Secret Fantasy

Doug let out a slow groan. Her admission had just called a glaring halt to his plan to expose Barnes and his Congressman partner at all costs. A blunt article with Juliette as his witness would destroy her father. And anything that hurt Senator Stanton would kill Juliette. Something Doug would never do. The tough-guy reporter he’d been before meeting this woman was long gone. Doug had to accept that truth—one a long time in coming. As long as he’d been on this island.

Damned if he had a plan right now, but he had to come up with one and soon. Although he had all his personal excuses for wanting to nail Barnes and Haywood, a more pressing reason remained—he couldn’t let their illegal activities go unchecked. And he had to expose them before Barnes was elected senator. A good possibility considering his being jilted at the altar would garner him the sympathy vote and, as of now, Senator Stanton was still in his corner. He had to halt the senator-elect, without hurting either Juliette or her family.

“You’re quiet. I’ve shocked you.”

He shook his head. “I always knew you were special. But the lengths you went to to protect your father, the flak you took from the media…”

“He’d do it for me in a heartbeat. That’s why I need to figure a way out. I can’t let Stuart become senator, knowing what I do. And I can’t hurt my father. I need your help and input. Together we could come up with an idea.” She hesitated. “But I was also hoping we could do something else together first.” Her voice had dropped a husky octave and the atmosphere shifted.

The room temperature inched up a heated notch and sexual vibrations surrounded them. Doug went from concerned to aroused in seconds flat. Apparently Juliette felt the same because she inched up onto her knees and moved near, bracing her hands on his shoulders and placing her lips close to his ear.

“Can you see the enormity of this secret? That I wouldn’t share it with just anybody?”

If she only knew who she’d just trusted. The guilt was enormous, though he tried to console himself with the fact that he was on her side. “Juliette…”

“Doug…” She parroted in a low murmur. “You’ve made me feel like I can trust you with anything. That has to mean something in the scheme of your fantasy.”

It meant she believed she could trust him and though he knew that was true, he was still deceiving her, something she’d never understand. “Fantasies are complicated,” he said.

“They don’t have to be.” She nuzzled the sensitive place behind his ear with her lips and he let out a slow groan.

Irony was at work again. She’d revealed all in order to bring them closer and though he needed time and space to sort out what he’d learned and figure out the best and safest way to use the information, if he walked out on her, he’d hurt her as badly as his secrets would. Secrets he couldn’t reveal until he?

??d figured out a way to help her, save her father’s reputation and secure them as a couple.

“Doug, if your fantasy is really about putting a woman’s needs first…make love to me.”

All the restraint he’d exercised vanished in that instant. She’d freed him mentally and emotionally and he refused to look back. He would figure a way out—after he did as she asked and made love to her.

Grasping her hips, he took control, toppling her onto her back on the bed. “You’ve been testing and teasing me for two days now.” Now it was his turn.

Excitement danced in her eyes. “Oh yeah? I know I’ve tried. I was thinking I didn’t have much success.”

“Sure you did.” He swung his legs over her waist, pinning her to the mattress. “It’s just that I’ve got what’s called discipline.”

A smile worked at her lips. “Looks to me like it’s gone.”

She had no idea.

Her pelvis rose, her feminine mound pressed intimately against his hard erection and she let out an appreciative moan. “It feels that way too,” she practically purred.

Maybe she had a better idea than he’d originally thought. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” he muttered. Silk skirt and top, both soft and feminine, but a barrier just the same.

“Then take them off me.”

A provocative suggestion if he’d ever heard one. She spread her arms out at her sides, treating him to an even more provocative pose. Her button-down blouse revealed a lace garment beneath. Soft webbing that reminded him of sexy lingerie and hot nights in bed.

And this night was about to get much hotter.

Juliette stared into Doug’s deep blue eyes, unable to believe how close they now were. How intimate they were about to become. She’d confided her most private secrets and she had no doubt he’d help her figure out her next step. Just as she’d obviously helped him figure out his.

Fantasy accomplished, she thought with pride—both his and hers. Yet she was still here—breathless, nearly panting with her heart galloping fast in her chest and her mind playing out erotic fantasies at Doug’s hands. And those hands now dipped enticingly beneath her blouse, pausing when he encountered the lace camisole. Tingling awareness shot through her as he chartered covered territory.

With nimble fingers he explored until he found her breast, full and aching for his touch. “No bra?” he asked.

“Not necessary with so many layers.” Her lack of undergarments had been a conscious, planned decision, because when she’d decided to trust him with her secrets, she wanted to trust him with her body as well. In a way she’d entrusted herself to no man before. She was exposed to him in every way that counted.

He glanced down and nodded in approval. “Easier access for me.”