Burned Deep (11 page)

Shoving thoughts of how much more thrilling a response someone like Mikaela Madsen would give to his question, I stood and flipped off the light switch, then returned to the living room. The storm was a bad one, and it made me a little nervous as I thought again of its warning, the potential for it to truly be an omen. Though I fought that odd notion tugging at me. Monsoons were unpredictable and they could be mild and last two weeks or torrential and last two months. Total crapshoot.

Not an omen, Ari.

Curling up on the sofa that faced the patio doors and the golf course beyond, I dragged the throw from the back of the couch and draped it over my bare legs.

“My dad got me into hockey,” I said, “when Gretzky coached the Phoenix Coyotes. He never missed a game on TV. He and Gretzky played a pro-am tourney together. That's when I met him.”

“Bryce DeMille is your dad—I read that in the bridal magazine feature. I've seen him on ESPN. He had a very promising career.”

“And a bad shoulder.”

“He'll like the courses at the Lux.”

“I haven't said yes yet.”

“But you will.”

I couldn't help the smile. “Okay. You win.”

“I had every intention of winning.” The dark tinge around those words made me fear them even more than before. “Now, tell me what kind of panties you're wearing.”

I gasped. Not so much at his demand, but at the way he so deeply aroused me.

Still, I hedged, fighting for at least a tiny patch of safe ground. “You're not seriously asking a new employee about her underwear.”

“No. I'm asking
you
.”

“Why?”

“Because I want the visual, damn it.”

I sighed. He had lust flashing through my body with such little effort on his part. I was so out of my league with him, but I felt the tether. I felt the tug as he pulled me slowly to his side. Even my convictions couldn't anchor me to that safe patch I'd sought.

“I meant, why me?”

He was quiet again. I wondered if I exasperated him, but then he said, “I can't really explain it. You came through the door of the bar at the resort and my papers flew off the table. It was like … a silent call, grabbing my attention when it was so set on business. I watched you cross to your wedding party, every single thing about you instantly registering in my mind.
Burning deep
into my mind.”

He let out a sexy, irritable sound—like he couldn't quite figure out his own reaction to me. It sent heat waves along my skin.

Continuing, he said, “Your hair, the sway of your hips, the way you carried yourself, those seriously gorgeous legs … I didn't even get a good look at your face until you glanced over your shoulder, and yet I was hooked. And when you finally turned toward me … Christ. You stole my breath.”

The air rushed from my own lungs. “I felt you staring at me. When Kyle was flirting.”

“I didn't like him moving in so close to you,” he admitted, his tone dark again. “I could see you were uncomfortable. You flinched—I didn't like that he'd done that to you. The tat guy, either.”

My eyes closed as fire flared. “Why did you step in?” More silence. His tension seeped into my soul. “Dane?”

“I don't want anyone else touching you, Ari. I thought I made that clear from the beginning.”

“Oh.”
His words were jolting. He'd marked his territory from the onset?

And how long did that branding last?

I gnawed my lower lip as I considered how strong this undertow was, and whether I'd surface when it released me. Or—

“Tell me about your panties.”

“You can't shift gears so fast, Dane. I'm not a Venom F5.”

“No shifting. I told you I wanted you the second I saw you. Tell me what
I
want to hear.”

He was slightly infuriating but mostly irresistible. Impossible to deny. “Boy shorts. Pink lace.”

A low growl filled the line. “Now I'm hard. I want to peel your shirt off.”

My breasts felt instantly heavier, fuller. My pulse beat deep in my core. “Dane.”

“I want to rub my fingers over the lace between your legs. Stroking slowly.”

I fought a gasp.

“No, I want you naked,” he amended, his voice rough with desire. “Beneath me as I sink into you.”

I could easily picture him stretched above me, naked, all of his muscles hard and flexed. Then pumping slowly into me, my hips lifting to meet his full thrusts.

A soft moan escaped my parted lips.

“That's a start.” He added, “I want to know all the little sounds you make when you're hot for me. I want to hear you moan as I'm exploring all of you, staring into your eyes. I want you wet and calling my name when I make you come.”

I was so, so close. It was surreal, crazy even, the way my body responded strongly to the sexy things he said. I couldn't for the life of me imagine how I'd ever survive the real deal.

If we ever made it to the real deal.

I should put a stop to this.
I should.

“Dane.”

He whispered, “I need to be inside you, Ari.”

That was all it took. I pressed two fingers to my clit and came, grinding out an, “Oh, God,” as the fiery sensations tore through me.

 

chapter 6

“What are you doing?” I demanded in a quiet tone, my breath still coming in heavy pulls as orgasmic aftershocks ricocheted through my body.

“The same thing you're doing.”

“No.” My chest heaved. “You didn't just come.”

“Because I'm waiting to be in your mouth or in your pussy when I do.”

Christ.
I'd never win this game—he kept me hot and restless just with his words.

“Exactly how long do you think you can hold out?” I dared to ask.

“I've waited a long time for you, Ari. And I'll wait more if you need me to. You're worth it.”

“You don't know that.” A hint of insecurity crept in on me. I didn't consider myself inhibited by any means. But this was different from anything else I'd experienced.
He
was different. I tried to get a firmer hold on all of this, asking, “What do you mean you've waited a long time for me? We just met.”

“I meant in the ethereal sense. That innate knowledge that someone is out there, and she's going to be everything I didn't even know I wanted.”

“Oh, God.” My spirits sank. “You really are going to be disappointed.”

Ignoring my dismal comment, he said, “At first, I wasn't inclined to accept how powerfully I reacted to seeing you. Then you got tangled up with the two other men, and I knew it was inevitable.”

I sucked in a breath. He'd just described the exact way I'd felt the previous evening. That
same
word had popped into my head.

