Seduction by Design (14 page)

“Sure. I checked it out yesterday. Just stay on the path. Oh, and be sure to watch for spiders.”

“Spiders!” she shrieked.

He laughed as he squeezed her hand. “Only kidding. The kids who work in this place traipse through here like it was nothing. But do watch your head. Some of the overhead beams are low.” They walked around the motorized miniature men who were eerily still now. “The word around the compound is that this is a terrific place to take your coffee break.”

“You’re kidding,” Hailey said. “Why would anyone want to come in here unless it was absolutely necessary?”

“To watch lovers making out. You’d be surprised what two innovative people can do in those tubs. The ride takes seven minutes. A lot of frustration can be worked off in seven minutes.”

Hailey was laughing in spite of herself. “I don’t believe any of this. Who told you?”

“Well, they didn’t actually
tell me.
I overheard two of the boys talking in the wardrobe room the other day. I came in here yesterday to see for myself, and they were right. It’s quite a sideshow!”

He stopped to face her now. The flashlight was held down at his side, giving them a dim circle of illumination. “So let me guess your great idea,” she said saucily. “You want to sell tickets to lecherous old men to come in here and watch teenagers neck.”

He snapped his fingers loudly. “That’s even better than the one I had.” He laughed then and embraced her in a bear hug. “Actually, I was thinking of something to cool people off rather than to warm them up.”

“It’s already cool in here.”

“But I want to make it cooler.”

“How?”

“I was in a shopping center in Dallas last year at Christmas. Every hour on the hour, for about five minutes, it snowed!”

“Snowed? You mean—”

“Yes. No matter what the weather was like, great big flakes of snow would fall on the whole mall area. They had this machine that made the snow and blew it out. So here’s my idea. I’d like to revamp this ride. Take out the stuff that’s been in here for several years and put in a snowscape. Have our merry little men building snowmen, skiing, etc., and—”

“Have one of the machines snowing on the people as they ride through!”

“You’re always three steps ahead of me,” he said. “What do you think?”

“I love it.”

“Really? You wouldn’t just say that because you know it’s what I want to hear?”

“No. I think it’ll be something different. People will talk about it and everyone will want to come see it. You’re a genius, Mr. Scott.”

“That’s true, but I try to stay humble.” He got an elbow in the ribs as he propelled her back toward the door. “Ouch! It’s expected of me to carry on the family tradition. My father was an extremely astute businessman.”

“Was? He’s dead?”

“No, very much alive. I just meant ‘was’ in the sense that he’s retired. On my thirtieth birthday, he turned the whole kit and caboodle over to me. He and Mom live in Atlanta.”

“You really are a business whiz kid, though, aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer for a while and she could almost feel his shrug in the darkness. “I’ve been lucky on some gambles that paid off.” It was obvious by his tone that he didn’t want to talk about his financial success, so she didn’t press the issue.

“Mom and Dad would like you. I want you to meet them soon. Have I ever told you that whenever I look at your legs I get turned on?”

She stumbled in the dark. “You can’t even see them.”

“Yes I can. I’m holding the light on them.”

“Well you ought to be watching where you’re going.”

Just as the words were out of her mouth, she heard the sickening crack of bone against wood. Tyler cursed loudly and dropped the flashlight, which rolled in a half-circle before coming to rest against his shoe.

“Oh, Tyler,” she moaned, covering her mouth with her hand. “What did you do?”

He made a grating sound. “I ran into one of those damn low beams I warned you about. Dammit. That hurts.”

“Let me see,” she said gently, coming up on her toes and easing his hand away from his forehead. Because of the darkness, she gingerly felt along his brow until she found the hard lump forming on his temple. “I’m so sorry,” she said in a crooning, soothing voice. With delicate fingers, she examined the injury. “I think it’ll be all right. It’s swelling and that’s a good sign. It’s when it doesn’t swell that it can be dangerous.”

“Never mind about that now,” he said in a low growl as he pulled her against him. He sought her mouth.

“Tyler, your head—”

“Hurts like hell. Kiss me and take my mind off it.”

