A Tangled Web (A Books We Love Erotic Romance) (7 page)

Arranging everything neatly, he explained, "I didn't know what you'd like to drink or eat, so I brought choices."

He reached into the basket again and drew out pâté, hard rolls and grapes. The final touch was a small bunch of daisies in a vial of water. "For a centrepiece," he said, smiling at her like a small boy who'd brought home a report cart with excellent marks. After placing the bouquet in a champagne glass where it tilted to one side, he pulled out a chair for her.

"How sweet!"
Erin
clasped her hands to her chest. "You thought of everything. How did you manage to get all this and arrive here only a few minutes late?"

Seating himself across from her, he took the flowers out of the vial, poured its water in the glass and became occupied with arranging them. "I shopped before I went to work and set the whole basket in the cooler."

He was so virile, his hands so strong and masculine, it looked odd to see him arrange posies, and she chuckled. "I could fetch a vase."

"I know I'm acting anal. But no vase. I'll get these right."

He
had
forgotten the cheese knife, so
Erin
fetched one from her kitchen and when she returned, chose to drink the champagne she deemed perfect to accompany the romantic feast. Derek took some too but soon changed to the heavier-bodied Merlot.

"You are anal," she said, pointing to his carefully arranged plate.

He laughed and grabbed her finger. "I like things balanced. Anything wrong with that?"

She shook her head. She wasn't really hungry. How could she be when she was busy feasting her eyes on Derek? He was the most delicious looking man she'd ever wanted to lay more than her eyes on.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" he asked.

"What way?" She smiled

"The same as you looked at that prime rib the other night—like you couldn't wait for a taste." Sucking the pimiento out of an olive, he held her gaze with his.

There was no doubting his meaning, and she shivered with desire as she watched the erotic movements of his mouth. This was reminiscent of the cherry episode at Rendezvous the first night they'd seen one another.
Erin
hated to spoil the mood but she wanted to set Derek straight.

"I'd been mostly abstinent following my divorce until I met Mitch…again. We'd dated in high school."

"Relighting a flame that's gone out doesn't usually work." Derek's eyes grew darker.

Was he speaking from experience?
Erin
continued without asking. "This time around, we seemed to click and I thought we had a permanent relationship going. We'd been dating for months, and the same night I came to the club with him, I learned he never wanted to marry again. That wasn't what I expected. So I suggested we part ways." She plucked a purple grape from the bunch on the table.

"You wanted him to propose and waltz you down the aisle?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Erin
didn't like Derek's tone but she didn't want to mislead him either. "I'm not desperate, but if I'm seeing someone, I like to keep the options open. It's foolish to enter a dead-end street thinking you might end up somewhere."

"No outlet. That's how they mark those kinds of roads nowadays." Frowning, Derek ran a hand through his hair.

What was he thinking? He tousled his hair, and unconsciously she put out a hand to push back an errant wave. She couldn't reach across the round patio table though, and before she could drop her arm back, he touched her fingertips with his. Electricity seemed to pass between them, igniting sparks all along her spine, in her breasts, in her clit and deep inside her pussy.

He rose and came around to her side, holding out his hands to her. She stood and moved into his arms. A silent dance of love? Mesmerised, she laid her head against his chest. With both hands on her back, he drew her close.

His chest was solid and she felt like she'd moved into a safe harbour. She could feel the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear and hear the rhythm of his breathing. He dropped a kiss on her hair and she felt treasured. It was a strange sensation.
Erin
expected hot passion, not this warmth and
love
. Love? It couldn't be. Yet that was the word that tickled her senses.

However, since he didn't speak favourably of marriage, she supposed he wasn't likely to take Mitch's place at the wedding.

"Look at me," Derek said.

Leaning her head back, she did, and he lowered his mouth to hers. His lips were hot and his kiss gentle, but as she moved her mouth under his, his fervour deepened and he pushed his tongue against her lips to open them. His kiss grew hungry and so did
Erin
's. Heat seared her senses. He put a hand on her buttocks and pressed her hard against himself. As she felt his engorged cock thrusting against her stomach, she gasped. Taking advantage of her open mouth, Derek delved his tongue deeper and she closed her lips around it and sucked. He moaned, and trembling, withdrew to press his cheek against hers. The soft scratching of his moustache on her skin excited
Erin
and she took his face between her hands and rubbed it against her face. Ducking his head, he bent his body enough to rub a feathery trail down to her breasts.

