Boston Avant-Garde: Impetuous (18 page)

Nicolai moaned, locking his hands onto her hips. The tone of his voice struck a chord inside her, urging her on. Mindless to everything but the way his cock felt, she moved with unhurried purpose. Euphoria tingled down her spine, tickling over her skin, and filling her with a sense of belonging.

Completion came slowly, steadily building within her. Her awareness intensified. Nicolai’s scent mingled with hers, and the room was filled with his low groans punctuated by her higher-pitched cries. Sweat beaded on her neck, trickling down her back. The friction of his cock spiraled into a fissure of pressure that threatened to rend her in two.

“Let go, Desiree.”

The rough tone of his voice was soothing.

“I can feel how badly you want it. Give in and let go, wild girl.”

As if responding to his command, her tension snapped. Climax broke like a wave, muscles contracting and releasing with a powerful surge that left her weak in its wake. Beneath her, Nicolai stiffened, pushing his head back against the bed and thrusting up into her pussy.

She collapsed against his chest in the aftermath, his cock still buried inside her. Their hearts pounded in unison. She listened to his steady breathing. He inhaled deeply and gently brushed her hair away from her face. For a guy who looked forbidding as hell, he could be unspeakably tender.

“I could lie like this forever.” She propped her chin on his chest so she could see his face in the half-light.

“Forever is a long time.”

His words gave her a jolt. Was commitment really that unpalatable to him? Or was it just the idea of being committed to her that bothered him?

“About tomorrow—”

She put a finger to his lips. “Let tomorrow worry about itself.”

“As you wish.” His chest bunched beneath her chin, and then he was kissing her as if he could stave off tomorrow altogether.

As if that were possible.

“What the hell, Desiree? Don’t you answer your damn phone anymore?”

“If you don’t mind, brother dear, would you get the hell out of my way so I can set these bags down? They’re heavy.”

Erik moved grudgingly out of the doorway so Desiree could step inside his town house. Despite the cabdriver’s help in getting up the front steps, the string-handled shopping bags were beginning to cut off the circulation in her hands.

“Where the hell were you? Nicolai has been calling me every ten minutes.”

Desiree let the bags plop onto the sofa cushions while she carefully laid her and Talia’s bridesmaid dresses over the back. She had no doubt Nicolai had been riding Erik all day about her whereabouts. She had so many missed calls on her phone she was surprised the damn thing hadn’t exploded.

“Wow!” Talia entered the room and made a beeline for the bags. “Was this retail therapy or a fashion emergency?”

“Actually this was a furnish-my-new-condo necessity.” Oh yes. Now she had their undivided attention.

Erik recovered first. “Since when do you have a condo?”

“Since this morning. Well, in three weeks when we close.”

“You’re moving away from the estate?” Erik’s expression grew so pensive he looked like he was in physical pain. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’m thirty-six years old, Erik. I think moving out of my mother’s house is long overdue. At some point she’s got to learn to get along without me.”

His conflict over the issue was nothing compared to hers. The truth was that her moving out was more than just okay. It was a necessity for both her and her mother. She wished she could tell him how free it made her feel. He’d moved out years ago, even before Talia. Even before that, he’d placed firm boundaries on their mother’s interference in his life. It was something he’d only dealt with when he had to. For Desiree, dealing with Annaline’s overbearing interference was so much a part of her daily existence that the idea of living without it was the equivalent of throwing off the bonds of slavery.

“I think you’re right, Dee Dee.” Talia reached out and took Erik’s hand to gain his full attention. “I haven’t been part of this family for very long, but she’s the one who ran interference with your mother while we were trying to patch up our relationship. She was the one who kept Selena in line and managed your mother’s dating fiascos. I think she’s earned a chance to live her own life.”

“Okay. So you’re moving out.” Erik took a seat on one of the chairs not covered in her latest purchases. “I thought you and Nicolai were getting serious. Why not move in with him?”

“You never approved of Nicolai and me to begin with. Why would you even suggest that?” She propped her hands on her hips and gave him her best big-sister stare down.

“I used to think you were just biding your time until the right guy came available. Now I think you’ve lost your damn mind. At this point I figure you’re better off with Nicolai than running around half-cocked on your own.”

