“Of course, I’ll dance with you, Dak,” she said, her heart racing nearly out of control.
He stood and took her hand. The moment they touched, a sizzle rushed through her, ending at her lower extremities, and from the way he was looking at her through a pair of dark, mesmerizing eyes, she knew he’d felt it too. She wished she could ignore it but couldn’t. As he led her to the dance floor, she could feel her sex throbbing. And as he pulled her into his arms, her entire body went on red alert. And she realized that the overwhelming attraction she’d felt the last time they’d danced together had not been a figment of her imagination.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered against her ear. He was so close, his warm breath sent shivers down her body.
“Thanks. You look quite handsome yourself.” No lie. This man was the stuff of every woman’s dreams. Their fantasies, too.
He tilted his head and chuckled, and it sounded more like a groan from deep within his throat. The sexual chemistry flowing between them was so thick, she could barely stand it. Blood didn’t just flow through her veins, it rocked. How long had it been since she’d been this attracted to a man? This turned on by one? The answer was quick in coming. Never.
She’d dated, although not much lately. No one had really even caught her interest in the last few years—not since she’d first met Dak. The moment Stonewall had introduced them to each other at his and Joy’s wedding rehearsal, and she’d looked into Dak’s eyes—even knowing his history with women, at least what she’d heard or read about—she’d felt an overwhelming attraction she hadn’t managed to get past. Since they’d been partnered off for that wedding, they’d done a lot of touching, which had only amped up the temptation. And then, when Joy had requested that her bridesmaids dance with the groomsmen they’d been partnered with, things had become hotter. The moment Dak had taken her into his arms, she’d been a goner. And now, two years later, she was back in his arms again, and the sexual chemistry was even stronger than before.
Mellie suddenly drew in a sharp breath when she felt Dak’s fingers skim across the back of her dress, drawing seductive circles and making her pulse kick in every way that it could. If she didn’t know better, she would think that he knew there was a particular spot on her back that was one of her most sensitive erotic zones. When touched, it could rev up her desire in mega-seconds.
His fingers were inching closer, and she was about to moan his name, but then the music stopped. Drawing in a deep breath, she took a step back, thinking he was about to lead her back to their table. Instead, another slow number began playing and suddenly, they were slow dancing together again. He held her closer and thankfully, his hands moved from her back to wrap around her waist.
She could feel his body, hard and aroused, pressed solidly against her, and it made her head spin. Then the second dance led to a third—all slow dances. It was only when the band went into a fourth number, one with a faster beat, that he took her hand and whispered, “It’s time to get out of here.”
After taking care of their bill, he led her out of the nightclub. When the night air hit her skin, along with the scent of the ocean, she finally regained some semblance of control. “Where to now?” she asked.
“I think I need to get you back to the hotel,” he said.
He led her over to his car and put the top down. She loved the feel of the wind in her face and closed her eyes. She thought about the last time she’d made love with a man, but the details were sketchy. It had been a long time ago, definitely before she’d met Dak two years ago. And she couldn’t even blame it on the long hours at the hospital. She’d had no interest, because no other man compared to Dak. She could admit that now. It was Dak who’d filled her nightly fantasies, with his hands, his tongue, his…. Well, they’d been some dreams.
“We’re here, Amelia,” he said. She opened her eyes and saw that he had parked in one of the parking spaces in front of the hotel.
She looked over at him. “Would like to come up for a nightcap.” They both knew she was offering him more than that.
He drew in a deep breath, and then he reached out and softly caressed the side of her face with the pad of his thumb. “Yes, I want to, but I better not, Amelia.”
She didn’t ask why, when it was obvious that they wanted each other. She had an idea, but figured it was something he needed to work out for himself. Yes, she was Stonewall’s sister, but she was also the woman Dak wanted and the woman who wanted him. A woman who was old enough to make her own decisions.
In the meantime, though, she would give him something to think about. Something to remember.
She leaned toward him, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he hadn’t expected such a bold move from her. Good. He would discover she was full of surprises. His lips parted and then it was on. The moments their lips touched, the desire that had held them in its grip all day, possibly for the past two years, surged forward, taking over her senses. And from the way he was kissing her, he was feeling the same way. The way his tongue was mating with hers had her moaning, purring, and outright groaning. His mouth was hot and demanding, his lips, sensual and thick, and his tongue…his tongue tasted incredible, so uniquely male, so like she’d figured Dak would taste. Totally delicious.
He was taking her mouth with a hunger that she felt all the way to her toes, especially at the juncture of her thighs. Each carnal lick and stroke of his tongue came close to sending her over the edge. If he kept it up for much longer, she would have an orgasm here, right now. She’d heard of women who’d come during a kiss, but she’d never been one of them. Honestly, she’d never believed such a thing was possible. Now she did.
Refusing to climax from a kiss in a parking lot, she abruptly pulled her mouth away and leaned back in her seat. His breathing seemed to be just as choppy as hers. She glanced over at him. After that kiss, would he change his mind about her invitation to come up to her hotel room? And did she still want him there? Because now, she knew that this wasn’t the time. That kiss had blown her away, but for a reason other than desire.
Mellie knew Dak had a reputation with the ladies. And still, for reasons of his own, he’d refused her invitation. So regardless of their obvious attraction, Mellie needed to step back. She didn’t want him to have any regrets and a guilty conscience the morning after. And knowing Dak, he would have.
So instead, she quickly opened the door, and said, “Thanks for a lovely evening, Dak. Maybe I’ll see you at the next wedding, whenever that will be. Goodbye.”
She swiftly got out of the car and raced across the parking lot to the hotel, ignoring his calls for her to stop. She needed this distance and so did he. If she heard from him again, she would deal with it then.
And if she didn’t…? Then, as she’d said, maybe their paths would cross again at another wedding.
“THANKS FOR A LOVELY evening, Dak. Maybe I’ll see you at the next wedding, whenever that will be. Goodbye.”
For the third straight day since returning home to Vermont, Dak paced around his study as Amelia’s final words to him continued to ring in his ears. Why was he letting her get to him? Would it matter if he didn’t see her for another two years? He stopped and rubbed his hands down his face. Maybe the question he ought to be asking himself was whether or not he could wait that long to see her again. Especially after the kiss they’d shared, the kiss he couldn’t get out of his mind.