“Do you?”
“Who wouldn’t?” she demurred. “It’s lovely.”
“So are you.”
She looked away. “No, I’m not.”
“You take my breath away,” he said slowly, his dark eyes shining with intent.
She looked up at him, in time to see him lower his head to hers. In time to tell herself to stop this.
“Adam, I’m not sure…” Trish’s thoughts scattered as he covered her mouth with his. His lips were soft yet demanding and the thrill was instant, the warmth so all-consuming, she wondered if she might go up in flames.
“You’re not sure what?” Adam murmured against her skin as his mouth traveled along her jawline.
Trish barely heard him through the cloud of sensation fogging her mind. “What?”
His deep chuckle reverberated as his hand cupped the nape of her neck. “I’m going to kiss you again.”
She was aware of her heart pounding rhythmically in her chest as she pressed her hand against him. “You shouldn’t.”
He met her gaze. “You don’t want me to kiss you?”
“Whether I want you to or not isn’t the point,” she whispered.
“Then it’s settled,” he said, and returned to ravage her mouth.
The vague thought that nothing was settled flitted away. A soft moan escaped her and her knees nearly crumpled as his tongue urged her to open for him. She obliged him, wanting to taste him, wanting to feel his touch everywhere on her body. He was all heat and hardness as he pressed against her. The world around her dissolved and all that mattered was his mouth on hers, his hands gripping her backside as he aroused and devoured her.
“Oh, Adam, I…”
“I want to make love with you, Trish,” he said, his dark blue eyes gleaming.
She gulped and felt the last of her resolve drain away. “I-I want that, too, Adam.”
“I’m glad,” he said. “It’s cold. Let’s go inside.”
He took her hand and led her back inside and slid the door closed. Still holding her hand, he walked to the bed, where he stopped, kissed her again with slow deliberation, then released her only to pick up his jacket and tuck it under his arm.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m saying good night.”
She couldn’t have heard him right. “You’re what?”
“Saying good night,” he said, cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand and stroking her skin with his thumb. “And thanking you for a fantastic evening.”
He kissed her again and she met him with fervor and a need she’d never experienced before.
“But…but you can’t go,” she said, still not believing him. How could he get them both so wound up only to walk away? How could he kiss her, tell her he wanted to make love with her and then leave?
“Believe me, I don’t want to,” he said, resting his forehead on hers and staring into her eyes. “But I also don’t want to rush you into something you might regret later.”
She almost groaned, knowing she should be grateful for his thoughtfulness. Knowing she should appreciate that he was willing to take it slow. Knowing that she didn’t want him to leave.
“But I warn you that the next time we kiss,” Adam said, skimming his lips against hers, “it won’t stop there.”
He pulled back to meet her gaze. “And there will be a next time.”
She blinked, stunned into silence by his words.
“Sweet dreams, sweetheart,” he said, drawing her close. His hands skimmed down her back to her hips as his mouth hovered an inch from hers. She parted her lips in invitation but instead of kissing her, he whispered, “Until next time.”
Then he opened the door and walked out, leaving her dazed and aching with need.
Seven
I must be out of my mind, Adam thought as the plane soared above the mountains and headed for home. He’d had her just where he wanted her and hadn’t made a move. And though he could stand back and marvel at his own inner strength, he had to question whether he’d made a mistake or not. His body was still clamoring for her despite knowing that she was trying to play him.
Now, as he watched Trish squeeze her eyes shut and clutch his hand, Adam wondered if it was indeed inner strength or just plain stupidity that had caused him to walk away from her. Last night’s kiss had proven that Trish wanted him as much as he wanted her. Sure, maybe she was a gold digger, but he didn’t think she’d been faking the need he’d seen in her eyes. And if the look in her eyes hadn’t been enough, she’d actually said so. Out loud, he reminded himself, replaying the moment over and over in his head. His memory was perfect, dammit. He could recall with absolute clarity the scent of her. The feel of her. The shine in her eyes as she looked up at him. And he could hear her whispered voice echoing in his mind.
I want that, too, she’d said, when he told her he wanted to make love with her.
I want that, too.
So, was he deaf, as well as stupid? She’d wanted him. And what had he done? He’d walked away. As a show of strength. To prove that he was his own man and to show the world that no one but Adam Duke would determine his own future. Certainly not some cute-as-hell gold digger. And definitely not his mother.
But what had he gotten for his troubles? A sleepless night, an aching body and a temper on the edge of snapping. Why the hell did it have to be Trish James who appealed to him on every level?
He’d walked away to prove that he wasn’t the kind of man who would roll over and play dead just because Trish James said she wanted him.
“So how’s that whole ‘determine your own future’ thing working for you?” Adam muttered under his breath. Then he shook his head, thoroughly disgusted. “It’s not working well at all.”
Because he hadn’t determined anything, he told himself. In making his choice to thwart his mother’s matchmaking attempts, he’d been reacting, not acting. He hadn’t made the choice he’d wanted to make. He’d made the only one he could make. So, really, his interfering mother and the gold digger she’d set on his scent were still in charge. And the knowledge of that was enough to kick his determination into high gear. There was no way they would win this game. No way at all.
“Did you say something?” Trish asked, her eyes fluttering open.
“No,” he said, irritated that she’d caught his muttering. “Just thinking out loud.”
She nodded, then looked down at their hands and carefully pulled hers away. “Sorry. But thanks for the hand-holding. Again.”
He refused to acknowledge that he missed the feel of her hand in his. Clearly, he was still wound too tightly.
“Whatever gets us off the ground,” he said, smiling though his jaw was tense enough to crack walnuts.
“It seems to work.” She smiled shyly, then didn’t seem to know what to do next, so she pulled out her notes from yesterday, opened her laptop and began typing.
He watched her slim, graceful hands strike the keys, then glanced up to see her squint as she studied her notes. Absorbed in her work, she began to nibble at her bottom lip in concentration, and Adam had the most maddening urge to pull her into his arms and nibble that lip for her. Dragging her off to join the Mile-High Club probably wouldn’t be the most professional way to start the business day, but at this point he really didn’t care.
The jet leveled off and Adam forced himself to open his briefcase and get some work done. If he could focus on upcoming concerns, maybe his mind would stop wandering to Trish. He pulled out the documents he needed to study for a meeting later this afternoon and tried to concentrate on them. But it was impossible with Trish sitting so close to him. He glanced over and saw her staring at her computer screen, now filled with her notes from yesterday’s survey with the ADA lawyer. She looked fresh and businesslike this morning in a blue-gray suit and a simple white shirt. She hadn’t pulled her hair back so it hung loose and thick and wavy around her shoulders and she wore some sultry perfume that wafted into his brain and turned his thoughts to soggy oatmeal.