“I wanted to see you. Andrew agreed that I should.” She glanced over her shoulder, and he suspected she was uncomfortable standing in the hallway with the security cameras aimed in her direction.
“Do you want to come in?” he asked.
“Yes. Thank you.”
She followed him into the apartment, and he wondered if he should offer her a cold drink. She seemed a little wilted from the weather. He knew the night air was humid. He’d left the door to his verandah open, but there was no escape from the heat.
“I’ll get you a soda.” He entered the kitchen and filled a glass with ice. While he poured the cola, she came in and stood beside the counter.
She took the drink and sipped gratefully, leaving her signature lipstick mark on the glass. Clay wanted to put his mouth where hers has been, but he grabbed a soda for himself and drank from the can instead.
“What are you doing here, Kat?”
“I told you. I wanted to see you.”
“Why?”
“Because I miss you.”
He missed her, too. He literally ached for her, an ache he’d been fighting. “Why did Andrew agree that you should come by?”
She took another sip. “I told him that I wanted one more night with you.”
Clay’s chest constricted. “One more night?”
Her breath rushed out. “Andrew asked me if I was in love with you. If you were in love with me. But that’s…”
“Impossible,” he finished for her.
“Yes. Impossible.” She set her drink on the counter, but her voice was shaky. “One night will be enough.”
“Of course it will. For both of us.” He held out his arms. An automatic reflex, he thought. A need he couldn’t seem to control. She put her head on his shoulder, and he felt her tremble. He brought her closer, inhaling her fragrance. “Sometimes I smell your perfume when you’re not here.”
She looked up. “I’m here now.”
He touched her braid, thinking how beautiful she was. “You wore your hair like this on that first night.”
“The night I drank too much wine. That seems like a lifetime ago.”
“You wore it this way another time. The time you put your mouth on me.”
“When I seduced you in the supply room?”
He nodded, praying one more night would be enough. “You never fail to surprise me.” He led her to his bed, and they undressed, opening zippers, peeling away fabrics.
He caressed her skin, roaming her body, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples, making them hard.
In turn, she skimmed his stomach, then lowered her head to kiss his navel. When she took him in her mouth, he wished their lovemaking could last forever.
Wanting more, he adjusted their positions so he could taste her, too, so they could pleasure each other at the same time.
Beautiful madness, he thought. Warm, wet foreplay. He and Kat seemed like painters, memorizing this moment in their minds, creating slow, sensual strokes.
He licked her until she peaked, until she shuddered against him. But he didn’t let her bring him to fruition. He wasn’t ready for it to end.
He rose above her, and she smiled at him, still dazed from her climax.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said. To say goodbye, to be together one last time.
“Me, too.” She kissed him, making him long for her even more.
Finally he straddled her, anxious to make love, to claim her. He reached for a condom and frowned at the foil packet. He wanted to come inside her, flesh to flesh, but he knew it was wrong. He had no right to risk conception.
He used the protection, then entered her, as hard and deep as he could. She gasped and arched, as sleek as a cat, as soft as a kitten.
“Kat.” He said her name, and her heart pounded against his.
They made love in a rush of emotions, in tangled limbs and sweet whispers. She slid her hand between their bodies, touching him where they were joined. He buried his face against her neck, absorbing her scent.
The sheers on the window billowed, just a little, just enough to haunt the bed, to send a gust of warm air over his skin.
The moon glinted in the sky. He could feel it bathing the building, shimmering over Steam like a jewel.
She moved with him, stroke for stroke, as fluid as a dance. The music was in their hearts, in their heads, in the blood flowing through their veins.
He thrust deeper, needing more, needing all of her. She climaxed beneath him, making sweet little sounds, taking everything he gave her.
And when he looked into her eyes, his seed spilling from his body, he knew he was falling in love. That it wasn’t impossible after all.
Katrina awakened in Clay’s arms. She nuzzled against him. His body was strong and warm, smooth and muscular. She ran her hand across his chest, and he stirred in his sleep.
She lingered for a while, appreciating him, fighting the urge to stay, to keep a man who didn’t belong to her. Finally she climbed out of bed, and as she gathered her clothes, she turned to look at him. Suddenly he opened his eyes, and they stared at each other.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“To take a shower. Then I’ll go home,” she added, wishing daylight hadn’t come so soon.
“I’ll shower with you.” He sat up but he didn’t smile. He seemed disturbed, as though his mind were cluttered.
They walked to the bathroom and closed the door. She dropped her clothes on the floor. There was no point trying to salvage them; they were wrinkled already. He turned on the spigot, and the moment they stepped into the tub, he grabbed her and kissed her. Hard, she thought. Desperate.
She kissed him back, and the water rained over their naked bodies, pounding against their skin. He didn’t take the time to caress her, to play nice. He was already aroused, already pushing her against the tiled wall, wanting her.
She wanted him, too. With a vengeance. She said his name and dug her nails into his shoulders. He lifted her hips and thrust into her.
