Last Night (11 page)

"
Big Daddy can
'
t listen to everyone at once. He must have a sophisticated tape system that he can play back later.
"
Rob stopped at the turnout for the spa that was separated from the pool by a few feet.

"You
'
re right. He
'
s out riding with the
paniolos
most days. At night he holds a cocktail hour from six until dinner is served at eight.
"
Even now she could hear the sounds of guests gathering on the terrace, appreciating the spectacular sunset.
"
He must listen later.
"

"
He probably tunes in for the bedtime follies.
"
There was no mistaking the sensual light in Rob
'
s eyes.
"
We won
'
t want to disappoint him.
"

Dana drew in her breath and crossed her arms as if to protect herself. "I think we should get a few things straight.
"

"
Really?
"
All innocence. "Like what?
"

"
Like this is a serious situation. I
'
ve hired you and I can fire you.
"

"I love it when you talk dirty,
"
he said with a pronounced Texas drawl.
"
You aren
'
t going to fire
me. You
'
re up to your eyeballs in alligators and you know it. What
'
s really bothering you?
"

She gazed out across the swimming pool designed to look like a mountain lake. The rumors she
'
d heard about him echoed in her mind like distant thunder. He
'
d never actually been charged with rape, but when he'd brought it up that night at Coconut Willie
'
s, he hadn
'
t denied it. Why not?

"
I guess what
'
s bothering me is the size of the cottage,
"
she fibbed. "I
'
m not used to living in close quarters with a man. I think we should establish some guidelines.
"

He chuckled, an undeniably masculine laugh. "Like who gets the bathroom first? You can have it, sweetcakes, as long as you don't stay in there all day.
"

"
I don
'
t take long,
"
she informed him, her annoyance showing in her tone. She swallowed twice.
"
I was wondering what you planned to wear to bed.
"

His smirk made her want to whack him. "Hey, I sleep nude. Doesn
'
t everybody?
"

She wished she owned a more modest nightgown than the black lace one she
'
d brought with her, believing she
'
d have a room of her own. "Wear your shorts, or I
'
m sleeping on the love seat.
"

"
And tip off Big Daddy?
"

"I
'
m serious.
"
She shot him the look that made attorneys who ventured into her courtroom cower. Rob had the audacity to wink at her.

"All right,
"
he finally conceded with a wise-guy
smile, and she couldn
'
t help wondering if he
'
d been deliberately baiting her.
"
Anything else?
"

She was tempted to tell him to keep his shirt on too, but considering the warm temperatures that would be tantamount to admitting she found his body physically disturbing, which she didn
'
t. She was merely more comfortable around fully clothed men.
"
No. That
'
s all.
"

"
Then it
'
s okay to snore?
"

She laughed, even though the cockiness in his voice told her that he hadn
'
t taken her seriously. No telling what he might pull later.

9

T
hey
'
d forgotten to leave the door open, so it was hot inside Makai House. Like most homes
in the up-
country, Kau Ranch wasn
'
t air-conditioned. It relied on the steady trade winds and ceiling fans to cool the rooms. Dana watched as Rob slid open the door that led onto the terrace, uncertain of just what to say, considering someone was listening to every word.

"
Darling,
"
she almost choked on the word. Rob spun around, silently laughing.
"
First dibs on the shower.
"

"
Sure.
"
He stripped off his shirt, pulling it over his head and ruffling his dark hair.

She scanned his torso, noting the hard planes of his chest and the contours of his muscles. A skein of hair darker than his tanned body trailed down his chest to the waistband of his shorts. Of their own volition, her eyes dropped to his crotch and the masculine bulge barely concealed by the fabric.

Instantly she forced her eyes back to his face,
hoping he hadn't noticed. Of course, he had. He flashed her a sensual grin, his shirt dangling from his hand. He tossed it over a chair and reached for his belt buckle. It was off and hanging over the same chair before she could open her mouth.

"
See something you like?
"
he asked.

"
Drop dead,
"
she mouthed, then quickly turned to gather her clothes. She grabbed the first dress she saw and fresh undies. It took all her willpower not to slam the bathroom door shut.

