"Jessica, this is Tanya Winters. Could you show her to my personal quarters?" He turned to Tanya and said, "There's a room off of my office where you'll be more comfortable while you wait. I have a few things to go over with Justin before my meeting begins. Jess will take care of you. Let her know if you need anything."
"I'll be fine." She watched the two men walk away, then looked back at Jessica. David had shortened her name to Jess, and Tanya wondered whether his familiarity came from working with her or from a personal relationship.
With what appeared to be a frozen smile, the woman withdrew a key from her desk. "Please come this way," she said, her tone professional as she came around the desk and led Tanya down a hall. Stopping in front of a closed door, she opened it with the key. "After you," she said, then followed Tanya inside the room.
Tanya's gaze swept the small room. It had a large gray sofa that practically took up one whole wall, a coffee table, a recliner and little else.
Jessica pointed toward a door. "There's a bathroom in there if you need one. And over there," she said, then pointed toward another door, "that door leads to David's office. Please don't interrupt him."
She smiled politely as she talked, but there was no mistaking her impersonal manner. Her unspoken warning wasn't lost on Tanya. The woman didn't like her, and she had to wonder why. Could she and David have had a relationship in the past? "There's reading material on the table," she informed her. "If you'd like a cup of coffee or a drink, please help yourself."
Walking across the room, she pushed a button that was practically invisible on the wall casing. Two doors Tanya hadn't noticed earlier opened, disappearing into the walls, revealing a well-stocked bar. Tanya couldn't help but wonder at Jessica's casual manner as she moved through the room. Did she know it so well because she and David had shared stolen moments here together?
The thought of David with this woman made her stomach churn. Not wanting to clue Jessica in to what she was thinking, she carefully kept her emotions under control. "I'm fine," Tanya replied, ready to be left alone.
Jessica walked to the desk. "If you need anything, just press the intercom," she instructed, pointing to the phone on the table.
Tanya watched her leave. She strolled through the room with curiosity, seeking any opportunity, however slight, to catch a glimpse into David's life in Atlanta.
There was little there to analyze. The perfectly kept bathroom held no clues at all. She heard his muffled voice in the next room, his words indistinguishable as he spoke with Justin.
She'd been surprised, again, by the size of his company. There had to have been at least thirty employees working for him in his office. The sense of anxiety that she'd felt upon arriving in Atlanta became stronger. David belonged here in Atlanta, not at Cottonwood. Although they'd begun a relationship, she figured it was futile for her to believe that anything permanent could come of it.
David was sticking out his time at the plantation because he had to. Their intimacy hadn't changed anything, and sadly, it never would. Discouraged, she took a seat on the sofa, picked up a magazine and began to thumb through it.
After about thirty minutes of waiting, she heard the door that led to David's office open, and Justin came into the room.
"Hello. I guess you're about bored out of your mind by now, right?"
She smiled at him. "I didn't mind waiting."
"Well, David is with Delgado now, and I'm in charge of you. If you're ready, I'll take you to your appointment."
Tanya picked up her purse and followed him. Together they walked to his car, Justin making an effort to put her at ease. "David should be free by dinnertime. He's going to be tied up longer that we'd planned."
"That's all right. I know your time is important. I could have caught a cab or something." From what Tanya had observed, besides being friends, the two men shared a mutual respect for each other.
He shot her a skeptical look as he parked at the doctor's office. "You're kidding, right? I've got orders not to let you out of my sight."
Surprised, her eyes met his. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"I'm sure you are. But I'm only following David's orders."
Before she could stop herself, she asked, "Do you normally entertain women for him?"
"Hardly," he countered, flashing an engaging grin. "The man works all the time. He doesn't have a life. I can't count the number of times I've tried to set him up with someone, but he always finds an excuse not to accept."
"Oh."
"I'm not saying he's been a monk," he clarified. "But I've never seen him get involved with a woman, not like he is with you."
Tanya flushed to her roots. "We're not involved," she quickly clarified.
