James, Stephanie (23 page)

“But, Dev, surely you aren’t prepared to make a major decision like moving to Port Townsend on the

spur of the moment! I mean, there are so many things to consider…”

“I can’t really see you in Houston,” he remarked blandly. “So I think I will have to be the one to do the

moving. You’re not a Houston type, you see, just as you aren’t a Washington, D.C. type.”

The snifter in her hand trembled slightly. “And what type are you?” she asked anxiously.

“The type who was born to run a travel agency in Port Townsend. Tabby, why have you been keeping

me at a distance for the past few days?” he asked with a hint of the aggression he had been repressing all

evening.

She licked her lips cautiously. He could read the sudden wariness in her eyes. She knew he had just

taken over the direction of the evening, and she wasn’t at all sure how to stop him. “I’ve told you, Dev, I

don’t intend to allow you to rush me into anything. I don’t want to make another mistake the way I did

on the ship. I want to be sure of what I’m doing this time.”

He stared broodingly down into the swirling brandy in his glass. “Time just ran out on you, Tabby. I’m

staying the night.”

“No.”

Dev glanced up because the small word had been only a breath of sound on her lips. She was staring at

him as if he really were a dragon and herself an unfortunate princess trapped in his lair. There was nothing

to be gained by trying to reassure her. He was determined to be honest. He didn’t want any more

accusations of deception aimed at him.

“Yes.” He set down his snifter and reached for her.

The paralysis which seemed to have her in its grip broke just as he wrapped his hand around the nape of

her neck. The brandy in her snifter sloshed as she tried to evade him and her eyes opened wide with

outrage and something else. Something Dev hoped very much was excitement.

“Damn it, Dev, you’re not going to push me around!”

He held her at the back of her neck and carefully removed the brandy glass from her fingers. “I told you

I’d give you fair warning of when the actual seduction started. Well, this is it, tabby cat. I’m going to hold

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you in my arms here in front of the fire and stroke you until you purr for me. I’m going to make love to

you, Tabby Graham; seduce you until you can’t think of anything else except making love back to me.”

Dev knew that although the words were meant to sound sensual there was an underlying hardness he

couldn’t filter out. He was too desperate, too set on possessing her once more to infuse a mellow,

seductive quality into his voice. Perhaps if he’d managed that feat he wouldn’t have suddenly found

himself tangling with a hellcat.

Tabby seemed to explode in his grasp, wrenching furiously away from his restraining fingers.

“Let me go, Dev, or so help me, I’ll…” She didn’t finish the sentence, wriggling fiercely out from under

his hand and leaping to her feet.

If he didn’t catch her quickly she would have an advantage over him, Dev acknowledged. His weak leg

made running next to impossible and without the cane as an aid he would have a hell of a job catching her

before she fled out into the street. The ebony stick lay a couple of feet away, just out of reach.

“Tabby, come here,” he rasped harshly as she began to back toward the fire. There was a flame in her

brown eyes which was as golden as that on the hearth; she shook her head violently. “Tabby,” he

repeated softly, “you know you don’t want to run from me. I’m the man who helped you find out just

how passionate you really are. Come here, sweetheart, it’s time you repeated the experience.”

Hell. He was handling this very badly, Dev realized grimly as he slid slowly along the couch toward her.

She was set to run as soon as he got up off the black cushions. Then he was going to have a real job on

his hands catching her again.

“Stay away from me, Dev Colter. I haven’t made up my mind yet about you!”

“I know. I’m going to help you come to your senses. This game you’re playing has gone on long enough,

honey. Tonight it ends.” He moved a bit closer. The cane, at least, was within reach now. She edged to

the side of the hearth, her eyes never leaving him.

“This isn’t a game, Dev. Can’t you understand? You fooled me once before, and I’m not going to be

tricked again.”

“I did not trick you!”

“You’re not the man I thought you were on that ship!”

“Well, we’re even then, because you’re not exactly the woman I thought you were, either,” he gritted. A

couple more inches he told himself. Just a couple more inches.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she blazed, clearly incensed at the accusation.

“It means I’m learning you’ve got claws, tabby cat. But that’s all right, I’ll teach you to keep them

sheathed around me.” Would she break to the right or the left? He eyed her with all his years of

experience and decided that this little opponent would dodge to the right. She seemed to put just a shade

more weight on that foot when she edged away from the fire. Yes, it would be to the right. He curled his

fingers around the handle of the cane and tensed. “Tabby, don’t fight me. You know you want this as

much as I do.”

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“I’m still thinking about what you’ve been saying these past few days, Dev,” she informed him aloofly.

“And I’m going to take all the time I want deciding what to do.”

“You’re going to have your mind made up for you tonight,” he growled.

“Why?” she demanded aggressively. “Why aren’t you willing to give me a little time?”

“Because I have this funny feeling,” he returned honestly enough. “A hunch, an
instinct
that something’s

going to go very wrong if I don’t act tonight.”

“You’re going to rape me because of a hunch?” she exploded.

“You know damn well it’s not going to be rape!” The accusation infuriated him. He was going to make

love to her, not assault her, and she ought to know that. He wouldn’t hurt a hair on her head. Although he

might seriously consider taking his belt to her for what she was putting him through tonight, he amended.

“Come here, Tabby!”

“It’s time you left, Dev.”

He feinted, using the cane to lever himself up off the couch. She misinterpreted the direction of his

movement and did as Dev had expected, darting to her right. Bracing himself against the curving arm of

the black sofa, Dev leaned forward and blocked her path of flight with the ebony cane.

