Rush of Innocence (Rush Series #1) (7 page)

He
seemed lost in thought as they made their way back to the lodge – somber even.
He gave her an encouraging smile as they waited to be seated for lunch. The
dining room was situated in front of a massive fireplace which covered the
entirety of one wall. The roaring flames contained within it supplied the room
with a coating of warmth.

“I
was thinking after lunch, once we’ve allowed our food to digest, we could rent
a snowmobile and hit the trails,” he said as he perused the menu.

The
thought of pressing her body up against his as they rode, made her stomach
muscles clench. “That would be fun.”

“Was
there anything else you wanted to do?” he asked.

“No.”

Without
raising his eyes from the menu, he said, “Then later, we could order dinner in;
maybe rent a movie.”

Her
breathing became ragged as she took in his words. Beating down the fluttering
butterflies, she replied, “Okay.”

He
lowered his menu, stared into her eyes, and smiled, “Okay.”

The
afternoon skies were clear and the sun caused the snow to sparkle. As Rush
guided the snowmobile over miles of trails, Trinity happily sat behind him,
hugging her body close to his. She loved the feel of the muscles in his back
against her face and the muscles of his taut abdomen under her fingertips. The
day was perfect, and while nervous about the evening coming, she was excited.
She remembered
Sundra’s
words from earlier that
morning,
Do yourself a favor and sleep
with the man
. Could she really do this? When she thought about how it felt
when he kissed her, she thought she could.

Once
the sun began to drop into its resting place in the western sky, they returned
the rented snowmobile and headed back. He pulled into his reserved parking space,
and, as with the night before, he opened her door and caged her within his
arms. She leaned back against the car and looked up into his angular face. He
smiled down at her before lowering his lips to hers. His kiss was soft and
gentle.

Pulling
back, he said, “Don’t be long.”

“I
won’t,” she promised.

“I’ll
meet you in the lobby in an hour, okay?”

“You
don’t have to do that. I can walk over to your place,” she replied.

“That
wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me, would it?” he scoffed.

She
gave him a wide-toothed smile. “A gentleman, you say?”

“Why,
yes, ma’am, in true Southern style,” he said in his best southern drawl.

She
laughed and he grinned down at her. He pressed his lips to hers once more. “An
hour,” he reiterated.

As
she entered the lobby, she turned and entered the condo’s small boutique found
off the lobby’s entrance. She sorted through the meager selection of lingerie
and picked up several items. She grimaced at the prices, but was happy to have
her own clean underthings.

Trinity
was surprised to find the condo empty. She found a note from
Sundra
stating they’d met Hunter and had gone ice skating,
and from there, out on the town. She smiled at
Sundra’s
last
line, …
don’t
do anything I wouldn’t, but do everything I
would!
With a squeal of excitement, she ran into the bedroom and removed
her clothes before jumping into the shower. She took extra care with shaving
her legs and washing her hair. She wanted everything to be perfect. A small
fission of fear threatened to weave its way into her belly, but she fought it
back.

She
slipped on lacy black panties before blow-drying her hair. When satisfied, she
turned to
Sundra’s
closet to find something to wear.
She flipped through the various items until she came upon a little black dress
which had a fitted halter-top bodice and flared skirt. She found black
stilettos to pair with the dress. Overall, she was happy with the effect when
she stood before the mirror. Her hair was shiny and smooth. She’d left it down
instead of clasping it at her nape as she usually did. When her hour was up,
she took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

Her
breathing became rapid as she rode the elevator down. She smoothed a hand
nervously down her dress and pulled her black wrap a little closer around her
shoulders. She swallowed when the elevator’s ping announced its arrival to the
lobby. She stepped carefully into the lobby and looked down as she moved in the
unaccustomed high-heeled shoes. A sharp intake of breath had her lifting her
head to stare into the fathomless hazel eyes of Rush Drayton.