“Ugh! I don’t need someone to take care of me!” Desiree wondered if stamping the words “independent woman” on her forehead would make anyone sit up and take notice. “Why do men seem to think me incapable of managing my own life? Hell, I’ve been managing our mother’s for years! Why can’t I handle my own?”

Erik started to open his mouth, and she put the palm of her hand less than six inches away from his face. He bit back his words with an audible click of his teeth. She did not want to hear a reminder that their mother had been in more failed marriages than the worst of the Hollywood set. That wasn’t Desiree’s doing. If her mother would quit picking her men because they were at the top of the hot list, she might not have so much trouble hanging on to them. It was difficult to sustain any kind of marriage when the only thing holding the man was money. Eventually they all sought greener grass in someone else’s pasture.

“It doesn’t matter what we think, Dee Dee.” Talia pulled her into a warm hug. “You’re entitled to do your own thing. We all are. And since Erik and I spend most of our time in New York, we’ve got even less right to try and manipulate you.”

Erik’s face settled into the patronizing expression he wore when she tried to explain why she needed a new pair of shoes. “I’m not going to argue about this now. When you come running to me for help because you discover things like association fees and utility bills, we’ll revisit this conversation. Until then, would you please call Nicolai? He’s driving me bat-shit crazy worrying about you.” Erik stood up and walked off.

Talia watched him sail toward the doorway. “We need to leave for the rehearsal dinner in less than an hour, Erik.”

He waved his hand and grunted but didn’t turn around.

“So, any other bombs you need to drop?” Talia flopped back into her seat.

It was now or never. “Actually there is one.”

“Hit me.”

“Stop calling me Dee Dee, please? I hate that name! I don’t even like Delia. I’m Desiree.”

Talia looked honestly shocked. “Really? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“It does seem stupid, doesn’t it?” Desiree thought about how hard it was just to be herself with her family.

“No more Dee Dee. I swear. I’ll use the name Desiree when I talk about you behind your back.” Talia put one hand on her chest as if swearing a solemn oath.

“Sometimes I forget how lucky my brother was to find you.”

“I’m just glad to have you around. Sometimes it seems like you’re the only normal one in the family.” Talia made a sour face. “Guess I better go get dressed. I hate cocktail dresses. Seriously, who invented the damn things?”

“Speaking of cocktail dresses, I hope I’ve got something presentable in the closet upstairs.” Desiree looked around at her latest acquisitions.

“You’re telling me you didn’t hit a single clothing store today?”

She couldn’t hide her excitement. “Not unless I can wear cooking utensils, sheets, and bath towels, although I did pick up our bridesmaid dresses.”

“Nicolai is a man. He might go for a sheet in the toga style.”

A lump formed in her belly at the thought of her sexy bartender from Back Bay. “Actually Nicolai isn’t coming with me tonight.”

“You are going to call him, right? Erik wasn’t kidding when he said the man was going crazy worrying about you.”

“No doubt because he’s convinced I’ve done something stupid to get myself into trouble and he needs to fix it.”

Talia picked up her bridesmaid dress. “I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I’d think long and hard before I did something to damage a relationship with a guy like him.”

Desiree didn’t respond as Talia left the room. She hadn’t said anything Desiree didn’t already know. He might be overprotective, but there was only one Nicolai, and there was no one else on the planet who made her feel the way he did.

* * * *

Places like the Colonial Country Club had been designed to intimidate. It was as though the creator had wanted visitors to feel insignificant. The grand foyer with its sweeping twin staircases was cold and sterile. Even the flower arrangements looked as though they were made of ice crystals instead of warm blooms.

“Desiree, I’m glad to see you here.” Her mother placed an air-kiss on either cheek. Odd, but Annaline Aasen went well with the overdone decor.

“I’m here to support my baby sister, nothing else.”

“So good of you to make it clear where you stand. Someday you’re going to realize that I’ve only ever had your best interests at heart. You might be sorry to have thrown them in my face when you do.”

“Hardly.”

Behind her perfectly composed exterior, Desiree could see her mother trying to decide how to proceed. “Harmon is here. Please be pleasant. He’s already been asking after you.”

