Heart of Steele (5 page)

After shutting off the engine, he turned to
her. “Just to be safe, if you hear a helicopter or airplane flying
over, get inside or under a tree.” He opened his door. “It’s never
happened up here, but there’s always a first time.” He jumped out
of the truck.

Tracy opened her door and got out, closed the
door, and walked around to the front of the truck.

He met her halfway. “You should let the
gentleman open your door for you.” He went back for their bags.

“I appreciate your old world chivalry, but
you can’t begin to imagine how excited I am to see your little
cabin.” She shivered in the cold.

Closing the truck door, he followed her to
the entrance and pressed buttons on a keypad. The door popped open.
“Make yourself at home. Anything you want is yours.”

She looked into his beautiful gray-green
eyes. There was an invitation in them, and in his words. “Thank
you.” When she felt a blush heat her cheeks, she turned and walked
into the house.

The foyer was huge, all golden pine logs and
gray rock. She slipped off her shoes and padded barefoot over the
warm wood floor to the great room. The heat was on. Was someone
here? To the left, dark blue leather living room furniture
surrounded a rock fireplace. To the right, a long rough wood table
with at least a dozen chairs around it separated the living room
from the big, modern kitchen accented in black and gray.

Her breath caught at the view. The wall of
windows overlooked the slope down to the lake. She walked to it,
crossing her arms against the thrill that ran through her. “It’s so
lovely.” Cabins dotted the shoreline along the water’s edge, and
pine trees stood tall and green on the snow-covered
mountainside.

Steele walked up next to her in his stocking
feet. “Yeah. My favorite time of day.”

“Cozy.” She rubbed her bare arms.

“Are you cold?” He wrapped an arm around her,
staring out the window.

His touch sent warmth through her. “Just a
little.” Would he make his move now? Or did he have a longer
seduction in mind? The thought sent heat flooding to her belly.

“Roaring fire or spiked hot chocolate?” He
looked down at her.

“Both?” She leaned a little closer. “But
first, can I use the powder room?”

He let her go, and the loss of his touch
nearly made her cry out.

“Explore a little bit.” He gestured to a wide
hallway at the back of the house leading off to the right. “There
are three bedrooms on the lower level, three on the upper, and my
studio and bedroom are in the other A-frame.”

“Oh, I’ve got to see this. Which bedroom do
you want me to use?”

His eyes darkened. Would he tell her she’d be
sleeping in his room? Would she make a fool of herself screaming,
Yes, take me now
!?

“You choose.” His lips curved into a half
smile. “Whatever you want, Tracy. You call the shots this
week.”

She wasn’t breathing, and had to force her
lungs to work. She heard what he was telling her, but didn’t know
how to respond. “Okay.” She gave a little wave and turned, walking
past the kitchen and down the curved hallway.

The open stairway on the right led to the
upper level, and on the left, the three bedroom doors stood open.
She explored each one, all similar layouts with a private bathroom,
and either twin beds or a queen, and a club chair facing a big
window overlooking the lake.

Upstairs, the three bedrooms were nearly
identical to the ones downstairs, except for the last one, which
had a big multi-headed shower in the bathroom. “Mine!” She plopped
onto the big bed, sinking deep into the peach-colored quilt. “Oh,
definitely mine.”

Jumping up, she left the room and walked
further to the double doors at the end of the hall. This must be
Steele’s room. She cracked open one door and peeked inside, then
couldn’t resist and stepped right in. Her bare feet sank into the
thick, cream-colored carpet.

A huge four-poster log bed with a dark brown
quilt on it sat close to the tall windows. Across from it, the wall
was stone with a big fireplace in the middle. She walked to the
window and plopped down on an L-shaped sectional couch in soft
brown leather.

She could sit and watch the cozy scene for
hours. Darkness had fallen and the golden lights rimming the lake
made her nesting instinct kick in. She could get used to this.
Imagined playing house here, with Steele.

No. She jumped up. She wasn’t ready for any
kind of long term. She had her career to think about first. She
walked past the sofa into a dark room and low lights popped on.

