had every time he was near, either. Even Baron had not impacted her so startlingly with his mere presence.
Dinner was fabulous and she couldn’t help thinking about how Angelo had told her that he enjoyed her company. She liked being with him, too.
As much as she wanted him, it wasn’t all about sex.
Though that was what was primarily on her mind in the confines of the car as he drove them back to the beach house.
“It’s late. Do you want to spend the night?” he asked as he pulled into the parking spot he’d used earlier.
“Wasn’t that your plan all along?” Her tone wavered somewhere between censorious and teasing.
He shrugged. “It occurred to me, but if you aren’t comfortable, we’ll drive back to Portland tonight.”
At least he was being honest.
“There are multiple bedrooms,” she said, knowing even as she made the remark that the likelihood of more than one being used was very small.
“Yes.”
“We’ll probably end up in the same one, though.”
“That is entirely up to you.”
And her libido, which was as out of control as it had ever been in her life. Even so, she didn’t want to spend what remained of the night in the car driving home and then seeing him off at her front door.
She wasn’t sure what she did want, but saying goodbye to him was not it.
“It makes the most sense to stay.”
“Excellent.” He opened his door and swung his legs out of the car. “I wasn’t looking forward to driving back across the mountains this late.”
But he would have done it if she asked him to. That was worth something. Her trust was gently building without her really realizing it.
He built a fire in the great room’s fireplace and opened the sliding glass door that led to outside. The sound of crashing surf filled the room and cold air rushed in to make the heat from the fire welcome, even though it was summer. Not atypically on the Oregon coast, it had started getting chilly the moment the sun went down.
She slipped her heels off and stretched her toes in the plush carpet before moving to stand near the floor to ceiling window beside the open door. She loved summer because of the long days and gorgeous sunsets.
This one was almost over, but it had been spectacular. The deep red and orange reflected off the water as the light faded. She didn’t know how long she stood there, how long Angelo let her simply watch out the window, but the sky faded to a deep purple and then there was nothing but black night out the window. Soon, the moon would be out, but for now, the darkness made it seem as if they were alone in the universe.
It gave her a strange feeling, one she needed to counteract, and fast.
She remembered spying a familiar game case on one of the built-in shelves. “Do you fancy a round of Backgammon?” she asked without looking to see where he was.
There was nothing but silence behind her.
She turned to see why he hadn’t answered and ran smack into his chest.
He cupped her shoulders and looked down at her, his expression doing impossible things to her insides. “I want you, Tara.”
“So, you do plan to try to convince me with seduction.” She couldn’t quite decipher the change in his expression and that made her nervous, bringing out the cynicism she’d used so many times in the past to hide behind. “Or is it the other way around? Are you hoping your proposal will smooth the way for getting me into bed? And then maybe tomorrow, or the next day, or whenever you get ready to move on, you start making noises about how maybe we aren’t really all that compatible.”
Her tone was nothing short of an accusation, her words deliberately offensive, but he didn’t get angry. In fact, he didn’t tense at all. He simply looked at her like he knew something she didn’t, something really important. Something she wanted to know but was afraid of finding out.
His mouth came down and hovered just above hers.
“You—” a barely there kiss against her lips “—are—” his tongue flicked out to taste the corner of her mouth “—going to—” another kiss, this one more firm “—to have—” again his tongue…this time exploring the seam of her lips “—to trust—” his hands landed on her hips and pulled her into intimate contact “—me.”
He tilted his pelvis toward her, leaving little doubt of the level of his arousal. Then, another kiss, this one demanding entry to her mouth while his hands rotated her hips against him. How could being pressed into such intimate contact with such blatant male sexuality feel so natural, so right?
Just like on the beach, her body reacted to his nearness as if it had found its sole home in the universe. She had no defense against something so profound.
She parted her lips on a sigh of surrender she prayed she would not regret.
His tongue took possession of the heated interior of her mouth and increased the temperature several degrees. He tasted so good, better than the slice of banana split cheesecake he’d cajoled her into having for dessert. Her arms snaked around his neck and she went up on tiptoe to duel with his tongue in an ancient dance of erotic desire.
The world tilted and she realized she was being carried. She didn’t know where and didn’t much care. She was too busy trying to devour a pair of sexy, masculine lips that she thought she just might be content to lock with for the rest of eternity.
He stopped moving, bent slightly and then no light filtered through her eyelids. Even that reality couldn’t hold her attention for very long, but when he laid her down on the plush carpet, pulling his mouth from hers, her eyes flew open and she moaned in protest.
They were in front of the fire, its orange glow the only light remaining in the room. It flickered over his features like a magical ebb and flow of illumination and shadow. She lay on her back staring up at him, her heart beating wildly while her lips pulsed with the need for more of his kisses.
He came down beside her, propping himself up on his elbow. So close their bodies touched, his leg slightly covered hers, and his chest pressed against her arm.
She felt surrounded by him, completely closed in, and her breaths came in shallow pants.
“Afraid?” he asked, not sounding particularly concerned.
“You said I should trust you.”
His dark brow rose, the firelight lending a primal cast to his face. “Do you?”
“I’m working on it.”
He smiled one of his rare smiles. “Good.”
She said nothing and he brushed her face with his fingertips, leaving a trail of tingling sensation in their wake. “You are so beautiful.”
Those words had been said so many times to her over the years, they’d almost ceased
