CHAPTER 6
Mine!
Dante’s entire body was wired up and tense, his instincts pounding at him to take Sarah away somewhere and satiate her until she couldn’t think straight anymore. She was dressed in a pair of blue-and-yellow-striped shorts and a short-sleeved matching blue shirt. The shorts were long, almost to her knees, and weren’t meant to be provocative, but on her, they were sexy as hell. Even the innocent, shiny pink polish on her toenails that peeked out from a pair of casual sandals made his dick hard.
He hadn’t just listened to her play the piano; he had felt her. Underneath her logical, analytical exterior was a woman of fire and passion. Yeah. He’d already known that, but he hadn’t realized just how raw those emotions really were. He’d watched her face the entire time he’d been listening to her pour her heart into her music, and it had leveled him, leaving him completely destroyed. He could feel her need just like it was his own, and the sensations hadn’t stopped when the music had ceased. Dante could still feel that sense of longing, and he knew that he was exuding it just as much as Sarah was. Tension flowed in the space between them like an electric current, and his cock was so hard that he was barely able to suppress the need to touch her, to somehow claim her. Even watching her smile at Jared had nearly killed him. He didn’t want another man near her, especially when she was vulnerable. Was it just him who could see that she wore every emotion close to the surface when she was playing?
“Let’s go take a walk,” Dante suggested, gritting his teeth to keep from suggesting what he really wanted: let’s go home and fuck until neither one of us can move. He moved close to her and took her hand, guiding her out of the room.
“Wait. I need to lock up, and I have to go pick up Coco,” she told him nervously.
He waited impatiently as she locked the door to the music room, following her as she dropped the key in a box near the front entrance, and then detoured to the gymnasium to peek into the bingo games. “Randi must have her,” Sarah murmured, moving to another room and cracking the door to look inside.
Dante breathed a sigh of relief as Sarah opened the door wider and he saw the room contained only one petite, dark-haired woman and a couple of kids. Randy was Randi, and she was a female.
“Hey, Randi. I just wanted to get Coco out of your way,” Sarah said, her eyes landing on the dog the woman was holding in her lap.
“She’s never a bother. You know I love her. I’d steal her away from you if I thought I could get away with it.” The woman rose from her seat and placed Coco on the floor. “And the kids love her. It took a while to get down to doing their homework.” She leaned around Sarah’s body. “Who’s this?”
“Dante Sinclair, meet Miranda Tyler. She’s a local teacher and a very good friend of Emily’s,” Sarah told him as she scooted from her place between them so he could see Randi.
Dante smiled at the brunette and held out his hand. “We’ve actually met. She was the maid of honor for Emily at her and Grady’s wedding. It’s good to see you again, Randi.”
“Same here,” Randi answered, taking his hand and shaking it before adding, “I’m sorry about your partner, Dante. And I’m sorry you were hurt. I was relieved to hear that you were doing better.”
“Thanks,” he responded quietly, uncomfortable because he wasn’t quite used to talking about Patrick actually being dead. He didn’t know Randi very well, but from what little he’d seen of her at Grady’s wedding, she seemed like a nice enough woman.
Sarah pulled a leash from her purse and attached it to Coco’s collar. “Emily and I are meeting at Brew Magic after work on Friday if you’d like to come.”
Randi’s face lit up. “I wouldn’t miss it. It looks like I have a lot to catch up on.” She glanced curiously at Sarah, and then at Dante. “I didn’t realize you two were . . . together.”
Dante watched as Sarah’s face flushed, and she stammered, “Oh, no . . . we aren’t . . . we don’t . . . he’s my patient.”
Dante winked at Randi. “We actually are, and we do. And I just changed doctors so she isn’t my physician anymore.” Because I want to fuck her too desperately to have her as my doctor. Dante was damn tired of Sarah trying to ignore the attraction between the two of them.
“Difference of opinion?” Randi asked mischievously.
“Maybe for now. But I’ll convince her,” Dante told Randi adamantly as he grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
“I can’t believe you just said that,” Sarah whispered harshly as they walked toward the front entrance. “You lied. I’m your physician. I can’t be seeing you in any other way.”
“One of the things we need to talk about,” Dante answered, squeezing her hand as she tried to pull away. “We’re going to settle this now, Sarah.”
