Concealed Desire

by Eden Summers

  “We need to talk.” He watched her back expand with a deep breath and stepped toward her.

  “No.” She uttered the word and shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Dean.”

  He took another step and frowned. God, if only she knew how sorry he was.

  The elevator dinged its arrival and Beth stepped inside.

  “Wait.” He closed the distance between the elevator and heard her press a button. His blood pounded as the doors began to close, and she still wouldn’t make eye contact. “Stop!”

  He thrust his arm between the doors at the final second and cursed when they smashed into him. “Goddamn it. Please just give me the chance to explain.”

  He stepped inside and she finally looked at him, her eyes somber and defeated. All he could do was stare, drinking in the alluring sight while the doors closed with a clunk behind him. Over a week had passed without seeing her every day, and he missed her like crazy.

  “She’s my sister,” he blurted, no idea where to start. There were so many things to tell her before she did another runner.

  “I know.” One side of her lips tilted in a bad attempt at a smile.

  She knew? He moved toward her, so they were almost toe to toe. He couldn’t stay away from her as they began to descend. He ached to touch her and, although he’d step out of her space the moment she asked, he would enjoy every second while he was here.

  “Then why—”

  Her soft fingers came up to rest over his lips. “I’m sorry.”

  She had to stop apologizing. She had nothing to be sorry for. It was time for answers and explanations, and he didn’t plan on letting her out of his sight until he had both.

  With her fingers still on his lips, he reached over and pressed the Stop button. The elevator groaned in protest, coming to an abrupt halt as frantic alarm bells rang outside the enclosure.

  “What are you doing?” Beth’s panic sounded over the alarm. The warmth of her fingers left his lips and the loud ringing stopped moments later.

  Emotions skittered across her face; first openmouthed shock followed by a glance he wanted to believe was hope. “We need to talk.”

  Her eyes were still wide when she nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry. I should have given you the chance to explain earlier, but…”

  He could only imagine how she wanted to end the sentence—But you ripped my heart out and I couldn’t stand to see you again.

  He traced his fingers down the side of her face and his body jolted to life. After days of nothing but numb existence he could now feel. Her skin was softer than he remembered and he wanted to groan in appreciation when she closed her eyes with a sigh.

  “I love you, Beth.” The truth came out without thought. He did love her and he didn’t care if she shot him down in flames; he needed her to know.

  Her eyes squeezed tighter, her palm moving to rest on his chest. “Don’t—”

  “Please, just let me explain.”

  Beth opened her eyes at his plea and she spoke before he had the chance. “I don’t deserve your explanation. Last Saturday you gave me a glimpse at the real you. You showed me a side of yourself that I never knew existed and I’d been infatuated with you long before that. But then on Monday, I was blindsided—”

  “I know, and—”

  She placed her whole palm over his mouth with a smile. “Let me finish. I was blindsided by Steve’s note and the things your father said hurt like hell, but I should’ve given you the chance to explain. I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge you, no matter what the outcome. And I’m sorry for that. I not only made the situation worse for you while you were out of town helping your sister, but now I look like a childish brat.”

  He smiled at her completely ridiculous apology. No other woman would apologize for giving him the cold shoulder after what she’d been through. He kissed her palm and grasped her hand, moving it away from his mouth.

  “I dunno; I kinda like the way you look.”

  She gave a halfhearted chuckle and the flicker of warmth in her eyes spread through their connection, up his arm, into his chest. “You ‘kinda like’ a lot of things.”

  He couldn’t help but smile, remembering the hysteria on her face the first time he’d said those words to her. Yeah he did kind of like a lot of things, and all those things revolved around one woman. “Only with y—”

  Loud banging sounded from the elevator shaft above.

  “This is building management. Is everything all right in there?” A man’s voice boomed from the same direction.

  Damn it! All Dean wanted was five fucking minutes.

  He tilted his head away from Beth, so he didn’t shout in her face. “Yeah, we’re fine. Just give us a sec.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but unless there’s an emergency, I’m going to need you to return to the lobby. We’ve had technical difficulties with the other elevator and this is the only one available. We have a large group of people trying to get back to work after their lunch breaks.”

  Dean bit back a growl. “Not a problem.” Ignoring the building manager’s request, he turned to Beth. He couldn’t risk her leaving without hearing him out and he still had a mass of things to explain. “I need you to understand what the situation with my father was about.” She nodded and pressed her lips together. “I swear I didn’t sleep with you to get back at him. His proposition only spurred me to step out of my comfort zone and take a chance on the feelings I have for you.”

  She scrutinized him, her uncertainty evident. He would need to try harder to convince her.

  “From the first day we met, I haven’t been able to wipe the thoughts of you from my mind. You’re everything I made myself believe didn’t exist. You’re honest, passionate, loyal.” He stepped into her, joining their bodies thigh to thigh as he stared down at her. “Honestly, I could go on for an eternity and still not convince you of everything I admire. But the main point you need to understand is that you’re too good for me.”

