WindSwept Narrows: #20 Fleur & Liliana

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  Fleur was lost in her dream.

  Sounds of pots and pans. Smells of morning food filtering through and calls for ingredients finally had thick, sleep filled lashes rising reluctantly. One eye closed while the other searched for the clock on the shelf next to Mia’s desk. She lay face down on the wide sofa and her face pressed into the arm she had cushioning her head. One last attempt had her pulling the blanket over her head for several long minutes before giving up and sighing as she wandered to the bathroom.

  Workout, her mind suggested, in the hopes of getting her blood moving. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge on her way out of the kitchen, sneakers squeaking on the clean floor and then on the stairwell that led to the employee underground and the gym. She wasn’t surprised that it was almost empty and went to one of the VR treadmills without thinking.

  Pale, cold brown eyes watched her step onto the treadmill. He came up behind her, his palm up and on the rail. A glimmer of satisfaction streaked through him when she jerked her palm in surprise, recognition in her eyes another hit to his system.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Fields,” he drawled slowly, letting his gaze insolently rake along the simple snug black tank top that disappeared into a pair of crème colored cotton drawstring pants that stopped midcalf.

  “Good morning,” she said quietly, dark eyes darting around her. She knew the security cameras were active. Cassidy kept things very up-to-date. “Excuse me.” She turned back to the controls she had been studying, her mind going over her choices even as part of her mind shifted uncomfortably to the man standing beside her.

  “You work out alone?”

  “Please leave.”

  “Afraid your husband will see us together?” His laugh was hard and low.

  “I wish you to go and let me run in peace,” she said firmly, forcing her gaze to remain on the controls laid out on the flat surface in front of her. She knew her fingers had tightened around the goggles and felt them shaking and it annoyed her a little more. “I do not want your attention. I do not want problems.”

  “You’re a very attractive woman,” he said as if she hadn’t spoken a word. He shifted to the front slightly, watching the fear play over her features. Part of the thrill as knowing the emotions he could make her feel even as she fought it.

  “Mr. Benton, why do you choose to ignore what I say? I am almost ten years older than you,” she tried being rational even as something inside told her she was wasting her time. His laughter sent a cold chill through her.

  “Older women are a prize to be enjoyed and savored,” he returned smoothly, his hand rising only to find empty air when she stepped back. “Add to that the sexy French accent and I find myself compelled to uncover treasures.”

  “Leave me alone.” Fleur turned and crossed the large gym to the other bank of treadmills. She was breathing too quickly. She knew she was. Training was never offered on how to deal with a man like this, she thought.

  Violence.

  That was one answer that came into her mind. She didn’t care for the shudder he caused within her. Her hand reached for the ON switch only to find it gripped tightly. So tightly she reacted swiftly and without thought, other than the fear that had been coursing through her. Her hand was swept back in a jerky movement as he didn’t release it at first and only by surprise was she able to pull her hand free.

  Fleur stepped back, almost losing her balance on the treadmill and faltering in the space between them. Her palm swept up warningly, dark eyes darting around the empty room. Her hand went to her pocket, fingers wrapped tightly around her phone.

  “Hey! Fleur!” Lacie came jogging lightly through the double doors, dropping her gym bag near the larger treadmills. Her gaze went from one to the other, lips pulled into a taut frown. “Come for a run with me,” she said quietly, moving toward the man who abruptly turned and went through the men’s locker room. “Fleur? Are you alright?”

  “No…no…I am so glad to see you,” she whispered shakily, turning and hugging her friend. “Run. I need to run the beach.”

  “Perfect. What was that all about? Was he bothering you?” Lacie didn’t like the very pale coloring on her friend’s face but kept quiet for now.

  “He is an annoying man,” Fleur allowed in-between breaths, stepping onto the treadmill and setting the controls. Both women slipped the goggles on and began their run.

  “Is he a guest at the resort?” Lacie asked after a few minutes.

  Mason Wells met his new engineer in the hall, dark eyes taking in the gym bag. “Heading for a workout?”

