Against the Law (29 page)

He couldn't deny it. Lark Delaney had somehow managed to steal a place in his heart. He cared for her more than any woman he had ever known. Leaving her tomorrow was going to be hell.

The kiss went on and on. The kind of kiss that seemed to have no end and he didn't want it to. Her lips were soft and pliant under his, her breasts even softer where they pillowed against his chest. He was hard. Rock-hard and aching. For days, the hunger had been building and now it was beginning to devour him.

He deepened the kiss and his tongue slid into her mouth, felt her tongue glide over his. He tried to hold back, but the heat was overwhelming, burning him from the inside out. Lark made a soft sound in her throat and leaned toward him and his control stretched thin.

His hands shook as he unfastened the buttons on her blouse, unhooked the front of her bra and took one of her lovely breasts into his mouth. She tasted so sweet, felt so soft, except for the pebble-hard crest he rolled beneath his tongue. The need burned hotter, seemed to scorch his flesh. He wanted to rip off her clothes, pull her down on the sofa and bury himself inside her.

He wanted to stay inside her forever.

Instead, he stripped away her blouse and she helped
him with the rest of her clothes, helped him with his own. Naked he rose above her, kissed her deeply and settled himself between her legs.

He was hard and throbbing, aching with every heartbeat. He needed to be inside her more than he needed to breathe. But he wanted her to remember this night. He wanted, just for this one night, to make her completely his.

She lay naked beneath him, her cheeks flushed, her breasts rosy and her nipples tight. He began to suckle them, first one and then the other, until he had her squirming, making soft little whimpering sounds. He moved down her body, kissing her navel, kissing the flat spot below, kissing the inside of those long, sexy legs.

His mouth explored her sex and she whimpered and arched upward, unconsciously begging for more. His nostrils filled with the scent of her, desire and the sweet fragrance that was hers alone. Taking her like this, pushing her to the edge of climax, stiffened his arousal until he was in pain.

He had to have her, had to be inside her. But there was something more. Something deep and yearning that made his chest tighten and his eyes burn.

Love,
he thought, the knowledge hitting him with so much force he forgot to breathe. He had prayed he was wrong, prayed his feelings didn't run that deep. Now he knew for certain. He was in love with Lark Delaney.

He kissed her again, refusing to accept a truth he could not handle, determined to shove the emotion away. He focused his thoughts on having her, stroked her softness, positioned himself and drove himself home. He
needed her. God, he needed her so badly. He thrust into her deep and hard, and she responded, meeting each of his powerful strokes. He drove deeper, faster, harder, taking her fiercely, marking her as his.

He heard her cry out, felt her climax begin, little ripples racing through her body as her womb tightened around him, pushing him over the edge. He came with a rush, a release so fierce his head fell back and he clenched his jaw to keep the primitive cry locked in his throat.

For seconds he didn't move, just let the rush sweep through him, let the fire burn out. His breathing began to grow even and his chest no longer heaved up and down.

Bending his head, he kissed her. There were tears on her cheeks and his heart twisted inside him.

“You all right?” he asked, but she wasn't the one who wasn't all right. He was the one who had made the ultimate mistake and let himself fall in love.

Lark nodded. “I'm all right. That was just so…it was just so wonderful.”

He kissed her softly one last time, then lifted himself away, eased to her side and curled her against him. “Yeah, it was.”

He waited as their heartbeats continued to slow, let himself enjoy the feel of her trim waist and long, supple legs, her firm, slender body pressed against the harder muscles of his own.

He was already getting hard again and for the first time it occurred to him just how out of control he had been. He took a breath, wishing he didn't have to tell her.

“Listen, baby, I didn't use a condom. I should have
been more careful, but I was…”
Thinking more about you than sex.
“I guess I got carried away. If anything happens—”

“It's only happened once. It'll probably be all right. But if something does happen, I'll let you know. I don't want you to worry, okay?”

