Rapture

by Sonia Icilyn

  She peeked cautiously through the peephole and saw Dale standing on her doorstep. She wasn’t entirely surprised. After all, something was brewing between them. Avril opened the door and quickly fixed her eyes on him. His tall figure filled the doorway, towering majestically over her.

  “Dale!” she gasped, noting the bottle of Cristal in his right hand.

  “I know it’s presumptuous and rude to drop by like this,” he began, rolling his gaze from her startled face, down her body and to Avril’s bare feet.

  “Yes, it is,” she agreed, desperately trying to quell the impact that his physical presence made on her. And it had nothing to do with the way Dale looked in a black Rocawear T-shirt, faded pair of jeans and a blue windbreaker, indicative that he’d gone home and changed after leaving the firm.

  “Can I come in?”

  Avril hesitated, but Dale’s brooding expression melted her strong reserves. “Ten minutes,” she advised.

  “You look…” His voice trailed as he stepped over the threshold, then dipped his head.

  Dale was swift. Avril’s lips were taken from her. Immediately drugged, Dale’s mouth was as intoxicating as the champagne he was holding. Avril was rendered powerless. She remained rooted, aware of the sudden tremor that rocked her as she reciprocated his welcoming kiss.

  A small fierce sound erupted between them. Avril had not realized it came from her own throat until Dale pulled away, stalling her desire from letting rip. He held up the set of tulip-shaped glasses in his left hand, ensnaring her in his brooding gaze.

  “What’s this?” Avril inquired, dazed as a rabbit in front of a set of headlights.

  She remembered Maxwell being a man of grand gestures. Excesses of spontaneity. Wild fancies and dramatically impulsive with gifts. Such behavior had warped her judgment, momentarily stole her reasoning and robbed her thoughts from seeing the truth. Naturally, Avril viewed the bottle of Cristal with suspicion, even as her mind told her that Dale Lambert was a different kind of man.

  “It’s to toast your new home,” he said.

  Avril licked her trembling lips, relishing the memory of their heated kiss. “You only phoned five minutes ago. How did you—”

  “I was in the car park,” Dale cut in. “On my cell phone.” He licked his lips, too, all thoughts of talking to Avril about her brother flitting from his mind. “Where to?”

  “I was about to take a bath before you called,” she reminded. “I’ve already filled the tub.”

  “Don’t let me stop you taking a dip,” Dale encouraged. “I’m still good for it.”

  Avril couldn’t tear her eyes from him. “For what?”

  “Washing your back,” he smiled wryly.

  Avril swallowed. They had managed to keep their heads the last time she’d spent a long evening with this man. But Avril was not feeling so tamed now. She was suffering from that crazy sort of excitement that, if induced by champagne, was likely to preclude a night of hot passion. “I can reach my back,” she said, catching the raw challenge in Dale’s eyes. “You go and crack open that bottle.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “In there.”

  Dale shrugged. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Avril watched him go, admiring his broad shoulders and tall indomitable frame that dominated her hallway. Some inner part of her reached out to him as he switched on the light and Dale knew she was still staring at him, because he turned and threw her a winning smile.

  Avril’s heart leapt into her throat. Could this man really be in her home, looking so sexy like that? With his curling, twisting locks of hair, those chocolate-drip eyes and lips tempting her to be kissed again. Avril returned the smile and shook her head, working her way out of the daze he’d thrown her into.

  And when he disappeared from view and she heard the cork pop, a tiny shriek of anguish leapt from her throat. She dived for the bathroom. This was silly, she told herself while standing behind the door, barring him from entering. Dale Lambert was in her apartment. The least she could do was join him for a glass of that expensive bottle of champagne before sending him on his way.

  It was a single thought, enough for Avril to relax. She began to pin her hair up. The bubbled water in front of her was inviting. She would take a bath and calm herself. Slipping out of her bathrobe, her resolve was to remain focused.

