Secret Desire(37)

“I don’t know if your shoes can navigate the grass.”

“I’ll take them off.” She unwound the ties. Dustin watched her. His face regained color, changing from the pale ashen at the restaurant to a flushed appearance that ran from the collar of his shirt up to his cheeks. The look of pain returned to his face, and she worried that she was somehow the cause of his distress.

He opened his car door and came round to help her out. She was already stepping out of the car and her dress scrunched up against the leather seat as she moved to stand. Her thighs were visible and Dustin coughed making her aware of what had happened.

He was uncomfortable—in a good way—because of her body. The idea swept over her, and she was reminded of the heroines in her stories. Oh, what a fool she’d been. From the abstract to the practical. Now, that really was a leap.

If she wanted Dustin, she didn’t need to chase after his interest. He was all but tripping and falling over his desire.

Instead of pulling her dress down, she quickly surveyed the park and lake. They were alone. What she should have done years ago was not let go of him, not give in to her need to fit in and compromise. She’d let him go without a fight, believing she couldn’t win. Not tonight.

She lifted her leg onto the door frame, well aware of what she allowed him to glimpse. She wanted to see if he was indeed on the slippery slope of desire, this powerful man who she might have the means to possess.

Claire opened her thighs, slightly wider as he approached and his eyes went right to the inside of her legs. He raked both hands through his hair and she opened her legs a bit wider pushing her hips forward. There was no mistaking the bulge in his pants. What would he do? She’d learned how to write the erotic scenes but living it was something she’d never explored. He seemed to cave in whenever she bit her lip.

“Dustin.” She called his attention. “My eyes are up here.” Her voice was low. She tilted her head, sucked in her bottom lip and stopped with a light bite. Like magic he groaned.

“Don’t play games.” He voice was hoarse, and he returned his eyes to the inside of her legs. Did he like the light coral lingerie that she wore?

She felt herself go wet at the thought of his hands and mouth on her. Desire was a two-edged sword. Desire pulsed between her legs and deep inside her body. He hadn’t even touched her and she wanted him.

“I’m not. Dustin, where can we go?”

“Home. Sit back, or I swear I’ll pull you out of the car and take you right here.” His jaw muscles clenched and he set his mouth into a hard line.

At that moment, there be could be no bigger turn on than Dustin, a man who’d promised to take what he wanted if she didn’t obey. She almost thwarted his command but knew that having sex in an open park would not be the smartest move she’d made in recent days.

He got into the car and backed up quick enough to cause her head to lift off the neck rest. He raced home in record time and swung into his driveway. The engine turned off, keys jingled in his hand, and she didn’t know if she was really ready.

“We’re here.”

“Home sweet home.” She looked out of the window to the house.

This wasn’t a story. In real life feelings always wound through sex. Once begun, she wouldn’t have the strength to put her emotions back on the shelf. Her heart had been hurt before and now with Fran on the way home, if he still desired her sister. Fear tugged at her heart.

“Baby, I want you so much. I can’t pretend. But I don’t want to push you. If you’re not ready, I understand.”

“Are you sure about Fran?”

He closed his eyes. “I made a bad mistake and one that taught me not to be afraid to risk. The regret and lies that I kept silent about became barbed wire that tore and then locked up my heart. We have a second chance. You and me. It doesn’t have to begin tonight. But we can be happy together. Trust me.”

His eyes burned into her. He’d been the person she’d longed to feel next to her, without clothes and without the past. Nothing need keep them apart anymore. She trusted him within every part of her body. She trusted him with her heart.

“I trust you.”

“We’ll take it slow.” His intense gaze ignited her need to touch him. He got out of the car, his beautiful, masculine body graceful as he came for her.

Slow. Oh, boy, that’s not what she’d had in mind. She was on a trapeze, rushing faster and swinging higher. He opened her door and held out his hand. This clasp of palm against palm drew her to him.

Claire walked up the steps still holding his hand. He opened the front door and swept her up into his arms. He walked inside and kicked the door closed. Taking the stairs, two at a time, he reached the landing and turned down the hall. He walked into a room that no longer resembled the old master bedroom and set her down.