“Must have been awful for you, being forced to endure all that press attention,” Daniel said stonily.
“I would have rather been with you,” she purred.
They’d reached the fuse box. Taking advantage of the fact that they were no longer moving, she pressed her body tightly against his. Her hands snaked around his torso, slipping beneath his jacket, her fingers toying with the studs on his shirt. “Your mother did us a favor by calling me,” she murmured. “Now that I’m here we can get back on the same page.”
Daniel smiled to himself. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Mmm-hmmm. Wouldn’t you? You know we’re good together. We understand each other.”
She buried her face in the crook of his neck. Daniel could feel her breath tickling his ear. He felt the swell of her breasts pressing between his shoulder blades, and her hips moving against his rear.
His libido felt nothing. Or rather, next to nothing. What he felt was annoyed that she was down here wasting his time and keeping him from the woman he truly wanted.
“Oh, I understand you all right,” he said, flipping on the generator. “I’m just not sure you understand me.”
“Why don’t you fill me in then? Tell me what you want?”
Want? She couldn’t begin to give him what he wanted. Using his free hand, he pried himself loose from her grasp and turned around. In the candlelight, Valerie glowed like a beautiful, perfectly designed angel. A woman most men would kill for. And truth be told, for a while they had worked well together, like a shark and its remora. But he was no longer interested in a symbiotic relationship. He wanted something more, something that he sensed lurking just off the precipice, intangible and unidentifiable.
Something that he wondered might not be waiting upstairs.
“Sorry, Val,” he said, heading toward the steps, “but I’m afraid we’re all played out.”
Her perfect lips drew into a pout. “You can’t mean that, Daniel. I came all this way…”
“Ah, but I do. Cheer up, though, at least you got the magazine coverage my mother promised you. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have business to finish upstairs.”
Chapter Eleven
Throughout the ballroom, people milled about using what light the candles threw to guide their way. Vivian’s voice could be heard above the din imploring the band to play, and for people to drink up. And most people did. Dealing with the power outage was far preferable to battling the storm outside. Pressed against the wall, Charlotte sipped a glass of champagne and tried to calm her pulse. In her case, the racing had nothing to do with the power failure and everything to do with the moments right before, when Daniel kissed her.
They’d been dancing around the physical attraction since the beach. There was no doubt he wanted her. Did he want her as much as she wanted him? She didn’t know if that was possible. Her body literally ached for his touch to return.
Judy, of course, would tell her she was being a fool and reading too much into the moment. So what if Daniel broke their proprietary clause, she would say. To him, the money he stood to lose was a drop in the bucket. The equivalent of someone like him buying an expensive watch. Charlotte, however, wasn’t so sure. Judy hadn’t been in Daniel’s arms or felt the spark that ignited when their lips touched. She hadn’t seen the emotion shining in his eyes.
“Alone again.” Cole sauntered through the crowd. “My brother has a bad habit of deserting you.”
For once the younger Ferncliff didn’t have a drink in his hand. Even so, there was an unsettling air about him. Perhaps it was the way he walked straight at her, like he was zooming in on a target. Instinctively, Charlotte pressed herself a little harder to the wall. “Turning on the generator is a one-person job,” she said.
Rather than reply, Cole propped one shoulder against the wall. He stood close enough that the lapels of his jacket grazed her bare arm. The material smelled faintly of cigarettes. “ I wouldn’t expect him back too soon,” he said. “I saw Valerie heading down to the basement as well.”
The implication was obvious: she’d been tossed over. “I’m sure they’ll both be back shortly.” Taking a page from Daniel’s book, Charlotte kept her face impassive as she spoke. She refused to react. Or fall victim to insecurity.
Again, Judy would call her a fool.
“You sure? A couple can get into all sorts of adventures down there in the dark. Come to think of it, there are adventures to be had up here, too.”
