Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Derius toyed with his drink. The temptation to get so drunk he’d forget how badly he’d screwed things up with an amazing woman was strong but he resisted.
It might ease his memories and frustration tonight but in the morning they’d all come rushing back.
Headclear could take away the hangover but nothing could change the past. His friends came and went from the table, going to the dance floor and the karaoke stage.
Kath and Nikko belted out a duet which was surprisingly good.
Derius refused their urging to give it a go himself.
The others tried to include him in the general conversation, which he appreciated but this was their date night and it wasn’t anyone’s job to cheer him up.
Besides, several of his buddies and their dates had gotten pretty intense over the last few days and didn’t really have attention to spare for their dateless friend.
Braden was a no show yet again. If he’d joined the group at least the two dateless men could have drowned their sorrows together.
Since this part of the resort was devoted exclusively to the Ardannans, every woman here was paired up and even if Derius had wanted to find other companionship there wasn’t any available.
The IDA employees were friendly but not available for anything more than the required customer service in each venue.
No distracting the guests from each other.
He should go back to the hotel instead of being a drag on the fun evening the others were having.
Leonie was undoubtedly working on that damn proposal again but maybe he could get her to talk to him.
He didn’t want to leave Resort Planet without being allowed to explain and apologize even if she wouldn’t accept anything else from him.
He hoped he was wearing her down enough to let him clear the air.
Having reached a decision, he finished the feelgood in a long swallow, set the glass down with a clink and swiveled in his chair.
As he got to his feet, he stared in disbelief.
A vision in a black dress was walking briskly toward him, cutting through the dancers with ease, even though her eyes were fixed on him.
“Leonie?”
She grabbed a drink from a passing waiter, took a sip and gave Derius a saucy smile. “I’ve decided I wasn’t being smart about this—this situation you and I have. I was letting my emotions get the better of my intelligence.”
“Really?” Now he was totally lost as to what was happening with Leonie. He pulled out the chair next to his. “Sit down and tell me about it. Killer dress by the way.”
Setting her drink down she tossed her shawl onto the chair and reached for his hand. “I have a better idea—let’s dance.”
Now Derius was totally confused but he was game for anything representing progress between the two of them so he followed her onto the crowded floor.
The music was fast, with a strong bass beat and it was impossible to converse.
He didn’t regard himself as much of a dancer but he did his best. Leonie was incredible with intricate steps and sinuous movements of her hips and arms. He was in awe and his cock was wide awake and pressing so hard against the fastening of his pants he figured there’d be an imprint.
She threw her head back and tossed her hair as the dance ended and he couldn’t help gathering her in for a hug.
Leonie patted his shoulder and led him to the table as the band launched into another song. “I decided I needed to do proper fact finding,” she told him.
“Some what?”
“I’ve been letting my hurt feelings override everything else I know how to do in a difficult situation.
I solve problems for a living, remember?
And the first thing to do is fact finding.
Then when I’ve gathered enough facts to reach a preliminary conclusion I’ll decide whether to continue to the next phase of this case study of us.
” She let him pull out the chair for her and then reached for her drink.
The way her ruby red lips pursed around the straw gave him all kinds of thoughts about what he’d rather be doing right now with Leonie.
She’d done the same thing with his cock the night they’d shared three years ago and it had been a revelation.
Sure he’d had other women give up close and personal attention to his cock but no one could compare to Leonie.
“So now we’re a case study?” he asked. “Is that progress?”
She eyed him over the lip of her drink. “Compared to where I was the first night here when I walked in and saw you? Oh yeah. My mission statement here is to figure out which Derius you actually are,” she informed him.
“Are you the outstandingly good guy your friends think you are? Are you the man I met on Ballenger Two three years ago and spent the night with? Or are you the total jerk who walked out on me?”
“I—“
She held up one hand and he shut his mouth.
Leaning forward which caused her cleavage to be on view, with a hint of enticing black lace but after one involuntary glance Derius kept his eyes on her face, she added, “Most importantly, are you a man I can still be attracted to more than merely in the physical sense? The connection we had that night was like nothing I’d ever felt before, which made the next morning all the more crushing, thank you very much.
Do you still do it for me? Are you worth the effort? ”
In any other circumstance Derius would have found this discussion amusing and flirtatious but the stakes were so high his anxiety spiked.
He did take note she was admitting she still found him attractive.
He bought time for himself by grabbing the nearest feelgood, which was probably Nikko’s and taking a hefty swallow.
“What do you need from me then?” He was ready to do anything she asked to have a second chance.
“Answers. But first another dance.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him from the table. This time the music was slow and she stepped into his arms as if they’d never been apart or quarreled.
Derius breathed deep of her perfume, which was the same she’d worn three years ago and the scent of which he’d never forgotten.
He wouldn’t admit it but he actually bought a spritzer of it at one point after he got out of the hospital and sprayed it on a pillow he slept with.
But the scent, beautiful as it was, didn’t have the same notes when it wasn’t on her warm skin, with her own luscious pheromones, and he’d thrown the pillow away after a single night of bad dreams. “We can’t talk here,” he said, his lips close to her ear.
“I’m not willing to have the conversation in the hotel room either,” she told him.
After considering for a moment, Derius said, “Want to go sit on the beach? It’s pretty deserted now so we could have privacy.”
Leonie pondered his suggestion while the music played and she continued dancing in his arms. He didn’t know what effect being so close together was having on her but it was making it hard for him to hang onto his control.
His body remembered hers, his mind was full of memories and if they weren’t in a public place he’d have his tongue busy with her sweet mouth and his hands full of her luscious tits and…
his cock was hard and lengthening between them and he was sure she could feel it through the layers of their clothing.
Desperately he sneaked one hand between them and adjusted himself.
She laughed. “We still have the chemistry, no denying that. All right, fine, I brought my shawl, let’s take this discussion to the beach.” Leonie moved out of his hold and walked toward the table, holding his hand as if the connection between them right now was important to her.
Nikko and his date were seated across the table when Derius and Leonie arrived. His friend checked with him briefly in one of those silent conversations men who’ve been friends for a long time can conduct and then turned his attention back to Kath.
“We’re going to the beach,” Leonie said. “Have a good night.”
“I think we will. You too. I’m glad you came out tonight after all and I love the dress.” Kath winked at her.
Leonie swirled the skirt with a quick hip shimmy. “You were right—I did have to have this.” She gathered up her tiny purse and the shawl and then allowed Derius to escort her from the club with his hand at the small of her back.
Once they were a few feet away from the building, he helped her adjust the gauzy shawl over her shoulders and they walked down the strand hand in hand.
When they reached the steps leading to the beach, white sand glowing in the moonlight, he let her precede him.
She paused to strip off her heels and then walked barefoot across the sand.
Passing up the first group of chairs, Leonie led him to a pair further down the shore.
“This will do,” she said, looking back at the lights of the clubs, restaurants and shops. “Close to civilization but in our own world.”
Derius settled into his chair, apprehensive about how this conversation was going to go. She was definitely sending out mixed signals to him tonight. Concentrate on explaining and apologizing, he told himself. Don’t blow this.
“I love the sound of the ocean,” she said, gazing at the waves breaking on the beach. There were sparks of luminescence in the water which reminded him of her dress.
“What did Delain say to you when he sent me out of the office?” Derius asked.
“He gave me another chance to tell him privately if I was physically afraid of you. He said he could find a place for me to stay in the employee housing until a shuttle seat was available if necessary. I told him I appreciated the offer but you’d never hurt me. Not physically.”
Derius felt the qualifier like a knife to the heart but he couldn’t defend himself.