Dreams Claimed (Warfield's Landing, #1) (10 page)

He laughed and held her down...

He put his mouth to her breast and suckled as she arched. A matching caress on the other breast and he paused to unfasten her bra. He let it fall open.

The wet lace had been close to transparent, but he still found himself mesmerized by her white skin and pink nipples. Her left breast had a small beauty mark near the areola. He couldn’t resist... he nuzzled it as she moaned.

Reaching between her legs, he pushed the scrap of lace aside. His first touch elicited an even more dramatic response from her.

She was incredibly sensitive. He watched her closely, matching his movements to her reactions. She bent one knee and opened further, giving him complete access.

Her trust clutched at his heart.

He rubbed and caressed, taking her higher and higher. Her face flushed with pleasure, her eyes closed.

As he carefully inserted a finger, to test her readiness, her eyes flew open and she stopped him with a strong grip. “No.” He froze. “I want YOU!”

He looked at her... making sure that he understood. She grew impatient. “I want you. Now.”

He reared back and off the bed, stepping out of his pants, then grabbing a packet from his pocket. Thank the boy scouts, he’d come prepared.

He sheathed himself efficiently... another time he’d have her do it for him...

With both hands on her scrap of lace, he slid her panties off, while she raised her hips to make it easier.

She opened wide and he placed himself at her entrance. As they locked eyes, he started a slow slide in.

She was so hot and wet, but still very small and tight. He was where he wanted to be. Forever.

He reached between them and caressed her. She opened wide and he pushed his way in. Watching her carefully, he waited for her body to accommodate him. He was aware that she was small and he was large. He was also determined that they would both enjoy this first time.

He pushed and pulled... in and out, rubbing her and watching her...

He saw the tension in her face build... and then, he gave an expert flick, sending her over the edge.

As she flew apart in his arms he surged forward, building the rhythm until he followed her into ecstasy.

He slumped forward, holding his heavy weight on his arms, and buried his face in her neck. Her arms came around him and he rolled over on his side, pulling her with him.

****

N
ic woke to find her face buried in Daniel’s neck. She took a deep breath. He smelled spicy, slightly sweaty, and... wonderful.

A large, warm hand reached out and grabbed her breast. She giggled, he growled, and suddenly, she was on her back.

She laughed again and pushed his shoulders hard. He let her roll him over and she finished, astride him. She wiggled and felt him react. She held out a hand and he reached over to the bedside table and slapped a condom in her hand.

Street light from the window dappled across him, and she could see the white of his grin. She grinned back and slid down. She was going to give him the ride of his life... oh, wait. Maybe her life? No matter. This was going to be wonderful.

CHAPTER 15

The next morning in Old Town Alexandria, VA

Nic sat back in her bedroom chair. She was wearing one of her big white dress shirts and a pair of panties. Her sketchbook rested on her knee as she worked.

She finished that sketch and quietly turned to a new page. Sketching was a way for her to capture and savor a moment.

Daniel stirred in the bed. He had been sleeping on his stomach, his onside leg pulled up and that arm reaching. His outstretched arm moved... searching. When it found nothing, his beautiful eyes opened and saw her.

He smiled. “Good morning. Have you been up for long?”

“About 15 minutes.”

“May I have a good morning kiss?”

She smiled and stood. Placing one knee on the bed she leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. He snaked out an arm and pulled her down beside him. Rolling her onto her back and raising up on his elbow, he gently grasped her jaw to hold her still and lowered his lips to hers.

She melted into his kiss, and drifted. As his hand released her and he moved away, she became aware of a ringtone. Daniel was reaching down on his side of the bed, fumbling through his pockets.

“CeeCee.” His voice was relaxed and patient. Nic couldn’t make out the words in the other side of the conversation, but she could hear sounds of stress. “Did you call Luke? He isn’t answering? Alright then, I’ll be right over. What time is it? Alright... I’ll be there in about an hour.” He ended the call and looked over at her ruefully.

“I am sorry. CeeCee is having a meltdown.”

Nic nodded sympathetically. “How can you get there in an hour? I thought she was in New York.”

