Love Found Me (A City Love Novel, Book 1) (26 page)

Looking back at the yacht, and where her adventure had all started. It was kind of surreal that a woman faced with the task of pushing the envelope on finagling crooks and crunching numbers like an incessant fanatic, could find herself face-to-face with more than a borderline and totally threatening world apart from the monotony behind a desk.

Finally she had felt safe in the arms of a man that she knew loved every part of her-- just the way she was. As she looked around over his shoulder, the pier might as well have been their own. In the comfort of his arms tightening its grip around her, nothing had ever felt so good.

Her lips ascended against his, arousing his desires and every little thing he wanted to do to her.

Recalling his earlier sentiment, "Of course," she said softly in between his forehead kisses. "I mean ... Yes! ...  To the part about wanting you to stay." And then she swept her arms tightly around him.

A few seconds later, she leapt from his chest, "So, who were you talking to that night-- and what about on the yacht?" Her smile was totally animated coaxing a playful charm as she fluttered her lashes at him. "Oh, and what about the letterhead I found, I just assumed that--"

"It was all part of the job. Everything had to look and feel official. Same crest... Same officially discreet top-secret handling. We had to make everything just right. No room for mistakes." He tried to convince himself and her that some things are best assured not to worry and lose sleep over.

"We all have to have some secrets, don't we?" he laughed. He could sense her spry wonder when he snapped back, "Just kidding," in the next second. His cheeky grin still swathed his tan in a radiant amber glow. "It was all top secret mission kind of stuff, nothing to concern your pretty head about." He pressed one of his soft kisses against her lips.

"And here I thought you were--" Danielle said, in between kisses.

"Working with them?" he countered.

"I guess I just--"

"Didn't trust me."

"I didn't want to confront the tough questions... making the same mistakes again... going through another heartbreak." She drew a slow breath. "My heart felt like it was in the pit of my stomach, and I avoided ever feeling like that again."

"Well, who could've blamed you... the way I'd acted was just enough to cause any woman to question my motives... my devotion..."

"Roman, it's not your fault. It was just so much easier to dwell in my comfort zone, rather than to face the god's honest truth. Your love for me was real, but I'd just assumed it to be the way I envisioned it... the way I'd wanted it to be. But your protection epitomized love and I was too dumb to realize it."

"You're being way too hard on yourself. Cut yourself some slack. I mean you found me now didn't you. Well, actually I found you... we found each other, and that's all that matters. Danielle, that's really, truly all that
really matters
."

"It's crazy you know, that I could just dismiss it-- dismiss you-- move on, when it wasn't really that simple. Honestly, my heart never really moved on. Although I'd somehow managed to tell myself I didn't miss you and those crazy kisses... like hell I didn't. Like I didn't imagine that crazy stubble grinding against my skin kindling all sorts of sizzle in me."

Roman blinked his gleaming hazel eyes and smiled with a crease of dimples as he remembered those moments.

"It's still amazing though. You actually thought I was in cahoots with them." He laughed. "This, coming from the woman I'm gonna marry."

The words had slipped off his tongue. But, she'd already heard him. She was beaming when her eyes widened and lit with a sparkle, "Huh?" 

Suddenly the chill stirring the tides didn't matter anymore. She didn't feel anything but all-consuming warmth. His love was the ultimate that any woman fortunate could ever feel and have to call her own.

"It's all over," he slowly whispered as he pulled her gently towards him. "That was all the past, and now we have a future to live. Together." She could feel his smile against her ear. And then he whispered, "I love you," into the curve of her neck and kissed her forehead. "I'm here to love you." The tenderness had her muscles turning to mush again.

It took a while for trust to root itself, but finally it did.

For years, she'd caution the agony of a broken heart. She'd plagued nearly every guy -- Loser. No. Not Ever. No Way. Only now, once Roman found her, the only thing she could say when it came to love are the words-- Lovely. Absolutely. Amazing.

