Читать книгу The Tycoon's Desire - Anna DePalo - Страница 13

Allison felt prickles of awareness all over her skin at Connor’s touch. She knew if they slept together, nothing would be the same again.

This wasn’t just about one kiss or one night. This was about getting tangled up with a man who wouldn’t be as easy to handle as any of the ones she’d dated in the past. Connor would challenge her, and there’d be no smug assurance that she was in control.

When she still hadn’t said anything, the light went out of Connor’s eyes and his hand dropped away from her mouth. She hadn’t voiced an invitation—and he hadn’t read one in her eyes—so he was backing off.

In that instant, however, she knew she couldn’t let this moment pass. He offered comfort and safety in a world that had become a much scarier place. And, while she knew she could always stand on her own two feet if she had to, she also knew that now—tonight—she wanted that comfort.

Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to dive in to his arms. The possibility that she wouldn’t be in control was more of a temptation than a risk to be avoided.

She slid off the stool, bringing them nearly flush up against each other.

His usual cocky facade was not on display. Instead, what she saw was raw hunger and naked desire.

Her breath caught in her throat. “Connor…”

She placed her hands on his chest and felt the strong, rhythmic beat of his heart. He held himself very still as she went up on tiptoe, searched his face, and then, slowly, very slowly, pressed her lips to his.

His mouth opened under the pressure of her lips, his lips rubbing, stroking against hers. He took his time—as if he had all the time in the world—letting her lead, then demanding more. Yet, he held his arms at his sides, his mouth the only part building a response from her.

Yes, she thought, the man definitely knew how to kiss.

Just when she was on the point of making sounds of frustration, however, he appeased her need and wrapped his arms around her.

The kiss deepened, his tongue slipping between her lips to swirl within her mouth and duel with hers.

She moaned and her fingers threaded through his hair. She couldn’t get close enough to him—couldn’t get enough of him.

When he finally tore his mouth from hers, he said huskily, “Wrap your legs around me.” She readily complied and his hands splayed across her bottom, supporting her weight.

In this position, his erection pressed into the most intimate part of her and, instinctively, she rubbed against him.

He muttered an oath as he headed for the stairs leading to the bedrooms. “Do that again and we won’t make it to the bed.”

She laughed breathlessly. “What about the couch down here?”

He stopped for a second and gave her a smoldering look. “I want to see you lying in my bed. I want to see your thick, dark hair spread out across my pillow.” He leaned forward so his forehead rested against hers, then added, his voice deep, “I want to see you, I want to hear you and, most importantly, I want to taste you while you’re lying on my bed.”

“Is that an order?” she quipped.

He straightened and started up the stairs, hoisting her higher and giving her a wry grin. “No, but I hope I’ve answered your question. There is a couch down here, but we won’t be using it.”

“Can you hurry then?” she joked, almost hurting with the wanting. It seemed as if she’d been waiting for this moment forever and now need threatened to sweep her away.

At the end of the hallway upstairs, he kicked open the door to his bedroom and, in two strides, crossed the room to the bed, coming down half on top of her.

There was almost no thought then: need consumed them. They were like two people who had crossed the desert and finally come to a stream of water.

She was dimly aware of kicking off her sandals and of Connor helping her slide her top over her head. Then, with a flick of his fingers, he undid the front clasp of her bra.

“You’re perfect,” he groaned, his gaze hot on her breasts, which were capped by nipples that were tight and hard and peaked. Under his gaze, they became even more so.

“They’re just average breasts,” she muttered, embarrassed.

“Perfect,” he repeated in a low voice. Then, with his eyes never leaving hers, he slowly lowered his head to one breast. She sighed when his mouth closed around her nipple.

Waves of sensation threatened to take her under as she watched him use his mouth on her.

When he moved his mouth to her other breast, she threaded her fingers through his hair and let her eyes close. A restless longing had taken hold of her, making her limbs quiver and suffusing her with a liquid warmth.

His mouth left her breast and seized her lips and she wound her arms around his neck, meeting his questing mouth kiss for kiss until he finally pulled back with a groan and sat up.

She opened her eyes and nearly moaned in protest until she saw the desire written on his face. Raising herself on her elbows, she watched as he quickly rid himself of his plaid shirt and then yanked his white undershirt over his head.

His chest had only a sprinkling of hair, so there was little to conceal the muscles that defined his chest and upper arms.

She’d seen him shirtless several times over the years, when he’d come to pool parties at the Whittakers’, and, memorably, when she’d spied him in the process of removing his sweat-stained shirt and putting on a fresh one during a school-break construction job in Carlyle.

