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“I want you,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.
“Love, how I want you. You can’t begin to imagine,” he said. Her heart pounded with joy. Whether his words were meaningless or not, they were being said tonight to her and she wanted to accept them as real, as something he meant with all his heart. “I want to kiss you and love you all this night.”
Yanking back the cover, he placed her on the bed and knelt beside her to shower kisses, starting at her ankle and moving up the inside of her leg. Slow, tantalizing, his erotic kisses built need. His hands played lightly, higher, teasing and provoking her.
Her hips writhed as she spread her legs to give him access. Feeling the smooth, hard muscles, she stroked his wide, strong shoulders.
Soft moans were dim in her ears. Unaware of her own voice, she heard only her pounding pulse while sweet torment grew as he moved higher to stroke the inside of her thighs.
She could stand no more and sat up to pull him to her, but his fingers splayed out against her belly and he gently pushed her back to the bed.
Black locks of his hair had fallen over his forehead and the look in his eyes was as volatile as his kisses.
“Will, I want you….” she whispered.
“I want you to desire me with every fiber of your being. This night is special, ours to savor,” he said in a husky voice.
Tracing his fingers on her inner thighs, he followed with light kisses, making her want more of him.
“Will,” she whispered. Her eyes were shut tightly, all her focus on sensation while she writhed with longing.
His tongue trailed along her inner thigh, hot, wet, another deeper feeling that stirred more need. When his fingers touched her intimately, she gasped with pleasure.
“Will, come here,” she said, starting to sit up again only to have him push gently once more.
“Wait, love. Let me pleasure you the way I want. Wait—”
His hand slipped between her thighs. “There, that’s what you want, isn’t it?” he whispered, coming down beside her, turning on his side to kiss her. His leg was between hers, opening hers and giving him access to her, his fingers still driving her wild with building tension.
“Will—” she gasped again. Her words ended as his mouth covered hers to kiss her passionately while his fingers built a raging fire.
“Let me kiss you,” she whispered, pushing him on his back and moving over him, leaning down to circle his nipple with her tongue, excited by the hard peak that made her tingle with awareness of her own.
She moved lower, her tongue flicking over the muscles of his stomach. He quivered beneath her kisses and groaned, his hands winding in her hair.
Caressing him, her fingers stroked sculpted muscles. She closed her hand around his rod to take a lick and tease, rubbing against him.
With a groan, he sat up in a rush, turning her so he was over her. He moved between her legs.
“Will, wait—I’m not protected.”
Climbing off the bed, he retrieved a packet from the bedside table. Dim light highlighted his sculpted muscles. Just watching him, tingling, she stayed aroused.
His manhood was hard, ready. He returned to kiss her, pulling her up into his arms, wrapping her in his embrace. “You’re special, Ava. You’ve changed my life,” he whispered.
Her heart slammed against her ribs with his words. If only he meant what he said. She clung to him tightly, her eyes squeezed closed as if she could shut herself away from hurt and disaster. She loved him; Will was sexy, handsome, but his caring ways, his gentleness captured her heart so much more. She wanted to kiss him, love him and pour out expressions of her feelings for him, but she couldn’t. Declarations of love had to stay locked away because he didn’t want them. He wouldn’t be able to return them. If he could, it would change the future when they would part to each pursue their goals and dreams.
Instead of speaking, she poured her feelings into her kisses, touching his strong body, wanting him.
“Will,” she whispered, biting off the words that were almost spoken. He put on the condom and moved between her legs.
She wrapped her long legs around him and held him tightly as he lowered himself and eased into her. The man she loved she held against her heart. That was another miracle. She had never expected to love again.
Thrusting her hips to meet him, she gasped as she held him, closing her eyes while he slowly entered and filled her.
“Will,” she whispered his name again, always stopping before she voiced her feelings aloud. She was afraid if she said even the slightest hint of loving him, all the pent-up longing would tumble out. Her admiration, her desire for Will had become constant in her life.
Desire heightened. They moved together, united and she was one with him. A moment shared in total intimacy that she could remember as long as she lived.