"If you say so," Justin answered, but it was clear he was skeptical.
She felt compelled to make him believe her. "We're not."
"Okay." Justin took her arm.
She didn't miss the way his eyes twinkled. "You don't believe me." Not wanting to admit to an intimate relationship, there was little she could say. But with Justin's words, her worst fears had been confirmed.
David didn't get involved with women.
Not emotionally.
Not even with her.
* * *
Nine
« ^ »
"Here she is. Delivered back in perfect condition, just like I promised," Justin announced. They'd just arrived back at David's office, having been gone nearly the entire day.
Tanya glared playfully at Justin. "Thank you, I think." She touched his arm fondly. During the time she'd spent with him this afternoon, she'd gotten to know David's friend better. He was as nice as he was handsome.
"It was my pleasure, ma'am," he replied with a wink.
David listened to the banter between Tanya and Justin without amusement, his attention centered on Tanya's hand lying on Justin's arm. Maybe he shouldn't have asked his friend to take care of her. It appeared as if they were getting along just a little too well. He pulled at the collar of his dress shirt. What had he been thinking, pairing those two up? Justin had no trouble when it came to attracting women.
In the privacy of his office, David rounded on them. "Where in hell have you been?" He checked his watch. "It's been six hours since you left!"
Justin's eyebrows rose at David's curt tone. "Well, hell, we went for a few drinks, then decided to have some fun and spent the whole afternoon dancing," Justin answered, his expression bland.
"Cute." But David didn't find his friend's comment at all humorous. Though he'd known where they were, he'd had a hard time keeping his mind on his work. Okay, he'd missed Tanya. Dammit, he hadn't expected to feel this way about her—like being without her was eating him up inside.
"Where do you think we've been? Lucas saw Tanya right away, but then he sent her for tests, which took all afternoon."
Looking apologetic, Tanya said to Justin, "I'm really sorry it took so long and tied up your day."
He took her hand. "Not a problem." His gaze went to David. "She's been a champ putting up with all of it." Nodding toward David's desk, with stacks of papers spread on it, he added, "I'm surprised you noticed. Looks like you've been busy."
"What did Lucas say?" David asked, scowling at Justin's casualness with Tanya. He got up and walked around the desk, stopping before them. It took every ounce of his control not to warn Justin to back off.
Reeling from David's reaction to her and Justin being out together, Tanya fielded his question. "He said it was possible that my memory was returning, but right now there's just no way to be sure." Her examination had taken longer than Tanya had anticipated, but she'd appreciated Dr. Avery's thoroughness.
"Lucas pulled some strings and sent her to a diagnostic center for some tests. I don't know how he managed it, but he had the results by the time we returned to his office." Justin took a seat on the sofa, then sat back and stretched out his legs.
"What did the tests indicate?" David asked, eager to know what she'd f
ound out.
Disappointed, Tanya sighed. She'd been hoping to learn something that would medically confirm that she was regaining her memory. "Very little, I'm afraid. Dr. Avery didn't have the results of the tests I'd had years ago to compare them with. The good news is that he didn't see anything to indicate any problems."
"Is he sending for the results of your earlier tests?"
She nodded. "It'll be a few days before he gets them, after the holiday. He said he'd call me."
"And in the meantime?" David had suspected that Lucas wouldn't be able to tell them anything definite, but he'd played it safe by insisting that Tanya be examined. He'd wanted to be sure that there wasn't some delayed trauma from her head injury. He breathed a sigh of relief. His biggest fear was that she had some kind of tumor, causing the strange and unexplainable dreams that plagued her.
"He told me not to force myself to remember. To do so could be dangerous. If my memory is returning, I should let it come naturally." Despite the doctor's advice, how could she relax? She was convinced she was remembering her past. As excited as she was about it, she was frightened, as well.
Would she like the person she used to be? Or would she be ashamed of who she had been?
"Sounds like reasonable advice," David commented.