She’d fantasized about touching him then. Now, she sat up to run her hands along the sculpted muscles.

“Yes, touch me,” he muttered. “Make me burn, petunia.”

She reveled in the power she had to affect him. She pressed her lips where her hands had been, placing hot, wet kisses over the planes of his chest.

He stopped her only so he could rid them both of their shoes and jeans. He peeled the denim off her in one fluid movement, taking along the underwear underneath.

His hand splayed on her hip as they fell back onto the bed again and their lips met in a deep, hungry kiss.

His hand caressed her leg, then moved to her inner thigh, making her tingle with anticipation.

She tore her mouth from his. “Ah, Connor…”

“Shh,” he said as his hand slid up to the juncture of her thighs. Holding her, his eyes steady on hers, his finger parted her and he caressed her inside.

“Oh!”

“Yes,” he said in a smoky voice. “Let me hear how it makes you feel, petunia.”

She clutched his shoulders, his look of possession the last thing she saw as her eyes closed and her world spiraled beyond everyday sensation in response to the sure and steady rhythm of his hand.

“Connor!” The cry was torn from her as she entered oblivion.

When Allison floated back down to earth, Connor was lying next to her, facing her, his arm bent and his head propped up on his hand. His other hand was drawing lazy circles on her thigh.

She looked down and he followed her gaze.

“Yup, I still want you,” he said, a hint of humor lacing his voice.

She looked back up at him. He was looking just a wee bit too pleased with himself, she decided. Giving him a coy look through her lashes, she said, “Well, thanks for everything,” and made to rise.

Laughing, he pushed her back onto the bed. “Not so fast, princess. I think we have some unfinished business.”

“Really?” She feigned innocence. “And that would be…?”

Instead of responding, he drew her to him, his mouth coming down on hers, and she was lost again in the sea of emotion and sensation between them.

He was the most magnificent man she’d ever been with. Connor’s physical size made her feel small and dainty despite her statuesque five-foot-eight frame. His scent—the warm muskiness of all-male—enveloped her.

He kissed her deeply, hungrily, his mouth plundering. She opened her mouth to him even as he parted her legs, making room for himself.

She reached down then and grasped his erection, stroking him until he released her mouth with a growl. “I’m about to come out of my skin, petunia.”

“That’s what I was hoping for,” she teased.

“You don’t have to hope anymore,” he countered, then smiled so wolfishly he made her giggle.

He opened a drawer in the nightstand and retrieved a small foil packet. Turning back to her, he cleared his throat and said, “Before you jump to conclusions, I’m going to tell you that you’re the only woman I’ve ever brought out here with me.”

She opened and shut her mouth.

“And secondly,” he went on, “I didn’t bring protection along because I was sure of myself. I just thought being prepared wouldn’t be a bad idea given the fireworks exploding between us lately.”

She felt ridiculously pleased about being the only woman he’d brought to his refuge in the Berkshires. She took the packet from him and, ignoring his surprised and then delighted look, rolled the protection slowly onto him.

“Ah, Allison,” he sighed.

She gave him a quick peck on the lips.

He spread her legs then and positioned himself. “Last chance, princess,” he said and, despite his light-hearted tone, she knew he was holding himself tightly in check.

In some ways, it seemed she’d been waiting for this moment her whole life. She’d be darned if she’d beat a retreat now—the consequences for tomorrow be damned. She was about to find out if the reality lived up to all her girlhood fantasies.

“Not a hope, Rafferty.” She wrapped her legs about him and raised her hips.

He groaned as he slid into her. “Ah, petunia—”

She gasped, then sighed.

He set a rhythm that she took up, meeting him with counterpoint thrusts, the momentum building in tandem with the tension between them until it burst forth and sent her spiraling into a starry darkness, her hands clutching spasmodically on Connor’s shoulders and feeling the thin sheen of sweat that had broken out on his skin.

Dimly, she heard him give a hoarse groan and take his own release.

Connor came back to reality slowly. He felt as if he’d been passed through a wringer; he was spent, his muscles weak with release. Paradoxically, he felt gloriously alive.

Before tonight, he’d thought the sexual tension between him and Allison was a strong sign they’d be explosive in bed together.

He hadn’t been wrong.

He looked over at Allison. Her eyes were closed, their ebony lashes flickering against her fair skin. A slight smile played at the corners of her lips.

She’d blown him away. If he’d had any clue, he wondered whether he could have resisted her as long as he had, even with the many reasons it made sense to do so.

And that was the problem, he acknowledged. Those reasons had not gone away.

