“It’s my cabana boy outfit.”
“It looks more like your I’m-single-and-willing outfit.”
“Hello? I think you’re missing something here. I want to pick up.”
Leigh laughed. “No one is going to buy you’re my date with you wearing that get-up.”
“Babe, they’ll take one look at you and be glad I’m not your date.”
He’d picked her clothes for the evening too. She’d wanted to wear her little Jackie-O dress; black, classy, and timeless. Instead he’d convinced her to wear the frothy blood-red thing she’d bought on their last shopping spree. In fact, she wasn’t sure what on earth had possessed her to buy such a flashy dress. The eyes of a certain managing editor, maybe?
She sucked in her stomach and armed herself with a smile. She hadn’t realized just how body-hugging the outfit was until she’d studied her reflection in the B&B’s full-length mirror. Of course, the Cameron women weren’t exactly petite and eating half a bag of cookies while she was getting ready probably hadn’t helped. She tugged down on the hem in an effort to make it a little longer. Pointless. The delicate filmy material bounced back and seemed to reveal even more of her thighs.
“I think my dress is shrinking,” she said. Good thing she’d brought a shawl. It was just a see-through chiffon thing, but it made her feel a little less exposed.
“Relax. You look gorgeous, and stop hiding under that thing.” He pulled on the end of the stole and wrapped it around his neck. “Is it me?”
Leigh laughed. “Darling, you look smashing.” To hell with the wrap. Geoffrey had a point. What was the worse thing that could happen?
“Leigh.”
Her pulse raced at the familiar voice. Deep. Raspy. And enticing. David brushed her arm with his hand as she turned to face him. He stood close. Much closer than necessary. She stopped breathing.
“You look fantastic.” Her flesh tingled. David turned to Geoffrey, and they shook hands. “How is it you always have the best-looking date in the place?”
“This one? She was just telling me no one’s going to believe she’s my date.”
“Don’t listen to a word he’s saying. I think he’s gone mad,” Leigh said, giving Geoff a friendly pinch.
Her colorful date laughed and winked at her. “I just remembered I’ve got to talk to Sue about something.” He pointed to Sue and the cute bartender next to her and walked off.
“Well, that wasn’t obvious at all.” An amused light twinkled in his dark eyes.
She looked at her watch. “He stuck around for a whole five minutes. That’ll go into the annals as shortest date ever.” Her nervous laugh fell flat.
The amused look left his eyes, and his gaze burned into her. An awkward silence ensued. Damn, that Geoffrey. He had left her with him, her shawl still draped around his shoulders. She shivered and hugged herself, whether against the chill or David’s scrutiny she couldn’t tell.
“Here, put this on.” David covered her shoulders with his blazer and guided her toward the bar. “I need a drink. Join me?”
She followed him inside intoxicated by the musky scent emanating from his blazer. The line at the bar was already ten people deep.
“Leigh. And David?” Andrea’s gaze wandered from Leigh’s eyes to the jacket on her shoulders, to David. “Don’t you make a cute couple?” The tone of her voice was teasing, but the look in her eyes was indecipherable. She laughed as though she’d said the funniest thing.
Leigh flushed. “Why don’t you — ?” She stopped herself. She looked at David, trying to think of something diplomatic to say.
“ — Join us for a drink,” he said. The telltale sign of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth.
Leigh glanced at Andrea. Hot pink lipstick, dress, and nails topped off with a big Dolly Parton updo. When it came to looking tacky, her stepmother cornered the market.
Andrea smiled back and leaned in and whispered, “You’ve got the hottest date on this ship.”
Old Bruce, Andrea’s date for the evening, came up and greeted them all saving her from having to answer. His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Leigh gave David a sidelong glance. He was definitely the sexiest man on board. But why did Andrea feel compelled to point it out? Was David so out of her league Leigh should feel she had lucked out? Or did Andrea mean it as a compliment?
