“You know, I never got to dance with you at my
senior prom. Why don’t you make it up to me now?”
The smile that curved her lips up hit in the
chest with the force of sledgehammer.
“I’d love to.”
He led her out onto the dance floor and guided
her hands, first one, then the other up to his shoulders. From the
speakers, Garth Brooks sang a song about unanswered prayers. Blake
wasn’t much for praying. Back before he’d stopped asking God for
anything, though, this had been a regular prayer—having this woman
back in his arms.
Maybe unanswered prayers weren’t the only thing
to thank God for. At that moment, Blake was grateful for the answer
to a prayer that had been a long time coming. Del moved against him
awkwardly at first, her body tense, but bit by bit, she relaxed.
“So did you miss me at your senior prom?” she
asked, cuddling against him just like she used to.
Lowering his head, he brushed a kiss against
her cheek. He breathed in the soft, warm scent of her and managed to
stifle his moan—just barely. His voice was hoarse as he told her,
“Not a bit.”
Tipping her head back, she asked, “Not even a
little?”
“Nope.” Then he smiled and confessed, “I didn’t
go.” Cupping a hand over the back of her head, he eased her back
against him. “Wasn’t interested.”
Through the thin silk of her dress, he could
feel the heat of her body and it was killing him. He could feel the
soft, sweet weight of her breasts, the flat planes of her belly. His
left hand rested at the small of her back and he was almost
painfully aware of the rounded curve of her ass. Nuzzling her neck,
he murmured, “Did you miss your prom?”
Against his chest, Del smiled. “I missed half
of my junior year and almost all of my senior year. The only prom I
went to was your junior prom.”
Blake stroked a hand up her back. “Then we have
quite a few dances to catch up, don’t we? You think you can close
your eyes and pretend you’re wearing some sexy little formal number
and I’ve got my James Bond attire on? We can pretend there’s some
half-assed wedding-type band on the stage and we’re going to dance
just a few dances before we slip out to find someplace to go neck.”
“Hmmmm.” Her gaze dropped to his lips.
“Necking, huh?”
“Yeah. Remember that junior prom? You had a
pretty green dress on. Almost the same color as your eyes.”
She laughed. “That wasn’t the prom, sugar. It
was the dinner dance at the country club.”
He shrugged. “Prom. Dinner dance. I had to wear
a monkey suit for both of them, but it was worth it to see you. If
the green dress was the dinner dance, then that pink number—it was
the prom, right?”
Del nodded. The pink number, as Blake called
it, had been a designer dress she’d bought from a boutique in
Lexington. Her breath hitched a little as she remembered that night.
He’d peeled her out of her dress and if a county sheriff hadn’t
shown up, he would have had her out of the strapless bra and her
panties before too long.
He cupped the back of her head, arching her
head up to look at him. His lids were low, giving him a sleepy-eyed
look as he murmured, “Yeah, that was prom, all right.” A wicked
light entered his eyes. “That was the night I got to see the
princess of Prescott wearing nothing but a lacy pink bra and lacy
pink panties.”
She felt her face burn and knew she must be
blushing to the roots of her hair. “That was the night you stole
those pink lace panties and wouldn’t give them back.”
He grinned at her and bent down, pressing a
quick, light kiss to her lips that set her blood to a slow boil.
“Yeah…you’re right.” Pressing his lips to her ear, Blake murmured,
“Can I tell you a secret…I still have them.”
A startled, embarrassed laugh escaped her. “You
do not.” Then she pulled away and looked at him. “Do you?”
With a grin crooking his lips, he shrugged.
“That’s kind of a pathetic thing to lie about, holding on to some
pink silk panties for more than twelve years.” He brushed his
fingers across her lower lip. “I also kept all the letters you sent
me that summer while I was gone.” A harsh look tightened his face
and he glanced around.
He grabbed her hand and guided her off the
dance floor and out the open doors that led to the patio. It wasn’t
much quieter out there and he led her past the groups of laughing
people into the gardens just beyond. It was darker out there, away
from the lights of the patio, and quieter. From there, the sounds of
the music were distant and faint.
“I wish you would have said something,
Dee—Del,” he corrected himself.
She pressed a fingertip to his lips. “You can
call me whatever you want, Blake.”