His job was to protect Allison, not bed her. She was still the daughter of the couple who’d treated him as if he were a surrogate son. She was Quentin’s baby sister. Someone whom he, along with her brothers, had treated for years as if she were a spoiled brat.

He closed his eyes. He didn’t—couldn’t—regret what had just happened. It had been the most glorious sexual experience of his life. But what was he supposed to say to Quentin next time he saw him? I slept with Allison and, hey, it was better than I ever fantasized?

‘Course, then he’d have to let Quentin deck him. He’d been asked to be her bodyguard, not her lover.

And yet, the attraction between him and Allison had been simmering for a long time. The threat against her had simply been the match that had ignited the tinderbox that they’d shoved their attraction into so they could safely ignore it.

He was going to have to tread carefully, that was for sure. Among other things, he had to figure out sooner rather than later who was making the death threats. After that, he could focus on figuring out what uncharted territory he and Allison had steered their relationship into.

He glanced back over at her sleeping face. Whether Allison was going to admit it or not, what they’d started tonight wasn’t finished.

Allison woke to the smell of fresh coffee. Had she set the automatic timer on her coffee pot?

She rolled over and opened her eyes. Dark wood ceiling beams greeted her. She frowned, momentarily disoriented. Where was she?

And then it all came rushing back…the death threat in the mail…her agreement to come out to the Berkshires with Connor despite her better judgment…their intimate dinner…the two of them tangling the sheets together.

She flushed. He’d certainly lived up to her fantasies and then some.

They’d woken up in the middle of the night, and they’d had at each other in a way that had been just a bit less mind-blowing than the first time.

More importantly, she knew that last night she’d seen a side of Connor that he rarely let anyone glimpse. She’d seen vulnerability when he’d talked about his father’s death and she’d realized his protective instincts ran deep and strong.

Then he’d made love to her tenderly and passionately.

Made love. Was that literally what it had been?

Her mind shied away from the question.

Certainly he desired her. She hugged the sheet to her as she thought about Connor’s demonstration of desire last night.

She had to admit their relationship had changed irrevocably.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs.

She groaned. Leave it to Connor not to give her a moment to freshen up and look presentable.

“Rise and shine, princess.”

He was dressed in a beat-up T-shirt and jeans and his hair still appeared damp from his shower. He looked positively yummy.

A smile played at the corners of his lips. He held out the steaming cup in his hand. “I brought your shot of caffeine. I was going to hold it under your nose to resuscitate you, but I see you’re awake.”

She sprang up in bed and held out her hands. “Bless you.”

He handed her the cup and then sat on the side of the bed. “Cream, no sugar.”

She sipped. “Mmm. Excellent. How did you guess?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “There are a few things I’ve picked up about you over the years. One of them is how you like your coffee.”

“Part of your dossier on me?”

He looked at her enigmatically. “You could say that.”

“Hmm.” She lowered her eyes and sipped. “Thanks for bringing the coffee. It really wasn’t necessary.”

She again felt the same uncharacteristic shyness with him that she’d felt last night, before…before…As she felt herself start to blush, she yanked her mind back from that trail of thought.

“Actually, it was necessary,” he said matter-of-factly.

She quirked a brow, struggling for the casual, uncaring attitude that had been so easy to adopt where he was concerned—before last night.

“I’ll admit to a selfish desire to see how you looked lying in my bed this morning.”

She couldn’t resist asking, “And how do I look?”

“Like a woman who’s been thoroughly made love to.” His eyes were hot. “Just like I imagined.”

She felt herself heat. “You’re crazy.”

He nodded. “Yep, crazy for you. Though I have to admit jumping your bones last night was a good antidote for that. At least temporarily.”

Oh, boy. Somehow Connor’s new sexually tinged teasing was more dangerous than his old sarcastic tone.

“May need to inoculate myself every day though,” he mused, making a show of rubbing his chin in thought. “Strikes me as the kind of thing that wears off easily.”

She nearly choked on her coffee. Every day?

He looked amused as he caught her reaction. “Don’t worry, petunia. If last night was any measure, you’re more than up to the task. I guess it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that we’d be dynamite in bed together, given how we’re used to ripping into each other.”

“Hmm,” she said, shrugging as if he’d just told her nothing more significant than what the weather was outside, “I guess I should be flattered.”

He stood up, grinned. “Get dressed before I’m tempted to give you another demonstration of how flattered you should be.”

Allison cupped her chin in her hand and stared out at the rain from her kitchen window. She knew she probably had a dreamy, dopey expression on her face but it had been a week since they’d gotten back from the Berkshires and the week had been close to idyllic.