In the dim light, his drunken leer looked dangerous and unpredictable. “Thanks,” she told him, “but I don’t like to switch boats midstream.” Maybe if she put her answer in nautical terms, the rejection would get through to his alcohol-soaked brain. What was keeping Daniel anyway? How long did flipping a switch take? Unless he really was having “adventures in the dark.”
Suddenly there was a hum and the light came on, followed by a cheer. She breathed a sigh of relief. “See?” she said. “Told you he’d be back soon.”
“Hitting a switch doesn’t mean he’s on his way back.”
Having not gotten the message, or simply ignoring it, Cole leaned farther into her airspace. Charlotte tried to slide to her left but he reached across her collarbones and gripped her left shoulder.
“You’re gorgeous, you know that? Soon as I saw you, I said ‘Wow, Danny-boy really hit the mother lode this time, the lucky bastard.’”
Now she was beginning to grow nervous. A loud cry would call off his attentions. She’d much rather do so without causing a scene. “I told you I’m not interested.” She pulled at his arm, but he held firm.
“Come on, baby. What’s big brother got that I don’t have? I already told you I can do lots of things better than him. A lot of things.” He leaned in, his breath hot on her face. The smell of cigarettes and liquor filled her nostrils. Charlotte pried at his fingers. He leaned closer.
Then, abruptly, his face disappeared, gone in a blur of black and white. She heard a yelp, a smack, and the collective gasp of the crowd. Cole crumpled to the ground, his hand pressed to his cheekbone, while Daniel glowered over him. “You touch her again and I’ll break your jaw, you hear me?
“Are you all right?” He’d turned his attention to her, and was looking her up and down, compassion having replaced the rage in his eyes. “Did he hurt you?”
Charlotte shook her head. The heart slamming against her ribs made talking difficult. “Shaken up a little is all. I’ll be fine.” The public setting assured he wouldn’t have gotten too far. “I can’t believe he tried something in a room full of people.”
“Liquor makes you bold and stupid. You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure.” In fact, now the moment had passed, she felt more self-conscious than anything.
A circle had gathered around them. Cole had to push past them to escape. The group was too busy watching her and Daniel to stop him.
“What’s going on?” Vivian’s voice called out from the rear of the crowd. “Is something wrong? Cole! What happened to your face?”
Charlotte groaned. Vivian’s attention was something she could do without, especially after their last encounter. From Daniel’s expression, he agreed. “Come with me,” he said.
Taking her hand, he guided her out of the ballroom. As they moved through the foyer, Charlotte was vaguely aware of Vivian calling Daniel back, but she was too transfixed by his presence to listen. Now that the shock of Cole’s behavior had worn off, she realized that Daniel had just ridden to her rescue! How could Judy call her a fool now?
Wordlessly, they mounted the stairs, stopping only when they reached Charlotte’s bedroom door. There, Daniel offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry my brother had to spoil your evening.”
Funny, she wasn’t sure he did. “I’ll survive,” Charlotte said. She let her fingers rest on the doorknob. Might as well clear the air completely. “He told me Valerie followed you to the basement.”
“She did.” His honesty was unexpected, but not surprising. �
��A failed attempt at reconciliation.”
“You’re not interested?”
“In Valerie?” Daniel’s eyes fell to her lips. “Not remotely.”
Charlotte’s mouth ran dry. On the plane ride over, she’d called Nantucket Sound her Rubicon, her point of no return. She’d been wrong. Here, now, in this corridor, this was her river. Her moment of choice. And it was time to cross. Without breaking eye contact, she opened her bedroom door. “We never finished our dance.”
Understanding and desire crested over his features. “No,” he said, reaching for her. “We didn’t.”
His kiss left no doubt how far he intended to take their “dance.” Charlotte sighed and opened her mouth to the assault. He tasted of champagne and mint and something else. Something that settled deep within her and wrapped her in a warm blanket of certainty. Cole, Valerie, Judy…they all disappeared, left behind as she plunged headlong into the waters of no return.