“You…
look sensational,” he said. Ignoring the people moving around them, he placed
her face in his palms and pressed his lips against hers. He lifted his head and
stroked his thumb against her bottom lip. “So very beautiful,” he murmured. She
blushed at his words.

Clearing
his throat, he said, “Are you ready?”

Her
heart jumped in her chest. “I think so.”

Without
another word, he took her hand within his and led her through the lobby and out
into the clear night air. She pulled her wrap a little closer to her body.

“Cold?”
he asked against her ear as he wrapped his arm around her and tucked her closer
to his side.

“A
little,” she replied.

“I’ll
have to see what I can do to warm you up,” he said with a grin.

A
wash of heat flowed over her body at just how he would warm her up, and she
shivered.

They
followed the sidewalk running between the two condominiums and entered the
lobby of Dragon Towers II. He dropped his arm as they entered while retaining
her hand. He reached into his back pocket and removed a keycard that would give
them access to the penthouse from the elevator. She moved to the back of the
elevator and leaned against the gold handrail as he inserted his keycard into
the security panel for the penthouse.

When
the doors slid shut, he turned and stared into her eyes with such intensity,
she was forced to look away. In one step he was to her, and in the next
instant, he had her pressed between him and the elevator wall. As if unable to
stop himself, he pressed his lips against hers and forced her lips opened with
his. He slid his tongue over hers, causing her to cling to his rock-hard arms
for support. He cradled her face within his strong hands and kissed her until
she struggled to breathe. He urgently ran his hands over her shoulders to her
back and pressed her closer to his body. She felt the evidence of his arousal
against her belly and trembled in nervous anticipation, not knowing what to
expect.

The
elevator doors opened and he slowly eased his lips from hers. As if he hated to
break the contact, he stepped slowly away from her. He trailed his hands down
until he clasped both of her hands within his own. He stared once again into
her face and began to step backward, leading her out of the elevator. Once she became
aware of something other than him, she gasped. One entire wall of the suite was
made up of walled glass. The view of the city lights was spectacular.

The
condo was painted a soft taupe color and accented with rich deep woods. A
two-sided fireplace separated the living room from the kitchen. A burning fire
was the only light aside from two lit tapered candles on the small intimate
dining table. She thought how different this warm room was compared to the
cold, formal room of her father’s.

She
lifted her eyes back to his and he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss
against her lips.

“Welcome.
Can I take your wrap?” he asked.

She
swallowed hard and nodded.

“Are
you hungry?” he asked.

Hesitantly,
she shook her head.

“Would
you like a glass of wine? I have a nice selection of local wines.”

“That
would be nice,” she replied softly.

“Why
don’t you make yourself comfortable on the couch, and I’ll get us a bottle.”

“Okay,”
she murmured.

She
set her purse down on a side table as he draped her wrap over the back of one
of the dining room chairs, keeping her eye until the kitchen wall blocked her
from his view. She crossed the room, taking in the rich leather furniture, the
bearskin rug in front of the fireplace, and the jewel-toned accessories
strategically placed on bookcases.

She
sat on the couch’s edge and once again ran her hands nervously over her thighs.
She straightened when Rush entered carrying two glasses of pale, golden wine.

She
cleared her throat. “You have a lovely home,” she said.

He
handed her the wine. “Thanks.” He sat next to her and leaned his side into the
back of the couch with one leg bent on the couch between them. He casually laid
one arm across the back of the couch so that he was facing her fully.

He
stared at her for a long moment, his eyebrows bunched as if he were trying to
decide something. He lifted his glass to hers. As the glasses clinked together,
he said, “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me,
too,” she replied quietly. Keeping her eyes on his, she lifted the glass to her
lips. The wine was crisp, but sweet. She licked the residue from her lips
nervously, and he watched her actions closely. The dim light in the room made
the atmosphere between them seem much more intimate.

He
lifted his glass and took a speculative sip. “So, tell me about your father,
the Judge,” he said.