Shivering, she held his head against her there. Her breath came fast and a sweet ache formed between her legs. He rained little kisses and tiny nibbles on the exposed swell of her breasts until suddenly…

"What's this?" Derek took the jade heart in his fingers.

"A gift from my son," she whispered, wishing he'd go back to what he'd been doing.

"Is it okay if I take it off? I wouldn't want to break it."

She smiled her assent. He was thoughtful. Derek turned her around and unfastened the clasp and laid the necklace on the table with one hand while pressing her back against him with the other. When both hands were free, he dipped them inside her dress and bra and squeezed her breasts gently. Moving to her nipples, he rolled them between his fingers and she writhed in pain and pleasure.

"You're beautiful,
Erin
. I've wanted to possess you since I first laid eyes on you."

Possess
. There was nothing she'd like more than having him take control of her body and emotions, but if she gave in to her raging lust and fucked him until he cried out in ecstasy, would he think she was easy and lose interest?

Unable to resist him, she leaned her head back against his chest. He unzipped her dress and she trembled as he moved it slowly down her spine. The gentle night air felt cool against her burning skin. He loosened the sleeves from her arms and slid the fabric down, sending shivers the length of her body. She stepped out of the garment and he laid it across one of the chairs.

He motioned her to turn around and, folding his arms, stood with his feet wide apart, feasting his eyes on her.
Erin
would have felt uncomfortable if it weren't for the look of raw hunger in his eyes and on his face. As it was, all she felt was a burning desire that threatened to consume her.

"Every inch of you that I've seen is lovely," his voice husky. "Maybe I should check the rest."

Pulling her close, pressing her breasts hard against him, he reached both arms around her and unclasped her bra. He stepped back just far enough to let it fall to the ground then he picked it up and laid it on her dress.
He is anal,
she thought, half-smiling.

"Perfect," he breathed.

He kissed each of her nipples and she trembled with desire. She arched her back to give Derek better access to her aching breasts. He sucked first one and then the other and she grew weak with longing for him to consume her. Suck her breasts harder. Kiss his way down to her pussy and suckle her clit until she cried out. Lord, she wanted this man and everything he had to give. His cologne combined with his own male aroma acted as an aphrodisiac. His dark eyes, half-closed, taking in every detail of her body, etched a path along her skin.

"Not much left to the imagination," he said, inserting a thumb in her thong, "and I'm sure the little bit of you that I haven't seen yet is as perfect as the rest, but I want to feast my eyes on you here too." He palmed her throbbing pussy and she nearly collapsed. "
Erin
," he whispered huskily, as he drew her to him.

Moving slightly away, she fondled his hard-on. Her fantasies and his burning touch made her hungry for his cock. If he didn't stick his rigid penis inside her soon, she would explode with desire. She unzipped his pants and he tightened his grasp on her shoulders.

"Are you sure you want me to give you a good, hot fucking, Erin? I might be a one-night stand. You want marriage and I can't promise you that."

"I'm not asking for any promises. I might be sorry if this turns out to be a one-time thing but I'll be sorrier if you don't fuck me, at least once. I want you, Derek." She stuck her hand inside his pants and took out his penis.

"Oh, God, baby. I want you too." He undressed hurriedly and pulled her down on a padded chaise.

"We can go inside," she said, but he was already straddling her.

The chaise was oversized and she didn't feel in danger of falling off, so she wrapped her arms around him and as the hard planes of his body pressed against her soft flesh, she felt as if she'd
come home
even though she and Derek had never been
naked together before. Never been about to fuck one another's brains out before.

He kissed her, his mouth rough against hers, and she arched her back, her pussy weeping for him. He grasped her ass cheeks and clenched them tightly, and she squirmed.

"You're driving me crazy," Derek growled. "I'd better take care of…things…now."

She'd completely forgotten about protection but she nodded vigorously. A diaphragm was such an unromantic device, she wasn't about to suggest using it. Besides, a condom was safer for lots of reasons.

