She had felt the dampness of his skin, the perfection of his muscles as they clenched beneath her palms and the texture of his chest hair rubbing against her breasts, hardening the tips.
She had experienced all those things. But only in her dream.
Dana pulled herself up in bed and inhaled deeply as she pushed her hair from her face. She’d known she was a goner when he had walked her to her hotel-room door. After saying that he hoped she enjoyed her nap, he had lifted her palm to his lips and placed a kiss at her wrist. And it hadn’t been your typical wrist kissing. His hot, wet tongue had slid over her wrist and then he had gently sucked the area, leaving a mark. His mark.
She glanced down at her wrist. She still felt the heat. She then looked across the room at the closed door that separated his room from hers—a shield, a barrier, a connecting door. But if it were to open…
She wondered if he was there. Had he taken a nap, as well? Had he dreamed of her as she had dreamed of him?
Slipping out of bed she stood and decided it was time to take part in some sort of physical pleasure. The other night Jared had shown her just what her body had been missing. He had given her a taste of what pleasures were out there if she decided to indulge.
Visiting her parents’ graves had made her realize just how unpredictable life could be. You could be here today and gone tomorrow. Life held no guarantees, there were no promises. There were no forevers.
There was only the moment. And you had to seize it to get what you wanted, capture it, slow it down and take advantage of it, make every second count.
Jared had always been honest with her, totally up-front. She knew how he felt about serious involvements. And she knew that no matter what, he had no intentions of changing his mind about that. Next week, if things worked out with his mother, he would walk away, just as surely as there was a sun shining in the sky. But dammit, she refused to let go without at least having something to look back on and remember from their time together.
She turned when she heard the gentle knock on the connecting door. Tightening the belt of her silk robe, she crossed the room and slowly opened it. Jared was there. She inhaled gently, breathing in the manly scent of him. He stood tall, handsome, hot and sexy. His features were sharp; the eyes that were holding hers were keen. She felt her heart beat violently at such profound sexiness.
Regardless of whether Jared was dressed as a million-dollar businessman or wearing faded jeans and a chambray shirt, as he was now, he looked like a man any woman would want both in and out of her bed. The man any woman would want to strip her naked, kiss her senseless and make love to her with an all-consuming passion.
And the man a woman would want to give her heart to on a silver platter.
Suddenly, she knew she was no longer falling in love with him. She had fallen in love with him. She loved him with every sense of her being, with every ounce of blood flowing fast and furious through her veins, with the breaths she was now taking—slow and uneven. Over the past couple of weeks she had seen more than a glimpse of him. She had gotten to know him as a man of high intelligence and intense integrity. He had proven it that day when she had shown up at his office, spitting fire and mad as hell. Luther had been his client, yet he had gone beyond what some would consider ethically proper and had given her off-the-record advice to save herself from further embarrassment, humiliation and financial ruin. And for that she truly appreciated him.
She also appreciated the way he showed her that sex wasn’t overrated, and that with the right person it could be a definitely satisfying and gratifying experience. And even now, here, today, he had come to Brunswick with her. He had stood beside her and had given her his shoulder to lean on when the pain of losing her parents had resurfaced.
“I hope I didn’t wake you from your nap, Dana.”
She swallowed deeply as she stared up at him. “No, I’m awake.” In more ways than one, she thought. “Did you sleep?”
He smiled, and his smile sent sensations oozing through the pit of her stomach. “No, I found that I couldn’t sleep after all and decided to catch a tennis match on television.”
He glanced beyond her and she knew his eyes lit on her rumpled bed. He returned his gaze to her. “Do you find the accommodations acceptable?” he asked softly.
Dana couldn’t stop the smile that touched her lips. The accommodations were more than acceptable. He had made reservations at one of the most expensive hotels on the beach, right on the ocean, connecting suites with balconies facing the water. She had offered to share the cost but he refused to talk about it. “Everything is wonderful, Jared. Thank you. I hadn’t expected such extravagance.”
