The rasp of his jaw was a gentle abrasion on her skin, a sexy contrast to the wet heat of his lips and his tongue. She liked knowing that she was on his mind as much as he lingered in hers. Against all reason, she wanted to stay there.
"Are we alone in the house?" she asked, an idea coming to mind to help her stay in Dempsey's thoughts.
With only three more weeks of working as his assistant remaining, she wanted to fill his home with memories of her. Of them.
"Absolutely." He lifted his head from his task, eyes flaming with heat. "Why? Afraid of being an exhibitionist?" He tugged on the tie to the halter top of her dress.
"I'd prefer tonight to be for your eyes only," she admitted, clutching the dress to her breasts before it could fall. "And actually, the reason I wore this dress was just in case dinner by the pool turned into a pool party."
She let go of the fabric, and it fell away. She wore a simple strapless red bikini beneath.
If Dempsey was disappointed she wasn't naked under her clothes, he sure didn't show it. In fact, he stared at her body in a way that felt deliciously flattering.
"Damn." He whistled softly as he slid a finger beneath the tie in the center of the bandeau top. "You mean I could have been watching you cavort around the pool in this?"
"It's not too late for a swim." She backed up a step and then another. "We could head outside-" she clutched the knot between her breasts and tugged it "-and skinny-dip."
Dempsey made a strangled sound as he came after her. She pivoted on her toes and raced through the kitchen and toward the back door with the hottest man she'd ever met on her heels.
Sprinting through the rear of the house, she found one of the French doors leading out to the pool. Only the underwater light illuminated the surface, although the grounds were decorated with low-wattage bulbs around the trees and bushes. The pool was well hidden from any prying eyes on the other side of the lake, the landscaping planted to provide natural privacy.
Adelaide slipped off her shoes and jumped in wearing only her bikini bottoms. Dempsey surprised her by diving in a moment after her wearing...nothing.
Her breath caught as the low lights reflected off his impressive frame. Strong thighs. Powerful shoulders. A butt that had no business being so appealing. And then a splash engulfed her and she had no more time to admire the man swimming across the pool toward her.
She made a halfhearted effort to get away because, of course, she couldn't wait to be captured.
When she felt a hand wrap around her ankle and drag her back through the water she welcomed the heat of his touch.
"That's not skinny-dipping," he accused, seizing her hips and dragging her bikini bottoms off before she could protest.
He flung them onto the deck with a wet splash, then backed her against a wall in the shallow end. Despite the slight chill of the water, his body was like an inferno against hers. He wrapped her in his arms, warming her, his erection trapped against her belly as he kissed her deeply. Thoroughly.
She got so lost in him she didn't know how long they stayed there, hands gliding over slick skin, tongues tangling as they moved together. She watched, fascinated with the way their bodies looked beside one another, his muscles so impressive in the moonlight.
"I want you inside me." She shifted her hips to stroke him with one hand as she circled his waist with her leg. "Please."
"I don't have any protection out here," he said in her ear, nibbling her earlobe and driving her mad with need.
She bit her lip against the hunger, already so close to release. She could just let go and enjoy the sensations he could pull from her so easily with his talented hands. But she wanted to hold out for having him deep inside her.
"Let's go in," she pleaded, the hollow ache almost painful.
Dempsey lifted her into his arms and climbed the built-in stairs while water sluiced off them. He must look like Poseidon, rising from the depths, but she was too busy kissing him to see for herself. He paused near a deck box and withdrew two prewarmed towels, laying both of them on her as he carried her against his chest.
"I can walk." She pulled back as he edged sideways through the open French door. "You can let me down."
"And risk having you run?" He nipped her ear. "I already caught my prize. I'm not letting go now."
He bypassed the main staircase for the narrow steps up from a butler's kitchen, probably because the thick rubber treads provided traction when they were still dripping wet.
"You're crazy if you think I'd run now." She delved her fingers into his wet hair and brought his lips to hers. "I keep thinking that I must have been dreaming last night and that sex couldn't have been as incredible as I remember. I want to see for myself. Again."
"I like a challenge." He angled into his bedroom and fell onto the bed with her, taking her weight on him as they rolled. Together. "Why don't you keep track of how many times I make you scream my name tonight?"
She might have laughed or teased him about that, but his hand was already between her legs, the heel of his palm pressing where she needed him most.
Desire shot through her like a Roman candle, a bright burst that fired again and again. She clung to him, calling out his name just as he'd promised she would. It was only the beginning, she knew. She hadn't imagined how thoroughly Dempsey would dominate her world, her thoughts, her nights.
She had gladly given him her body. But as tender feelings crowded her chest for this man, Adelaide feared she was giving him much, much more.
Nine
Dempsey awoke to the scent of coffee just how he liked it, thick and strong. Still half-asleep, he reached for Adelaide, only to find her side of the bed cold.
Coming more awake, he realized she must be responsible for making the coffee. He would have to tell her that he would far rather wake up to her in his arms, but he did appreciate the gesture on a game day. It was still dark out, but he needed to get to the stadium for their home opener-a banner moment in a career-making season. He could feel it in his bones.
And damn, but he would have liked to share that good feeling with Adelaide.
Shoving out of bed, he shrugged on a clean T-shirt and boxers, thinking he could coax her back upstairs. Then again, the kitchen table would do just fine. Last night had been so wild. So unexpected. He picked up his pace to find her.
When he reached the kitchen, he found her making breakfast in his shirt, her legs bare and her hair restrained in a messy braid that rested on her shoulder. But as he got closer, he could tell something was off by the way she moved. She fried eggs at the stove, her movements jerky and fast.
"Everything okay?" he asked as he passed the walk-in pantry. He might have lost his ability to read her more subtle emotions, but he'd have to be blind not to correctly interpret anger.
"No." She pulled down two plates from a cupboard and slid the eggs onto them. "I got up early because of a notification on my phone. I keep alerts on various buzzwords in the media as they pertain to you and the team." She pointed toward the kitchen table. "Have a seat and check out the morning paper."
Worry stabbed him hard in the gut as he headed toward the table.
"Is Marcus back in trouble?" He'd sprung the kid from jail on good faith, offering him a job helping Evan with some work for the Brighter NOLA foundation. Dempsey needed extra hands for a renovation project on a building that would house a local recreation center for the kids.
"No. Not this week anyway." Her clipped response gave nothing away as she retrieved silverware and linen napkins from a sideboard near the breakfast bar.
"Hurricanes Coach Muzzles Stormy Girlfriends." He read the headline aloud from the social section's front page. "Old news, right? Did she offer anything different than the rumors that have been around for years-that I rely on confidentiality agreements for some of my personal relationships?"
Was this what had Adelaide so riled? They'd seen worse and weathered it in the past.
"No." She put his eggs down on the table and tugged out a chair to sit across from him. "But nice timing on a game day, isn't it?"
"Whoa." He reached for her, bracketing her shoulders with his hands. "What am I missing? Why is this so upsetting?"
"Why?" Adelaide's eyes widened. "Because for all she knows we really are getting married. And what kind of evil witch does that to someone who is newly engaged?"
She blinked fast, emotions swirling through her eyes quicker than he could register them.
"Someone selfish." He shrugged, still not sure he saw what the big deal was, although he knew better than to say as much. "Someone who doesn't give any thought to who she hurts to get her own way. I'll bet you any money she wants to tout a new contract or sponsor or has some kind of promotional angle-"