Ravensong (14 page)

Except when they came to the stairs
leading up to his balcony, she hesitated, her heart pounding again.
He bent close and whispered in her ear.

“
It’s all right. I don’t
expect anything. Let’s just go in where it’s warm.”

She nodded and swallowed at the lump
in her throat, then started climbing the stairs. The tension was
almost unbearable until he unlocked the sliding glass door and a
huge black dog bounded out, jumping up and putting his paws on
Elena’s shoulders.

“
No, Wolf,” cried Joshua,
struggling to pull the dog off.

Elena laughed as the animal licked
her. Joshua pushed the dog away and grabbed her arms. “I’m
sorry.”

She just laughed again. “It’s all
right, I love dogs.” She clapped her hands for him and he brushed
against her, wiggling his entire body with his tail. “He hasn’t
been locked inside all day, has he?”

“
No,” said Joshua, moving
out of the way as Wolf pushed between them. “My housekeeper lets
him in and out.”

“
He should be named
Elephant, not Wolf,” she said, laughing as he bumped her into the
railing.

Joshua grabbed the dog by the ruff of
his furry neck and shoved him toward the stairs. “Go,” he commanded
firmly. Then he took Elena’s arm and directed her toward the house.
“He won’t leave you alone if you don’t tell him to back off.” Elena
watched the huge beast bound down the stairs, then stepped off the
balcony into Joshua’s house.

He flicked on a lamp near the couch
and moved toward the fireplace. Firewood had already been laid in
the grating and he had only to light a match to set it going. Elena
looked around, liking the room despite its overly masculine
appearance.

The couch was red leather.
On either side were two cherry wood end tables and before it a
matching coffee table. To the right of the couch was an overstuffed
red leather chair and to the left, the fireplace and a fur rug of
some sort. Behind the couch was the dining room with a large cherry
table and chairs.

Elena moved to the fireplace and held
out her hands. “You keep wood ready all the time?”

Joshua smiled. “My housekeeper’s
husband takes care of the grounds and he lays a fire for me every
night. He knows I like to watch the sunset by the
fireplace.”

“
Sounds like you’ve got a
good housekeeper.”

Joshua nodded. “Martha takes care of
me like a mother. She even makes dinner and leaves it in the fridge
for me.”

Elena smiled at his boyish charm.
Sometimes he could be quite charming, almost vulnerable. She liked
those glimpses into the real Joshua Ravensong - the man not the
myth. Glancing around again, she was surprised at how comfortable
she felt, when she should be feeling anything but
comfortable.

“
Would you like some wine?”
he said, motioning to the wall behind the dining room.

“
No.” She shook her head.
“I had enough to drink tonight. Maybe some water?”

“
I’ll be right back. Make
yourself at home.”

Elena sat down on the rug, looking out
through the bay windows at the ocean. She could see Wolf frolicking
in the surf. With the fire beside her, it made a very comfortable
sight. Joshua returned and handed her a glass. She took a sip,
watching him settle onto the rug before her.

She placed the glass on the fireplace
and drew a deep breath. The firelight danced in his handsome face,
softening the hard angles. She expected him to reach for her, but
he just regarded her with his steady dark eyes. At that moment,
Elena knew he wouldn’t force the issue. If she just wanted to talk,
he would allow it.

Impulsively she lifted her hands to
the buttons on his shirt. He simply watched her unhook them, then
shrugged his shoulders as she pushed the shirt down his back.
Slowly Elena traced each defined muscle in his chest and stomach
with her fingertips, her breath coming quicker. God, he was so
handsome.

“
Would you be offended if I
told you you were the most beautiful man I’ve ever
seen?”

He smiled, his eyes
dancing. “Offended?” He stretched out on his side and patted the
spot next to him.

She fought the momentary
wave of fear. He narrowed his gaze on her, but didn’t say anything.
After a moment, she lay down beside him. He ran a hand through her
hair and traced the side of her face, then he leaned forward and
gently placed his mouth on hers.

His kiss wasn’t demanding, but he knew
how to draw a sigh of pleasure from her. She found herself sinking
her own fingers into his hair and pulling him closer.

Then he shifted. Fear crowded out the
pleasure of his weight on her and she gasped.

He stopped moving
immediately, bracing himself on his elbow. “It’s all right,
sweetheart,” he said softly in her ear. “Relax.”

She began trembling.

“
Elena, honey, it’s all
right, I’m sorry.”

She couldn’t do this. Her
heart was hammering. Oh God, what was she doing? Memories crowded
in on her, terrifying her even more.

“
Elena,” he said again, his
voice amazingly calm. “Honey, relax.”

She centered on his voice,
his breath warm in her ear. She turned her head and buried her face
in his throat. Sliding her hands down, she wrapped them around his
back and clung to him. She felt his hand in her hair, stroking the
back of it, and she realized he was croning something under his
breath.

The smell of him, the warmth of him
calmed her. Gradually her death grip on him eased and she leaned
back so she could see his face.

He wiped a tear from the
corner of her eye, a tear she didn’t remember shedding. “Elena, who
hurt you?”

She blinked at him in shock.
“What?”

“
Someone hurt you. I want
to know who.”

She turned to the fire, brushing
quickly at the stray hair on her face. “I don’t know
what...”

“
Yes you do. Talk to me,
baby. Someone hurt you very badly.”

She looked at him again. “I just got
confused for a moment...”

“
About what?”

“
About what we were doing,
about...”

“
Making love?”

“
Having sex,” she amended
brutally. “I’ve never had a one night stand before.”

He waved away her words. “That’s not
what I mean and you know it. Talk to me, baby.”