“All right.” But he would, of course, until he knew for sure she wasn't pregnant. At least he'd have a reason to call her again. “It's late,” he said. “I think maybe we should go to bed.”

He felt her slight nod. “I suppose we ought to get some sleep.”

He stood, reached down and helped her up from the sofa and they each grabbed a handful of clothes. They started down the hall to her bedroom.

One thing he knew: if this was his last night with Lark Delaney, they weren't going to be sleeping.

T
he following morning, Lark stood next to Chrissy in the living room. She'd made coffee and Dev had gone down to the bakery and brought back sweet rolls. They were finished eating their breakfast. She couldn't think of any more excuses. She couldn't drag the goodbye out any longer.

“Well, I guess I've got everything.” Dev carried his overnight bag into the living room.

She nodded, pasted on a smile. “That's good.”

“I'd better go. Mercer will be waiting.”

“I'm sure he will.”

Chrissy stared up at Dev, her heart in her eyes. “I wish you could stay with us, Uncle Dev.”

He looked as if he were in pain. “I wish I could, too, pumpkin, but I've got a job back in Arizona.”

“Will you come and see us?”

“Sure I will.”

But Lark didn't think he would. Dev hated goodbyes
even more than she did, and if he came, he would only have to leave again.

“Can we come and visit you at your house?” Chrissy asked.

Dev's gaze swung to Lark. “You're welcome anytime.”

But she wouldn't go, either. She loved him too much. Last night, making love with him and knowing he would be leaving was almost too painful to bear.

And she thought that he had felt it, too.

He had made love to her with a quiet desperation, as if he didn't want the night to end.

But it had, and now they stood at the front door saying a farewell that would leave her heart in a thousand pieces.

“Bye, muffin,” he said. Lifting Chrissy up, he gave her a smacking kiss on the lips. “I'm gonna miss you.”

“Me, too,” she said tearfully and when he set her on her feet, a little sob caught in her throat. Turning away, she raced off down the hall to her bedroom.

“She loves you,” Lark said softly.

Dev cleared his throat. “She's a good kid.”

“Yes, she is.”

“I have to go.”

“I know.”

He started for the door, looked back over his shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”

“You, too.”

He turned the knob and opened the door, but he didn't step out in the hall. Lark bit back a cry and started running toward him and Dev caught her up in his arms.

“I wish you didn't have to go,” she said. “I wish you could stay here with us.”

“Lark, I can't—”

“I know you can't. I know we aren't what you want. I just…I had to let you know how much I…care.”

Those fierce blue eyes bored into her. “If I was a different man, I'd take you with me.”

The tears in her eyes rolled down her cheeks. “You've never been anything but honest about who you are. We both knew how this would end.”

Dev bent his head and kissed her fiercely, almost desperately. Then he turned and walked out the door.

Lark looked at the empty place he had been, thought of the empty hole he had left in her heart, sat down on the sofa and started to cry.

 

He'd been home nearly two weeks. He should be feeling better. He should be feeling fine.

It was only natural he would miss her. They had shared an incredible adventure.

You love her,
a little voice said.

It didn't matter. He lived in Arizona. Lark lived in L.A. She was a famous fashion designer. Well, semi-famous, at least. And she had a child to raise.

He thought of little Chrissy and his chest squeezed. What would it be like to be a father? Except for the little time he had spent with the child, he had no idea.

There'd been a day he had wanted to have a family. When he and Amy were together. When they were planning to be married.

She wanted only one, she had said. One was enough.

He'd wanted at least two, but he figured he could convince her when the time came. Then she had ended their engagement and broken his heart and he had decided then and there that he wasn't cut out for marriage. He was better off as a bachelor. He didn't want to deal with that kind of pain again.

Now here he was, moping around like a lovesick fool, trying to forget a woman as he swore he would never do again.

Of course, Lark was a different sort of female. Oh, she was beautiful, with that pretty face and those pouty lips and those tilted cat eyes. And she had a body that could make a man hard just thinking about it, the way he was right now.