“So far,” he said while I tried to catch my breath, “you're exceeding expectations.”

“I haven't done anything yet,” I muttered.

That delicious growl of his met my ears. “You're insanely beautiful. You know that, don't you?”

My heart fluttered. “I've been told something along those lines a time or two.” Not that it mattered, since I wasn't looking for anyone to get hooked on me. For some reason, though, hearing the sentiment from him did all kinds of frenzied things to my insides.

“It's not just your body that attracts me. It's everything, Ari. Everything about you captivates me—your face, those big blue eyes, how breathless you are around me.”

His lusty tone compelled me to say, “You seem to like my breasts, too.”

“Mm, yes. You have a nice ass as well.”

The aftershocks kept coming.

He added, “I liked how seriously you took your job as wedding planner and yet you were flexible and personal enough to do a shot with those guys. You seemed to grasp how nervous the groom was and helped to calm him. Plus, you were meticulous about the entire wedding. I admire that sort of dedication and talent.”

“As you mentioned, the smallest of details are crucial. It's the special touches that make events sparkle.”

“You'll do a great job at the Lux. Don't think you're going to let me down there. Not a chance.”

“I was thinking more in terms of—”

“I know what you were thinking. And you're wrong,” he said with conviction.

Exhilaration hitched a ride on my racing pulse. But then a loud clap of thunder reverberated within me and the rain fell even heavier. My heart thumped harder.

“I have to go,” I said suddenly. Omens weren't anything to mess with, even if you didn't believe in them.

“You only get so many hasty retreats, Ari,” he warned.

“Good night, Dane.”

I disconnected the call. Closed my eyes. Wondered what the hell I was doing.

I'd just consented to work at 10,000 Lux. I'd just let my new boss talk dirty to me—and I'd liked it. I'd had an orgasm while
on the phone
with him.

And then he'd told me I was everything he'd never even known he wanted.

I pulled in several deep breaths. They didn't steady me, because a very disconcerting thought haunted my mind: How long could I avoid
the inevitable
?

*   *   *

One would think a seriously powerful orgasm inspired by a seriously hot man would take the edge off a seriously sexually deprived woman. In my case, one would be wrong.

All it did was make me want Dane more.

He called around nine the next morning. I wished he'd have asked me again what I was wearing. This time I could have give him a sexier answer, since I'd just stepped out of the shower.

But he was all business.

“Can you come to the hotel around eleven?” he asked without preamble. Tension tinged his voice.

“Sure.”

“I'm on my way to the airport. I have to go to Paris for some meetings. I'll be gone all week.”

Why did that make my stomach knot? Was it the thought of not seeing him?

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“It will be when I'm done.” His determination echoed in his voice, a dangerous edge I didn't miss, couldn't deny. It evoked a razor-sharp vibe that made warning signals go off in my head once more. The hairs on my arms stood on end. What was I
really
getting myself into?

He said, “I need you to see my VPs of Human Resources and Legal Affairs. One of them will meet you in the lobby. There's paperwork to fill out, contracts to sign. I've also arranged for Amano, my head of Security, to give you the tour of the property, since I won't be able to do it myself.” This time, it was regret I heard. As though it meant a lot to him to be the one to show me the resort. I supposed it would, since the Lux was his pride and joy.

Continuing, he said, “The rest of the week will be filled with meetings between the heads of the departments you'll be working most closely with—Sales, Banquets, Security, Marketing, and Public Relations. Also reps from the salon and spa, for your clients' personal needs. My assistant has set everything up. She's left a schedule on your desk. Her name is Molly Albright. Whatever you need, ask her.”

Apprehension skipped through me. “So, how does this work? I just dive in and clear things with you along the way?”

“Initially. So we're on the same page to start. Then I'm sure you can run with it. I have other things to keep an eye on.”

That sounded ominous. “Dane, is there something serious happening—”

“I trust you, Ari. Implicitly,” was all he said.

He couldn't put me off so easily, though. The whole mystery of him and the resort prompted me to ask, “Why didn't I see you around town until recently? At the very least, I would remember seeing that car of yours in a parking lot or on the street.”

“I've spent most of my time on-property or in New York with my investment group. And the car was just delivered a couple of weeks ago.”

“Hmm.” A convenient answer, but one I couldn't dispute.

“Anyway,” he said, “I have to go.”

“Oh, wait!” I suddenly recalled my previous engagements. “I'll need some time off in October and a few days next summer for weddings I have on the books. And I'll need to be out of the office around five this Friday for the reception Anthony Delfino is hosting at his home in Scottsdale.”

“I've been invited as well. It's more of a networking thing—we're professional acquaintances.”

“I didn't know.” Dane would be at the party, too? That meant Friday couldn't come fast enough.
Great.
How the hell would I concentrate all week?

He said, “Have one of the hotel limo drivers take you to Scottsdale. I'm flying in that night. We can ride back from the reception together.”

My stomach fluttered. I clumsily pulled the towel more firmly around my body, juggling the phone. “An hour in the back of your limo will likely land me in a compromising position, won't it?”

The wicked dripped from his voice as he said, “There's a good chance of that.”

A flicker of heat between my legs told me I wouldn't mind. The staccato beat of my heart told me I just might.

Here we go again with the tug-of-war.

“Wear the green dress,” he insisted in a low tone.

Excitement rippled through me. “It's new.”

“You bought it specifically for our dinner?”

“The color reminds me of your eyes.”

“And I couldn't take them off you.”

Mine squeezed shut for a moment.

Breathe, Ari.

“I'll call midweek to make sure you have everything you need,” he said.

“Including Valium when the size of my salary and budget finally
fully
hits me?” Not to mention the fact that I'd had a stellar orgasm from his voice alone.

“You'll do just fine, baby. I have complete faith.”