Her breath caught. Ian had brought her to his private conservatory. From up here, she could see everything. It was a beautiful April night, and when she glanced up she saw the sky was a beautiful shade of navy blue. The stars sparkled like glistening diamonds above and the half moon provided a warm glow and a feeling of opulence.
Ian’s conservatory was the ideal place to create a relaxing sanctuary surrounded by the beauty of God’s universe. The lighting inside the conservatory created pools of soft illumination. It was an intimate setting that framed the moon and stars to their best advantage. The room was furnished with rattan furniture. Each piece was richly detailed, intricately patterned out of woven banana leaf with a natural finish. The cushions on the sofa and chair looked too comfortable for words, and the other accessories—the coffee table, side table and foot stool, completed the seating arrangement. Everything in the room seemed to fit. Even the tall, handsome man standing beside her.
“So what do you think?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.
To say she was impressed was an understatement. He never ceased to amaze or surprise her. But then, she really should have known that. Ian was a very smart man who’d graduated from Yale University, magnum cum laude, at twenty-two with a degree in physics. But he definitely wasn’t your ordinary geek. After working for a year at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, he had returned home when his grandfather died. He began working for a research firm in Atlanta to be close to his family and it was there that the gambling bug hit him. The way Ian saw it, beating the odds was based on statistical probability. To him it was a matter of mathematic calculations rather than a game of chance. And, he was very good at math.
“I think this place is beautiful, Ian. The furniture and plants enhance everything. There’s nothing like having a beautiful environment with the outside all around and the sky up above.”
Ian nodded. That’s exactly the way he felt. He’d always loved looking at the sky at night, and when he got older it had seemed the most natural thing to choose a career studying it. Although he no longer worked in that profession, he hadn’t given up his love of astronomy.
“Come look through this,” he said, taking her hand and leading her over to a huge telescope.
Brooke peered through the telescope at the moon, the stars and the other celestial bodies that were visible in the sky. She smiled when she saw a shooting star. According to myth, shooting stars fell to the earth creating a flower with each impact.
She straightened, suddenly feeling Ian’s heat, and knew he had come to stand directly behind her, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck. A long, tense moment passed before she could draw in enough air to ask, “You come here often?”
“Whenever I need to get away or just to think.”
Ian knew he would never tell her that although this was the first time she had been in his conservatory, he thought of her often when he was up here. It was the only place he allowed himself to let the memories of the love they’d once shared slip through the wall he had built around his heart.
At one time she had been his own special star. She had shone brightly even when the skies had been gray for him and menacing dark clouds had appeared on his horizon. Brooke had been his sun after every storm.
His career change from scientist to casino owner hadn’t been easy, but she, along with his family, had motivated and encouraged him to pursue his dream. Brooke had been there by his side when he had celebrated the purchase of the Delta Princess.
He sighed deeply, knowing two things for sure. Brooke was still deeply embedded in his system, and no matter what it took he was going to get her out of it. Just the thought of having her in his bed one last time sent a wave of heat coursing through him. But it wouldn’t be fair to rush her into a night of hot, wild passion, even though that might be what they both needed.
He had to be patient.
* * *
Brooke pointed up toward the sky, trying to deflect the sensations she felt flowing through her body as a result of Ian’s closeness. “Look at that star,” she said.
Ian grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body closer to his, and whispered, “I hate to disappoint you, but that’s a satellite.”
“Oh.” Her heart jumped, and heat suddenly flooded her spine where his chest was pressing against it. Then there was the feel of her backside pressed against the zipper of his pants. She felt the firmness of his arousal, getting thicker by the minute, and wished there was some way to defuse the tension steadily growing between them. Of course she knew that Ian would have his own ideas of how they should go about rectifying the problem.
Deciding she couldn’t take much more of what she realized was his sly attempt to seduce her, Brooke turned around to suggest they go back to the lounge. Her move was a huge mistake. Turning around placed her face-to-face and body-to-body with him. When she gazed up into his eyes, she suddenly had a memory lapse, and every coherent thought froze in her brain. At that moment nothing mattered but the man staring down at her.
He reached out and traced the pad of his thumb across her jaw, and when he did, currents of electricity shot to every part of her. He leaned down and brought his face closer to hers. Up this close, underneath the beauty of a moonlit, star-filled sky, her gaze swept over his features and her heart reaffirmed her love for him.
“Do you know what it means when a couple kisses under a shooting star?” he asked, his voice low and husky.
“No, what does it mean?” she asked.
“According to Greek mythology, Zeus bestows upon the couple the gift of uncontrollable passion.”
Uncontrollable passion? Brooke swallowed deeply, thinking they must have kissed under a shooting star once before because whenever it came to passion it seemed they’d cornered the market. Back in the old days, he had been able to draw her to him with a magnetic force. Her hormones would go haywire each and every time. She felt her bones melting just thinking about those times.
“In that case I suggest we don’t kiss under a shooting star,” she said, trying to get a grip on her senses.