He was beaded with sweat, slowing to pleasure her, taking his time. She cried out, clutching him tightly.
As his control slipped, they became frenzied, driven, hungry for each other. Stars exploded behind her closed eyes and her pulse roared, drowning out all other sounds. Her faint moans seemed to come from a distance.
She climaxed, rapture carrying her away, losing all sense of reality, as if Will was her entire world. She soared in ecstasy, feeling him shudder while he held her tightly, pumping with his release. “Ava, my love!” he cried.
The endearment was from passion. Words she shouldn’t count on to hold meaning, yet joy poured over her. If only the relationship between them could have a future.
Holding each other, they slowed. She still felt wrapped in intimacy with him, clinging to him as he rolled them on their sides. He stroked long, damp strands of her hair from her face while he showered her with light kisses. Encompassed in euphoria, she treasured the moment, so briefly feeling her love returned by him.
“My love, you’re perfection. I want make love to you now more than ever. You fulfill dreams and desire. You can’t know what you do to me or how exciting you are. You’re special in so many ways,” he said.
With their hot bodies pressed tightly together, their touching, kisses and endearments, she felt cherished. Her sentiments for him were reflected in his outpourings and caresses for her.
“Will, this is paradise, but it’s also a dream that will disappear,” she whispered.
“Not for a time. I’m not letting you go anytime soon, so forget that, Ava,” he whispered, his tongue following the curve of her ear.
His body was hot, damp, covered with a sheen of sweat, yet she relished the feel of him, the hard planes, the smooth bulge of muscles, the crisp short hairs on his chest and legs. Stubble was beginning to grow slightly on his jaw. Everything about him was a marvel to her, unique, unforgettable.
She had been in love with him before. Now after passion and sex, she was rapturous, sinking deeper into love, finding him all the more appealing after making love. Will had her heart now—she had given it to him along with her body. This is what she had worried about, but it was too late to turn back.
His dark brown eyes conveyed a warmth that imbued more pleasure. They smiled at each other, the moment of happiness shared.
“I want to hold you close to my heart.”
She bit back the words she wanted to say, knowing she couldn’t. Instead, she held him quietly, caressing him, kissing him lightly.
He stood and picked her up to shower together. As soon as they dried, they loved again. Afterward, she rose up on one elbow to look down at him while her fingers played lightly across his chest.
“Will, we have to get back to Dallas tonight.”
“We could call and fly in tomorrow.”
His tempting suggestion hung in the air.
Nine
She shook her head. “No. We said we’d be back and I have to be. This has been a moment, something that happened tonight only. I have to get back and you should, too. We need to return and be there for Caroline.”
Smiling at her, he pulled her down to kiss her. Her heart drummed. She longed to wrap her arms around him and forget everything else, but she couldn’t. She had had her moment and it was over. It had to be. To prolong what they’d shared would only make her want things she couldn’t have.
She sat back to look at him and swung her legs out of bed, pulling a cover up over herself. “I need to get dressed.”
He drew her close to look into her eyes and smile. “We made promises, but I would rather stay here for days to make love to you.”
“We can’t do that. That leads to complications neither of us want. We stop now. Our moment is over, Will. We can’t go back there.”
“Shh. You don’t know that. It was paradise, something special. Don’t deny that. I know you felt it.”
“Yes, I did, but there are factors and responsibilities. I can’t get deeply involved while you don’t want to.”
“Don’t rush to conclusions,” he said, smiling at her. “We didn’t plan this, yet it happened and the night has been wonderful. You’re marvelous. Don’t close doors on joy.”
She moved away from him, gathering her things. “I’ll shower first.” She faced him and could see the desire that his brown eyes revealed unmistakably. She half expected him to stop her, but when she shut herself in the shower she was alone.
When she came out, he was nowhere in sight. She finished dressing, combing her long hair and letting it fall free rather than putting it up again.
She wanted him more than ever. Tonight she had crossed a line that would complicate her life for the rest of the summer. Now when she left him at the end of August, it would be a bigger tug on her heart, yet she was beginning to be willing to take chances. Maybe being with Will was changing her.
