Ann wanted very much to believe him, especially when his mouth covered hers persuasively. What began as subtle pressure quickly turned to hard, demanding hunger. All those feelings of warmth and contentment that she’d begun experiencing in the past few weeks swept through her as his tongue invaded. The deep, drugging power of the kiss claimed her, leaving her knees trembling and her head spinning. Hank’s strong hands were splayed on her hips, pulling her close. Fit tightly against him, her body ached with longing. Heat flared, white-hot, all-consuming heat.
“I want you so badly, Annie. Feel what you do to me,” he said, pressing her hand against him. She pulled away, but like the moth drawn inevitably toward the flame, she was drawn back, fascinated by the evidence of her power over him. When he shuddered at the gentle sweep of her touch, her eyes shot to his face in wonder.
“We’re going to be good together, Annie. I know you’re still afraid, but I’m going to convince you just how right this is. Before the weekend’s out, I’m going to make you mine.”
The vow made her knees go weak again. The unspoken forever behind it made her heart pound so hard against her ribs, she thought she’d die from it. How had a man so wrong for her gotten to her so completely? How had he evaded her defenses, overcome her common sense and landed smack in the middle of her heart?
Thank goodness for chaperons, she thought as the sound of running footsteps intruded on their moment of privacy. She backed out of the embrace, her cheeks flaming with color. Hank seemed unfazed by the throbbing passion that had sparked between them. She saw that ability to distance himself so rapidly as more evidence of his jaded past and it renewed her qualms. He turned to the children with a perfectly calm look on his face. One arm, however, remained tightly curved around her waist as a determined reminder of what they’d just shared.
“So did you all pick out your rooms?” he asked.
“This place is really neat,” Paul said. “You gotta see it, Mom. There must be dozens and dozens of rooms.”
Hank laughed at the enthusiasm. “Not quite that many, but enough for this crowd.”
“There’s a pool, too,” David said.
“And one of those romantic hot tub things,” Tracy chimed in, casting a pointed look at Ann.
Ann did not want to hear about hot tubs, not when her body was still quivering with unfulfilled expectations. She looked hurriedly at Hank. “Isn’t it time we left for dinner?”
His amusement at her frantic appeal apparent, he nodded. “Okay, is everybody ready to get moving?”
He outlined the plans for the night. As she’d anticipated, they were met with wholehearted approval. The one thing he failed to mention was exactly when he intended to carry out his seduction of her. Though she was more than grateful for the omission, it left her with anticipation sizzling through her bloodstream. Visions of that hot tub danced through her head with all the dazzling temptation of Christmas sugar plums.
Anticipation, she noted with surprise. Not panic. What on earth was happening to her? Surely she couldn’t actually be falling in love with the man.
But she was, she admitted candidly as she watched his enthusiasm at the basketball game. Since she had no idea what was happening on the court and didn’t particularly care, she allowed herself to indulge her desire to watch Hank, to study the way he interacted with each of the children in a way that was uniquely thoughtful. He was crazy and indulgent, but he was also firm. He was interested, without fawning over them. Even with Jason, he kept his temper in check, ignoring the sullen silences and continuing to make occasional efforts to make the boy feel part of the family fun.
On the way home, the younger kids fell asleep in the car, while Tracy, David and Paul continued to chatter about the game and the plans for the next day.
“I was thinking about the Coconut Grove Art Festival,” Hank said. “How does that sound?”
“Art, yuck,” Paul protested.
“It’s outdoors,” Hank countered. “There will be music and lots of food.”
“I guess that’d be okay,” Paul relented.
“Sounds terrific to me,” Tracy said.
“Then in the afternoon, Liz and Todd have invited us over to their house for a barbecue.”
Ann gazed at him, surprised. “When did this happen?”
“I talked to them earlier in the week.”
“I see,” she said stiffly as they arrived at the house. Fortunately the kids took off for bed before the argument she anticipated could explode.
“What’s wrong?” Hank asked the minute they were alone. He took her hand and idly drew provocative circles on her sensitive palm.
“Nothing,” she snapped, trying to tug her hand away. He held tight. “Why should anything be wrong?”
“I haven’t the vaguest idea, but something obviously is.”
“Liz and Todd are my friends,” she began, only to go silent at the justifiably amazed expression on Hank’s face.
“They’re my friends, too,” he reminded her gently, effectively dashing her anger. He kissed her palm, his tongue hot and moist against her flesh. “Todd is my partner. Now what’s this really all about?”
She sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. That was a dumb thing to say. I guess it just threw me that all these plans were made without my knowledge.”
Hank drew her down on the sofa beside him and settled her against the curve of his shoulder. “Annie, you’ve been sick all week. I didn’t want to bother you with the details. Besides, I wanted to make the plans. I wanted this to be a real vacation for you. If I know you, you’d have filled the little time we have with trips to bookstores to pick up the latest psychology books.”
She managed a feeble grin. “I still plan to do exactly that,” she retorted with a teasing defiance. “And I’ve promised Tracy a shopping trip for
