Flash Burned (6 page)

“My bag,” I murmured.

“I'll come back for it.” He carried me to the double doors and I used the hidden keypad to gain access. The alarm chimed as we stepped inside and I disengaged it with the code while still in his arms.

He took me to the bedroom and set me on the edge of the mattress.

“Maybe you overdid it,” he said as he deftly removed my clothes and then slipped a dark-silver satin nightgown over my head. He'd bought it for me in Paris, because the color and the Tahitian pearl accents on the bodice had reminded him of the outfit I'd been wearing the night we'd met.

It was a full-length, luxurious garment I loved to feel against my skin. But … “Are you suggesting we're sleeping?”

“Baby, you can't possibly have anything else in mind. You'll be asleep in two minutes.” He discarded my shoes and rubbed my sore feet.

“But I had to spend all day pretending we weren't going to end up in bed together tonight so I didn't give myself away to your employees.” I speared him with a look, weary though I was. Perhaps a tiny bit tipsy from the Cristal and a work high, too. “Do you realize how hard it is to be so close to you in public and act as though we're not getting naked in private?”

My fingers grazed his chiseled cheek, his set jaw. Along his neck and to that pulsating point in the hollow of his throat where I could lick and suckle for all of eternity and be one deliriously happy woman.

The errant thought made me giggle. I said, “I could literally eat you up.”

He groaned. “You know there's nothing more that I want to do at the moment than make love to you. But, Ari”—he stared into my eyes—“I know exactly how much time and effort you put into today, and there's no way in hell I'm sapping more energy from you because of
my
needs.”

“Really, put like that, you think I can resist you?”

With trepidation in his voice, he said, “Sleep now. Tell me how you feel in the morning.”

I groaned in protest and pulled away, falling back against the delectable mattress and its thick covers.

“My body is
so
ready.…” As always.

Dane chuckled. “And your brain is thoroughly fried.”

“Like … so much. I've literally forgotten everything outside of work. I haven't even returned the last few calls from my dad. Thank God he knows how busy I've been so he's not freaking out. I've missed a dental cleaning and a hair appointment. If Rosa didn't pick up our dry cleaning for us, we'd be out of clothes by now.”

“It'll all get back on-track soon. This has been a really big push the past month. And tonight, you just need to forget about everything and relax.”

He disappeared briefly to get our laptop bags and lock up while I rallied the strength to walk to the bathroom and take off my makeup, let down my hair.

Dane returned and he lit a fire in the hearth, then snuggled with me in bed. He reached back to the nightstand on his side and turned off the light. Silvery moonlight streamed through the tall trees filling the property and filtered through the unadorned floor-to-ceiling windows.

Spooning me—my favorite sleeping position—he held me tight to his hard body. I felt his heat … and his desire for me.

“Dane.”

“Shh.”

His embrace was firm and protective. Sweet and seductive. I grew restless by the second, despite how exhausting my day had been. And the weeks leading up to it.

“We didn't really get to talk to each other tonight at the dinner,” I said in a sleepy voice.

“You're the one who insisted on the seating placements,” he reminded me with a chastising tone. “I wanted you next to me. You—”

“Thought it was too obvious,” I said for him.

“And, now, I'm pretty sure everyone's wondering if you're with Kyle.”

I smiled, though he couldn't see it. “That's ridiculous. We argue like siblings. And I can't possibly be the only one who sees how you look at me. Even when you think it's just a fleeting glance, it's still wholly possessive.”

He was quiet for several moments. His warm breath blew against my neck. I cherished the intimate shelter Dane created with his hunky body curling around mine, tucking me against him.

“You think they all know how I feel about you?” he asked in a contemplative tone.

“No. Definitely not. I think they wonder why you bother by way of giving me rides and whatnot. My guess is, they surmise you're remorseful that I was targeted when it came to the on-site troubles. Maybe they just believe you want to make it all up to me.”

Silence enveloped us again.

Honestly, I had no idea what people at the Lux thought of our association. To me, it seemed pretty contained. No easy feat when we naturally gravitated to each other.

