"Diane's cousin." she explained. "And you're the best man."
"It's unfortunate we haven't met before." he told her with a flirtatious gleam in his eye.
"I work hard." Carla said as way of explanation. "I don't see much of Diane anymore."
"You're a baker." Daniel remembered. The words rolled off his tongue as though it gave him pleasure to say them and Carla couldn't imagine why. Daniel struck her more as a man who would prefer a corporate doll on his arm than someone who spent her time in less lucrative pursuits.
"And you're a lawyer,” she stated, in order to break away from the intensity of his interest in her and to turn the attention onto him. "What kind of law do you practice?" she asked, turning the tables to take the pressure from herself.
Talking about himself seemed to break the spell a little. The lawyer sat back on his chair as he had done earlier that day, with one leg over the other and one arm over the back of the chair as though he owned the place. He felt at ease, making himself comfortable, while Carla sat up straight on the edge of her chair, trying desperately to seem sophisticated and well-mannered in his presence.
"I work in corporate law." he told her.
"Gosh. That sounds challenging,” she said.
"Actually, it's thrilling." Daniel told her. The lawyer sat forwards as he began to tell her about his work and his eyes lit up as he did. He told her all about his high-profile cases, his millionaire clients, and the businesses he had seen be made and broken in the courtrooms he worked in, and Carla was utterly captivated by the way he spoke.
There was confidence in every word that crossed his lips and as he told her of his work.
Carla was in awe of his intelligence, prowess and knowledge of the law. She felt like a little bird sitting next to a tiger, but the power in him was addictive.
She was drawn to it more than she had ever been drawn to anything in her life. She barely understood a word he said about the legal complexities of his cases, but she could have listened to him speak forever.
"Enough about me." He sat back against his chair and looked at her with an interested smile. "I want to hear about you."
Carla laughed shyly. "What do you want to know?"
"How did you discover baking? Where do you work? Tell me everything." He gave her a little laugh and it eased her tension some.
"Well, after high school I was working as an assistant in a food store." Carla told him. "I was bored out of my mind. There were these free magazines that were delivered to the store each week and they had recipes and articles about cooking and baking in them. I used to read them to pass the time and then I started to try out a few of the recipes and I just found I was a natural at baking.
I started to find myself baking in all my free time until eventually it was all I wanted to do. I quit my job and started to bake full time. At first I was just selling out of my home to friends and family, and going to festivals and things like that, but then eventually I decided to just go for it and put everything I had into opening the bakery.
It nearly bankrupted me at first, but I got through the first year and then it was like something clicked and it worked like a charm. I've never looked back." She smiled in a little self-satisfaction. She was proud of what she had accomplished by working with such dedication, and she was not afraid to show it.
"I admire a woman who works hard for what she wants." Daniel told her. He smiled at her in appreciation, but there was something devilish in his eyes making it seem like there was more to his words than he spoke aloud. There was a sexual tension building between them that made everything feel like it had a double meaning.
It was unlike Carla to find herself flirting with a man; she had abstained for too long, but now she felt like, perhaps it was time to take what she wanted and her thoughts turned to Diane's suggestion of a hotel room. She quickly pushed the thought away and cleared her throat as her heart beat a little faster and she drank more wine.
The rest of the dinner passed with plenty of good food, good wine, speeches, and a simmering heat between Carla and Daniel, and Carla tried to hold back from it. Daniel, on the other hand, was determined to follow Cliff's advice and pursue a woman of a different lifestyle.
Carla was sweet and open and ambitious for the simple pleasures in life, rather than wanting to take over the world in a blaze of glory. She had dark hair, dark brown eyes with light flecks of gold, she could cook and she was definitely not a lawyer.
Daniel found himself wildly attracted to her and he didn't know if it was because in the back of his mind, Cliff had challenged him to step outside his usual conquests.
Or was it because Carla was delicate and sensual at the same time in a way that Daniel had never seen before. Either way, his sights were set on her, and his body was reacting to her. Desire for her had begun to well l up in him, and it was strong.
Sleep that night didn't come easily to Carla because her thoughts were too much on Daniel. She felt like she had been singled from the crowd for impure purposes and where that kind of presumption would usually make her frown and save herself for someone with nobler intents. However, when it came to Daniel, she felt the presumption was fairly placed.
She was intoxicated with him and she ached for the wedding the next day, not for the ceremony so much, or to see people enjoying her cake, or even for the chance to catch the bouquet when it was tossed. It was for the minute possibility that Daniel would ask her to dance. She wanted to know what it felt like to press her body close to his.
Carla laughed at herself as she lay on the bed in the bedroom she had always stayed in when visiting as a child and put a hand to her face to cool her own flushing cheeks. It was so unlike Carla to let her attractions get the better of her, but then again, her attractions had never been quite this strong.
The next day, Carla tried to pull her thoughts away from Daniel so that she could enjoy the company of her female relatives and she joined in with the electric atmosphere that always accompanies a group of women preparing for a wedding.