He shook his head as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, swiveling so that he was sitting with his back to her. He leaned forward to grab his jeans. “No. She decided at the last minute to come to DC. She flew back with me.” He pulled on his jeans and turned to face her. He must have seen her look of puzzlement. “She has a townhouse in Georgetown. I knew this anniversary would be tough on her...”

He glanced around the small room, looking.

“Your shirt?” she asked.

He nodded.

“I saw it in the living room, after our midnight snack.”

“Ahhh, yes. I remember now.” He winked at her and abruptly leaned forward, placing both hands on the mattress, giving her a brief, hard kiss. He straightened and looked down at her, his gaze troubled. “I’m damn sorry about leaving like this. It wasn’t how I had planned to spend today. If it were anyone but CeeCee...”

“That’s okay. I know she’s had a tough time. Go take care of her and we’ll get together as soon as we can.”

As he left the bedroom in search of his shirt, she pulled hers off and put on a bra. She slipped on a pair of shorts and added back the shirt.

“I can make coffee. It’s ready to go, I just have to hit the button.”

He looked over the futon couch and grinned. “Next time, but thanks for the offer.” he promised. “I want to get over to CeeCee’s as soon as possible.”

She smiled. “CeeCee is lucky to have a friend like you. I have Thomas and Karyn, and really, I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

She reached over and started the coffee. “For me,” she answered his raised eyebrow.

Glancing around, she found her wildly decorated sneaks over by the bookcase and slipped them on. “I’ll walk you down and give you a good bye kiss at the car.”

Her keys were on the hook in the narrow hall leading to the door, next to her messenger bag. While on paper the apartment could be described as a 2 bedroom, in reality it was a series of small spaces.

Keeping it livable meant keeping it organized... which was a direct contrast to her ebulliently messy studio. It did have an outdoor space... it had a fire escape landing. Now, in the summer, her house plants were out there. Their absence made the tiny apartment seem much larger.

She waited while Daniel put on his socks and shoes, and found his iPad. With his usual grin, he joined her in the hall. He gave her a quick kiss and she led the way out and down the stairs.

He’d parked in the small pay lot across the street and directly visible from the street door of her building. He was close behind her and she felt his large body tense.

“What the fuck?” He moved her aside gently, and stood at the curb, waiting for a break in traffic. At the first break in traffic, he jaywalked over to his car. She ran along behind, not sure what was going on.

“Shit, fuck, damn...” He pulled out his phone as he circled his car.

Nic was heartsick when she saw the damage. Someone had slashed all four tires and sliced the convertible top. The paint had been keyed in a series of wavy lines. The damage was extensive. Nic knew that Daniel could afford any repairs, but the sense of violation was strong.

“Luke. Daniel. Look, I was on my way to CeeCee’s. She had a bad night last night... yeah. Well, I’m going to be delayed, probably for a couple of hours. I need you to get over there ASAP... Great. Thanks, man. I’ll tell you about it when I get there.”

He snapped the phone shut and slowly circled the car again. “I suspect this may be a gift from your angry caller.”

Nic stared at him and whispered, “That hadn’t occurred to me.”

He put an arm around her and hugged her to him. “Do you have a contact number for the cop you talked to?”

Tucked under his arm, she nodded. “It’s in my bag.”

“Well, let’s go call him.” Gently, Daniel guided her back across the street and up to her apartment.

*****

D
aniel looked over at Nic. They were watching the tow truck haul his poor Jag up onto its flatbed.

She seemed smaller than usual, and there was a pinched look to her face that made him frown.

He suspected that she felt worse than he did. It was a car. It was fixable and he could easily afford the repair bill. In the scheme of things, it was an inconvenience. Sure, he was mad as hell, but that was to be expected.

He pulled out his phone and checked the time. He’d called Luke about three hours ago.

The cop had arrived to look over the damage and take their statements and Daniel had called for a tow. All of that took time. What concerned Daniel was why his car had been damaged. He thought the cop agreed with him that it might be Nic’s phantom caller. Daniel considered the fact that his was the only car in the lot vandalized to be a significant detail.