"If it was happening to you, you wouldn't think that. I'm going crazy wondering what's happening. I want answers. If my memory is returning—"
David took her hand, his expression filled with compassion. "You've got a point. But please try to do as he says. It may make your memory return faster if you try not to push yourself, if you just let it come back at its own pace." He glanced at his watch. "Are you ready for dinner? I'm finished for the day." His gaze went to Justin. "Delgado is on board. He'll be in touch with you in the morning."
Tanya gasped. They hadn't had time to stop for lunch. "Oh my, I didn't even think about lunch," she apologized to Justin. "You must be starving."
Justin stood. "As a matter of fact, I am. Where are we going?"
"Tanya and I are going to dinner at Nikolai's Roof," he said, naming one of the most upscale restaurants in Atlanta that specialized in Russian cuisine. "I don't know where you're going."
"David!" Tanya chastised, appalled.
Holding his hands up, Justin retorted, "That's okay. I know when I'm not wanted."
"We'd love to have you join us, wouldn't we?" she insisted, ignoring the flare of irritation in David's eyes. Justin had spent the entire day taking care of her. The least David could do was show his gratitude.
"No, no, that's okay." Moving closer, Justin chuckled and took her hand. "Actually, I have plans tonight. I was just harassing this guy," he admitted. "I enjoyed spending the day with you. I have a feeling I'll be seeing more of you." Then, as if to stoke David's annoyance, he leaned close and kissed her cheek.
Smiling, Tanya watched him leave. When Justin closed the door behind him, she confronted David. "That was rude."
"Why? Because I wanted you to myself? Believe me, Justin knew exactly what he was doing."
She crossed her arms in front of her. "Which was what?" She couldn't wait to hear this.
"Justin thought he was being amusing inviting himself along."
"I thought he was just being friendly."
"He knew I wanted to be alone with you."
"Oh." Tanya's heart tripped over itself at the possessive look in David's eyes. She didn't resist when he tugged her to him. "To do what?" she asked, her voice husky.
"This." His lips came down on hers. He ran the tip of his tongue around her teeth, then deepened the kiss, angling his mouth on hers. Her arms went around his neck and she moved closer, pressing herself against him.
His hand found her breast. With a moan, she broke off the kiss. "I don't think this is a good idea." But even as she said the words, she boldly slid her hand below his waist and stroked him through his slacks. He was hard, and knowing she could do that to him with just a kiss sent a wave of desire through her. "Someone could come in at any moment," she whispered against his mouth as he continued kissing her.
Of course, she thought with a touch of arrogance, if it was Jessica, she wouldn't mind so much. She wanted the woman to know that David wasn't available.
"I'm the boss," he told her, kissing his way down her throat. "No one will come in. We'll go into the other room and lock the door."
"Your assistant has a key to that room," Tanya said, remembering when Jessica had taken it from her desk. Still, she arched her back as he unbuttoned her blouse and ran his tongue along the edge of her bra.
"She won't use it." He stopped long enough to take her hand and tug her into the small room off of his office. "Besides, it's getting late. Everyone will be leaving soon." After shutting the door and locking it, he backed her toward the sofa. His mouth came down on hers, drinking her in.
"She has a thing for you, you know," Tanya said, lifting her lips from his.
David stopped in the process of unfastening her bra, leaving it hanging loosely around her breasts. "What?"
"Jessica," she said, her tone sharper than she had intended. "She wants you."
His mouth quirked up as he loosened his tie and removed his shirt. What Tanya was suggesting wasn't true. He'd known Jessica for a long time, and he knew she prided herself on guarding his time. Maybe Tanya had mistaken his assistant's protective manner for something else entirely. Jessica was a striking woman, but he wasn't attracted to her, never had been. "What makes you think that?" The spark of jealousy in Tanya's eyes pleased him.
Tanya watched him undress and gasped when he began unbuckling his belt. "Well, for one thing, she was very distant to me when she brought me in here."
