Solace in Scandal (12 page)

Elena was amazed to find herself just as eager for conversation. He wasn’t the only one who’d been isolated from other people. It had been ages since someone had valued her opinion, and she was interested in more than just the stock market. She was leaning forward to press her point about the Yankees’ playoff hopes when a candle over his shoulder flared, seemingly at her.

The admonition cooled her enthusiasm. This was Alex Wolfe. He wasn’t her friend.

‘Excuse me.’ They both looked up when a shadow was cast across the dinner table.

‘Yes, Leonard?’ Alex asked.

‘May I take your plates, sir?’

Her host looked at her dessert plate. ‘Are you finished?’

Elena set down her fork. The Bailey’s-and-cream cheesecake had been rich and silky. ‘It’s delicious, but I can’t take another bite.’

‘Marta will be pleased that you enjoyed it,’ Leonard said.

Elena tilted her head. She didn’t know the cook well, but she was becoming fond of her. ‘Will you thank her for me? That risotto just melted in my mouth.’

Alex drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair. ‘I believe you just told her yourself. Didn’t she, Marta?’

At his raised voice, the cook shuffled around the corner. Her hands fisted in her apron and she gave a quick curtsy. ‘Thank you, dear. I wasn’t given much notice you were coming so I had to make do with what I had on hand.’

Elena smiled. ‘I’d love to see what you could whip up with the Mac-’n’-cheese and pretzels I have at the lake house.’

Marta grinned. ‘I do have a casserole recipe …’

‘Will you need anything else from us tonight?’ Leonard asked as he cleared the dishes.

‘That should be all.’ Alex laid his napkin on the table. ‘Thank you. Be careful on your drives home.’

‘Then goodnight to both of you,’ the butler said with a stiff bow.

Marta gave another shallow curtsy, which was actually just a wiggle of her plump knees. ‘Sir … Ma’am.’

Elena didn’t know what brought her back to earth harder, being called ‘ma’am’ or the fact that the staff was leaving.

She watched them go. Suddenly nervous, she hooked her hair behind her ear, only to find it already caught in the barrette. Uncertain what to do, she clasped her hands in her lap. She hadn’t anticipated having such a nice time, but that didn’t mean she’d forgotten she was having dinner with a sexy, dangerous man. As comfortable as she’d been in his presence, she hadn’t lost the goosebumps where he’d touched her back … or the tickles where his breath had brushed over her neck …

She glanced across the empty table. In the candlelight, he was even more dark and mysterious. Handsome and tempting.

‘More wine?’ he asked, lifting the bottle from the wine bucket at his elbow. Between the two of them, they’d nearly finished it off.

She could already feel the languor in her muscles and the cloudiness in her head. More wine was not a good idea. ‘I should be going, too.’

‘It’s early.’

It really wasn’t. ‘I need to be up first thing in the morning. I have some research I need to do.’

‘The book?’

She pushed back her chair. ‘The book.’

He was out of his chair and helping her before she recognised the old-fashioned gesture. Once she did, she placed her hand in his and rose to her feet. He hovered over her, tall and muscled. Balancing in her high heels suddenly became tricky, and she tugged at her dress, which had risen too high on her thighs. His gaze slid over the exposed flesh like a warm stroke and she quivered.

‘Thank you for dinner,’ she said.

‘You’re welcome.’ He didn’t step back. ‘It’s gotten rather nasty out there. Are you sure you want to make that walk?’

She glanced at the windows. The wind was whipping. Trees were dancing and the mist had turned into streaks of rain.

‘All the more reason for me to hurry along.’ In the small room, she couldn’t help but brush against him as she moved towards the archway. She was surprised to find the kitchen empty when she entered. ‘Are they gone already? I didn’t hear the door.’

‘The staff parks in the enclosed garage downstairs.’

The emptiness of the house seemed to echo then. All this richly adorned space for only the two of them? It seemed greedy somehow. Indulgent, yet intimate.

The hollowness loomed, like a well Elena was afraid to fall into.

She had to get away from the edge.

Her heels clipped against the tiled flooring as she walked to the coat rack. Once again, he got there first to assist her.

‘I’m not used to men with manners,’ she said self-consciously.