  She shook her head in confusion, and he continued, “I’ve always thought you were out of my reach, too pure and sweet for a guy with my reputation. Then we kissed at Onyx and everything fell into place. From the instant our lips met, I knew I needed more. But you left without a word and acted as though you regretted every moment.”

  “No, it wasn’t—”

  “Just let me explain,” he whispered, moving closer so their lips almost touched. “After Onyx I was gutted. You left and I no longer had the confidence to go after you. Then when my father set you in his sights, I knew I had to do something. It encouraged me to suck up my apprehension and fight for what I wanted. There was also a big part of me that couldn’t stand my father putting his hands on you, but the thought of losing you to anyone at all was my motivation.”

  He paused, trying to judge her reaction. Her expression gave nothing away. He didn’t know how to make her believe, how to make her see how much she meant to him.

  “I would never use you. I would never disrespect you.” He marked his words with a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Why did you brag to Steve about us?” she whispered into the crook of his neck.

  Yes, he still had to address that stupid note.

  “I didn’t give Steve intimate details. I just told him we were together and I did it for two reasons. The first reason I admit was childish. I wanted to share the news with someone and he’s known how I’ve felt about you for a long time.”

  Beth made a move to lean back against the wall, but he held her tighter, unable to make eye contact just yet.

  “The second reason—the main reason, was because I asked him to take care of you while I was gone. I informed him of the situation with my father, told him that things would be uncomfortable for you on Monday and asked that he ring me if anything happened. I was trying to look out for you. I haven’t been able to sleep since last week, knowing the lies my father told you.”

  Her body sagged into his and he took it as a sign of acceptance. He caressed her cheek with the tip of
his nose, moving his mouth down to place another kiss on the sensitive flesh below her ear. “I’ve pictured only you in every woman I’ve seen.” He slid a hand under the hem at the back of her camisole, his fingers lightly gliding over the skin of her lower back. “I’m drowning in you, Beth.”

  * * *

  Beth felt Dean’s hand slide through her hair, his large palm cupping her head while his mouth moved back to hover over hers. She could feel the hard beat of his heart against her palm as those dark brown eyes devoured her. And he thought he was the one drowning?

  She swallowed to moisten her tongue and the compulsion to lick her lips was undeniable.

  His mouth inched closer, the rush of eager anticipation flowing through her ears, making her oblivious to anything else but Dean. A faint noise skittered along her subconscious, but didn’t resonate. The touch of his hands demanded all her attention with their delicious stroking.

  His lips brushed hers, a delicate sweep—

  “Sorry to ruin the happily ever after moment, but if you don’t start the elevator now, I’m going to have to call the police.”

  Beth jumped at the loud voice echoing through the elevator. Her eyes widened in embarrassed amusement, and Dean grinned back at her.

  The noise now came from right above the door. The building manager must have located the level they were stuck between and came closer to investigate.

  “We better go.”

  Dean shook his head. “Just a few more minutes.”

  Then his lips were over hers again doing a delicate brush of her smile before moving in for a deeper kiss. A moan left her throat and she sank into his chest, the noise moving from her mouth and into his while a gentle tongue stroked hers.

  “Come on, guys,” the man pleaded.

  Chuckling at her sudden sense of happiness and the way Dean now had a one-track mind, Beth ran her hands up his chest, around his neck, and into the strands of his hair. Just a few more minutes and they would leave.

  Dean moved a hard thigh between hers, stepping forward to position her body so it rested against the side wall. With an obsessive force, he tasted her, his tongue thrusting, his thigh grinding while his hands sank into her hair. His fingers on her scalp made her body over-sensitized, each stroke, each pull, each thrust and lick making her thighs clench.

  “You do realize we have a camera in the elevator,” the man yelled louder and Dean paused. “As we speak my assistant is in the control room watching the two of you make out. You’ll both be an instant hit with the voyeuristic community as soon as we upload the video to YouTube.”

  Dean pulled away, his eyes turning a heated glare on the small video camera in the back corner. With a growl he grabbed her hand in one of his and with the other he pressed the button for the lobby with force. He squeezed her fingers tight when she gasped at the elevator’s sudden lurch, then continued to stroke the back of her hand with his thumb as they descended at a normal pace.

  When the doors opened on the ground floor her cheeks burned hot. People were banked up five deep around the door. Some of them frowning, shooting her filthy looks, while others held cheesy grins as if they pictured what sort of triple-X action had been going on in the elevator.

  Leading her through the crowd, Dean moved out to the open space of the lobby before stopping and turning to face her. He spared a second to read her eyes, his smile soft and sweet before he leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. She was still smiling, her heart now full with euphoria—until he dropped to one knee.

  What the…

  In a split second her stomach went with him, leaving her body and falling straight to the floor. He couldn’t be proposing. His face turned a shade paler, his eyes now glazed in determination while she frantically searched the room for a lifeline.

  “Beth, I’ve missed you. I can’t stand waking up—”

  “Dean,” she warned, her eyes still searching for someone she knew in the crowd of people who were now turned in curiosity, eager to watch the train wreck about to happen.

