Summer Heat (16 page)

The business part of
their day had ended. This is where he had to withdraw, before he noticed how
beautiful her hair was by candlelight, the soft glow that spread over her face
when she talked about something that excited her, or the way her breasts
strained against her dress when she drew in a breath.

“So, what do you
think?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Frankly, he hadn’t been
paying the slightest bit of attention to her presentation about their strategy.

“I think it’s fine.”

She frowned. “Which
parts?”

“All of them.”

After finishing her
glass of wine, she sat back in her chair and studied him. “You haven’t been
listening to anything I’ve said, have you?”

Was he that
transparent? “Sure I have.”

“Okay, then tell me
what the first step in our revised marketing plan is, based upon what we
discovered today.”

Oh, crap. How was he
supposed to know? He’d only been half listening to her, his mind occupied with
images of her slender, naked body twined around his, her honey-colored hair
spilling over his fingers like spun silk, the way she tightened around him when
he was deep inside her. Anything but marketing plans.

“Well, I’m not sure.
You want to tell me again?”

With a huff, she said,
“No. I’m going to bed.” She stood and tossed her napkin on the table.

“Wait for me while I
pay the bill.”

“Why? You’re not coming
to my room; you’re obviously not the least bit interested in talking business,
which means our time together tonight is over. I’m tired, I’m going to my room
and I’m going to bed.”

She turned and started
to leave, then looked over her shoulder and added, “Alone.”

As if he didn’t already
know that. He threw down enough cash to cover dinner and tip and followed her.

“I didn’t proposition
you,” he countered, catching up to her as she reached the elevator.

“Wouldn’t do you any
good if you had.” She stared up at the lights indicating the elevator’s
location.

“Oh, so you’d turn me
down if I offered?”

“Flat.”

There went his ego
again, raring and ready to fight. But dammit, she pushed his buttons.

They stepped into the
elevator together, along with an older couple and an attractive woman in her
mid-twenties.

Ignoring the others, he
said, “I’ll bet you wouldn’t.”

She turned to him.
“Wouldn’t what?”

“Turn me down if I
offered to have sex with you.”

The young woman
suppressed a chuckle and he heard the older couple’s sharp intake of breath.

“Aidan, please. We’re
not exactly alone.”

“Would you like to be?”
He hated to admit it, but he really enjoyed teasing her. Especially when she
blushed like she was doing now. Damn, but she fired him up, in more ways than
one.

“You are insufferable,
you know that?” She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, well and truly
pissed.

He couldn’t fight the
smile that curved his lips. “I’ve been told that a time or two.”

“Why any woman would
want to sleep with you is beyond me.”

“You did.”

Her eyes widened and
she gasped. The young woman laughed out loud, the older couple looked clearly
distressed and Aidan was having the time of his life, finally feeling like he
had the upper hand with Melissa.

By the time they
reached their floor she was steaming. She headed briskly down the hallway,
ignoring the fact that he kept right up with her.

Suddenly she stopped
dead and turned to face him. “What kind of game are you playing with me now?”

“I don’t know what
you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play stupid with
me. First, you insisted on coming with me today, then you didn’t pay the
slightest bit of attention when I outlined our sales plan. You made it quite
clear that you didn’t want to get personal with me, and yet you keep throwing
out these intimate hints and suggestive innuendos. Now if that isn’t game
playing, I don’t know what is.”

She whirled and
continued her brisk pace down the hallway, stopping at the room and fumbling in
her purse. “Go away, Aidan,” she said, not looking at him.

“I can’t.”

“Why not? I don’t want
you, you don’t want me, so let’s just keep things professional like you wanted,
and leave it at that.”

“I can’t.” He gently
nudged her aside and slipped his door key in the lock. She stormed into the
living area and stopped, then turned and placed her hand on his chest. “Get
out.”

“I can’t.”

“Would you stop saying
that? Why can’t you?”

“Because this is my
room.”

“Shit.” With a sigh she
collapsed onto a nearby chair. “This isn’t going to work, Aidan. You’ve got to
stop screwing with me this way.”

She was right and he
knew it, and yet it seemed that no matter what he did, it was wrong. But he
couldn’t stay away from her, needed that intimacy they shared, and whatever it
was between them wasn’t going to be as easy to snuff out as either of them
thought.

She was like a
relentless storm, ever building, then bursting into a deluge, only to rebuild
within him. Maybe if he had her a few more times he could exorcise this
internal need for her out of his system.

