A Flower for Angela (14 page)

He glanced over at Angela. She sat with eyes closed, leaning her head against the headrest.
Pobrecita
. It had been a rough day for her. Tonight, he would make it all worthwhile. Ricardo's heartbeat quickened with eager expectation. He pulled into the garage, doused the lights and turned to Angela.

"Sweetheart." When he gently drew her close to him, desire hit him in a rush, and he paused, enjoying it.

"Where are we?" She shifted slightly and her fragrance drifted up to tantalize his heightened senses. "Sorry I drifted off. I'm so full."

"You ate a huge dinner," he teased.

"I'm always ravenous after I've been nervous. Today just about did me in."

"You aren't nervous now, are you?" he asked.

"No." She nudged her head into the curve of his neck. "Dinner was wonderful."

Her gesture tested his composure. He bent his head and nuzzled the wispy tendrils of hair at her temple.

"Are we at your place yet?" she mumbled before she started trailing butterfly kisses along his neck. The light feathery touches tested his self-control but not as much as when she raised her head and captured his lips.

"Uh-hmm." He finally broke away from her. "Let's go."

Shifting her weight off of him, he edged out of his side of the car and went around to help her out. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms right there in the musty garage.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for me to stay here?" She seemed reluctant to follow him into the flower-scented yard.

"Afraid?" he challenged.

"Maybe." She tilted her chin at a stubborn angle.

"Angela." He pulled her against him and wrapped persuasive arms around her slender curves. She molded against him in automatic response, and Ricardo smiled in satisfaction. "It's more private here than at your place. Besides, we won't do anything you don't want to do."

"You can promise me that?" she asked, disbelief edging her sultry tone.

Before he answered, he bent his head to gently brush his lips against hers. It took tremendous willpower not to crush her to him and deepen the kiss. Just that light touch had clenched his insides into a painful knot and sent his heart skittering. He whispered into her parted lips. "We'll only go as far as you say."

"I don't believe it."

"Ah, but you see,
querida
, I plan to make sure you want it all."

"That sounds promising."

He reached down and, with ease, lifted and carried her outside under the star laden skies. Her smooth arms curled around his neck, sending shivers of pleasure throbbing through his body.

The night air of spring wafted around them, and with it, the scent of orange blossoms. Ricardo's footsteps echoed in the quiet as he followed the walkway to his backyard patio.

He carried Angela into a trellised gazebo at the far end. Honeysuckle vines covered the latticed structure darkening the interior like a cave. When the lapping of water reminded Ricardo of the nearness of the Jacuzzi, he set Angela on her feet.

"Are your muscles sore from all our dancing?" he asked.

"I couldn't dance another step." She sighed and started to move away from him.

"Careful," he warned as he caught her around the waist. "The Jacuzzi is right here, so don't fall in."

"Is it hot?"

"Very."

"My feet are going to thank you for this."

Ricardo laughed.

"Take your shoes off. There’s a room over there where you can change into your swimsuit and then you can sit here on the edge." He guided her to the raised deck that framed the pool. "I'll go get us some brandy."

He headed for the house.

CHAPTER 9

ANGELA STEPPED OUT OF her shoes, bent to remove her pantyhose and then felt her way to the side of the pool. She sighed with relief as she eased her aching legs into the soothing heat. If only she knew Ricardo better. She could relax and enjoy.

The thought of sitting in the sensual pool with him sent tingles racing up her spine. Maybe someday they would—

"How does it feel?" His voice startled her.

"Wonderful." She kicked her feet to splash water in the air. The droplets sparkled as they reflected the faint traces of moonlight that filtered into the gazebo. The glasses clinked when Ricardo set them down near her. His hand brushed her shoulder as he sat next to her.

She didn't need to see him to know he was very close. The lime scent that she'd breathed while they'd danced drifted about her. The heat of his body teased her into wanting to touch.

Ricardo leaned close for a kiss. Pings echoed on the redwood deck as he took the pins out of her chignon and let them drop. Her hair tumbled free.

A conservative and modest part of her held back in front of this virtual stranger. And yet she longed to offer herself to him in the moonlight.

"Much better." Satisfaction tinged his voice as he raked his fingers through her hair. "Now, for your jacket."

A tremor of desire shivered through her when he eased his warm hands under her lapels to shrug the piece of clothing off her shoulders.

"Are you cold?" he asked, quick to respond to her every need.

“No, I—”

Before she could voice her doubts, his lips captured hers in a silencing kiss. Her heart raced and she grasped his arms to keep her balance. Caught up in the sensations coursing through her, she barely noticed that he'd undone the pearl buttons at the back of her blouse. The cool night air caressed her skin.

"Your skin is like silk." His breath fanned her cheeks as he mouthed kisses there. His hands stroked down her back. Angela arched against his caresses like a contented cat.

He backed away, giving her breathing room. "We'll take this slow and easy."

Did she want slow and easy anymore? In fact, a strong urge clamored for her to rip off her clothes. "I'd better change." She could sense his reluctance to let her go.

Angela drew her feet from the water and stood. Ricardo smiled as he guided her to the changing rooms. "I'll change, too." His voice held promise.

When she stood before him again, Angela longed to throw herself into his arms, but she waited. Her heart hammered against her ribs. It seemed an eternity that she stood there. A breeze caught strands of her hair, feathering it across her skin.

