Gently he smoothed his hand along the side of her face, then down her neck. His fingers found the pulse point at the base of her throat, pressed and felt its rapid cadence. It matched his own.Her skin was warm, soft, and perfumed. He skimmed his lips back up her neck to her mouth and thrust his tongue deep into her. And it was like coming home. It had all started between them with a kiss. And now it would continue.As he kissed her his fingers trailed lower to the neckline of her top and pushed it off her shoulder so that he could slide his hand beneath it to cup one small, perfect breast. Electricity scored through him.Her effect on him was amazing. She made him want her, and even now when he was about to take her, he knew it wouldn’t be enough. She was like a banquet to a man who hadn’t known he was starving until he looked at her. And he knew, the more he had of her, the more he would want.“I can’t go slow anymore,” he muttered.“Good,” she whispered. “I’m ready for fast.”A moa
She really knew only one thing. To her, what she’d experienced in his arms had been transcendent lovemaking. Yet to him, it had been only fabulous sex. But that was okay. She misuderstood and accepted his feelings, even if it did leave a sharp ache in her heart. He hadn’t asked her to love him, even though she did, and he had certainly never promised to love her in return, which was fine. It was. Really.“I’m taking you to Helene’s.”“Okay,” she whispered, too exhausted to argue with him.In the next moment he did a strange thing for an angry man. He reached for the covers and brought them up to wrap around the two of them. Then he pulled her into his arms and gently brushed the hair from her face. “Sleep,” he whispered.And she did.“So, anyway, I'm waiting for Nathan to take me to Helene Sorge’s. I don’t know what possessed me to offer to help her granddaughter, but before I knew it, my mouth had opened and the words had come out.” Gazing down on the street from her front window, Da
“Thank you for noticing.”He heard the touch of surprise in her voice as he took a left turn. He smiled. When it came to her, she had no idea how much he noticed. “Did you get any sleep after I left this morning?”She shook her head. “I went ahead and got up. I had things to do. I’ve already taught three classes today.”“Three? You must be tired.”“Not at all.” She looked around her. “You know, I didn’t think to ask where Helene lives. Is it far?”He grinned. “You might say that. We’re heading for her estate in Connecticut.”"Connecticut?''He grinned over at her. “Don’t worry. I’m taking you back to the Tower and we’re going to catch a helicopter from there.”“Oh, Nathan, I’m so sorry. I had no idea this would turn out to be so much trouble for you.”“I’m glad to do it. After all, you are doing this for our family’s foundation.”“But Connecticut. I didn’t realize. . . . This isn’t good. Even if Cecilia is amenable to taking lessons from me, there’s no way I can commute to Connecticut
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I’d say it was Helene’s lucky day when you walked up to her Saturday night.”She smiled at him. “Actually it was my lucky day. You always get more than you give when you help someone. That’s what I was trying to tell Cecilia. I just hope I truly will be able to help her.”“Helene certainly thinks you can. She was so impressed with you and what you accomplished with Cecilia today, she wrote me out a check for the amount that she had promised.”Her eyes widened with shock. “I didn’t know that.”He patted the breast pocket of his jacket. “I’ve got it right here.”“Frankly I’m surprised Helene went ahead and wrote the check. I thought she planned to wait and see how Cecilia did after a few lessons.”“Well, whatever her reason, I’m just glad she did.”He sighed dramatically and Dani eyed him curiously. “What?”“I suppose you know what this check means, don’t you?”The twinkle in his eyes distracted her. “That your foundation now has more
With her hands on her waist at her back, she slinked her way across the table to him, her pelvis thrust toward him. Then just as he was about to reach up for her, she playfully retreated. Each successive time she advanced, her hip movements were more provocative, more tantalizing, and she came closer and closer to him. Yet each time he reached for her, his hands found only air.She’d never in her life done such a thing, but she loved Nathan and he appeared to be absolutely poleaxed by her performance. She couldn’t have asked for a better reaction from him, or a better audience. It gave her confidence to take her performance to an even more sensual level.Entwining her arms above her head again and again, she danced in a serpentine manner around the candle, hitching her hips, first one way, then another, a combination of a Gypsy dance and a striptease. Then, in front of him once again, she slowly bent her knees and swiveled her hips from side to side.“Dani . . Her name sounded strangl
“Dani, don’t. Stop.”“What?”“I’m not sure, but I have this feeling you’re withdrawing from me.”An astute observation, she reflected. “No, really, I do understand, Nathan. I understand completely.”He eyed her carefully. “Good. Then I hope you’ll be equally understanding about what I’m going to say next. Dani, I want you to come with me.”There went her reprieve from temptation. She shook her head. “There’s no way I can do that.”“Don’t say no immediately. Think about it.”“I don’t have to. I can’t go. I have classes to give and a spring recital to choreograph.”“I’m talking about three weeks in Europe, Dani. Think of the hm we could have together.”“Fun? You’ll be there to conduct business, right? Where would the fun come into it?”“I won’t be working twenty-four hours a day. And once we get over there. I’ll make sure we have a lot of time to sightsee and shop.” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin of her palm. A shiver of heat ran down her spine. “And then th
She looked so amazed, he almost laughed. “You find that hard to believe?”‘Actually I do. I can’t imagine a Damaron allowing a woman to interfere with his work.”“There was no allowing about it. I couldn’t sit in a meeting, go out to dinner, fall asleep at night, wake up in the morning, or even pick up a pencil, without my mind wandering to you, wondering what you were doing and if you were with someone else.”She looked down at her slippers. “I’m sorry.”“You damn well should be.”Her head came up and fire flashed in her eyes. “Why? Because I had the temerity to stand up to you and say no?”“Because you haven’t been able to explain to my satisfaction why you broke it off with me.”She threw out her hands. “That’s not my problem, Nathan, nor is it my responsibility. I’ve said everything I can on the subject. The rest is up to you.”“I don’t believe you.”Instantly her brows drew together. “What? What don’t you believe?”“I don’t beheve you’ve said everything you can. There has to be s
“It’s all right, Cecilia.” Stacy nodded knowingly at Dani. “You feel like you’re going to throw up, don’t you?”She was having to concentrate on not throwing up and couldn’t answer her.“And you were dizzy, weren’t you?” Stacy went on. “I know all about that. That’s how my mom feels every time she gets pregnant.”Pregnant. The nausea began to subside and Dani waited several beats, then cautiously took her hand away from her mouth. “I am not pregnant, Stacy. I think it’s just a little hot in here.”Elizabeth raced back to her and handed her a glass of water. Gratefully she took it and sipped. She supposed her symptoms did replicate those of early pregnancy, but in her case, it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true.“Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” Stacy persisted.“Yes.” A cold, sick feeling suddenly gripped her and slowly she turned her head and looked in the mirror. A pale face stared back at her. Her gaze dropped lower to her breasts and stayed. Was she imagining it or were they sligh