Chapter 5

His eyes went to the hand she had placed on his arm before lifting to look at her. His mouth tightened as he took in the pouty sexiness of her parted lips, the stunning shape of her face, and the mole at the side of her nostril. She wasn't wearing makeup, and yet she was the most beautiful and potently sexy woman he had ever seen.

He started dragging his arm away, sure he should not be going down this road with her. But her fingers dug in, her expression pleading.

"Okay." He shuddered out a strangled breath. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" Shrugging her hand away, he strode toward the bed and started to take off his clothes. Taking a deep breath, she trailed after him, wishing she could put him in a better frame of mind.

"Well?" He demanded, lifting an autocratic brow. "Are you waiting for me to undress you?"

"If I am?" She asked him huskily. He dragged the sweater over his head, baring his muscular chest, which looked like it had been dipped in bronze.

"That's not going to happen." He bit out, green eyes smoldering.

"How about if I undress you?" She countered, stepping in front of him and tugging on the dark blue dress pants.

"What the hell are you doing?" He could not move, could scarcely breathe. Her scent permeated his nostrils, making him immobile as her fingers brushed his flat stomach.

"What does it look like? Take off your shoes."

He kicked them off automatically, his breath catching inside his throat as he dragged the pants down and pushed him on the bed. His hands fisted, and he forced himself to be still when she proceeded to take off his trousers. The silk robe had slipped off her shoulders, giving him a glimpse of her small pert breasts.

Going between his thighs, she tugged open the belt and shrugged off the robe. His first glimpse of the slender curves, the high, full breasts with the wide nipples, the flat stomach, and the toned muscles of her upper thighs sent him into a tailspin. He had to fight the shudders that rose inside his body.

When her hands wandered over his thigh, he lost the battle. Reaching for her, he wrapped his hands around her neck, his fingers digging into her skin as if in punishment.

"Damn you." He whispered thickly. "Damn you to hell." Hauling her against him, he buried his mouth in hers. He had meant to punish her, but when her lips parted immediately, the kiss took on a wildness that surpassed what they had ever experienced in the past.

They were no longer children, fumbling around and laughing at the awkward touches. Twelve years had passed between them, and instead of distinguishing the flames, it had turned into an inferno that seemed to be burning its way throughout their bodies.

Without ending the kiss, he lifted her over him.

Her body came in contact with hers, and he felt himself hardening even more. Shifting, he tumbled her back on the pillows, his body following hers. The kiss was potent and achingly sweet. He had been her first to explore her delectable curves. They had been inexperienced, rushing through the act as the excitement took over.

Now they were more experienced, but it did not matter a damn. His hands raced over her body with feverish haste. Dragging his mouth from hers, he kissed her eyes and the tip of her upturned nose. He had intended to slake his incredible thirst and be done with it, but he should have known better.

He wanted to taste and savor, knowing that once would never be enough. He spent time in the hollow of her throat, where the pulse was beating madly.

Nibbling at the smooth skin, he trailed kisses along a straight path until he was kissing the top of her breast. Her body heaved under his.

"Rylan." The sound of his name in that husky voice of hers maddened him. Closing his mouth over the rigid flesh of her nipple, he twirled his tongue around it slowly before tugging it into his mouth. She screamed, her fingers digging into his thick hair as she struggled to anchor her body.

By the time he transferred to the other nipple, she was out of control.

"Rylan, please. I can't."

Somehow, it gave him some dark pleasure to know that he still had this kind of effect on her. Her mewling cries spurred him on, his desire spiraling out of control.

Letting go of the nipple, he moved to the side so that he could get rid of his underwear. He could not wait. Climbing on top of her, he drove into her, teeth-gritting when her tightness closed around him like a well-worn glove.

His breath escaped harshly as he tried to hold himself rigid. It was unbelievable, this heady sensation of her wrapped around him. His fingers tangled in the heavy curls, his eyes smoldering. Lifting her slender legs, she wrapped them around his waist, her expression luminous and passionate.

"Rylan, I didn't-"

"No," he told her harshly, his eyes glittering. "No conversations. I don't want to talk. You must be so damn proud of yourself." His fingers dug cruelly into her scalp, making her wince. "I still want you.

Even though you ground me into the dust, my treacherous body still yearns for yours. Well darling, enjoy the small victory because this is it. After tonight, this will never happen again."

Before she could respond, he crushed his lips to hers hard enough for her to taste blood. He drove into her relentlessly, wringing a stunning climax from her; he continued bruising her lips until he shot his load into her.

His large body shuddered, heart, thundering inside his chest. He could not stop; the climax appeared to be unending. Ending the kiss, he rolled off her, his body still shaking. Refusing to look at her, he lay on his side of the bed, staring up at the intricate pattern of the ceiling.

He had always wondered why their coming together had been so combustible, but he had been unable to come up with any explanation. Even after years of being with other women, he had never been able to capture what they had together, and the passion had gotten even more intense.

He jumped reflexively when she threw a shapely leg over his; her fingers spread over his chest.