  “Something like that.”

  “How was the tournament?”

  “Moved onto the next level. Sunday night,” blue eyes scanned the double doors, landing on the women taking long, graceful strides on the treadmills. “Lacie?”

  “Woman runs like a gazelle and she has Fleur with her,” Mason shook his head, his grin crooked. “How they manage to keep that pace and still talk is beyond me.” He watched the interest in his friend’s eyes. “I take it you know Fleur Delacort?”

  “We started out with a kind of half date yesterday,” he admitted, glancing at Mason with a shrug. “I was in the tournament and she was called to work before I finished.” He didn’t stop the male in him from enjoying the simple pleasure.

  “I’d say try thinking of structural engineering…” Mason suggested with a laugh, his gaze remaining on the long legs and arched bodies in motion.

  “Yeah…right…I think I’ll throw myself into resistance training for an hour,” Dorian moved with his friend toward the far end of the gym, each selecting and setting the machines for their workouts.

  ****

  “Fleur, something’s wrong,” Lacie said after fifteen minutes of general chatter about the resort and people they knew. “You don’t usually talk that fast unless you’re upset.” She was about to say more but snapped her mouth closed when the long, low torrent in French burst free. Lacie blew a long puff of air through her lips. “Alright. Well. Does Cassidy know? I know this kind of thing is making her and Abby a little edgy. It’s not something they can predict.”

  “Yes, she knows,” Fleur shook her head resolutely. “He is a guest here, Lacie. All I have to do is out last his stay at the resort. And yet, that bothers me because what if his next prey does not have that luxury? I do not know the answer, the solution. He will not hear me, he will not listen, Lacie.”

  “Then stronger steps have to be taken,” Lacie answered simply. “We’ll ask Cassidy what to do next on Monday.”

  “It is such a…a conflict inside my head,” Fleur declared as they upped their pace over what they saw as hard packed sandy white beach. “It angers me that he will not listen. I do not know how to not be a challenge to him. He is young and brash and…and…he frightens me,” she said softly, unaware of the men listening to them as the treadmills came to a slow halt. Both women lifted the goggles from their faces and reached for towels they had draped over the rail.

  Chapter Four

  “Good morning, Fleur,” Dorian watched her sweep the towel over her face and neck before he offered her the bottle of water he’d picked up from the refreshment fridge against the wall.

  “Thank you and good morning, Dorian,” Fleur drained half the bottle before coming up for air.

  “Looked like a good run,” he commented, watching Lacie and Mason wander off toward the exit with a wave.

  “It is very tranquil for me,” she said comfortably. “I am sorry I could not be there for our date. How were your games?”

  “Successful. I’m in the second round on Sunday afternoon,” he walked with her as she moved toward the locker room. He wondered briefly when he started feeling like a teen aged boy asking a girl out. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling, he decided and chalked it up to being hungry. “Are you available for breakfast?”

  “I’d love to but I must shower and I have to go to my apartment,” Fleur looked around at the almost empty gym. “I enjoy their gym but I do miss my condo.
And running along the Sound.”

  “I have a car, Fleur. I can take you there after breakfast,” he looked at his watch. “Fifteen minutes to shower and change and I’ll meet you here. Alright?”

  “Yes,” dark eyes followed him before she ducked into the woman’s locker, gathering her things and heading to the showers. Her thoughts were occupied by too many things as she packed her bag and hooked it on her shoulders, stepping into the gym without really looking.

  Fleur wore a light jacket over a comfortable black tank tucked into a pair of jeans that ended at her ankles. She patted the pocket, relieved to hear the jangle of her keys at the same time she almost stepped into Thomas Benton. She struggled to keep from jumping, setting her jaw and refusing to back down from the insolent stare.

  “Excuse me,” she said firmly, moving to the side. Her breath caught in her chest when he mirrored her movement. Anxiety mounted and she wanted to shove at him. Push him aside and yell. She found herself biting her lip a few seconds later.