I asked, “Does it matter?”

“I feel you're better protected if we're not romantically connected.”

“Then you'll have to stop glaring at every man who looks my way.”

“Impossible,” he mumbled.

“Well, then I don't know what to say, except—”

“Marry me, Ari.”

 

chapter 3

My stomach flipped. My heart launched into my throat.

I wiggled out of Dane's firm embrace and flopped onto my side to face him.

“What did you just say?” I demanded, breathless and wide-eyed.

He smirked. “You heard me.” Brushing curls off my shoulder and cheek, he added, “Be my wife.”

I gaped. It took a few seconds to recover. “Didn't you just tell me we shouldn't be romantically involved?”

“That's not at all what I said. Yes, I feel you're safer if fewer people know of our romantic connection, but that by no means implies I don't want us to be together.”

My eyes squeezed shut for a moment. He never did make things easy. Gazing at him again, I said, “So … somehow marriage is okay in your mind?”

“You don't seem to get it. I'm one-hundred percent committed to this. To you. I'm deeply, madly, passionately—
insanely
—in love with you.” He grinned. The lazy one that made my insides ignite. “No escaping it. So I want you to officially be mine.”

“I am yours. With or without the
I do
s.”

“I want the
I do
s,” he said emphatically.

“Jesus. Dane.” My heart beat much too fast, my chest rising and falling quickly against his. “You really like keeping me from getting my feet underneath me.”

“Ari.” His fingers grazed my temple, stroking languidly. “I've been blessed with the gift of having a clear vision of the things I want. I don't let them slip through my fingers. Ever.”

“But …
marriage
? Dane, that's … um … wow.”

I couldn't deny the prospect thrilled me. Amazingly so.

Mrs. Dane Bax.

Officially, formally Dane's. Yeah, the thought pretty much rocked my world.

Yet …

My eyes narrowed and my mouth dipped.

“What?” he asked, instantly alarmed.

“Nothing.”

His brow furrowed. “Don't try to hide anything from me, Ari. I can see from your expression that—”

“No,” I insisted, “you're reading me all wrong.”

“You're frowning,” he pointed out.

With a soft laugh, I said, “Not for the reason you think. I was waiting for the whole ‘I'd love to be his wife;
however
…' to hit me.” I stared deep into his eyes. “But it didn't.”

He studied me carefully.

I cuddled closer to him, skimming my lips over his.

“Technically,” he said around me nibbling his bottom lip, “you haven't answered my question.”

“Perhaps I'm trying to distract you.” I engaged him in slow, sexy kisses.

Dane let out a primal growl and eased me onto my back with his hard body pressing to mine. His tongue slipped inside my mouth, sliding over mine, tangling with it. He gathered up satin with a hand and lifted the side of my nightgown to my waist. While he kissed me heatedly, he sank deep into me.

My hips rose and moved with his gentle, sensual rhythm. I twined my fingers in his hair, returning his fervent kiss.

I was not so spellbound that I was oblivious to the complications of getting pulled further into Dane's dark, mysterious world. It was just that I couldn't break free of the mesmeric force that he was—didn't want to break free.

Every piece of me, every fiber of my being, was wrapped around this man. I felt it in the way I responded so fiercely to his weight on me, his chest melding to mine, his kisses searing and addictive. I felt it in the way we made love, tenderly yet intensely. I saw it in his scorching gaze when he stared at me, cataloging all the emotions reflected in my eyes. He was equally ensnared.

And he was right. There was no escape.

His mouth dragged from mine and grazed my jaw, down my throat, lightly nipping at the places he knew drove me wild. One of his hands slipped around to my backside and cupped an ass cheek, lifting me more firmly against him as he thrust fully and forcefully into me.

“Dane.” My pulse raged. My insides burned. I draped a leg over his waist, holding him close. One hand remained buried in his lush locks. The other clasped his bulging biceps.

