Body, Heart and Soul - Lucas

by Body, Heart

  She shook her entire body trying to repel the thought from her mind and turned toward the large windows looking over the never-ending expanse of green that comprised the grounds.

  She must have been deep in her own thoughts because the next thing she realized there were hands on her forearms and Dev’s head was nestled in her hair. She could feel his breath run across her cheek and his chest lightly grazing her back. She couldn’t move, as much as she wanted to. Her brain had lost all contact with her motor functions and was taking in and cataloging every effect that Devlin Kiersen continued to have on her.

  “I want you, beautiful.” His voice low, almost a growl. “Soon.”

  A whimper escaped Kira’s lips and she cursed it. His fingernails ran down her arms, then his finger tips made the trip back up again. Her skin registered every touch. Her nose took in his scent, trapping it inside her so years from now some similar scent would bring back all these painful memories of longing. She leaned her head back on his shoulder with a whine.

  “Why are you doing this to me, Dev? Is this a game to you?”

  “I would never play games with someone so sweet. So innocent.”

  His answer was flat, without emotion or any hint of what he might be feeling, then his mouth was on her neck and Kira turned her head to grant him better access, hating herself for it the entire time.

  “What about Barbara?”

  He left soft kisses on her cheek, then her temple. His fingers pulled through her hair. He turned her toward him. Cupping her face in his palms, he pressed their lips together.

  It was chaste compared to all they’d shared already, but it sent shivers through her, sparked the longing, the desire, until it began to rage within her. She felt his tongue request access and was powerless to stop it; one touch from Dev and she was liquid, inside and out. If the damned butterflies would just settle down, maybe then she could think rationally.

  Her hand went to his neck, his hair bound, looking so civilized, when she knew him to be anything but. She released it, running her finger through it and heard him groan, moving his attention and his kisses back to her neck.

  “Oh, Dev.”

  It was barely a whisper, almost a moan. She wasn’t prepared for the growl that came from him or how he pulled her that much tighter into him. She gasped and his lips were back on hers, but someone had to stop this. It was craziness. She closed her eyes tightly trying to gain courage to push away, not melt into his embraces.

  “I can’t do this, Dev. Maybe you think I’m just some stupid schoolgirl who you can play with to keep yourself amused while you wait for Barbara to change clothes twelve times a day, but I’m not. I have feelings, and a heart, and you’re trying to break it.”

  She pushed him away and ran to change, running from the arms she only wanted to stay a lifetime in—arms that weren’t hers. Now she had to go to dinner with him and Barbara. Making her way down the long hallway, she wiped tears from her face with the back of her hand. How could anyone be so gentle and so heartless all at the same time?

  * * * *

  Kira couldn’t believe the dress Maggie had laid out for her, a cream-colored dress, backless with a full skirt slit nearly to her ass. It was one of her favorites at the time they bought it. It was sexy and sophisticated, and the real Kira would never have worn such a thing. It had been a perfect choice for her adventurous summer, but now all she saw was how much skin would be vulnerable to Dev’s gaze, let alone his touch. The problem was she was at a loss to pick out something else. She didn’t know the restaurant and what would be appropriate. She had to wear what Maggie had brought out for her.

  She dressed, combed through her long wavy hair, curling a few tendrils the way she had been shown and applying some make-up. She finished with a quick spray of perfume, which cost more than her mother’s mortgage and knew she was as ready as she ever would be.

  Looking in the mirror, she had second thoughts about leaving her hair down. It would look classier if she twisted it up the way she’d been shown, but beside the fact that Barbara had requested she leave it down, tonight she wanted to be able to hide in it. She had long thick hair, and at times like this, she wore it like a blanket over a two-year-old playing hide and seek. If she couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see her.

  Barbara and Dev were already waiting for her in the foyer when she descended the stairs. Standing side by side, Dev had his arm wrapped possessively around Barbara’s waist, holding her tightly against him.

  “Oh, my dear, you look lovely. Doesn’t she, Dev?”