Her relationship with Connor had settled into a better routine, one tinged with tentative exploration. After Connor picked her up at the office, they usually cooked dinner together and then worked or watched a movie. She was pleasantly surprised to discover Connor’s skills in the kitchen extended to more than cooking pancakes and grilling.

“Necessity,” he’d said with a grin. “Single guy living alone either cooks or goes hungry. After a while, it gets boring eating food straight from a can.”

She’d made a face and he’d laughed out loud.

She’d also discovered that their taste in movies differed. He liked action-adventure flicks while she preferred romantic comedies, so they’d settled on legal dramas with a romantic subplot.

Their evenings had usually ended in her candlelit, floral-scented bedroom with its pointelle-blanket-covered brass bed. It had been amusing to watch Connor invade such a wildly feminine room and she’d laughed as he’d gingerly settled in.

Despite the threats looming over her head, the past week had left her with a feeling of contentment and sense of well-being she’d never experienced before.

She knew she was in danger of falling in love with Connor. Rather than feel alarm, however, she felt joyously happy.

There was no doubt that Connor wanted her. Her face heated as she recalled how many different ways he’d demonstrated that. And—as she’d once told her sister-in-law Elizabeth when she’d thought she’d been having trouble with Quentin—want was often the road to love.

If Connor didn’t love her yet, he nevertheless could come to realize he had deeper feelings for her. Especially if the future was anything like the past week.

She glanced up at the late-Saturday sky again. The rain hadn’t let up and Connor still hadn’t returned from his business meeting. She’d been expecting him an hour ago so they could run some errands, the most important of which was to pick up some more groceries.

She’d been planning all day for a candlelit dinner. Just the two of them, clinking wineglasses, tasting her pear salad, and then dining on a meal of pheasant with pecan stuffing, creamed spinach, and roasted tomatoes.

The salad was in the refrigerator, the ingredients for the creamed spinach ready to be combined on the stove top, and the pheasant and tomatoes prepared and ready to slide into the oven as soon as Connor got back.

She looked at her watch. Six-thirty. Where was he? His meeting with out-of-town clients must be running late.

She wondered whether she had time to run out before he got back. Most of the groceries she needed could wait for tomorrow, but she’d discovered an hour ago that she was a few ingredients short for the pie she’d been planning to make for dessert.

She glanced at her watch again and bit her lip. She could dash out to the supermarket and be back in no time. Connor wouldn’t even have to know.

Her mind made up, she grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled a note just in case Connor got back before she did: “Out to the supermarket. Back soon.” She used tape to attach the note to the mirror by the front door, then grabbed her purse.

As she’d thought, it took her no time at all to get to the supermarket and through the check-out line. The rain meant the store was more empty than usual.

When she got outside again, the rain had stopped, but the overcast sky and fog made everything look dreary and dark.

She started across the parking lot to her car, juggling her two bags and purse.

Spotting her car, she noticed again that the new paint job—which had cost a mint—had fortunately covered up the graffiti that had been spray-painted several weeks ago.

Something looked strange however. Drawing closer, she realized the back of the car was tilting downward.

Darn. Had she gotten a flat?

Dropping her bags on the ground, she walked between her car and the one parked next to it and bent to inspect her back tire.

A clean slice through the rubber.

Her heart began to thud.

Someone had slashed her tire.

She heard a car coming toward her and automatically straightened up.

A gunshot sounded, followed quickly by another. She ducked just as the windshield of her car cracked and splintered.

Her mind raced frantically as she tried to figure a way out of the situation. Whoever had fired the bullets had sped past her, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be turning his car around for another pass.

She straightened up a little, risking a glance over her car to try to get a look at the color and model of car that the gunman was driving, but didn’t see anything.

“Help! Someone call the police!” she screamed even as she dug into her purse for her cell phone.

At the sound of feet pounding the pavement, she crouched down.

“Allison! For God’s sake, stay down!”

It was Connor’s voice shouting to her as he seemed to run past, even as she heard a car speed out of the parking lot with a shriek of tires.

“Dammit!” Connor said.

He cursed some more as Allison heard him coming back toward her.

She straightened, pushing her hair out of her face, and stepped from between the parked cars.

“I tried to get a shot at him, but he was too far away,” Connor said, breathing heavily.

Her eyes shot downward and she gaped as she noticed the gun that Connor grasped in his hand. Where had that come from?

When her gaze moved upward again, she focused for the first time on the expression on Connor’s face.

He looked mad as hell.