Chapter 5 #2
"Ah, yes." William gave her an indulgent smile and an absent pat on the arm.
"I already reprimanded her for being so reckless.
Kara refuses to have her vehicle checked thoroughly by an expert, something I've warned her about too many times to count.
" His tone was so condescending that it took an effort on Zane's part not to wipe the smirk off his face.
Zoe, seeing the warning signs, stepped forward with a smile. "Mr. Blakely, why don't I introduce you to my parents?"
Unaware of the tension radiating from the other man, he beamed his approval. "I would love that."
"Shall we?"
With a nod, Zoe slid her hand through his arm and led the way.
The silence following their departure was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
"I should get something to eat-"
"Let's dance." Without giving her a chance, Zane gripped her arm and guided her onto the dance floor. "So, that's the boyfriend/fiancé." His arms encircled her waist and drew her flush against him.
"Yes." Slapping her hands on his chest, Kara tried to keep herself from being plastered against him.
"He's an asshole." His blunt statement had her lifting her head to stare at him in shock. "Is that the kind of man you like?"
Her shoulders stiffened. "My preference has nothing to do with you." She let out a gasp when his fingers dug into her back.
"He's very fortunate I'm in a good mood and this is a public place. The way he spoke to you back there made me want to rearrange his face."
"Is violence the answer to all your problems?
" she asked him stiffly, telling herself that she should not be feeling the least bit cheered by his words.
William's statement had been belittling and humiliating, but it was for her to address it.
She certainly did not welcome Zane Stanhope's interference.
"In certain cases, yes." He stared down at her and felt the anger retreating. "You look stunning. The outfit suits you."
His comment, so different from William's, had the warmth spreading, or was it because he was dancing his fingers over the bare skin of her back? She could not decide.
"Please stop doing that."
"Doing what?" he murmured. "You have the sexiest lips I have ever seen on a woman. They make me want to bite and keep on biting."
Her heart jumped and did a slow dive. "You cannot say those things to me."
"Why not? Because of that moron you're with?"
"Yes."
"I don't give a damn about him. Am I clear?
" His fingers bit into her back, tawny eyes smoldering.
"How you can stand to be with someone like him is beyond me.
" Warning himself to calm down, he took a deep breath and loosened his hold on her.
His fingers trailed up and down her back, sending heat after each touch.
"This is a public space. Please have the decency to avoid touching me like that." She was trying desperately to get him to let her go before she dissolved. He was so potent, she wondered how she could stand to be in his presence for much longer without making it clear that he was affecting her.
"You're right," he said grimly. Lifting his head, he sought out his sister and found her watching them. With a jerk of his head, he gave her a signal, which she interpreted with a nod. "Let's get out of here."
"Where-"
Before she could continue, he was clamping his hand on her arm and half dragging her through the throng of people and out an open glass door that led to a balcony.
Without slowing down, he continued down the steps until they were in a garden where the burst of colors from the variety of flowers perfumed the air.
Nearby, a water fountain tinkled prettily.
Graceful white chairs made a perfect backdrop for the dazzling array of colors.
Belatedly realizing he had dragged her out into the chill without a jacket, he shrugged out of his and draped it over her shoulders, then just stood there staring at her before turning away angrily. She was making him crazy. He had spent a few minutes with her, and his control was slipping.
"Why are you with him?" he asked suddenly, turning back to her.
His jacket offered warmth and the seductive scent of him, and made her want to cuddle and rub her face over the smooth material. Appalled, she took a step back, her heart hammering.
"I need to go back in. William will be looking for me."
"William-" He said the name with a curl of derision.
"Is so enamored with my family, he probably didn't notice you'd left the room.
Do you think I didn't see how his eyes lit up when my sister offered to introduce him to my parents?
I bet he's now trying to impress them with his qualifications, in the hopes of joining the firm.
I know the type. That's why I'm asking you again.
Why the hell are you with someone like him? "
Kara felt the curl of humiliation as she realized that he had pegged William right.