"I would like to say something."

Turning his head, he tipped his chin down to look at her. "Go ahead."

"Hurting you-" She gasped when he twisted through her heavy curls.

"Celeste. Shut the hell up."

Her dark brown eyes sizzled. "I am going to have my damn say."

"In that case, I am leaving." He started to push her away, but she clamped her leg around his waist.

"Let go." He rasped.

"You win." She told him wearily. "No talking. Please stay."

He studied her for a minute before hauling her on top of him. "I want you," he told her hoarsely.

"Then have me."

*****

He was gone when she woke up the next morning. They had barely slept the entire night, and she could feel the bruises, especially on her breasts and between her thighs. The sun streaming through the heavy damask drapes warned her that it was probably mid-morning, and her stomach was growling.

Easing herself against the pillows, she remembered what had happened between them. Nothing had been resolved - in fact, he had made it plain that he did not want to have anything to do with her again.

Pulling the sheets over her, she drew her knees and wrapped her hands around them. It had been wonderful and even more potent than she remembered.

She had been a scared fifteen-year-old that afternoon; he had taken her virginity. It had been too much, and she had cried, her tears wetting his chest. She had stayed away from him for a week, and during that time, she had tried to avoid him.

But he had sought her out and promised they would not have to do it again if she preferred. But that had lasted a couple of days because they had been unable to stay away from each other.

"Oh, Rylan," she whispered achingly. "How am I going to convince you to give me a second chance and make you realize that we belong together?"

Shoving the sheets off, she raced into the bathroom, hoping that he had not already left and that she was not too late.

But he was gone.

*****

He drove with his mind completely on the road and refused to think about last night and this morning. He had been insatiable. And he had made love to her all those times without even thinking of using anything.

He wondered if she was on something and hoped to God she was. The last thing both of them needed was the complication of an unwanted pregnancy.

When they were teenagers, they made love without using anything either. He had told her that he wanted nothing between them, and they had both secretly wanted to have a baby. Which only made him realize that they had not been thinking at all.

He did not feel guilty about being with her because he had done it to get her out of his head. Hopefully, he will be able to get on with his life now. Madeline was sweet, gentle, and beautiful, and she would never hurt him.

In fact, no one would be able to hurt him like that again because the emotions he had shared with Celeste were a one-off, and there was no danger of him feeling that way again.

He cared for Madeline a lot, and she did not make many demands on him. She was going to make him a very good wife and a wonderful mother to his children.

Ignoring the ache inside his heart at the thought of never having a little girl with curly dark brown hair, luminous golden-brown eyes, or a son with that beautiful coffee and cream complexion.

Deliberately switching his thoughts to business, he strove desperately to get her out of his head.

*****

"I figured you would want to keep our meeting a secret. This place is perfect for the occasion." Celeste smiled at the brawny-looking black man with the shiny bald pate as he came over to bring them a large bowl of fried shrimp. ‘Thanks, darling." She blew him a kiss.

"Holler if you need anything else." Trevor shook his head skeptically at the immaculately dressed white woman who stood out in his eatery like a sore thumb.

"Trevor is a childhood friend," Celeste explained as she sipped her beer. "This place is famous for its fried seafood. You should try it."

"No, thank you." The lovely face showed distaste. "We could have met somewhere else, even though I don't see why we had to meet at all."

"Don't you?" Celeste eyed the woman over the rim of her glass. It had been two days since the encounter with Rylan, and she had taken the time to set up her apartment and make the phone call to his mother, demanding a meeting.

"If you are thinking of ruining my son's life-"

"You did that all on your own." Celeste's eyes flashed dangerously. "You made me write that damn letter, and now I am a bad person. He hates me."

"He is getting married to a beautiful woman." Michelle fussed with her glass of water and refused to meet the younger woman's gaze. "You were not good for him in the least."

"Why? Because I am not the right color?"

Michelle snorted at that. "You never believed that was the reason. You were sixteen and inveigled my son to turn his back on his heritage."

"Really?" Reaching for a crispy shrimp, she took an appreciative bite. "You really should try it. Back to your remark, you do not think much of your son, if you can still say that. Rylan begged me to marry him. And I wanted to. We were madly in love and never wanted to spend a day apart."

"He was eighteen!" She hissed. "He is my only child, and I was not about to let you or anyone take him away from his birthright."

"And being married to me would have done that?" Celeste scoffed. "You browbeat me, laid on the guilt so thick, and on top of that, you threatened to ruin my brother's life by taking the scholarship away from him."

Reaching for her glass, she swigged beer and eyed the woman who had haunted her dreams over the years. "We were together over the weekend. Did he tell you that?" She smiled at the woman's shocked expression. "He left without saying goodbye the next morning, but I expected nothing less."

"What did you tell him?" Michelle asked her tightly.

"Nothing. I tried to talk to him to clear things up, but he said he did not want to hear."

Picking up another shrimp, she put it into her mouth and watched the various expressions on the woman's face. "I am not giving up on him, Michelle; I am giving you fair warning. I also allow you to tell him the truth before I step in. I have grown up over the years and had to become strong and more or less manage on my own.