She entwined her arms around Daniel’s neck. Instantly, he pulled her closer, his body hard and hot.
“Dear God.” He rained kisses along her jaw and throat. “I was a fool to think I could resist this. Resist you.” Lips finding each other again, the two of them stumbled into the room, giggling like teenagers when they bumped into the bureau.
Rain and wind rattled the windows, but the sound of their breathing drowned out the ferocity of the storm. Charlotte slipped her hands beneath his jacket, running her fingers over the crisp cotton of Daniel’s shirt. Her back burned from the heat of his hands. If ever silk could melt from a touch, this would be the moment.
Daniel suddenly broke off the kiss. Silencing her whimper with a press of his finger, he walked over to the nightstand and lit the small side table light. A soft glow flooded the room. “There,” he said. “I want to be able to see you.”
A flush shot from her head to her toes. Without the cloak of night, she didn’t feel quite as brave. She moved to the bay window. Sea spray, whipped about by the storm, had turned the panes frosty, the intricate patterns like white lace.
Daniel appeared behind her, his arms drawing her back into his physical orbit. “What?”
“You’ll think I’m silly.”
“You? Never.”
Easy to say when you’re flooded with desire. But the dark hid a multitude of sins and insecurities. Lights didn’t. “You’ve been with a lot of beautiful women.”
“You’re afraid you won’t measure up?” He chuckled.
“See? I told you it sounded silly.”
“Only because you have nothing to worry about. There’s nothing to compare.” Giving another chuckle, he nuzzled her neck. “I can tell you one thing. None of the other women told my mother off in public.”
“Don’t remind me. I managed to make a spectacle of myself twice tonight.”
“Vivian wanted a party people would talk about.”
She pictured the older woman’s icy stare. “Somehow I don’t think that’s what she meant.”
“Mother gets what she deserves. For the record, by the way, telling her off was very sexy.” He turned her head and they shared a kiss.
Charlotte smiled against his lips. “You taste like the sea,” she whispered.
“You just stole my line.”
“Want it back?”
“I’ll give it to you.”
“Thank you.” Content, she leaned against his shoulders, listening to the cadence of the rain against the glass. The air was ripe with promise, and not merely of passion. She could feel the tension leaving Daniel’s body. She was getting through his walls; she could feel it.
“Poor Vivian.” The comment, meant to be a thought, came out a sigh.
Daniel looked down at her. “Why on earth would you say something like that?”
“I’m just thinking how sad it is to be that insecure. She can’t even appreciate all the things she has.”
“You mean William and Cole?”
Closing her eyes, she leaned against his chest. “I mean you.”
“Mother knows my value.” His voice was teasing, but Charlotte could feel the tension filling his body as he spoke.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Don’t bother looking for deeper emotions, my sweet professor. When it comes to my mother, what you see is what you get.”
“You deserve better.”
She felt him shrug. “Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I should take a page from your book and be grateful for what I’ve got.”
“Is that why you keep coming back?”
He didn’t answer. Instead he countered, “Why do you want to hold on to your farm?”
They were a lot alike, Charlotte realized. Alone and making the most of what little family they had. Except right now Charlotte didn’t feel so alone.
She didn’t feel alone at all.
“It isn’t a sin to admit you want a connection with your family.” She hesitated before adding, “Or with anyone else.”
“You talk too much, Professor.” He nuzzled the hollow of her shoulder. His hands slid along her rib cage until they brushed the undersides of her breasts. “Don’t we have much better things to do?”
Charlotte’s body melted into his. Glorious as it may be, she struggled against the sensation. She knew exactly what Daniel was doing.
She forced herself to break away. “Why are we here?”
“I thought that was obvious,” he chuckled, pulling her close again. There was no mistaking the hardness he pressed against her hip.
“I’m not talking about the sex. We both know you could have any woman you want at any time. Why me? Why now?”