Even if he had noticed Zane dragging her out of the room, he wouldn't have said anything, not if it meant giving up the chance to sell himself to the Stanhopes.
And both Zane and his sister had used that to clear the way.
The thought of it, the very idea, sickened her.
It also angered her that the man standing in front of her had used manipulation to get her to be alone with him.
Lifting her chin, she glared at him scornfully. "And now what? You clearly have some agenda. What do you hope to accomplish here? That I'd be so dazzled by the Stanhope name that I would just be like goo at your feet?
"So, William is ambitious. What is wrong with that? How dare you stand there judging him? You know nothing about him, about us. And if you think I'm going to stand here while you insult him, then-" She broke off with a gasp when she found herself up against the solid wall of his chest.
"Let me go, damn you!"
"I call them like I see them," he told her tightly. "Are you in love with him?"
"That's none of your business."
"Answer the bloody question!" His fingers bit into her back as he pulled her even closer. "It's a simple one."
"Yes!" she cried. "There, now please let me go so that I can go back inside. I'm not interested in what you have to offer. I-" The rest of the words were crushed by his mouth, a mouth that was hard and angry, relentless.
She tasted the fury and went still, fingers curling into his crisp white shirt.
If she had struggled, he would have continued with the ruthless invasion of her mouth.
But her stillness changed the angle of the kiss and had his anger draining, that and the taste of her.
His lips softened, his hands gentling as they wandered up and down her back.
His lips turned persuasive, coaxing a response from her.
He used his expertise, prying her lips apart to introduce his tongue. Her limbs went weak, nerves fluttering as she leaned into the kiss. The minute she surrendered, he deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers.
She tasted of the champagne she had imbibed, of honey and a dark sweetness that called out to him.
His hands came up to curl around her throat, his body angling toward hers.
His thumbs caressed and explored, stopping at the pulse jumping under her skin.
She felt warm and completely addictive, like a strong and potent drink of his favorite malt.
Her response drove him wild, making him want more. He had to have her. Lord knew he had tried to stay away. But the taste, the sweet and honeyed taste of her lips, the texture, the feel of her slender curves against him, were more than he could stand.
Lifting his lips from hers, he trailed them over her cheek and down her neck, sipping, sipping from skin as soft as silk.
Her fragrance, the subtle perfume, filled his nostrils.
He was drunk on the scent of her. He cupped her breasts, feeling the jolt straight through his body at the hardness of her nipples.
Jerking his head up, he stared at her, emotions swirling in his eyes.
"Come home with me." His voice was unrecognizable. He was holding himself together by a slender thread. "You cannot deny that you want me."
"No." She tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge.
Panic coated over the desire raging inside her.
Her lips were still throbbing from the devastating kiss.
If he continued to touch her, if he kissed her again, she was going to cave.
Her insides felt like jelly and her body was trembling. "Please let go of me."
"No." His head descended, and she turned away so that his lips brushed her cheek. Clamping his fingers on her chin, he jerked her face around, eyes blazing. "I cannot stop thinking about you. We have a mutual attraction and there's no denying that. You cannot tell me you don't feel it."
Kara wanted to lie, wanted to tell him to go to hell, but he was right. What she was feeling was so foreign, she was going to have to spend some time examining herself. But right now, she wanted to be alone, wanted to think, and she could not very well do it with him holding her.
"I'm with someone else. You need to respect that." The excuse sounded lame and weak even to her own ears, but she had nothing else.
"Is that where you're going?" His mouth twisted sardonically. "The boyfriend/fiancé? You're going to have to do better than that."
She lifted her chin, eyes flashing. "All right. You're not my type, and even if I weren't with William, I could never be with someone like you."
He went still and for a moment simply stared at her. She held her breath as he continued to look at her and felt relief when he let her go and stepped back.
"You've made your point, Counselor."
Taking off his jacket, she draped it over the nearest chair. "Goodbye," she murmured. When he said nothing, she turned around and fled, leaving him staring after her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dress pants