Forbidden Heat (4 page)

Danielle sat in the cab heading to the hotel, watching the buildings pass by.

Harmony had placed her at a table with Trey and Jake. Her heart quivered. The two men she had fantasized about for years were finally available. They liked women, and they weren’t attached.

She actually had a chance with them. But she had only this one night.

Should she take advantage of it?

Harmony’s words echoed through her brain.

Don’t let this opportunity slip away. Everyone should grab their dream when they have the chance. No matter how wild or crazy.

She glanced down at her aqua dress and shook her head. An image of the spectacular, and quite sexy, black gown she’d admired in the little shop window this morning sprang into mind.

Maybe she’d make a little stop on the way back to her room.

Three

Danielle stepped toward the reception hall feeling a little conspicuous. This was not the sort of dress she usually wore. She stopped in front of a mirror in the hallway just outside the atrium and checked the neckline. The black dress hugged her breasts, accentuating the way her new bra pressed them up and forward. The bodice was a halter style, revealing a lot of cleavage. Cleavage she didn’t normally have without the help of the black lace underwired push-up bra she’d bought along with the dress . . . and the black lace garter belt with little red satin bows . . . and black stockings. And a matching thong.
She never wore a thong.

She also wore long black gloves, which made her feel ultra sexy. And shoes with heels so high she suspected that if she fell, she’d probably break her neck. But they made her legs look long and sexy. Not that anyone would see that with the long skirt, but if she was successful tonight . . .

So maybe the shoes did pinch, and the bra squeezed a mite too much . . . not to mention the way the thong pulled into her butt. But it would all be worth it . . . if her fantasy came true.

She pushed back her shoulders and took a step forward, concentrating on remaining tall and steady on these stiltlike shoes. It was time to pursue a dream.

“Wow.”

Trey glanced in the direction of Jake’s stare.

“Wow is right. Isn’t that Danielle Rayne?” Trey said.

“That’s right.” Cole also watched the tall, incredibly built woman with the flowing auburn curls approach their table. “But I sat with her at the wedding, and that’s not what she was wearing then.”

“Looks like we’re in luck.” Jake glanced at the empty chair beside Trey. “I think she’s our missing guest.”

Salad had already been served and they had thought the eighth guest at the table had been a no-show.

As Danielle approached the table, Cole stood up. “Danielle. I thought you’d gotten lost,” he said as he pulled the chair out for her.

“I . . . had a few things I had to do. I didn’t mean to be so late.”

He smiled. “Well, you were certainly worth the wait.”

Her cheeks flushed as she sat down.

“Danielle, you remember Trey and Jake?”

Danielle’s gaze fell on Jake, then shifted to Trey. “Of course.”

Trey smiled. He remembered Danielle well. She’d been very quiet and withdrawn when she’d first arrived at Carleton Falls. Not at all like the woman sitting beside him now. But Harmony had drawn her out. The two women had befriended Trey and Jake and they’d formed a close friendship which had, unfortunately, lasted only a year. That’s when Danielle had transferred to school in Boston, where she went into a co-op program. She had no family—at least none who acknowledged her—so the extra money had been a godsend for her.

Trey had always liked Danielle . . . a lot.

He’d often wondered what it would be like to make love to Danielle. She’d always had a sultry, subtle sensuality about her. In that dress, which he could tell by the way she periodically tugged at the neckline was not her usual style, she oozed raw sexual intensity. She’d worn that dress for a reason tonight. The question was, what reason?

She’d sat with Cole at the wedding. Had she decided to pursue him?

She took a bite of her salad, and then her tongue glided over her glossy red lips in a delicate caress. His groin tightened. Man, he couldn’t help wishing it was him she wanted.

Trey took a sip of wine as the waiter placed a plate of prime rib in front of him.

“So, Trey, what did you wind up majoring in?” Danielle picked up her knife and fork and speared a glazed carrot from her plate.

“Computers.”

She took a bite of the carrot, and he couldn’t help watching her delicious-looking glossy lips as she chewed.

Jake grabbed a roll from the basket in front of him. “He loves gadgets. You should see his place. High-tech devices galore.”

Trey dipped a chunk of his succulent beef in the small bowl of au jus on his plate, then took a bite.

She leaned her chin on her hand and smiled at Trey. “Like what?”

Trey shrugged. Women didn’t care about stuff like that.

“He has one of those robot vacuums,” Jake said.

“Oh, that’s right.” Cole chuckled. “He has a great video of his cat riding around on it.”

“Your cat rides the vacuum?” She stared at him in wide-eyed fascination. “I thought cats hated vacuums.”

“Not mine. Hickory thinks it’s his own personal toy.”

“You’ll have to show me the video sometime.” She smiled, then glanced down shyly when his gaze met hers. When she glanced up again, he almost expected her to flutter her eyelashes.

He grinned. Well, damn, the woman was flirting with him.

As dinner progressed, Trey found himself becoming confused. Although Danielle seemed to be paying him a lot of attention, she paid an equal amount of attention to Jake. Maybe he had misread the situation and she just wanted to catch up with old friends. She’d never been really comfortable interacting with the opposite sex. Back in the old days, he and Jake had sometimes offered her advice when she was interested in one guy or another . . . or if one was bothering her because she was sending the wrong signals.

Maybe that was the problem now. She certainly was sending out strong signals that she was interested, but maybe she didn’t intend to.

Once the waiter cleared away the dessert plates and refilled the coffee cups, Danielle excused herself to go to the ladies’ room.

Trey turned to Jake.

“Do you get what’s going on with Danielle?” Jake asked before Trey had a chance to speak.

Harmony stepped up behind Jake and placed her arm around his shoulder affectionately. “I’ll tell you.” She leaned in close so only the two of them could hear. “Danielle is interested in you.”