She craved his mind-blowing kisses. The way his flesh kissed everything forbidden. She liked it. She absolutely loved every second of it.

Not surprisingly, his dimpled smile would quicken her reaction. It was the reality she could no longer hide behind, as misunderstanding him was quite possibly the understatement of her life.

She suddenly found herself thinking about his love again. Obviously, he'd loved every second of it. It never grew trite or mundane. It only made him want her even more.

She told him, "I've dreamed of you all my life... but I didn't know if I'd ever find you... If you'd ever find me." She caught a breath. "Being with you is pure ecstasy... you're my life Roman."

His eyes met hers buoyantly. "Being with you is like being in a blissful paradise." Her words reminded him that he'd shut his heart down for so long, the engine hadn't sparked the fuel for commitment until he'd met the right woman. The woman he'd someday call his one and only.

She smiled at him, fluttering her lashes and sparkling emerald eyes, as a subtle dimple swooned her cheek. "And your kisses... Oh, god, your kisses. No one's ever kissed me like--"

Roman slowly moved his hand from her waist and glided it up her back, as her hair suddenly draped a long luscious waterfall when he dipped her. "You mean like this." And then he kissed her.

Danielle bounced back to her tippy-toes licking her lips, as a smile of pure pleasure radiated-- absolute passion.

But, at least now she could honestly say,
the heart of life is now good
.

Roman threaded his fingers into hers and slowly whispered, "Come on. Let's go home."

Chapter Twenty-Two

Friday afternoon

Note to self:
I have a feeling, I'm gonna have a lot to write about tonight.

"Roman, it was kinda great. Us working together I mean," she said, before admitting, "A woman could get used to this. No doubt about it." Danielle shook her head and muttered, "Although I have to admit... a little time on a mega yacht wasn't all
that bad
."

She arched a brow at him. It was hard not to take him into her arms and kiss him right there on the tufted leather with a sultry passion. It was even harder to suppress the desire to rip open his crisp shirt down to the slight hair dusting his chest. She could have unwrapped every last inch of silken amethyst and kissed a trail down his neck.

She watched him try to grin, just before he'd said, "God, you're beautiful!" And then he suddenly stood up, "I'll be back in a minute."

Watching him come and go... and come back again had her oiling her makeup. Tiny droplets were starting to percolate her collarbone watching his suave swagger, and the titillating way his arms swayed back and forth as he strutted a smooth rhythm. Danielle popped up and moved toward a wall of shimmering opulence. That same kinky blend of mirrors she'd sat in awe of that first Sunday evening at his apartment, had the memories pouring back.

But after she'd double backed from her purse glittering on the table, she was standing painting a fresh coat of carmine bursting a succulent strawberry across her lips. His voice rumbled a deep, sultry waterfall flooding her soul when he said, "I'm back." His tall, dark and handsome mirrored the ultimate portrait from her perspective, as he bowed his biceps pulsing her heart towards the sensual pleasure she'd been craving.

He'd slipped a bottle of bubbly into the ice bucket he'd brought to the table, crushing it deep between the cubes alongside two gold-rimmed flutes.

Glasses clanged apart from the scent that was still trailing a fresh and richly fragrant blend of passionate exotics from the kitchen towards the living room. The very moment he slid to the sofa, he gestured to the nearby vestibule, "One of my absolute favorites." And then he leaned toward her as he kissed her softly, once on the lips, before saying, "Only the finest vintage... For the finest woman."

Threading her fingers through her hair brought back all sorts of memories to him, just before she'd smoothed the hem of her dress ruffling at its edge. She could feel his eyes stream toward her legs crossed, finessed so sensual, inching her hem up the more she'd shifted into a more comfortable position. Roman could barely curb the fact that his amethyst tie had nearly sifted a patch of burgundy.

Looking at her like she was the most gorgeous woman on earth brought him to wanting her all to himself. He could barely keep himself from pouncing straight over to her. But he knew he'd had to tame himself for what he had planned. But the way she'd looked at him, feathering her luscious lashes would make the task nearly impossible.