I am no longer that confused teenager you can scare away. And I am not going anywhere. I am going to fight for what's mine."

"You don't even care that he is involved with someone?" Michelle curled her lips in distaste, and she had to make a conscious effort to hide the fear her words evoked.

Celeste laughed softly. "I am a heartless bitch, remember? And if he was in love with this person, he would not have been with me." Leaning forward, she met Michelle's gaze. "I did what you ordered me to when I was fifteen, and it broke us - it turned Rylan into this hateful person.

I looked at him and did not recognize the boy I fell in love with. I got mixed up with an asshole who almost did me physical damage. You could have handled the situation better. You were the damn adult, and we were the children.

You could have arranged for us to be with each other without resorting to threats and blackmail." Settling back in the chair, she breathed and fought for control. "Rylan and I belong together, and I will do everything I can to see that it happens."

*****

Punching the button, he picked up the phone. "Madeline, I am sorry. I am still tied up." Dragging his hands through his hair, he gazed at the figures in front of him. They had acquired another cruise ship, which was in dire need of repairs.

The negotiations had begun two months ago and had dragged on longer than anticipated. They were preparing to outfit it to get it sea-ready for the summer.

"We have not seen each other since you returned from the club." She reminded him.

"I know." He felt guilty as hell. When he returned that morning, he had stayed away from her, spending the day at his apartment trying to get some work done. He then used work to stay away for the next two days.

His mind was in turmoil. What he had hoped to accomplish had not happened. He was unable to get Celeste out of his head, and it was much worse now. He should not have gone to bed with her.

Now, he was waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, his body yearning for hers.

He intended to return and propose to Madeline, but his heart was not in it. And he could not bear the thought of having sex with her. Damn her to hell! He thought in despair.

"How about we go to dinner tomorrow?"

"I would love that."

"I will see to the reservations. I will see you tomorrow." Replacing the receiver, he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes wearily. Memories of her flawless skin came to mind, and he could still taste her nipples on his tongue.

She had been so damn tight and wet - always wet and ready for him. He felt insane jealousy as he wondered how many men she had been with since him. He wanted to believe that it did not matter, but good Christ! It did.

She belonged to him- he reined in his treacherous thoughts abruptly, his eyes drifting open. He was heading into dangerous territory. She had broken his heart twelve years ago. The humiliation of getting on his knees and begging her not to leave him was still fresh in his mind.

How the hell could he forget how much he wanted to die when she told him she never wanted to see him again? How he had driven himself home with the tears blinding his vision.

And how he spent days inside his room and decided he did not want to go to college or do anything with his life? How could he forget all of that? he thought angrily. He had made the mistake of making love to her, thinking that he could tear her from his heart and mind.

His heart? Sitting up in the chair, he glared at the contract in front of him. He was not going to allow her to do this to him again. Not a chance!

*****

"You confronted her?"

"And probably made an enemy out of her. In hindsight, I should have made an enemy out of her." Flopping back against the pillows mounted against the edge of the leather sofa, she breathed.

"You were never one for diplomacy." Colin reminded her dryly. "You slept with her son and told her about it."

"I should have kept that to myself." She smiled at him wryly. "But I was so mad that I wanted to explode. He did not want to hear anything from me."

"So, I am assuming you two did not talk?" He pulled a can of beer from the case he had brought and handed it to her.

"He spent the night."

"Did either of you have the presence of mind to use protection?"

Her tapered eyebrows lifted, giving him his answer.

"Do you know what the hell you are doing?" He asked with a frown.

"I only know that I am going to fight for him."

"And if he doesn"t want to be with you? What then? Are you going to hit him over the head with a brick?"

"That's one possibility." Eased up, she sat against the pillows and drew her knees up.

"Michelle Braithwaite interfered in our lives-"

"And I think her son will not absolve you."

"What do you mean?"

"Why didn"t you tell him what was going on?"

She floundered as she stared at him. The possibility that he would blame her for his thinking had occurred to her. "Is that what you think, too?"

He nodded. "You should have done me the courtesy of coming to me, Celeste. You were a sixteen-year-old girl who was asked to make that awful decision alone. You should have said something, and Braithwaite is going to say the same thing. He is also going to wonder how difficult it was for you to decide to break up with him."

Her expression became bleak. "I never thought of that." Taking a sip of the beer, she thought about it. "He is already pissed."

"Precisely." Stretching his legs out, he crossed them at the ankles. "And I can't say I blame him."

Turning her head, she looked at him stretched out on the board floor. He had come over straight from the office to help her settle in. She was still unpacking her stuff and realized it would take a while to finish unpacking and putting things away.

She was toying with the idea of hiring someone, but for now, she had nothing pressing to attend to. "I still love him," she said quietly.

"That's not news, honey," he told her gently. "I saw the two of you together when you were teenagers, and it was obvious that it was not a flash in the pan. I fear that he is going to end up hurting you."