Preston groaned, his hands coming up to cup her breasts. She felt like a tease, because she knew that she wasn’t going to let him make love to her until she believed he could love her.
“Are you forfeiting?” She forced herself to ask.
A silence, broken only by their breathing, filled the air. The sounds of cars passing on the road and pedestrians on the street provided distant background music. The city pulsed around them and through them. And though they weren’t visible to any of the passersby Lily suddenly felt embarrassed by what she’d done. By what she’d allowed to happen.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a rush.
“Don’t be.”
“I’m not a tease,” she said. Say it again, maybe you’ll believe it.
“Lily, angel, I started this.”
“No, you didn’t. I’d been lusting after you since you showed up.”
He smiled one of his sweet smiles that made her know there was a wonderful lonely man inside of him waiting to get out. “That’s good to know.”
“I’m…”
“Overreacting,” he said. He hugged her close, and the wild desire that was pulsing through her was oddly quieted by the strength in his arms.
“I think we’d better call this game a draw.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m in no condition to finish.”
She glanced down at the distended front of his shorts. It didn’t give her a rush of power or a feeling of victory over him. It made her feel a little ashamed that she’d tried to cheat to win. She never had before.
“I think you would’ve won,” she said, stepping back from him.
“Lily, there’s no shame in what you did.”
“I’ve been trying to tell you that lust without love is something you could find with anyone.”
“I already know that.”
“Than why did I just treat you like some boy toy?”
“Because love really is a myth, and attraction is a powerful impetus.”
“I’ve always told myself that I was waiting for love, waiting for my Prince Charming to come along and awaken me but suddenly I’m alive and filled with desire and…”
“There’s no Prince Charming,” he said, and turned to walk away.
Lily watched him go, knowing she’d wounded him but unsure how to fix it. Because in her heart she believed he could be her Prince Charming.
Preston stayed away from Lily and the White Willow House for two weeks. He’d flown to New York and partied with his socialite friends. But the lifestyle left him cold, and though Lily had hurt him with her words, he acknowledged they were the truth.
Now, standing in the refinished atrium of White Willow House, Preston realized he’d been running away because he felt like he’d come home. As though he’d found the one place he belonged and it wasn’t his familiar environment.
Lily started when she saw him. Preston didn’t fool himself that it was surprise coursing through her. He knew from the way she’d played basketball to win that it was anger controlling her now. He may have gained ground on convincing her love didn’t exist, but he was pretty sure he’d lost leagues on the seduction front.
Part of him knew it was for the best. She was too good for him. He’d realized how fragile she could be that night in his home. He didn’t want to be a big hulking masculine beast, tearing at the safe haven of her world, but he knew that he was.
She turned away as he approached and walked across the marble floor with a stride that would have done a marine proud.
“Lily.”
She stopped but didn’t turn around. The faded denim overalls she wore should have made her look out of place in the plush hotel lobby surrounded by her antiques. But she seemed more at home among the pieces she’d picked and refurbished than he felt.
He’d lost her. He felt it deep in his gut where he’d felt Greta’s betrayal when he’d been eight and unsure of the world. It ticked him off because he was old enough to know better.
“It seems I’ve won our bet,” he said silkily. Needing to reach through the barriers she’d erected around herself to keep him out.
She glanced over her shoulder, her blue eyes cold instead of warm and welcoming. Even that first afternoon in his office she’d at least had the gleam of challenge in her eyes—today nothing. She was still sexy as hell with her short hair mussed and clinging to her face and neck. He longed to taste her skin there. To linger as he hadn’t trusted himself to on the basketball court.
“Which one?” she asked.
“The love one. It seems even you have decided it’s not worth the risk. Good thing I’m not waiting at home for you in a house filled with infidels.”
She pivoted on her heel and marched over toward him. Her chest rose and fell, and her lips narrowed. She should have looked like a prim schoolmarm, but no teacher had ever affected him the way Lily did. Straight to the groin with enough heat to power the electrical needs of New York for a month.
“How dare you?” she asked, jabbing him in the chest with her index finger.
“I dare anything I please,” he said with all the arrogance he’d learned from his parents. But he didn’t know how to handle this situation. He’d never been near anything that vaguely resembled this woman or her approach to life. She wasn’t staying by his side because of his money. Why, then?
“You’re the one who ran away,” she said.
She always went for the jugular, and while he could admire her style, he admitted that it hurt. Especially since the innate vulnerability in her face always stopped him from reciprocating. He was sure someday someone was going to disillusion her, but he didn’t want it to be him. “I was on a business trip.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” she said. There was more than anger in her body, and as he searched her eyes, he thought he saw hurt, as well.
“What exactly are you implying, Lily?” he asked, because although he’d partied every night, he’d been in town for a business meeting that couldn’t be rescheduled.
“I read the papers like everyone else, Preston. Did you think because we’re in the South that your escapades wouldn’t reach us? You’re a big-time businessman, and New Orleans likes nothing better than debauchery.”