“There’s nothing to settle,” she answered angrily. “I trust Randi, but if you don’t let go of my hand, the whole town will think we’re . . . together.”
It was dark as they walked outside, and Dante headed for the boardwalk. There might still be people around, but it was a little more private. “I can’t keep pretending that you’re just my doctor, that I don’t feel the need to rip your clothes off and fuck you until we’re both satisfied.”
“What happened at my house shouldn’t ever have happened. You were under the influence of narcotics. I shouldn’t have responded the way I did. I should have taken you home. I’m your doctor and I shouldn’t have taken advantage of the whole situation. I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly.
Dante halted underneath one of the lamps along the boardwalk to see her face clearly. Nope. She wasn’t messing with him. He could see the remorse and regret on her face.
Shit. Was she really that innocent? She has to be. That guilty expression is real.
And damned if that didn’t just make his cock that much harder.
“Are you under the impression that you somehow molested me? That I wasn’t totally aware of every single thing that was happening?” Dante couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice.
“It’s not funny.” Sarah glared up at him. “Maybe I didn’t exactly try to seduce you, but I contributed to what happened. I didn’t stop it. I even encouraged it.”
“That’s what happens when two people get all hot and bothered, when they need to fuck so desperately that they can’t even remember their own names,” he told her gutturally, his mind focused on nothing except how badly he wanted to make her come. Really, he couldn’t say he had a whole lot of experience with this particular situation. He’d never felt like this about a woman before.
“I don’t get that way,” Sarah protested.
That was a challenge if Dante had ever heard one. Maybe Sarah didn’t mean it to be, but he’d certainly be willing to prove her wrong. “You wanted the same thing I did. Admit it.” His need to hear her say the words wasn’t something he could ignore. Possessive instincts were pounding at him, and he knew that the gnawing pain in his gut wasn’t going away until she admitted that she wanted him just as damn desperately as he wanted her.
“It doesn’t matter what I wanted. You weren’t in your right mind, and I’m your doctor.” She turned away from him to stare out at the ocean beyond the boardwalk.
Dante wanted desperately to laugh, but he didn’t. Sarah was obviously upset and troubled, and no matter how strange her notions might be to him, they meant something to her. She really felt guilty for what had happened. It might be funny to him that she thought she’d somehow coerced him. Hell, he wished. He fucking fantasized about that.
He tried to tell her calmly, “I wasn’t under the influence of the drugs. They had already worn off, and I didn’t take any more of them until I got back home again. When I said they made me feel strange, I just meant I wouldn’t drive while I was taking them, and I was speaking in past tense.” He tugged on her hand, leading her down to a beach that was lit only by moonlight. Reaching down, he let Coco off her leash and dropped it into the sand. “I don’t think she’ll go far.”
“She won’t,” Sarah agreed nervously.
Dante recaptured her hand and pulled it against his groin. “I’ve been like this since the moment I saw you. There isn’t one damn second that my cock isn’t hard when you’re near me. This isn’t drug induced, and I’ll be damned if I even understand it myself. But I can’t ignore it, and I’m past the point where I give a shit why.” Dante wasn’t in the mood to reason anything out. He needed her, and he wanted to do something about it. He was a take-action type of guy. He’d never been this obsessed over a woman. Not ever. And all he wanted to do right now was calm his ass down by satiating her.
Dante nearly groaned as her fingers hesitantly traced the outline of his engorged cock. Even over the denim of his jeans, the feel of her touching him made him hotter than any woman ever had, and his dick wasn’t even out of his pants.
“I don’t understand this.” She kept tracing her fingers over the denim. “We hardly know each other. I don’t know what your favorite color is or what kind of music you like. I have no idea what your favorite food is, or if you have a favorite book. You’re a billionaire who has more money than just about anyone else on the planet, and I’m a doctor who went to school on scholarships and student loans. My father might have been a rocket scientist, but he wasn’t good with money, and there wasn’t much left for my mother when he died. We have almost nothing in common.”
Dante could hear the uncertainty and confusion in her voice. Despite her brilliance, Sarah was still innocent. Her intelligent mind was still trying to make sense of the two of them wanting each other. In reality, it didn’t make sense. It just . . . was. For Christ’s sake, he was a homicide detective who got laid whenever possible, but he didn’t get involved because of his job, and he didn’t get territorial afterward. Ever. Now he was possessive, and all he’d really done was kiss Sarah. This wasn’t his normal behavior, and he was more than a little unsettled by the whole damn situation. Problem was, he couldn’t ignore his instincts. And the vulnerability he could hear in her voice made comforting her his first priority.