Given the way the scarlet shantung clung to her, he could tell her curves were even more luscious that he'd first thought. With the walls of sunlight circling the sofa, it was no surprise that she'd glowed even more lovely than before. Honestly, the way she sat looking at him with those pout red lips said exactly the words he wanted to know...
Take Me Now.

And then he was kissing her.

Kissing her with that same passion from their spa rendezvous.

Just the thought of knowing Danielle loved the man behind the charisma, was more than he could say of any woman he'd ever met. He had a way with words, but from now on, his hands would be doing most of the talking.

"Roman, don't stop."

Her groans overwhelmed his action, but then he'd pulled back, straightening his tie in the process, "I've got something special planned." He smiled at her. "This time, I didn't pull back because I wanted to. Believe me, we'll
definitely
pick right back up from where we left off."

She gave him a tawdry look, before she'd grabbed a cube of ice from the bucket and rubbed it against her chest in sensuous little circles. The morsel was melting faster than her heart was beating as it slid down her chest the second she'd said, "Looking forward to it."

"You can count on it," he added.

"Danielle, what were you saying?" he asked, as his gaze shifted back in focus. "About it being great, our working together."

"Yeah, about that." Danielle straightened against the toffee leather and tossed her curls over her shoulder springing a naturally luscious waterfall. "I've had some time to think, I mean about everything... about life... and us. Flirting with danger, I stopped to realize life is more important than career. So much more important. I could've missed out on the most special thing life could ever have offered me... beyond six-figures and a corner office atop the big city.”

“None of these heights, none of these pinnacles matter without love. Without a love to share all the success with... The ups and the downs. Only I didn't even realize it until crisis mode. My life threaded on a string that was unraveling, and now I'm intent on having every fiber of my being strengthened in love-- my love for you, nature, just any and everything that makes me feel like a soul surviving for optimal living."

Roman's eyes widened as she spoke, "I hadn't ploughed into one of those stress balls, well, since that day you said--
BREATHE
. And I'd been following your sentiment ever since.” She swallowed. "I've had my times. I was tempted. But overall, I can say that I am a
new woman
." His smile told her that he was pleased with her evolution.

Add to that, she wasn't even close to putting into words her devotion to him-- Just every little thing that had made her fall in love with him from the very beginning.

"Roman, you make a huge difference in my life. Having you in my life is a breath of fresh air. You've taught me to let loose and relax." She took one deep breath for measure. "I didn't need to be so uptight about everything. But then again, I would have had an excuse for another one of your sexy massages--
which we never did finish by the way
."

She flitted him a quick lure before she said, "I feel so much more at peace now, I just don't know what to do with myself sometimes. You've opened my eyes to...
Clarity
."

But just then, when she was about to tell him how she'd wanted him even since that first day in the garage, her gaze shifted towards the dining room. Zooming in on the collage of historic New York climbing the alcove brought back even more memories. Suddenly, she could hardly believe how far they'd come in their relationship.

When her gaze turned back to his face, she'd realized just how far they'd come in such a short amount of time. It had been days in fact, since she'd nearly lost everything, or at least what truly mattered in her life.

Roman watched the glow pouring in from the walled glass, softening a gorgeously sparkling silhouette to her bodice.

Her gaze moved to the fluted glasses and the sparkling wine perched on the coffee table, and then back to his eyes with the image crystallized in her mind.
Two empty glasses, now we can't have that can we?
Her murmuring was bound to catch on when she'd popped from her musings.

"By the way, aren't we going to have some of that special vintage you touted for me?" Her voice was soft, like a calm meadow breeze wafting over the loft, cascading a world of antiques tucked along every niche and pedestal.

Roman shifted close to her. He pressed his finger over her lips. "Sssh. Now you don't want to spoil the surprise do you?" She blinked and then nodded, the moment he'd returned his hand to his side.

