Forcing his mind away from the tantalizing image of Sara undressing for bed down the hall, Adrian wondered just where Lowell Kincaid was at the moment. The older man had dropped out of sight and would probably stay out of sight until it was all over. Good, logical strategy. In the meantime all Adrian could do was wait and keep watch over the woman in his care.
Patience, he had told her that afternoon, was of great value. He wasn’t sure she had believed him. The thought edged his mouth with a wry flicker of amusement. The lady did things with a certain impulsive flair. He could see why she probably wasn’t cut out for the corporate world in the long run. She didn’t have the patience for elaborate strategy and she didn’t show any interest in restraining her impetuousness. In the short time he’d known her she’d enthusiastically broken into two private houses, comprehended and been a little shaken by the gut-level action of Phantom, nearly gotten herself abducted, and fixed him a celebration dinner with all the excitement of a woman who genuinely cared about his success. She’d topped that off by serenely taking herself off to bed as though she were simply a visiting relative rather than a woman who’d been subtly tantalizing him all evening.
Yes, he could see why she probably couldn’t have gotten too much further in the corporate world. They liked flair in that world, it was true, but they liked it coupled with a certain amount of predictability and internalized respect for the corporate image. Adrian had a strong hunch Sara didn’t have any such thing as an internalized respect for that type of image. Just as she probably hadn’t had any for the academic image or the artistic image. She would play at maintaining the corporate facade the same way she played at being a yuppie. After a while, upper management would probably have figured out that she wasn’t one hundred percent committed to their world.
Apparently she had figured it out first and decided to make a graceful exit.
The same kind of exit she’d made tonight, Adrian concluded grimly. Did she know he was sitting here, his body in a state of semiarousal while his mind tried to anticipate the next move the guy outside in the shadows might make? He wished to hell Kincaid would call and provide some clue as to what was happening. In the meantime all he could do was sit tight and practice the virtue of patience. It was a virtue he’d learned well.
Two hours later Sara came drowsily awake and lay still in the wide bed wondering what had brought her up out of a light sleep. It had been hard enough to get to sleep in the first place. She was momentarily annoyed at the intrusion.
Then the reality of where she was and why came back and she sat up, absently rubbing her eyes. She listened for a moment but heard nothing. A wary glance at the curtained window showed no menacing shadows. Why on earth was she awake? Perhaps it was simply nerves. She certainly had a right to a severe bout of nervous tension, she assured herself. Patting a yawn, she thought about getting up for a drink of water or a glass of milk. Then she noticed that light was seeping under her bedroom door from the hall. Adrian must still be up, she realized in concern.
If he wasn’t able to sleep, it was because of her. He was sitting out there in the living room, worrying. Sara was certain of it. The man took his responsibilities too much to heart. She didn’t want him staying up all night to stand guard over her.
Pushing aside the covers, she climbed out of bed, found her robe and went to the door. The hall outside her room was empty and the light left on in it seemed to be the only light in the house. Perhaps she was wrong. Maybe Adrian had gone to bed after all. She would feel much better if he had.
As long as she was up she might as well see if there was any milk in the refrigerator. Stepping out into the hall, Sara walked toward the living room, intent on reaching the kitchen. It was as she left the lighted hall and moved into the shadows en route to her goal that she saw him.
„Adrian?“
He was standing near a window, his lean frame a dark silhouette amid the various dark shapes of the living room. She knew he was watching her, although the silvered eyes were lost in pools of shadow.
„Do you make a habit of running around a lot at night?“ he asked gently. „This is the second evening in a row that I’ve found you out and about instead of tucked into bed.“
She smiled. „The fact that you’ve been awake to observe my nocturnal habits means yours are a little odd, too. Why aren’t you in bed, Adrian?“
„I wasn’t sleepy,“ he said simply.
„I don’t believe you.“ She took a few steps forward, her bare feet silent on the wooden floor. „You’re worried, aren’t you? I thought you said the house was safe.“
„It is.“
„Then you should be in bed, not prowling around out here.“
„Is that what I was doing?“ He seemed vaguely amused. „Prowling?“
Sara moved still closer. She came to a halt a foot away from him and lightly touched his arm. „I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep unless you do. I’m not used to someone fretting over me like this. It makes me feel strange, Adrian. You don’t need to assume this kind of responsibility toward me.“
„I don’t have any choice.“ His tone was suddenly grim.
„You mean because of that message my uncle left on the tape?“ She groaned. Her fingers tightened urgently on his arm. „Adrian, you mustn’t take that too seriously. I’m not really your responsibility. There’s absolutely no need to feel that you have to play bodyguard.“
„After what happened this afternoon?“ he asked dryly.
She shook her head resolutely. „When it comes right down to it, Adrian, that was my problem, not yours. I mean, I certainly appreciate your interest in my welfare, but I don’t want you to feel you have to get so involved.“
„I’ve already told you; I don’t have any choice.“ He lifted his hand to touch her cheek. „And I think you know it.“
Belatedly she remembered that he could see much better in the dark than she could. Sara was very much afraid he might be able to read the uncertainty in her eyes as she looked up at him. „Adrian, please…“
„What are you afraid of, Sara? That you might come to rely on me? Your uncle says you move in a world where you can’t count on a man when the chips are down.“
„Sometimes my uncle exaggerates,“ she said huskily, acutely conscious of the roughness of his fingertips. She wanted to move away from his touch and couldn’t.
