Cursed (17 page)

Damn it. She had to think of Cullinan and
their mission to return the pendant. She couldn’t let anything, not even a
drop-dead sexy cop stand in their way. “Not afraid...exactly. It’s just that—”

     “Good. Let’s go.”

* * *

     Nick opened the side
door of the tropical conservatory, placed his palm on the small of Hope’s back
and ushered her inside. She turned and watched him step through the door and
close it at his back. Warm, sultry air wrapped invisible fingers around her,
chasing the chill from her body. Too warm now in her coat, she unbuttoned it.
The scent of plants and soil filled her head along with Nick’s enticing
aftershave. With no lights on, shadows like gossamer apparitions floated around
the interior. Moonlight beamed down through the glass ceiling and walls,
painting silver hues on tree branches and palm fronds. Why did she let him lead
her to this fecund, private place? She knew why. She wanted another kiss, no
make that a dozen and then... more.

     Nick moved closer,
his alluring gray eyes glimmering in the moonlight. He reached up and brushed a
lock of hair from her face. Only the tips of his fingers touched her skin.
Slowly, he trailed his fingers down her neck, grazing her collarbone, leaving
warmth and longing behind. In sensuous answer, her pulse danced in an unstable
rhythm calling to the depths of her womanly soul.

     “Why did you bring
me here?” Her voice was raspy with unwelcome excitement.

     “I wanted to show
you the view from the top of the banyan tree...but I also needed to be alone
with you.”

     His husky tone
curled around her. She wanted to ask why but deep down inside, she knew why.
His seductive labyrinth drew her. Inwardly, she fought against the sensation,
helpless to stop the visceral craving that seeped into her bones.

     She started to speak
but he gently covered her lips with his fingers. “I know what you’re going to
say. It’s not a good idea for us to be alone together but sometimes you have to
go with your feelings...no matter what your head’s telling you.”  He
dipped his finger inside her lower lip then lifted his hand and licked the tip.
Hope swallowed in lustful response. “Sometimes going with your feelings gets a
person into trouble.”

     Nick smiled. “You’re
right. And lady, you’ve got trouble written all over you...but I don’t care.
I’m tired of fighting my attraction for you, of thinking about you and
hungering to have you in my arms again. Tonight I intend to do something about
it.”

     Startled by his
revealing words, a gasp escaped her lips. “Nick, I—”

     He took her hand.
“Don’t say anything, just come with me.”

He led her down aisles of lush flowers and
plants to the center of the conservatory.

     Hope reached out her
hand and touched one of the supports hanging from the branches of the model
banyan tree. “This looks so real. It’s like a forest made from one tree.”

     “Yeah, these
supports grow down from the branches, take root in the ground and begin new
trunks.” He tugged her toward the base of the wooden staircase circling upward
into the tree’s branches. “You won’t believe the view.”

     When they reached
the top of the tree, they stepped onto a large, wooden platform built in the
tree’s uppermost branches.   Hope strolled with Nick to the railing and
looked down over the conservatory. Exotic specimens from tropical forests all
over the world grew in a shadowy carpet at their feet. The moon, like a white
stone, gleamed overhead in the ebony sky cluttered with stars.

     Nick let go of her
hand, took off his jacket and spread it over the floor. He loosened the tie at
his throat and tossed it aside then toed off his shoes.

     “What are you
doing?”

     He turned his head and
gave her a leisurely smile. “Lawyers are always asking questions.”

     His dusky voice
shimmered over her. “Give me your coat.”

     Hope hesitated a
moment before slipping out of her coat and handing it to him. He spread her
coat beside his then turned, held out his hand and curved his fingers in a come
hither motion.

     A shiver of
excitement ruffled her nerve endings. She raised one brow and smiled. “You
aren’t very subtle, are you?”

     He chuckled. “It
isn’t what you think...not yet.” He glanced at his watch. “There isn’t much
time.” She watched Nick lay on his back on top of the coats. He gestured toward
the ceiling of the conservatory. “Better hurry. You don’t want to miss the
show.”