“I disagree.” He moved his thumb from her jaw to her neck. “Nothing’s wrong with a hefty amount of passion every once in a while,” he said, leaning closer to her.
Not if you haven’t had any in four years, she wanted to say, but the only thing she could do was stand and watch his mouth get closer and closer and…
Her eyes drifted shut when his lips touched hers, and when he deepened the kiss she thought there was nothing like being kissed under the beauty of a night sky, especially when the person doing the honors was the man you loved.
Brooke’s insides sizzled as Ian’s tongue gently, unhurriedly mated with hers. Kissing was something she’d always enjoyed doing with him and she couldn’t help but recall how they had even gone so far as to develop their own technique of French kissing. And the way Ian was using his tongue on her now jarred her senses, melting her insides. She felt heat spread up her thighs, settle between her legs, and she felt the first sign of that special brand of titillation only he could stir within her. When it came to passion, they didn’t need a shooting star. Their fiery chemistry came naturally.
The room felt like it was beginning to spin when he intensified the kiss, delved deeper into her mouth, making the taste of him explode against her palate. She grabbed ahold of his shoulders, felt the fabric of his jacket underneath her fingers, holding on tight lest she be swept away.
When Ian finally released her mouth she could barely breathe, and a moan slipped from between her lips although she fought to hold it back. She felt the solid length of him cradled against her middle and knew what his body wanted. She tilted her head and looked at him, gazed into those dark eyes that could make a woman swoon. She was getting in deeper by the minute.
He continued to stoke the fire within her as he slid his hand up her arms, over her shoulders and leaned closer to place butterfly kisses around her nose and mouth. “I need to leave
town for a few days,” he said softly against her lips.
She felt her jaw go slack. “What?”
He pulled back just a little, enough for her to see the darkness of his eyes. “I need to leave in the morning for Memphis to finalize the sale of the riverboat. I’ll be gone for two days.”
“Oh.” She tried hiding her disappointment and couldn’t. Her pouty expression must have given her away.
He looked somewhat amused when he asked, “Are you going to miss me?”
She gave him a weak smile. Oh, yes, she would miss him, but then the separation would give her a chance to screw her head back on straight. “Not at all,” she said teasingly.
“Um, then maybe I should give you a reason to miss me…and to look forward to my return.”
Before Brooke could draw her next breath she was swept off her feet into Ian’s strong arms.
CHAPTER 5
Ian didn’t have to go far to the sofa, which was a good thing because he was so terribly aroused his zipper was about to burst. Only Brooke could do this to him this quick and fast, with an urgency that made him want to tear the clothes off her body and do it then and there.
But he knew with Brooke he could never just do it. Oh, yeah, in the past they would mate like rabbits several times over, and he would take her in every position known to man—even some he’d conjured up that actually defied the laws of gravity—but still, in his mind they had never just done it. Each time they’d come together, intimately connected, it had meant something emotionally, too. They had always made love and never just had sex. Even now when he wanted to work her out of his system, he knew it would mean something.
And that was the gist of his dilemma.
Although he wanted to believe otherwise, making love to Brooke would be more than a means to an end. His best-laid intentions could backfire, and she could get even deeper under his skin. That thought was unnerving.
And yet that possibility hadn’t lessened his desire for her, hadn’t stopped his testosterone from kicking into overdrive or from giving him the most intense arousal he’d had in four years. In other words, he needed to “do it,” like, yesterday, but only with this woman.
He leaned back on the sofa with her in his arms, and before she could open her mouth to utter a single word, his tongue was there, lapping her next breath from her parted lips. He kissed her deeply. His heart throbbed, his pulse was going haywire and his hands seemed to be everywhere, but mostly working their way under her dress.
When he realized that in less than five seconds flat he had his fingers right smack between her legs, he snapped his head up and stared at her. This was madness. This was crazy. This was typical Ian and Brooke.
He drew in an unsteady breath when these thoughts rang through his mind. They had always been hot for each other, and nothing had changed. Together they were spontaneous as hell. Whenever their bodies joined as one all they had to do was think orgasm and it happened.
He saw the darkening of her eyes, a signal that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. But he needed to hear her say it. He had to know before he went any further that whatever they did tonight, she would be with him all the way and there would be no regrets.
“Brooke?”
* * *
She heard her name whispered from his lips in a tone so raspy and sensual it made her breath hitch in her throat. She knew what he wanted. She also knew what he was asking, and at the moment she couldn’t deny Ian Westmoreland a single thing. It had been four years for her, and the abstinence had taken its toll. She felt out of her league, something she’d never felt with Ian before. She didn’t know how to react. The only thing she did know was that she wanted him.
She reached out and clutched the lapels of his jacket. “I don’t understand the intensity of this, Ian,” she whispered truthfully, pulling his mouth down closer to hers.
“Then let me explain it to you without words,” he said silkily against her lips.
And then he was kissing her again, and with their mouths still connected he slid to the edge of the sofa. Shifting her in his arms he changed her position in his lap and brought her legs around his waist. With her dress bunched up around her waist, she felt the thickness of his arousal pressed against the juncture of her legs. There was no way she could regain her senses now even if she wanted to. She was a goner.