He grasped her hand that was cupping him through his jeans and pulled her body into his, wrapping his arms around her waist. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled, letting her fragrance fill his senses. “I love dark blue, a blue so dark that it looks almost violet. There aren’t many types of music that I don’t like, and it just depends on what mood I’m in. I think lobster rolls are my new favorite food, and I don’t have much time to read because I’m never usually still enough to finish a book.” His hands moved to her ass and pulled her pelvis up and against his aching cock. “And I don’t give a shit about my money. I never have. I live in a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, and my salary more than covers all of my needs unless I want something special. I use a family friend to manage and invest for me. My job has always consumed me, so I don’t have time to even spend any money. I don’t have a private jet, although I have to admit that I think Grady’s is pretty nice. Most times, I forget that I’m even a billionaire. I live the same way you do: I live for my job.”
Sarah squirmed, trying gently to move away from him. “Your ribs—”
“Would feel a whole lot better if you’d stop moving,” Dante finished.
Sarah froze. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
Jesus. His dick was pulsating just from the heat of her covering him and the feel of her soft, fragrant body against him. “I’d give anything to have you naked right now,” he rasped, his heart hammering against his chest wall.
“You’d be disappointed if I were,” she told him warily.
No, he wouldn’t, and he didn’t understand why she’d think that. He’d taste every inch of her exposed, fragrant, soft skin until she was whimpering for him to take her. Unable to wait another moment, he moved his hands up her back and trapped her head between his palms. He figured she knew more than enough about him now. If she wanted details, she could have them later.
Fuck it.
He covered her mouth with his, savoring the sweetness of the connection as he devoured her. Spearing his hands into her soft curls, he lost himself in the feel of her body and the relief of finally being able to possess her in some way.
Mine. She’s mine.
Dante didn’t fight his needs anymore. He needed to brand her as his, he needed to dominate her and protect her, and he gave in to those entangled desires as his tongue explored her mouth, claiming every inch of it. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth even harder against hers, Dante nearly lost his mind from the pleasure of her submission.
I need to touch her before I lose it.
Taking one hand from her hair, he let it slide between their bodies, yanking on the drawstring of her shorts.
One touch. There’s nobody around. It’s dark.
When his hand slid into her shorts and beneath a light pair of panties, he knew one touch wasn’t going to be enough. His fingers met nothing but slick, velvety heat, and her pussy was saturated. Dante nearly groaned as he stroked through her sleek folds, his fingers searching and finding her clit.
He caught and swallowed a whimper coming from her throat, the sound of her arousal making him lose every thought except making her come. She needed, and he wanted to provide.
Pulling his mouth from hers, he rasped, “Come for me, Sarah. I need to make you come.” His need to satiate her was unstoppable. As much as he wanted to bury himself inside of her heat, he couldn’t. The beach was deserted at the moment, and there was only the moonlight to illuminate them, but he selfishly didn’t want anyone to see her vulnerable except him.
“I can’t,” she panted. “I—”
“You can,” he told her harshly, his breathing getting heavier as he grasped a lock of her hair and tilted her head back to taste the soft skin of her neck. He teased the small bundle of nerves relentlessly with his fingers, feeling her grow impossibly wetter as he stroked her over and over. “You’re so hot, sweetheart.”
“Dante, I can’t stop—”
“Don’t stop,” he demanded, feeling her entire body start to tremble against him. “Come for me.”
She moaned, making sweet sounds of pleasure that satisfied Dante in a way he’d never experienced before. He bit gently on the skin of her neck, and that seemed to make her even crazier. She squirmed, but he didn’t give a shit about the pain it caused to his sore ribs. Her frenzy fed his, and he put more pressure on her clit, moving faster and faster.
“Dante, Dante,” she moaned, her nails biting into his back through his light T-shirt.
“Come for me, Sarah,” he growled, loving the sound of his name on her lips when she was on the verge of orgasm, needing to feel her release.
“Yes,” she moaned, totally lost.