  “She’s a beautiful woman.”

  He may have been answering Barbara, but Kira noticed his gaze never left her, causing her to feel a lot more naked than the dress did. Her nipples hardened and that damn man had the nerve to raise a brow and smirk at her.

  She narrowed her eyes right back. She hoped they poisoned his soufflé.

  Chapter 5

  The ride to the restaurant was made all the longer having been forced to watch Barbara almost sit in Dev’s lap in the back of the limo. Dev’s hand had slowly caressed Barbara’s thigh, while his expression heated Kira until she was wet with arousal and nearly panting.

  Whenever she was able, she pulled her eyes from Dev’s and stared out the darkened windows into the night. She hadn’t seen much of the island yet, and though she knew it was private, Barbara had told her there were several businesses on it ranging from a wine cellar and gourmet store to five-star dining establishments and several nightclubs varying in tastes.

  Most of the action seemed to be back by the shore where she’d arrived by ferry on that first day. She’d been too nervous to look around much then and regretted it.

  “Dev will show you around another time, Kira. Though our shopping and nightlife can’t compete in volume to a metropolis, it holds its own in quality.” She turned her head to Dev. “Do you think she would like the art gallery?”

  Something flared between them that Kira couldn’t fathom, then Dev’s deep voice asked, “The Genevieve exhibit?”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking, darling.”

  Kira’s eyes nearly fell from her head as Barbara’s hand slid up Dev’s thigh, clearly visibly into his crotch. Her gaze flew to Dev’s. He smiled silkily, then put his hand under Barbara’s skirt.

  Kira’s breath caught, she pushed herself all the way into her seat, crossing her legs, her arms, trying to put up a wall between herself and them and still at the same time found herself curious. Wanted to see what would happen, wanted Dev to touch her like he touched Barbara. She closed her eyes as Dev’s voice washed over her, heating her further—even though his words were harmless.

  “It’s an exhibit of erotic paintings. Would you like me to take you there, Kira?”

  “Huh?” Breathless, she snapped her head up, but kept her gaze lowered. Looking down, she could see how hard Dev was. She licked her lips, wanting to taste him...

  “Yes. I think you’d enjoy it.”

  When she met his gaze, she knew that he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. She saw the acknowledgment in his eyes. He moved his hips, heavily aroused. His eyes were black as night, and though Barbara kept sucking on his neck, Dev’s eyes were pinned on Kira. After another minute, Dev and Barbara shared a long kiss Kira forced herself to look away, the truth searing into her mind. Whatever occurred between her and Dev, it apparently wasn’t affecting him or his relationship with Barbara.

  The restaurant was set into a cliff hanging out over the ocean. They walked the long stone staircase in front as a threesome. Kira felt odd being on Dev’s arm, while his other was wrapped around Barbara, but it was Barbara who had insisted.

  The grand foyer was dazzling in gold and creams, with a waterfall along the far wall and angels painted on the domed ceiling. They were shown to the formal dining room, something Kira got the impression was on her account when Dev explained quietly that there were private dining rooms, but Barbara had thought she’d enjoy the sights in the main dining room better
.

  They sat in a horseshoe-shaped booth, but Dev and Barbara took one side and she the other so she sat facing Dev through the entire meal. Their every whim was catered to by three beautiful women and one man who could have graced the cover of one of those romance novels. Kira tasted things she’d never even heard of before, most she liked, some she very much did not. Dev laughed at her once when she was forced to spit something back out, but she seriously thought she’d be sick if she swallowed it.

  All through the meal, Barbara touched Dev in a manner Kira could only describe as possessive, but then she had noticed the looks Dev occasionally sent their waitresses. If he’d been there with her, she might have had to dump one of those fancy dishes in his lap, but Barbara didn’t seem to mind in the least. She seemed confident and unthreatened, but Kira guessed when you were Barbara Folsom-Worthington, you had very little to feel threatened by.

