Читать книгу What She Wants - Lucinda Betts - Страница 8

“Damn.” Ann swiped her keycard to Daniel’s room. “Damn, damn, damn.” Why had she flirted with the detective like that?

The lock mechanism whirred, and residual adrenaline from her run-in with the predator churned through her veins. She could blame her blathering on fear—but, with a start, she realized she’d be lying to herself.

She blinked at the thought. Her kind were always outsiders, and no matter how well she got along with particular humans, her hidden identity cramped her relationships with them—which was one reason she had never told Daniel her true nature.

For some reason, she hadn’t felt that reticence with the detective. In fact, when he’d told her the predator was dangerous, she’d almost asked him to help her—

As she opened the door, her thoughts evaporated.

Light from the moon bathed Daniel in a bone glow, highlighting the planes of his cheeks. His hair was cut to hang at an exact angle, and the cobalt blue of his eyes sparkled with excitement. Modern jazz played from his laptop computer, and he had two bottles of champagne on ice. She knew they’d be delicious. Just like him.

When she walked in, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. His arms felt right. It didn’t matter that he was human, not one bit. She wasn’t an outsider in his arms. He’d help her. As soon as she asked, he’d help her.

Daniel lifted her chin and kissed her, hard. “I saw you out the window and wanted to do that out in the crowd.”

“You should’ve.” She tortured him a little bit. She knew damned well he wouldn’t claim her, not in public.

“It’s so good to see you.” He nibbled her ear. “It’s been too long.”

“Daniel, I need to ask you a favor.” She leaned into him, savoring his strength and scent. The citrus flavor of his cologne mixed deliciously with the heat of his skin.

“Hmmm.” He nibbled her ear, his hand on her hip. “I went shopping for my favorite girl.”

She looked. Pink and brown boxes fell over each other on the king-sized bed. Satiny teal ribbons draped over some of the larger bags. Brown bags with expensive-looking embossed stickers provided the icing for the cake. She wouldn’t need new clothes or jewelry for a year—but nothing in this pile would help her raid the vials from the predator.

“I don’t remember how your mouth tastes,” he said, wrapping her in his arms.

“We can fix that.” She turned, and he lowered his head. Gently, he touched his lips to hers. Sweet and gentle. So, so sweet. She shuddered and he did, too.

Skin gliding over skin, she relearned his feel, and he relearned hers. Slowly, he opened her mouth, and she tasted his flavor, as heady as the champagne.

“My God, I missed you so damned much.” Daniel touched her gently, almost reverently. Like a man drinking water after weeks in the desert.

It’s your own damned fault. She kept the thought to herself, though. She didn’t want bitterness to intrude on their isolated islands of bliss. Once Harvard came through with their job offer, they wouldn’t need to hide.

“What did you want to ask me?”

This wasn’t the time. She drew his head back down so she could press her lips against his, so she could caress his cheeks with her hands and remember the rough angles of his face. “I missed you, too,” she said.

He growled softly and slid his hand over the bodice of her dress. Through the silk, he palmed her breasts, brushing his thumb against her nipple. Her eyes grew heavy with need for him.

He slid strong hands down over the curve of her ass. As he pulled her against him, she felt his cock press against her stomach, and she surrendered to him. She let him possess her.

Maybe the night’s danger added a dimension to her desire. Maybe it had just been too long since she last saw him, but she’d never felt anything like what her lover was doing to her now. Her body shook with need, trembled with desire.

His hands and mouth and scent shaped her into a honeyed, formless slave to his touch.

She unbuttoned his shirt and traced her fingertips across his broad chest. His nipple hardened with the scrape of her fingernail, and she laughed. She started to unsnap his chinos, but he stopped her, wrapping her in his arms. She moaned her disappointment.

“Let’s not rush.” He touched her cheek and walked toward the champagne. With natural grace, he popped a cork on one of the bottles. Of course, he had glasses.

Her body didn’t want to wait, but she knew if she pushed him, he’d withdraw—and she was too hungry for him. She took a step back. If he didn’t want her right now, she’d change his mind.

“Daniel.” She let husky desire fill her voice as she slid the spaghetti straps off her shoulder. Her dress slithered to a puddle around her ankles, and she stepped out of it.

He turned from the champagne, blinked in surprise, and gave a low whistle. “Beautiful.”

She turned slowly, giving him time to appreciate the way the tiny silk panties clung to her ass. “You like what you see?”

“Oh, yeah.” He took a long sip of champagne and set the glass on the end table. “Come here.”

With a laugh, she stepped back. “Come get me.”

He shook his head, though. He wouldn’t play. No lustful lover chasing a pretend coy maiden for him. He had his own rules.

No matter. She’d get him by hook or by crook. She shoved all the boxes and bags from the bed and lounged across the pillows. Half closing her eyes, she licked her lips. “This bed’s cold and lonely without you.”

He kept his distance still and stayed by the champagne. “Spread your legs, just a little,” he said.

She rolled to her side and propped her cheek into her palm. “Like this?” She put one foot flat on the bed, knowing the view would tantalize him.

“Oh, yeah. Spread them more.”

She moved her foot back.

“You can do better.”

She laughed. “I could do better if you were here with me.”

He didn’t smile or move. “Your panties are in the way. I think you should move them.”

Slowly, she moved her fingers over her ribs and across her hip. She let her fingertips dance over the edge of her panties. “This could be your tongue.”

“Your panties.” His voice was thick. “Move them. They’re blocking my view.”

“I could take them off…” She hooked her index finger under the string across her hip and started to tug.

“No.”

“Oh?” She touched the thin silk separating her hand from her clit. “You mean here?”