Diane looked gorgeous in her dress with her hair arranged like a plaited crown atop her head, held in place with a stunning tiara, and Carla gave an appreciative glance to her own reflection in the mirror, thinking that she didn't look so bad herself in the dress that made her look so sexy.
She wore her own hair up with a few loose tendrils hanging down and took extra care with her make-up to make her eyes seem large and alluring, as she felt that they were her best feature.
With her heels, her makeup, and her sophisticated purple gown, she felt that perhaps the elite Mr. Towler was not so far out of her league after all.
They were on separate sides of the church during the ceremony and she tried not to look across at him as her cousin exchanged her vows. When the ceremony was over and the bridal party began to gather for the photos, the groomsmen were asked to stand in a row behind and the bridesmaids were placed in a row in front of them.
Daniel made it seem as though his place behind her was by chance, even though Carla had spotted him stepping away from a woman who had been much closer to be her partner in the photo and then he stood closer to her than needed as the camera flashed, but she didn't step away.
Then it was time for the real dinner and Carla and Daniel were sitting together once more. He poured wine for her as he had done the day before, and this time Carla drank it down for the heady feeling it brought, and just so that she could let her inhibitions slide away for something she knew she wanted.
All through the dinner, he charmed her and as she drank more, Carla found herself responding to his advances with equal flirtation, until finally, they were on the dance floor together. When the slow dances came on at the end of the night, Daniel put his arm around Carla's waist, pulling her towards him closely, and she put her arms around his neck and let her fingers run through the hair at the base of his neck in a flirtatious manner.
That was so unlike her, but it came naturally through the wine and her attraction to him. He seemed to enjoy her touch
and leaned in to whisper in her ear as they danced.
"You look absolutely stunning tonight, Carla,” he told her in a low, alluring voice. "It may sound selfish, but I almost wish you had done all of this," he looked her up and down from head to toe,.. for me."
She felt heady and strong, free and sexy as hell, as his eyes traveled over her. His hands moved from her waist down lower on her hips and he held her snugly to him. The chemistry between them began to burn warmly as he rubbed his fingertips against her lower back and brushed his lips over the line of her jaw.
It made her close her eyes as her body tensed with need and heat and she made up her mind then that she wasn't going to let this night and the chance for something incredible with the beautiful man in her arms slip away from her.
She looked up at him through her thick dark eyelashes and in a soft voice she said, "I didn't put it all together for you, but I wouldn't mind taking it all apart for you." Her heart beat heavily against her chest and in her mind, she was shocked at herself for saying something so bold, while simultaneously feeling a huge rush of satisfaction at speaking so honestly.
Surprise and hunger flashed in his eyes and he looked from her steady gaze to her full lips, thinking how much he wanted to taste them, and then he met her eyes again. "Is that an offer?" he asked in a quiet and serious tone.
Carla nodded and she felt his hands tighten on her body, sending her insides spiraling in chaos.
"I'm ready anytime you are. I don't like to keep a lady waiting." The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile and his eyes twinkled at her. "I'm sure that I could secure accommodations upstairs if that would suit you,” he said looking at her with intense heat in his grey eyes.
His look made her stomach tighten, and her heart beat faster, and she smiled back at him. "Let's call it a night,” she intoned with a velvety voice.
He stopped dancing but didn't let her go right away. "I'll meet you at the elevators,” he said quietly.
Daniel let her go as the music stopped and they walked away from each other as if nothing was going on, but everything was going wild within Carla. She couldn't believe she was going to do what she was about to do, and she was so glad that she was doing it.
She picked up her clutch and kissed some of her cousins goodbye, and then left the reception and walked to the elevators. His back was facing her as she approached him, but at the sound of her heels on the floor, he turned in place to look at her, and as he watched her walking toward him, he was simply astounded by her grace and beauty.
The most attractive part of it was that it came naturally to her. She wasn't trying to walk with a sexy strut, or do anything out of her nature; she was just being herself, and it made her shine like a diamond. It struck him as ironic that so many of the women he went for put on airs and did their best to act like sex kittens with him, but this one, this woman, she blew all of the other women away with no effort at all, and it struck him to his core.
She reached the elevator and he entered it behind her. The doors closed, and the moment they were alone, he faced her, leaning intimately close to her, as her back was pressed up against the wall of the elevator. He lifted his hands to cup her cheeks, and tilted her mouth up to his.
Daniel didn't kiss her right away; instead, he brushed his lips softly against hers, back and forth for a moment, feeling them before touching the tip of his tongue to them and tasting her.
Carla felt like he was setting her on fire and she gasped as their tongues met and his mouth closed over hers, kissing her slowly and sensually while his hands rested low on the front of her hips, holding them and squeezing her firmly. The pressure of his grasp sent shock waves through her and she felt heat flood every part of her as her desire flamed for him.
He lifted his mouth from hers and looked at her with a raw hunger that caught her off guard. His swollen lips were parted and his breathing was heavy, as his eyes penetrated hers.
"I've been wanting to kiss you since I saw you. That was so much better than I imagined it would be,’ he whispered to her in a husky voice, leaning back slowly and standing away from her with his grey eyes locked on her.