Derek moved quickly and her clit tingled with longing as she watched him roll the rubber onto his marvellous shaft. Thinking about him pushing it inside her, she felt her breasts grow heavy and her nipples harden. She brushed her clit with her fingertips and shuddered. Seeing her caressing herself, he fell upon her and kissed the nubbin she'd been fingering. She cried out and he took it in his mouth and sucked. She buried her face in his hair and tried to smother the screams of excitement she couldn't help uttering.

He rammed his tongue inside her and she felt her control sliding away. "Derek, please fuck me before I come this way."

"I'd like to make you orgasm both ways but I can't last any longer. I want to climax inside you." He rose to his knees and, with unimaginable control, slid his throbbing rod slowly inside her.

"Ohmigod," she cried, the walls of her vagina clutching him involuntarily. His slow motion and the depth of his thrust made her pant for breath. Her breasts were so tight, they felt like they might burst.

"Easy. You're going to make me shoot my cum too quickly." He lay still, his body pressed against hers. Their hearts pounded against one another's. His cock throbbed inside her pussy, and
Erin
tried to soak up the glorious feelings and emotions so she could relive them forever.

"I'm saying the alphabet slowly," he said, chuckling, "and trying to make this last."

She clenched her muscles again.

"You're not playing fair." He wiggled his penis.

And suddenly, the foreplay ended. "I'm sorry," she gasped. "I can't wait."

"I'm glad. I don't want to."

He plunged his cock slowly inside her and then he let go, pumping until she cried out as her juices flowed freely. His groans joined her cries and she felt the heat of his semen through the condom.

And then he collapsed against her. In a state of euphoria, they quietly held one another.

"
Erin
," he whispered at last.

"Derek." She sighed. He was by far the best lover she'd ever had. Satisfied to lie joined together forever, she almost believed it was possible.

Chapter Seven

Derek drove his Jag to the law offices of Acampara and Larrison the next morning. He needed to talk to someone and Larry was the only person available. Woman trouble wasn't something you discussed with your parents, and his were in
San Diego
anyway. Derek's sister Sylvia was about to become a mother again and Mom wanted to be there when the new granddaughter was born. Sylvia and her husband had a two-year-old girl that Mom and Pop thought the sun rose and set by. They'd all hoped for a boy this time but that didn't lessen their excitement. Sylvia was the only one who could give them grandkids since Derek was sterile. Mama still hoped he'd wed one of these days but she didn't press him since she thought producing offspring was what marriage was all about.

It was only 9:00 a.m. but the sun was high and Derek parked his car in the shade of a spreading maple tree. Strolling the half block to the office, which would have just opened, he felt strangely out of place as he walked by the buildings he ordinarily passed every workday. The solemn facades, the wooden blind slats, the sedate brass plates with business names by each doorway—all sights he'd taken for granted in the past—looked oddly unfamiliar.

This was the same feeling he'd had when he first moved uptown to an apartment near Club Rendezvous. The club was in a neighbourhood of converted warehouses that ambitious baby boomers had turned into trendy businesses. Tall buildings with row upon row of windows with panes treated in various ways, some painted, some curtained, some staring blankly. Others boasted neon lights with the business names blinking or steadily shining brightly. At first, he'd felt like an old man who'd been dropped into the middle of a carnival populated by kids, but he'd grown to like it.

Acampara and Larrison, Attorneys at Law, was located in one of several buildings that housed small firms. Tan brick, cream stucco, grey siding—all modest in subtle colours, and their individuality downplayed with the same black shutters.
Bor-ing
, the proud shop owners in The Complex, as they liked to call the area where Rendezvous was located, would say.

Stepping in out of the sunlight, Derek spoke to the secretary, a strawberry-blonde in her fifties. She, at least, looked familiar and he
was
glad to see her sitting there, sorting mail in her quick, efficient manner. "Good morning, Jeanette."

"Derek, it's so good to see you. I hope this means you're coming back." She cast a glance at the pallid man in the open office behind her. Sitting at Derek's desk, he appeared quite buttoned-up in a dark suit and tie.

"Thanks, but not for a while, Jeanette. I came to talk to Larry." Passing on by, he went into Larrison's office and found him eating a donut. Helping himself to a cup of coffee and a roll from the bakery box on Larry's desk, Derek sat down across from him.

"Supposedly, a bartender is a good person to tell your problems to, but when you
are
the bartender, you have to go to someone else," he said, by way of opening.

