“You don’t need me here to have this conversation,” he told her. “You’re doing fine all on your own.”
“More guy-speak. You lost Nick and now you’re sorry. Was it worth it?”
“What do you think?”
His expression was unreadable, but she could feel his pain as if it were her own. He was strong, powerful and dangerous. But he was also alone. He had no one. His mother was as much of a responsibility as a small child. He’d set himself on a course to destroy his father and alienate his sisters. It was a battle of one against the world.
A battle he could never win, because even in winning he would lose.
Oddly enough, that made her want to go to him. Part of her wanted to tell him that everything would be all right. Which made her stupid, or at the very least confused.
“I suppose you’ll ignore me if I tell you to apologize,” she said. “That saying you regret what happened might go a long way to healing things with Nick.”
“I might listen if you tell me naked.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you really think a comment like that will distract me?”
“It’s worth a try.”
“You need a better game plan. I’m not your average bimbo.”
“I don’t date bimbos. Marly was a Rhodes Scholar.”
“Then what was she doing with you?”
“Use your imagination.”
“Doesn’t being on the defense all the time get exhausting?” she asked.
“I’ll answer that question when you do.”
Oh. Right. That was kind of her thing.
They looked at each other. He’d taken off his jacket when he’d first walked into the penthouse. Before dinner he’d rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. Now he pulled off his tie and tossed it onto the table next to him.
The act was nothing. His fingers unfastened the knot at his throat, then he pulled the length of fabric free and threw it to the side. Yet the movement was unbelievably sexy and masculine. It made her think about undoing buttons and hands on bare skin. It made her want to squirm and reach and get lost in whatever magic Garth possessed. It made her want to be taken-an ironic longing considering she never allowed herself to lose control. To be taken, one had to surrender. Something she would never do.
“Dana?”
She blinked slowly. Time for another subject change. Dining with the man was not particularly restful.
“Izzy’s serious about her plan,” she said. “Whether you’re willing or not, she’s determined to have you in the family.”
“Let me guess. They’re going to love me into submission.”
“If that’s what it takes.”
“Is that what happened with you?”
“They’re my friends and my family. They have been for years. There are worse places to be.”
“I’m not a family kind of guy.”
“You don’t know that. You’ve been on your own since you were fourteen. Maybe you should give this a try.”
He poured her more wine. “Because you’re so concerned about my well-being?”
“Not really, but if you do start to think about them as your sisters, you’ll stop attacking them. And that’s what I want. You know they’re innocent in all this. Admit it. Move on.”
“They’re lucky to have you.”
“And I’m lucky to have them.”
And with those words once again came the reminder that Garth had no one. He faced his demons alone. Fate and Jed Titan had conspired against him, leaving him solitary and angry.
“I should go,” she said, pushing away from the table and standing.
She expected him to make a joke about her staying again, but he didn’t. Which was how she wanted things-at least that’s what she told herself.
He followed her to the front door, then shifted so he was between her and the handle. She found herself staring into his eyes.
He was taller than her, with broader shoulders and plenty of muscle. Intensely male. If she had to overpower him, she would need surprise on her side, and possibly a solid two-by-four.
“I, ah, thanks for dinner,” she murmured, feeling uncomfortable. This felt way too much like a date, which it wasn’t.
“You’re welcome. Tex-Mex next time?”
“Sure.”
She tried to inch around him, but he wasn’t moving. And she couldn’t seem to push him out of the way. Well, she could, of course, but it would be awkward, especially if he resisted. She should just say goodnight then stand there looking expectant. He would figure it out and move aside.
But as she opened her mouth to speak, he took a step toward her. Before she could move back, he reached up and lightly stroked the side of her face with the back of his fingers.
The unexpected contact glued her to the floor. She couldn’t run, couldn’t turn, couldn’t do anything but stand there feeling helpless and exposed. As if he had the power to control her.
She told herself he didn’t. He would never hurt her and should he try, she could nail him in the balls, draw her gun and change him from a stallion to a gelding in two seconds.
If she had to.
His dark eyes stared into hers. She had no idea what he saw there, but she hoped it wasn’t anything he could use against her. Despite his slow, gentle touch, she felt tense inside. What was he doing and why?
She told herself to step away, to push past him and get the hell out. But her body didn’t respond to the command and then he said the most extraordinary thing.
“Your mouth drives me crazy.”
She’d barely had time to absorb the words before he lowered his head and pressed his mouth against hers.
The good news was he stopped touching her face. The bad news was they were kissing.
The second she felt his lips on hers, it was as if someone had set the world on fire. There was heat and need and fiery sparks she could see even with her eyes closed. There was no contact anywhere else, which was fine with her. This was enough. Actually it was too much.
Her skin practically sizzled. She would swear she could hear music and feel the floor tilting. She wanted to throw her arms around him, pull him against her and shove her tongue in his mouth. She wanted to be naked, pressed up against the wall, being taken hard and fast until she screamed her surrender.
Dana reached out both hands, shoved him back and sucked in a breath. She’d never screamed in her life. She barely allowed herself to breathe hard. What the hell was going on?
Not that she planned to find out. She ducked around him, heading for the door, only Garth got there first. He grabbed her arm and held her still. She could have broken free easily, only she didn’t and that scared her more than anything else.
“Wait,” he said.
“No.”
Something hot flared in his eyes. “You felt it, too.”
“I didn’t feel anything. It’s late. I need to go.”
“It’s barely eight and you need to be here.”
She hated the fear. It reminded her of being young and terrified of what her father would do next. It made her feel powerless and that was the worst thing of all.
Her emotions must have shown on her face or Garth was a hell of a guesser because he dropped her arm and moved away from the door.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. It’s late.”
He picked up her hand and kissed her palm. It was as if he branded her. She knew in her gut she would carry the feel of his lips on her skin with her forever. When he released her, she curled her fingers closed.
She hesitated for a second, then turned to leave.
This time he didn’t stop her. She walked out into the hallway and the door closed behind her. She stood there, alone, aching with desire for the one man she could never have. Life, as always, had a killer sense of humor.
THE NEXT MORNING DANA followed Garth to work, but didn’t try to speak with him. She hadn’t slept much the night before and wasn’t up to one of their cryptic exchanges. Once she knew he was at the office, she returned to Titanville, thinking she would either try for a nap, or a really jumbo coffee to go.