by Melinda Hale
“I want to give into you,” Chelsea admitted quietly. “I want you, Dean Westley.”
Dean pressed his lips together before saying, “I don’t want you to.”
The very words he didn’t want to bring up, but knew he had to. He couldn’t have Chelsea Levin, because for the first time, this was a woman he was developing feelings for.
Six
Chelsea stepped onto the patio, dressed more conservatively in her brown woolen coat. Last night she’d regretted wearing the revealing dress. Part of her wanted to tease Dean, to show him what he couldn’t have. In some way, she enjoyed having that power over him, but now she felt guilty. Another simple mistake she should’ve avoided.
The dress had been too beautiful not to wear. She felt warmth spread through her body as she recalled finding it on her bed. A simple, expensive gift. Now Dean was firmly lodged in her mind. For such a gallant gesture, she couldn’t help but like him.
Knowing that Dean had overconfidence and wealth, everything she’d desired, hurt. If it was any other situation, he would’ve been her dream man. But since this was a professional, temporary arrangement, any feelings had to be kept at bay. Chelsea cared about him enough to make the rash, uninhibited decision to sleep with him, believing it was their last night together.
Last night she was willing to give into him, and he wasn’t. Dean was proving himself to be different than what she’d expected. He seemed to be a decent man, even with his flaws. And spending more time away from the city was a good way to escape her failed marriage and unfulfilling job.
Chelsea exhaled into the cool, winter air and noticed him step into view from the pool side of the house.
“Ready to go?”
Chelsea nodded. She noticed the look in his eyes – he wanted her, and the sexual tension between them only added to her frustration. Now it would lead to agonizing moments of standing close to his broad, firm body, unable to give into the attraction and fall into his arms. All thanks to Dean extending her vacation without permission.
The nerve of him, Chelsea thought angrily. But amidst her anger, she felt flattered. The only reason he did so was to keep her around, and whether it was just for sex or company, she appreciated it. No man had done that for her before. As an added bonus, there was more time to look for a decent place to move into.
Chelsea followed him to the garage, occasionally lowering her gaze to his firm ass. She couldn’t help but look at him every so often - her guilty pleasure. No harm in looking since they weren’t going to sleep together. After all, he was definitely eye catching.
Suddenly Dean turned to look at her, and she hurriedly raised her head.
“Enjoying the view?” he teased.
“I…” Chelsea hesitated. “I’ve seen better.”
She didn’t want to flatter his ego any more than she already had. In spite of herself, she smiled.
The garage door slid open automatically, the keys dangling from Dean’s hand. He was dressed in tight fitting black pants and a casual white shirt, his hair tousled from sleep. She wondered if he had gotten much of it after her display in the dress last night. Dreams of him coming into her room with his naked chest bared had been enough to give her a restless night.
In the dim light from the overcast sky, Chelsea noticed the sleek black Mitsubishi Lancer. A smile lit up her face as she got in, sinking into the leather seat. She almost jumped out of it when she felt the warmth emanating from it.
“Heated seats,” Dean remarked, a smile on his face after seeing her reaction.
“I noticed.”
He pulled out of the driveway and they drove along the coast. Her gaze fixated out towards the ocean. The view was stunning, the water a deep blue underneath the dim gray sky.
Dean’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Have you found any places to move into?”
“I’ve had one before you went and extended my vacation.”
“Ah, I won’t make any apologies for that.”
Chelsea glanced at him. “No, you won’t. You got what you wanted.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you want?”
She pursed her lips. Dean was definitely frustrating when he wanted to be.
“You already know,” she said lightly. “A place to move into. Maybe a better job.”
Dean stopped the car in the parking lot and turned the engine off. Chelsea reached for the door, expecting them to get out before he asked, “Don’t you have any dreams? Something you’ve always wanted?”
“Money,” Chelsea joked. Then she lowered her tone. “I tried love with Ryan, and that didn’t work.”
Dean looked at her intensely, and she could tell he was unsatisfied with her answer. “But he cheated on you. He wasn’t a decent man.”
Chelsea shrugged. “Few people are.”
He paused for a moment. “Anything at all?”
“Well,” she hesitated. He wanted to know more about her which was flattering but also disheartening. She couldn’t become too attached to Dean before moving out.
“Before I worked at Walmart I designed websites. But after a year, business died off. Ryan lost his job. I know money doesn’t bring happiness but it affected ours. When we were both working, we had money to see the world. We went to Hawaii once. It was beautiful.”
“It is,” Dean agreed. Of course he would’ve been there, she noted. With all the money he could want, he had the freedom to do anything.
“People say life is hard when you don’t have money, but for us, it was a matter of having it, the good life, and then it all disappeared overnight. We had to go backwards, and it affected our marriage,” Chelsea paused, lost in thought. “Maybe it’s because we let it. And when I found out he cheated on me, that was it. It was over.”
“Sounds tough,” Dean murmured, his voice low. Chelsea met his gaze and found herself lost in his eyes again. Even though he said little, she could hear the sincerity in his voice.
