Kitabı oku: «Dynasties: The Danforths», sayfa 4

Four

Tina didn’t make it to the alley before her knees buckled. Struggling to breathe, she stumbled around the corner of the passageway between the buildings and leaned against the wall.

Reid had kissed her.

She’d kissed him back.

Closing her eyes, she laid her head against the cool bricks. A groan rolled deep in her throat.

And what a kiss.

Her lips still tingled, her head still reeled, her pulse raced. She glanced down at the tips of her shoes to see if smoke was rising.

She’d certainly been kissed before, she wasn’t completely inexperienced with men. But she’d never been kissed like that. Never been so overwhelmed. And if he hadn’t asked her that ridiculous question about Jason, she’d probably be rolling around on the floor with Reid at this very moment.

The thought made her cheeks burn.

She wasn’t certain if she was glad that they’d stopped before things heated up even more, or if she was irritated.

Of course I’m glad, she thought, narrowing her eyes. Deliriously glad.

She touched her mouth. She could still taste him there, could still feel the press of his mouth on hers. An involuntary shudder coursed through her, and she knew she’d be lying if she didn’t at least admit she’d been curious. And maybe, at an unconscious level, she’d actually wanted him to kiss her. After all, she had been the one who’d touched him first. He must have thought she’d been asking—begging—for it, the way she’d put her hands on his head, then combed her fingers through his hair and lightly stroked his head.

Remembering the soft, thick texture of his hair sliding through her fingers and the touch of his scalp under her fingernails sent a wave of heat shimmering over her skin. She still couldn’t believe she’d done something so…intimate.

Couldn’t believe her fingers itched to do it again.

A welcome breeze rippled through the alley, cooling her blood and her skin, finally bringing her overloaded senses back to a manageable level. Once again, reason prevailed.

You’re making too big a deal about this, she told herself. Men like Reid kissed women all the time. It didn’t mean anything to him, for heaven’s sake, and it shouldn’t mean anything to her, either.

“It doesn’t,” she said, needing to hear herself say it out loud. Reid had caught her off guard, that was all. In the future, she’d be more careful around him.

She’d also have to warn Jason to be more careful, she realized. If her parents found out about him—Tina shuddered at the thought—there would be hell to pay.

But there was no reason for them to find out, she told herself. Reid didn’t know anything. He’d been fishing, and he’d come up with an empty hook.

She intended to keep it that way.

At seven forty-five that evening, Abraham Danforth’s campaign headquarters had officially been open for fifteen minutes. The scent of fresh-brewed coffee and still-warm cookies wafted through the already crowded room. Music, upbeat instrumentals meant more to inspire than entertain, flowed from an overhead sound system, but could barely be heard over the excited conversations of volunteers and newly hired campaign staff. Because the man of the hour hadn’t arrived yet, anticipation increased with each passing minute.

Reid, arms folded, leaning against the back wall of the room, watched the activity buzzing around him. His family was scattered throughout the room: Kimberly sat at a guest book table; Adam manned the volunteer schedule; his cousin Jake was currently charming Matilda Henning, the president of the Savannah Women’s Historical League. Nicola Granville, wearing an Honest Abe II campaign button on the lapel of her navy blue blazer and a straw Danforth for Senator hat tucked neatly over her red hair, made her way through the throng of people and personally greeted each and every one of them.

Abraham might be the heart of the campaign, but the volunteers were the lifeblood. Without them, no amount of publicity or money could win an election.

But there was really only one volunteer—albeit a reluctant one—that had caught Reid’s attention and he shifted his gaze to Tina.

Wearing tan linen slacks and a black turtleneck, she stood by the refreshment table with Jason, a cup of punch in her hand, listening politely to an animated, balding man dressed in an oversize gray suit. She appeared cool and composed and even interested in what the man was saying to her, but when he turned away from her to grab another cookie from a tray, Tina’s boredom flashed in her eyes.

Reid smiled, even considered saving her. It would be easy to make his way over there and tell her she had a phone call in the back office. But he wasn’t so sure she would appreciate the gesture, not with Jason standing there, and especially not after what had happened between them this afternoon.

Not that he was really sure what had happened. He’d kissed her, she’d kissed him back, they’d both enjoyed it—that much he knew. Everything else was just a little fuzzy. Maybe he had hit his head too hard, he thought, though it certainly hadn’t knocked any sense into him.

Because all he’d thought about since he’d kissed her was kissing her again.

From the moment Tina had walked into campaign headquarters with Rachel and Jason a few minutes ago, Reid had been very aware of the fact that she’d kept her distance from him. She hadn’t even glanced in his direction. It would certainly make sense that with her boyfriend here, she might want to avoid the man she’d been in a lip lock with just a few hours earlier.