A tear slipped out of the
corner of her eye and ran down her cheek. Joshua wiped it away
again.

“
Two years ago,” she began
slowly, “I was on a date with a man, our second. He’d taken me to a
very nice restaurant, then expected more than I was willing to
give. I asked him to take me home and I was surprised when he
agreed.” More tears coursed a path down her face. “God, I was such
a fool.”

He lifted a hand to wipe away her
tears, then paused, his eyes narrowing. “He...”

“
He raped me,” she said
emotionlessly, but the tears were running freely down her face now.
“Twice. He followed me to my door and pushed me inside, then threw
me on the floor.”

“
In the dark,” said Joshua,
looking away.

Elena shuddered in memory and watched
Joshua carefully.

Joshua looked back at her,
anguish evident in his face. Without speaking he sat up and pulled
her into his lap, tucked her head under his chin. As he began
stroking her hair, Elena melted into him.

“
Did you call the
police?”

Elena nodded against him. “They said I
didn’t have a case since I showered afterward and they couldn’t get
any evidence. His word against mine.”

Joshua shut his eyes, hugging her
tighter against him. “Elena, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that bastard ever
touched you. I’d like to kill him for it. And I’m sorry this
country is such a friggin’ mess that a bastard like that can get
away with hurting women.”

Elena leaned away from him.
She studied his face in the flicker of the firelight and she knew
he’d never ask her to do anything she didn’t want to do.

Sliding her arms around his
neck, she shifted on his lap and brought her lips close to his.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” she whispered just before
kissing him.

This time when he laid her back on the
rug, she pulled him down with her.

* * *

Elena woke as the cold air struck her.
She turned and reached for Joshua, but he was gone. The fire had
died down to a few embers. Then the chill air from the open sliding
glass door struck her again and she looked over her shoulder to see
Joshua step back inside, followed by his huge black dog. He shut
the sliding glass door and locked it.

Elena’s eyes traveled the length of
his body. Even though he’d gone outside, he hadn’t put any clothes
back on. He was so handsome, all taut, defined muscles, broad
shoulders, narrow hips, and so very essentially male. He wasn’t
overly tall, but what he lacked in height he made up for with his
handsome face.

He turned and regarded her a moment as
she watched him, then he crossed the distance between them and
picked her up in his arms. The blanket dropped to the ground as he
rose to his feet and Elena tucked her head in against his shoulder,
feeling impossibly secure. She didn’t care where he was taking her
as long as she could snuggle into his strong body. His flesh was
cold against hers and smelled of the ocean and night, and something
else very primitively male.

He moved through the hallway, past the
entryway, and to the stairs rising to the second floor. He ascended
with Wolf on his heels and strode down the upper hallway to a door
at the end. Pushing the door open with his right shoulder, he
carried her to a large bed and laid her on it. Then he caught the
dog by the collar and ushered him outside.

Elena rolled to her side, rubbing her
cheek on the bedspread. It smelled of him. She drew a deep breath
and tried to peer about the room, but it was too dark to see much
of anything beyond the bed.

Then he was back and he lay down
beside her, reaching for her immediately. What followed was a long
session of lovemaking. It staggered Elena in its intensity. Then
they lay, intertwined for a very long time, trying to still the
panic such intensity raised in both of them.

Once their heartbeats and breathing
stilled, Joshua pulled Elena tightly into his arms, stroking his
hands down the back of her hair. Elena was paralyzed with terror.
As she lay wrapped so securely in his arms, she knew she was
beginning to trust him and nothing could be more dangerous to her
than to trust Joshua Ravensong.

That fact came to her with a glaring
certainty - she had to get away from Joshua. She must never allow
them to have another night like this or she’d be lost.

Still, it was very late, her clothing
was scattered downstairs, and she had no car. There wasn’t any rush
to leave, she said convincingly to herself, and snuggled closer
into the protective warmth of his arms.

* * *

The warm play of the sun across her
face woke Elena. She opened her eyes and looked around. Joshua was
gone.

The room was large with a bathroom and
walk-in closet occupying one entire wall. The bed took up a second,
and a third wall was floor to ceiling windows, which Joshua had
opened on his way out. The cool ocean air blew through with the
tang of salt water. Elena smiled remembering the same scent from
her childhood.

She rolled to her back and stretched,
studying the dream catcher that hung over his bed. Sitting up she
looked about the room. It had a very Native American feel to it
from the bright pattern of the bed spread to the artifacts on the
walls and dresser. She liked it, even though it was more masculine
than she was used to.

Pushing back the covers, she rose to
her feet. She stretched again, lifting her arms over her head, then
rolling her shoulders to chase the last of sleep away.

She picked up his discarded shirt and
slipped into it, hugging her arms around her body, enjoying the
scent of him. God, what was she going to do now? They couldn’t
possibly have another night like last night - Joshua probably
wouldn’t want it anyway, but still it felt good to wake up feeling
secure and content for a change.

She stood before the impressive bank
of windows and allowed the sun to bathe her. The ocean was pounding
away, the sight strangely alluring, as was everything about Joshua
Ravensong.

Walking to the door, she opened it and
stepped out into the hall. She listened for any movement downstairs
and heard nothing. Curiosity prompted her to move to the other
rooms on the floor. The one closest to Joshua’s room was a child’s
room with stuffed bears and pretty dolls lined up on a Cinderella
bedspread.

She ran her fingers over the
bedspread, marveling at this tender side of Joshua. How could his
ex-wife keep him from his daughter when she obviously meant
everything to him? Elena wondered if anyone else occupied such an
important spot in his heart or if anyone ever could.