“It was the complete opposite for me,” he added. “When my parents died, I didn’t expect to get the amount of money I did. None of it meant anything to me. I wasted thousands. Drinking, sex, gambling. The whole lot.”
Chelsea quirked an eyebrow. No surprises there, he was a playboy. “Didn’t Jake get anything?”
“At least a million. He refused the rest.”
Chelsea held back her other questions, curious to know why his brother had done that. Did Jake feel guilty receiving the money? Dean didn’t seem to have a problem with it, but if he had, she couldn’t tell. And his initial question to her only amplified her curiosity.
“Isn’t there anything you want in life?” she asked.
“I tend to go with whatever comes along. Probably why I ended up the way I am now.”
There was a hint of sadness in his voice, as if he knew his choices had led him down a path he never expected to be on. Dean’s assistance helped her more than she realized, and now she wanted to comfort him.
“You’re a good man, Dean Westley. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know where I would be.”
Chelsea reached forward and gently placed a hand over his. The touch of his warm skin sent a delicious thrill through her body and she swallowed, her lips tingling in anticipation of him kissing her the way he had all those days ago. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted to feel that way again. Wanted, desired.
Something she never experienced with Ryan.
Dean’s gaze was steady, and feeling his eyes on her made her tighten below, her body longing to feel him inside her. Her skin was warming, her body longing for his touch. She didn’t want to take her hand from his, but needed to distract herself before she became too tempted.
“Why don’t you try talking to Jake?”
His face hardened. “I know you mean well, Chelsea, but my family is my business.”
Dean looked away from her out onto the beach. He seemed to have lost interest in the conversation as he announced, “We should take a walk before it starts to rain. Or snow.”
He
withdrew his hand from underneath hers and stepped out of the car. Chelsea stared after him as he turned his back, a gust of wind pushing his shirt even tighter against his body. It clung to his figure, revealing the outline of muscles underneath the fabric. She swallowed and followed after him, letting the door slam shut.
Her hand was still warm from his, the sensation of his skin lingering as she walked over to Dean.
“It would be really nice here in the summer,” she remarked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Oh it is,” Dean said, as they walked side by side towards the pavilion. “Looks like there aren’t many people on the beach today. Just two miles of sand, and us.”
Chelsea wondered what he meant by that. They entered the pavilion and she watched as he presented a badge, allowing them to enter the main beach.
“It’s my annual pass,” he explained. “With a place like this, it isn’t free. Gives me access to the saltwater pool. Feel like a swim?”
Chelsea laughed. “Not until summer!”
She didn’t want to admit it’d been many summers since she wore a bikini. And wearing something revealing in front of Dean wasn’t an option.
They stepped out onto the sand. The Jersey Shore was the cleanest, tidiest beach she had seen, the boardwalk clear of any commercial stands. She stared out across the vast ocean, stretching out to meet the overcast sky. They walked in silence for a few moments. She felt her shoes sink into the sand, leaving footprints alongside Dean’s.
Chelsea listened to the gentle lull of the waves rolling against the shore, allowing herself to relax. Dean stood closely beside her, almost protective. If she moved her hand, she could touch him. Being alone with him on the beach almost made that temptation irresistible. She glanced at him as he looked ahead, his brows furrowed.
“As for what you said about my typical millionaire arrogance,” he began, a grin causing dimples to crease his cheeks.
Her eyes widened. So now he was going to bring up something she’d said in the heat of the moment? “I didn’t mean to -”
“I’ve heard worse,” he said dismissively. Dean exhaled loudly. “The inheritance I earned came with a price. With all of the wealth I had, it changed me. I became so involved with my image, what the media thought of me. I earned my playboy reputation as a way of distancing myself from the truth. I lost who I was.”
Chelsea frowned. It sounded as if he’d wanted to get that off his chest. Perhaps she was the only one he’d confided in about it. As Dean met her gaze, she felt comforted that he trusted her.
“I don’t see that. You helped me out. You’ve shown you’re decent.”
There was a flicker of pain in his eyes before he gave her a gentle smile.
“You always see the good in people?”
“I try to. Even with Ryan,” she said boldly, thinking of her own life, how she drove Ryan away in pursuit of the money they once had. After his affairs, she lost all respect for him. And now there was Dean. Even with all the media reports about him, she could see through that. He may be a playboy millionaire, but there was more than that to him.
“I prefer to see the good rather than the bad,” she added. And there was definitely more good than bad with Dean.
“Don’t try to have sympathy for Ryan after what he did,” he said. “People can’t change for others, they have to take that step to change themselves alone. And a guy like him won’t change for you.”
“When you’re in love with someone, it can change you.”
“You believe in love?”
She paused. “Yes. I mean, I know Ryan’s only one guy. But now that it’s over, and I look around me and see who’s available, who I could end up with…I’m afraid.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what will happen. How it’ll happen. Who I’ll meet, if it’ll even be love, or just a waste of time.”
“No relationship is a waste, just an experience.”
She glanced at him. “Would you think that if someone cheated on you?”
“I would. Hell, I’d be glad to have someone like that out of my life so I can move on.”
Chelsea bit her bottom lip. “So if relationships aren’t a waste of time, why don’t you try having one?”
