“But there are other issues.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.”
She inclined her head. “It’s not the wine that’s hitting me hard but…” She drew in a deep breath for courage and strengthened the resolve she’d been developing throughout dinner.
She’d come so far in letting herself go. Another woman might not think so, but from her change in clothing to her outward flirting and the tingling awareness in her body, Juliette knew she’d taken great strides. Problem was, she hadn’t gone as far as she would have liked, and she didn’t want to have regrets when her time here was through.
Now that he’d given her not just a simple glimpse into his life but an overt revelation of childhood pain, she was comfortable with the man and knew she was ready. Ready to take that next step-the one Doug the gentleman had been obviously avoiding. Out of fear of offending her? She didn’t know but it was time to find out.
He reached out and covered her hand. “But what?”
“It’s you. You make me light-headed and dizzy. You affect me. And I was about to tell you I’m not ready to go home if it means leaving you standing at my doorstep again.” She’d said it. Juliette let out a huge breath of air and waited.
Doug coughed, a sound that resembled a strangled groan and looked into her expectant gaze. The man who was attracted to her warred with the reporter who’d promised himself he wouldn’t use her sexually to accomplish his goal. But, he reminded himself, he was also on this island to make her wishes come true. If he turned her away, he’d be crushing both her fantasy and her need to feel desired by that one special man. The man he’d set himself up to be. And the man who wanted her as much as she wanted him. Weighing the circumstances, he knew he could convince himself that being with her-at her request-wouldn’t be using her for information.
But it was a thin argument. So he’d make damn sure she knew how badly he wanted her and make sure
He brushed his thumb back and forth over her soft skin before turning her palm up and grasping her hand in his. He rose, pulling her to her feet. “We should get going now, but we’ll talk in the car on the way back.”
She nodded.
He’d counted on a driver being a buffer for the sexual tension reverberating between them. Except the resort hadn’t sent a shuttle van or a car as he’d expected. They’d sent a limousine, something he’d never have thought necessary on this small island resort. But, he realized, the limo, like the resort’s owner, catered to people’s fantasies. Recalling Merrilee questioning him about happily ever after, he knew the woman was a romantic. And what was more romantic than a limousine ride when necessary? The concept went all the way back to high school senior proms, he thought wryly.
This limo came complete with a shaded partition obliterating the driver’s view of the passengers-and whatever behavior they chose to indulge in. And from the bright gleam in Juliette’s eyes, the possibilities hadn’t escaped her notice either.
But then she glanced at the darkening sky, thick now with gray clouds overhead. She shivered, a tremor shaking her hard. “Storms scare me,” she whispered.
He raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Old childhood fear. It’s silly, I know.” She squinted, studying the gray sky again.
“It wasn’t supposed to roll in until later tonight.”
She shrugged. “It happens.” She climbed into the car and he followed.
The driver closed the door behind them and the rain began to fall-leaving Doug alone with a woman who looked like she’d jump into his lap at the first clap of thunder.
A woman he desired. Badly.
CHAPTER FIVE
THUNDER CRACKLED overhead. Juliette clenched her hands tight in her lap. Lord, she was embarrassed. How could she seduce the man if she was too afraid to move? And she had no doubts she wanted to seduce Doug. None at all.
Without warning, his large hand covered hers. “Relax.” He eased her hand out of its fist until her fingertips splayed-not across her thigh-but his. As a way to distract her, it worked. His leg was hard and strong beneath the rough denim and his powerful muscles flexed at her touch. She let out a slow exhale.
“You missed that last flash of lightning.”
She met his amused gaze. “I had better things to think about.”
He laughed. “That was the point.”
A rumbling of thunder took her off guard. She tensed, curling her fingers around his leg. “Did you know if you count the seconds between the flash of light and the noise you can tell how far away the center of the storm is?”
“Truth or old wives’ tale?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Regardless, she’d stayed awake many nights focusing on the equation. “But thanks to you I’ve got something else to think about-at least during this storm.” She lowered her voice, conveying a deliberate hint of mischief combined with desire.
His eyes darkened to a deep blue hue. “Whatever you’ve got in mind, will it keep you from being afraid?”
She nodded and shifted so she was facing him, then placed her hands on his shoulders. “I’ll be way too preoccupied to even think about the weather.” Juliette knew she was finding bravery in the darkened car, courage in his physical and emotional strength.
“Then by all means let’s keep you distracted.” His husky voice sent awareness shooting through her veins.
The storm, her nerves and overwhelming need had her trembling. With shaking hands, she moved her fingers to the buttons on his shirt. Two buttons were already opened and her fingers brushed the coarse hair on his chest. He sucked in a breath of air and when he let it out, the sound came out a ragged groan. One Juliette felt deep in her belly and lower, in the pulsing place between her legs.
She slipped the tiny white button through the buttonhole and repeated the motion with the next, then the next. All the while his heated breath whispered against her cheek and she inhaled his seductive, masculine scent with each intake of air. And a tiny moan of need escaped her throat.
Doug leaned his head back against the seat and shut his eyes tight. She was killing him by degrees-her delicate, hesitant touches, her wide-eyed stare, and her ability to put fear aside and get lost in her gentle exploration of him. He was fulfilling her fantasy and giving her back the heady power of awareness and desire, but he was also discovering he had needs of his own.
He opened his eyes when, as if she’d read his mind, she parted his shirt, pushing the garment off his shoulders, baring his chest to her gaze. Her hands tangled in his chest hair, her fingertips brushed his nipples and her lips caressed his sensitized flesh until he shook with unrestrained need.
Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder crashed around them. By the formula she’d explained earlier, they were now in the center of the raging storm. But Juliette was too consumed, creating a storm of her own, to notice. And he was too lost in her fragrant scent and the incredible sensation she created in his body to point it out. Getting lost himself wasn’t what he’d had in mind when he’d set out to ease her fear and soothe her nerves. His heart galloped faster than the horse he’d ridden earlier and desire pulsed deep inside. Strung tight, he was the one that needed calming now and he wouldn’t find the relief he sought if she continued her sensual moves.
With her damp tongue, she licked a path up his chest, lingering on his neck, and pausing when she reached his ear. “I’m distracted,” she whispered in a soft voice with husky undertones.
“I’m sure you are.” He placed his hands safely at his sides. For one thing, he’d promised himself he wouldn’t get involved
