Love and Splendor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 5 (25 page)

“I do care. More than I want to admit for the moment, even to myself. But trust me, Dani. I’ll never hurt you.”

How she hoped, with all her heart, that it was so, because, for the first time, she was letting her guard down, and she was all too aware that doing so made her vulnerable. Yet, it was what she wanted—to take a chance on love with Drake. And because it was her decision alone to make, she accepted the risk…along with the ultimate outcome, whatever it might be.

Dinner was delectable: fresh duck foie gras with a chicory salad, roasted Mediterranean sea bream complemented by a casserole of prawns and fresh artichokes. There was also the best of white wines and red, champagne, coffee with cognac.

Yet, Drake and Dani hardly touched their food or barely tasted their beverages, for their appetite was only for each other.

A waiter hovered nearby and fretted that perhaps they might find the menu unappetizing. Drake finally grew weary of his frenetic concern and curtly dismissed him.

When they were once more alone, Dani asked, “Aren’t you worried that the waiter may have gotten his feelings hurt because you dismissed him? The hotel might think it was his fault, or the restaurant owner might blame the chef and think the food wasn’t good.”

Drake slowly shook his head. “You see, I own the hotel and the restaurant.”

Dani was impressed…but not by his wealth, for she was used to associating with people of fortune. What awed her was the realization that he was also, no doubt, responsible for the entire decor of the building, which now explained his whispered
“Merci”
when she was making comments of praise earlier.

Drake stood, moved to pull out her chair so she could also rise. Their eyes devoured each other as he ran his fingertips down her arms and softly asked, “Would you care for dessert in the parlor?”

With a mysterious smile, she said nothing, merely walked into the next room.

Dani knew what she wanted, had known that when the right time came—with the right man—she would have no reservations. There would be no holding back, and hopefully, no regrets.

Facing him, voice steady, gaze unwavering, she reached with deft fingers to slowly unfasten her gown, then allowed it to fall to the floor. Opening her arms to him as she stood in intimate lace and satin undergarments, she announced, “My darling,
we
are the dessert this evening.”

With a deep moan of delight and pleasure, Drake quickly lifted her in his arms and tersely avowed, “I’ve never wanted a woman more, Dani, and I’m going to prove it to you…all night long.”

Chapter Eighteen

Drake stood staring down at Dani thoughtfully. She was asleep in his bed, lying on her side. Her naked body was bathed in the luminous glow of moonlight spilling through the window, presenting her as a flawless sculpture of the finest alabaster.

Beautiful.

He had never known a woman like her.

Not only did she possess all the physical attributes a man could want but she was also keenly intelligent, high-spirited, and extremely good company.

She had been a virgin.

That did not surprise him.

What he did find astonishing was her ability to please him and take him to heights of passion and delight that he’d never found in the arms of another woman. She seemed to know how to excite him, how to give pleasure, as well as take. It was as though, by giving, she was actually receiving…and he liked that rare concept.

Drake also knew that Dani was sophisticated enough not to feel he owed her any kind of commitment for having taken her virginity. She was not that kind. She had let him know she wanted him, and if there had been seduction, then it was mutual.

Yet, he could not help feeling a bond to her now and wished his life were not so complicated. He had vowed to let nothing stand in the way of restoring honor to his family’s name but knew now he would have to be on guard lest a honey-eyed beauty become an obstacle.

He needed access to the Alexandrovsky Palace painting to study and search for clues that would lead him to the Fabergé egg. Perhaps the time had come to confide in Dani; then she would surely give him that access. What harm would it do, he reasoned, for her to know about his past, particularly when he was experiencing feelings for her he’d never had for any other woman…feelings that he wanted to pursue.

He went into the study, drained the last dregs from the vodka bottle as he paced about the room. He thought of Colt again, marveled at how such musings kept coming to mind despite so many personal concerns in his own life. God, how he hated to think of him being inveigled into marrying a fortune hunter like Lily. No telling how many beds she’d romped through in England in her quest to ensnare a rich man.