When she rose and
started toward the door, he grabbed her arm. She whirled on him, pain and anger
etched on her face. “Let me go.”

“No.”

She tried to pull her
arm away but he wouldn’t let her loose. “Kiss me.”

“No, Aidan. You and I
see things differently.”

“How so?”

“The other morning you
said we were good fucking partners.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I can’t…I don’t want
to be just…dammit, just leave me be!”

But he couldn’t, and
deep down she was as aware of it as he. He pulled her against his chest,
holding her still while she struggled fruitlessly against him. “Kiss me once.
If you hate it I’ll let you go.”

She glared at him.
“This isn’t some romance novel where I’m going to get all swoony when our lips
meet, Aidan. This is real life. My life. And I want no part of this.”

He held steadfast when
she palmed his chest and tried to push away.

“Kiss me, Lissa.”

“No.” Her heart pounded
madly against his chest, the wild rumbling just as loud as the sudden downpour
of rain outside.

She heard it, clearly
felt it and inclined her head toward the window. “Did you do that?”

“Kiss me, 
cher
,”
he said again, ignoring her question, then dipped his head and lightly touched
her lips. A shock of lightning scorched him and he fought to suck in enough air
to fuel his overworked lungs. “You take my breath away.”

Her shoulders sagged in
defeat. She closed her eyes and tilted her head toward his. He needed no
further signals from her and covered her mouth with his, sweeping his tongue
inside her moist heat.

She pulled away and
kissed his jaw, his neck, mumbling, “I hate you for doing this.”

“I know.” If he could
have walked away from her, he would. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he
drank his fill of her mouth, learned every square inch of her soft body, and
plunged inside the moist heat of her essence over and over again. Then, maybe,
his desire for her would vanish.

God help him if that
didn’t happen soon. The passion built within him and he couldn’t contain his
need for her any longer. When she moaned and pressed her body against him he
lost it, kissing her harshly and with all the pent up frustration he’d held
inside for the past few days.

Her fury matched his
and she reached for his shirt, yanking it out of his pants and pulling it over
his head, digging her nails into his chest. He bit back a curse at the
pleasurable pain and hauled her into the living room, turning her around to
face the cushioned chair.

She leaned back against
his chest and threaded her fingers through his hair, turning her face to the
side so he could take her mouth. He plunged his tongue inside repeatedly until
she gasped for breath, then palmed her breasts through the satiny material of
her dress. The flimsy bra she wore couldn’t hide her erect nipples, any more
than his jeans could hide his rigid cock. He rocked against her, enjoying the
feel of her ass against his hard-on.

“Make love to me,
Aidan. Now.”

He gently pushed against
her back and forced her over the chair, then bent down and slid her dress up
over her hips. He reached for the little scrap of material she called panties
and ripped them off. She whimpered and bent further forward, her delectable
pussy moist and ripe for his cock.

She was so beautiful
like this—her legs spread, her ass in the air, the glistening folds of her cunt
open and waiting for him. He couldn’t wait any longer and pressed against her,
his cock probing between her legs until he slid effortlessly inside her with a
single thrust.

“Oh yes!” she cried. He
wanted to cry out too, the pleasure was so intense. Bolts of lightning seared
the room in front of them, gusty wind blowing everything off the coffee table.
Mist fell, then rain, a torrential burst of showers covering them while thunder
roared all around them.

“Fuck me, Aidan. Hard.”
When she braced herself on the arms of the chair he pulled back and plunged
inside her, relentlessly giving her exactly what she asked for, and just what
he craved. She screamed her pleasure over the near deafening storm.

Whether it was sweat or
rain pouring over him he didn’t know, all he knew was he’d never wanted to
completely crawl inside a woman before. His balls slapped her pussy as he
thrust repeatedly, each time more deeply, until he felt her tighten around him,
heard her uncontrolled cries of pleasure, and knew it was time.

“I’m coming Aidan! Fuck
me harder!”

Like a whirlpool his
orgasm took him under, the wind nearly knocking him off his feet. He dug his
fingers into the soft swell of her hips and hung on. Lissa cried out with her
climax, and he went with her into the maelstrom.