Must have been a slow day for news if he’d made the papers. Usually only acquisitions and mergers brought him press coverage. “Hell, angel, this keeps getting better and better. You say debauchery like it’s a disease.”
“Isn’t it?” she asked, most of the anger gone from her voice, leaving only that hurt he didn’t want to see. How was he going to mend this?
He considered how much he needed to touch her. When they were together and touching, things were right between them. He didn’t fool himself that a mere brush of his hand down her arm would right this perceived wrong, but he needed to do something to erase the damage in her eyes. “To some.”
“To me?” she asked.
He took her hand in his. It was so much smaller than his was. He circled her palm with his forefinger. “Not to you. You have a soul for adventure.”
“Then why do I prefer the home life?”
Preston wasn’t sure he knew her well enough to answer, but from the beginning he’d felt she was hiding from something. “You’re afraid of yourself.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “How did you turn this back to me? I’m not the one who was in the papers with a gorgeous blonde.”
“Was I?” he asked, wishing he’d thought to find the photographer and pay the man to keep his film unexposed. But it was too late; the damage had been done.
“Don’t play games with me. I believed you were serious when you said we wouldn’t be better off apart. Did you have a change of heart?”
She wanted more than he felt comfortable giving, but he knew he would need to show her some of himself if he wanted her to stay. And suddenly he knew that he did. It was more than the desire hardening his body every time he looked at her. He wasn’t sure what, but he needed to be with
her. To enjoy her smiles and laughter. To seduce her into his bed and life so that he could bathe in her sunshine for at least a little while.
“I needed to get away, and this business trip had been scheduled. I’m within an inch of taking you, angel. It’s not every day that I take the pure and noble route. Believe me I won’t do it again.”
“I thought you at least cared for me.”
I do, he thought, but didn’t say anything out loud.
“Lily, fate tends to demand a price for that kind of deep emotion.”
“I can’t imagine going through life without caring.”
“You should try it.”
“Why?”
“It’s pain free.”
She closed the gap between them. Cupping his cheek in her palm. She brushed her thumb across his bottom lip. “Oh, Preston.”
He didn’t say anything else to her, because he knew he’d come close to losing her and he didn’t want to lose her yet. He didn’t want to admit that she mattered to him in the least, but he knew he’d miss her smile if he never saw it again.
Six
The loud Zydeco music swirled around them like the sounds of Mardi Gras, fun, frivolous but masking something deeper. It was the lyrics that were anything but light and funny. The bride, her cousin Marti, and her new husband, Brad, danced with all the fervor that they felt. There was an exciting sort of sexual tension in the air as bodies brushed together and swung apart.
“Champagne?” Preston asked.
She nodded and accepted the flute from him. It was really sparkling wine, but she doubted any of her family or friends realized. She knew that Preston would. He was easily the best-dressed man there, but he was relaxed and charming, making her realize how easily he flitted through the throngs of people without them realizing they were only seeing a mirage—not the real man.
“How did you like the ceremony?” she asked trying to think of anything but how good he looked dressed in black and white.
“A little long but very nice.”
The high Catholic Mass had lasted for an hour, and Lily had been aware of others shifting in their seats around them, but Preston had been focused on the ceremony. She’d always loved the rituals of her church and had been glad to see that Preston appreciated them, too.
“Brad and Marti married for love,” Lily said, sipping her drink.
“They do seem to be infected with the love bug,” he said dryly.
“Ha! So you admit it exists.” She felt giddy. Probably from being around those closest to her. Probably from the champagne. Probably from sitting so close to Preston, having his cologne tempt her senses and his wit tempt her mind.
“Hell, angel, I admit that many people believe love exists. That doesn’t mean it’s real.” He scooted his chair closer to her, draping his arm over her shoulders. The weight was pleasant on the back of her neck. His fingers kept beat to the music against her shoulder. It was a light brush of his finger against her skin and made warmth spread throughout her body, pooling at her center. She shifted in the chair and hoped he wouldn’t notice.
But those clear gray eyes missed nothing. He raised one eyebrow and bent to kiss her below her ear. She shivered and shifted again. She wanted to pull him to her and kiss him as she had that night in his apartment. She wanted to feel his strong hard body against hers.
He distracted her and made her forget she wanted something from him that he doubted he could ever feel. “How can I prove that to you?”
He glanced away from her. His touch stopped, and she felt him pull into himself, searching for an answer. She knew that what she’d done when she’d blindly challenged him would open them to a world of pain if she failed. She was asking a man who’d forgotten how to hope to try again. If she failed, Lily realized, they’d both be affected. She’d been worrying about herself. Trying to figure out how she’d protect herself from needing him too much, but Preston had been opening up to her. Letting her see the things he needed.
“How do you make love stay?” he asked. She knew he really wanted to know.
She didn’t have an answer for him, knew he didn’t expect one from her, but felt the silence weigh heavy between them. The only way she could prove love would stay would be to fall in love with him herself and stay with him all their lives. But who could live with unrequited love?
“Want to dance?” he asked.
