Rush of Innocence (Rush Series #1) (11 page)

Footsteps
in the hall notified her of Gavin’s presence. Without looking up, she murmured,
“Just give me a minute, okay Gavin?”

Familiar
strong arms lifted her from the floor. She inhaled sharply and his familiar
scent filled her nostrils. She looked up into the concerned of eyes of Rush
Drayton. His concern just made her sob harder. He enveloped her in his strong
arms, held her close to his massive chest, and rocked her back and forth. He
laid his head against hers and pressed his lips against her head over and over
as he whispered words of comfort.

When
she was finally able to speak, she said in a watery voice, “They destroyed your
little lady.”

He
pulled back and lifted a hand to brush the tears from her face. He smiled sadly
down at her. “It’s only a painting. I’m more concerned about you.”

It
finally dawned on her that he was here, in Savannah. “What are you doing here?
I thought you weren’t coming back until the end of the week?”

“Lassiter
called me this morning to let me know about the painting and what happened. I
flew straight here. How are you? Shouldn’t you be in bed? Lassiter said you’d
been hurt and taken to the hospital. I was surprised to find you’d already been
released.”

“You
went by the hospital?” she asked, surprised.

“Of
course I did,” he murmured. “So, what did the doctors say?”

“No
concussion, only a couple of bruised ribs from being dropped,” she replied as
she wrapped her arms around him under his suit jacket.

“So
tell me what happened this morning,” he said.

“I
came in early and surprised a burglar. When I opened the door, he slammed me
into the wall. I fell and he picked me up, but then dropped me when Gavin came
in. He ran out the back entrance.”

She
felt his body still and tense. “Why were you dropped?”

“What
do you mean?” she asked, tilting her head to look at him.

He
lifted his hands to cup her face. “I mean, if you surprised a burglar, and he
knocked you out, why would he then pick you up?”

Her
bruised ribs groaned in protest when she tensed at the question. She hadn’t
thought about that. Were they actually after her? Alex Master’s words floated
over her mind,
You
are his weak link
. She dropped her arms from his waist and stepped away as
she contemplated the situation.

“What
is it?” Rush said, coming up behind her to place his hands on her shoulder.

“Remember
I told you my father had been hurt?”

“Yes,”
he murmured.

“Alex,
my father’s bodyguard, told me they might get to him through me. I dismissed
the notion, but now…” she trailed off.

Again,
she felt him tense behind her.

“If
they thought that, why are you not under protection?” he demanded.

She
cringed. “I told them I didn’t want it,” she replied in a small voice.

“What
the hell were you thinking?” he exploded as he grabbed her arm to spin her
around.

She
gasped at the grip of his hand on her swollen elbow. He stared down at her,
startled. Almost roughly, he removed her teal suit jacket, leaving her standing
in a thin cotton undershirt. He surveyed the already black and blue bruising
surrounding her elbow and swore softly. He raised her shirt and examined the
bruising on her side. He closed his eyes and drew her once more into his
embrace.

“Oh,
baby. I’m so sorry. So very, very sorry,” he murmured against her hair.

Her
body slumped against his as thoughts chased themselves around in her mind. She
didn’t know what to do. Feeling needy and raw, she lifted her face to his and
whispered, “Rush, I don’t want to be here, take me away from here. Please just…
take me away.”

He
stared down into her face for a long moment before leaning to press his lips
softly against hers. She sensed some internal battle within him. Maybe she’d
been too presumptuous. She started to pull away when he pulled her back close
to his body and whispered back, “Okay. Let’s go.” He grabbed her coat and
helped her into it, buttoning it back up. “My driver’s right outside.”

He
took her hand and led her out of the office. She turned for one last glance and
shuddered at what might have happened if Gavin hadn’t arrived when he had. Rush
helped her into the backseat of the town car. Leaning forward, he instructed
Radcliff, “Home, please.” He sat
back,
hit a button on
the console, and a privacy screen began to rise between them and the driver.
Rush carefully pulled her onto his lap and held her close to his body. She
nuzzled her face into his neck, feeling safe and less vulnerable for the first
time all day. Her lack of sleep the night before, the warmth of his body, and
the steady vibration of the car soon had her drifting off. Somewhere far off,
she heard him murmur against her head, “Everything will be all right. I promise
you that.”

The
setting sun was casting dark shadows throughout the unfamiliar bedroom she
found herself in. She sat up slowly and looked around. She didn’t even remember
getting out of the car. Not seeing Rush, she rose and padded barefoot out of
the room. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. He must have
removed her suit jacket as she was once again only in her thin cotton
undershirt. When she stepped into the hall, she stopped to listen for any
sounds which would direct her to him. From the other side of the house, she
heard his voice. She glanced at the rooms as she passed through them. As with
the condo in Vail, his home was decorated in soft taupe and rich dark woods.

On
the far wall of the living room were a set of wonderfully carved double wooden
doors. One door was cracked a little and she could make out Rush talking to
someone.

“Dammit!
That wasn’t what we agreed upon… I am fully aware of that… I said I would take
care of it, and I will… I have not forgotten… We will do this my way, do you
understand? Good. I promise heads will roll if anything
like
this happens again. Am I clear? Good.” From inside the room, a phone was
slammed down.

With
tentative fingers, she reached out and pushed the door open. Rush was standing
at his desk rubbing his hands over his face. He looked up at sound of the door
opening. A sudden look of panic flitted across his features before he slipped
on a neutral expression. He moved to her and gathered her carefully into his
arms.

“Hi.
How are you feeling? Better?” he asked.

“A little stiff, but better.
Thanks for bringing me here. I didn’t know
where to go.”