"Does that mean you're here to confirm my suspicions about your upcoming marriage? The girl's pregnant and you're doing the noble thing but you don't love her?" Larry tipped his chair back and folded his hands behind his head.

Nice he can relax
. Derek felt as if he could jump out of his skin. "Something like that." He hated talking about this but needed advice. Whether he'd take it or not was another matter. He tapped his foot on the hardwood floor and sipped his coffee. "I suppose it's pre-wedding jitters, but I'm second-guessing myself. Is it the noble thing…the right thing…to do? I think a lot of Angel, but I confess I'm not in love with her. I thought I was several years back, but after I got my undergraduate degree and moved on, it all came apart. Not long ago, I thought we could go back, but since taking up with her again, it's different.

"She's different. She was always needy but it was only emotional reassurance she needed and that was easy. This time, she's in a spot."

"You want my advice?" Larrison leaned forward in his chair and clasped his hands on the top of his desk. "Don't answer that because I'm going to give it to you anyway. It's too late to say you should have used protection when you laid the gal, but it's not too late to do what I suggested the other night at the bar."

"Angel bought her wedding gown. Invitations are out. I can't do it, Larry."

"Why in hell not? You wouldn't be the first person in this situation, nor would she." Larry slugged down the rest of his coffee and slammed down his ceramic mug.

For a moment, Derek let himself think about calling it off. They'd have to phone or write everyone and…what else? He didn't know the kind of things Angel had arranged. He'd left everything up to her.
Was I pretending this wasn't really happening?
Did she say she'd ordered a cake? No wonder she thought he was disinterested. He
was
.

"One brief scene and it will be over with her. She'll throw a tantrum and then start making demands. But if you give the baby your name on his or her birth certificate and agree to pay support, you can make all this go away."

His dad would have someone to carry on the family name, but no part in that someone's life. That wouldn't set well with him or Mom.

Support payments. Derek hadn't hesitated to agree to marry her and raise the child. But if he backed out—not that he was going to—he could live with the baby bearing his name, but was he willing to pay support for someone else's kid until he or she graduated from college? And wouldn't the child wonder why his father never visited him? Derek buried his face in his hands. He might have to create a relationship with him so he didn't scar his psyche, but Derek would feel like a phoney visiting Angel's kid and pretending. It was a no-win situation.

Eyes stinging, Derek looked up at his partner. "There's something else, Larry. I'm not the baby's father."

Larry came up off his chair and threw up his hands. "Then you're the biggest damned fool I ever met."

"I'm a gallant fool. I'm saving a woman's life."

"And sacrificing your own. Why? Why are you doing this? And what about that little gal you have the hots for?"

"I hadn't counted on someone coming along like her. It was an immediate attraction and she's someone I could get serious with. Of all the stinking times for me to meet someone."

Larry sat down again, sighing loudly. "How much time do you have left anyway?"

"Less than three weeks. The wedding is July 1."

"You can't marry her, pal. You made a mistake by proposing but you don't have to sacrifice your life for one little error."

A knock on the doorframe meant Jeanette wanted to talk to one of them.

"Yes?" Larry called.

She stuck her head in the office. "Your 9:30 appointment is here."

"Give me a minute," Larry said, and Jeanette left. "Derek, please reconsider. I think too much of you to let you mess up this way."

"Thanks, buddy. I'll give it some thought."

* * *

Erin
felt like she was somewhere between ecstatic and disconsolate. She and Derek had enjoyed a wild, sizzling, exhilarating time together, but he'd said he could turn out to be a one-night stand. Why? He must have some involvement he wasn't telling her about, but what?

She'd spent the day at work, feeling distracted. Fortunately, Lea and Margo were in and out of the office, too involved with jobs to notice. Angel called once and sounded morose but didn't explain, and
Erin
had so many problems of her own that she'd written her cousin off as a 'worry about later' case. Not that she actually said anything of the sort, but she didn't inquire and with a touch of guilt cut the conversation short.

By 5:00, she'd taken care of all the appointments, paid bills and done a multitude of other necessary tasks, so she'd left promptly even though Lea and Margo were still out. They had keys and could get back into Wives-R-Us if they hadn't chosen to go directly home from their work assignments, which they sometimes did.