  “And not seeing your face at work every day. I want to get to know you better—”

  “Dean,” she pleaded, her hand pulling at his in an effort to make him stand. She began to rub her neck with her free hand, trying to ease the tension so she didn’t hyperventilate.

  “I want you in my life—”

  Oh God. “Please, Dean.”

  He ignored her. Surely the horror must be clear on her face.

  “Will you go out with me?”

  The room went silent, or maybe her ears just stopped functioning.

  What did he just say? She frowned, trying to rerun the conversation while a smirk brightened his face. Not will you marry me? but will you go out with me?

  Dropping his hand, she glared.

  Bastard.

  She tried to convey how much she wanted to skin him with a dull grater while pressing her lips together, determined not to smile. “You scared me half to death.”

  His grin widened, a full set of gleaming white teeth hitting her full force. No woman in her right mind could have resisted smiling back at the beautiful man kneeling before her. She didn’t need to turn and see the faces of the women onlookers to know they were wondering why she was so lucky.

  “I suppose asking someone on an actual date is as monumental as proposing marriage for a player like you.”

  Clutching at his chest, he feigned a mortal injury. “You’re killing me, sweetheart.”

  Glancing around Beth took note of the tens of people milling around, their smiling and eager faces waiting for the conclusion. “You know everyone thinks you just proposed, right?”

  He answered with a smug nod. “Are you going to let them know what your answer is?”

  He grabbed her hand again and Beth glared, not sure if she should let him off the hook so easily. When she continued to think about Dean and a possible future together she felt her face soften, a smile replacing the glare.

  Their future had been mapped out in her mind through thousands of fantasies for the longest time. The one thing that always seeped in to ruin the image was Dean’s reputation and the fear that he couldn’t commit.

  The confidence bled from Dean’s face, the mischievous smile fading. He gazed up at her from his position on bended knee, not once allowing his attention to waver to the crowd standing politely out of hearing distance. Not once did the depths of his eyes leave hers.

  “Beth.” He knew why she hesitated. She could tell by the way his expression changed to self-disgust. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him, but if he grew tired of sleeping with the same woman all the time she would never recover. “I love you.”

  The world tilted and she clutched his hand tighter. The people in the lobby disappeared as she froze in place. He had said those words in the elevator, but at the time she hadn’t listened, hadn’t deserved to hear them and made herself forget immediately. This time was different. This time she could feel his heart pouring into the three monumental words and she could feel their honesty.

  “Beth?”

  She couldn’t deny this man.

  Her head nodded in enthusiasm and she mouthed her answer without voice. The lobby erupted in a mass of cheers, the outside world beginning to spin again. The crowd may think they were now engaged, but that didn’t matter. Dean’s dating proposal had been just as monumental as a proposal of marriage. And she couldn’t be more elated.

  He loved her. Dean Sutherland, woman-slayer of the city and surrounding states, loved her. Her heart soared on a high while she tried to contain her emotions.

  Moving to his feet, he wrapped his arms around her and she closed her eyes in his embrace.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “God, how I love you.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later

  Beth raised her eyebrows and stared down at Dean. Really? He was really going to repeat the whole down on one knee thing again?

  She mentally tried to recount how many times he’d replayed this stunt. The
first time had been to ask her out on a date. The second time came at the end of the first date, his bended knee request for a second date this time. Then the third scene had been at a random park only two weeks later, asking her to return to her old position at Sutherland & Son.

  The most recent and most monumental though had only been last week, on the balcony of his apartment. Will you move in with me? Yes, his bended knee proposals were moving up in slight degrees but he’d done them so many times that the zing had now left the building.

  “Dean, if you ask me something lame like if I want Chinese for dinner, I’ll have to remove your manly bits with my fingernails.”

  The smile he shot her contained pure, intoxicating heat with an even more impressive dose of love. After three months, she still hadn’t become used to his open affection. The way his eyes filled with appreciation and adoration caused her heart to skip a beat every damn time.

  “No, sweet cheeks, this isn’t about Chinese, so please take your eyes off said manly bits.”

  Well, that deleted one possibility off a list of thousands.

  Shaking her head in exaggerated frustration she turned to walk away, loving him to death, but unable to ignore the billions of stacked boxes that littered his hallway. Although she would never admit it out loud, the decision to move her belongings to Dean’s house without professional help had been a mistake of shocking proportions. Who knew the draw of sweaty man flesh would be cursed due to lower back pain.

  Before her foot hit the floor with her first step, Dean gently grabbed her hand, causing a smile to tug at her lips. She loved this man in a monumental I-wanna-start-picking-out-baby-names sort of way.

  Turning slowly, she peered back at the man she cared so much about and grasped at her chest. His grin was still intact, his hand still held hers in a warm, soft grip, but his other hand now carried a small black box.

  Trying to remain calm by closing her gaping mouth, she raised her eyebrows. She could play it cool. Maybe it was a small, black velvet box with a key to his apartment in it. A small, black velvet, jewelry store box that he deliberately used to try and tease her out of her ever-loving mind.