Dark And Dangerous (9 page)

 
"Don't touch me."

 
That just had him laughing again as he
reached out and took her hand, keeping it in his, even as she tried to snatch
it back. Ignoring her struggle, he lifted her hand to his lips, kissing the
palm gently.

 
She couldn't prevent the shudder that coursed
deliciously through her. Annoyed at herself, she tried to pull her hand away
again. But Nathan just firmed his grip and kissed her palm, then continued to
rain kisses over her palm and the pulse in her wrist. He left his lips there as
he looked in her eyes, and smiled when he felt her pulse speed up.

 
"Let go of my hand please," she said
trying to keep her voice cool.

 
"Okay." Releasing her, he lifted
his hand to her cheek and caressed it gently. Leaning over he cruised kisses
over her cheekbone and along her jaw.

 
Intending to ward him off, Kayley lifted her
hand to his chest, but instead found it helplessly curling into his shirt. He
continued raining kisses over her face and the corners of her mouth, until she
was desperate for the feel of his lips on hers.

 
Only then did he take her mouth, coaxing
until she opened willingly to him. He took the kiss long and slow, deepening it
fraction by fraction, making her strain to get closer. Then just as slowly he
lightened the kiss, before lifting his mouth an inch from hers. His eyes were
deep and intense as they looked into hers, and they were both breathing hard.

 
"I just want to help you, Kayley. Can't
you simply accept that?"

 
"It's just that I'm not used to people
helping me, and I don't know what to do about it."

"Why don't you just
take it as it is
given.
I don't expect anything in return
and there is absolutely no strings attached."

Kayley looked at his
serious eyes and saw that he meant it. Sighing she closed her eyes, then opened
them again to look at him.

 
"Okay, I'll try. But I might not be very
good at it."

 
"Just try, that's all I ask." He
kissed her gently again, before pulling away. "It seems we're here."

The limousine pulled up in
front of the helicopter, and a couple of minutes later they rose majestically
into the air.

Chapter 9

 
It was
around five-thirty when they arrived back at Nathan's house, and dusk was
beginning to settle over the land.

 
"You hungry?" Nathan asked as they
entered his house.

 
"Yes," Kayley realized,
"starving."

 
"Good, so am I." Pulling off his
shoes, he walked into the kitchen and started to pull out what he needed.
Following him, Kayley watched as he moved confidently around the kitchen.

 
"What are you making?"

 
"I thought I might make a roasted
chicken with risotto and salad on the side."

 
"What should I do?"

 
"You can make the salad, if you'd
like."

 
"Okay."

 
He had already set everything out for it, so
she took the lettuce and started chopping, while Nathan prepared the chicken.

 
She had to admit that she really enjoyed
being with him and talking to him. He made her laugh and at the same time he
seemed really interested in her and what she had to say.

Except for Miss
Kans
, no one had ever done that before.

 
They talked companionably while they cooked
and ate their meal. Kayley discovered how much she liked listening to him talk,
enjoying the deep sound of his voice as he told her about his future plans.

 
"I've been considering building a new
resort for some time now," he told her.

 
"Really? Where would you build it?"

 
"Damian and I have been discussing our
different options, and we've narrowed it down to either Mt. Shasta in
California, or Ashland in Oregon."

 
"And what do you prefer?"

 
"I'm leaning towards Mt. Shasta, but
it's mostly a matter of what would be the best investment. Mt. Shasta would be
more of a risk, but I think if we market it right it could be a great success.
Of course we wouldn't start out as big as we are here, but rather make it a
cozy and luxurious retreat. Then we can always add on as we have done
here."

 
"I've never been to Mt. Shasta, so I
don't know anything about it."

 
"It's a great place, and I think ripe
for development. It's fairly small with a moderate number of hotels and motels,
so competition wouldn't be too big and the scenery is fantastic. The town is
situated at the base of an old sleeping volcano, but we would build just a bit
out of town, so people could come and enjoy the peace and spirituality of the
place."

 
"Would you move to Mt. Shasta
then?" Kayley asked, trying to ignore the surprising sting of
disappointment she felt.