  Once in the tub, she mentally began to tick off the things she wanted to do. Discuss Antonio’s position at Armstrong Caribbean Food Ltd, tell Dale about her new job and remind him that they both had work to go to in the morning.

  From the depths of her bath she heard Dale wander into her living room and then the sound of her portable stereo click into action. The Four Tops peeled soothingly into the air and she realized Dale had chosen wisely from her small CD selection.

  Forty minutes later, the water began to cool and she finally forced herself out, wrapping the toweling bathrobe around her. Avril sprayed herself with a burst of lavender and immediately wished she hadn’t. The fragrance was potent and seductive, but it was too late to do anything now.

  She brushed out her dark curly semi-wet hair and viewed herself in the misty bathroom mirror. Free of constraining pins, it bounced into a flock of irresistible twists made frizzy from the steam-filled room. Avril moaned at seeing the untamed mess, but experience had taught her that it would fight its way free if she attempted to pin it up again. She would have to wait until it was completely dry before she could remodel it to frame her face.

  Defeated at having to let it lie limp and kinky around her shoulders, Avril gingerly walked into her living room to find Dale stretched out on her sofa, his shoes abandoned and his windbreaker folded across the sofa’s arm. His eyes were closed, but Avril knew he was not sleeping. Dale was simply enjoying the soft drum of the music.

  “Hey?” she prompted, standing over him.

  His eyes slowly opened. Dale looked up at the woman in front of him, with her tangled hair and wet spots of water clinging to her cheeks and thought he had seen a slice of heaven. He blinked, wondering if he’d lost track of time. Earlier, he had nestled into the blue leather sofa in the living room and pictured Avril in her tub.

  His mind had wandered aimlessly on the water running down her small-boned frame, washing over the elongated shape of her caramel-brown legs, and dripping down to the delicate glide of her neck to tickle over her full breasts. His body had reacted to the carnal dream, making his jeans taut and uncomfortable.

  He’d wanted to burst into that bathroom and invade her tub. But his hazy dream had been fraught with reality, even as the image of her nut-brown eyes danced in front of him. How could he possibly begin to tell Avril that Philippa was fighting against Maxwell Armstrong over paternal financial support when his very being wanted nothing more than to make love to her.

  Now that his eyes were open, they drifted down the contours of Avril’s throat calling a halt where the soft swell of her breasts were pushed up against her bathrobe. Noting his appraisal, Avril subconsciously pulled the robe tighter.

  “Don’t do that,” he whispered, reaching for her left wrist. In one swift movement, Dale pulled her down on the sofa next to him, enjoying her ruffled appearance that made her look like she’d already experienced a strenuous night of lovemaking with him. “I’m not going to touch you unless you want me to.”

  I want you to, a tiny voice begged ferociously in Avril’s head. Instead, she chuckled at being pulled from her feet, at being made vulnerable under his enigmatic power. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  His nostrils dug into her neck. “I just want to smell you,” Dale returned teasingly.

  Avril poked him with her elbow. “I came in here for a glass of champagne. You’re here to toast my new apartment, remember?”

  Dale rose and immediately reached for the two filled glasses on a nearby table with two chairs. He handed hers over. “There,” he said, raising his own glass. “I didn’t want to start without you.” They joined glasses. “To your future.”

  “And yours,” Avril
said, taking three sips. “Rosé,” she approved on a nod as the music began to mellow her.

  “Only the best,” Dale breathed, ensnaring her over the rim.

  Avril felt her heartstrings stretch. “Don’t look at me like that,” she said, nervous at what his expression implied.

  “Like what?” Dale responded, rejoining her on the sofa.

  “You know,” Avril accused.

  Dale lazily scratched his chin. “I haven’t done anything…yet,” he breathed on a seductive note.

  Avril inhaled. His diamond stud earring dazzled her and she struggled to keep control. “You were saying you knew something about why Tony didn’t get his job back,” she prevaricated and hated herself for doing so.