“You know I do.”

She pushed the thin silk aside, giving him a full view of her swollen clit. “Come here,” she said. “I want to—”

“Shh. How can you complain? I’m not even touching you.”

Which was the problem. Still, her sex must have glistened with the slippery wetness, since her belly tightened with desire. She knew he liked this, and that made her like it. She’d get what she wanted soon enough.

“Look me in the eye and stroke yourself.” Desire deepened his voice. “Show me how you like it.”

“You know how I like it.” Keeping her panties to the side, she spread herself with two fingers.

She heard him moan and moaned herself.

“You could touch me.” She shifted so he could see exactly how much she wanted him.

“You do it.”

Had she ever been this wet? Surely her clit had never been this swollen. Hot. Wet.

She rolled onto her back and reached down. Glide. She arched her hips in pleasure. Slide. Her fingers trailed her slick heat, and she used two to stroke her clit.

“Inside,” Daniel said.

So she sunk a finger deep inside, caressing her clit with her thumb.

“I can’t stand it—I can’t keep my hands off you.” Daniel crossed the room and buried his face between her legs. She gasped and removed her hand, but he took it and mumbled, “You do this, too.”

His tongue ran the length of her and accompanied her fingers as they circled around her clit. He sucked on her clit and flicked his tongue. She couldn’t tell which sensations were caused by him and which by her.

His hands reached up to find her breasts. Gentle fingers caught her nipples, caressed them into hard, tingling tips.

She flexed her hips toward his mouth, unable to hold back one more second. He sucked again, and she saw stars, fireworks, explosions.

Her muscles throbbed and pulsated as they reached for something that wasn’t there. Even as she ached for his cock, she gasped at the intensity of her orgasm.

“Take off your clothes, Daniel.” She reached toward him. “I need you. Now.”

He didn’t get naked, though. He didn’t fill the still-aching need in her. The orgasm hadn’t fulfilled her—it’d left her hungry.

He chuckled and walked toward the champagne. “You’ll get what you want soon enough.”

Why did she doubt that?

“Tell me about the party, baby.” He handed her a glass, the topaz bubbles bursting across the surface of the drink. His hair wasn’t even slightly mussed, but his lips were shiny. “Who’d you talk to?”

Pushing aside her need, she sat and took a glass as she considered. The tail end of the orgasm still fluttered through her stomach, and the predator’s face flashed through her mind—his brooding eyes, the scent that wrapped around her and refused to let go. And then that detective, Kai Atlanta. The sorrow in his eyes. The strange comfort she’d felt in his company. None of these topics seemed like pillow-talk material.

She should ask for his help now…if only she could.

“Well,” she said, wondering if he already knew this. “I think I can save my horses.” And her family.

“What do you mean?”

“I officially made Harvard’s short, short list. It’s down to two people and I’m one of them.”

He blinked and then grinned. “What? You’re one of the finalists?”

“I am.” The thrill of success bubbled through her. She could claim him in public now. “Dr. Stoller told me himself.”

“That’s fantastic.” Daniel sat on the bed and wrapped her in his arms, but not before she saw his expression. He looked worried; the tiny lines around his eyes deepened.

“What’s the matter?”

“The matter?” he asked. “Nothing. It’s fantastic. It’s absolutely fantastic. What’d Stoller tell you?”

“I think he likes me best,” she said. Daniel’s expression seemed so earnest, she must’ve imagined the worry. “He told me his money’s on me.”

“That’s great, baby. What else did he say?”

“That they were here to listen to two lectures—he’s here with someone from the West Coast—and then he’d make an announcement. I’m going to the final party with him.”

“Wow.” Dan toasted his glass against hers. “Did he say who the competition was?”

“Oh, yes he did.” Ann grinned. Champagne bubbles threatened to spill over the edge of her glass in her excitement. “And I know he’s not supposed to tell.”

“Well, who is it?”

“Reinhart.”

“Reinhart? You mean Adam Reinhart?”

“Yep.” Ann curled herself back onto the bed, inhaling the warm scent of Daniel’s skin. “Adam Reinhart’s my competition. And he’s married. Newly married.”

“Which is why you’ll get the job and he won’t. He’ll take a sabbatical when the first kid is born. He’ll miss all those classes and committee meetings, and when the second kid is born, he’ll miss all the same classes a second time.”

Ann knew all the arguments and knew they were right. She’d seen it happen over and over at Duke and in graduate school and even as an undergrad. Still, she didn’t particularly care, at least not as much as Daniel did.

Besides, she thought, maybe she’d beat out Reinhart on merit alone.

“We have to celebrate,” Daniel said.

“Good idea.” She brushed aside her consternation and set her glass on the nightstand. “And I know just how to do it.” She pulled him toward her, one hand on the snap of his chinos.

“Wait.” He lifted his champagne glass so she wouldn’t spill it. “I have a better idea.”

“Better than this?” She pulled off her panties. “I’ve waited too long.”

“No. Put your clothes back on. I’m taking you someplace special.”

“The most special place I know is the bed.”

“Please. You’ll love this.” He turned his back completely toward her as he fumbled through yet another bag.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of his reflection in the huge mirror. He pulled a ring-sized box from one of the larger bags and put it into the pocket of his chinos—and she wasn’t sulking any longer. He was going to propose.

She’d have to tell him the truth, and she had to tell him now. “Daniel, there’s something I have to tell you, and I need your help—”

“Ann.” He gathered her in his arms. “It can wait, can’t it? Just an hour. Let me take you someplace. You can tell me there.” The ring box in his pocket bumped her thigh, promising a happy ending.

And what could she say? The vials could wait an hour, couldn’t they?