Inside, she leaned against the door, letting it support all her weight. She
'
d be lying to herself if she didn't admit she found Rob disturbingly attractive. "Don
'
t be a fool,
"
she muttered to herself. But even after she was in the shower the image of Rob standing there half-undressed stayed with her.

She stepped out of the shower and wound a towel turban-style around her freshly shampooed hair. She was reaching for another towel to dry herself when there was an insistent knock on the door.
"
What do you want?
"

"Telephone.
"

Still wet, she shrugged into one of the terry robes that hung on the back of the door. She walked into the living area and picked up the phone. It was Lillian Hurley. Guilt swamped Dana. Hadn
'
t she promised to call her elderly neighbor yesterday? Yes. And she'd forgotten.

"Lillian, is anything wrong?
"
Dana asked, turning her back on Rob. He was stretched out across the king-size bed, his tanned legs casually crossed at
the ankles. His shorts were now unbuttoned at the waist, the zipper threatening to open.

"
The night marchers,
"
Lillian responded.
"
I heard them again last night. Someone is going to die.
"

"
It's just the wind in the palms,
"
Dana insisted, alarmed that Lillian
'
s mind seemed to be slipping.
"
You know how those dry fronds rustle when they haven
'
t been trimmed. That
'
s what you
'
re hearing.
"

It took Dana a full five minutes to calm her friend. By the time she returned to the bathroom her hair was half-dry and its natural curl had sprung to life. She tried to blow it straight, but it didn
'
t do any good. Chalk it up to another bad hair day, she thought as she inspected her reflection in the mirror.

The spaghetti-strap sundress, a deep shade of lilac, made her eyes appear greener, and the pleated bodice made her breasts seem fuller. Not bad, she told herself, suddenly wondering what Vanessa would be wearing. It didn
'
t matter; Vanessa was always the center of attention.

She always had been.

Dana emerged from the bathroom and saw that Rob had fallen asleep. She stood over him, taking the opportunity to study him without him knowing it. There wasn
'
t a spare ounce of flesh on his tall frame. You could
count his ribs below his well-
honed pecs. You could see the jutting bones of his hips. You couldn
'
t miss the fullness between his legs, the stark evidence of his maleness.

A secret thrill shot t
hrough the barrier of her self-
control. She
'
d never been in a situation like this. She had to admit she found Rob exciting. Oh, she knew he was the wrong man for her. From his powerful torso to his strong biceps, Rob Tagett radiated masculine virility. And domination. Here was a man who
'
d take command of every situation.

No telling what he might try in bed.

Wake him, she told herself, before you forget why you
'
re here and how much trouble you
'
re in. Don
'
t look for any more.

"
Darling,
"
she said for the benefit of the stupid bug that was just above Rob
'
s head,
"
it's time to shower. We
'
re going to be late for dinner.
"

He didn
'
t open his eyes. At least she didn
'
t think he did, but she couldn't be sure. Quicker than a snake, he grabbed her waist and pulled her down on the bed.

He stared directly into her eyes, their sharp breathing the only sound in the room except for the blood pounding in her temples. His lids widened, any trace of drowsiness gone, replaced by a more intimate look. A new awareness swept over her, bringing with it some hidden emotion that rose like a phoenix from the core of her being.

What was happening to her?

Without warning his mouth covered hers, hot and firm and unbelievably insistent. She twisted her head away, determined not to let him take advantage of her, yet aware she couldn
'
t curse him the
way she wanted to. The intrusive bug was inches from them.

Moving her head only gave him access to the sensitive curve of her throat. He ran the tip of his tongue along the soft skin, gently nipping as he went. The sound that escaped from her lips wasn't a moan, was it?

He responded by kissing the base of her neck where it met her shoulder, an unbelievably erotic spot. She hadn
'
t known it existed until this very second. Gooseflesh blossomed across her breasts and down her legs.

With the palm of his hand he turned her face toward his. Their lips almost touching, their breathing sharp and deep, she gazed into his eyes. His irises were nothing more than a narrow band of blue around dilated pupils; his heavy lids were spiked with thick black lashes.

She
'
d never been faced with such an uninhibited look of passion befo
re. She should have been fright
ened—considering all she
'
d heard about him—but she wasn
'
t. Just the opposite.