He chuckled. “Oh, I’ve had plenty of experiences…”
And then she felt his firm hand touching her, his fingers entwining around her own. Chelsea stared down in surprise. She slowed to a stop with him beside her.
“But nothing like this.”
His words pulled at her. What did he mean?
She felt warm under Dean’s gaze, her eyes captured by his as they looked at each other, alone on the beach with nothing but the call of seagulls, and the sound of the waves. What if she told him her feelings right now? Fear locked her true feelings away, out of reach. Change was good, but telling Dean she cared about him could ruin it all.
“I can’t sleep with you, Dean Westley,” she whispered.
Sleeping together was a way of putting it politely. And looking at him, she knew the sex would be hot and erotic, at a level she hadn’t found with Ryan.
When Dean tilted his head to look into her eyes, Chelsea felt alive, burning for the touch of his skin and the feel of his lips on hers. She swallowed, aware that her breathing slowed as she waited, desperately yearning to feel him close. Who cares about a relationship? Why should I hold back?
Dean closed the gap between them, his face lowering as he studied hers. He seemed reluctant to take her. Being so close to him, with the wind throwing her hair around her face, she felt enclosed, as if it were only the two of them locked in their own private desires.
And Chelsea realized if she didn’t act now, she could lose this moment. The chance to make a memory with him. Hesitantly, she reached out to touch him, tracing his jawline with her fingers and feeling the rough stubble underneath her skin.
There was so much they could have, so much they could share. The notion of being with Dean was tangible. She could see it. But as much as she wanted it, it couldn’t happen, not with the way his life was. How could there be a relationship with all the media scrutiny? Was it even what he was looking for?
“Why don’t you?”
Hearing the need in his voice almost overwhelmed her. Here she was, standing on the beach with the man she’d lusted after since moving in with him. And she was torn between wanting Dean, and knowing that she shouldn’t.
Chelsea offered herself to him last night, and he’d refused. What if there was no hope of finding love with Dean? But seeing the look in his eyes made her knees weak, and her lips parted.
“I…”
Then he claimed her.
Dean’s lips crashed onto hers, his hands sliding around her waist to pull her against him. Chelsea’s eyes widened when she felt hardness in his pants pressing against her thigh. The firmness of his lips overcame everything else as he kissed her deeply, taking her, their bodies pressing together with a need that felt like she was breaking underneath him. Giving Dean a part of her no one else had.
She slid her hands up his back, mesmerized by how firm and strong his body felt underneath his shirt. Her fingers moved across his skin, sating her need to touch him since the moment they kissed in front of the fire. Chelsea wanted to melt against his hard body, recalling her fantasies of seeing him shirtless.
The cool wind tore at her, but the heat of Dean’s body held her close, warming her body, and her heart.
Dean tasted her, pulling her tightly until her breasts were crushed against his chest. He guided his tongue between her lips and she opened up for him, allowing him inside her. Chelsea felt nothing but him as she clung to his body, wanting more than Dean could ever give her. Heat coursed between them. She draped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him harder against her. Clinging to him with all of the need and sexual frustration she’d felt for days, the desire that burned within her.
She returned his kiss passionately, his tongue melding with hers as she moved her hips
against his groin. Feeling how hard he was, Chelsea wanted to pull away and tell him to fuck her. No holding back…
Dean’s lips left hers.
Chelsea’s mouth tingled from his kiss as she stared at him helplessly. She drew in a breath. There were so many words on the edge of her lips.
“Why’re you doing this?” she managed to say. He stared at her, his eyes pained. Dean seemed to struggle for words. Chelsea looked at him pleadingly. Her question was directed at him, but she also wondered that herself. Why was she letting Dean kiss her like this, without a moment’s resistance?
“Because I want you, Chelsea,” he breathed. “And before you argue, I know you want me too.”
His words sobered her, and her desire faded.
She bit her lip, pain contorting her features. Dean’s eyes were fixated on her, waiting for her to respond. But she didn’t know what to say. Yes, she wanted him. But it was obvious he wanted nothing more than sex, and she couldn’t take that risk with her feelings.
Last night was one moment where she was willing to take that risk. But not now, not with how she cared for Dean.
“I do,” she admitted quietly. His eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Then why resist what we both want?”
Chelsea glared at him. He’d been the one to resist last night. Now he seemed interested. His indecisiveness angered her.
“It’s not about sex for me!” she replied haughtily. “I mean it was, but things change. Feelings change.”
She knew what she wanted to happen. A relationship. She wanted to get to know him, to kiss him every day before the chance passed and they would only be friends. All it takes is that one question. But Chelsea was hoping for something he didn’t want. Dean stared at her, his eyes darkening when he realized her point. Her heart was pounding. This was as close as she wanted to get to admitting her feelings.
“I understand,” he said. “You want to continue walking, or should we go?”
Chelsea stared out towards the ocean, trying to calm her mind and her body after feeling his hardness against her thigh. Her heart thundering in her ears, it took a lot of effort to force her need for Dean out of her mind. Her hands were shaking subtly, arousal burning through her.