“You’re
welcome. Would you like something to eat or drink?” he asked.

She
shook her head before tilting it to look up into his beautiful face. “I’d
really like a hot bath to soak my aching body. Would that be okay?”

“How about a hot tub?
Would that be better?”

Running
her hands down his lapels, she murmured as she straightened his tie, “That
depends on whether you’ll be joining me or not.”

His
body stilled underneath her hands and she began to feel awkward for being so
forward. Her fingers began to fidget nervously with the tie. He laid a hand
over hers. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said softly.

She
heaved a sigh and looked back down at their hands. She struggled with what to
say. “I need to be free for just a little while. I don’t want to think, I only
want to be lost with you. Okay?” She lifted hesitant eyes back to his. He
blinked down at her for a moment before stepping around her to lead her out of
the room. The hot tub was set in a corner of his home gym. He dropped her hands
long enough set the dials how he wanted them. Soon steam and bubbles appeared
above the surface of the hot tub.

He
turned to her and helped ease her undershirt and bra from her body, then eased
her suit pants and panties off. He helped her into the hot tub before swiftly
removing his clothes. While he looked amazing in his high-dollar suits, nothing
compared to Rush Drayton naked. His muscles bunched as he lowered himself into
the steaming water. He sat across from her and contemplated her steadily. He
was treating her like she was made of spun sugar and it wasn’t what she wanted.
Not liking the distance, she waded through the water and climbed up onto his
lap. She sat facing him and the slick, wet slide of skin against skin was the
most sinful thing she’d ever felt.

He
wrapped his big arms around her and drew her even closer to his body. He slid
his hands up and down her back, being mindful of her sore ribs. She leaned
forward and pressed her lips against his. He held himself back for an instant,
then
almost as if he couldn’t contain himself, he captured
her face within his hands and deepened the kiss. She groaned when his tongue
met hers. She laced her fingers into his short-cropped hair and kissed him back
with everything she had. Raw desire flared instantly at the contact and she
rubbed herself shamelessly against him. He caught her hair in one hand and
tugged so that she was forced to tilt her head back. He ran a trail of
scorching kisses down her throat. He slid his hands underneath her arms and
lifted her high enough so he could kiss her breasts. The sensation of his
tongue against the tips of her breasts made her gasp and shiver in need. Desire
mixed with desperation exploded in her belly and she needed him now as she’d
never needed him before.

Without
further thought, she placed her hand on his rock-hard erection and guided it
into her molten-lava core. Slowly, she slid down inch by agonizing inch, until
she had all of him. The sensation of the hot water and his slick, hot flesh was
almost more than she could bear. He groaned as she encircled him. She sat still
for a moment absorbing the decadent feel of him buried deep within. Staring
down into his desire-filled eyes, she leaned forward, placed his face within
her palms and pressed her lips against his. The sensitive tips of her breasts
scraping against the sleek wall of his chest made her groan and grind her hips
against him. His hands slid to her hips, and thrusting his tongue deep into her
mouth, he began to lift and move her on top of him. The rhythm he set was slow
and easy, but she wanted mindless, all encompassing, life-affirming passion.
She pressed herself against him and struggled to quicken the pace. Need clawed
at her insides, and she whimpered.

He
stopped their movements and raised his hands to her face. She blinked
uncomprehendingly down at him.
“Hey, hey.
Everything
will be okay. Let’s slow down. There’s no hurry, we’ll get there. Just sit back
and enjoy the ride. Okay?”

Her
lips quivered and tears appeared in her eyes. “But I need you so much,” she
whimpered.

He
swallowed hard at her words. His chest expanded and his breathing became rapid.
“Oh, baby. What have I done?” he murmured. He pressed his lips against hers
softly as she shifted confused eyes to his, not understanding his words.

Grabbing
her hips within his hands once more, he leaned his forehead against hers so he
could stare into her eyes to keep her focused on him. With slow, even strokes
he filled her over and over. He tilted his hips in such a way that it rubbed an
area so sensitive within
her,
she shivered and was
forced to grab his shoulders as her body convulsed around him. He sucked in a
breath as her body squeezed and clenched around him. He increased his pace
until once more she felt the now-familiar quickening within her. She grabbed
his face and kissed him as tears slid unheedingly down her cheeks. Feelings,
she was too scared to name, zipped through her body releasing all barriers,
both emotionally and physically.

“Oh,
baby. You feel so good. I want you so much,” he murmured against her lips. As
she seemed to explode around him, he slammed his body into hers over and over
until he finally found his own release. He pressed kisses over her face and
rubbed soothing hands over her back.

She
sat in his lap, lost in his embrace, until long after their breathing calmed,
and their skin pruned. Even with her arms wrapped around his neck, her face
buried against him, and her body touching him in every conceivable way, she
felt his withdrawal from her. Her lips quivered at the loss of connection. Even
as he mindlessly rubbed his hands over her bared skin, it no longer felt like
comfort… it felt empty.

Without
moving her face, she mumbled against his skin. “Are you angry for having to fly
back because of me?”

His
hand paused briefly before continuing to rub her back. “I’m not angry, Trinity.
I’m just glad you weren’t hurt any worse than you were.”

 
“You seem a million miles away,” she murmured.

He
pulled back, smiled down at her, and traced her eyebrow with his wet fingertip.
“I’m sorry. There’s just a lot going on right now.”

“So
you’re not angry for being coerced into the hot tub with me?” she teased.

“No.
That’s been the highlight of my day,” he said with a grin. I didn’t hurt you,
did I?” he asked.

“No,
it was perfect. But I do need to go. My father will be worried… even more
worried than usual. I’m sure by now, he’s found out what happened at the
gallery.”