  Kira felt as if she was slowly being awakened to an entirely different world, not only the world of money and privilege, but the world of sex and seduction. It seemed everywhere around her here—not just Dev and what he did to her, or even Dev and Barbara as a couple, but the exchanged glances of some of Barbara’s guests back at the manor, as well.

  She met very few of them, but she saw looks and touches that were beyond her meager experiences. One night when she wandered to the kitchen for a late snack, she heard a woman moaning in what could only have been described as complete ecstasy. The only way Kira even recognized it was that she realized she sounded very much like that when indulging in a quart of Hagen Dasz Vanilla French Almond.

  Definitely ecstasy.

  As the evening progressed, courses served and cleared, wines and liqueurs sampled, and finally a dessert array arrived at their table, Kira had begun to relax. It was probably the alcohol, she knew that, but it was simply nice to feel like herself again while in the presence of Dev.

  “Here, darling. Try this.”

  Kira assumed the purring voice of her employer had been directed to Dev, but when she looked up, Barbara had a piece of chocolate topped with cream held out to her.

  It seemed odd, but she reached for it anyway, only to have Barbara hold it back.

  “No, dear. The cream will drip on your gown. Just take it from my fingers.”

  Kira felt a bit like a five-year-old being fed by her mother, but she did as she was told and slid the chocolate and cream into her mouth along with—due to the way Barbara held the chocolate—the tips of Barbara’s fingers.

  She saw Dev’s gaze flare and felt trapped in them. For several seconds, she forgot to release Barbara, who seemed in no hurry to remove her fingers from Kira’s mouth. Kira felt mortified when she realized what she’d done. Her cheeks flamed and her eyes held steady on her napkin.

  “Don’t be embarrassed. Chocolate is seductive, sensuous, and should be enjoyed as such.”

  Kira managed a small smile.

  “Would you like another? Maybe Dev should feed you this time, if you’d be more comfortable.”

  “No!”

  Kira bit her lower lip, sick at not being able to hold back her sharp response. Barbara laughed. That didn’t help.

  “Dance with me, Dev. The child’s had enough for one night.”

  Dev slid out of the booth. Barbara hesitated, then leaned closer to Kira, lowering her voice so only she would hear.

  “He’s a very handsome man, Kira. I’d worry about you if you weren’t attracted.”

  Kira’s cheeks burned with the embarrassment of being so transparent. She grabbed a thick juicy strawberry off the tray, dipped it first in a dish of white chocolate being kept warm with a small flame under it, then in the cream before placing it in her mouth. The flavors exploded on her tongue and she savored them.

  Watching them move over the dance floor, Kira found herself wondering if that was what she’d looked like in Dev’s arms. He seemed more relaxed now than he had during the meal. He had Barbara’s body tucked in close to his and his left hand slowly caressed her back, making a long trail down nearly to her ass then back up.

  They didn’t speak. In fact, where Barbara had her cheek resting on Dev’s chest, Dev stared out at the room looking lost. It worried her how badly she wanted to go to him. Make everything all right for him. Her eyes became transfixed on Dev’s caressing hand until she could almost feel it on her own skin.

  Frustrated and turned on, she tried to watch other people for a while, instead. There weren’t any children in the restaurant, only couples and groups of adults. Dev had told her that while most of the year one would be hard pressed to find more than a hundred people on the island, during the summer and winter holidays the population grew to a staggering amount. There were several private estates on the island, which, like Barbara’s, usually housed summer guests. Then there was the resort on the other side of the island. It was by invitation only but had the rooms to house three hundred.

  A rather large man caught Kira’s attention. He sat at a table that edged the dance floor with five other men and one woman. She watched in fascination the way his hand ran up the spine of the woman as she sat beside him. Seemingly uninterested with the goings on at her table, she sat with a bland look on her face as she watched the dancers, reminding Kira quite of a cat in a windowsill.