She
blinked her surprise at the question; it wasn’t what she was expecting. She sat
back a little further and turned her shoulder into the back of the couch so she
faced him as well.

“What
do you want to know?” she asked.

“Are
you close?”

“Of course.
Since my mother died, it’s just been he and I. While he can be a tad
overprotective, I know he loves me.”

“Was
it him calling you last night?”

She
inhaled deeply and looked down at her glass. Guilt was beginning to creep into her
being.
Guilt at leaving her father who’d just been shot and
was lying in a hospital.
Guilt for the angry words she’d spewed at him.
Guilt for being here when her father needed her.
A gentle
hand on her shoulder had her lifting her gaze back to his.

“Hey,
what’s wrong?” he asked.

“I
just realized how terribly selfish I am.”

He
chuckled. “I doubt that. How are you being terribly selfish?”

She
gave a wry twist of her lips and looked back down at her wine. “The day before
yesterday, my father…” she hesitated, not wanting to go into detail, “…was
hurt. He’s in the hospital right now.”

She
glanced up to see his eyebrows arched at her. “And… you hurt him?” he smirked.

She
gave a small laugh. “No. But I should be home helping him instead of here. He
just made me so mad with his control-
freakery
.”

“Control-
freakery
?” he asked.

“For
whatever reason, my father feels he should control every aspect of my life. On
one hand I get it – he lost my mother in a tragic way and he doesn’t want
anything to happen to me. But he just takes things to such extremes. He had my
phone tracked, for goodness sakes.”

He
contemplated her as he sipped his wine. “Hence the violence you unleashed on
the despicable device.”

“Exactly.”

“Is
your father alone?” he asked.

She
shook her head. “No, he has a bodyguard with him all the time, and Ms. Gibbons,
our housekeeper.”

“Is
he going to be okay?” he asked.

“Yes,
I think so. He’ll probably be home in a day or two.”

“It
sounds as if he can take care of himself,” he said. “Don’t beat yourself up.”

“I’m
angry at myself because I told him to stop treating me like a child, and yet,
that’s exactly how I acted.”

“Sometimes
it takes a drastic action to get someone’s attention,” he murmured as he lifted
his wineglass to his lips.

She sighed.
“Well, I certainly did that. I just did it in the wrong way. He’s been through
a lot and has enough to worry about without adding me into the mix. I’ve never
defied him like this.”

Rush
leaned forward and grabbed ahold of her hand. “You’re being way too hard on
yourself.” He studied her for a long time. “Can I ask you something personal?”
At her nod, he continued. “Do you remember anything about when you and your mom
were abducted?”

She
blinked, once again surprised at the question. “Umm… yes,” she answered softly.

He
stared at her intently as he ran his thumb over the knuckles of her hand. “What
do you remember?” he asked just as softly.

She
watched the wine in her glass as she swirled it round and round. “I was pretty
young, almost ten. My mom and I had gone to the movies. I’d begged her for
weeks to see the Lion King.” She bit off a bitter laugh. “I wish everyday, I’d
never even heard of the Lion King. We were on our way home when a car ran us
off the road. I remember my mother’s hands were trembling so much she dropped
her cellphone on the floorboard of the car. When she leaned over to get it, a
man in a black ski-mask broke out her window.” Trinity shivered from a cold
that rose from deep within. “Two other guys in similar ski-masks opened the door
and snatched my mother out. She screamed so loud it hurt my ears. One of them
punched her so hard in the side of her head that she never woke up. Just like
that… she was gone…” she trailed off as memories of the past invaded her. She
cleared her throat before continuing. “After they snatched me out of the car,
they blindfolded me and shoved me into the backseat of another car. I don’t
know how long we drove, but eventually I was led into a small room. The only
thing in the room was a wooden chair, which had been bolted to the floor. They
tied me to the chair and left me there. I remember being so scared. There were
no windows in the room and it was so dark. I didn’t realize my mother had been
killed at that point, so I kept waiting for her to come and save me… but she
never did.”