Impulsive (34 page)

"I wouldn't know," Jess murmured, "and I doubt I
ever will."

There was a library with built-in, wall-to-wall bookshelves,
several large lighted fish tanks, and an oriental rug. An overly spacious
dining room with seating for a minimum of forty guests. A music room. An
exercise room, still filled with workout equipment. And an immense game room,
complete with billiard table, table tennis, dartboard area, two bowling lanes, a
miniature golf game, a fully stocked wet bar, and room to spare.

"What? No polo field?" Jess joked.

"That would be out back, probably behind the tennis
court," Ty jested.

Jess smacked a palm to her forehead. "Of course, what a dunce
I am. No doubt, it's next to the eighteen-hole golf course."

Additionally, also on the ground floor, there was a family room, a
sun room/conservatory, a fully equipped kitchen designed to send any cook into
ecstacy, a pantry the size of a large country kitchen, three full baths, and a
laundry room bigger than some laundromats. That still left the screened-in
patio and the glass-enclosed, olympic-sized, in-ground swimming pool, complete
with a three-tiered fountain in the center of it.

"Holy Moses!" Jess declared in disbelief. "Who
lived here, and why would anyone in his right mind want to sell it?"

"Supposedly, it belongs to some big-name musician," Ty
told her, "but the realtor didn't name names."

"You'd think a house this big would have maid's quarters,
wouldn't you?" Jess commented.

Ty gestured toward an intercom system on the wall. "There's a
caretaker's cottage somewhere on the property. Appropriately placed out of
sight and sound of the main house, of course."

"Of course," Jess repeated numbly. "God forbid the
servants should be quartered over the garage, or some such nonsense. They
probably also have their own little golf carts, the better to rush to the house
when they're summoned."

The second floor consisted of a dozen separate and complete
bedroom suites, all with their own sitting rooms, baths, dressing rooms, and
walk-in closets. Naturally, the largest and most elaborate of these was the
master suite, which featured a skylight that encompassed nearly the entire
ceiling over the sunken tub and bedroom sections.

Jess gaped. "I'll bet every airplane and helicopter pilot in a
forty-mile radius has this place listed on his map, just for the fun of it. I
can hear it now.
There's a traffic jam at Forty-fifth and Central, a
three-car accident on the southbound freeway, and erotic activity in the
bedroom near the bay. They're really going at it, folks. Someone get the
hose!"

Ty doubled over with laughter. "Geez, Jess! Only you would
think of something like that!"

She arched a brow at him. "You think so? I don't. There are
probably a dozen perverts who have taken up parasailing just to get a peek
inside this bedroom. I wouldn't be surprised if they pay the birds not to poop
on the roof, just so they can have an unobstructed view. Which brings another
thought to mind. How in hell do you clean a skylight?"

Ty was still chuckling as he guided her out of the room. "You
let the rain wash it off, I suppose."

At the far end of the hallway, an open staircase curved upward
toward a partial third story. At the top of the stairs was another unique
addition to the house—a circular observatory, with a domed glass roof and a
large and obviously costly state-of-the-art telescope. Charts and graphs of
stellar constellations papered the lower half of the walls, the part below the
windows. Even the floor had sketches of star clusters and planetary revolutions
etched into it.

"I see it, but I don't believe it," Jess breathed.
"Their own private observatory! It's... it's absolutely incredible! And
just look at the view of the bay from up here!" Then it dawned on her, and
she turned to find Ty watching her expectantly. "This is what you meant,
with all those hints and songs about the moon and stars."

Ty nodded, grinning. "Yep. What's more, there's a full moon
tonight. I ordered it just for you."

Jess rolled her eyes. "I appreciate it, but please don't
break into song again. I really don't need to hear a chorus of 'Moon over
Miami.' "

"How do you feel about mooning Miami, instead?" he
teased, his eyes twinkling with merriment.

Jess grinned back, sidling up to him in a fair imitation of a vamp.
"I say we go for it, big boy. We'll double-moon them. And if we send a few
pelicans into shock, so be it."