  His touch was very similar to the way Dev had been moving his hand along Barbara. It seemed sensual to her, it seemed to denote he found the woman attractive, but his demeanor and body language were contradictory. He smoked a large cigar and laughed with the other men at the table almost ignoring the woman completely.

  Their interactions enthralled her. Kira was used to guys on campus. She’d seen enough couplings at bars to become familiar with the lame and drunken grabs and fumbles, but they’d never particularly appealed to her. When she was touched by a man, she wanted him to know what he was doing.

  Like Dev.

  She watched the man’s hand rest on the woman’s lower back and thought that this was nothing like campus. This was on a whole other level. Being out of her cocoon for the first time was having an effect on her she found startling. She surprised herself more than she could have expressed when her mind wandered of its own volition to what type of sex this couple had.

  Shock subsiding, she giggled.

  It probably isn’t anything like what the girls in the dorms talked about.

  She had her head cocked to one side watching the scene with open fascination when she heard Dev’s voice in her ear.

  “She’s his paramour.”

  Kira nearly jumped out of her seat. Anger flashing in her cheeks as she looked up at Dev whose eyes betrayed his amusement at her expense.

  “Don’t be mad, chéri, simply because I find you so thoroughly adorable.”

  He touched her cheek, hot with a mixed blush of anger, arousal, and embarrassment. She looked around for Barbara, pushing all thoughts of the other couple and the sparks of heat from his light touch aside. As if he could read her thoughts, he smiled comfortingly.

  “She went to the ladies’ room. Then she’ll be making her social rounds. Would you like to dance?”

  Dev stood tall with his hand extended to her, looking down on her with those sapphire-blue eyes as if she was the only woman in the world.

  Yes, of course, I would. More than anything.

  “No, I would not,” were the words that actually left her mouth. She sat deeper into the booth, arms folded defensively over her chest, lest Dev’s glance alone would levitate her out of it and onto the dance floor.

  “Beautiful, I want you in my arms.”

  “Stop calling me that.”

  She’d been more abrupt than she would have normally, but she had to keep her distance. She couldn’t fall under his spell again, not with Barbara only a few feet away.

  “Why?”

  “Because it isn’t true, and beca—”

  “Not true?” He hunched down beside her, tipping her chin until she had no choice but to look at him. She was beginning to hate it when
he did that. Those damn eyes held powers mere mortal girls had no defenses for.

  “Sweetheart, you’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.” He tucked long strands of hair behind her ear with aching tenderness. “Now, come dance with me.”

  In one smooth movement, as she somehow knew he would, he had her out of her chair and headed for the dance floor.

  “What about Barbara?”

  “She’s a big girl. She’ll be fine.”

  “No, I mean, won’t she mind you dancing with another woman?”

  Dev swirled her around as they hit the edge of the floor, swirling her right into his arms.

  “It was her idea.”

  Kira dodged Dev’s gaze, hoping the disappointment wouldn’t show in her eyes. As much as she thought dancing with Dev was a bad idea, she had at least hoped it had been his bad idea.

  His hand—held possessively against the bare skin of her back—kept interfering with her common sense. And when his mouth brushed the top of her ear, she knew she was hopeless.

  “Not that I haven’t been dying to ask you all night.”

  The shiver that shot through her caused a knowing grin to light his face. She sighed, shooting him a look of distrust and pulled back slightly.

  “Stop fighting me, Kira. We’re destined to be together.” He put his face back alongside hers, his tongue gently flicking her ear lobe as he added, “It will happen, and when it does, I’m going to make you do a whole lot more than shiver.”

  She was too relaxed by the wine. Too tired from the constant battling between her hormones and her head, and too turned on by Dev to fight him anyway. She gave in and for a while allowed him to hold her as if she belonged to him and he to her.

  The morning was soon enough for reality.

  * * * *

  Dev wasn’t at all pleased with the message he’d received over breakfast. He’d kept his brother waiting on purpose—in part because he wanted the youngest of the Kiersen boys to know he wasn’t welcome, and in part because he needed time to pull together the remnants of his emotional barriers.