Ricardo, who had changed much more quickly and was already in the water when she came out, stepped from the pool and lifted her into his arms. The breeze had cooled his skin, but it burned where it pressed against hers. She moaned deep in her throat—an animal sound that expressed her need.

Ricardo carried her down the steps with tender care and lowered her with him into the swirling hot water.

Clouds of steam rose around them. Ricardo still hadn’t turned on any lights, but Angela could see the wispy vapors in the pale moonlight. She tried to determine Ricardo's expression but could only see the dark silhouette of his head and the brandy snifter he held in the air.

"Here's to us." He clinked her glass in salute.

"To us," she repeated, her voice husky with emotion. What did that toast mean—“us” as in lovers or “us” as in a relationship? She wanted both, but not so soon.

The brandy warmed her. Water lapped at her skin while jets of bubbles pounded on the muscles of her back.

"How does it feel?" he asked as he shifted closer to her.

"Like heaven," she told him and closed her eyes in dreamy contentment. "All of the week's hassles have melted away."

"Did it make extra work for you with us taping in your room?"

"You were my biggest hassle," she teased.

"But I'm not melting away," he assured her. To emphasize his point he traced his finger along the waterline across her shoulders.

The initial lethargy the heat of the whirlpool had caused disappeared. She held her breath.

His lazy pace disturbed her growing alertness. What game was he playing to torment her like this? She wanted him to continue, but he withdrew his hand and settled back in the pool.

"Ricardo." She couldn’t help her groan of frustration. "Why did you stop?"

Laughter floated around her. Ricardo set down his snifter and reached for her. "Come here, sweetheart." He slid her onto his lap.

"What do you want?" he asked, tracing the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue. "This?"

She slid her wet arms around his neck and pressed close against his chest. Turning, she planted tiny kisses on his eyelids, forehead and cheeks.  "I want this."

He shuddered beneath her. "I've wanted to hear you say that," he whispered as he kissed her.

The caress in his voice sent shivers racing through her. She welcomed his touch and wanted him to make love to her, now, in the pool. Her sudden lack of inhibition surprised her. She struggled to sort out her feelings—desire mingled with love.
Love
. Did she
love
this man? Too soon, much too soon. In a moment of doubt, she pushed herself away from Ricardo and sank to the bottom of the pool. Her hair swirled to tangle around her shoulders.

Suddenly, strong hands groped around her body until they settled about her waist. With a noisy splash, Ricardo lifted her high in the air. His laughter drifted into the night—laughter that was lusty and pleased. "So now you want to play," he exclaimed.

Angela braced her hands on his shoulders as she admitted to herself that perhaps she did love this man. "I thought it took two for this game," she teased.

She wanted to learn everything she could about him… and his body. His muscles bulged from holding her up and they flexed when she began tracing the ridges of his shoulders.

"So, do you want to continue to play?" she asked when he shuddered.

"I want you."

"Tell me why?"

Slowly lowering her body, he turned to sit on the submerged bench. As he slid her down with him, the feel of his torso sent jolts of electricity through her. Angela gasped from the contact.

"There are many reasons why I want you," he told her after settling her weight high on his waist. "You're beautiful and desirable, to begin with."

"Flimsy reasons." She ran her fingers through his hair as she strove for light banter. Impossible.

"Not enough?" he queried in mock surprise. "Let me see, could it be your body?"

"At this point, probably," she managed the wry joke. His body certainly governed
her
reactions.

"¡Aí,
querida!
" he moaned. "You underestimate me. There are other reasons, too."

"Such as?" Wouldn't he ever kiss her again? She ached for his caress. He had to be made of steel because he didn't seem to react to the circles she traced on his chest.

"I like the way you care for others, the way you love your students." He stopped her teasing caresses by grabbing her hands. The motion made waves and Angela shifted. His breath caught and her heart hammered in anticipation.

"I like your dedication and your spirit, the way you fight for your beliefs." His voice sounded strained and Angela wondered how much longer he could tease them both this way.

"Even when it's you I'm fighting?" she dared to ask.

"Especially then," he chuckled. "Don't you know I love a challenge?"

"Is that what you're doing now?" She cast him a wry smile that he couldn't see. "Giving yourself a challenge? Testing your stamina?"

"No, but I've reached the end of it," he admitted, to Angela's relief. "Let's get out of here."

In an almost desperate haste he helped her to rise and step up from the pool. The night air cooled their overheated skin. Expecting him to turn on the light, Angela waited while he shuffled around to the far wall. In moments, he stood before her again and wrapped a huge fluffy towel around her shoulders.

Darkness surrounded them. Anxious now for what surely would follow, Angela's muscles knotted. She listened to him rustling in the dark and thought he must be dry by now. "Shall I get our clothes?" she asked. Surely they would go inside.

"Later," he said. "Lie down here."

Angela hesitated, unsure of what he expected. Taking a deep breath, she bent to feel a padded mattress spread on the redwood decking.

In the dim gazebo, she could see his outline as he stretched out on the mattress. Folds of fabric smoothed out beneath her fingers as she inched her way down beside Ricardo.

"A satin sheet? Rather exotic for the pool isn't it?"

"It's like your skin." He curved his hand along the line of her hip and tucked her close beside him.

His body heat lured her to nuzzle close, but instead she touched the slick satin—not with the tips of her fingers but with the open palm of her hand. Its fine texture pleased her. She knew the feel of his skin would please her even more, but before she could reach out, he whispered, "Lie on your stomach."

She hesitated, excitement playing havoc with her heart rate.