Jess soon discovered that Ty had planned this weekend adventure
very carefully, down to the finest detail. After they had unpacked, showered,
and changed clothes, they took a walking tour of the grounds, and through the
numerous decorative gardens. There were rock gardens, shell gardens, rose and
flower gardens, even a formal English garden—with a multitude of shady arbors,
statues, and fountains sprinkled amid the fragrant blossoms, on either side of
the winding stone pathways. Trees and shrubs, mostly palms and flowering
varieties, dotted the lawn in between the gardens.

There was no beach along the shoreline at the back end of the
lawn. A retaining wall separated the land from the bay. A pier led out to a
boathouse. "The realtor seemed relieved when I told him we wouldn't be
needing the yacht," Ty mentioned casually, as they detoured the dock area.

Jess gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Ty, for being so
understanding about my phobia."

"No sweat, sweetheart. You'd do the same for me."

There was no polo field or golf course, though they did pass a
tennis court along the way. A peek into the seven-car garage was enough to send
any car buff into a fit of envy. Though only four of the stalls were filled,
they held, respectively, a Jaguar, a Porsche, a Mercedes, and a Lamborghini. Ty
was like a kid at a candy store window, all eyes and drool. Laughing, Jess
finally managed to drag him away from them.

"Boys and their toys," she said with a wry grin.
"You know you can't have one, so why torment yourself?"

"Why can't I have one?"

"Because you're going to be an accountant when you retire
from football, and you wouldn't want your clients to think you're on the take,
would you?"

He grimaced. "I suppose not, but they sure are sweet to look
at, aren't they? Maybe I'll just test drive one, one of these days, just to see
how it handles... and smells. There's nothing like the smell of leather."

Jess chuckled. "So buy an old saddle. It's cheaper. Or a pair
of cowboy chaps. Now, I'd really like to see you in a pair of those sometime.
Just the chaps. Nothing else but a touch of after-shave."

Ty wagged his eyebrows playfully. "Ooh! Getting kind of kinky
on me, aren't you? That being the case, I don't mind admitting I'd like to see
you decked out in leather sometime, too. But no perfume. I want to savor the
scent of the leather when you get it all hot and sweaty."

Their conversation alone was heating her up nicely. It promised to
be a sultry evening, Florida temperatures aside. The sun was setting, painting
the sky in a swirl of colors, as they returned to the house, hand in hand. Upon
reaching the rear terrace, Jess was surprised to find the patio torches had
been lit. A small table was already set for an intimate evening meal for two—
complete with tablecloth, china, silver, and crystal. A single fat candle
flickered softly in the center of a flower-ringed hurricane shade.

"Who did all this?"

"Would you believe elves?" he teased, holding her chair
and seating her.

"At this point, I'd believe almost anything," she
rejoined.

Despite her statement, she was caught off guard when a trio of
musicians, secreted away in a shadowed corner of the patio, began to play
softly, serenading them. Jess's eyes lit up with her smile, and she blushed
prettily. "Ty! How marvelous! You really have gone all out, haven't
you?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't find it too schmaltzy," he
said with some relief.

"Actually, it's the most romantic thing that anyone has ever
done for me." Her voice wavered slightly as she fought back happy tears.
"I adore it, and you for thinking of it."

Dinner, all seven courses, was an elegantly catered affair, served
by waiters who appeared instantly when needed, but remained out of sight
otherwise. Jess was duly impressed, with the food and the service, though by
the end of the meal she simply had to decline dessert.

"If I eat any more, I won't be worth anything for the rest of
the evening," she warned. "All I'll want to do is sleep off all this
delicious food."

"Then we'll save dessert for later," Ty said, pushing
his chair from the table. He came around and helped her to her feet. "Come
dance with me. That should work off a couple of ounces, anyway."

They danced closely, slowly, swaying to the music. The waiters
swiftly and unobtrusively cleared the table, their departure practically
unnoticed. The night grew darker, the stars brighter, the moon rising full and
fat. The scent of flowers and salt air wafted on a light breeze from the bay.