He wondered what trick she’d used to get Colt to propose. A baby? Too soon for that—even for a schemer like Lily. She would have used a more sophisticated ploy, probably made him believe he’d seduced her, that she was a virgin, so she could moan that unless he married her and made a “decent” woman of her, her life would be ruined now that she was “soiled”.

Drake chuckled with bitterness. It was a woman’s oldest ploy and had probably worked for Lily since she had the distinct advantage of being a guest in the Coltrane mansion. How terrible it would look for a prominent, important man like Travis Coltrane to have it said that his son had seduced a houseguest, taken her virginity, then refused to many her.

Well, he figured he’d just have to step in and save Colt’s neck…maybe even, ultimately, his life, because he imagined a life married to someone like Lily would, in itself, be a kind of death.

He thought about the night he’d had dinner with the Coltranes and how Lily had brushed against him intimately on several occasions, letting him know with secret smiles and fluttering lashes that it was no accident. Without egotism, he knew the signs, knew he could get her into his bed with little effort. The difficulty would be in devising a way to have Colt find them there. He was convinced that the quickest solution would be for Colt to see for himself just what she was before it was too late. Of course, Dani must not know about it. But he intended for Colt to come along before anything actually happened, and once he realized it was all set up, he would never tell. Neither would Lily. She’d be so embarrassed and humiliated she would head for England as quickly as she could book passage out of France.

Drake smiled to himself. It would work. Of course, Colt would be very angry at first, but later he would be grateful.

He glanced at a clock, saw it was the ebb of midnight. Returning to the bedroom, he gazed down at Dani once more, thought how beautiful she was, felt his desire rising again and reminded himself it was late. He needed to be getting her home, where young women of gentility should be at such an hour. Yet, as a slow warmth began to creep over him, he knew he had to hold her close just one more time to savor the memories of ecstasy shared. He lay down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, and in her slumber, Dani sighed, snuggled yet closer in his embrace.

Drake savored her sweetness. The time had come, he knew, to tell her everything, and he would do so at first opportunity, perhaps tomorrow. Then he could continue his quest, ultimately putting his life in order…a life he now acknowledged wishing Dani to be a part of.

Cyril Arpel stood in the shadows across the street and stared up at the dark hotel. He could not remember ever being so angry. He was shaking from head to toe, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side, grinding his teeth together so tightly that his jaws were aching.

Enough was enough! Drakar thought he had everything he wanted—the conquest of Dani, and, soon, possession of the painting. Well, Cyril fumed, he’d find out differently. He had tarried long enough. Now was the time to make his move.

He needed sleep, but that could come later…after he finalized his plans for stealing the painting and making it appear as though Drakar were responsible. Dani would, no doubt, be so furious she would turn to him for comfort, and Cyril figured he just might wind up winning both prizes after all.

Such a ploy, Cyril contemplated, would not be difficult. After all, stealing the painting was the easy part. All he had to do was break into Dani’s shop one night and take it. As for implicating Drakar, well, when he disappeared at the same time as the painting, without explanation, it would certainly look suspicious and incriminating enough for him to be blamed. Cyril knew he would have no difficulty arranging for Drakar to receive an urgent message from Russia demanding his presence before the Imperial Court. Thanks to an unscrupulous worker at the telegraph office, who would do anything for a few thousand francs, Cyril could have such a dispatch sent. He had done so on past occasions when it was feasible to have a rival dealer called away just before an important sale or auction was to take place. And, should Drakar try to send a message to Dani, informing her of his sudden departure from France, well, Cyril acknowledged with a satisfied grin, he could take care of that little item, also.

Cyril took one last look upward at the apartment, then turned away. It was, he vowed, as good as done.

Dani awoke with a start. Sunlight was streaming across her face. She blinked furiously against the sudden intrusion, then a dagger of awareness struck. She was naked. She sat up straight to stare about wildly. This was not her bed. Not her room. Where was she?