“Who?” Trey asked at the same time as Jake.

“
Both
of you.” She leaned her veiled head in close between them, resting a hand on Trey’s shoulder. “Look, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but”—she glanced in the direction of the door, then back to them—“I’m sure it will help things along. Danielle has always had a crush on you guys, but you were in a relationship together, so she thought it was impossible.”

“So she’s happy to be with either one of us?” Jake asked.

“Well, that would work, but . . .” Harmony grinned impishly. “I think she’d be willing . . . well, more than willing to . . .” She paused, her eyes glittering. Discreetly, she glanced around again.

Heat wafted through Trey as her implication hit him. “You’re telling us she wants a threesome? With us?” he asked. “Shy Danielle?”

The thought of making love to sweet Danielle . . . and with Jake . . . sent heat flooding to his groin.

“Yes, she is shy,” Harmony continued. “And she’s not used to doing this. But she knows you two . . . you used to be friends after all . . . and she’s always wanted to hook up with you guys. I suggested that tonight might be her chance.” Her hand gently tightened on Trey’s shoulder. “You guys aren’t going to let her down, are you?”

Danielle clinked her glass with the others at yet another toast to the bride and groom, Harmony gazing happily into Aiden’s eyes.

She glanced toward Trey. Jake’s hand rested on Trey’s arm as he leaned in to say something. Trey laughed, his brown eyes glittering. She could see the affection in Jake’s warm blue eyes, and the easy camaraderie between the two men. Maybe it was just her take on things, but she definitely felt they still cared about each other, even if it was only as close friends.

What had happened between them? Why weren’t they still together?

The music started and the happy couple proceeded to the dance floor for the first dance. Soon the bridal party joined them, and everyone watched as the couples swirled around the floor to the rhythm of the music.

“Danielle, would you like to dance?”

Goose bumps quivered along her neck as Trey stood up and held out his hand to her.

She nodded and stood up. He led her to the glossy wooden dance floor. When his arms slid around her, ripples of warmth wafted through her. Light glinted off his diamond earring as he smiled at her, and she longed to run her fingers through his tousled, sandy-colored hair. As they moved to the music, the heat of his hand on her lower back and his other hand enveloping hers, guiding her with such masterful expertise, sent her senses swirling.

He was a wonderful dancer. Smooth. With a stylish flair. She felt light and sure of herself under his capable lead.

The song ended and the music changed to a strong, vibrant beat.

“Do you know how to tango?” He did not release her.

“No, not really.”

His right hand slid around her to rest under her shoulder blade, drawing her body close to his, and he extended his left arm outward to just above her shoulder. Her breasts pressed tight against him and she could feel his incredible heat as the music surged through them.

For a moment, he simply held her in this intimate stance, their bodies tall and straight, yet intensely, sensually close.

“This is Argentine tango,” he murmured in her ear, “so you’ll step forward with your left foot, take one step to the right, then move back four steps. Okay?”

She nodded.

“On the third step back, you’ll cross your left foot in front of your right. After your last step back, you’ll step left, then feet together.”

She shook her head. “I . . . don’t quite get it.”

He smiled, pressing his arm more snugly around her. “You will.”

At his first step, drawing her forward with his hand on her back, she could tell she was in good hands. He stepped to the side, then pressed her backward. One step. Two.

“Now cross, then back.”

Instead of moving her left foot back, she crossed it in front of her right foot, as he instructed, then moved her right foot back. Then he glided her left and forward, where her feet magically wound up together, just as he’d said.

“That’s the basic step. We’ll do that a few times, to get used to it.”

He led her around the floor, reminding her of the crossover, until it became second nature and they moved in a fluid motion.

Soon she forgot about her feet, overwhelmed by the heat of his body and the sensual beat pulsing through her.

“You’ve definitely got it. Now let’s try something new.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

But suddenly he spun her around several times, then she found her back pressed against his front, his arm under her breasts. Her body flowed with his, her feet obeying as they moved across the floor. As the music slowed, his hand glided to her neck. His fingers curled around her jaw, and he turned her to face him again. Their gazes locked. His arm firmly around her waist, he dipped her backward, his lips moving closer to hers until they were a whisper’s breath away. They froze for a breathless second . . . then he drew her up and into his arms. The beat accelerated. With their flurry of movement around the dance floor and the heat of their bodies mingling, she found it hard to catch her breath. As the music slowed again, he spun her away to one side, then the other, then drew her back, into a deep dip. Their gazes locked in a sizzling exchange as he drew her up again. His hand cupped her head and he drew her face closer to his. Closer. She longed for his lips to capture hers. For his tongue to plunder her mouth in a searing invasion.

The music ended. She sucked in a breath.

So close.

He relaxed his hold and eased away.

“Thank you. That was . . . wonderful.” She’d felt vibrant and sexy on the dance floor. Because of Trey.

He smiled. “Any time.”

“May I cut in?” Jake stepped beside Trey.

“Of course.” Trey kissed her hand, then smiled warmly at Jake before he headed back to the table.

Jake smiled at her, his dark blue eyes twinkling in the dim light, as he drew her close, his arm encircling her waist. He swept her around the floor to the music.

She liked how he’d grown his light brown hair long enough that he wore it tied neatly behind his head in a short ponytail, and she longed to reach back and release it, then drag her fingers through it.

“It’s been a long time since we were together at college. How has life been treating you?” he asked.

“Not bad,” she said, relieved he wasn’t going to twirl her into another exotic dance. As much as she’d enjoyed doing the tango with Trey, she didn’t think her senses could handle another. “I wish I’d been able to continue at Carleton Falls, though. I really missed all of you.”