  “Hey, Fleur! Been looking all over for you!” Lacie crossed the room in a few long legged steps, a large cup of something pink in her hand. Until she accidentally bumped into Thomas Benton. “I am so sorry! I don’t know how I tripped…it’s washable! I promise you, it’ll come right out…”

  Mason closed his eyes and drew in a long breath. He’d seen her intent the instant her eyes hardened when the younger man entered the gym. He held up a palm when Dorian came through the double doors, a frown set on his face. He guessed from his conversation with Lacie that this was the young man harassing Fleur.

  “Stupid bitch,” Thomas Benton grabbed a couple towels from the stand beside the locker room and began wiping at the dripping, thick pink fluid.

  “Yeah…let’s go, Fleur,” Lacie winked at her, both of them releasing the chuckle as they walked away and toward the waiting men near the entrance to the gym.

  “That was an interesting move,” Dorian remarked gently, working to smother the anger inside him.

  “Thank you,” Lacie smiled brightly, looking from Mason to Dorian. “I have a few other moves, but I’m saving them for a special occasion. Are you having breakfast in the dining room?”

  “We are,” Dorian answered, his palm settling comfortably at Fleur’s waist. “Has he spoken with you this morning?” He watched her breath catch and her teeth bite onto her lower lip. “He did.”

  “I will speak with Cassidy on Monday,” Fleur said quietly, stepping onto the walkway and letting it carry them along. “I do not know what else to do. I do not want to continue to avoid my own home and I am tired and want my bed.”

  “You’ve been avoiding your bed?” Lacie barely missed bumping into the door, Mason carefully guiding her to the side and toward the restaurant.

  “I’ve been sleeping in Mia’s office,” Fleur admitted. “I did not want to lead him to my home and I…I know he was following me. And believe me, pots and pans make a very acute wake up call.”

  Dorian released her at the table they’d been shown to, her bag sliding down her shoulder to rest on the floor. Like the others, he waited until they’d been given menus and left alone before speaking.

  “Cassidy will be able to pull video footage, Fleur,” Mason said carefully. “That would be enough to get a restraining order. They will also ask him to leave the hotel. The tournament is not part of the resort. I’m not sure he can be barred from that, but I’d press for it.”

  “I will speak with Cassidy,” she repeated slowly, grateful the conversation shifted to the docks and the many businesses waiting to relocate to the area.

  “You’ve been quiet through most of the meal,” Dorian said when they were alone at the table. He settled their bill and lifted her bag in one hand, offering the other to her. “I’ll take you home and you can change and relax.”

  “Thank you. It’s very kind of you, Dorian,” Fleur looked down at their hands.

  “Why is it bothering you, Fleur? To notify authorities about Benton?”

  “Because it feels like grade school,” she blurted out and immediately closed her mouth with a little snap. “It feels like a bully on the playground that I cannot handle on my own.”

  “Alright. So how would you handle it on your own?”

  “I knew you would ask that,” she muttered testily, slumping in the seat of the large SUV. “Violence is not the answer,” she said slowly, almost regrettably.

  Dorian laughed, low and deep, his head shaking as he buckled the seat belt. “That almost sounds like you wouldn’t mind being violent.”

  “I do not believe that revenge is the right answer but it would feel very good,” she admitted after a few minutes, giving him directions to the condo. He guided the large car along the coast road, his hand out to take hers.

  “I understand that part, Fleur. I really do,” he was very cautious, checking the mirrors and making sure there was no one following them. He found the address and went around the block, winking at the curiously knit brows. “Precautions.”

  “Have we been followed?” She was sitting a little straighter suddenly, eyes going around and behind them anxiously.

  “We haven’t,” he answered instantly, making a mental note to not mention his suspicions. “Are you assigned a spot to park?” He asked, looking over the parking area outside the large condo unit.

  “One-oh-one. Charity and Faith live in the top two units, I usually ride to work with one of them,” Fleur opened the door and stepped out, inhaling the fragrance of sea and sand, fog and mid-morning. She waited while he carried her bag from behind his seat, her keys out and opening the door on the bottom level.

