Seger, Maura (15 page)

"I am not saying anything," Odetsu corrected quickly. "I would never presume to discuss such an intimate matter about my employer. All I mean is that if you were to throw off your modesty and let yourself be guided by your heart, I do not believe either of you would be disappointed."

Erin had considerable time to think that over as the day passed slowly. She helped Odetsu in the kitchens, where a special meal was being prepared. But her interest in the exotic dishes was hardly enough to deter her thoughts.

It was difficult to believe that a man as compellingly virile as Storm could have the slightest problem with a woman. But given the terrible wounds she had seen in the hospitals where she worked during the war, she had to admit that anything was possible.

What if Odetsu's hints were correct? Erin's throat tightened at the thought of the anguish and frustration he must be enduring.

No wonder he had broken off their lovemaking weeks before. What confidence could he have that a young, untried girl would be able to cope with any such problem? Especially when she had once before proved herself incapable of thinking about anyone other than herself.

He had no way of knowing that the vast, all-encompassing love she felt for him made it possible for her to contemplate behavior that would ordinarily have been unimaginable. Innocent though she was, there was nothing wrong with her instincts. They were in sufficiently good order to make her relish the challenge he presented, even as her compassionate nature drove her to do everything she could to help him.

It was well after dark when an excited servant ran in to announce that Storm and his guest were approaching the house. By then her mind was made up. The relief she felt at knowing he was safe only served to confirm what she had already decided. The barriers of social convention had come between them for the last time. Whatever the consequences, she was going to make it crystal clear to Storm that she loved and desired him.

But first there was the seemingly endless evening to get through. Satsuma Takamori's arrival was the occasion for an outpouring of respectful awe. As he dismounted from the stallion next to Storm's, the tall, leanly built man was the recipient of repeated deep bows from all the servants.

In observance of the rigid hierarchy of such demonstrations, Odetsu's own welcome was more restrained. But the tender warmth of her eyes and her tremulous smile made it clear how delighted she was to see him.

Only Erin spared barely a glance for their visitor. She was too busy drinking in the sight of Storm. Clad in dusty trousers and a frock coat, with his hair mussed and his rugged features stained by the grime of the road, he was the most beautiful vision she had ever seen. Her eyes swept over him hungrily, missing nothing of the powerful sweep of his shoulders and chest, the tapered slimness of his hips or the strength of his long, sinewy legs.

As he glanced up, their eyes met, the expression in his sending a quiver of longing through her. He held out a hand, and without hesitation she went to him.

"Takamori, may I present Miss Erin Conroy, my guest and business associate."

The young Japanese bowed gravely. If he found anything unusual in the idea that Storm shared professional interests with a lowly woman, he hid it well. Erin was instantly won over when he smiled with unexpected openness and said, "Now I can see why my friend was so anxious to get home. And here I believed he was merely concerned about our safety."

"I never gave it a thought," Storm claimed good-humoredly. "With you along, I figured no one would dare to attack."

Takamori laughed, but Erin guessed the words were only half in jest. Storm by himself would make a formidable opponent for anyone, but with the Japanese warrior beside him, she could well believe even the shogun's finest soldiers would have been hard pressed to stop them.

Although the samurai lord was simply dressed in a plain homespun kimono instead of the usual ornate armor, he exuded an unmistakable sense of confidence and strength that was a match for Storm's own. He was far taller and broader than most Japanese men she had seen, and his aquiline features and keen black eyes spoke of a powerful will equaled by keen intelligence. It was easy to understand why Odetsu was so taken with him.

Despite Erin's preoccupation with Storm, she could not ignore the change in the lovely Japanese woman since Takamori's arrival. All her deeply suppressed tension and anxiety had fled, leaving her more relaxed and at ease than Erin had ever seen her. Her high-boned cheeks were becomingly flushed and her eyes glowed warmly as she ushered the men inside.

"It is good to see you again," Takamori told her softly. "Are you well?"

Odetsu nodded shyly.

"And Saido? He must be growing fast."