The warmth of his bare chest so intimately brushing hers and the heat of his powerful thighs snug against her legs demanded a corresponding reaction in her own body. She radiated the warmth of a woman willing—and ready—to make love.

Her logical brain insisted she damn him to hell. When she parted her lips he instantly took advantage, his mouth coaxing hers to open even more, his tongue invading the moist chamber. The motion
was rhythmic and sensual, as if he wanted to remind her of how another, harder part of his body could perform.

Why was she responding? she asked herself.
Because you can
'
t help it,
came the answer as her tongue sought his. The contact jolted her, erupting in a surge of heat between her thighs.

She twisted her body against his in a primitive rush of passion she
'
d never experienced before. She wanted to feel the entire hard, oh-so-masculine length of h
im against her. She wanted…
she didn
'
t dare think what she wanted, allowing herself to be swept away on a swift-rising tide of arousal.

Rob pulled his head back and surveyed her with an insolent grin as he sat up. "Time to shower.
"

No! He wasn't leaving her here like this. "You jerk—
"

He was on his feet now, his finger to his lips, reminding her about the bug. "Temper, temper.
"
He had the audacity to wink.
"
I'll take care of you later.
"

With two loose-limbed, athletic strides he was at the bathroom door. For a second he paused, and she had the feeling he wanted her to see just how aroused he was. An impressive erection jutted against the confining fabric of his shorts, a promise and a threat.

A
half hour later they were on the terrace having cocktails. Dana hadn
'
t said a word to Rob on the way over. That little stunt he
'
d pulled still had her so
furious—and humiliated—that if she hadn
'
t been trapped by circumstances she would have told him to drop dead.

But here she was, sipping Cristal champagne, holding Rob
'
s arm like a possessive girlfriend, and chatting with the half dozen guests who
'
d already arrived for the extended birthday celebration that would culminate with a luau on Saturday night. The Coltrane brothers were on the far side of the terrace talking to Big Daddy and Minerva Mallory, the society widow whom Dana had met at dinner last night.

Where was Vanessa? she wondered. Just then her sister appeared out of the shadows at the far end of the terrace, wearing a white sheath that emphasized each luscious curve, provocative but still classy. The white set off her tan, a rich golden color that gave her a healthy glow.

Just r
ight, Dana thought. Everything—
physically —about her sister was just right. She instantly saw that all the men present, except Vanessa
'
s husband Eric, agreed. Mal
e eyes swung in Vanessa's direc
tion; masculine voices halted midsentence.

Rob stared at Vanessa, an unreadable expression on his face, his glass halfway to his lips. Even Big Daddy, who saw Vanessa every day and should have been immune to her charms, was gazing at her. Dana left Rob t
o drool in his wineglass, half-
wondering how her sister would have handled the little scene back in the cottage. She walked up to Vanessa and gave her a hug.

"I like your Rob,
"
Vanessa said, her eyes on him.

Dana wanted to scream that he wasn
'
t
"
her
"
anything. She reined in her temper, reminding herself that she needed Rob Tagett.
"
He
'
s nice,
"
she managed with a smile that had to be as flat as her voice.

"
I hope he likes me,
"
Vanessa said.

"Of course he does.
"

"
What did he say?
"
Vanessa asked with girlish enthusiasm that somehow bothered Dana.

Actually, she couldn't recall Rob making any direct comment about Vanessa. He
'
d said over and over what a great kid Jason was, but he hadn
'
t verbalized anything about her sister. Still, only a fool could have missed the look on his face when Vanessa had appeared tonight. He had practically stepped on his tongue.

"
Rob thinks you
'
re fantastic.
"

"
I'm not so sure. He didn
'
t seem very friendly.
"
Vanessa gazed at Rob, who was now in the center of a cluster of people.
"
Be careful of him, Dana. He
'
s the type of man that women can
'
t resist. That kind of man is nothing but trouble.
"

She knew Vanessa was right. Even now several of the women, two of them married, were bombarding Rob with "I'm available" glances.

Dana tried to allay her sister
'
s concerns. "We
'
re not serious.
"