Leaving Caroline would be another tug on her heart strings.
After a knock, Will entered. Her heart thudded as if she hadn’t spent the past hours in his arms with his naked body pressed against hers.
He walked up to her. “You look gorgeous,” he said. He ran his fingers through her hair while he leaned close to kiss her lightly in the V of her dress, his tongue stroking her bare skin.
Heat flashed in her, an instant fire. She placed her hands on his arms, holding him, inhaling deeply as she raised her mouth to his and he kissed her.
When he began to caress her, she stepped away. “Will, we can’t make love again tonight.”
His eyes declared otherwise, giving her a smoldering denial of her statement, but he took her arm, lacing it in his as they left the cabin.
“I’ll feed you. I’m not taking you back with no dinner. Perhaps now we’ve worked up appetites. Hunger for food. I definitely have a craving for love.”
“We’ll eat dinner, dance and return to Dallas as we planned and told everyone we would.”
Would she ever see Will the same way she had before they had made love? He looked even more handsome as they took the elevator to the top deck.
At their table she held her wrist in the candlelight so she could see the time. He looked amused and took her wrist and pressed a button on her watch. The face was illuminated in a pale green. Startled, she glanced at him. “It’ll be 1:00 a.m. in an hour.”
“We have time to eat, dance a little and fly back. While we eat, tell me about your plans for your school.”
As she spoke about her hopes and dreams for the school, he listened so intently. He was truly interested and that touched her.
“You’re so passionate about this,” he said. “Your green eyes sparkle. I would like to put this look in your eyes.”
“Maybe you did tonight and you’re misconstruing the cause,” she answered lightly, flirting with him. Something flickered in the depths of his eyes and creases bracketed his mouth.
“I’ll see if I can’t keep the sparkle in your beautiful green eyes.”
“No, Will. This night is unique. When we return to Dallas, it’s over. I have a job with Caroline and that will be my total focus. Passion has been an interlude that shouldn’t happen again.”
“You can’t mean that,” he said lightly.
“You don’t know me well,” she replied, intending to hold to what she was telling him. “My focus will be totally on Caroline.”
She could feel a clash of wills while they gazed into each other’s eyes until Will nodded. “I can’t argue with that one,” he said.
She looked away, drinking water and enjoying the pecan-crusted trout, rice, green beans and hot, flaky dinner rolls they were served.
“The next time we’re here, hopefully we’ll have enough time for me to show you some sights farther south along the coast.”
She didn’t point out to him she didn’t think she would ever be back. “It’s beautiful right here with the lights on shore sparkling on the water.”
“I haven’t looked. You’re all I can see tonight. You take my breath.”
She could say the same, but she didn’t want to tell him. Will needed no encouragement, and she suspected she had only temporarily caught his attention and in time he would lose interest. His cold, cynical attitude about commitment lingered, and she guessed all his romantic relationships were superficial.
“You look deep in thought, Ava,” he said.
“Thinking about you, the night, this summer.”
“Forget this summer. Tonight what we’ve discovered about each other is what’s important. C’mon. We’ll go to the rail’s edge,” he said. With an arm around her waist, they strolled to the rail where twinkling lights reflected in shifting streaks across black water. He turned to face her. “Here’s the best view of all.”
She smiled. “Ridiculous,” she said, yet warm pleasure filled her with his compliments and flirting. Torchlight flickered on his features and he looked handsome, more appealing than before they loved. She could step back into his arms and make love all over again.
“We should start home, Will.”
“A couple of last dances,” he said. He took her hand and they returned to dance slow numbers. Will wrapped her in his arms and moved slowly with her. In spite of her declarations to him, she would remember this night for a long time. It had been special for her. She didn’t want it to be, because it wasn’t for Will. She loved him senselessly and with no future when she hadn’t expected to ever fall in love again.
Dancing with him, relishing the moment, she caressed his neck. When the music ended, she placed her hand on his arm. “We should get back, Will. If we wait longer, the sun will be up and so will others.”