They made frenzied love, panting and kissing and biting. No protection, no gentle words. The shower was hot and steamy, and her world was spinning out of control.
He rubbed his hands all over her. Rough hands, aggressive fingers. In turn, she clawed him even deeper, drawing blood. He didn’t seem to care, to feel the pain. All he wanted was the hard, driving rhythm, the power of unbridled sex. She could see it in his eyes.
Would this be her last memory of him? The image that haunted her every night? The idea terrified her, knowing she would miss him for the rest of her life.
He pinned her arms against the wall. Maybe he’d started to feel the pain. She’d scratched him like a cat, like a tigress damaging its mate.
He kept thrusting into her, pushing toward a release. Their gazes locked. Water streamed unmercifully down their faces.
And then it happened. They climaxed at the same time, at the same insane moment. She felt a jolt of electricity shock her system, leaving her weak.
His entire body shuddered, and he spilled into her, as hard and fast as the shower pummeling their flesh.
Breathless, he released her arms. She nearly lost her balance, stumbling against him.
“If you get pregnant, I’ll marry you,” he said.
Stunned, Katrina blinked. That was the last thing she’d expected him to say. She glanced at the marks she’d left on his shoulders, unable to respond.
They stepped out of the tub, and he wrapped her in a towel. “Did you hear me?” he asked.
“Yes.” A lump formed in her throat. “Did you mean it?”
He stepped back. “Of course I did.”
“Thank you.” She wondered how she could feel so romantic yet so sad. “I appreciate your…” She couldn’t think of the right word to say, so she let her sentence fade into the air, into the stillness that surrounded them.
“Are you going back to Andrew, Kat?”
“Not if I get pregnant by you.”
“And if you don�
��t?”
She couldn’t imagine being with Andrew. Not now. Not after being with Clay. “I’m never going back to him. I don’t love him anymore. Maybe I never really did.” Because she loved Clay, she realized. Because somewhere deep down, she’d always loved him. “I guess Andrew figured that out before I did.”
Clay didn’t react, and they both fell silent. If Andrew wasn’t an issue between them, then they were free to be together, with or without a baby. But she didn’t have the courage to say that out loud. And apparently, neither did he.
Clay picked up his toothbrush and added a glob of toothpaste to it. Katrina reached for her toothbrush, as well. The one he kept in his bathroom for her.
They brushed their teeth, taking turns at the sink. It was strangely domestic, she thought. The sort of things married couples did.
“I’m sorry I scratched you.” She slipped on her panties and bra. “I’m sorry I made you bleed.”
He was still naked. “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”
She lifted her dress off the floor, wishing she’d brought a change of clothes, wishing this wasn’t so awkward. “I guess I should go.”
She searched for her purse and found it in the kitchen. Clay went into his room, or the unwalled area that served as his room, and put on a pair of jeans. She could see him from her vantage point, dragging the denim over simple white boxers. His hair was in damp disarray, falling around his face.
She watched him, the thought of leaving him tearing her apart. Should she hope for a baby? Or was it wrong to force a man to marry her? To trap him into a union based on a child?
He entered the kitchen. “Ready?”
No, she thought. No. “Are you going to walk me out?”
“I have to. The club is closed.”
When they stepped into the elevator, he didn’t press the button. He just looked at her, and her eyes started to water.
“Don’t cry, Kat.”
“I’m not.” She sniffed, and he moved closer. Then he took her in his arms. She clung to him, realizing how often he held her, how often he offered her the comfort of his embrace.
“Stay with me,” he said.
She looked up. “For how long?”
“As long as you want.”
She chewed her lip. Shy, nervous, trapped in emotion. “What if I want forever?”
He touched a strand of her hair; it was as damp and tousled as his. “Does that mean you love me?”
She nodded, her heart going weak.
“Oh, God, Kat. Me, too. But it scares me.”
Her knees nearly buckled. He looked so serious, so lost. So incredibly beautiful for a man who’d just bared his soul. “Why?”
“Because of Andrew. Because of him being the type of guy your family wants you to marry.”
“My family wants me to be happy.” She leaned forward. “I’ve been in love with you since we were teenagers.”
“That’s how it was for me, but I didn’t understand my feelings until now.”
“We were too young.”
“I tried to get you out of my system, but this affair wasn’t about sex. I thought it was, but I was wrong.” He paused. “Do you want to live here with me? Help me run the club?” He paused again, his gaze searching hers. “Maybe marry me?”
“Maybe?” Her heart pounded a glorious rhythm. She took a deep breath, cherishing this moment, letting it flow through every cell in her body. Clayton Crawford loved her; he wanted to make her his wife. “There’s no maybe about it.” She couldn’t imagine living another day without him, surviving without his touch, his voice, the shelter of his arms. “I’d marry you in an instant.”
“You came here to say goodbye, and now we’re getting married.” He grinned at her, his lips tilting in masculine wonder. “I think we’re losing our minds.”
