Selective/Memory: The "Depth of Emotion" Book 2 (The Depth of Emotion) (25 page)

“Well, Aria, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that
you
were the model—not me,” she said, walking all around her to inspect hair, make-up, and outfit.

Aria appeared in an ankle length, strapless sundress.

She looked wonderful—
dazzling
would best describe her look. With sun kissed skin and sparkling blue eyes, she’d attract her fair share of men. Initially reserved, once she had put on her new dress, her confidence returned. Her reservation about attending the luau had been short-lived, due in part to having such pushy, but good, friends who’d made her face reality. Meeting so many new strangers tonight would be a bit intimidating, but in truth, one man was still the only one who occupied her thoughts. No one else she’d meet could equal the way he made her heart race, so no one else could truly make her feel nervous.

Perhaps Aimee and Paige were right; tonight she should let loose and simply have some fun.

“It is a pretty dress, isn’t it?” she asked, looking down.

Paige, ever the thoughtful one of the group, was the first to comment.

“
You
make the dress pretty, Aria.
You’re
beautiful. You just don’t see it sometimes,” she said, comforting any insecurities she might have. “Now, come on,” she continued, grabbing her hand. “We have drinks, food, and dancing waiting for us!”

“Yeah, girl! You’re in for an exciting night!” Aimee agreed, winking at Paige and displaying a wicked grin.

She followed immediately behind to close the door of the suite after them.

They approached the party, and Aimee’s relaxed familiarity with most of the people in attendance put both girls at ease. She had introduced them to everyone, and before long, after a few drinks, conversations were flowing quite comfortably. Two handsome men were flirting with Paige and Aria, and when Aria saw Blake approach Paige, she thought nothing of it, as his presence was warranted by his position as a representative of Bella Matrix.

Everyone appeared to be enjoying the luau. The food was expertly prepared and more than delicious. The planners had orchestrated the seating so that the landscape was their backdrop. It was more than indescribably beautiful, and the effects of the alcohol only enhanced the beauty surrounding them, in Aria’s eyes.

As the mingling continued through hors d’oeuvres and dinner, traditional Hawaiian music meandered through the air, enhancing and continuing to embrace them in the Hawaiian island vibe. Guests of the party made their way to the tables for seating, where all remnants of their meal had been cleared away. Tiki torches lit a walkway and floral covered stage while steel drum and ukulele music tinkered from that direction in an inviting tune. The attendants were about to be treated to a floorshow filled with traditional music, song, and Hawaiian dance.

Aria, Paige, and Aimee were joined by Blake and the owner of the swimwear company, Michael Stang, at their table. They were front and center for the show, enjoying the finest view and service as everyone knew who Michael and Blake were.

The music mesmerized them as the songs set a carefree and enchanted mood. As they watched the skits and musical numbers, the part of the show that completely fascinated Aria was the strikingly beautiful island women and the various forms of hula dance. Graceful and elegant, their hands swept back and forth, mimicked the ocean waves as their pelvis and hips rocked seductively in time with the music.

Unexpectedly, the dancers pulled a few of the guests onstage, and Aria was one of the selected. Once in front of the crowd, the chosen were invited to join the performers in a dance. The women stood near Aria and showed her the gentle arm and hand gestures, which she mimicked quite well. They then instructed her in the tempting hip movements. She was a very quick study, and within a few moments, she was dancing on the stage with one of the male performers, a very handsome and muscularly built, native Hawaiian gentleman.

To the delight of the crowd who cheered and applauded for them both, they motivated each other with the sensuous movements of the dance. Aria smiled and laughed in appreciation, and the good looking man seduced her with the movements of his body, making her feel beautiful and sexy. She was enjoying herself, and she looked out into the crowd for her friends, who were enthusiastically cheering her on at the table.

Attempting to regain her focus and return her attention to the dance, she glanced through the crowd. Pausing, for just one moment, she saw a man who looked a bit like Carter Sinclair turning toward the bar. Trying to focus for a better view—she suddenly locked eyes with heat and fire
.

Declan’s concentrated and intense stare rendered her motionless. Almost tripping, she was frozen on the stage, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from his. Time stood still as everything faded away, and all she could hear was the beat of her heart. Her skin tingled, throbbing electrified, simply responding to his gaze. Though she had tried to forget him, and tried to convince herself that the feelings he invoked were under control, her body had other plans.

Startling her by touching her arm, the man who had been dancing with her asked if she was okay. She nodded and turned to look at the table where she had been sitting. By now, Paige, Aimee, and Blake knew something had gone wrong and had followed her stare, determining the scenario.

After Aria’s momentary disorientation, it was Aimee that became the object of her glared anger, as she shot her a hardened look and quickly ran from the stage.

Angered and hurt, Aria looked for escape. She rapidly left the party, colliding with a few people in her haste to return to the suite. It was the only safe place she knew of that could provide some sort of sanctuary for her erupting emotions.

Blinded by her tearing eyes, she bumped into someone as she made her way back through the door of the hotel. What she hadn’t noticed was that the person she had bumped into was Marisol…

Pacing back and forth in the room, the cold tile underneath her feet felt in direct contrast to her flaming anger. She needed a strategy, a game plan, a response—something—and there hadn’t been time to form a practical one.