  “They’re huge,” Dorian commented as he entered her apartment. His feet moving over the hardwood and relinquishing her bag when she reached for it, carrying it to a small room next to the kitchen. A set of large double doors opened to a wide concrete patio with a view of Puget Sound a thousand yards away.

  “They are very well designed,” Fleur agreed, tossing clothing into the washer and adding the soap. She turned after closing the lid to find him in the doorway, watching her. It was impossible to ignore the warmth that began in her stomach that clenched tightly and spread. She felt the cold of the washer behind her fingers, her arms hanging at her side when he stepped forward, his palm up and touching the side of her face.

  “Fleur…” It was a tortured whisper, so full of longing that her breath caught again and then his lips touched hers in a kiss so gentle she barely felt the first light brush of his mouth.

  He could see himself mirrored in her eyes, wide dark and luminous circles that seemed to darken even more as he bent closer. His mouth cruised softly over hers, his tongue out to stroke around the full bow of her lower lip, nipping gently and tugging until she moaned softly and granted him what he wanted. The hot teasing strokes began slowly, her palms leaving her side to grip the band of his jeans before spreading her fingers and pressing heavily along his sides.

  Desire exploded instantly. Heat, lust, need, longing, they all ignited deep within her and her lips trembled as she moaned softly. The instant she made the sound, Dorian's kiss deepened, became more demanding, more sensual as he pulled her closer.

  Dorian shoved one knee between her legs, hands that had begun by holding her face captive for a long ravaging kiss now caressed over her shoulders and down her sides. They reached the narrow waist and pulled her hard against him, two groans filling the small laundry room. He felt his body harden a little more when her hips thrust forward, meeting his with teasing, hot pressure.

  Lord, what he would love to do to that mouth. He had imagined how it would feel to kiss her. It would be heaven and hell all rolled into one. Her lips would bring him such pleasure and then such pain as he realized that one kiss would never be enough, that he'd need to taste her over and over again.

  No, one kiss would never satisfy him. He would want more; so much more. He would want to feel her mouth caress his hot flesh, to feel her slide slowly down his body until she came to th
at part of him that ached so much for her. He throbbed painfully at the thought of her soft lips wrapping around his cock.

  From the moment she had first met him she'd had to fight the temptation to run her fingers through his short blond hair. His deep blue eyes had glinted with amusement and also desire when he'd gazed down at her. His body language had screamed his interest in her and she'd found herself unconsciously moving closer to him, signaling her own interest.

  What woman in her right mind wouldn't have been attracted to him? He was tall, a little over six foot, with wide impressive shoulders and a fit, trim body. Anyone could see from a mile off that he took care of his physique, his toned muscles rippling under his silk shirt with every movement. Fleur groaned against his marauding kiss, barely realizing she was hungrily returning every stroke of his tongue, every push and thrust their bodies offered one another.

  She was sinking fast. Her heart raced, her hands clutched tightly at the lapels of his jacket as she kissed him back with a hunger that shook her to her very core. She burned for him. Her body thrummed with excitement, pleasure shuddering through her wildly as his tongue boldly stroked into her mouth to tease hers out to play.

  Dorian tugged her shirt free, his palms spreading over the softly tinted flesh, his thumb popping the button at the front of her jeans free. His thumbs met in the center, circling her naval and stroking heavily higher, brushing the small, full underside of each breast.

  “Fleur…” her name was pulled from somewhere deep inside as his mouth cruised over her jaw and onto her throat. A throat long and arched for her pleasure and his attention. He felt the soft purr from her, his teeth nipping along a lean tendon and his groan long and as hard as his body when she thrust her hips hard against him.

  Dorian couldn't think straight, couldn't formulate one sane thought. He had kissed her only to soothe her anxiety a little. It was meant to be a brief caress, something gentle to show her that she had nothing to fear from him. That he wasn’t like the kid stalking her, frightening her. But at the sound of her soft moan he had completely lost all control. That soft sound had sparked something within him that craved to hear more of those beautiful sounds.