“Yes,” she agreed, returning his smile, equally awed by the beauty of being together, of planning a future. They were crazy. Beautifully, madly insane. The perfect ingredient for being in love.
“We have less than two months!” Delilah Beaumont flipped through her Rolodex. “Less than two months to plan a wedding!”
“They’re anxious,” Marie said about the bride and groom. “They don’t want to wait.”
Clay glanced at his mom, and she smiled. The Beaumonts and the Crawfords were gathered in the Beaumont sitting room, sipping iced tea and eating finger foods.
“We’ll need a coordinator. Ah, here.” Delilah produced the number she’d been searching for. “We’ll make it the grandest wedding Savannah has ever seen. Even if we have to work day and night to make it happen.”
Clay didn’t say a word. He just leaned back and watched Kat’s mother fawn and fuss over his upcoming nuptials. He didn’t care what sort of ceremony they had, as long as he was marrying the woman he loved.
Kat sat beside Marie, a stack of bridal magazines on her lap. They’d been working on ideas for the dress, a gown Clay’s mother was designing.
“We could have the wedding here.” Delilah gestured to French doors leading to a formal garden. “At dusk, with tea lights floating in a lily pond. Wouldn’t that be elegant?”
“And romantic,” Marie chimed in.
Kat looked up from a magazine. “We don’t have a lily pond, Mother.”
“So we’ll build one. And we’ll build a park temple or a limestone pergola. Something far more appealing than a gazebo. We’ll redesign the whole garden if we have to.” She clasped her hands together. “What about Greek statues?”
“As long as there’s one of Triton,” Kat responded.
“That’s a marvelous idea.” Delilah reached for a cucumber sandwich. “Poseidon’s son.” She paused to taste her food. “Maybe we should order a statue of Poseidon, as well. What do you think, Clayton?”
“That sounds perfect.” He looked at Kat and felt his heartbeat quicken. More perfect than he could imagine.
“It all sounds good to me,” Kat’s father said, although no one asked his opinion. He was a quiet man, with a good heart and a respectful nature. Clay liked him immensely, and he sensed the Beaumont patriarch liked him, too.
“I’ll call the landscaper.” Delilah all but beamed. She was in her glory, planning her daughter’s wedding. Just as Clay’s mother was in her glory, eager to send her son down the aisle.
“Why don’t you two take a walk,” Delilah suggested, sending Clay and Kat into the garden. “You’ve been cooped up all day.”
Clay took his lady’s hand and they strolled through the grass, surrounded by acres of flowers and a view of the sea. It was a stunning location for a wedding.
“My mother hasn’t even started in about the reception yet. The dinner menu, the cake, the—”
“It doesn’t matter.” He cupped Kat’s face and kissed her. “All that matters is us being together.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “I love you, Clayton Crawford.”
“I love you, too.” An array of scents mingled in the air, creating paradise on earth. “You’re everything I need.”
They kissed again, then separated to gaze at the sea, at the blue-green water shimmering in the distance. “I’m not the only one who fell in love at the club,” he said.
“You’re not?”
“Sophia and Nick are together and so are Kelly and Mike.”
Kat turned to look at him. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
“Sophia was my assistant, and Nick was the DEA agent who swept her off her feet. They’re renovating a steamboat, turning it into a casino.”
“So he’s not a cop anymore?”
“No. And she’s not my assistant anymore, either.” He smiled, thinking how amazing Kat looked, with her bright blue eyes and sun-glowing skin. “I guess you’ll have to be my new right hand woman now.”
“With pleasure.” She leaned against his shoulder. “Who are Kelly and Mike?”
“Kelly’s a cocktail waitress at Steam and Mike’s a Navy SEAL. They call him Mad Dog.”
“Does he go mad?”
Clay laughed. “He’s mad about Kelly. I’ll invite them to the wedding. And Sophia and Nick, too. I want you to meet them, to get to know my friends.” He touched a strand of her hair. “It’s going to be a beautiful wedding. The best day of our lives.”
“Every day is going to be the best day of our lives.” She picked a carnation and tucked it into his shirt pocket.
He looked up and noticed an archway blooming with roses above their heads. “I’m in heaven.”
“So am I.” She reached for his hand and led him farther into the garden, into a moment made just for them. For lovers, he thought. For a couple who was ready to spend eternity in Savannah, a place to enjoy warm afternoons and blues-filled nights, a place where their babies would be born. A steamy Southern town, he thought, that would always be home.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Barbara McCauley, Maureen Child and Sheri WhiteFeather for their contributions to the DYNASTIES: SUMMER IN SAVANNAH collection.
DYNASTIES: SUMMER IN SAVANNAH
Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Books S.A.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6809-2
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT
Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited S.A.
WITH A TWIST
Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited S.A.
THE DARE AFFAIR
Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited S.A.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
The Dare Affair: Summer In Savannah Anth. (Dynasties: The Danforths Book 6.5 Page 22