But she was also intelligent, strong and brave. She had been ready to die to protect the little girl she had claimed as her own.

He released a slow breath. So what if she was all of those things? It didn't change anything. It didn't mean she loved him and even if she did, how could he count on it to last?

There was no way to be sure and it was better to suffer now than get in even deeper then watch it all fall apart the way it had before.

Well, he wasn't going to mope around forever. He was going to do something about it.

He picked up the phone and dialed his office in Phoenix, poked extension 2157 for his manager. “Hey, Mike, what's new?”

“Hey, boss. Just the usual. We got a contract for the security on Microsoft's new corporate office. And it looks like that deal with Walmart is going to go through.”

“Yeah, I saw that in your report. Considering we're supposed to be in a recession, business is good. Any new investigations? Anything interesting?”

“Mark's tailing a philandering husband.” Mark Hallor was one of the private detectives who worked for the firm. “Sometimes I wonder what these people are thinking. Like they're going to feel better knowing their husband has a woman on the side?”

“Man, that's the truth.” God, he hated a cheating spouse—man or woman. Seeing how often it happened was one of the things that convinced him to stay single. He thought of Lark and tried to imagine her breaking her marriage vows, but he couldn't make it happen. She'd just leave the guy if she was unhappy.

Which didn't make him feel any better.

“Call me if you get something you think I might be interested in handling,” he said.

“You bored?”

“I guess you could call it that.” He wasn't bored. He was going crazy sitting around all day, pining over Lark.

His other line rang. “Gotta go. I'll talk to you later.”

He punched the second line. “Raines.”

“Hey, little brother.” Jackson's deep voice was unmistakable.

“Hey, bro.”

“Just thought I'd give you a call, see if you had any plans for next week. Sarah and I, we thought you might
want to come up for Thanksgiving. Got our first snowfall. It's really pretty up here.”

His mind went straight to Lark and Chrissy. Chrissy had probably never seen snow and Lark would love Wyoming. What if he called and asked them?

He closed his eyes. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn't call Lark. He was doing his best to get over her.

“Let me think about it.”

“Gabe's bringing Mattie. You're welcome to bring someone.”

He knew his brother too well. “Someone? By that you mean Lark.”

“How is she?”

“Fine, I guess. I haven't talked to her.”

“But you'd like to, wouldn't you?”

He stiffened. “How the hell do you know what I'd like to do?”

“Because according to my sources, you haven't had a date since you got back from Mexico. You haven't been with any other woman in weeks. That's not like you, little brother.”

“Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf.”

“My sources say you still talk about Lark all the time.”

“Your sources? Your source being Aida Clark. Aida and Livvy. Those two sisters are going to drive me crazy.”

Jackson chuckled. “Lark and the little girl…I'd like to meet them. Having them here wouldn't have to mean more than you want it to. It could just be fun.”

Being with Lark and knowing he would have to say good-bye to her again wouldn't be fun, it would be torture. “Like I said, I'll think about it.”

“All right, just let me know. If you bring them, you can have the cottage.” Jackson hung up.

The cottage at Raintree Ranch was the most romantic place he could think of. A charming little house looking into the forest sitting next to a clear, babbling stream.

He raked a hand through his hair. What if he took Lark to the ranch and got carried away? What if he just blurted out how much he loved her? That he wanted—God forbid—that he wanted to marry her?

What would she say?

He didn't know if it would be worse if she said yes or if she said no.

Married.

To Lark Delaney.

Raising a little girl.

His stomach started churning.

He was going crazy. He had to be.

Lark had driven him crazy.

His phone rang. He recognized the number as Gabe's.

He was doomed.

He lifted the receiver. “Okay, I'll ask her to go. But she might be busy.”

“She'll want to go.”

“How do you know?”

“Mattie has a source in L.A. She says Lark's been really depressed since she got back from Mexico. She only leaves the house to go to work.”