He kissed her with such urgency that for a moment she was too stunned to respond. His tongue was a sweet invader, a plunderer in her mouth that gave more than it took. His hands were those of a sculptor, molding her malleable body to his. With a suggestion of desperation, his hips rubbed against her.

Whether it was their discussion about the clandestine loving that went on in the Cave, or the darkness that enveloped them, or his touch that she had missed, something prompted her to answer his provocative movement with one of her own.

“Oh God, Hailey.” With a shuddering effort, he imposed restraint on his body. His lips blazed across her cheek to her ear. “You’re sweet medicine. But I’ve only exchanged one dull ache for another. This one will surely kill me.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She wanted to sound contrite, but he heard the smile behind her words.

“Um. I’ll bet you are. I think you derive a perverse delight from torturing me like this.” He captured her earlobe with his teeth and worried it gently. “Your time’s coming, Miss Ashton. You’ll be panting for my lovemaking, and I’ll make you purr with contentment.”

Embarrassed because she knew he was probably right, she knelt down to pick up the flashlight. The tunnel was suddenly ablaze with light.

“Wha—” She stared in stupefaction at Tyler’s hand near a wall light switch. Her green eyes narrowed to suspicious slits as she turned to glare at his sly expression. “You knew there were lights in here all along. Why didn’t you turn them on when we first came in?”

He grinned wolfishly. “Now why do you think? There’s something to be learned from the younger generation.”

“Oh,” she fumed. She spun away from him and, with the advantage of light, easily made her way back to the secret door. He was chuckling in satisfaction as he followed her.

At the exit, he murmured only loud enough for her to hear, “You’re on borrowed time, Hailey. You’ll be in my bed before we get back from Fontana.”

“I’m not going, Tyler,” she had said then. He had only laughed.

And he was laughing now three days later, as he carelessly leaned against the railing around her deck. “You’re going. I’ve had someone in to clean the cabin, stock the pantry and refrigerator, and spruce up the place just for you. You’re going.”

“We closed the park to the public today, but there’s still so much I have to do.”

“Am I going to have to fire you to get you away from there?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“You’re right. But you’re going with Faith and me tomorrow. That’s why I insisted you come home early tonight. Pack, get a good night’s sleep, and we’ll pick you up at eight.” He kissed her soundly and left confident that she was going with them.

And of course she was.

Arguing with herself the whole while she was packing, she tried to talk herself out of going. He had promised that he would complete his seduction while they were away. Why, then, was she going with him? She waltzed around the answer to that until she could deny it no longer. She wanted to be seduced.

The risks involved in having such an affair were too numerous to count. No man had ever been worth those risks before. Until Tyler. She had been attracted to him from the moment she saw him. He had changed her. She wasn’t the same person she had been before meeting him. Her life was different. No matter what the stakes, she wanted to savor the magic he had brought into her world for as long as it lasted.

What joy had she known before him? He had barreled into her life with the impetus of a steamroller and hadn’t let up for one moment. And though she had fought him in self-defense, she had secretly relished the excitement he had introduced into her staid, stale existence.

On the one hand, she had resented his overbearing manner, and on the other, she had welcomed it. Competence and self-reliance were admirable traits, but they were also tiresome. Tyler had showed her that vulnerability had its merits, too. Privately, she confessed to loving the way his hands and mouth reduced her to womanhood in its purest form. She
wanted
to be a woman for Tyler Scott.

He had treated her to more affection than she had ever had. He had brought her to a higher plane of emotional response than she could ever have guessed she was capable of. She wanted to lie submissively in Tyler’s bed and know the culmination of all his seductive promises.

She had only a moment’s trepidation before she fell asleep.
Was
she doing the right thing? Did it
matter
if it was right? All her life she had done as she was expected to, striving not to disappoint anyone. She had performed as others dictated that she should. Where had circumspection gotten her?

Her parents had died weeping because Ellen wasn’t with them. Her sister “loved” her only when she needed her. One can only win so many silver medals for good conduct before they tarnish and become worthless. For once Hailey Ashton was going to do what
she wanted,
right or wrong, and damn the consequences.