“This can’t be real.” His bathroom was the
size of her whole apartment. Against the windowed wall, a giant
whirlpool tub nestled between the walk-in shower and the long
counter with double sinks. “Man, what I wouldn’t give to use that
baby.”

“Oh yeah?” Steele’s voice came from behind
her. “What would you give?”

She laughed, the sound echoing off the golden
tiles lining the walls and floor. “How about a year of acting
lessons?”

He walked toward her, shaking his head. “I’ve
got no illusions that I can act. I can barely do my own music
videos.” He took her hand. “But it’s yours to use any time.” He
gestured to a cabinet. “My sister stocked it with lots of bubbly,
smelly, salty whatevers.”

“Thanks. I will take you up on that.
Repeatedly.” She liked the feel of his hand holding hers. Jitters
reached her belly and her nipples puckered. She could become
addicted to the feel of him close to her.

“Have you decided on a bedroom?” His voice
was low and sensual. Almost a caress. He looked into her eyes.

She could dive in and live forever in those
depths. “Yes. This one.” The words were out before she could stop
them. She wanted this. Wanted him to pull her close and kiss
her.

“One problem. You’d have to share it with me,
you know.” His mouth quirked up.

She noticed the bruising around his mouth.
Damn. They should really talk through the mess from the studio
before they jumped into bed. Shouldn’t they? Maybe they could...
She banished the temptation. “You can have the couch, but I get the
bed.” She moved back a fraction.

He nodded once, seeming to understand her
hesitancy. “C’mon. Let me show you the man cave.”

“You have a man cave.” He seemed too serious
to play games and watch porn on a big screen.

“What rich bad boy doesn’t?” He’d remembered
her comment. Holding her hand in his, he tugged her past the bed to
the back of the room where a circular room held a stairway that led
downstairs. In the middle, a fire station pole started at the
ceiling and went all the way down to the floor below them.

“Are you kidding?” She’d never imagined he
had a playful side.

His grin lit his face. “Watch.” He grasped
the pole, swung over and wrapped his legs around it, and slowly
disappeared below the floor. She leaned over to see him land on
what looked like a padded area around the pole.

It might be fun, but with the way her luck
was going today... “I’ll take the stairs.” She stepped to her
right.

“No. Come on, Tracy. Live a little. I’ll
catch you.” He banged twice on the pole. “You know you want
to.”

Oh, man, did he ever have her categorized
correctly. She did want to. And after she did it, she would want to
run up the stairs and do it again. But she didn’t want to crash and
break a bone. On either one of them.

“If you do this, I’ll even run your bath
water for you later.” His face seemed so young, so devoid of life’s
worries.

Oh hell. Her luck had actually been getting
better as the day progressed. “Deal.” She grabbed the pole and
paused. How did she slide without giving herself a pole burn?

“Go!” He drummed his palms on the pole,
sending vibrations up to her.

“Catch me!” She wrapped her legs around and
slid, a heck of a lot faster than she wanted to.

He grabbed her mid-flight and spun her
around. “That’s my girl.”

She wrapped her arms around him, dizzy and
giggling. “That was scary.”

Lowering her legs, he pulled her tight
against him, her feet not touching the floor. His lips were inches
from hers, and his beautiful eyes shone. “Lot of things are scary
and exciting, Tracy.” He tipped his head and touched his lips to
hers.

Instant warmth flooded her body, racing
through her veins. She kissed him, pressing her mouth closer.

He groaned and his hand slid down to her
butt, holding her to him. His lips slowly rubbed and molded
hers.

Against her belly, his erection pressed hard.
Her core shuddered and spread tingles through her hips and down
between her legs.

When his tongue touched her lips, she opened
for him, inviting him in.

Slowly, with exquisite care, he eased his
tongue into her mouth, just tickling hers, exploring, tasting. He
ran his tongue along the inside of her lips.

The sensation overtook her and she sucked in
a breath as chills puckered her nipples, tightening her
breasts.

His hips moved slowly, rocking his shaft
against her mound. His tongue took up the rhythm, lapping hers to
the same beat, he had every nerve in her skin firing to the
sensuous pulse.