From the moment her eyes found his in the crowd, rationale evaporated. Her thoughts were turbulent, overpowering her body. She shivered with excitement and fear, timid of the extreme and unexpected passion she’d just experienced. Lost in the jumble of feelings and responses that had currently mixed to become her thoughts, she barely heard the knock on the door of the suite.

Anticipating that it was Aimee coming to apologize for placing her in such a precarious position, her anger flared like someone threw a lit match into a container of gasoline. Her tongue was coiled tightly like a whip, as she prepared to lash out and strike—and Aimee deserved it.

With footsteps pounding to the door, she made her way quickly from the bedroom. Placing her hand on the door handle, shoulders back with a full attack stance prepared, she tried to think of something—anything—to say as she flung open the door.

“You
knew
he was going to be here!?” she spat boldly at the violator.

Everything went numb. All breath left her body as the shock of seeing him before her fully registered. She stood motionless, staring at him, unable to do a thing—and then he smiled…

Every cell in her body reignited as she inhaled out of necessity, becoming raw and tainted with sexual tension at the sight before her eyes.

“Yes, Aria…she did.”

Time stood still as soft, weathered brown leather met icy blue…

Declan used his shoulder, pushing through the partially opened doorway at the opportunity to touch her. He couldn’t stop himself. He knew her as well as she knew herself, and he saw the brief flicker of elation in her eyes when it penetrated that he was standing before her.

His hand reached the back of her head, pulling her lips up to meet his, and she met him with an equal passion. It crushed them both with a desperation birthed of time and distance spent apart.

Rationale tried to rise, but she was fighting herself, her body and mind, helpless as her heart gained command. In a weak attempt to protest, she pushed at his chest, but he held strong, consumed with the incapacitating passion.

He desired her.

She controlled him.

He had attempted to deny himself; however, it was a losing battle. His grip never lessened as he pushed his body into hers, craving her as he imposingly drove against her, gently bruising her hips. She had tortured his dreams, and he felt incompetent to behave with any sanity. Her effect on him gnawed at his very soul.

No longer resisting, she, too, fell victim to her wants and desires. She was thirsty for him and didn’t want to think at all—only feel. She had poured her heart out to him so many times in her letters, yet he wasn’t aware of a single anguished word. For now, all that mattered was holding onto him, and onto this moment.

Her mind liquefied as he touched her. She’d missed the feel of his hands, and as they moved down her neck to her shoulders they incited sparks through her marrow. The feel of him made her moan, a sound that made him wilder, and as his mouth took hers, he kissed her harder, provoking the electricity to spark until it raged.

He held her, leading her toward the wall and pushed the door closed. Pulling back from him just a little, she opened her mouth to protest, but he slowly filled it with the warmth of his tongue, teasing her again with desire. His hands and lips provided sweet torture as she was reminded of many nights she had endured alone without him, deprived of his strong touch and the heat of his mouth on hers.

Aria had missed him.

In the privacy of the room, she could think of nothing else but him and the hot blaze of desire. Months of anguish, neglected love, and painful hurt fell away with the few tears he kissed from her cheeks.

Pulling back when he felt them, he stared into her eyes. At first, he couldn’t say a word, and then with each kissed tear, he made his way up to her cheeks, stopping to look into her eyes.

“I was a fool,” he said, in barely a whisper, which caused another tear to fall from her eyes.

Making his way down, he held her against the wall, kissing her neck, causing her to seize her breath and moan with pleasure. His strong arms held her and his hands fisted into her hair. She felt braced by his strength and never wanted him to let her go.

He slightly pulled at the back of her head, tilting it up so he could view the blaze in her eyes. Holding her there, drinking in the sight that he had seen so often in his dreams, he silently conveyed his desire. He traced his fingers up the curves of her side, resting his hand on her throat, to feel the beat of her heart.

She could feel him against her, growing more rigid and demanding, aching for her as badly as she did for him. Neither could breathe from the sexual tension that gripped at their chests, stealing the breath from their lungs.

Her absence in his life had been excruciating, and the madness that the void had caused slammed into him daily with as much molestation as the vehicle that changed his life. Now that she was within his arms, he could think of nothing but devouring her.

Aria’s hands teasingly ran the length of his back, gripping at his shoulders and hugging around his waist. She hadn’t realized until they were alone just how much she missed him.

With her body pinned against the hard surface, she annihilated logic and surrendered to her desires. She wanted him to shatter her uncontrollable yearning.

He aimed to devastate her for anyone but him.

Giving one, brief moment to rationale, Declan tore his lips away from her body, struggling for breath as if he’d run a race.

“Aria,” he said, looking into her eyes, “I told you once that you were mine. I was reminded of that when I saw you tonight.”

She saw the emotion there, knowing it was unwarranted pain. He had nothing to fear from any other man.

He searched her eyes for insincerity, but only found the turbulence he loved. The storm that raged within her had begun to flow throughout the depths of their blue.