He nodded and pulled out his cell to give brief instructions to get the chopper ready for the return to shore. She picked up her purse and they left, stepping into the glass elevator. He pulled her into his arms to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in return, her heart pounding with love, excitement, longing for more.
When the elevator stopped, she finally broke off the kisses. “This is hardly private, Will,” she said.
His brown gaze intensified, taking her breath. “I want to take you back to my cabin and make love, fast, now.”
She shook her head. “Let’s stick to the plan to leave.”
“You can’t tell me you don’t really want the same thing,” he said, picking up her wrist with his thumb on a vein.
“You feel my racing pulse. I don’t care. We’re adhering to our plans.”
He inhaled deeply and turned to go with her to the chopper, where he helped her climb inside.
In minutes they were in the air and the lights of the yacht sparkled below. She couldn’t keep from reaching over to take Will’s hand. Her life had changed—a minuscule change in a way, because she would go on with all her school plans. A monumental change in another because she was in love and that love had grown and solidified. She had given her body to Will along with her heart even though he knew nothing about it. And never would know. She didn’t want him to ever learn how she felt because there was no place in her future for him and he had no place in his for her.
Shortly, they were seated in his luxurious jet rushing back to Dallas. She glanced at her fancy new watch and saw they would probably get in at about four in the morning.
She wanted to look in on Caroline when she arrived, but Will would; it was his place to and not hers.
“Thinking about tonight, I hope?” he asked.
“Tonight, tomorrow, all that’s happened.”
“For a little while, just think about tonight and us. It was special, Ava. Really special. We’ll be back in our real worlds all too soon.” He took her hand, lacing his fingers in hers.
Her pulse speeded as it always did when they touched. Only now, the slightest contact was more of a fiery brand than ever. Memories were constant and vivid, making her want to be back in his arms. How difficult it was to remain cool, slightly distant while longing tormented her. With him, she felt alive, eager, wrapped in temptation that needed constant vigilance.
“I want you in my lap, but I know you’re safer buckled in your seat while we fly.”
“I’m definitely where I should be,” she answered. He leaned over to place his mouth on hers and in seconds her arms were around him.
As his fingers drifted down over her breast, she caught his hand in hers, holding him and ending the kiss. She was breathless, barely able to talk. “We have to go back where we were as employer and tutor, Will. This is crazy.”
“No, it’s not. And no, we can’t ever go back and forget what happened tonight. I don’t want to. I see it in your eyes, feel it in your pulse and know it in your kisses. You’re not going to forget what’s happened. Don’t even hint that you can.”
“One thing I can’t ever possibly forget—your stunning gifts to me. I still say the necklace and watch are breathtaking and you shouldn’t have done any such thing when you’re paying me a fortune to work for you. They’re beautiful, Will, just spectacular, both of them,” she said, looking at her watch and touching the necklace lightly.
“I will find another opera or take you to dinner again soon so you can show them off. By the way, I have a safe at home. If you want, I’ll put your necklace in there for you while you’re at my house.”
She smiled at him. “Yes, I’ve wondered about taking care of them.”
“I hope you’ll wear the watch.”
“Will, you’re generous. I’ve been doing what you hired me to do.”
“And succeeding where all others failed. That requires a big bonus. If you’ve freed Caroline from her grief, you’ve done the most wonderful thing possible for her and for me. I can’t even begin to convey my gratitude. I don’t know whether she’ll remember as she grows up—”
“She doesn’t need to remember. Let her forget. She’ll remember me because I hope to keep in touch with her, but she’s so young. Let her forget the hurt as much as she can. She can’t ever truly forget, but this world of silence she lived in, if she can forget that, let her.”
“Damn straight, I will. I hope you’re always in touch with her.”
Did he really mean that? In touch with Caroline meant in touch with Will. She suspected women he had made love to eventually went out of his life and he rarely gave them a thought once they were gone.
The pilot announced their approach to Dallas and soon they touched down in a smooth landing.
In a short time they climbed the stairs in his silent mansion. When they reached her door, he stepped inside and closed the door before drawing her into his embrace. The moment he kissed her, her heart thudded. Longing mushroomed while she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Why did his kisses seem right, so necessary?