Then hysteria began to bubble in her dry, tight throat as she realized there was a man lying beside her and recognized Drake at the same instant everything came rushing back to awaken her to harsh reality.

Dear God, it was morning!

She gave Drake a frantic shake as she cried, “Drake, wake up. We fell asleep. Oh, Poppa is going to kill both of us.”

She sprang from the bed, began to search about frantically for her clothes, which were nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered her uninhibited disrobing of the night before and ran into the room where she had carelessly discarded her things.

Drake was instantly awake and groping for his own clothes. He glanced at a clock. “Goddammit, it’s eight o’clock! How could we have slept so late? How could I have been so irresponsible?” He jerked on his shirt, headed for the door. “I’ll have the carriage brought around—”

“No!” Dani almost screamed her protest. “I’ll go alone. If Poppa sees you, it’ll make it that much worse. There’s no telling what he might do.”

“No, I won’t send you home in a carriage by yourself like a woman of the night, Dani, paid for your services and sent to your door. No. We’ll face him together.”

He forced a smile he did not feel and kissed the tip of her nose, and Dani blinked back tears of gratitude. “Drake, you really don’t have to. He’s going to be mad, but I stand a better chance of trying to reason with him than you do. I’ll just tell him we had too much wine and fell asleep. He doesn’t have to know anything else happened…” Her voice trailed off, and she demurely lowered her lashes as memories flooded back of the wonderful lovemaking they had shared. It had been like a dream…a dream she knew she wanted to relive over and over again, and no matter what her father did, that dream could not be taken away.

Drake gripped her shoulders tightly, and with eyes steady, unwavering, he tersely declared, “Dani, I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. I care for you. A great deal. Maybe it’s love. Maybe not. Time will tell. A lot of time. I’m not ready to commit myself to marriage just yet, but if that’s what your father demands, if he wants me to marry you to protect your good name, then I will.”

Dani stiffened ever so slightly, knew he was merely being honest and acknowledged she should be grateful, yet could not help feeling she was being patronized. “Thank you, Drake,” she responded coolly, a defined edge to her voice, “but I want more out of life than a husband who considers marrying me a favor!”

She turned away angrily, but Drake caught her, spun her around. “Dani, you’re taking it the wrong way—”

“Just take me home, if you insist on being so gallant,” she snapped, jerking from his grasp. “I don’t think this is the time for you to propose marriage, do you?

“And besides”—she glared up at him, red dots of rage sparkling in cinnamon eyes—“I want you to remember you don’t owe me anything. Last night happened because we both wanted it to. You didn’t seduce me, or cajole me. It was mutual. It was good, and it was nice, and we enjoyed it, but that’s as far as it goes, because it doesn’t mean that we now share the almighty, grandiose, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love for each other that the poets write about, that leads to marriage, and children, and a lifetime together. We don’t owe each other a damn thing just because we fell asleep afterward and now everyone will know we spent a night together. It does not mean that you are obligated to marry me, and it damn sure doesn’t mean I have to marry you!”

She paused, took a deep breath and let it out with disgust. “Have I made myself clear?”

Drake, by then, was also angry. “Yes, I’d say you’ve made yourself perfectly clear, Dani. Now will you allow me the dignity of being a gentleman and escort you home?”

“Of course.” She turned away to finish dressing.

Drake slammed out of the apartment, swearing beneath his breath. Any other woman would have been screaming for a wedding ring by now, but not Dani. She was being as casual about the whole thing as a man might be, as though it were nothing to be upset about. Had she not been a virgin and instead a sophisticated woman of the world with many lovers in her past, he might have better understood her attitude. As it was, he was completely baffled. Dani was young and inexperienced. They were both in a great deal of trouble because of what had happened. The Coltranes were highly respected people. To have their daughter stay out all night with a man was unthinkable, and they were, understandably, probably crazy with worry by now. The thing to do was face them, deal with whatever awaited, and later hope there would be time to mend things with Dani.