When he reached across the table and wrapped her hand in his warm, blunt fingers, the shock of his touch sent a wave of heat through her whole body. For a second, she entwined her fingers with his and clung as if he were a vital lifeline. Then, when she realized what she was doing, she wrenched her hand free.
Why are you so afraid of me, Kira?
You might still marry Jaycee and ruin her life, she lied.
Impossible, now that Ive met you.
Kiras breath quickened. Dimple or not, he was still the enemy. She had to remember that.
Do you really think Im so callous I could marry your sister when I want you so much?
But what are you going to do about Jaycee?
I told you. She became irrelevant the minute I saw you standing inside my office this afternoon.
Shes beautiful and blonde.
Yes, but your beauty affects me more. Dont you know that?
She shook her head. The truth isnt in you. You only date blondes.
Then it must be time for a change.
Im going to confess a secret wish. All my life I wished I was blonde so Id look more like the rest of my family, especially my mother and my sister. I thought maybe then Id feel like I belonged.
You are beautiful.
A man like you would say anything
Ive never lied to any woman. Dont you know how incredibly lovely you are? With your shining dark eyes that show your sweet, pure soul every time you look at me and defend your sister? I feel your love for her rushing through you like liquid electricity. Youre graceful. You move like a ballerina. I love the way you feel so intensely and blush when you think I might touch you.
Like a child.
No. Like a responsive, passionate woman. I like that too much. And your hair its long and soft and shines like chestnut satin. Yet theres fire in it. I want to run my hands through it.
But we hardly know one another. And Ive hated you
None of the Murrays have been favorites of mine either but Im beginning to see the error of my ways. And I dont think you hate me as much as you pretend.
Kira stared at him, searching his hard face for some sign that he was lying to her, seducing her as hed seduced all those other women, saying these things because he had some dark agenda. All she saw was warmth and honesty and intense emotion. Nobody had ever looked at her with such hunger or made her feel so beautiful.
All her life shed wanted someone to make her feel this special. It was ironic that Quinn Sullivan should be the one.
I thought you were so bad, no pure evil, she repeated.
His eyebrows arched. Ouch.
If hed been twisted in his original motives, maybe it had been because of the grief hed felt at losing someone he loved.
How could I have been so wrong about you? Even as she said it, some part of her wondered if she werent being naive. He had dated, and jilted, all those beautiful women. He had intended to take revenge on her father and use her sister in his plan. Maybe when shed walked into his office shed become part of his diabolical plan, too.
I was misguided, he said.
I need more time to think about all this. Like I said a mere hour or two ago I heartily disliked you. Or at least I thought I did.
Because you didnt know me. Hell, maybe I didnt know me either because everything is different now, since I met you.
She felt the same way. But she knew she should slow it down, reassess.
Im not good at picking boyfriends, she whispered.
Their loss.
His hand closed over hers and he pressed her fingers, causing a melting sensation in her tummy. My gain.
Her tacos came, looking and smelling delicious, but she hardly touched them. Her every sense was attuned to Quinns carved features and his beautiful voice.
When a musician came to their table, Quinn hired him to sing several songs, including La Paloma. While the man serenaded her, Quinn idly stroked her wrist and the length of her fingers, causing fire to shoot down her spine.
She met his eyes and felt that she had known him always, that he was already her lover, her soul mate. She was crazy to feel such things and think such thoughts about a man she barely knew, but when dinner was over, they skipped dessert.
An hour later, she sat across from him in his downtown loft, sipping coffee while he drank brandy. In vain, she tried to act unimpressed by his art collection and sparkling views of the city. Not easy, since both were impressive.
His entrance was filled with an installation of crimson light by one of her favorite artists. The foyer was a dazzling ruby void that opened into a living room with high, white ceilings. All the rooms of his apartment held an eclectic mix of sculpture, porcelains and paintings.
Although she hadnt yet complimented his stylish home, she couldnt help but compare her small, littered apartment to his spacious one. Who was she to label him an arrogant upstart? He was a success in the international oil business and a man of impeccable taste, while she was still floundering in her career and struggling to find herself.