Erin
had just fitted her key in the front door lock when she heard the purr of a Jag out front on the circular drive. She knew cars pretty well from her years with Joseph, but even if she hadn't been able to recognise a Jag's engine, her instincts screamed, 'It's Derek'.

She turned around to see him bounding up the steps, his lean form and long legs poetry in motion. A lock of hair swayed in the air, settling on his forehead as he reached the porch and came to a halt.

"Hi, sweet stuff," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Welcome home."

She laughed. "Your timing is excellent. How do you account for that?"

"Luck," he said, and kissed her on the nose. "Dumb, wonderful luck."

Erin
motioned for him to follow her inside, and once he closed the door behind him, he folded her close. "I've missed you," he said.

"So, does that mean we're having a two-night stand?" she asked, smiling up at him.

He settled his lips over hers and delved with his tongue. When she'd begun trembling with desire, he moved slightly away. "At least two nights," he said.

"Good. I like you enough for that." She kept her tone light although it wasn't easy with her pulse pounding in her ears and her nipples straining at the sheer material of her blouse.

Derek edged her short skirt higher and her pussy tightened. "I couldn't stay away, to be honest."

"Why would you want to?" she asked, teasing him with a smile and a push against his hard-on.

"That's what I asked myself," he said, dipping his hand beneath her high-riding hem and clutching her scantily clad behind.

Erin
, happy she'd worn a thong, tightened her cheeks and pushed against his bulging fly.

"My
L
ord," he gasped, spreading his legs and pulling her into the V. "I want you, Erin. We can save the verbal parlay for later. Okay?"

"Fine," she whispered. Her heart was racing, her vulva pulsating and the desire inside her inflammatory.
Fabulous
, she thought. He must have enjoyed the other night as much as she did.

"Where's the closest place?" he asked.

"The living room carpet is soft. We can close the drapes." She nodded towards the archway between the foyer and the parlour, and he scooped her into his arms, quickly strode the few feet and laid her gently down.

He shut the curtains and dropped his trousers with one grand motion. She watched as he stood over her, his cock thrusting out the silk of his briefs, his eyes burning with desire. The throbbing inside her deepened and she held out her arms.

Derek dropped to his knees, one on either side of her, and unbuttoned her blouse, hands shaking. She opened his shirt with fingers steadier than his and smiled, pleased with her composure. He reached under her and undid her bra and tossed it aside, then he slithered her skirt over her hips. Pausing, he eyed her thong and smiled as he palmed her curly mound before removing the bit of silk.

"Protection," she whispered as he removed his briefs and dipped his engorged penis close.

"Oh. Yes," he said.

She thought he sounded surprised, but he immediately obliged, so perhaps she'd imagined it.

He rubbed his penis against her vulva and she shivered with desire as sparks flew along her nerve endings. He inserted the end and found her clit.

"Stop teasing," she whispered.

"Doesn't that feel good?" he asked, doing it again.

"Of course, but it makes me want more."

"That's the idea, funny girl. I want you to crave me as much as I do you."

"You're tormenting me," she said, grabbing his cock and rubbing the length of it. "So, what if I do that to you?"

Derek groaned. "It feels wonderful, but it's maddening. I want so to sink my cock into your pussy."

"What's stopping you?" she asked, chuckling huskily.

"You've got a point there." He pressed the head of his penis against her clit again.

"Mm. You have a point
there.
"

Suddenly, he pushed inside her and she cried out with pain and pleasure. He was so hard and his plunge so forceful… She tightened her muscles and he groaned, so she did it again.

He threw back his head and smiled. "My God, you're good,
Erin
. What have I been missing?"

She chuckled and raised her hips while clutching his ass cheeks and pushing him deep inside her.

"Sweetheart," he said, and she thought she felt a tear on his face as he pressed it against her. "Sweetheart."

She rose against him again and he began a slow, rhythmic movement that accelerated until it became a swift drumming with her rising to each plunge of his throbbing rod. And then, suddenly, he withdrew and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she whispered hoarsely.

Derek thrust his rigid cock inside her, taking her breath away. Grinding his pelvis against hers, he sank it deeper and she felt a sweet rush of pain. She dug her fingers into his ass cheeks and raised her hips. They clung to one another with him as far inside her pussy as possible. He withdrew slowly. She writhed with desire. And then he must have reached the same threshold as she—where it was impossible to hold back any longer.