It was Leigh’s turn to smile. Either way, the thought of a potential liaison between her stepdaughter and David would drive Andrea nuts. David had been at her beck and call since Ben’s death and might not be as readily available if he were to find himself in Leigh’s arms. Ironically, Andrea wouldn’t be the only one losing sleep over all of this. More and more, thoughts of David invaded every moment of Leigh’s days and nights.
Bruce told Andrea of the first moonlight cruise he and Ben had organized together and what a disaster it had been. He related the tale, his voice infused with the laughter and friendship he’d shared with the man for over fifty years. Leigh’s eyes misted up.
David looked uncomfortable. He stirred and pulled her aside. “I can’t handle this,” he said into her ear. “Let’s get away from these two.”
Out loud he said, “Leigh and I have some business to discuss. We’ll see you both in a little while.”
Neither Bruce nor Andrea seemed to care. Leigh and David made a quick exit from the bar to the open deck. She breathed in the evening’s cool ocean breeze with a sigh of relief. He smiled and took her arm with gentle authority. “This way.” He led her down the gangway. She followed, heart pounding.
They came to a set of narrow stairs that led to the upper deck. He let her take the lead and followed her up, his fingers a light pressure against her back. His touch sent little waves of electricity through her body, and her pulse fluttered in her throat. She forced herself to stay calm and tried to smile. She climbed up the narrow stairs, glad she’d worn flats and not those tiny strappy heels Geoff had wanted her to wear. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She had to get a grip. If she kept swooning every time he came near her the whole newsroom would sense something was up. She didn’t want her crush on David to be fodder for water cooler gossip. That was no way to command respect.
The top deck was a medley of sights, sounds, and smells. The dance area wriggled with bodies gyrating to the music’s pounding beats. Colored lights in red, orange, and yellow flashed to the groove as The Sun’s staff and clients alike gave into their inner rhythm. Next to the bar, a kid wearing a ski cap and baggy pants spun records as well as any New York DJ could. On closer look she recognized the gas station attendant, the O’Malley’s son. The teen grinned and nodded in their direction.
Everywhere she looked, familiar faces smiled back. While Pam and a group of twenty-somethings boogied in one corner, James, Paul, and the rest of the city beat staffers were whipping themselves into a frenzy in the other. Even where she didn’t know the names, she recognized all the faces. After spending years shielded by the Big Apple’s anonymity, she had to admit being in a place where everyone knew her name comforted her. It did, however, come with a whole other set of rules. And those included not getting involved with a certain eligible bachelor whose hand was leaving a sizzling trail along her arm.
Around the deck’s perimeter, those preferring to watch sat at little round tables dotted with glowing red glass Victorian candles similar to the ones she’d seen in the town’s Irish pub.
“Well, if it isn’t my date.”
She turned to see Geoffrey sitting at a table with Sue and Jen. “Where’ve you two been? Pull up a stool and join us.”
David grabbed a couple of chairs and before she knew it, they were seated side by side, knees touching. Heat radiated from his body. A light breeze ruffled his thick shock of hair, and subtle traces of his cologne drifted over. A dizzying current raced through her as she fought the urge to
seek refuge in his arms. She squeezed her hands together hard under the table willing her hormones to stop torturing her.
A fresh-faced waiter turned up to take their orders. He’d probably come home for the summer to work and save money for school. Most kids who didn’t leave Watford for boarding school usually left to go to college. Even the ones who went less than an hour away to Boston, often chose to live on campus. Why hadn’t David left? She glanced in his direction while he and Sue spoke of their mutual passion for sailing. She took advantage of that time to study him. He had a ruggedness and commanding manner that attracted her. And, she wasn’t the only one who found him appealing. Sue listened to him with rapt attention. Leigh pulled her glance away.
Geoff waved a piece of paper in front of her eyes. On it a phone number and the words “Scott” and “call me” stood out in blue ink.
“Take lessons from the master.” He displayed the number for everyone to see.