His tongue went deep, stroking hers. Pulling her up against him, he kissed her hard, possessively. While they kissed, he swept her into his arms to carry her across the room. When he stood her on her feet, she wriggled away.
Rampant desire tore at her. “Will, it’s time to say good-night. We’ve come back to life like it was. I’m committed to Caroline and then leaving for my teaching. I don’t want to complicate my life with an affair.”
“I’d say you already have,” he whispered, caressing her cheek. She caught his hand to kiss his palm, her actions denying her words.
“Good night,” she whispered and moved away from him. “You have to go now,” she said.
The force of the desire in his expression shook her. As they locked gazes, tension grew until he turned away. He closed the door quietly behind him.
She touched the necklace around her throat. “I love you, Will Delaney,” she whispered. She walked to the mirror to look at the magnificent necklace he had given her. She couldn’t imagine the cost of it. Touching it with awe as she stared at it, she found it impossible to realize it was actually hers.
Placing it carefully on the dresser, she looked at sparkling diamonds and the glittering emeralds that glowed in brilliant green. She unfastened the watch to place it beside the necklace. Both pieces of jewelry were gorgeous, lavish and breathtaking. It was impossible to grasp they were really hers, especially the fabulous necklace.
Keyed up, she crawled into bed to be enveloped in memories of hours earlier with Will and their lovemaking.
The room was growing light when Ava fell asleep and then she overslept. She rushed to get dressed and grabbed a hasty glass of orange juice with a piece of toast before she left to search for Caroline, expecting to find her with Rosalyn, who usually left Will’s mansion as soon as Ava took charge.
Ava hurried toward the playroom. Just outside the open door, she paused when she heard Will’s voice. Her heart skipped at the sound of Caroline’s laughter.
“Muffy’s cute, Uncle Will.” Caroline giggled. “Thank you for Muffy.” Ava started to enter, but stopped when Will spoke.
“Remember Miss Ava is the one who first thought you might like a puppy, so you should thank Miss Ava, too.”
“I will. Miss Ava is my friend,” came a childish voice Ava had rarely heard. Caroline’s statement gave Ava joy. “Is she your friend, Uncle Will?”
“Yes, she is, Caroline.”
“I don’t want her to leave,” Caroline said and then squealed. Ava heard Muffy’s growl and knew the pup was playing with either Caroline or Will.
Ava walked quietly into the room. Sitting cross-legged on the floor in chinos and a black knit shirt, Will pulled on a dog toy held by Muffy, who shook it. He was laughing along with Caroline. Suddenly he let go and Muffy sat on her haunches, staring at them with the toy hanging in her mouth.
Caroline grabbed the toy and the tug-of-war began again. Once more Ava was touched by Will’s care for his niece.
“I overslept,” Ava said, feeling her cheeks grow warm at Will’s knowing smile.
“Imagine that,” he said and she gave him a look.
Caroline squealed when Muffy jerked the toy out of her hands. She laughed, getting up and running to Ava to hug her. Startled, Ava picked up Caroline. She smelled sweet and was soft, her skin as smooth as rose petals. “Thank you, Miss Ava, for wanting me to have Muffy.”
Ava hugged her. “You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you like Muffy.”
Caroline played with a long lock of Ava’s hair. “I love Muffy.” She looked at the pup and Ava set her on her feet. The minute she touched the floor she ran to play with the pup. Muffy chased her and Caroline ran away with Muffy nipping at her heels.
Will stood and crossed to Ava. “Good morning.”
“Thanks for letting me sleep.”
“I wanted to wake you, but I didn’t.” He ran his finger along her cheek. “You look as if you had a full night’s sleep. There are all sorts of things I’d like to do this morning, but I know I can’t,” he whispered, still in a thick, husky tone that kept her thinking of their night together.
“Just as well, Will,” she said, trying to get her breath.
“It’s been a fun morning with Caroline. Ava, she’s coming out of that shell completely. At least when she plays with the dog. You see how she does with her reading. It’s just fantastic what a difference one little mutt can make.”