Odetsu laughed gently at the mention of her little son. "It is hard for me to believe he was a baby only three years ago."

"A great deal has happened since then. Saido is lucky to have a mother who has kept him so safe."

Odetsu looked taken aback by such praise. She lowered her eyes, seemingly uncertain as to what to say or do next. Storm wasted no time solving the problem for her.

"Why don't you show Takamori to his quarters and let him get reacquainted with Saido. We can all meet for dinner in about an hour."

The grateful glances they shot him made it clear his suggestion was very welcome. Moments later, Erin and Storm found themselves alone in the corridor. Neither spoke. With her newfound awareness of his vulnerability, she was too self-conscious to think of anything to say, and he seemed content merely to look her over.

Although he had always found her almost unbelievably beautiful, several weeks of good care and rest had made her lovelier than ever. "I don't have to ask how you are," he said at length. "It's obvious you haven't missed me at all."

Erin's head darted up, a quick denial on her lips. She bit it back as she met his teasing gaze. Shrugging, she said, "Oh, I don't know about that. Once or twice I noticed you weren't around."

"How gratifying," he muttered dryly, taking her arm and guiding her toward his room. "You can tell me all about it while I change. Half of Japan seems to be clinging to me."

Although she went along without protest, Erin could not help but be struck by his casual attitude toward her. They might have been an old married couple, for all the concern he showed for propriety. Not that she minded. It was far too good just to be near him again to object to anything he might do.

Or so she thought until, having dismissed the little serving girls who brought him hot water and towels, Storm matter-of-factly stripped off his jacket and shirt and began vigorously to scrub himself.

Erin could not tear her eyes from him. The burnished expanse of his heavily muscled torso fascinated her. She could almost feel the silken roughness of chestnut hair covering his chest and tapering down his lean abdomen to disappear beneath the belt of his trousers.

Her hands clenched spasmodically as she fought against the almost irresistible urge to touch him. Everything in her longed for the feel of his warm skin against hers, to know again the strength of his arms holding her close and the latent power of his body pressed to hers.

"Something wrong?" Storm asked, eyeing her above the towel he was using to dry himself. His sardonic look made it clear he had a good idea what was going through her mind.

At any other time, Erin would have been embarrassed by the obviousness of her feelings. But thanks to her conversation with Odetsu, she was better able to overcome her own inhibitions.

Meeting his eyes calmly, she said, "Not that I can see. You're easily the best-looking man I've ever encountered."

Storm's response was as gratifying as it was amusing. His mouth dropped open and a dull flush stained his chiseled cheekbones. For a long moment he could do no more than stare at her.

Just when he thought he had finally begun to understand her delightfully complex character, she did something totally unexpected. Was this the same young girl he had watched teetering on the brink of womanhood, unaware of the full power of her sensuality and uncertain of her feelings? She seemed suddenly more than confident about both.

"Uh . . . I'm glad you think so." His pewter gaze softened as he watched her bite her delectable lower lip. She glanced away, unconsciously trailing a small foot across the floor. Storm laughed gently. "Do you realize that's the first time you've ever paid me a compliment?"

"Oh, no, it can't be."

"I assure you, it is. Does this mean you no longer find me an unredeemable blackguard?"

"I never thought that," Erin protested softly.

"Which? That I was unredeemable or a blackguard?"

Spurred by his teasing tone, she faced him saucily. "I confess there were times when I considered you a bit of a rogue, but not once have I thought you were beyond redemption."

"Oh, Lord," Storm groaned, "don't tell me you harbor hopes of reforming me?"

Erin shook her head firmly. "Not at all. I just think sometimes you have tried to appear harder and more ruthless than you really are."

In the act of pulling on a fresh shirt, Storm paused. Though he tried hard to glare at her, he could manage only a semblance of a frown as he said, "I warned you once before about attributing motives to me that I do not possess."

"Yes, you did. But it seems to me that you have also gone out of your way to make me feel comfortable and happy here, without receiving much, if anything, in return. That is hardly the act of a ruthless man."