But what she couldn’t avoid was the unspoken tension still lingering between them. It didn’t matter that she was on the other side of the room, it was there nonetheless. He knew it, and he knew that she knew it, too.

Whether she would admit it or not was another issue.

“A friend of yours?”

Reid turned at the sound of Ian’s voice, annoyed that his brother had caught him staring. “Who?”

Ian took a sip of his coffee, then grinned that annoying I’m-your-brother-you-can’t-fool-me grin. “Not the type you usually go for, is she?”

Refusing to answer his question or rise to the bait, Reid simply lifted a brow. “And exactly what type is it you seem to think I go for?”

“Dim-witted debutantes,” Ian said, cocking his head. “High-society heiresses, soporific society girls.”

Reid frowned. So maybe a few of the women he’d dated had been a little shallow, he thought irritably. Or maybe just a little low in the brain cell department. So what? He’d been looking for company, not commitment. And Ian, of all people, who’d avoided any kind of relationship since his divorce, was hardly one to talk.

“For your information,” Reid said dryly, “her father owns Castle Bakery.”

“Ah. One of the Alexander daughters.” Ian nodded, then sipped his coffee again as he glanced across the room at Tina. “Jake and I have talked about adding some new items to D&D’s. Maybe I should go introduce myself.”

Reid slid a dark look at his brother. “She’s not on the menu, Ian.”

“Is that so?” Grinning, Ian returned his attention to Reid. “Not on my menu or yours?”

Reid would have liked nothing better than to wipe that smirk off his brother’s face, but considering the time and place, it would have to wait. “Neither. She has a boyfriend.”

Ian shrugged. “I don’t see any ring on her finger. You getting soft in your old age?”

“Why don’t we go out back and see who’s soft?” Reid said irritably.

“You’re too pretty in that new suit to mess up.” Ian slapped a good-natured hand on Reid’s shoulder. “And besides, I hear she’s got sisters. Good Lord, please tell me that’s one of them.”

Reid followed the direction of his brother’s gaze. The tall, leggy blonde had just stepped through the front door. Curls spilled from a silver clip on top of her head and tumbled around an oval face, lush mouth and pale-green eyes. The long-sleeved ruffled blouse and black leather pants she wore showed off a body that most men could only fantasize about.

And right now, Reid noted, just about every man in the room was doing some serious fantasizing.

“Daughter number one, Sophia,” Reid said. He’d met her yesterday at the bakery. “Why don’t you go introduce yourself?”

Keeping his eyes on the blonde, Ian straightened his tie, then handed Reid his coffee. “I think I’ll do that.”

Reid watched his brother move in on Sophia like a panther, but he had the feeling that the woman could handle herself. He took a moment to appreciate her beauty—he was human, after all—but it simply wasn’t the eldest Alexander daughter he was preoccupied with at the moment.

And even though he didn’t want to admit it, not even to himself, he knew that Ian had been right about Tina. She was different from the other women he’d dated or been interested in before. It was strange how she annoyed and fascinated him at the same time. Something about her had caught his attention and refused to let go. Despite his better judgment, he intended to explore what that something was.

“May I have everyone’s attention, please,” Nicola said over the noise in the room, then waited until the crowd slowly quieted. “I’d like to thank you all for coming this evening. I speak for Abraham and myself when I say how grateful we are to each and every one of you for so generously donating your time and money to this campaign. With your support, there is no doubt in our minds and hearts who the next senator of our beautiful state of Georgia will be—Abraham Danforth!”

Cheers and applause exploded from the crowd, and a few zealous volunteers held up Honest Abe II bumper stickers that Nicola had distributed a few minutes ago.

“And a special thank you,” Nicola said when the crowd quieted down, “to Ivan and Mariska Alexander from Castle Bakery for so generously providing refreshments for us this evening.”

Mariska beamed and waved at everyone, while Ivan, clearly not liking the attention, nodded stiffly.

“At this time I’d like to invite everyone to mark the date for a cocktail party at Crofthaven in two weeks.” Nicola waited for the excited murmur to settle down, then smiled and went on, “For now, while we’re waiting for Abraham to arrive, please help yourself to drinks and desserts and introduce yourself to your fellow volunteers.”

Reid sipped on the coffee his brother had left him while the crowd moved in on the sweets. And speaking of sweet…Reid glanced back to where he’d seen Tina standing a few minutes ago, but she was gone. Slowly he scanned the crowd, but didn’t see her amongst the mass of people crowded in the room.

He didn’t see Jason, either.

They hadn’t gone out the front door, Reid was certain of that. Which meant they’d either gone into the back offices, rest room or out the back door.

What the hell does it matter? he thought, though he already knew the answer. It did matter, dammit. And he was suddenly in a bad mood because he didn’t want it to.