I wanted to be alone with you like this the minute I saw you today, he said.
She shifted uneasily on his cream-leather sofa. Yet more evidence that he was a planner. Well, I didnt.
I think you did. You just couldnt let yourself believe you did.
No, she whispered, setting down her cup. With difficulty she tried to focus on her mission. So, what about Jaycee? Youre sure thats over?
Finished. From the first moment I saw you.
Without mud all over my face.
He laughed. Actually, you got to me that day, too. Every time I dined with Jacinda and your family, I kept hoping Id meet you again.
Even as she remembered all those dinner invitations her parents had extended and shed declined, she couldnt believe he was telling the truth.
I had my team research you, he said.
Why?
I asked myself the same question. I think you intrigued me like I said, even with mud on your face. First thing tomorrow, I will break it off with Jacinda formally. Which means youve won. Does that make you happy? You have what you came for.
He was all charm, especially his warm, white smile. Like a child with a new playmate, she was happy just being with him, but she couldnt admit that to him.
He must have sensed her feelings, though, because he got up and moved silently toward her. I feel like Ive lived my whole life since my fathers death aloneuntil you. And thats how I wanted to liveuntil you.
She knew it was sudden and reckless, but she felt the same way. If she wasnt careful, she would forget all that should divide them.
As if in a dream, she took his hand when he offered it and kissed his fingers with feverish devotion.
Youve made me realize how lonely Ive been, he said.
Thats a very good line.
Its the truth.
But you are so successful, while I
Look what youre doing in the interimhelping a friend to realize her dream.
My father says Im wasting my potential.
You will find yourself if you are patient. He cupped her chin and stared into her eyes. Again she felt that uncanny recognition. He was a kindred soul who knew what it was to feel lost.
Look what youre doing in the interimhelping a friend to realize her dream.
My father says Im wasting my potential.
You will find yourself if you are patient. He cupped her chin and stared into her eyes. Again she felt that uncanny recognition. He was a kindred soul who knew what it was to feel lost.
Dear God, he muttered. Dont listen to me. I dont know a damn thing about patience. Like now I should let you go but I cant.
He pulled her to him and crushed her close. It wasnt long before holding her wasnt enough. He had to have her lips, her throat, her breasts. She felt the same way. Shedding her shirt, scarf and bra, she burst into flame as he kissed her. Even though she barely knew him, she could not wait another moment to belong to him.
Im not feeling so patient right now myself, she admitted huskily.
Do not give yourself to this man, said an inner voice. Remember all those blondes. Remember his urge for revenge.
Even as her emotions spiraled out of control, she knew she was no femme fatale, while he was a devastatingly attractive man. Had he said all these same wonderful things to all those other women hed bedded? Had he done and felt all the same things, too, a thousand times before? Were nights like this routine for him, while he was the first to make her feel so thrillingly alive?
But then his mouth claimed hers again, and again, with a fierce, wild hunger that made her forget her doubts and shake and cling to him. His kisses completed her as shed never been completed before. He was a wounded soul, and she understood his wounds. How could she feel so much when they hadnt even made love?
Lifting her into his arms, he carried her into his vast bedroom, which was bathed in silver moonlight. Over her shoulder she saw his big, black bed in the middle of an ocean of white marble and Persian carpets.
He was a driven, successful billionaire, and she was a waitress. Feeling out of her depth, her nerves returned. Not knowing what else to do, she pressed a fingertip to his lips. Gently, shyly, she traced his dimple.
Feeling her tension, he set her down. She pushed against his chest and then took a step away from him. Watching her, he said, You can finish undressing in the bathroom if youd prefer privacy. Or we can stop. Ill drive you to your car. Your choice.
She should have said, I dont belong here with you, and accepted his gallant offer. Instead, without a word, she scampered toward the door hed indicated. Alone in his beige marble bathroom with golden fixtures and a lovely, compelling etching by another one of her favorite artists, she barely recognized her own flushed face, tousled hair and sparkling eyes.