‘You should be.’

She pushed her arms into the jacket he held for her. When she went to release her hair, his hands were already there. He lifted the dark swath with care, sliding his fingers through it as he smoothed it down her back.

‘Your hair is mesmerising,’ he said quietly.

Her crowning feature, as her mother called it.

Elena looked at the floor, trying to get herself under control. Her body wanted to lean back into him, but the track lighting in the kitchen was so much brighter than the candlelight she’d adjusted to. It made everything seem so exposed, so glaring. So judgmental. She cinched up her trenchcoat. ‘Thank you.’

He traced her barrette. ‘Why don’t you spend the night? You’re going to get drenched if you head back to the lake house, and there are plenty of extra rooms here.’

‘I’ll run quick.’

‘In those heels? They’re sassy as hell, but they’re not good for a trek in the mud.’

She licked her dry lips. He’d noticed her shoes. ‘I’ll be fine.’

‘All right then.’ He took another jacket from the coat rack, and her head snapped towards him.

‘The least I can do is walk you there.’

‘But … OK,’ she conceded. The book that she was using as an excuse was lying on the counter. Leonard had wrapped it for her. She caught it up against her chest like a shield, such as the knights of old carried for protection.

She waited for Alex to put on his jacket and then opened the door. The wind was waiting. Seeing an opening, it rushed in. The chill smacked into her face and rain splattered against her legs. She wasn’t prepared for the force of it and the door swung back, knocking into her.

‘Ooh.’ She sucked in a surprised breath. Cringing at the thought of going out into that, she nonetheless ducked her head and started forward.

She jerked when the wolf behind her reached past and shoved the door closed, blocking out the howl that threatened.

‘Stay.’

His breath was against her ear, and his chest was hot against her back. Elena’s knees wavered, and she clutched the book so tightly it dug into her breasts.

This request was different. He wasn’t offering her a spare room.

‘Why?’ she whispered.

‘Because I slept the whole night through last night.’ His low voice was so close to her ear, she could feel his lips. ‘And because this time I intend it to be about you, not me.’

The book slipped from her fingers and became wedged between her hips and the door. She’d never heard anything sexier in her life.

There he was. This was the man who’d made love to her in the gymnasium, uncaring of where they were or who might find them. This was the virile male she’d worried she’d find if she came here tonight.

And, at the same time, feared she wouldn’t.

‘We … we shouldn’t,’ she stammered. That pink elephant was now stamping its feet, demanding attention.

‘Why not?’

Because he was amoral and unapologetic. Greedy and self-centred.

Although she hadn’t seen that side of him tonight … or at all since he’d returned to the manor …

‘
I
shouldn’t,’ she amended.

‘Most people would agree with that.’ His other hand settled possessively on her hip. ‘Then again, they’ve already got the Wolves and Bardots in bed with each other.’

Warmth spread from his hand around to her stomach and down to her core. She leaned her head against the door. Her resolve was wavering.

He nuzzled against her hair. ‘You need to connect with somebody as badly as I do, Elena. We’ve been drawn to each other from the first moment we saw one another. Yesterday proved why.’

Oh, that wasn’t fair.

Talking about their explosive coming together while touching her …

The book hit the floor as she turned around. Her brain felt clogged. She knew she should be thinking a certain way, but she suddenly didn’t know which way that was. The wine. The sexual magnetism. Her moral compass was spinning.

He was already leaning towards her. Seeing the look on her face, he moved in those last few inches. ‘There’s a reason why we were put here together.’

Was there?

Eyes locked on hers, he took off his overcoat. Tossing it aside, he reached for the belt of hers. ‘We could be each other’s salvation.’

His lips settled over hers and the kiss was slow, full-on and sensual. He kissed with his entire body, his weight pressing her against the door. Arousal seeped through Elena and she clutched at him, her fingers sinking into his trim waist.

At her touch, some of his rawness came through. Hungry. Impatient. Whip-sharp.

It brought her up onto her toes, and he flattened her against the door with his knees and hips.

‘You are so unbelievably gorgeous,’ he grated against her lips. ‘I want you so badly, sometimes I can’t think straight.’