Heat flared through her when she felt the straps of her dress fall from her shoulders, and then he was no longer kissing her. He had turned his attention to her breasts. Being braless left her bare and exposed for his pleasure, and when his mouth latched on to a nipple she knew this was just the beginning. When it came to breast stimulation he was as skilled as they came.
“Ian.”
Ian pulled away, deciding he would take more time with her breasts later. He knew exactly what they both wanted and needed now. He stood with her in his arms when the ring of his cell phone intruded.
“Damn,” he muttered as he placed her on her feet while working the phone out of his jacket. “What?” he barked after answering the call.
“Domestic dispute,” Vance said, the security manager’s words washing over Ian like a pail of cold water. “One of those electricians got a surprise visit from his wife.”
“And?”
“She caught him in bed with…” After a brief pause Vance added, “…another electrician. Male.”
“What?”
“You heard me right. And now the woman is hysterical.”
Ian rubbed his hand down his face. He couldn’t very much blame her for that. Because of the satellite floating overhead, the reception was clear, and standing close in front of him he knew that Brooke had heard Vance’s words. Ian met her gaze and, regardless of the situation, he was tempted to sweep his mouth down for another tongue-tingling kiss. Instead he said to Vance, “Go on, I’m sure there’s more.”
“Yes. She’s threatened to sue everyone—the electricians’ union, the airline that flew him here, the guy he was caught with, as well as this casino for allowing such behavior and conduct.”
Ian didn’t like hearing the word sue. “Where are you?”
“On the fourteenth floor.”
“I’m on my way.” He flipped the phone shut and gazed into Brooke’s face thinking how damn sexy she looked with her hair mussed and her lips swollen from his kisses.
“I need to go,” he said regretfully, straightening his jacket.
“I understand how it is when duty calls.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “I appreciate that.” Straightening out the situation might take a while, and since it was almost two in the morning, Ian knew it would be two days before he saw Brooke again.
He took her hand in his as he led her toward the elevator. “Enjoy yourself while I’m in Memphis.”
She smiled over at him. “I will.”
He frowned. “But not too much.”
She chuckled. “Okay, I won’t.”
When the elevator closed behind them, he pulled her into his arms. He thought of asking her to come to Memphis with him but quickly pushed the idea from his mind. Instead he said, “Have dinner with me in my penthouse when I get back.”
He thought it was better to ask now. He had a feeling the two-day separation would have her thinking that tonight had been a mistake, and he didn’t intend to let that happen.
“Ian, I—”
He kissed the words off her lips. “No, Brooke. We owe it to ourselves to finish what we started.”
She stared up at him. “Do we?”
“Yes.” And then he kissed her again, liking the feel of her in his arms, her warmth, her closeness and definitely her taste.
When he released her mouth she sighed deeply and said, “All right.”
Tension that had been building inside of him slowly left his body. “I’ll see you to your suite.”
She shook her head. “That’s not necessary, Ian. You have a matter that needs your immediate attention. Besides,” she said, smiling, “I think I’ll s
top at one of the blackjack tables and try out some of those skills you taught me today.”
He chuckled. “Okay.”
“Have a safe trip, Ian.”
“Thank you.”
As the elevator arrived on the lobby floor, he released her. When she stepped away he suddenly felt a rush of loss through every part of his body. And when she began walking off he called out to her before she was swallowed by the crowd. “Don’t forget about dinner Friday night.”
She turned around and smiled. “I won’t.”
“My place. Seven sharp.”
She nodded and continued to stare at him until the elevator door closed.
* * *
Brooke sat idly at a table in one of the cafés sipping her coffee and thinking of her telephone conversation with Tara Westmoreland that morning. Tara was Delaney’s best friend and was married to Delaney’s brother Thorn Westmoreland. Tara had invited Brooke to the surprise thirtieth birthday party being planned for Delaney next weekend at the Rolling Cascade.
Brooke was surprised Ian hadn’t mentioned anything about the party to her. Perhaps he didn’t want her there. She could remember how tense things had been at Dare and Shelly’s wedding. But at that time the relationship between her and Ian had been very strained. Now, although they weren’t back together or anything like that, at least they were talking…and kissing, she thought, smiling to herself. However, he might not want to give his family the wrong impression, and if they were seen together she could certainly see that happening.
“Enjoying your stay, Ms. Chamberlain?”
Brooke glanced up and met Vance’s less-than-friendly eyes. On more than one occasion she had caught the man staring at her as if he was deliberately keeping her within his scope, and more than once she had wondered if Ian had asked him to keep an eye on her while he was gone. If he had, that meant he suspected her of something. It also meant he still didn’t trust her.
Her heart quickened and she inwardly scolded herself for jumping to conclusions. This man was head of security at the casino and he was probably programmed to be suspicious of everything and everyone.
Ian's Ultimate Gamble ; Seduction, Westmoreland Style Page 6