  Dale immediately recalled his reason for wanting to see her. His heart raced at the treachery he would have to explain and suddenly, he did not welcome the task. Why spoil a perfectly good evening being in Avril’s company? he thought. This was one evening where he wanted no distractions. No raking up of her past. Zero tolerance about the Armstrongs and zilch on her brother.

  “I don’t want to talk about that just yet,” he told her smoothly, deciding he’ll come to it later. “I want to know about your job first. What work are you doing for Reuben Meyer?”

  Avril smiled. Finally, she had a listener. “You really want to know?”

  Dale leaned into the nook of her sofa and ran a lazy hand across his stomach. “Go ahead,” he invited.

  Avril didn’t need to be told twice. “The building was completed one year ago,” she began, watching Dale’s listless motion—a steady stroke across to the left and then to the right of his tummy where, midway, he absently stopped to circle his naval beneath his shirt. She felt a frizzling sensation rush through her body and swallowed more champagne. “My job is to liaise with the new residents and find out why they’re unhappy.”

  “Is the building suffering from some structural integrity?” Dale surmised, guessing that there were cracks in the ceilings, walls or floors perhaps.

  “It’s not the building,” Avril said, toying with an unruly lock of her hair. “From what I’ve gathered so far, having spoken to three people, there’s some concern about the streamlining of new tenants.”

  “Really!” Dale exclaimed, one brow raised in genuine curiosity. “What’s the criteria for residency? Status? Locality? References?”

  “I’m not sure,” Avril admitted, sipping more champagne. “What I do know is that the housing association, who developed the project, is promoting itself as providing an important service to refugees and immigrants.”

  Dale sat up, his interest piqued. “Go on.”

  “When they signed their leases, they were not under any impression that they would be segregated,” Avril continued. “They resent the government and local authorities endorsing the association’s consensus to do so.”

  “Have you reported your findings to Reuben Meyer?” Dale inquired, concerned.

  “Not yet,” Avril confessed. “I’ve only been in the apartment two days. I want to question more tenants.”

  Dale’s gaze swept the contours of Avril’s face. “If you need any help—”

  “I’m fine,” Avril assured him. “I can do this.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” Dale replied, taking a fortifying swallow of champagne.

  But Avril saw the uncertainty in his eyes. “This is my way of using my title by working with the pageant organizers to champion a cause that will build stronger links within the Caribbean community.”

  “I know,” Dale smiled in admiration. “I’m simply concerned that Reuben Meyer, though he was one of the pageant organizers, may well be acting illegally and causing distress to the people living in this block. I don’t want you involved.”

  “But it was you who suggested I should fight for a worthy cause,” Avril reminded smoothly.

  “Yes, and—”

  “You said I should publicize an area of society that is in neglect,” Avril interrupted on another reminder.

  “I know,” Dale nodded. “But—”

  “This is it,” Avril concluded, as the music moved on to another track. “I need to prove that I’m someone more than a woman who paraded around in a swimsuit and an elegant evening gown to win a competition title.”

  “I know I said all those things,” Dale conceded in acceptance of Avril’s decision. “The point is—”

  “You were right,” Avril persisted further. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but now I can be a good role model. I want my life to make a difference to someone.”

  “You make a difference to me,” Dale suddenly inserted.

  Avril looked at him and saw pure blatant sensuality stamped across Dale’s face. Her senses jerked dramatically. With it came a rush of feeling that almost took her breath. “I mean…” she stumbled and took an intake of air. “It wasn’t just what you said. I’ve been thinking.”

  Dale placed his empty tulip glass on the nearby table and held her concentration level, his eyes melting into her own. “What have you been thinking?” he murmured softly.

  The faint ache in his tone washed over her and sent Avril’s pulse racing. “Remember Rosa Parks?” she asked in a trembling voice.

  Dale leaned back into the nook of the sofa and began to slowly work his hand up and down his stomach again. “She was a very brave woman,” he acknowledged.