His hand cupped her cheek. “What can I say? You wore me down. You and those incredible green eyes.”
The admission might have been enough, had Charlotte not felt his unspoken words. The ones hiding in the shadows of his face. “Is that all? I’m in the right place at the right time?”
“For a woman who accused me of arrogance, you’re doing an awful lot of compliment-fishing.”
“I’m not looking for compliments.”
“Then what is it you want?”
“You.”
“You have me. Dammit, woman, you’ve had me wanting you since you walked into my office.”
“Not just your body. I want all of you.”
Her response wrested a frustrated sigh. At last breaking their connection, Daniel slouched onto the window seat. He jammed his fingers through his hair, another sigh showing the level of his frustration. “Charlotte…”
Charlotte knew what he was about to say. That he was giving her all he could give. And it was a lie, a knee-jerk response he’d cultivated for protection. She knew, as sure as she knew herself, that Daniel was capable of great and unwavering passion—if he would only allow himself.
She knelt down and took his hand in hers. In the dimly lit room, his tanned skin looked metallic, as it had in the moonlight the night before. “I have a confession to make. I saw you last night.” His body tensed. Although she couldn’t see it, she knew a blush covered his skin. “You were beautiful. Naked and unencumbered. That’s the Daniel I want. That’s the Daniel I care about.” That the word care sprang forth so easily surprised her. But she did care, far more than she thought possible for having known the man only two days.
“You ascribe far too much depth to my soul.”
“Do I? I don’t think so.”
His fingertips traced her lips. Charlotte kissed them, feeling his hesitancy. Would I be family...? “I’m not like the others,” she whispered. “I don’t want anything from you.”
“Except for 150 acres of prime real estate.” He nuzzled her neck. “Not I begrudge losing it to you. Not now.”
Charlotte sighed. The propriety clause. As long as it existed he would never believe their agreement and tonight were mutually exclusive.
“What would you do if we had no agreement?” she asked. Would he let her past his walls then?
“What do you mean, what would I do? I think I’m doin
g it.”
“I mean what if we never signed an agreement? If tonight really was just about you and me. Would it make a difference?”
He smiled down at her. “Moot point, Professor. You can’t rewrite history.”
“We proved that theory wrong this afternoon, remember? All history is rewritten. As far as I’m concerned, the agreement never existed.”
He stared at her, skepticism clearly etched on his face. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that tonight, it’s a new story.” Foolish as the words sounded, she meant them one hundred percent. “All I want tonight is you. And if you want me, there’s no clause, no strings. Nothing but you, me and this.”
If he wanted her? Daniel gathered Charlotte in his arms, gently lowering her to the floor. Arms clutched at his shoulders, nails digging at his skin. He kissed her deeply, savoring the taste and feel of her mouth. If? There wasn’t a part of his body that didn’t want her. When he brought her upstairs, he was so far gone he was certain his body would explode the moment he was inside her. That’s how badly he wanted her.
But suddenly, now… He stared at the beautiful woman lying in his arms. Eyes half-closed, lips parted in anticipation, she was pliant and willing. He could take her tonight and enjoy what he was certain would be an incredible night of passion.
With a woman who wanted him and nothing more.
The knowledge reached deep inside him, to a place he kept locked away from the world. Suddenly, his need wasn’t quite so urgent. Oh, he still wanted her, but for the first time he didn’t feel like he had to seize the moment. Getting to know her, savoring her presence seemed just as important.
Taking a deep breath, he rolled away. Charlotte sat up.
“What’s wrong?”
He kissed the confusion from her eyes. “Nothing, my dear Professor. Nothing at all.”
She cupped his cheek, the sincerity in her eyes more of aphrodisiac than she’d ever know. “I meant what I said.”
“I know,” he said, bending to kiss her.
And for the first time in his life, he was poised to believe.
His hands found their way to her zipper. The rasping of metal filled the room as inch by inch he unwrapped his prize.
Weekend Agreement Page 11