     Speculation filled
her. “What show?”

     Nick shook his head.
“Would you stop asking questions and just trust me?”

     Trust him? She
didn’t trust herself. Reluctantly, Hope slipped out of her shoes, lay down on
her back by his side and stared through the glass ceiling at the infinite black
sky beyond. Nick’s close proximity and the gentle wave of his body heat nearly
overwhelmed her. She inhaled a deep breath of humid air through her nose and
with it his scent. A flare of expectation flickered to life deep within her.

     “Almost time.”

     Her heart thumped
against the wall of her chest. “Time for what?”

     Just as the words
left her lips, a tiny ball of light streaked across the sky rapidly followed by
another and another. The pinpoints of light seemed to fall into the trees and
lush vegetation of the conservatory. Awestruck, she gasped.

     “You didn’t know
about the meteor shower tonight?”

     “No.”

     “Did you think I
brought you here to jump your bones?”

     Hope turned her head
and found Nick watching her. Sexual tension crackled between them like a
meteor’s trail of ionized dust and gas. “Did you?”

     As she stared into
his eyes, yearning heated her skin. He reached out and grazed just the tips of
his fingers over her cheek. When he touched her, a sense of completeness
settled over her. How could that be? Nick was determined to bring her brother
down and she was just as determined to stop him. Was she about to make the
biggest mistake of her life?

     Nick brought her
hand up to his mouth and kissed each of her fingers. Then he leaned over and
touched his lips softly to hers. His mouth curved in a gentle smile. “I can see
the reflection of stars in your eyes...along with a lot of doubt.”

     She turned her head
and looked up at the sky looming overhead. “Can you blame me? If Cullinan knew
we were here he’d—“

     Nick nudged her chin
until she turned and looked at him again. “This has nothing to do with your
brother or the case.” Honesty filled his slightly husky voice. “This is about
you and me.”

     Hope raised a brow.
“Are you sure?”

     “I’m very sure. I
need you to believe me before we go any further.” His tone encouraged her to
put aside her doubts but she fought against it. “Do you trust me, Hope?”

     She wanted to, oh, how
she wanted to but how could she when Cullinan’s fate might depend on what she
said? “No, I think you’ll go after my brother given half the chance no matter
what happens between us.”

     He smiled slightly
and shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.” He laid his hand on her chest.
“Do you trust me—Nick the man, not the cop—with your heart?”

     His soft words lured
her to believe he wouldn’t crush her heart into bits. A mixture of happiness
and confusion swept through her. Unexpected tears stung the back of her eyes.
No man had ever asked her such a question. They had only been interested in
getting her naked as quickly as possible and if she admitted the truth, that’s
all she had wanted as well. Somehow, Nick Morelli was different. She wanted him
to see past her curvy, plus-size body to the essence of the woman inside, a
woman who when she loved, loved deeply.

     Unable to resist
touching him, she lifted her arms and curled her hands around the back of his
neck, caressing his skin. The strands of his hair felt soft and silky as they
slid over her fingers, the warmth of him burned into her. With her gaze on his
persuasive gray eyes, she slowly drew him toward her until their breaths
mingled and their lips barely touched. When she saw her own sexual appetite
reflected in his eyes, her pulse leapt in tempo with her quivering heart. At
that moment, he took her mouth in a kiss she felt all the way down to her toes.

     He plunged his
tongue into her mouth, stroking, tasting and awakening her body with passion
she’d denied far too long. All the reasons why she shouldn’t be in his arms
fled like the white fire of a meteor’s light.

     She wanted him.

     All of him.

     What about Cullinan?
a little voice whispered.

     Cullinan has nothing
to do with me wanting Nick
.