  “She died last year during Britain’s Black History Month,” Avril continued. “She was an ordinary woman who achieved extraordinary things. That one single action, not giving up her seat on a bus for a white person, started the civil rights campaign. People were segregated then. To keep what she did alive, I shouldn’t allow segregation now. I need to find out more about the people who live in this building.”

  Dale heard the earnest tone in Avril’s voice and realized she was deadly serious. His expression altered imperceptibly from concern to something deeper, more intense.

  “I seem to have misjudged you,” he said suddenly. “When you first walked into my office, I saw you as a young girl who’d fallen on hard times. I even gave myself a pat on the back for having succeeded in helping you. Then,” Dale paused, his job and the clients he had to protect rising up to torment him. “I’ve acted inappropriately.”

  “By telling me that you dislike beauty pageants?” Avril probed, unsure.

  “No, it’s not that,” Dale said weakened. “When I saw you again at Media Plus with that man—”

  “Donavan St Clair,” Avril recalled.

  “I felt like I still needed to protect you,” Dale admitted softly. “Now, what I see is someone stronger than I imagined.”

  “And that surprises you?” Avril asked, as the music came to an end.

  Dale shook his head in the negative. “No, it doesn’t,” he said, his eyes melding with hers. “It makes me want you more.”

  His admission shook her. The brief silence was punctuated by the CD ejecting from the stereo player. While Avril sat, weak to the bone, she instantly realized something. How stupid she’d been not to have seen it sooner. Because her wretched thoughts had been trained on Meyrick Armstrong and bringing down damnation on Maxwell, she’d missed the one thing that eluded her. She was falling in love.

  Her breasts strained against the soft toweling bathrobe as the realization sank into her brain like a sharp needle. Her lips felt swollen and moist. Her heartbeat was running at marathon pace. She could feel the pulse at her throat throbbing madly as a result of the man sitting beside her. That unexpected stir of sensual madness invaded her senses once again.

  Avril did not know what to do next. Then she remembered something Antonio had told her. Sometimes a man takes a second shot at a woman because his soul can’t help it. After her wedding debacle, everything she’d told him about Meyrick, her humiliation and revengeful behavior, Dale still wanted her.

  He’d seen something more. Maybe the emerging of her new persona or the fact that he’d kindled her passion for him. Avril did not know. Th
e only thing she was sure of was how she felt. About herself and about him. The words were off her lips in a heartbeat.

  “I want you, too.”

  Dale was stricken by her honesty. “First, I need to tell you something,” he said.

  His voice seemed to grate over her skin, raising a prickle of excitement that tingled along her spine and made Avril catch her breath. “Don’t,” she whispered, uncertain she could handle hearing anything more revealing about Dale’s feelings.

  “It’s about your brother,” he continued. “Maxwell—”

  Her finger on his lips stopped the words. Avril placed her own empty glass on the nearby table. “I don’t want to talk about Antonio’s job with Maxwell.” There was a thickness in her voice as her hand dropped and touched his hand. “Can it wait until morning?”

  Dale stopped circling his navel and laced his fingers through hers. Avril’s sultry gaze started his heart racing. His blood instantly began to pump hot frizzles of emotion to every nerve in his body. Of course it could wait until morning. He was not going to pass on the alluring temptation in front of him. He gently pulled Avril toward him until her lips were inches from his own.

  In that instant he knew the moment wasn’t right to break the news about Maxwell’s life and its proven complications with her brother. It would spoil what they were experiencing and he didn’t want that. Besides, it didn’t matter, Dale convinced himself. Avril would know soon enough when her brother learned the truth.

  “It can wait,” he murmured and let it go.

  Avril rewarded him with a tender smile. She dipped her head and as he put aside the last vestiges of guilt, Dale cast a spell over them both with a long sedating kiss.

  His tongue tangled with hers. Avril laid across Dale’s body and enjoyed the playful onslaught. He licked, she nibbled. He plucked, she sucked. Every action brought on a growing sense of urgency that was tangible to them both. Wrapped in Dale’s arms, Avril knew she was surrendering to him. She was as helpless as a fish caught in his net. But she did not care.