David turned to Geoff, his brows knit together in amused frown. “What is it with you and waiters?”
“Yeah. What about our drinks?” Jen said.
“Ooops!” Geoff laughed. “Do you want me to get him back here?”
“Never mind,” David said. “I’ll go. What can I get you ladies?” He took Jen and Sue’s orders and turned to her. “What would you like, Leigh?” he whispered in her ear.
She never tired of the way he said her name. It was one part sexy and three parts dangerous. His hot breath tickled her neck, and it was all she could do to stop herself from angling her mouth toward him to press her lips against his. She just wanted a taste. Just this once. His lips moved again. She forced herself to snap out of it and pay attention. “What?”
“Who is he?” he said a little louder, his tone of voice undecipherable.
“Who’s who?”
His dark eyes bored into her. A woman could get lost in those eyes. “The man you’re daydreaming about.”
She looked at him through the flashes of light. Her stomach did summersaults. If he only knew. The man she dreamed of stood in his shoes. And she couldn’t think of a single witty thing to say. She smiled. “I’ll have a Cosmopolitan, please.”
David paused and took a breath as if he were going to say something, then turned and walked to the bar. She watched as he ordered their drinks. Rather than his usual jeans and T-shirt combo he’d donned khakis and a crisp white sports shirt for the occasion. The dressy duds weren’t as revealing as his usual tight tees, but even the loose fitting shirt strained against his well-muscled physique.
This David Stone sure differed from the one she’d met fifteen years ago. She understood why her father had taken such a liking to the man and why women went gaga in his presence. She could barely keep it together. She wanted him to touch her. To kiss her. To take her.
She knew better. She shouldn’t be having those thoughts about him. He would stay in Watford and continue amassing conquests long after she’d gone back to New York. A group of women gathered around him at the bar gushing and competing for his attention like a bunch of teenagers. No. David Stone and the words “settling down” didn’t belong in the same sentence. Given half a chance, he’d break her heart.
He put down a tray of cocktails and beers on the table and reclaimed his seat next to hers. Suddenly, the lights dimmed and changed their warm russet tones for moonlight blues and mauves. The music’s rhythm slowed to a sultry mellow groove.
“Would you like to dance?” David held out his hand in invitation.
She felt her face grow hot under his gaze. Alarm bells went off in her head. Don’t go there, Leigh. “I’d love to.” She took his hand and stood, aware of the jealous stares around her. So much for resisting him.
He swept her up to the dance floor and pulled her close to his side. Their bodies moved in rhythm, and she reveled in the discreet caress of his body. David’s hands guided her expertly around the dance floor.
“I’m glad you’re here tonight.” His words caressed her ear. “I’ve been trying to get some alone time with you for days. Have you been avoiding me?”
She laughed in a manner she hoped was light and carefree. “Now, why would I possibly be avoiding you?”
“I know I can be a little hard to get along with.”
She grinned. “Is that so?”
“All right. You’ve got me all figured out. I really just want to spend some time getting to know you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Could he be attracted to more than just her body?
“Ben was like a father to me, and I want to know more about his daughter. I see so much of him in you, but there are still so many pieces missing.”
Something inside her shattered as sadness overwhelmed her. He didn’t want to be with her, he wanted to talk about her father. About the man she’d never been able to get close to. She couldn’t blame him. Everybody had loved her father. She’d loved him the most and yet, somehow they’d grown apart. A flash of grief ripped her apart, and she felt hot tears prickle her eyes.
David looked at her and willed himself to see past the breasts, the hot dress, and the long silky legs pressing against him. His gaze clung to hers, analyzing her reaction. Her eyes were tumultuous pools of cobalt, as tortured as the sea during a storm. He faltered in the turmoil that threatened to engulf them.
“Let’s get something straight,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I loved my father.” Her eyes filled with sorrow, hurt, and something he hadn’t seen there before — love. “We,” she took a deep breath and a single tear rolled down her face.