Her mind in turmoil, she wanted to say no. To demand he give her a good reason why he doubted the bride and groom would stay together. But the music changed and a slow and sensual Miles Davis tune came on. She couldn’t resist Preston or Miles Davis.
She nodded and stood. He took her arm to lead her to the dance floor. His fingers brushed on the inside, teasing her with their light touch. Her sleeveless sundress was light and flirty, a gauzy fabric that made her feel like a princess.
Her heels gave a few added inches but Preston still topped her. He pulled her into his arms. His lake-gray eyes weren’t cold now. In fact, she saw fire reflected in their depths and wanted…wanted things she knew better than to ask for.
She rested her head against his shoulder to escape his probing gaze. He saw too much. Made her see herself in a new light, and she wasn’t ready to look that closely at herself. Wasn’t ready to acknowledge that something had to be missing for her to have caved so easily to Preston’s advances. She’d stayed celibate a long time, but suddenly she wished she hadn’t.
Because the man rubbing her back and cradling her against his body was special to her…more than she was to him, and Lily knew she wouldn’t let her first time be with someone to whom she meant little or nothing. For her, firsts were celebrations.
His lips rested against her temple as they danced, and he talked quietly to her. Telling her how exciting it was to hold her in his arms, seducing her slowly with his words and body. She closed her eyes and let her senses revel in Preston Dexter—a man who no longer seemed like a cold man in pursuit of seduction. When the song ended, and they returned to their seats, he still felt unsteady.
Preston reluctantly joined Lily on the dance floor for a more rousing number. Cousins and friends surrounded her, and she threw her head back laughing as they danced around her. He felt the familiar tension pool in his lower body and didn’t fight his reaction.
He’d been hard since he’d taken Lily in his arms on the dance floor an hour earlier. Though he’d always enjoyed the game of seduction and teasing, he was ready to have her in his bed. But he wasn’t ready for her to be out of his life.
As she twirled past him in the arms of one of her beefy cousins, their eyes met and something magical passed between them. Preston stopped in the middle of the floor aware that everyone else still teemed around him. The world narrowed to only him and Lily. Seducing Lily had always been his goal, his objective, but he’d found himself losing sight of that.
Suddenly he realized that Lily was seducing him with her smiles and laughter, with the joy she found in everyday life that he never knew existed. He cut in and took her in his arms, dancing to the loud wild music as if he’d been born to it. He forgot about love and lust and let the music sweep both him and Lily away.
He let it play over him like his first illegal sip of whisky when he’d been fourteen. It was hard going down but the rush that came after thrilled him to his toes, and he knew he’d have to have another hit.
When the music stopped his ears were ringing. Lily was smiling up at him. The room was hot and close with the press of bodies, and he tugged on her hand, leading her outside. A naked bulb illuminated a rough path down to the waterfront.
Lily took his hand and led him down it. The moon was bright and full lighting their way. The music from the hall started again, fainter as they moved away. The smell of overripe vegetation and fresh water filled the air. The small canal flowed steadily toward the sea, and a wooden dock emerged from the shadows as they approached the bank.
“I haven’t danced like that in ages,” Lily said.
She seemed like an enc
hanted being from another world. One who would inhabit the earth for only this one night. If he didn’t capture her, hang on to her, she’d be gone forever.
“I never have,” he admitted.
“You must have natural rhythm.” She glanced up at him from under her lashes. It was a flirty look and it intensified the tightness in his lower body.
He hugged her to him. She smelled of her exertions and of the floral perfume she wore every day. The scent reminded him of the exotic orchids the gardener had cultivated in his childhood home.
“Ah, Preston, I missed you when you were gone.”
I missed you, too. “I’m back now.”
Her entire body quivered with excitement, probably from the wedding and the dancing. Preston wanted to feel that same energy coursing through him. He wanted to feel it coursing from her into him as he joined their bodies together.
Nothing else would suffice.
“Wasn’t it romantic?”
“The wedding?”
“No, their first kiss. I’ve always dreamed of that kiss.”
He realized that Lily might have had a little too much to drink because she would never reveal that much of herself to him. Her natural resistance was lowered, and he knew that he could, if he played his cards right, finally be successful in tempting her into his bed.
“What kind of kiss is that?”
“I don’t know. Magical, I guess.”
“How are my kisses?”
She smiled at him, sweetly seductive, and laid her head on his shoulder. “Yours are steamy and hot, promising forbidden pleasures.”
“I’m ready to deliver on them.”
“I know.”
He brushed his lips softly against hers. He wanted to taste some of the magic that Lily thought came from true love. Preston was beginning to realize it came from true goodness. There was something special about the way he felt for Lily, and that bothered him.
She should be like every other woman in his life. She shouldn’t make him hard with just a glance. She shouldn’t make him laugh over the silly things that happened during the day. She shouldn’t be lying so trustingly in his arms, because he knew once he kissed her he wouldn’t be able to stop.
The Tycoon's Temptation (HQR Silhouette Desire) Page 6