„Your uncle knows a lot about human nature. He learned it the hard way.“
„But he’s prone to sweeping generalizations,“ she protested. „He met a couple of the men I’ve dated and decided everyone in my world was like them. I don’t think he approves of the ‘new male,’“ she added, trying for a spark of humor.
Adrian didn’t respond. His hand slid down the side of her throat, resting just above the collar of her robe. „I don’t think you approve of the ‘new male’ either, Sara, or you would have been married by now.“
„It sounds as though you’re prone to sweeping generalizations, too! Actually, there’s a lot to be said for the new breed of male. He acts as if he’s sensitive, communicates his thoughts and feelings with all the right words; he’s into things like art and gourmet cooking and he’s able to handle the idea of a woman in the professional world, or says he is…“
„And he thinks in terms of relationships instead of commitments. But a woman like you needs commitment, according to your uncle. That says it all, Sara. Your uncle is right. You would never have found what you were looking for in your old world.“
„How can you know so much about me?“ she whispered, feeling confused and unsure.
„Your uncle has told me a lot about you. For nearly a year he’s been feeding me bits and pieces of information about you. Enough to torment me and bait me and tease me. I’ve remembered everything he said. And now that I’ve had you with me for a couple of days I’ve had a chance to learn a few things on my own.“
„You’re an expert on human nature, too?“
„Umm.“ The hand on her throat was warm a
nd compelling. He traced the curve of her shoulder as if deeply intrigued by it.
„And did you gain your knowledge the hard way, also?“ she demanded, striving to maintain her sense of balance, both emotional and physical.
„There is no easy way.“
„Adrian…“
„There’s nothing else to say, Sara. We’re together in this. I’m going to look after you, whether you think I have the right to do so or not.“
She moved her head in a slow negative. „Because my uncle ‘gave’ me to you?“
„Perhaps. I haven’t had a lot of gifts in my life. I’ve learned to take care of the ones I do get.“
„Just as you’ve learned to value life’s little pleasures?“
He muttered something under his breath, something that sounded disgusted. „You misinterpreted what I meant last night.“
„Did I?“
„And now you’re using that misinterpretation as an excuse to withdraw from me tonight, aren’t you?“
„Yes,“ she acknowledged, aware of an ache of pain and regret because of her own defensive behavior. She wanted to toss it aside and give into the promise of the moment. Feeling torn in a way she had never known before, she couldn’t bring herself to release her grip on his arm and walk back to the bedroom. It should have been a simple enough action. She knew it would certainly be the wisest thing to do under the circumstances.
„Sara, you don’t have to be afraid of me,“ he said so softly she almost didn’t hear him. It was the urgent need in his voice that got through to her.
„I know that.“ The bluntly honest words were out before she could halt them, a response to the urgency in him. Hastily she tried to retreat. „It’s not that I’m afraid of you, I simply don’t want you assuming so much responsibility toward me.“
„I know. Because you’re afraid that if you give me that right, you’ll come to rely on me and at some point in the future that could be dangerous, couldn’t it?“
„Dangerous?“
„You’re afraid that one day you’ll turn around and I won’t be there or I won’t be the man you think I am at the moment you need me most.“
Sara took a deep breath and tried to control the trembling in her fingers where they rested on his sleeve. „That’s quite an analysis.“
„I told you; I’ve been studying you. Between your uncle’s observations and my own, I’ve got a fair amount of data,“ he murmured.
„So you think you know a great deal about me now, is that it? What about you, Adrian? What do you need?“
„You.“
The single word was a monolith between them. Sara knew there was no way around or over the starkness of his answer. She could only retreat or accept it. It was not possible to ignore it.
Intellectually she knew she should retreat. But her intense emotional reaction anchored her to the spot. She could not move. In that moment she knew she wanted him, too. The one element of caution that she had always practiced in an otherwise playful approach to life seemed to be disintegrating. The strange swirl of emotions she experienced around this man was blowing into a full-scale storm. Sara was no longer certain she could resist the impact.
„Adrian,“ she heard herself whisper, „are you sure?“
„Do you have to ask?“
„No.“ She looked up at him wonderingly. „No, I don’t think I do. I’ve never met anyone like you.“
„I know. I’ve never met anyone like you, either.“ The hand on her throat held her very still as he brought his mouth down to hers.
Sara trembled a little beneath the warm onslaught of his kiss, and there was a soft sound far back in her throat that was lost against his lips. She felt the need in him and the leashed hunger and knew that the honesty of his desire was going to be overwhelming.
Slowly her palms lifted to rest against his strong shoulders as her mouth flowered open.