Roman slipped his arm around her waist and gave her a soft kiss, his strong body nestling hers in cuddled warmth. Despite how deeply he wanted her. How badly he wanted to continue what he had started. Despite the fact he had to control his heat, he bridled the passion into a smile when he said, "We should go out... Celebrate."

"Is that the surprise, we're going out?"

"There's no fooling you Danielle, now is there?"

"Well, I should freshen up first. Some more rose lychee should just about do it."

"From where I sit. You don't need anything." Roman had the very excuse he needed to sate his mounting hunger. His mouth moved behind her hair as he whispered against her earlobe,
Beautiful.
She shivered a bit as he kissed her all the way down to the nape of her neck, bowing her into the sofa cushion.

But he knew better than to pick up the journey now, because he knew once it started, it wouldn't end anytime soon. There'd be no turning back-- for either one of them. But apart from that, he was surprised to know that she'd come a long way from where she had started.

Coming up for a breath he said, "Um. You're just as lovely as ever." Her breath was still hiking, but she'd managed to bring the level to a calmer meadow. His muscles penetrating her figure, pressing into her breasts, pushing and squeezing against his hands. His body could barely curb the hypnotic trance. The feel of her arousal was starting to conjure a vision of the beauty behind the shantung.

The leather puckered as they mashed more and more with every second that ticked on. Earthy infusions rubbed against his palms, melting her craving into a pool of satiation.

Until he stopped, just before he'd eased out of her with the most beautiful smile that had her reeling in anticipation of later on. But apart from it all, she hadn't time to climb towards unrepressed delight as pushed her hair out of her face, and sat up.

"We're having too much fun. Why do you keep on teasing me like that Roman? I'm supposed to be relaxed now. You're just turning me into a kinky, sultry ball of sexy every time you come at me with the spice in your smile, taking my breath away all over again."

Her panting all but stopped, but it didn't mean she was even close to gaining her composure. But then again, maybe she just needed a few more minutes.

Visions of his sexiness kept flocking to her mind. She should have been ready for whatever he had planned. But, she was still her shrewd self that had gone from a woman
searching
to a woman who had now found the road she was meant to follow.

They gazed at each other for a long moment. Emotion still pulsed, but never waned. And yet her lips pursed, still focused on his bronze aglow. But then, after another long moment, she'd felt her heart grappling with her evolution-- the new woman in her, yielding resolve.

"Accounting's been my life for so long. But maybe," she paused, "I've been thinking that I should try my hand at something else. Whatever that is, I'm not sure yet. But I do know that there's so much more to me that I haven't even discovered yet. I've just got to try some new things. Be open to educating myself. Finding something that's more fulfilling. Sitting behind a desk just isn't me anymore. I don't want to live my life wondering what or who I could have been."

"I was kind of thinking about us doing something together. If I'm going to wet my feet into new territory, what better way to do that than with the man I absolutely love," she said, just before her lips curved into a beautifully sweet smile.

She was silent for a long moment, long enough that her guileless eyes poured straight to his heart with a smile that no man could possibly resist.

"No pressure," she added. 

His eyes had yet to resist her finesse. He tried to pull himself away from the deep vee swelling her perky breasts beyond her shiny hem. Remembering every last inch his hands arched over the curves just before his lips moved in to kiss it.

Roman surged past his mounting desire,
at least for the moment
, and shifted into focus. 

"We do make a great team," he said. Pulling her into his lap, he added, "The two of us, Jules and Prentiss."

"No. You mean, Prentiss and Jules," she said, as her arms folded around him.

He leaned his head to hers, "How about Jules and Jules."

"Yes. I like the sound of that. Jules and Jules. Hey, wait a second." Her eyes widened, as her head bowed back from his. "Jules and
Jules?
" She paused, pursing her lips as she gazed at him lovingly. Roman lifted an eyebrow and then smiled back at her.