When it was over, he
collapsed against her back, fearing he’d need oxygen before he could stand
upright again. He closed his eyes and rested against her damp skin until his
breathing came back to normal. Her heart thudded against his ear, a rhythmic,
rapid pace, ever so slowly reducing in beats. He stood, pulling Melissa up with
him. He turned her and pulled her against him, kissing her now dry hair. He
glanced around the room, knowing it was already dry again, that no marks marred
the walls where lightning had struck. It appeared untouched by the fierce
outpouring of his powers.

“Damn, baby, that was
incredible,” he said, stroking her hair, loving the feel of her body next to
his.

Melissa shuddered
against his chest, but didn’t speak. He enjoyed the quiet moments spent just
holding on to her, stroking her skin and hair.

But a tension rose
within her. She stiffened against him, drew in an audible sigh and pushed back,
peering up at him with a confused frown. “You scare me, Aidan.”

He never expected to
hear that from her. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head,
smoothed her skirt down and backed toward the door. “I can’t do this. I…I just
can’t.” Quickly grabbing her purse, she nearly ran from the room.

The shock of her abrupt
statement and even more sudden departure kept him still for more than a minute.
What had happened here? He tried to think of anything he’d done that could have
scared her like that.

He righted his clothes
and picked up the silk panties he’d torn from her, clutching them in his tight
fist.

It had to be the magic,
the storm, it’s ferocity unleashed like never before. He’d frightened her.
Shit. He never should have let the magic get so out of control. But damn if he
could help it where Lissa was concerned. She made him that way. He lost all his
inhibitions and capability of rational thought whenever she was near. When that
happened, the elements took over and he could do nothing to stop them.

Now the one thing he
was afraid would happen, had. She’d seen his power—all of it, in its most
violent form, and had run.

Melissa couldn’t very
well hide out in her room for the next couple weeks, although she’d certainly
been giving it a gallant effort the past few days. She’d emailed Aidan,
explaining that she wanted to work in her suite alone, or if she had to see him
in person, she’d make the episode as brief as possible, then hightail it out of
his office as soon as an opportunity arose. She had to do it this way—to save
her own sanity.

After she’d run out of
Aidan’s room in Shreveport and endured a sleepless night, they’d spent the next
morning driving back in complete silence. Thankfully, he hadn’t pressed her for
reasons why she’d bolted from his room.

If he had, what would
she have said? That he scared the living daylights out of her for many
different reasons? That she simply couldn’t handle being near him any longer?
He would have asked for an explanation, and she wasn’t sure she could put how
she felt into words. How could she, when she couldn’t even figure it out
herself?

The other night had
been magical in more ways than one. Despite the fact they’d been bickering all
day long, they still ended up having the hottest sex she’d ever experienced.
Remembering Aidan bending her over and entering her from behind had moisture
pooling between her legs, that ache of desire as heavily present now as it had
been before they made love. But her fears stemmed from more than just sex.

His comments to her in
French when they were driving to Shreveport stunned her. He was sorry for
hurting her—that implied that he cared, and she hadn’t wanted to hear that. Not
when she’d convinced herself that the only thing between them was physical
pleasure.

But something happened
to her resolve. It crumbled in the wake of Aidan’s lovemaking. Somehow she’d
let her guard down and let Aidan into her heart, and now that he was in there
she wasn’t sure she could take him out. After making love, her heart soared.
She wanted to crawl into Aidan’s arms and never let him go.

That’s when it hit
her—really hit her. She’d fallen in love with him. Not just halfway, either,
but completely. She’d opened herself up and let him in, and once she had, she’d
felt lost, frightened and utterly panicked.

Couple her newly
discovered love for Aidan with the strange weather elements that always seemed
to crop up whenever he was around and it was no wonder she’d run.

Every time she’d
thought about asking him to explain his connection with the elements, something
came up—his cock, usually, which then captured all her attention, turning her
focus away from questions about his powers and toward a more enjoyable form of
magic.

Way too much for a
staid woman from Boston to handle. This world of voodoo and magic was
unfamiliar to her. Falling in love with Aidan was equally as foreign. She may
be a coward, but she’d avoid him as much as she could over the next couple
weeks until she could get back home and clear her head.

Aidan Storm would break
her heart, if she let him. She wasn’t going to let him.

She jumped at the knock
on the door, her heart pounding madly at the thought that Aidan was there.

“Who is it?” she asked,
too afraid to even look through the peephole. If it was Aidan, and she saw him,
she was certain her resolve would melt away. She already missed him so much it
was physically painful to think about him.