„Sara…“
Her name was a husky groan uttered deep in his chest and then he was tasting the damp warmth behind her lips. The aggressive intimacy of the kiss seemed to swamp her, making her sway against him. Adrian steadied her, holding her with a kind of fierce gentleness that provided all the strength she needed.
Slowly he lifted his head until he could look questioningly down into her face. His eyes gleamed with a silvery brilliance that captivated her, and she knew in that moment that she was lost. Or found. She couldn’t be sure which. Nothing seemed normal or totally rational. But one fact seemed to emerge from the shimmering world of her emotions. If Adrian wanted her tonight, she was his.
He must have read the vulnerable response behind her lowered lashes because he let out a long sigh and lifted her into his arms.
„It’s all right, Sara.“ His voice was a dark and passionate stroke along her nerves. „It’s all right, honey. I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of everything. I’ve waited and wondered so long. I didn’t even realize how much I needed you until you finally walked into my life.“
Sara felt the easy power in him and rested her head against his shoulder. Unconsciously she surrendered the last remnants of her caution. She didn’t care where he was taking her or what would happen when they arrived. Never had she been so certain that it was safe to abandon the future for the moment. There was no longer a distinction between the two in her mind. In fact, it seemed to her that there could be no real future without this timeless interlude. Adrian needed her and she needed him.
She was vaguely aware that he carried her into his own bedroom, not hers. Carefully he stood her on her feet while he turned back the covers. His eyes never left her face. When he’d finished the small task, he stood in front of her and put his hands at the base of her throat. There was more than passion in his touch, Sara realized. There was that sense of need and urgency she had responded to last night on the balcony of her motel room. Once more it enthralled her and this time there was no barrier to keep her from tumbling into the glittering net.
„Don’t think about anything else except us,“ he whispered as he slowly slid his hands inside the robe and pushed it off her shoulders. „Please, Sara. Just us.“
„I don’t think I could concentrate on anything else even if I wanted to,“ she said truthfully. Again she shivered. The light robe fell to the floor at her feet.
„Are you afraid of me?“
Sara shook her head. „No.“
„You’re trembling.“ He seemed incredibly concerned over the fact. His fingertips stroked her bare arms and then he touched the rising swell of her breast just above the edge of the nightgown.
„I know, but not because I’m afraid.“ She smiled a little as she covered one of his hands with her own. „You’re trembling a bit, too.“
„I’m shaking like a leaf. I want you, Sara. I’ve been wanting you all evening. No, longer than that. I’ve been wanting you for months.“ The words were raw with honesty.
„Adrian, it’s probably much too soon – “
„No,“ he interrupted roughly. „It couldn’t possibly be too soon. Not for us.“
His hands moved down over her breasts and she felt the tantalizing heat of his palms through the thin material of the nightgown. She knew he must realize that her body was already responding. Sara could feel the tautness of her nipples as they came tinglingly alive. She caught her breath and began to fumble with the buttons of his shirt.
„Please, Sara,“ he breathed into her hair. „Yes, please.“
His need filled her with a longing to satisfy and comfort him. Slowly she made her way down the front of his shirt until it parted, exposing the dark hair on his chest. So entranced with the vivid sensuality of the moment was she that Sara was hardly even aware of her nightgown floating to the floor.
But when Adrian’s hands slid down her back to the full curve of her hips, she moaned softly and stumbled a little against him. She glanced up into his face and read the masculine anticipation there.
„You’re so soft,“ he murmured in tones of wonder. His fingers sa
nk luxuriously into the flesh of her derriere and he pulled her tightly against him.
„You’re not soft at all,“ Sara said unthinkingly and then buried her flushed face against his chest as he growled his amused response.
„No, I don’t suppose I am. I feel as though I’m made up of angles and rough edges. You, on the other hand, are composed of curves and gentle valleys. Places where a man can lose himself.“
He let his fingers trail into the cleft between her buttocks and Sara’s nails dug lightly into his skin as he followed the path to the dampening juncture of her thighs.
„Adrian…“
„Say my name like that again,“ he demanded hoarsely as he picked her up and settled her on the bed. „It sounds different when you say it.“
„Does it?“ She lay watching as he yanked off his shirt, stepped out of his shoes and unclasped his jeans. A moment later he stood nude beside the bed, the light from the hall emphasizing his lean, hard body. He was wonderful, she thought dazedly. Everything she could ever want in a man. It was strange to be so certain of that, because until now she hadn’t been quite sure just what she had wanted in a man. She had only known that she hadn’t found it.
„Oh, Adrian,“ she whispered as he came down beside her. „Adrian, I didn’t know…“
„Didn’t know what?“ He flattened his palm on her stomach and smoothed her skin down to the curling hair that veiled the heart of her femininity.
„Never mind. I don’t think I can explain it just now.“ She curled into him, shifting languidly under his touch. „I can’t even think right now.“
„There’s nothing to think about.“ He leaned down to kiss the peak of her breast. His tongue teased the firm bud of her nipple until she cried out and pulled him closer. „That’s all you have to do right now,“ he told her approvingly, the words heavy with desire. „Just give yourself to me. Let me open my present. I’ve been waiting so long for you, sweetheart.“