Seduced by the Night (24 page)

"Got room for two in there?"

Her eyes flew open as she turned to the door. Dirk stood there, smiling and staring at her with a hunger in his eyes that left her feeling both self-conscious and excited.

"I thought you went to talk to Mac."

"He's already gone to bed, so I thought I'd bring you a cup of coffee." She looked past him and spotted the two cups sitting on the counter, but he made no move to hand one to her. Instead, his hands went to the fly of his jeans and he unzipped his pants. She already knew he wore nothing underneath but still held her breath in anticipation as he peeled the fabric down his hips and legs. He was magnificent.

Tossing his jeans to the side, he stepped into the shower, letting the water hit his body. Little droplets clung to his bronzed skin and she ran her hand across his chest, wiping them away so they could form again. He had the wide shoulders and broad chest of a swimmer and she envisioned him sitting at a lifeguard's station over a pool, his bleached blond hair in sharp contrast to the dark golden glow of his skin.

Feeling his gaze on her, she looked up and realized that he'd been watching her stare at him. When he smiled, she blushed.

He put his hands on her hips and slowly turned her to face the shower. Standing behind her, he rubbed a bar of soap between his hands until he'd worked up a lather, then began massaging the tops of her shoulders, moving his hands in ever-widening circles.

His palms slid smoothly across her flesh, awakening every nerve inside her. When he reached her breasts, he pushed the twin lobes together and lifted them, testing their weight, massaging their fullness.

Bethany's breathing came faster and she leaned her head back against his chest, losing herself in the tactile sensations he stirred to life. He was hard where he pressed against her and it made her squirm. When she heard his breath catch, she smiled. Opening her eyes, she reached out and ran her hand along the bar of soap. Then she leaned forward slightly, filling Dirk's hands with her breasts as she reached back and took him in hers, his length slipping in and out of her grip.

"Sweet Jesus," he moaned and then he was bending her forward at the waist until she was braced against the wall in front of her. Before she had time to understand what he was doing, he grabbed her hips and held her as he buried himself in her with a single thrust. The soap eased his passage and he took her with animalistic fury.

The water hitting her back ran down her sides and along her breasts until a steady stream ran from her nipples to the shower floor. The sounds of their coming together echoed in the stall, and the now familiar tension built low in her belly. She could do nothing more than hang on for the ride.

Then Dirk changed his rhythm and when he buried himself, instead of pulling out, he moved his hips, sinking himself a little deeper into her. At the same time, he slipped one arm across the front of her hips to hold her in place while the other hand moved to her breast where he rolled and lightly squeezed her nipple between his fingers.

The double assault was too much and she hit her climax with the force of a speeding car hitting a brick wall. She was still spiraling from the impact when Dirk tensed, spilling himself into her.

For long moments, they remained joined together, the warm water coursing over them. Then slowly, Dirk eased himself out of her.

"Wow," he said, sounding surprised. "I think I'm still seeing stars. Are you all right?" He turned her toward him and tilted her head up so he could study her face, his concern obvious.

"Never better," she assured him, feeling a small thrill at his reaction.

He took the soap and again lathered his hands. He started to bathe her, then stopped and gave her an apologetic smile. "We're never going to get out of here if I do this. Tell you what. I'll bathe and get out so you can finish."

It didn't take him long and soon she was in the shower by herself, pouring shampoo into her hand to wash her hair as he dried off.

"I'll be out here waiting for you," he told her. "You want your coffee before I go?"

"No, I won't be long." She heard him leave and ducked her head under the water to rinse her hair. She quickly soaped off and rinsed her body, not letting herself think about the way Dirk's hands had felt when he'd washed her. She was flushed by the time she stepped out of the shower.

There was no noise coming from the bedroom as she dried and she wondered if Dirk had gone back to his room after all. Working a comb through her hair, she then wrapped a towel around her, and then stepped into the room.

Dirk was there, standing beside the dresser, his expression dark and closed. Beside him, her new purple bra and panties lay on top of the dresser, next to the orchid and roses.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I thought you ended the engagement." His tone was unusually calm, but no less accusing.

She stared, confused, at her engagement ring, now in his hand. "Where did you get that?"