He caught her hand in his wrist and pressed a
kiss to her palm. “I kept those letters, Dee. I’ve read them so many
times they’re practically falling apart. Why didn’t you say
something?”
“I didn’t know what to say,” she responded. She
gently tugged her hand away from his, then reached up, cupped his
neck, tugging him closer. He dipped his head and she rose onto her
toes, kissing him softly. “I wanted to say something. But I was too
afraid. Too ashamed.”
Tears burned her eyes and Blake swore softly.
Bending his head, he kissed her eyes. “Don’t cry,” he pleaded.
“Please, don’t cry.”
He kissed her lips and she sighed into his
mouth. He’d meant to make her feel better, that was all. She knew
that. But it went from comforting to seductive in the span of
heartbeats. His hands wrapped around her body, pulling her close and
she groaned, arching into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck
and clung tight, opening her mouth to his and whimpering with
pleasure as he pushed his tongue into her mouth.
Against her breasts, she could feel that hard
muscled wall of his chest, and the rapid beat of his heart. His
hands roamed restlessly over her back and Del knew that he wanted
more. Needed it—she could feel the hunger raging inside him and
surprisingly, she felt it echoed in her own body. Damn it, she
needed him.
There were nights she’d lain awake at night,
unable to sleep, so sick and lonely inside it hurt. She’d think of
him, remember who she’d been before her life had fallen apart.
Happy, innocent—and his. She’d wished, so often, that she could go
back to being that girl.
But she’d accepted a long time ago that there
was no turning back the clock, that she and Blake just weren’t meant
to be.
Now, though, she had a chance. Not at turning
back the clock—She couldn’t go back to the innocent girl she’d been,
but she could be his.
He wanted her—it was in the desperate, hungry
way he kissed her and the way his hands roamed over her body like he
could touch her enough. She could be his—and in that moment, she
knew why she’d never been able to get close to the few men that had
tried over the years. She couldn’t get close because she still
belonged to Blake, heart and soul.
She wanted more than that now—she needed to
belong to him completely. Heart, soul and body. Pulling her head
back, she looked up into his eyes. “I want you to take me home,
Blake.”
He swore raggedly. “Damn it, Del. I’m sorry.
I’m moving too fast here.”
Blake turned away and she reached out, grabbed
his wrist. Under her fingertips, she felt the erratic beat of his
pulse. It was beating as fast as her own. “No, Blake. I want you to
take me to your home.”
Slowly, holding his gaze with hers, she tugged
him back to her and then she slid her hands inside the black blazer
he wore. She curved her hands over his narrow waist and tugged his
lower body into close contact with hers. “I want you to make love to
me.”
A harsh breath hissed out of him as he cupped
her face in his hands. His eyes, dark with need, searched her face.
“Damn it, Dee. Are you sure?” His hands were shaking, she realized.
Confidence surged inside her. He wanted her so
much that he was shaking with it. And still—he was careful not to
rush her. In response, she turned her head and pressed his lips to
his hand. Opening her lips, she nipped his palm. “I’ve never been
more sure of anything in my life.” A deep sense of honesty had her
admitting, “That doesn’t mean I can promise you I won’t freak out,
but I want to try.”
He slid his hands into her hair, arching her
head back and gazing down into her eyes. He bent his head, kissing
her gently. “All you have to do is say the word, baby, and I’ll
stop.”
“I know that. I’m just hoping I won’t get
scared enough to make you.”
Instead of going back into the country club,
they took one of the garden paths back around to the parking lot.
Neither of them said a word. The silence between them was taut with
tension, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Del felt the searing heat of
his gaze as he opened the door to his car. He held her hand while
she climbed inside but instead of closing the door right away, he
leaned in and took the seat belt from her, strapping her in. Bent
over, his mouth was on level with her neck. Unable to resist, he
leaned forward and pressed his lips to her neck.
When he placed his hand on her belly, she
jumped. He eased back, looking into her eyes. “You okay?”
Del swallowed around the knot in her throat and
nodded.
Sliding his hand upward, he cupped her breast.
“You got no idea how many times I dreamed about just this,” he said,
his voice hoarse.
Terrified and excited all at once, Del forced
herself to smile. “No. Probably not. I stopped letting myself dream
a long time ago.” She arched into his hand and moaned when he
circled his thumb around her nipple. “But I bet I missed out on a
lot of really good dreams starring you.”
