His hands slid over her body, shaping and palming her curves and leaving fire in their wake. As he pillaged her mouth with hunger and touched her intimately, she frantically tore at his shirt, not wanting to wait one more second to feel his naked skin on hers.
Daniel slipped his hands under the coat she still wore, and ran his fingers over her flesh. Little bumps of pleasure broke out on her skin. His scent enveloped her, and she inhaled deeply, pulling it into her lungs. Bloody hell she wanted him. And she was determined to finally have him, no matter what tomorrow brought.
He slipped his coat off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Just as he moved to pull her sweater over her head, a noise downstairs drew their attention and stopped them cold.
“Daniel, are you up there?” his mother asked.
“Oh fuck,” he murmured and pressed his lips to her forehead, his breathing labored and heavy.
Anna gripped him for support and rested her chin against his chest, as she tried to tamp down her lust.
“My parents,” he whispered, stating the obvious.
She nodded. “Party must be over.”
He shook his head. “Christ, I can’t wait until we take possession of our own place.”
Flustered, and barely able to understand his words, Anna inched back. His mind must be as lust-crazed as hers. Because surely he meant to say when he took possession of his own place. As she stood before him, all hot and bothered, and in desperate need of release she said nervously, “I should go.” She glanced at the window, her escape route. “I don’t want to be caught in here with you. It might give everyone the wrong idea.”
“Or the right idea,” he offered, stepping into her until their bodies collided.
Her brain was so passion rattled she didn’t even know what he meant by that. Did he want just one night of sex with her, or did he want more? Did she even dare hope for the latter? “Daniel—”
He cut her off and pointed to his window. “Okay, you go that way so no one sees you, and I’ll go downstairs to distract my parents.”
She nodded and appreciated that he respected her need for privacy. But she hated that this night had come to an end so abruptly. She’d spent numerous years fantasizing about this man and this moment, and just when she was about to experience the pleasure of his lovemaking, once and for all, forgetting about past hurts or even what the morning brought, their night had come to a grinding halt. Perhaps some things just weren’t meant to be.
She turned her back to him. “I’ll see you later then.” She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice but failed miserably.
He grabbed her, spun her around and meshed her groin to his. “You’re not getting off the hook that easily.”
“What do you mean?”
His grin turned wicked. “You still owe me.”
“Owe you?”
“A thank-you, remember.”
“Oh right. Th—”
He pressed his fingers to her lips to hush her. “You can thank me by coming back to the inn with me. I’ve been working hard and want to show you what I’ve accomplished.”
“I don’t think tonight…” Even though she was anxious to see his handiwork, as he’d been banging around in that room alone all day, she just needed to get home, jump into a cold shower and pull herself together.
His gaze slid over her and bombarded her with desire. “You have to come tonight,” he commanded in a soft voice, one that told her he had no intention of taking no for an answer.
As her skin flushed hotly, she inched backwards and moved toward the window. Each step brought her closer to his desk, and that’s when she noticed the stack of books behind his laptop. What the heck? Since when had Daniel started reading romance novels? She was about to ask, but he stepped in front of the pile, as if to block her line of sight, and in a firm tone, said, “Tonight, Anna.”
He had an odd look on his face and there was an urgency in his voice that she hadn’t heard before. She paused, wondering exactly what it was that he really wanted to show her. Was it the room, or was it something else entirely?
She gave a resigned sigh. “Okay, but just for a few minutes.” She opened the window, stuck her foot out, and shot one last glance his way. “By the way,” she murmured quietly. “The kiss was perfect, Daniel. Just like I knew it would be.”
Something about the genuine smile he sent her way had an invisible band tightening around her heart, and she knew she was in serious trouble here, because any more time spent with him would draw her in so deep, not even a compass could help her find her way out.
4
Daniel hurried to the inn, desperate to get there before Anna so he could make the final arrangements and address any deficiencies in the room. Since she had to go through her parents’ house first and would undoubtedly face another inquisition, he had plenty of time to set the stage for a night of sweet seduction.
He pulled his van into the driveway, killed the ignition and rushed toward the inn. He shot a glance around and spotted two other vehicles nearby. All was quiet in the neighborhood, and as he navigated the walkway, he took note of Candace and Lindsay’s respective rooms. From his ground-level view he could see the lights were still on, and he wondered if they were all working late. Or maybe something else was going on up there. He’d seen the sideways glances between Anna’s colleagues and the men Pamina had hired to help them. Not to mention the array of sex equipment set up in their rooms, just begging to be tested.
Daniel climbed the stairs and met with Abra on the top landing. As Abra’s impenetrable, almond-shaped