"I found it in your drawer when I went to get these." He nodded to the lingerie on top. "I saw you pack them and wanted to see you in them. I'm sure it's the last place you expected me to look. Sorry if I ruined your little scheme."

"What scheme?"

He shook his head. "Now it all makes sense. You never really broke up with Miles, did you?"

"Of course I did," she snapped. "Do you really think I'd make love to you while I was engaged to someone else?"

He closed the distance between them, his eyes flashing. "Yes, I do."

It was a slap in the face and she didn't know if she was more stunned or hurt. "Why would I do that?"

"Curiosity."

"About what?"

His heated gaze raked over her and when he ran a finger along the edge of the towel where it wrapped across her breasts, she couldn't stop her body from responding to his touch. Then she understood.

His insinuation immediately ignited her temper and she knocked his hand away. "Get out of my room, now."

He didn't move. Hurt and frustration swelled up inside her and she wanted to scream or cry, but she did neither. Giving him her coldest stare, she kept her voice steady  and even. "Get out now or I will scream until everyone in the house comes running."

A full minute went by as they glared at each other. The closeness they'd shared so recently withered and died. Then Dirk snapped shut the lid of the
jewelry
box and tossed it onto the bed as he walked out of the room.

Bethany couldn't move. She was still tensed for a fight, her breathing erratically fast as anger and hurt burned deep inside her, making her sick to her stomach. Only when she realized Dirk wasn't coming back did she allow herself to relax slightly.

She went over to the bed and picked up the
jewelry
box. How had it gotten into her drawer? She distinctly remembered giving it back to Miles. She slipped the box into her purse and crossed to the dresser to put away the purple lingerie that Dirk had pulled out. Her eyes fell on the vase of roses and a memory from the night before surfaced. Miles could have slipped the ring into her drawer while she'd been filling the vase with water, but why?

The only explanation she could think of was that maybe he was having trouble accepting that things really were over between them. If so, she'd have to explain it to him again when she gave back the ring.

Dirk was another problem. Her feelings for him were  complicated and it hurt that he didn't trust her. After listening to the stories of his childhood, she understood why trust was hard for him, but she didn't think she could live under the umbrella of continual suspicion.

Besides, he'd hurt her, humiliated her. Every time she saw him now, it would be there, hanging between them, along with the memory of their lovemaking. The thought of living under the same roof with him for even another day suddenly became intolerable. After she dressed, she pulled her suitcases from the closet and began to pack her clothes.

The vampires were still out there, but if she made good use of her daylight hours, she could be far away from Washington, D.C., by nightfall. She'd pick a destination at random, so there'd be no easy way to follow her.

You're running away
. The words echoed in her head.
No, it's afresh start
, a defiant voice countered. There was nothing holding her here. Not Miles. Certainly not Dirk.

What about the project?

She paused in the act of folding a shirt. Her work was a definite roadblock. After last night, she was close to finishing. Just a few more tests—but there was still the question of what the drug was to be used for. It was a question only Miles could answer. If he was up to something illegal, then she'd walk; leave her work unfinished. If it wasn't illegal, she'd finish it as fast as she could—and then she'd leave.

Unbidden, her thoughts turned to Dirk. If a small part of her had hoped he would come crawling back, asking her for forgiveness, then it was time to face reality. Taking a deep breath, she finished packing.

Minutes later, she went downstairs, helped herself to another cup of coffee, and then went into the living room where she found
Lanie
standing in the middle of the room, looking lost.

"Good morning. Is something wrong?"

Lanie
jumped at the sound of her voice and then smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm looking for Gem. Uncle Charles asked me to keep an eye on her, but I sort of got distracted this morning when Mac came home." She blushed, giving Bethany a pretty good idea of how, exactly, she'd been distracted.

"Isn't she on Julia's desk?" Bethany recalled
Lanie
telling her how the small baby
chupacabra
had developed a sweet tooth and was constantly nibbling on the mints Julia kept sitting on her desk.

Lanie
shook her head. "It's the first place I looked."

"Did you ask Julia if she'd seen her?"

Lanie
looked embarrassed. "Not yet. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. She already thinks one of us is playing a joke on her—I didn't want her thinking it was me."

Bethany understood. Everyone liked Julia and though it was necessary to keep secrets from her, no one liked doing it. "I'll help you look."