“Your source being Aida's friend, Marge Covey. How the hell does she know Mattie?”

“Marge talked to Aida, who talked to Livvy, who happened to call me when I wasn't at home.”

“And Mattie answered the phone.”

“Yeah.”

“You really think Lark's depressed?”

“That's what Marge…I mean, my source says.”

“So she isn't seeing anyone?”

“Just her lawyer. I mean, she's a businesswoman. It's probably just business.”

Steve Rutger's handsome blond image popped into his head. “Not if Rutgers has his way.”

“Call her. If she's moved on, she won't go. If she's seeing this guy, Rutgers, she won't go. Right?”

He felt sick to his stomach. “I don't know if I can do it.”

Gabe chuckled into the phone. “Man, you have really got it bad. I can tell you from experience, if you just sit there and do nothing, it's only gonna get worse.”

He swallowed. “I'll call.”

“Do it now,” Gabe said and hung up the phone.

Dev just sat there. He'd call her, he told himself. Just to make sure everything was all right. There was still the matter of the forgotten condom.

Another terrifying thought.

He'd call. He had to.

He just needed a little time to prepare.

 

“Don't forget your purse.” Steve stood in her living room, waiting to take her to dinner at Cicada, a chic, five-star restaurant in downtown L.A.

She looked at her hand, saw she wasn't holding anything, and glanced around the room. Was she really so strung out she was forgetting her
purse?

Forgodsake, she made handbags! She never went anywhere without one!

“It's on the back of the chair,” Marge said as she breezed down the hall and disappeared into Chrissy's bedroom.

“Sorry.” Lark grabbed the black patent, red-trimmed LARK bag and slung the string of red beads that formed the handle over her shoulder. She was wearing a simple black sheath, though she'd wrapped a splashy red-yellowand-black scarf around her neck and accented the outfit with big red hoop earrings. Six-inch spike heels pushed her height above six feet.

She reached up and smoothed her hair, which was looking good again, freshly cut, the ruby highlights once more gleaming. When she wasn't working or spending time with Chrissy, she was getting pedicures and manicures and facials.

Anything to keep her busy so she wouldn't think of Dev.

She smiled up at Steve. “I'm ready.” Her attorney had been pressing her for a date ever since she'd gotten back from Mexico. He said he should have asked her months ago, that he'd wanted to, but he was afraid to mix business with pleasure.

The words reminded her of Dev. He had been adamant about keeping work and relationships separate. She had practically seduced him into making love to her that first time.

Not that he hadn't been a willing participant.

Still, what she felt for him was obviously far more than he had ever felt for her.

Her glum mood returned.

He hadn't even called about the condom.

She felt Steve's hand at her waist, guiding her toward the door. He held it open and waited but her feet refused to move.

Dear God, what was she doing? She hadn't the slightest interest in Steve Rutgers and it wasn't fair to make him think she did.

She took a step away from him. “This isn't a good idea, Steve. I'm sorry. You were right. We shouldn't mix business with pleasure.”

It sure hadn't worked the last time.

“We're only having dinner. That can't be a problem.”

“Actually, it is. Why don't I call you tomorrow? We can have lunch at the studio and go over those new contracts.”

“Lark, please.”

She nudged him through the open door. “Good night, Steve.” A last gentle push sent him into the hall. She closed the door and leaned against it. At least the ten-pound weight on her chest was easing.

She looked up at the sound of small, shuffling feet.

“Aren't you going to dinner with Uncle Steve, Mommy?” Chrissy scooted forward in her pink puppy-dog slippers.

“Not tonight, sweetheart.”

Chrissy flicked a glance at the door. “Is it because you still miss Uncle Dev?”

Lark's throat tightened. Sometimes the child seemed more like forty than four. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

“So do I, Mommy.”

Lark leaned down and hugged her.
This has to end,
she told herself.

“It's all right to miss people we love.”

But right then and there, she made a promise to herself. She would find a way to forget Devlin Raines.

All she had to do was figure out how.