Jared nodded. He knew she hadn’t and that was one of the things that made her so special and unique. Because of his success other women had expected certain luxuries. Dana expected nothing but in his opinion she deserved everything.
He considered how sexy she looked now, wearing a leopard-print robe that was destined to bring out the beast in any man. It hadn’t helped matters when he had glanced over and saw her bed with the messed-up covers and tangled sheets.
“Would you like to take a walk on the beach before dinner?” he decided to ask. “We can either eat in the restaurant downstairs or, if you prefer, we can dine in our rooms.”
Dana lowered her gaze and quickly made her decision—about a number of things. She tipped her chin up and met his gaze. “I’d love to take a walk on the beach and if you don’t mind I’d prefer if we ate here.”
“All right.”
She continued to hold his gaze and in the dark depths of his eyes she knew that he recognized that something had changed. Something elemental and deep. She also knew he would keep his word. He would take things slow, be patient and let her take the lead. He wouldn’t push, he wouldn’t pressure, but he would be ready whenever she was. And when he pounced, there would be no stopping him. God, she hoped not. She wanted it all. Everything he had to give. And she knew when it happened there was no going back. Their time together was limited. The moments would be short. But she intended to make the most of them, and when he walked away, she would have special memories to last a lifetime.
“I guess I’d better let you get dressed then,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.
She smiled at him. “Yes, I think you’d better if we want to take that walk while there’s still a lot of daylight.”
He nodded. Then slowly he leaned down and captured her lips. It was a slow, drugging kiss, gentle, tender. Whether he was kissing her this way or devouring her mouth, it didn’t matter. He still knew how to rob her of her senses and want to make her scream out for more.
He slowly released her lips but kept his attention glued to them as she took her tongue and licked her mouth. She heard his sharp intake of breath, saw his guts clench and knew he was walking the same tightrope that she was.
“I’ll knock on the door when I’m ready,” she whispered, and when he nodded and took a step back, she gently closed the door and leaned against it. Throwing an arm over her eyes she inhaled deeply. What a kiss! Her already hot body had gone up another degree. The man was a master at seduction but she wouldn’t have him any other way.
A smile touched her just-kissed lips. Jared was an excellent teacher. And although she knew there were more lessons to be learned, he had given her enough tutoring for what she needed to do.
At that moment the only thing she could think of was her plans to take on Jared Westmoreland.
Eight
I f Jared didn’t know any better he would swear Dana was trying to drive him mad. Mad with desire.
He doubted very seriously if he could hold on to his sanity, as well as his control, much longer. At any moment he would snap and Dana would drive him to reach across the table, snatch her into his arms and have her for dessert. Dana Delight would definitely be a mouthwatering temptation, a delectable treat.
The seduction started when she had knocked on the connecting door to let him know she was ready to go walking on the beach. He had been literally blown away by her outfit, a pair of denim shorts and a white halter top. He had seen halter tops before but never this enticing. He’d been tempted to untie the damn thing and set her breasts free. And he didn’t want to think about how sensual her flat stomach looked totally bare, showing off the navel he’d grown so fond of a few days ago.
They had held hands while walking along the beach, enjoying the sunset and the ocean. They had talked about a lot of things. The weather, the economy, books they had read and exotic foods they had eaten. The conversation then shifted to the Westmoreland family and how they looked forward to the birth of Storm and Jayla’s twins in a few months. Dana listened, hearing the excitement in Jared’s voice. She felt a tinge of sadness that she wouldn’t be around to share in the excitement since she would be out of the picture by then, out of Jared’s life. At some point, he must have realized it, too. She glanced up, saw him staring at her and the intensity in his gaze gave her pause. The twins were a stark reminder that the two of them didn’t have a future together. During the remainder of their walk, conversation ceased. They were caught up in their own private thoughts—thoughts they preferred not to share with each other.