A mew left her lips, and the irony wasn’t lost on her. Yesterday she’d opened a door and freed him and his sexual needs. Today he was trapping her against one, making her face her own.

She speared her fingers through his hair. It was softer than it looked. Like a pelt, thick and luxurious.

He nuzzled against her neck and smoothed his hands down her body. Her jacket came off in the process and she shivered violently.

‘Cold?’ he asked, nipping at her ear. Goosebumps ran down her neck and she quivered again. Clipping her hair back had been the ultimate temptation for him. He’d been obsessed with that barrette and her exposed skin all night.

Feeling his lips move along her neck, she was becoming a bit fixated, too. ‘I don’t know what I am.’

He hauled her up against him, curling one arm around her waist and lifting her. She clung to him, wrapping both arms around his neck. He made her feel tiny and feminine when he did that.

‘You just hold onto me, baby.’ Sealing his mouth over hers, he carried her through the kitchen on autopilot.

Elena didn’t know where he was taking her until he put her on her feet. They were in the grand room in front of all the plate-glass windows. With night fully settled over the landscape, their reflections bounced off the glass like a mirror. As she watched, he reached around and caught the zipper at the back of her dress.

There was a soft hiss and then the material was loose. He peeled it from her body, pushing it down until it pooled at her feet. She instinctively covered herself with her hands. Anyone out in those vast woods would be able to see. Yet seeing him standing over her, fully dressed and businesslike, while she stood in nothing but her underwear and high heels was so erotic she couldn’t stop staring.

He traced the strap of her navy blue bra. ‘You like sexy lingerie.’

She blushed.

‘I’ll make a note of it.’

‘You didn’t give back the bra I was wearing yesterday.’

‘I know.’ He cupped her breast. She caught at his sides, but arched in pleasure.

He squeezed possessively, watching her face with laser-like focus. She bit her lip, but groaned aloud when his thumb rubbed hard over the centre of the cup.

Determinedly, he pressed her down onto the sofa. The leather was cool, but the sumptuous cushions wrapped around her like a second lover. They pulled her in, warming to her flesh and cradling her in comfort. She settled back and watched him curiously, her eyelids feeling drugged.

That wine had been potent.

Or maybe it was just him.

He was breathing hard as he stood over her. ‘Don’t move.’

The sensual feeling intensified when the lights were doused. Instead of falling into pitch darkness, the room was lit by a golden glow that flickered and moved as if alive. Her heavy gaze fell on the hearth. Someone had started a fire.

The flames licked upwards, eating oxygen and spitting it back in pops and hisses. The warm glow reached out to her, tickling her flesh. She looked up as Alex stepped in front of her. His tie was already off and his shirt was unbuttoned. With the fire backlighting him, he looked like sin itself as he shrugged off his shirt and threw it carelessly across the room.

She reached for him as he halted in front of her.

‘We’re going to go slower this time,’ he said as he caught her by the wrists.

He dropped onto his knees and pressed her hands firmly onto the sofa. He was looking into her eyes so deeply, she felt like he was staring into her soul. When he let go of her hands, she left them where they were, her fingers biting into the soft leather.

He caught her knees then, drew them apart and inserted himself between them.

Elena’s heart began to pound like a big bass drum.

It rumbled in her ears when he caught her hips and drew her forward. He didn’t stop until the hardness of his hipbones pressed into her inner thighs and the stiffness of his erection rubbed against the crotch of her panties. Lodged so tightly, only thin layers of material separated them.

He watched her face intently. ‘I’m sorry if I scared you yesterday.’

Her breath caught in her throat. It wasn’t fear she was feeling now.

Compelled, she reached for him again. His physique was so lean and ripped, so hard and chiselled. He came to her, leaning over her, and her fingertips dug into the muscles of his back. With the fire illuminating him, he looked like a golden Michelangelo.

He hovered over her, one hand still firmly wrapped around her knee, the other stroking her hair. He ran his thumb over her barrette and traced the lobe of her ear. ‘Did I hurt you?’

The knot of air in her throat wouldn’t move so she answered with a shake of her head.

‘I was mindless,’ he confessed.

He brushed his lips over hers. ‘I’m going to make you need me the same way.’