like quiet…sometimes. Solitude can be bliss.”
“Ah,” A half smile lifted one corner of his mouth and his eyes flicked over her, bringing a frisson of awareness as his eyes probed hers.
“My sister would associate solitude with loneliness.”
She smiled a little. “Yeah, she would.”
He continued to assess her. She fought not to squirm in her seat or to look down to see if the red lace blouse she wore was showing skin.
Still holding her gaze, he lifted his glass. The pale liquid shimmered golden in the light from the candle burning on their table, bubbles gleamed like tiny gems. “Solitude.”
She raised hers to his. The irony of toasting each other wasn’t lost on her. The tension between them crackled with subtle electricity; a spark waiting to become a blaze. What were they doing? She didn’t know and at the moment didn’t care.
He sipped from his champagne, she watched the movement of his throat, and then looked away, conscious of her awareness of him. For a time they remained silent.
Danielle glanced toward the small dance floor in the front of the restaurant and saw an older, distinguished gentleman expertly lead a tall woman in a waltz. Grinning, he lowered his head toward her vibrant strands of hair and said something. The woman laughed and playfully slapped his shoulder. The man laughed back, gave her a swift kiss and pulled her tightly to his chest.
With an unexpected twinge of regret that her life was empty, she lifted her glass again.
“I propose another toast. To freedom,” she said.
He didn’t say anything but he tapped her glass against his.
The conversation during dinner was slow almost to the point of non-existence. She declined dessert.
“Would you like more champagne?”
She looked at her watch. “It’s late. Thank you for dinner but I need to get back to the resort.”
“Why? Do you have an early morning call?”
“No. Tomorrow is for re-shoots, if needed, but most of the crew will leave and go back to New York.”
“I see. And you?”
“I have to hang around but I’ll leave the following day.”
Silence hung between them.
“I want you to stay, Danielle. I need you to stay.”
At the timbre of his voice, she stared back at him. Stunned. What did that mean? He wanted her to stay. As what? His lover? His Friend? A booty call?
She felt as if she was swimming in an ocean of turbulent waves that refused to be calm so she could take time to think clearly.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said.
He threw a three hundred dollar bills on the table, pushed from the table and came to assist her from her seat. Trembling fiercely on the inside, she gladly placed her hand in his. Did he feel her hand shaking? If he did, he didn’t comment but wrapped his arm around her waist.
He turned on the stereo and soft jazz flowed through the speakers in the close confines of the car. They didn’t speak, each lost in their own thoughts. The cellphone sitting on top of her purse in her lap vibrated. She looked at it, frowned and hit a button to respond to the text. She threw a quick glance at Brody but his eyes were glued to the road in front of him. She inwardly sighed with relief. She slipped the phone inside her purse. She then clasped her hands together, to keep from twisting her fingers in a nervous motion.
She jumped with surprise when Brody reached over and took one of her hands in his. He didn’t release it until he pulled up in front of his house.
Inside, he locked the front door and their eyes met, everything moved faster. She felt as if she was in a dream, moving into a non-choreographed dance with him.
Brody hooked his arm around her waist and stepped back. Her hands cam
e up to brace her fall but she still collided into him. His river green eyes, filled with heat, caressed her body. His head came down on a slant and his mouth took hers.
She exhaled a short, choppy breath and shivered, not prepared for the hunger of the kiss. Her mouth opened, inviting his tongue inside. The spasm of heat between her legs made her instantly wet and ready and she moaned into his mouth, needing more. As if on auto pilot, her body continued to barrel into his, wanting to connect in the most primitive way. There was an urgency she couldn’t explain but wanted.
Her fingers tangled in his long black hair, and then scanned his sculptured body, bringing him closer, holding him tight.
Then he swept her into his arms and began to climb the stairs. Entering the bedroom, he pushed one of the light switches on the wall with his shoulder, infusing the room with soft dimmed light.
Without breaking the kiss, Brody placed her on the California King bed as if she was precious commodity and removed her clothes, piece by piece, trapping her with the power of his green gaze. Each piece of clothing was removed slowly, by him, from her body, shredding her panties in the process. Lying naked, she fought to breathe.
This time with him was so different from the first time when he made love to her in her bed—she was different. She felt as if she was in a trance, motionless, but floating toward something that was out of reach. What was it? Pleasure? Completeness? She didn’t know but she kept grasping for it.
She wanted him to want her—as desperately as she wanted him.
###
Her legs opened—for him only.
He groaned.
Losing patience, he struggled to go slow but couldn’t. He wanted to taste her and he wasn’t waiting any longer.
He kicked the cowboy boots from his feet, removed every stitch of clothing from his sculptured body all the while holding her gaze. He crawled between her legs with the predatory grace of a panther—slow and methodical.
Brody’s hands ran down her inner thighs, spread them wider and put his mouth to her. She uttered a soft scream mingled with a deep moan. His tongue entered into her cavity and he grabbed hold of her clit and suckled—hard.