The radiant girl in his tall mirror was as beautiful as an enchanted princess. She looked expectant, excited. Maybe she did belong here with him. Maybe he was the beginning of her new life, the first correct step toward the bright future that had so long eluded her.
When she tiptoed back into the bedroom, wearing nothing but his white robe, he was in bed. She couldnt help admiring the width of his bronzed shoulders as he leaned back against several plumped pillows. She had never dated anyone half so handsome; shed never felt anything as powerful as the glorious heady heat that suffused her entire being as his blue eyes studied her hungrily. Still, she was nervy, shaking.
Im no good at sex, she said. Youre probably very good Of course you are. Youre good at everything.
Come here, he whispered.
But
Just come to me. You could not possibly delight me more. Surely you know that.
Did he really feel as much as she did?
Removing his bathrobe, she flew to him before she lost her nerve, fell into his bed and into his arms, consumed by forces beyond her control. Nothing mattered but sliding against his long body, being held close in his strong arms. Beneath the covers, his heat was delicious and welcoming as she nestled against him.
He gave her a moment to settle before he rolled on top of her. Bracing himself with his elbows against the mattress, so as not to crush her, he kissed her lips, her cheeks, her brows and then her eyelids with urgent yet featherlike strokes. Slowly, gently, each kiss was driving her mad.
Take me, she whispered, in the grip of a fever such as shed never experienced before. I want you inside me. Now.
I know, he said, laughing. Im as ravenous as you are. But have patience, darlin.
You have a funny way of showing your hunger.
If I do what you ask, it would be over in a heartbeat. This moment, our first time together, is too special to me.
Was she special?
We must savor it, draw it out, make it last, he said.
Maybe I want it to be over swiftly, she begged. Maybe this obsessive need is unbearable.
Exquisite expectation?
I cant stand it.
And I want to heighten it. Which means were at cross-purposes.
He didnt take her. With infinite care and maddening patience he adored her with his clever mouth and skilled hands. His fevered lips skimmed across her soft skin, raising goose bumps in secret places. As she lay beneath him, he licked each nipple until it grew hard, licked her navel until he had all her nerve endings on fire for him. Then he kissed her belly and dived even lower to explore those hidden, honey-sweet lips between her legs. When she felt his tongue dart inside, she gasped and drew back.
Relax, he whispered.
With slow, hot kisses, he made her gush. All too soon her embarrassment was gone, and she was melting, shivering, whimperingall but begging him to give her release.
Until tonight she had been an exile in the world of love. With all other men, not that there had been that many, she had been going through the motions, playing a part, searching always for something meaningful and never finding it.
Until now, tonight, with him.
He couldnt matter this much! She couldnt let this be more than fierce, wild sex. He, the man, couldnt matter. But her building emotions told her that he did matterin ways shed never imagined possible before.
He took her breast in his mouth and suckled again. Then his hand entered her heated wetness, making her gasp helplessly and plead. When he stroked her, his fingers sliding against that secret flesh, she arched against his expert touch, while her breath came in hard, tortured pants.
Just when she didnt think she could bear it any longer, he dragged her beneath him and slid inside her. He was huge, massive, wonderful. Crying out, she clung to him and pushed her pelvis against his, aching for him to fill her even more deeply. Yes! Yes!
When he sank deeper, ever deeper, she moaned. For a long moment he held her and caressed her. Then he began to plunge in and out, slowly at first. Her rising pleasure carried her and shook her in sharp, hot waves, causing her to climax and scream his name.
He went crazy when she dug her nails in his shoulder. Then she came again, and again, sobbing. She had no idea how many climaxes she had before she felt his hard loins bunch as he exploded.
Afterward, sweat dripped off his brow. His whole body was flushed, burning up, and so was hers.
Darlin Kira, he whispered in that husky baritone that could still make her shiver even when she was spent. Darlin Kira.