“If I can be pleasant toward you, I suspect I can be pleasant to anyone.”

“Desiree, Desiree, Desiree, stunning as always. It’s wonderful to think we’re going to be so close. I’ll be moving into Selena’s rooms at the estate by the end of the week.” Jackson tried to wrap her in an overly enthusiastic embrace.

She stepped out of groping range. Three weeks was too long. Maybe she could get a hotel until she closed on the new condo. “You’re not getting a little love nest for your new bride?”

“Maybe once things settle down. Until then, we both feel there are certain…perks to living on the estate.”

Annaline shot Desiree a quelling look, but Desiree didn’t have a ready retort for his suggestive declaration. Did her mother actually think Desiree was inviting this uncomfortable banter? Where the hell did everyone get off thinking she had any interest whatsoever in Jackson?

She opted to ignore his implied proposition. “Where’s my sister, Jackson? I’d really like to congratulate her and make certain she’s ready for her big day.”

“Oh, I suppose she’s around here somewhere. Last I saw, she was having a few words with the minister about the ceremony.”

Feeling a touch of apprehension, Desiree left her mother and her slimy brother-in-law-to-be in favor of finding her sister. Hopefully Selena wouldn’t be stupid enough to offend the minister or fire him for some imagined offense.

Heading away from the foyer into the maze of hallways, Desiree quickly found what had once been a Grand Salon in the old days. It still held a touch of the old-world glamour with high, arched windows draped in brocade curtains, and imported rugs to soften the hardwood floors. Selena and the good reverend were deep in conversation. To Desiree’s relief, the wedding planner was hovering nearby. Hopefully that meant Selena had called Isabel to apologize.

Isabel waved her over. “I was going to call if I didn’t see you tonight. I wanted to say thanks.”

“Since you’re here, I’m assuming Selena got her act together.”

The relief on Isabel’s face was palpable. “Something you said must’ve hit home. It’s like dealing with an entirely new woman.”

It didn’t feel as if she’d said or done much of anything. In fact, it was almost the opposite. Desiree had walked out and left Selena to clean up her own mess. “Whatever happened, I’m glad it worked out. Are we on track for tomorrow?”

“Everything is going smoothly. I’m on my way to get the wedding party so we can run through the ceremony. I’ll be back in just a moment.”

Isabel left, and Desiree hung back, letting Selena finish her conversation. Without her sister’s hostility filling the room, it was possible to see the truly beautiful woman who hid behind the caustic attitude and biting words. Despite everything, Desiree was proud of her baby sister. Selena was a stunning woman, always had been. Even though she’d stopped dancing years ago, she still moved with the natural grace that had been her strength in ballet.

Until that moment, Desiree hadn’t ever considered her sister’s abrupt decision to stop dancing. Why had she quit? Selena had started ballet as a tiny tot in a pink tutu that had almost swallowed her whole. At one time, she’d been taking classes five or six days a week. Why stop?

“So you decided to show up, did you?”

There was the hostility Desiree had been missing. It didn’t cut the way it would have only a few days ago. Instead, she could look past the aggressive words and see the hurt behind them. “Selena, no matter how mad I was, I’d never miss your big day.”

Something inside Selena seemed to melt at Desiree’s words, but before they could get past it, the rest of the wedding party wandered into the Salon.

One of the groomsmen strode through the door as if he owned the world. “Let’s get this show on the road. I’m starving.”

“Hey, Chicken Little, you look fantastic! How have you been since you ditched me at the club this past weekend?” Chelsea nudged her from behind.

“I’m fine, but what are you doing here?” Suspicion crept over Desiree. “Did you spontaneously start dating one of the groomsmen?”

The smile slid right off Chelsea’s face. “Uh, no. Selena said you were okay with me taking your place in the wedding party.”

She’d known it was coming, but the stab of betrayal was hard to stomach. Desiree slapped her best smile on her face and pretended to be right on board with her sister’s new game plan. “Whatever Selena wants is fine. I picked up the dress earlier today. I’ll make sure Talia brings it to you tomorrow, and the seamstress can take it in when she puts the finishing touches on Selena’s hem. Your pale hair will look fabulous with the color.”