     Nick slid his mouth
from hers and pressed hungry kisses on her neck. When he reached her shoulder,
he nudged aside the collar of her blouse and dipped his tongue into the hollow
of her throat. Tendrils of heat spread over her chest and covered her breasts.
She heaved in a breath of pleasure as his hands explored her body, igniting
sensual bliss. Before she could wrap her mind around the sensations he aroused
in her, he reached for the buttons on her blouse and quickly undid them. Without
taking his eyes from hers, he unfastened her slacks and yanked them down. When
he reached her hips, he stopped. “Lift up.” His voice was breathless and
impatient.

     Hope raised her
hips, allowing him to undress her further. His bold, assessing gaze fixed on
the juncture of her thighs. With her slacks bunched around the upper part of
her thighs, Nick lowered his head to her mound and licked her through her
panties.

     Unfettered arousal
radiated into her core. She sucked in a breath as a sensuous white cloud
settled over her mind. After only one tantalizing lick, Nick lifted his head.
Cool air wafted where his mouth had been, frustrating her. “Nick... please.”
She hardly recognized the husky, broken tone of her voice.

     Finally, her clothes
were gone. She lay before him in only her bra and panties. With deft fingers,
Nick undid the clasp of her bra and pushed the garment from her shoulders. He
stared at her breasts before taking one in each palm. He caressed and smoothed
the tips of his fingers over her, warming her skin and teasing her nipples with
his thumbs until they were stiff and hard.

     From his position on
his knees beside her, she could see the tent in the crotch of his pants. He
wanted her. Hope lifted her gaze and smiled at him. “I think it’s your turn.”

     He returned her
smile. “Want to help me?”

     Hope came up on her
knees facing him. With her gaze on his, she slipped the buttons on his shirt
from their holes and revealed his toned chest. Dark hair covered his muscular
pectorals then narrowed to a thin line that disappeared below the waist of his
pants. In a moment, she’d disposed of his shirt. With her eyes on his, Hope
pulled his belt from the loops, lowered the zipper of his slacks then slid her
hand inside his briefs. His eyes darkened and his lips parted with a ragged
breath. She grasped him and felt his life blood throb through his penis. She
wanted to give him something...something she’d never given another man. “Lie
back for me.”

     His eyes narrowed in
the half-light. “Hope, you don’t have--”

     “I want to.”

     Nick stretched out
on top of their coats with his arms by his sides. Hope removed his slacks. A
smile curved her lips when she saw his briefs. “Hmm, tighty whities. I figured
you for boxers.”

     A challenging
expression lit his face. He started to reach for her but she shook her head.
“Not yet.” Her gaze lowered to the thick bulge between his legs. “I want to see
you. All of you.”

     She grasped the
waistband of his briefs, pulled them down and tossed them over her shoulder.
His firm, hard penis sprang free between his legs. Her breath caught at the
sight, yearning filled her and lust tightened her skin. Pushing her hair from
her face, she lowered her head and slowly licked him from bottom to top. She
heard his breath catch and smiled.

     Hope knew this was
the moment she’d been waiting for, a chance to make him feel half of what she’d
felt the other night during their torrid kiss. Lowering her head further, she
slipped the tip of his penis into her mouth. She wrapped her tongue around him,
stroking, sucking and enjoying the slick feel of him. Passion rippled down her
body in a hot wave and saturated her femininity with glorious need. Hope rubbed
the plump head against the roof of her mouth, letting his salty flavor coat her
tongue.

     Slowly, she lifted
her head, lightly grazing her teeth over the length of him until once again she
held the tip of his penis between her lips. As she caressed him with her mouth,
she felt his hands on the back of her head holding her there while she loved
him. He moaned, delighting her as she gave him pleasure. Shivers of empowerment
gently massaged her nerve endings. His breath grew harsher as she moved her
mouth back and forth over the tip. He was begging for release when she finally
lifted her head and looked down at him. Moonlight trickled over his body
illuminating his skin and the wet sheen of his penis. A sense of womanly
satisfaction and power coursed through her. She watched his penis lift a
little, relax slightly, then lift again. She had done that to him. She had made
him want her.