“It’s Kaitlyn. May I
come in?”

Blowing out a relieved
breath, she opened the door. Kaitlyn smiled brightly as she entered. Gold
bangles on her wrists clanged together in a musical, lilting sound that seemed
so cheerful it didn’t surprise her at all they were on Kaitlyn’s body. In fact,
she looked like a gypsy today in a bright colored skirt of blues and purples,
and a sleeveless peasant top in orange. On any other women it would look
ridiculous. On Kaitlyn it seemed perfect.

“Why have you been
hiding here in your room?” she asked.

“Oh, I, uh, I’ve been
busy working.”

Kaitlyn nodded. “Too
much work isn’t a good thing. Besides, I’ve missed you.”

Melissa sucked in a
breath. It was difficult enough to be in love with Aidan. But she truly cared
for Kaitlyn, and Shannon, too. “I’ve missed you too.”

“Great. Then, I’m
inviting you to Aidan’s thirtieth birthday party at Mom and Dad’s.”

“What?” Oh please no.
Not that. She couldn’t handle seeing Aidan in a social situation. Or his entire
family.

“It’s tomorrow night,
and a surprise, so don’t say anything to him. You’ll come, won’t you? Aidan’s
coming over at eight, so if you could be there around five or six you could
help us set up.”

Melissa blinked, trying
to process the information Kaitlyn had just spilled. Birthday party. Aidan was
turning thirty? And come early and help? That was like…family stuff.

“I don’t know, Kaitlyn.
It seems like a family event. I’d feel awkward.”

The colorful bracelets
jingled when Kaitlyn reached for Melissa’s hand. “Don’t be silly. Everyone is
family to the Storms. Besides, I think it would make Aidan very happy.”

Melissa stood and
looked out the window onto the busy street below. “I doubt that. We aren’t
exactly on the best of terms right now.”

“Again?” She heard
Kaitlyn rise and step toward her. “Did you have another fight?”

“Not really.” They
hadn’t fought. They hadn’t talked about anything, how could they fight?

“I see.”

Melissa glanced at
Kaitlyn’s contemplative face. “What?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Kaitlyn, tell me.”

“Well, Aidan’s
been…moody the past few days. Actually the past few weeks. One minute up, the
next down. One day he’s laughing and joking, the next he’s sullen and
withdrawn. It’s not like him—usually he’s carefree and happy.”

Wonderful. Because of
her he’d undergone some kind of personality change. Where once stood Dr. Jekyll
now stood Mr. Hyde. Not that she could blame him. She’d gone through a few
emotional highs and lows herself the past few weeks, either riding cloud nine
or lying in the gutter of despair.

Didn’t appear as if
theirs was a healthy relationship for either of them.

“I’m sorry he’s been so
moody. I’m afraid I’m to blame for that.”

Kaitlyn arched a brow.
“Really. Tell me about it.”

She motioned Kaitlyn
into the small kitchenette and fixed them both a glass of iced tea. They sat at
the round table and Melissa stared into the glass. “I think I’m in love with
him, Kaitlyn.”

Just saying the words
aloud made it seem so real, so frightening. And so true.

“That’s not a surprise
to me. I already knew you loved him. He’s in love with you, too.”

She looked up, certain
the shock was evident on her face. “He doesn’t love me.”

Kaitlyn grinned. “Yes,
he does.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then how do you know?”
That secret smile she’d seen so many times on Aidan’s face appeared on his
sister’s.

“Trust me, I just
know.”

Melissa couldn’t,
wouldn’t believe it. Aidan in love with her? No way. No way in hell. Kaitlyn
was way off base on this.

“You don’t believe me
do you?” she asked as if she could read her mind.

Well, why not? Aidan
always seemed to be able to. “No. I think he loves—” She couldn’t say it,
couldn’t bring herself to discuss her sex life with Aidan with his sister.

“You think he only
loves having sex with you?”

“Dammit, how do you
Storms do that?”

“Do what?” Her eyes
widened innocently, but Melissa wasn’t buying it.

“Read my mind like
that.”

Kaitlyn giggled. “It’s
not what it seems.”

“You have magic. You
all have magic, some kind of mystical powers. I’ve…I’ve seen it.”

“During the times you
make love with Aidan?”

She threw up her hands,
giving up on trying to figure out how Kaitlyn knew what she knew. “Yes.”