 
"No, Damian would head the new
resort."

 
"How does he feel about moving to Mt.
Shasta?"

 
"He has always loved it. We used to go
there once a year when we were children. We would rent an old rustic cabin out
in the middle of
no where
, and simply enjoy the
nature. Go skiing and hiking, maybe try our hand at fishing, and then stretch
out in front of the fireplace in the evening."

 
"I suppose that is some of the things
you would offer your guests?"

 
"Yes, along with tours to some of the
caves, guided hiking tours and maybe canoe excursions, as well as different
possibilities to connect or reconnect with your spirituality."

 
"I think if you market it like that it
would be very successful."

 
"Yeah, so do
I
."
Nathan got up and started clearing the table. "And with Damian to handle
the publicity, that chance is vastly increased."

 
Getting up as well, Kayley cleared the rest
of the table, while Nathan began putting everything in the dishwasher.

 
"Does Damian always handle
publicity?"

 
"Yes, that's one of his special talents,
among others."

 
"What is it like working with your
brother?" she asked, wondering.

 
"It's great. I suppose for some people
it might be a pest, but Damian and I have always been a good team. It would
have been the same if Yasmin had joined us, but she had different dreams."
He cleaned up the last as he talked.

 
"So you and Damian never competed with
each other?"

 
"Nothing serious," he said, walking
towards her, making her pulse beat frantically with nerves. "We competed a
bit, as brothers do, about things like who was best at certain sports, but if
anything happened we stuck together like glue." Nathan reached out and
tucked her hair behind her ear, sending her pulse scattering.

 
Kayley held her breath as he leaned down
slowly. So slowly it felt like time was standing still. To her surprise he
gently kissed first her one temple and then the other before moving on to her
cheeks, her forehead and then nibbling at the edge of her mouth.

She couldn't prevent the
shudder that racked through her when he finally took her mouth in a deep kiss.
She felt her body melt when he slipped his arms around her, drawing her close
against him. He deepened the kiss even more, making her world dip and spin,
drowning her in sensations.

 
He slid his hands up her back and into her
hair, then down over the curve of her hips.

Giving in to the need to
touch her, he slid one hand under her blouse, keeping the other arm firmly
around her, holding her close. His hands left a hot trail of pleasure as they
caressed and explored. He tormented her gently, playing his hand lightly over
the swell of her breasts, where lace gave way to creamy skin. Dipping his
finger just under the edge of the lace, he stroked, inciting her, but not quite
satisfying her desperate need for more. Kayley tried to press closer, but still
he took his own leisurely time, gently circling her nipple through the lace,
making it strain for his touch. She moaned when he finally touched her, sending
hot arrows of need through her. He squeezed her nipple lightly, making her gasp
as her knees weakened.

 
Feeling it, Nathan shifted his grip and
lifted her onto the kitchen counter, then bend to take her mouth again, while
his hands resumed their exploration.

 
She sighed with pleasure as he teased and
caressed, until they were both desperate for more. Pulling her blouse over her
head, Nathan bend to scrape his teeth gently over her flesh. He unhooked her
bra, giving him freedom to roam. She sighed with pleasure again as he brushed
open mouthed kisses over her skin. Wanting more, Kayley gripped his hair and
pulled him closer, trying to satisfy herself. But still he just kept to his
lazy exploration, increasing her need until she was half mad with it.

 
Only then did he give her what she needed,
drawing her breast into his mouth. Her world spun as sensations rocked her,
making her lightheaded. He spread kisses up her throat and found her mouth,
taking it in a deep kiss.

 
Needing more, Kayley slid her hands up his
chest and under his T-shirt, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin, but found
the shirt was still in the way. Annoyed she pushed at it, but it kept slipping
down again. Before she could struggle any more with it, Nathan pulled it off in
a single motion and returned to kissing her. She sighed with satisfaction, both
at the kiss and at the feel of his warm smooth skin spread over tight muscles.

 
He slid his hands further down her body, over
her stomach, before gently sinking his fingers into her hips. She gasped as he
brushed kisses over the tip of her breasts, making them tighten and pout in a
rush.