He was so thick and full inside me, pumping smoothly, the head of his cock rubbing that particularly sensitive spot. Tension gripped me, strong and vibrant, fueled as much by emotion as lust.

Marriage went against all of my personal convictions, but when we were joined like this I couldn't deny how perfectly we fit together, how much we belonged together. Regardless of our vast differences. The worlds between us.

So as Dane's head dipped and his mouth sucked my satin-covered nipple, I let my anti-matrimony principles incinerate with my body.

“Dane,” I said again on a sharp moan as the fire flashed through me. “Oh, God.” The erotic sensations intensified, flamed brighter, and then erupted. “Oh, Christ!”

I cried out as I came, my breath suspended for several moments as the climax took hold, blocking out everything else.

Then Dane thrust harder. Once, twice, three times. And exploded within me, filling my pussy.

I clenched him tight, never wanting to let him go.

Our heavy breaths were one in the quiet room. Our bodies were one. Even our pounding heartbeats seemed to be one. An ethereal bliss consumed me.

Dane's warm, soft lips skated over my skin, up my neck. He kissed me softly and asked, “Is that a yes?”

My eyelids drifted open and I gazed into his sparkling emerald irises. A smile tugged at my lips as tears of happiness pooled in my eyes.

“Goes without saying, don't you think?”

*   *   *

The smile that had started the previous evening, while Dane was nestled snugly inside me, remained plastered on my face. I even woke with it.

Despite being alone in our bed, I couldn't fight the grin. Or the delirium that flowed through me.

Sparing a glance at the clock on the nightstand made me grimace. Through my smile.

It was almost ten o'clock. I never slept late. And I'd missed tee time with my dad.

Still, I was absurdly giddy as I tossed off the covers and slipped from the bed. Not fully recovered from the whirlwind Lux preparations, Dane's lovemaking, my nonstop excitement … but feeling refreshed enough not to spend the rest of the day curled in a ball under the down comforter.

I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, then brushed my teeth. My hair was a tangled mess I didn't even attempt to straighten. I snatched Dane's discarded dress shirt from the night before and pulled it on, not bothering to button the flap. I crossed the hall and grabbed a black lace thong from the bureau in the dressing room, then traveled the long, wide corridor, following the scent of huevos rancheros and coffee.

Passing the great room, I heard Dane on the phone.

I stepped into the vast space, eclectically decorated with tables, chairs, and sofas scattered everywhere and floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors that highlighted the dense forest and rushing creek beyond the terrace. The fireplace was lit to keep the morning chill at bay. I was barefoot, but the heated stone floor left me toasty warm.

And then there was Dane. One look at him and my internal temperature skyrocketed.

He stood in the middle of the room, wearing dark-gray lounging pants. Nothing more. My mouth watered at the sight of him, so tall, tan, and gorgeous. His sculpted chest and ridged abs drew my attention before my gaze drifted up to his devilishly handsome face.

Our eyes locked. He said into the phone, “I'll call you back.” He disconnected and slid the cell into his pocket. “Interesting look,” he told me as he took in my disheveled state. “Damn sexy.”

“Like I just rolled out of bed after spending the night with a man I couldn't get enough of?”

“Or he couldn't get enough of you.”

“Ah, except that he left me in rumpled sheets this morning, when he should have woken me up and made love to me again.”

Dane winked. “As much as I was tempted to do just that, I like you cognizant of me when I'm inside you. As it was this morning … Baby,” he said as he closed the gap between us. “I'm not sure how to break this to you, but you snore like a buzz saw when you're exhausted.”

My head snapped back and I playfully swatted at him. “I do not!”

With a healthy laugh, he said, “I'll be sure to record you next time.”

“Dane!”

He gathered me in his strong arms and kissed me senseless. Then told me in a rumbling voice, “I'm to blame. I shouldn't have kept you up, or drained you even more by making love to you.”

“Never say that,” I begged.

He kissed my forehead. “Why don't you eat something? Rosa was here earlier than usual and left breakfast. I think she's worried you're going to get tired of my limited culinary skills and leave me.”