“It’s common for us to
do that. But we’re not sorcerers or anything that should scare you, Lissa.”
Kaitlyn reached for Melissa’s hand. “Don’t be frightened of us.”

“I’m not. I should be,
but I’m not. I never have been.” Confused, yes. Frightened? Had Aidan ever really
scared her? She thought about it, about all the times they’d made love or come
close to it, how the very air around them swirled with mystical forces. But
then she’d welcomed them. Not once had they frightened her. “Can you tell me
what it means?”

Kaitlyn’s lashes
fluttered closed for an instant, then she lifted them and met Melissa’s gaze
head on. “I can’t. It’s not for me to do so. Your answers will have to come
from Aidan.”

Which meant she’d have
to be willing to ask the questions first. And that she wasn’t certain she had
the guts enough to do.

“So, will you come to
the party?”

Melissa thought for a
moment, really considered the ramifications. Then again, it was a birthday
party and a lot of people would be there. She wouldn’t have to be alone with
him if she didn’t want to be. “Yes, I’ll come.”

“Wonderful!” Kaitlyn
stood and hugged her. “I’m so glad you’ll be there. It’ll mean so much to
Aidan.”

After Kaitlyn left,
Melissa stood again in front of the window, watching people walk by on the busy
street. Couples holding hands, carrying around drinks, laughing and having a
wonderful time, looking for all the world like they were gloriously in love.

She was in love, too.
But gloriously? Hardly. She’d gone and fallen in love with the last man on
earth who would want to settle down with one woman. Did Aidan really love her,
too?

No, she refused to
believe that. Believing it would give her hope, and she didn’t want to feel the
hope surging through her. Better to believe they shared a hot passion for each
other, and that was all.

Passion sparked like
lightning, then just as quickly as it lit up, would disappear That described
their relationship perfectly. Or at least the way she wanted it to be.

Safer for her heart
that way.

* * * * *

Twenty-four hours later,
Melissa stood at the front door of the Storm family home, her mind no less
muddled than it had been the day before. She rapped on the screen because the
door was open. Loud chatter came from somewhere inside and obviously no one
heard her. Taking a chance, she opened the door and yelled out, “Hello? Can I
come in?”

Logan was the first to
spot her and smiled, motioning her into the already crowded kitchen. “Glad you
could make it.”

“Thanks.”

He approached and shook
her hand. Clearly the least warm of all the Storm clan, she never could get a
handle on him.

“How’s the marketing
plan going?” he asked. “Aidan tells me you’ve got a great program in the
works.”

Aidan had complimented
her? She’d been so wrapped up in the personal side of their relationship she hadn’t
thought about how he perceived her marketing skills. “Thanks. I’m hoping we’re
going to be able to blitz this joint venture not only in Louisiana, but
surrounding states, especially those that have stricter gambling laws and would
come to New Orleans to spend their money.”

“Good. New Orleans is a
great tourist draw, but with the new casino we’re hoping we can bring in
another segment of the market.”

“I know we can.” She
smiled up at him, her stomach always a little tight around this oldest Storm
sibling. There was something about him a little more reserved, more distant,
chillier than either Aidan or his sisters. And yet she’d heard he was
phenomenally successful in business, so maybe that’s where his passions came
into play.

“Melissa!” Aidan’s
mother, Angelina, threw her arms around her and squeezed her in a hug. “I’m so
glad you came! We’ve missed you.”

Again she felt that
tug, that wanting to be a part of this family. Any family, for that matter, who
would show her the warmth and affection she’d never received from her own.

But this family would
never be hers. She knew when it came time to leave it would hurt, even if she
and Aidan never spent another minute together. He’d become so much a part of
her life, her heart, her every waking thought, that the idea of never seeing
him again tore her to pieces. The fact she’d also fallen in love with his
family didn’t make it any easier.

“Come,” Angelina said,
taking her by the hand. “Let’s go outside and I’ll show you the decorations.”

She followed the petite,
dark-haired woman through the spacious kitchen, having only a fleeting few
seconds to wave hello to Aidan’s father and sisters. They stepped through the
back door and onto a covered porch littered with comfortable looking rocking
chairs.

The screen door creaked
as Angelina pushed it open and led her into a beautiful garden set in a
semi-circle around a pond. Colorful fish of varying sizes lifted rounded mouths
out of the water to catch mosquitoes. The humidity of the late afternoon
surrounded her like a fog.