 
Touching his tongue to the tip of her breast,
he drew it into his mouth, and made fire race through her. Desperate for more
she drew him closer and gasped again when he slid his hand up the inside of her
thigh towards the center of her fire. She moaned with pleasure at his touch,
even as her hands slid limply from his chest.

 
Touching her again, he enjoyed watching her
shudder from sensations, as her dazed eyes half closed. She found she barely
had any strength left to sit up as sensations after sensations racked her at
his touch.

 
Scooping her up, Nathan carried her through
the house, up the stairs and into his bedroom. Laying her on the big soft bed,
he straightened and turned on a few soft lights.

 
"I want to see you," he told her,
walking back to the bed.

Kayley swallowed nervously
as he stood simply watching her a moment.

 
"Is something wrong?" she managed
to ask, despite her suddenly dry throat.

 
"No, everything is just perfect."

His eyes were swirling
blue, like a stormy sea, as he took in every detail about her.

Unconsciously, Kayley
nervously licked her lips and made his blood pound even harder.

Her nerves frazzled and
her pulse skipped, when he stretched out on the bed beside her.

Then he was kissing her
again and she forgot everything about nerves. There was only Nathan and the
pleasure he made her feel. His hands slid over her, caressing and exciting,
leaving a hot trail in their wake. Half mad for her, he pulled off her slacks,
giving himself freedom to explore more easily. Unable to control it, she
shuddered with pleasure at his touch. Even as she was still reeling with
pleasure from his first onslaught, he was driving her towards the edge and over
again.

 
Desperate for more, he pulled off his pants
and covered her, entering her in a smooth motion. Kayley's eyes flew open as
pleasure exploded through her.

 
He began moving inside her, and watched her
eyes half close as sensations swamped her.

 
Using all of his control, he moved slowly,
deeply, wanting to prolong the moment and increase the fulfillment.

 
She matched his rhythm while intense pleasure
racked her body. Her world spun as he began moving faster. Half wild for
release, she scraped her nails down his back and over his hips. But he just
kept his pace, building up the pressure until they were both ready to explode.

 
Then finally just as she thought she couldn't
take any more pleasure, he catapulted them both over the edge. She lost all
sense of time and space as her world spun crazily and pleasure was all that
existed.

 
Kayley felt her awareness come back slowly,
as her heart began leveling its rapid pace. She realized Nathan was still
covering her. She could feel the strong beat of his heart and his warm breath
stirring her hair lightly.

 
Oh God, she thought. What was she supposed to
do now? She hadn't slept with many men, and the ones she had slept with had
always left immediately after. It had hurt her terribly, and she didn't want to
risk being hurt like that again. But she didn't know what to do.

 
Maybe he wanted her to leave, she thought. He
probably wanted to be alone, like the other men she had been with had, and he
couldn't very well leave since it was his home.

 
He was most likely considering how he could
tell her to leave, without hurting her feelings. Because she had no doubt that
he wouldn't try to hurt her intentionally. He was much to kind for that. But in
the end that didn't change the result.

 
"It's fascinating how I can actually
feel your mind wake up," he said startling her out of her thoughts. He
lifted his head to look amused at her, and saw nerves written clearly in her
eyes.

 
Bending he kissed her gently, surprising her.
Then he rolled over onto his back, taking her with him. He pulled her close and
stroked her back intimately and soothing at the same time.

 
"You know," he said
conversationally, "you have the most intoxicating scent."

 
"What?" She lifted her head to look
at him in disbelief.

 
"And the most beautiful eyes." He
stroked his thumb over her cheekbone.

Unsure she simply stared
at him.

 
"And the most wonderful mouth I have
ever tasted," he murmured, tracing it.

 
"And have you tasted many?" she
asked coolly.

That made him smile as he
played with her hair. "No one that mattered like you do."

Her heart softened at his
words, but still she watched him warily. Deciding that it would be best to just
face it and get it over with, she looked at him and brazed herself.
"Nathan, do you want me to leave?" She saw the surprise clearly in his
eyes.