His tongue traced her lips, then withdrew.
Sliding her body down his an inch at a time, kissing the corner of
her mouth, then nibbling his way to the other side, he ended the
kiss. Pulling his mouth from hers, his breath puffed and mingled
with her panting exhales.

When he opened his eyes, the gray of his
irises was transformed into a stormy green, like the sea during a
hurricane. “Tracy.” He swallowed. “I’ve wanted to do that for too
damn long.”

Her fingers pressed upward, into his soft,
dark brown hair. “I know the feeling.” It took all her willpower to
step back from him, slide her hands over his big shoulders, and off
his body. “There’s nothing I’d like better than to go back upstairs
with you.”

He reached for her, a low growl between his
lips.

“But after what happened today, I would
rather get things cleared up between us before we...” She looked up
at the ceiling, then into his eyes.

“I know you’re right to feel that way, sugar,
but I’m willin’ to forget the talking. Just for one night.” He held
up his right hand, three fingers in the air. “Scouts’ honor, we can
discuss the hell out of it all day tomorrow.”

He looked so hopeful, she wished she could
give in. “Do you really think that’s the best way to do this?”
This? What was
this
? Was she talking a fast fling, or a
relationship?

Dropping his head back with a grunt, he
turned away from her. “Yeah. It’d be better to do it your way.” He
reached back and took her hand. “I gotta distract myself, or I
don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my paws off you.” He led her
into the room. “Lighting. On. Low.” Sconces and lamps turned
on.

It was a man cave. Recliners in front of a
big-screen TV, guitars, drums, a keyboard, and amplifiers in one
corner. A pool table and a bar on the other side of the room. “This
has got to be the world’s most amazing guy’s hangout. All you’re
missing is a hot tub, and you’d be—”

“In here.” He pulled her to a set of glass
doors and led her through into the long, low room she’d seen from
the truck. A big pool with a diving board and a slide took up most
of the room. In the far corner of the pool, a raised hot tub
bubbled and steamed.

“Wow. This looks like fun.” She spotted
another bar near the doors, and, still holding his hand, walked to
the opposite end of the pool, near one of the groupings of
cushioned chairs and chaises that sat around the concrete deck. A
two foot-high black area in the glass wall touched the far side of
the pool’s surface. “What’s that?” She pointed.

“You can open it or swim under it to get
outside to the outdoor pool.”

“I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Want to swim?” He tugged at the hem of her
shirt. “Get a little bareskin exercise?”

She turned into his arms. “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” He brushed his fingertips over her
cheek. “I can wait.”

Her chest expanded. “You’re a very special
man, Steele.” She placed her palms on his narrow waist. “I don’t
want to rush this, and make a mess of it.” God, she sounded like
she was looking for a forever with him, instead of just a few wild
days. But she needed to do this right, and she couldn’t ignore that
deep-seated instinct. She stepped back.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he
guided her back into the man cave. “I’ve got a proposition for
you.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” She
batted her eyes and smiled.

Steele could barely walk with his erection
pressing tight against his jeans. He’d made a move on her, pulled
her in for a kiss, but it felt right. He’d been dreaming of doing
it for months, and there she was, in his arms.

He would wait for her to make the next move,
though. This wasn’t something he wanted to lose, and pushing her
might do that. He pointed to the pine log pool table. “Do you play?
We could play strip pool.”

A soft laugh bubbled out of her. “No. I never
learned, especially the ‘strip’ version. But I’d love to hear you
play guitar.”

“Pick one.” He gestured to the acoustic,
electric, and bass guitars set carefully on stands around the
room.

“You play all of these?” She wandered toward
the music area and strummed a banjo.

“Yep.” His mother had made sure he learned at
least two musical instruments each year.

Turning to him, she tipped her head. “The
drums and the keyboard?”

“Yep. And the fiddle. I can handle the pedal
steel guitar and the mandolin if I have to.”

“Wow. Where should I have you start?”

He leaned back on the pool table. “Do you
play an instrument?”