“Leigh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have, I — ”
“No, I need to tell you this,” she said, this time with a touch of anger. “I’m not a kid anymore. I’m thirty years old and I’m tired of being thought of as Ben’s inconsiderate, spoiled brat. Of having to prove myself worthy of the Cameron name and of being constantly reminded I’m not nearly as talented as he was. I loved my father. I loved him more than anything. And I spent my life trying to get his attention.”
The couple to their right turned and stared. She lowered her voice. “When my mother got sick, my father sent me away to school. And when she died, no one told me until it was all over.”
Her words touched him like a soft caress. David tightened his embrace and nodded, encouraging her with his eyes. Her body moved to the rhythm of the music, perfectly in synch with his.
“When I came home, she was gone.”
Memories of his mother’s death came flooding back. “I know.”
“No. You don’t know.” Her eyes darkened with pain and she tried to pull away.
“Then, tell me.”
“He sold our home, David. Ben Cameron, the man you idolized, made my mother disappear. Her things, pictures, everything. When I got back from school it was all gone. Strangers had moved into our home in the city, he’d moved us to the country, and I never got to say goodbye.”
Her words turned and twisted inside him. He looked deep into her eyes and knew she spoke the truth. Why would Ben do such a thing? There had to be a reason. He pulled her close into him. “I’m sorry, Leigh. I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I couldn’t. When I left Watford, I got to leave everything behind and start over. I realize now that erasing my mother’s existence was Dad’s way of moving on. I didn’t want to ruin the memory you have of him.”
With his thumb he wiped the solitary tear that had escaped. She looked at him with her big heart-wrenching eyes. There was no sign of the defiant Leigh Cameron he had a run-in with at the paper a few weeks ago. There stood a young woman, all alone in the world. She looked so sad, so fragile. He wanted to protect her and hold her until she fell asleep in his arms.
“I … I can’t do this.” She disengaged herself and bolted toward the staircase.
“Leigh,
wait.” He ran after her and followed her down the set of steps. When he caught up to her on the back deck, she leaned against the railing, her face bathed in tears.
They were alone. He ran his hand down her cheek in a gentle caress and pulled her chin toward him. He could see her heart beating in her throat. So beautiful. So inviting. He knew he shouldn’t.
Just this once. She looked so sad, so vulnerable. He kissed her softly, barely touching her lips. He kissed her again, this time with more urgency. He moved his mouth over hers, devouring its softness. It sent the pit of his stomach into a wild swirl. He drank her in, wanting to kiss and lick every inch of her until she begged him to take her.
She moaned and whispered his name.
Her lips were hot and velvety and oh so inviting. Her longing almost put him over the edge.
She wound her hand through his hair and pulled him in closer. Their lips found each other again. He kissed her harder, sucking on her soft swollen mouth. She returned his kiss with a passion he hadn’t expected. He felt her want, her fire. Every inch of his body screamed with desire. Her wild rose scent intoxicated him. He cupped his hand over one of her breasts and felt her hard nipple through the filmy material.
She gasped at his probing touch. “David.” She pulled away, her face a mask of confusion. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Her words sent him hurtling back to earth. “What?”
“We’ve both been through a lot these past few weeks. It’s natural to feel attracted to each other. But I’ll be leaving soon. And I can’t be with you. It would be for all the wrong reasons.” Her pained expression cut through him like a knife. She was giving him the brush off.
“I understand.” He didn’t. Why not give into their urges and be done with it? Lord knows he could use the release. And yet, a part of him did sort of get it. She seemed so vulnerable, so wounded. It was probably just as well. He couldn’t give her the love Ben would have wanted for his daughter. He simply couldn’t. His mother and father had been madly in love, and it had ruined both their lives. Leigh needed someone better. A man who would love and honor her for the long haul. He pulled away. “You’re right. We would just end up hurting each other.”
Heart to Heart Page 10