He brushed her mouth with his. "Oh," he answered, his tone making it sound as if what she'd said made no sense at all.
"And I've seen the way she looks at you." She frowned at his amused expression. "I'm not kidding." Leaning back, she stared into his eyes. "Has she been here with you before?"
After slipping her blouse from her shoulders, he removed her bra, leaving her standing half-naked in front of him. Unable to resist, he touched her breast, then stroked her nipple with his thumb. "You mean like this?" he asked softly.
Tanya nodded and a lump formed in her throat. It was logical that he'd known other women before her, but she just couldn't stand the idea of making love with him in that room if he'd been intimate there with someone else.
He bent down and took her breast into his mouth, sucking it gently before straightening and looking into her eyes. "What if she has?" he asked bluntly. "Would you be jealous?" As he waited for her answer, he molded her breasts with his hands.
She swallowed hard. "Yes," she admitted quietly, then her lids lowered slightly as she began to succumb to the intense pleasure of his touch.
Though her reply was everything he'd hoped for, her admission floored him. David met her gaze. "I've never been intimate with her here or anyplace else." Pulling Tanya against him, he whispered, "You're the woman I want. Right here. Right now."
Forever his mind whispered, but he couldn't bring himself to say the word out loud. He couldn't take the chance and admit that she was all he'd thought about, that she was the only woman he ever wanted.
If he did, and she ever walked away, he'd be devastated. He couldn't allow himself to fall in love with her.
Driven by desire, he lowered her to the sofa and stroked her body as he kissed her mouth. He unfastened her slacks and slid them down her thighs, removing them along with her shoes as he kissed her belly. His fingers brushed dangerously close to the most sensitive part of her body, and her hips moved against them.
Tanya moaned with pleasure. He wanted her.
Only her.
Hearing him admit his feelings gave her hope that one day he'd feel something more for her. That feeling of foreboding she'd had when she'd first arrived disappeared as her hopes escalated. Maybe one day he would love her.
Maybe he already did and he didn't even know it.
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He caressed her between her legs, and she gasped, forgetting everything except the erotic explosion his touch ignited. The experience of him touching her so intimately stole her breath. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. "Please, David, please, make love to me," she whispered.
David shed his pants and shoes, then eased himself over her. She opened her thighs to him, and he thrust himself deep inside of her. He groaned as she took him, her hips moving in rhythm with his. With a sense of awareness he'd never experienced before, he watched her, how her eyes filled with rapture as he quickened the rhythm of their lovemaking. How her breath came in harsh pants, and how, with each stroke, she tightened her arms around him. When she cried out, he covered her mouth and swallowed the sound of her moans as she reached the peak of ecstasy. He thrust faster and harder, burying himself inside her. At his own release, he admitted the truth to himself. He'd done more than just make love to her.
He'd allowed himself to fall in love with her.
* * *
The phone rang. As she reached for the extension on the nightstand, Tanya yawned and opened her eyes. "Hello?" She was surprised when she recognized the voice on the line. "Oh, hi, Justin. Hold on for just a moment, and I'll get him." She didn't have to go far. David was lying right beside her, in his bed, in his Atlanta apartment.
She rolled over to wake him, but when she looked at his face, she found him watching her. Her heart melted. With each moment they spent together, her love for him was growing stronger. And she was powerless to stop it.
"Good morning," she murmured with a smile. "It's for you."
David took the phone from her, but before he answered it, he leaned over and kissed her neck as his hand slid to her breast.
Closing her eyes, Tanya moaned softly, then realized that she'd forgotten the phone. "Stop it!" she whispered. Her face reddened, but her body thrummed with pure pleasure under his sensual touch.
David infuriated her further by chuckling. Then he whispered, "Go back to sleep. I'll take it downstairs." Balancing the phone with his shoulder, he slipped into the slacks he'd taken off the previous night, then zipped them as he walked barefoot out of the room.
Terms of Surrender Page 10