“I’ve never had a picnic in a river before,” Hailey said, biting the crunchy crust off a piece of fried chicken. They had stopped at a carry-out restaurant to pick up their lunch before leaving Gatlinburg.

“I think we’re real pioneers,” Tyler said as he leaned back on his elbows. Surrounding them was the swirling white water of the Little Pigeon River. They had taken the winding two-lane highway through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park toward the North Carolina state line. When they became hungry and began looking for a picnic spot, Tyler had pulled the car into one of the scenic rest areas along the highway.

Rather than settle for the mundane, he had suggested that they eat their lunch in the river on one of the large, flat rocks that littered the riverbed. Brushing aside their cautious protests, he had led Hailey and Faith from one rock to another until they reached the largest and most level. As usual, he had gotten his way. And, as usual, he had been right. It was delightful.

“I’ve never been on any kind of picnic before,” Faith said, munching on her drumstick.

Hailey and Tyler stared at the girl in dismay, looked at each other, and then back at Faith. “Of course you must have, Faith,” Tyler said gently.

“I don’t think so,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Unless it was before I can remember. Mommy never took me on one. She didn’t even like to eat on the patio because she said it was a lot of trouble and she didn’t like bugs. Once my Brownie troop went on an all day camp-out, but I had the chicken pox and couldn’t go. No, I think this is my first picnic.” She seemed totally unaffected by this deficiency in her childhood, and that made it all the more pathetic.

“Well, this is certainly not the last,” Tyler said and tugged on her pigtail. “From now on, we’ll have all the picnics you can stand.”

“Can Hailey come on all of them?” Faith asked.

Tyler turned laughing eyes on Hailey and struck a pose of deep concentration. “I don’t know,” he said, slowly stroking his chin. “Do you think we ought to ask her?”

Caught up in the game, Faith giggled. “It might hurt her feelings if we don’t.”

“Well then, I guess we will.” He sat up and pulled an embarrassed Hailey between his raised knees, drawing her back against his chest. He nuzzled her ear with his nose. The display of familiarity in front of Faith surprised Hailey, but it felt right, comfortable.

“Oh, Daddy, gross,” Faith said in exasperation.

“You think this is gross, huh? Watch this.” He tilted Hailey’s head back and kissed her with comical passion, grinding his mouth over hers.

Faith was overcome by giggles. “That’s just the way they kiss on TV.”

Tyler was laughing with his daughter. Hailey was smiling as she leaned against him. “Just what have you been watching on TV, young lady? We’ll have to monitor that from now on,” Tyler said to Hailey.
We.
It sounded so permanent She snuggled closer.

“I’m never going to let anyone kiss me like that!” Faith said firmly. “No one will want to, but I wouldn’t let him anyway.”

“Oh yes, you will, and I’ll want to shoot the first boy brave enough to try it,” Tyler said.

“Why?” Faith asked.

“Why? Because you’re
my
girl, that’s why.”

She blushed prettily and looked down at her sneakers. “Well, no boys will want to kiss me, so you won’t have to worry.”

“Plenty of boys will want to. You’re the prettiest girl around.”

She jerked her head up to stare at her father. “Do you
really
think so?”

“Of course I do. You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. I’ve always thought so, ever since I picked you out at the hospital.”

“Daddy, I know you didn’t pick me out. I know where babies come from.” She spoke in a disparaging voice, but Hailey knew the girl was glowing with happiness under Tyler’s flattery.

Hailey wanted to turn around and hug him. Faith’s self-esteem had improved in the past few weeks. Hailey thought she might have contributed to that in a small measure, but the credit really went to Tyler. He spoke to the girl differently, no longer dismissing her as a child, but treating her like a person. The result of his attention was readily apparent. Faith had opened up like a flower who had been waiting a long time for spring.

“Why don’t you pick up the remains of our picnic?” he asked of his daughter. “That may earn you a dollar or two.”

“Okay,” she said eagerly.

As she went about the task, Hailey laid her head against his shoulder and looked up at him. He was bending so close over her that his breath was a warm vapor against her face. She could distinguish each eyelash. The dark centers of his eyes mirrored the invitation in hers. Answering that beckoning expression, his mouth came down to cover her lips.