If she and Jason really were an item, then fine. But if that were true, Reid asked himself, then why, just a few hours ago, had she been kissing me? And why, when he’d asked her point-blank what the deal was, had she turned so indignant?

Something didn’t jibe. Reid wasn’t certain what it was, but once and for all, he wanted an answer.

It took several minutes to make his way through the crowd, but when he finally stepped into the back hallway, Reid could see the offices and the rest room were empty.

Questioning his sanity, not to mention his lack of common sense, he stepped outside.

The air was crisp, the cloudless night sky filled with stars. An iridescent ring shimmered around a nearly full moon. In the far distance, a ship’s horn sounded from the river. A perfect night for a tryst, Reid thought, closing the door behind him.

When he saw the couple standing in the shadows of the garden, their arms entwined, Reid’s hands balled into fists and he nearly turned back around. But then he heard Ian’s voice in his head, accusing him of being soft. Like hell I am.

Relaxing his hands, he shoved them into his pockets and strolled casually over. “Nice evening.”

The couple jumped apart. Jason stepped in front of the woman in his arms, shielding her from view. “We were just…getting a little fresh air.”

Why the hell was Tina hiding behind this guy? Reid wondered. The woman he’d met wasn’t the type to cower in a corner when confronted. Unless she was worried about Jason finding out she’d been kissing another man.

“Sorry if I interrupted.” In an attempt to see around Jason, Reid moved a couple feet to the left. Jason moved, too.

“No problem,” Jason said, though his voice gave away his nervousness.

“Look.” Reid sighed. “Why don’t we just—”

“What in the world are you doing out here? Are you crazy?”

Startled at the sound of Tina’s hushed shout from behind him, Reid turned. She hurried across the patio toward them. Confused, Reid looked back at Jason, then watched a woman step hesitantly from the shadows.

Rachel.

“Mom is looking for you both,” Tina said to her sister. “You’ve got to get back inside before—”

“What is going on out here?”

At the sound of her mother’s voice, Tina froze, then slowly turned. Hands on her hips, eyes narrowed suspiciously, Mariska looked at the group assembled on the patio.

“I was just—” Tina faltered. “We were just—”

“Rachel said she had a headache,” Reid said easily as he moved closer to Rachel. “I brought her out here for some fresh air.”

Stunned, Tina looked at Reid, wasn’t quite sure why he was lying for them, but was thankful nonetheless.

“That’s right,” Tina added quickly. “Jason and I just came out to see how she’s doing.”

“Oh.” Mariska glanced from Rachel to Reid, then her eyes widened with delight. “Ohh. I see. Yes, well, fresh air is good for a headache, is it not?”

Nodding, Rachel glanced hesitantly at Reid, then smiled stiffly. “I…I’m feeling much better now.”

Her mother was obviously hearing wedding bells, Tina knew. What her mother didn’t know, was that she was looking at the wrong groom.

“Well, then,” Mariska said, already turning. “I will just go back inside and tell your father that you are all right.”

“We’ll be right there,” Reid called after her.

When Mariska disappeared back inside, Jason glared at Reid, then took Rachel’s hand in a blatant display of possessiveness. “Rachel, we’ve got to settle this now. I’ll talk to your parents and—”

“No.” Rachel pulled her hand from Jason’s, then looked at Reid. “We didn’t mean to involve you. I’m sorry.”

Tears shining in her eyes, Rachel quickly followed after her mother. Jason started after her.

“Jason.” Tina touched his shoulder and shook her head. “Please. Not now.”

Jason stopped; a muscle jumped in his jaw. Shaking off Tina’s hand, he turned on his heel and stomped out the side garden gate, slamming it behind him.

Tina slowly released the breath she’d been holding. That had been close. Too close. Forcing a smile, she turned to Reid. “Thank you. You have no idea what kind of disaster you just diverted.”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

Though her first impulse was to hold back, Tina reminded herself he had helped, after all. She supposed she at least owed him the truth. “Jason and Rachel are in love.”

The look he gave her said, “Duh.”

“Rachel doesn’t like confrontation,” Tina explained. “She knows my parents wouldn’t approve of her dating Jason, so they’ve kept it a secret.”

“Why wouldn’t they approve?”

“For one thing, he’s an employee. That’s always been absolutely forbidden.”

“So why doesn’t he just quit?”

“It’s not that simple.” Tina sighed. “He’s also the lead singer in a band called Controversy.”

“The struggling musician,” Reid said thoughtfully.

“A double whammy,” Tina said with a nod. “Even if he quit the bakery, my parents still wouldn’t approve. And Rachel won’t let him quit the band. She knows how much his music means to him.”

“Is he any good?”

“Rachel says so.” Tina hugged herself when a cold breeze swirled leaves around her feet. “But it’s a tough business.”