Dante covered her mouth again, this time to smother her scream as her body vibrated with the strength of her climax. He prolonged her bliss as long as possible, caressing her pussy until she sagged against him, spent.
Mine.
He wrapped an arm around her waist for support and laid her head against his shoulder, stroking her hair as he relished the feeling of exhilaration pumping through his body. The satisfaction vaulting through him right now was better than the best fuck he’d ever had.
“This is what we have in common, Sarah,” he said huskily as he absently toyed with her hair.
“Lust?” she answered breathlessly. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
For some reason, Dante wasn’t happy with her description of what was happening between them. He’d had lust. This was something entirely different. But he answered, “Yeah. What’s wrong with lust?”
“I didn’t think it would be like this,” she admitted, her voice laced with uncertainty. “That was . . . overwhelming.”
Dante felt like beating on his chest. Overwhelming was good. He wanted to shatter every illusion she had about sensible passion. She’d completely ruined him for ever having casual sex again. He knew that, and he wanted her to be as stunned as he was right now.
“Oh, God. I’m sorry. I’m all over you,” Sarah exclaimed, sounding mortified. “You shouldn’t be taking my weight right now. Damn! Why do you make me forget rational thought?”
Dante smirked into the darkness and tightened his hold on her. “It doesn’t hurt, and you can’t think straight because you just had a mind-blowing orgasm. And I wish you were all over me.”
“This is not amusing.” Sarah pulled away from him and picked up the dog leash on the sand. Coco was lying on the beach only a few feet away, and she snapped the leash onto the dog’s collar before she turned back toward him. “We have to stop this, Dante.”
“I can’t,” he told her gravely, knowing he couldn’t. This was as new for him as it was for her, but he wasn’t afraid of it. He was more afraid of losing the chance of having the intensity of the emotions Sarah made him feel. He’d been living in darkness since the day Patrick died. If he was honest, the emptiness had probably been there for quite a while on some level, even before Patrick’s death. “You make me feel alive again,” he confessed hoarsely.
Dante took her hand and led her safely to the boardwalk where there was more light. They started walking slowly back toward the youth center.
“I know these last few weeks have been difficult for you, Dante. Maybe you just need a distraction, but I can’t do this,” she said flatly as she walked along beside him.
“You think that’s what this is? A distraction? A distraction is watching a movie or a football game. A distraction is going fishing or stopping for a beer. A distraction is not losing my fucking mind over a woman.” Dante paused near his truck and grasped her upper arm to stop her from going any farther. “Have dinner with me.”
She looked up at him, her eyes shining with uncertainty and damp with tears. Seeing her sadness and her eyes welled up with tears slammed him in the gut.
“What’s wrong?” He was really worried now, and he was pretty certain this wasn’t a side that Sarah showed to anyone often. He pushed her gently back against the truck and crowded her, putting a palm on each side of her on the truck. She wasn’t getting away until she was smiling again.
“You make me feel alive, too,” she told him solemnly, as though it were a horrible, life-changing event. “I don’t know how to handle it. I don’t know how to do . . . this.” She motioned at herself and then at him.
Dante grinned down at her. “Sweetheart, I know how to do it. I’ll be happy to teach you.”
She frowned at him. “That’s not what I mean. I know the anatomy part.” She paused for a moment before confiding in a whisper, “I’m scared. I’ve never felt this way before, and my body doesn’t react like this. I think, I reason, and when I’m with you, I just feel instead of trying to make sense of what’s happening between us. My body is in control instead of my brain. That’s never happened before, Dante.”
Dante wondered if she had ever said those words in her entire life. Again, he was overcome with the desire to protect her when she was vulnerable. “Don’t be afraid.” He gathered her into his arms and held her, his heart racing as he tried to wrap her up inside him so she’d never feel afraid again. “Have dinner with me. We can go to Tony’s Fish House. Jared said the food is good.”
Sarah sniffled as she leaned back and looked up at him. “It’s touristy and expensive. I’ve never eaten there.”
“I think I can afford it. Go with me. We have to eat, right? I hate eating alone.”
She eyed him warily, and Dante held his breath until she murmured, “I’m your doctor. I can’t be seen out with you in public.”
