Taming the Lone Wolff(78)
He’d had some bad ideas in his life, but this one ranked right up there at the top. Even so, to remove his hand from her smooth, bare leg was impossible. Winnie was seated to his left, so he was able to use his right hand to maintain the fiction of eating. Any interest he’d had in food had evaporated long ago.
Gradually, making sure no one could see, he inched his hand upward. A flush broke out on Winnie’s fair cheeks, but she didn’t react otherwise. He found the lacy edge of her panties and grinned, barely moving his lips as he leaned his head toward hers and mouthed in her ear. “I knew it. You’re such a good little girl. No going commando for you.”
Victor Wolff, seated in his usual spot at the head of the table, eyed them with a gimlet stare. “Enough of that, Larkin Wolff. Behave yourself. Quit whispering sweet nothings in Winnie’s ear.”
Larkin straightened abruptly and put both his hands on the table. He felt his own neck heat. For a moment there, he’d thought the old man had X-ray vision.
Winnie was visibly amused at his mortification. “Busted,” she murmured as she leaned down to pick up the napkin that Larkin’s antics had dislodged.
Larkin wiped a hand over his damp forehead. He couldn’t take much more of this. When he glanced at his watch, he saw that it was almost eight-thirty. Dessert was just being served…pound cake with imported strawberries and fresh cream. His favorite.
He shoved his chair from the table and stood up. The big group was so rowdy, he had to shout twice. “Hey. Hey, you crazy people.”
Finally, all heads turned in his direction. He cleared his throat. “Winnie and I have really enjoyed hanging out with everyone today, but I promised her a walk to Wolff Point tonight.”
Winnie looked up at him. “But we—”
He kicked her foot. “So if you’ll excuse us, we’ll say good-night and see everyone in the morning.”
The chorus of goodbyes and teasing innuendos was never-ending. By the time he got Winnie out into the hallway, he was breathing hard.
She tugged on his arm. “What was that all about? You took me to Wolff Point last night. Are we going again?”
In the front hallway, he caught a glimpse of his face in the ornate mirror over the console table. His eyes glittered with feverish intent. Staring down at the woman who had turned his world upside down, he shook his head, reeling from the revelations that came thick and fast.
“No,” he said, his voice blunt and harsh. “I’m going to make love to you.” God help him. And in thirty-six hours he was going to walk away. If he had the strength. Bringing her here had been a mistake. Because he’d now had a vision of how his life could be, but the consequences were unthinkable. If he gave in to the lure of Winnie’s pure, sweet tenderness, he’d be committed. Forever. Imagining that responsibility scared him to the point of nausea. He couldn’t love her and fail her. Love her and lose her. He’d rather endure the prospect of a sterile life alone, insulated from pain.
He knew love and he knew loss. His way was better. His way was the only choice.
* * *
Winnie trailed in his wake, propelled by his urgency. Despite the enjoyable family dinner, she was as eager to be alone, just the two of them, as Larkin seemed to be. He didn’t waste time asking questions about location. Edging open her door with his hip, he dragged her inside.
Finally—a lock between them and the outside world—he paused to catch his breath. The hands he ran up and down her arms held a slight tremor. “You were wrong,” he muttered.