“You’re cold.” Reid shrugged out of his suit jacket and dropped it over her shoulders. “Here.”

“No, really, I’m fine, you don’t have to—”

When he took hold of the lapels and tugged her closer, Tina’s protest died on her lips. She could feel his warmth inside the jacket, could smell his masculine scent on the brushed wool. When he tugged her closer still, her pulse skipped, then raced.

“When I came out here tonight,” he said, gazing down at her, “I thought you were the woman Jason was kissing.”

If she’d had any air left in her lungs, Tina might have laughed. “Me?”

He nodded. “I thought you two were involved.”

She did laugh now, though it was such a throaty, deep sound that she wondered where it came from. “That’s why you asked me about Jason earlier, after—” She stopped, felt her cheeks heat up.

“After you kissed me,” he murmured.

“I kissed you?” Lifting an indignant brow, she angled her head and met his dark gaze. “That’s not the way I remember it.”

“Yeah?” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “How do you remember it?”

Ignoring the voice in her head that told her to run, Tina placed her palms flat on Reid’s chest and leaned into him. She felt the steady thud of his heart under her fingertips and the heat of his skin through his cotton dress shirt. “Remember what?”

Smiling, he lowered his mouth to hers.

It was the same as before. The same wild rush. The same build of heat.

The same insanity.

His lips moved over hers, gently at first, barely tasting. Certainly not a kiss that should overwhelm or overpower, she thought dimly. Nothing that should make her knees weak or her mind numb.

But it did all of those things. All that and more.

A lot more.

He changed the angle of the kiss, traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, then dipped inside to meet hers. Her breath caught, quickened. He tasted like coffee, dark and rich and hot. His hands slid inside his jacket and around her waist, pulling her body flush with his. His thumbs brushed over her rib cage, no more than a whisper from the underside of her breasts. Desire shot through her like an arrow, hummed deep in her throat.

Afraid she might sink to the ground if she didn’t hold tight, Tina slid her hands upward. His shoulders were wide and strong; she felt the ripple of muscle as she circled his neck with her arms.

A tiny part of her brain fought to regain control of reason. This could go nowhere, could lead to nothing but heartache, that tiny voice screamed at her. She’d be way in over her head with a man like Reid. But it seemed that her body had a mind of its own, determined to enjoy the moment, consequences be damned.

When he deepened the kiss, when the tips of his thumbs barely brushed the curve of her breasts, even that tiny voice shut up. She heard the sound of her own soft moan, but was too immersed in the sensations swirling through her to be embarrassed. His touch thrilled her, consumed her, and she knew she was lost.

Reid felt the shudder roll through her body into his. He was no stranger to desire, to need, but this was something different, something stronger, deeper, than anything he’d experienced before. The urgency grew like a storm, dark and swirling, heavy. His pulse pounded in his head, in his body.

Lifting his head, he gazed down at her, watched her slowly open her eyes. Passion smoldered there. Her lips, swollen and moist, enticed him to dip down and taste her again.

“So sweet,” he murmured against her lips. “So soft.”

Desperately he wanted to drag Tina upstairs to her aunt’s apartment and finish what they’d started here, but the faint sound of laughter from inside the building reminded him where they were. Frustration had him tightening his hold on her, then mentally cursing his lack of timing.

With a willpower he didn’t know he possessed, he pulled away, then pressed his forehead to hers.

“We should go back inside,” he said with a sigh.

She blinked. “What?”

“My father will be arriving any minute,” he explained. “They’ll wonder where I am.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” She stepped back, slipped his jacket from her shoulders and handed it to him. “Thanks.”

“Tina—”

“It’s no big deal, Reid.” She tilted her head and smiled. “We got a little caught up in the moment, that’s all. It happens.”

It happens? Annoyance tapped at his pride. “Twice now, if you’re counting,” he said dryly, and she at least gave him the satisfaction of appearing embarrassed.

“I…I’m sorry.” She dropped her gaze and folded her arms. “I’m not handling this well at all. I just don’t want to give you the wrong impression, that’s all.”

“And what impression was that?”

“That I—that we—” She shifted awkwardly. “That this would go anywhere.”

“So what you’re trying to say is,” he said, keeping his voice even, holding her gaze and watching her eyes widen as he stepped close to her, “you aren’t going to sleep with me.”

She drew in a slow breath. “No.”

“No, you aren’t trying to say that?”

“No—I mean, yes.” Flustered, she shook her head. “I’m not going to sleep with you.”

“The thing is, Tina.” He touched her earlobe with his fingertip, heard her soft intake of breath. “I haven’t asked.”

Thoroughly satisfied at the surprise in her eyes, Reid dropped his hand.

“See you inside,” he said casually, then wished to God he could see the look on her face as he strolled away.