As soon as his car was loaded, Nic was going to give him a ride to Georgetown and drop him at CeeCee’s. Normally he’d take the Metro, but they’d lost so much time, he hated to get to CeeCee’s any later than he had to.

The flatbed truck pulled out onto King Street, and Nic looked over at him.

Daniel smiled at her. “Still up for giving me a ride to Georgetown?”

“Of course.” She held up her keys but didn’t smile back. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. She was a perfect fit.

This was where he wanted her and he’d do anything it took to keep her there.

“H
ey.” Daniel looked at Nic on his monitor, frustrated that once again, they were in different cities and talking on Skype. He’d been away for a couple of weeks and as far as he was concerned the timing couldn’t be worse.

“Hey!” She smiled and he relaxed a bit. She looked tired and he wasn’t sure that she hadn’t lost weight. That worried him. She was so small, she couldn’t afford to drop even a pound or two.

“So, how are things going? What paintings are you working on?” Her eyes brightened at that question. That seemed to be the way to her heart... ask about her art. He was happy to do it. He considered her brilliant. He could look at her paintings for hours.

“I spent a session with the ballet company and got some excellent reference photos. And,” she smile broadly, “I’ve been going over the pictures I took that day we visited Port Deposit. I got some good shots. Landscapes aren’t something I’ve been interested in, but these images have some ideas percolating. I’m hoping to a have leap forward with the change in subject.”

“Excellent. I get first dibs.”

She giggled at that. “You can’t buy all of my work.”

“Sure I can.” He smiled and she laughed. His little artist didn’t realize that he was serious.

“How is CeeCee doing?” There it was again. Yet another reason he loved her. She hadn’t even met CeeCee but always asked about her and worried about her as though they were family. She was like that with Stevie, and with her married friends—Karyn and Thomas.

“CeeCee’s in New York. She’s starting back to work again, with just a few close clients. I think she’s finally coming out of it. It’s been a hard year, but I’m confident she’ll make it.”

“I’m so glad. Please tell her I said Hi.”

“I will. She calls you ‘Daniel’s Little Artist’. She can’t wait to see your work.” He was absurdly happy when Nic laughed.

“How are Karyn and Thomas doing? You’ve been spending a lot of time with them lately, haven’t you?”

To his surprise, Nic looked a bit uncomfortable at his question. The look passed and he wondered if he had imagined it.

“They have a big project coming up. They’re getting ready to make a presentation. Time is tight, so I’ve been helping a bit here and there. I hold a mean tape measure!”

“I’ll bet you do!”

“Actually, there are simple things that I can do which frees them or their assistants up to do more important things. Normally, they’d have had a much longer lead time going into the presentation, but in this case, things happened fast and time is very tight. I figure the least I can do is be untrained labor.”

Something about that last statement buzzed at Daniel, but he couldn’t put his finger on it and her next words pushed it out of his mind.

“And poor Stevie is going through a tough time. She’s been dating a gallery owner for several years and lately things haven’t been going well. I’m hoping that she’ll wake up and smell the coffee — they never seemed like a very good fit to me, but... I haven’t been able to get her to talk.”

“That’s a shame. Tell her I said hello.” Stevie had been a good friend and ardent supporter of his little artist and he knew how much her friendship meant to Nic. He hoped things worked out for her. “What’s been going on with your mysterious caller?” Daniel had carefully waited to ask the question. He was extremely concerned, but didn’t want to telegraph his worries to Nic.

She shrugged. “Pretty much same old same old. I’m documenting everything and there haven’t been any more yelling calls, but it seems like they’re coming more often now. I’m staying in touch with the Alexandria cops, but there isn’t much they can do... So far they haven’t been able to trace the calls.”

Daniel shook his head, frustrated that he was so far away. “Be careful!”

Nic looked startled, then smiled. “Don’t worry... I’m being very careful.”

He had to be content with that.

D
aniel sat in CeeCee’s apartment in New York and watched as she stalked back and forth ranting, her voice tight with anger.