Carla's chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to get her breath back, staring at him and almost panting with the heat between them.
They shared their intense gaze as the elevator came to a stop and Carla's mind began to go wild with wonder, excitement, and anticipation about what was about to happen. Her heart thudded heavily against her chest as the elevator slowed and the doors opened, and Daniel finally took his eyes from hers, taking her hand in his and leading her to the room he'd gotten for them.
In no time, the door of the room was closing behind them, and as it did, Daniel wasted no time at all. He pulled Carla into his arms and kissed her again, harder and hungrier this time, and she responded in kind, sucking and biting at his mouth as her desires burned in her with a white hot flame.
They made their way slowly to the bed as he pulled his clothes off a piece at a time, and when she reached for her zipper, he closed his hands around hers and whispered breathlessly, "Oh no... I want the privilege of peeling that dress off of your gorgeous body." He moved his mouth from hers, trailing kisses to her ear and her neck, stealing her breath as he blazed fires of need in her skin.
She was euphoric, standing so near him, feeling his ravenous hunger for her and her own ache for him, which was almost too much for her to control. Yanking off the last of his clothes, he stood before her, nude and aroused. She let her eyes fall from his, wandering over his body and drawing in her breath as she took in his strong lines and hardened muscles. It was obvious that Daniel worked hard to maintain a chiseled physique.
He watched her looking at him, proud of his body, and anxious for her to be intimate with it. He saw her mouth open in awe at him, he saw her catch her breath, and as her warm brown eyes rose back up to meet his gaze, he felt like his skin might have caught on fire.
It was the first time a woman had looked at him that way. They all gawked and stared, they all lusted after him; he knew he was beautiful, but no woman had ever looked so surprised in such a sweet and almost innocent way; and way that made him burn for her, wanting to share with her what she had found amazing. It was an unusual sensation for him, and he wanted more of it.
He lifted his hands and ran them from her bare shoulders down to the sides of her breasts, tracing them over the material that hugged her like a second skin. A soft sigh sounded from her lips as he held her gaze.
"I've never felt so turned on just by a woman looking at me." A smile spread over his lips. He slid his hands around behind her and slowly unzipped her dress as he left teasing little kisses along her neck and the top swell of her covered breasts.
The zipper down, he leaned back and slid her dress off her, revealing her body to him. All that she had on underneath were little lavender lace panties and his smile faded from his face as his eyes took her in.
His expression changed to one of voracious need. He let his hands move over her, from her shoulders to her fully rounded breasts and hardened nipples, down over her ribs and belly to the curve of her hips.
Carla closed her eyes as he sculpted her with his hands, drinking in the feel of his touch and the profound measure of his desire for her. She raised her hands to touch him, laying them flat on his chest and sliding them down his solid form to his thick erection, and as she closed her hands around it, he groaned in his chest and pulled her to him, holding her tightly as he lowered her to the bed and hovered above her.
Daniel kissed her mouth passionately, pushing and pulling at her lips as his hands began to move over her skin, squeezing and massaging her. Everything in her yearned for him and it only grew more intense as his mouth moved to her breasts, sucking and biting at them, and then over her belly, to the hem of her panties.
He teased her then, pulling them ever so lightly from her skin, just at the top, and kissing where the material had been. She sighed sweetly and he pulled the material further away from
her, sliding her last article of clothing off her body. He replaced the lace with kisses and nibbles, making her gasp as he pulled the piece from her, leaving her nude before him.
He lost no time in sliding his hands down the length of her thighs to her knees, pushing them apart, and dipping his head to meet her. He kissed her softly at first, and then with growing urgency as the flames of passion became a bonfire between them. His tongue maneuvered all over the outside of her, and into her soft folds of her, making her arch her back and twist her fingers in his hair.
His hunger for her was insatiable, and the heat and strength of his tongue moving against her made her cry out and come, gasping for air and closing her eyes in the release.
At the sound of her orgasm, Daniel could hold himself back from her no longer, and he moved above her and thrust himself into her depths, filling her and holding her tightly against him.
Carla clutched at his shoulders to anchor herself in their storm of passion, as they moved together, their bodies stiff and taut as they wrestled and moved against each other, both of them lost in the tidal waves of pleasure that overtook them. At long last he could not keep his passion at bay and he cried out as he flooded her depths with his orgasm, clinging to her and holding her against him, as they trembled and shuddered with the final throes of their wild need.
Finally sated, they fell back weakly into the bed and sighed, each one catching their breath as their bodies slowed and peace enveloped them.
Chapter4
Carla nestled against Daniel's strong chest and felt completely satisfied. They slept long and deeply, and in the early hours of the morning, she opened her eyes, feeling him beneath her and wondering in amazement at what they had shared.
As the light began to filter through the blinds of the hotel window, she began to feel a little disappointed that it was over. This was the first time in years that she had given in to pleasure without thinking about how it might leave her wanting.
She stretched out her body and then turned to lay against Daniel's chest again. Her movement caused him to stir awake and when he spotted her, his lips formed an equally satisfied smile.
The Baby Shower Page 4