"How do you know I'm not simply lulling you into a false sense of security before taking advantage of your faith in me?"

Erin shrugged, unperturbed by the implied threat. "Are you?"

"If I am, I'd hardly tell you now."

"And if you aren't, which is far more likely, you'd die before admitting it. No, I'm afraid you will just have to put up with my high opinion of you, since you seem disinclined to do anything to change it."

Storm frowned, unsure of how he should take that. On the one hand, he was delighted that Erin thought so well of him. But on the other, it left him in more of a quandary than ever. His restraint of the last few weeks was beginning to tell. He didn't share her absolute confidence in his fortitude, yet he was loath to disappoint her.

"Just don't go around telling everyone what a nice person I am," he muttered gruffly. "My reputation couldn't stand it."

Erin laughed softly. As he buttoned his shirt and tucked it into his trousers, she picked up the clean jacket laid out on the bed and held it for him. The service, offered instinctively, was received just as matter-of-factly. Only as Storm slid his powerful arms into the sleeves did both suddenly realize what they were doing.

Their eyes met in silent acknowledgment of the new, companionable intimacy enriching the sensual tension that had existed between them from the beginning. When the jacket was in place, Storm turned to her. A big bronzed hand reached out, the knuckles gently brushing the curve of her cheek.

Erin trembled beneath his touch, but made no effort to move away. Her breath became shallower as ripples of pleasure darted through her. The feather-light caress moved her more than she would have believed possible. Without even knowing that she did so, she swayed toward him.

Storm hesitated only an instant. His self-control was precarious at best, yet he could not deny himself some small relief for his raging hunger. All the weeks of pent-up desire came together in a burning firestorm of need that threatened to consume him.

His hand slipped to the nape of her neck beneath the silken fall of her ebony hair. Drawing her closer, he breathed her name like a whisper on the cool night air.

"Erin ... do you really understand what you're doing?"

Beyond speech, she could only nod. The luminescent glow of her indigo eyes told him more eloquently than any words how much she wanted him. A low sigh of thankfulness escaped him as he brought her tenderly to him.

Erin nestled against him, infinitely secure and content in his embrace. Her head rested just below his broad shoulder; her arms were wrapped snugly around his taut waist beneath the soft wool of his frock coat. She could feel the rapid beat of his heart under her cheek and knew it matched her own.

Storm savored the feel of her in his arms. She was so delicately formed, yet lacked nothing of a woman's attributes. Her body might have been made for his, so perfectly did they fit together. He was struck by an overwhelming desire to cherish and protect her, even as he yearned to plunder her beauty without restraint.

The urge to lay her down on the bed where he had come so close to taking her just short weeks before was almost irresistible. Only his concern for her innocence, and for how she would feel afterward, stopped him. Ruefully he acknowledged that he was putting her well-being above his own. Scruples he hadn't known he possessed were in firm control.

For all his thoughts about wanting revenge for the hurt she had done him eight years before, he was incapable of harming her. What happened then seemed singularly unimportant. All that mattered was the woman he held in his arms, who he was at last willing to admit bore no resemblance at all to the shallow girl he remembered.

Tilting her head back, Storm touched a gentle kiss to her lips. Erin's eyes were closed, so that she could not see the sweeping tenderness of his expression. But she felt it in his touch, and knew it signaled a turning point in their relationship. Whatever doubts she still had about her own course of action vanished at that moment.

A radiant smile curved her mouth as her eyelids fluttered open. Gazing into quicksilver depths, she murmured, "You don't have to go away again soon, do you?"

Storm shook his head a bit dazedly. "No ... I don't think so."

"Good, because even though Odetsu did her best to keep me occupied, I was very lonely while you were gone."

"I thought you didn't miss me."

"No, you didn't. You knew I was fibbing."

He laughed softly, delighted by her candor. "Maybe I hoped a little."

Unwilling to let her go completely, he kept an arm around her shoulders as they left the room and walked down the hallway to the enclosed veranda where dinner would be served. As they did so, Erin glanced up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Did you miss me?"