“You’re not my doctor anymore,” he told her irritably. “What I told Randi is true. I requested a change to Dr. Samuels. So no more bullshit. You’ll see the request for my medical records on your fax in the morning.” He knew if he didn’t change doctors, she’d keep her distance. At least if he switched physicians, she wouldn’t be able to use the excuse that she was his doctor. He was damn glad he’d done the switch now, after seeing how eaten up she was by guilt. The idea that she’d taken advantage of him was ridiculous, but she still had a deep sense of ethics. “So no more doctor-patient relationship.”
“You really switched?” she asked him, looking astonished.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew if I didn’t, you’d keep treating me like a patient,” he replied gruffly. “And that’s the last damn thing I want from you.”
“I’ll think about it,” she answered carefully. “Call me.”
He would. Tomorrow. Or maybe later tonight. He’d wear her down until she gave in to him. He wanted to explore what was happening between them. And he’d make sure she caved in.
He let her go, waiting for her to walk to her car. She didn’t. She started toward Main Street. “Where the hell did you park?”
“I didn’t drive. I walked. I like to walk.”
Dante calculated the distance to her house and some of the secluded areas she’d have to pass through to get there. “Get in the truck, woman.” He broke out in a cold sweat just thinking about her walking home in the dark. “It’s not safe for a woman to be walking home alone.”
Sarah stopped and turned around. “This is Amesport, not Los Angeles or Chicago.”
“I don’t give a shit. There are too many places where something could happen. You have tourists in this town. Not everyone is a local.” And even if they were all locals, there were crazy people everywhere. “Get in the truck.”
Her brows drew together in irritation, leaving a tiny crinkle between her eyes. “I’ve been walking it for a year. I do need exercise.”
“There are far more pleasurable ways to exercise,” he told her ominously, unlocking and opening the passenger door of the truck. “In,” he demanded. He’d be damned if he was going to let her walk one more step into the darkness.
She came toward him slowly, stopping in front of him. “Is that your police officer voice? It’s pretty bossy.”
“Sweetheart, you have no idea what an asshole I can be. Be happy you’re not a criminal,” he told her dangerously.
“It kind of makes me want to run out and commit a crime. That whole dictator thing is pretty hot,” she mentioned matter-of-factly. “Not that I’d always obey your commands, but the whole caveman persona has its merits, sexually.” She paused before adding, “I think I might like it.”
Holy hell! She’s going to make me crazy! I’d like to go caveman all over her ass right now.
Not that his erection had ever subsided, but his cock was twitching merrily right at the moment. He picked her up and set her gently in the passenger seat. After taking the leash from her hand, he picked up Coco and placed the dog in the backseat. As he fastened Sarah’s seat belt, he replied, “You better get used to it, because I think you’re going to throw me back into the Stone Age.” He closed the door before she could reply. If she said one more word about the merits of being sexually dominated, his dick was going to explode.
Funny thing was, it was all an observation for her, and she was just starting to realize her own sexuality. Sarah wasn’t coming on to him, but it didn’t matter. The sexy, slightly bewildered, analytical voice just seemed to do it for him.
He jogged around the truck and jumped into the driver’s seat. “No more walking alone at night. Your pint-sized mutt isn’t exactly good protection.”
“Yes, Detective Sinclair,” she answered immediately, her lips forming into a smile.
Dante glared at her, wondering if she was being sarcastic. “What’s amusing? Your safety is not a joke. It’s dangerous for a woman to walk alone at night.”
“Nothing is actually amusing. I guess I’ve just never had someone worry about whether or not I was safe,” she answered carefully. “It’s . . . strange.”
“Then it’s about time somebody did,” he told her in a low, graveled voice, astounded that she’d never had anyone who looked out for her. But she’d told him about her mother, a woman who seemed to only be interested in her daughter’s scholastic achievements, and she had no siblings. It was highly possible that everyone assumed that because she was so gifted, so special, that she’d never needed any backup or support. How asinine was that? Because of her situation, what she’d really needed was a champion, a protector. Sarah dealt with things in black and white, logic and reason. Unfortunately, the crazies in the world didn’t analyze things in their brains the same way Sarah did.
Mine!
He’d gladly be the man who watched out for her. She might be more intelligent than he was, scholastically, but he was street smart, which was exactly what she needed.
He started the engine, backed out of the parking lot, and headed toward her house. They didn’t talk much, but every time he turned to look at her, she was still smiling.