Jess pillowed her head on Ty's shoulder. He nuzzled her neck with
his lips, running his hands over her back and holding her close to him.
Finally, with a sigh, he whispered, "I think we'd better send the
musicians home, before things get too cozy."

Jess stepped back, reluctant to release him and this magical
moment.

He brushed her cheek with his knuckles. "I know. Me, too. But
there's more to come, sweetheart. Much more."

Retrieving two goblets and what remained of the bottle of wine, Ty
led her off the terrace and into the dimly lit pool enclosure. With a gentle
push, he directed her toward a small dressing room to one side. "Your
swimsuit should be in there, if you want it. But be forewarned, we're going to
wind up skinny-dipping anyway."

"I think I'll start with the suit," she decided, modesty
prevailing, "and let you sweet-talk me out of it."

Ty's smile promised he would. "I'll wait here for you."

When she emerged, Ty had already stripped to his skivvies and was
standing at the head of a tier of steps leading into the water. Only now, with
the pool as a backdrop, did Jess perceive the full extent of the wondrous
spectacle Ty had arranged for her. Dazed, she stared in dumbfounded amazement.
Dozens of candles had been lit and spaced around the perimeter of the room,
their flames magnified as they reflected off the prisms of water shooting up
from the fountain in the center of the pool. Multicolored underwater lights
further lent to the enchantment, but the crowning touch to this fabulous
fantasy were the scores of blossoms floating atop the water. Lilies, magnolias,
daisies, roses—all bobbing merrily to the tune of the fountain's spray.

Without a word, Ty held out his hand. Just as silently, as if in a
dream, she went to him. Slowly, he led her—step by step— into the midst of
shimmering beauty. His arms enclosed her. Hers wound around his neck, hugging
him near as her tears joined the droplets of water drifting down on them.

"I hope those are tears of joy," he murmured, kissing a
salty bead from her lashes.

"How could they not be?" she replied, her adoring gaze
linked with his. "I'm completely overwhelmed! This is unbelievably
marvelous! You have to be, without doubt, the most romantic man on the face of
this earth, and I'm so happy that you're mine. Here. Now. If I live to be a
hundred, I'll never forget this evening or stop loving you for it. With or
without armor, you're my shining knight."

He kissed her quivering lips, tenderly and lingeringly. When at
last he raised his head, he said, "Let's make it last, Jess. Enjoy it to
the fullest. Feed the fire slowly, steadily, until it consumes us."

With his arms still around her, he guided her into a lazy,
graceful waltz. The water swirled with them, lapping at her breasts in silken
waves. The flowers spun like pinwheels, the petals brushing against their flesh
like velvet paws. Jess was entranced, caught up in a dizzy haze, where nothing
existed but her and Ty in this blossom-bedecked, watery wonderland. She didn't
even think to object when Ty unhooked the bra of her swimsuit and tossed it out
of the pool—or when he did likewise with the bottoms and his own briefs. It
felt too glorious, having the water rush over her bare skin in an endlessly
erotic caress.

At length, they found themselves standing near the center of the
pool, caught in the spray of the fountain. Water rained down upon them as they
came together in a passionate embrace. Mouth sought mouth; lips met and meshed.
Tongues and limbs twined as, like two sleek otters, one wet body slid along the
other in glad recognition. Searching fingertips stroked, fondled, aroused.

Grasping her by the waist, Ty lifted her. Against her water-cooled
skin, his tongue was a fiery torch as it seared a path across her chest. She
cried aloud as he tugged her nipple into his mouth, branding her with its
fierce heat.

Wrapping her long, lithe legs around his waist, she anchored
herself to him, tugging him nearer. He lowered her slowly, letting her glide
down his torso inch by inch until she was fully impaled upon him. She arched
backward, relying on his strong arms to hold her as she reveled in the feel of
him so deep within her. Water pelted down upon her breasts, exciting her turgid
nipples all the more, stoking the sensual flames higher still.