“Damn you!” Tabby swore violently as she ran full tilt into the unexpected barrier of the cane which

stretched across her path at the level of her waist. Before she could recover herself Dev swept her back

against his chest with the ebony stick. Then he released it as he caught her in his hands.

She pummeled him, throwing herself against his chest in an attempt to force him off balance. Dev didn’t

try to fight the effort and as a result they both sprawled into a heap in front of the fire. The thick, white

sheepskin rug cushioned their fall, although Dev made an effort to absorb most of the impact.

Tabitha landed on top of him, her breath hissing sharply between her teeth. He didn’t give her a chance

to catch it again. With a swift movement he rolled over, trapping her writhing body beneath his own. He

saw the reflection of the firelight in her furious eyes, felt the thrust of her soft curves as she struggled, and

his body leaped into vivid awareness.

“Tabby, I want you!” he muttered in husky wonder and then he bent his head to take her mouth. She

parted her lips to protest and he took advantage of the opportunity to force himself intimately inside.

There was a hint of brandy mingled with the natural warmth of her mouth, and Dev was exhilarated by

the heady combination.

He held her easily, his strength and weight pinning her to the sheepskin rug almost effortlessly. With

every twisting, struggling movement she only succeeded in arousing him further. His body was pulsating

with the sheer pleasure of mastering her softness.

“Damn you, Dev!” she gasped, wrenching her mouth free of his for a moment. “Let me up!”

He lifted his head for an instant to stare down into her flaming eyes. “How can I let you go? I need you

too damn much tonight.” Then he very deliberately tangled his hand in her hair, holding her head still so

that he could explore the line of her throat with his lips.

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She raked his leg with her foot, trying to drive the heel of her shoe into his skin. “I’m going to trim your

claws, cat,” he vowed roughly. Then he used his knee to push her thighs apart. The soft emerald fabric of

her dress rode high up on her legs, and Dev felt the warmth of her skin through the silky pantyhose. “The

only thing I’m going to let you do with those nice legs is wrap them around me. Stop fighting, tabby cat.

You know damn well you belong to me.”

“The gentlemanly act sure fades in a hurry when you want something, doesn’t it?” she charged between

clenched teeth. Tabby got one hand temporarily free and dug her nails into the back of his neck.

“Hell!” he muttered, grabbing at the small, clawing fingers and yanking them to a safe distance. Snagging

both of her wrists in one of his fists, he moved his free hand to her breast. “You know you’ve been

asking me to touch you like this. You aren’t even wearing a bra. You wanted me to see just enough of

your softness to drive me out of my mind.”

“No!”

“Yes, Tabby. And I like what I’ve seen. Now I’m going to take you. It was only a matter of time before

I had you back in my arms. You knew that.” Beneath the green fabric of her dress he could feel the taut

peak of her nipple and he gloried in the response. He moved his hardening body against hers and

groaned aloud as he felt the waiting softness. So feminine and inviting. His blood was pounding through

his veins as the anticipation coursed along his nerves.

Eagerly his palm slid down over the curve of her breast to the contour of her waist and beyond. When

he found the hem of her dress he fastened his mouth on hers to stifle the protest he knew would be

forthcoming, and then he slipped his fingers boldly up the inside of her thigh.

“When you wake up in the morning you’re not going to be wearing these,” he growled, gliding his

fingertips over the nylon of her pantyhose. He found the apex of her thighs and stroked tantalizingly,

teasing her through the slick fabric. “How can you lie beneath me like this and say you don’t want me

when I can feel the heat in you? Tell me you want me, Tabby. Tell me the truth!”

He wanted to hear the words, Dev realized belatedly. He wanted the reassurance of hearing her call his

name. He wanted her to beg him to take her. When there was no response he stilled for a moment,

raising his head once more to look down into her face. She gazed up at him through her lashes, her eyes

unreadable and unbelievably mysterious. Her soft mouth was full and sensually parted as the breath came

quickly through her lips. What the hell was she thinking?

For the first time that evening doubt assailed him. Panic suddenly overrode his body’s urgent demands.

Oh, God, what if she didn’t love him? What if she no longer even wanted him? He hadn’t counted on

this. He had been so sure that her blossoming love could not be turned off at will.

“Tabby! Tabby, say my name,” he ordered desperately, his whole body suddenly tense and unmoving.

“Say my name,” he pleaded harshly. What good would that do? he asked himself in surging panic. But he

had to hear her say something, anything. Surely she couldn’t have changed completely. God help him if

he’d been totally wrong. She
had
to love him.

He knew she was searching his face but he had no knowledge of what she sought in his eyes. The tense

stillness gripped them both now. In an agony of suspense Dev waited for some sign that his instincts had

not failed him completely where this woman was concerned. He needed her so badly.

“Dev,” she whispered, her voice suddenly throaty and deeply inviting. “Love me, Dev. I want you so,

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darling. Please, Dev…”

With a groan of heady relief and savage ecstasy Dev sank back down, gathering her into his arms. He

knew he was talking, saying things he didn’t fully comprehend. The words were dark and intimate and

exciting. He was promising her everything he could think of, in the manner of impassioned males from the

dawn of time. And she twined her arms around his neck and drank the promises from his mouth.

She wanted him; loved him. Everything was all right. Everything was perfect. His fingers shook a little as

they found the zipper of the emerald dress and lowered it. Then he was pushing the material up her body

and over her head. The fullness of her breasts taunted him as the firelight bathed her skin in gold.

“So lovely,” he said in wonder. With a muttered exclamation of need he lowered his mouth to taste the

rigid berries which capped her curves. The scent of her skin shot through his senses, sending his head into

a spin. Dev could feel her nails on his shoulders and suddenly he was impatient with his own clothing.