Stormbound with a Tycoon (12 page)

Dylan took her hand in his. “What would you say to a nice walk in the woods?”

“That sounds like a terrific idea.”

They walked along the trail hand in hand, comfortable with the silence and content just to be together.

Jessica allowed her thoughts to wander to what it would be like to live with the excitement of Dylan Russell as a permanent part of her life—to wake up each morning with him at her side and go to bed each night wrapped in his arms. What she felt was far more than just physical attraction…she was beginning to believe it really was love.

She managed to suppress the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth when she thought about Justin finding his supply of condoms not as plentiful as they had been. She glanced up at Dylan and was about to share her amusement over the condoms when she noticed the pensive expression on his face.

A little tremor of apprehension darted through her body. Were the concerns she saw written across his features about her? About their night of making love? Another touch of panic pushed at her. Had she fallen into a trap from which there was no escape? Had she fallen in love with a man who would end up breaking
her heart? She tried to shove the uneasy feelings aside, to return to the euphoria that had enveloped her when she woke that morning.

She squeezed his hand to get his attention. “You look like something's bothering you.” She took a calming breath and asked the question she wasn't really sure she wanted an answer to. “Anything you'd like to share?”

He stopped walking and stared at her for a moment, not sure exactly how to respond to her question. He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her lips. The thoughts had been circulating through his mind along with a growing need to be able to share his inner turmoil with someone. His words were hesitant at first. “Yes…I think I would like to share it with you.”

Dylan sat on a large rock, scooting back to make room for Jessica to sit in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her, snuggling her into his body so that her back rested against his chest. He took a steadying breath to curb the anxiety growing inside him. It was a story he had thought he would never tell anyone, but he wanted Jessica to know what happened. He wanted her to know about Rose and Stanley Clarkson.

“This is very difficult for me to talk about, so please bear with me.” He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “It all started about a year ago.” A little shiver of anxiety darted down his spine. “I was in London. I had just closed a very tricky and personally profitable deal and was celebrating with the investment group. There were about ten of us having dinner and drinking champagne. This couple came into the restaurant, and one of the people at the table knew them. He called them over and introduced me to Rose and
Stanley Clarkson. They were in their early sixties and from Florida. He was semiretired and had made his money in commercial real estate. They were enjoying an extended stay in London that had started as a fortieth-anniversary vacation trip.

“They joined us and I found myself becoming friends with them, at first just casually getting together for the occasional dinner. They had sublet an apartment, and our relationship eventually evolved into a personal one with my being their houseguest whenever I was in London. They grew to be almost like surrogate parents for me. They provided a comfortable atmosphere where I could relax and just be me…something I had not been able to do for a long time.”

He paused as a moment of sadness swept over him. A lump formed in his throat. He knew talking about it was going to be difficult, but he hadn't realized just how much until the words started coming out of his mouth. He brushed a gentle kiss against her cheek. She reached up and clasped his hand, holding it against her chest. A subtle warmth filtered through his consciousness. He forged ahead with what he wanted to tell her—what he felt he
needed
to tell her.

“I've always made it a point to do business only with people who I knew could afford the financial risk. When you're dealing in highly speculative investments there's always a chance that something can go wrong. I've also made it a point not to do business with friends except for a few rare instances when I knew the people involved were able to separate personal and business.

“I really didn't know what the Clarksons' financial situation was, other than the outer trappings of main
taining an apartment in London in addition to a home in Florida. Stanley had mentioned on several occasions that he had some money set aside that he would be willing to invest if I had something I thought would be good. Then, almost by accident, I had a deal dumped in my lap that seemed like it would be perfect for them.

“I talked to Stanley and Rose about it, making sure they both thoroughly understood the risks involved. I had known the Clarksons for about six months by then, and we had become very close, much more so than I had thought possible. But when they handed me that check an ominous feeling came over me, almost like a voice telling me not to take it. I nearly backed out of the deal at the last minute.”

A little sigh of resignation escaped his throat before he could stop it. “I wish I'd listened to that voice, because a few weeks later the deal fell apart. It wasn't anyone's fault. Everything was aboveboard and honest. It was just one of those things that happen in the world of high-risk business ventures, and everyone accepts the possibility. But this time it was different. This time I had become personally involved with one of the investors.”

Dylan shifted his weight, more in an effort to try to shake loose the tension that had started to build inside him. It didn't help. He nudged Jessica forward onto her feet then stood up. He clasped her hand in his and they started walking again. He needed some sort of physical activity to ward off the pent-up tension.

She looked at him questioningly. “Are you okay?” She squeezed his hand. “I can feel the tension running through you.”

He returned the squeeze. “Yeah, I'm fine. It's just
that I've never told anyone about this before and…well, I'm finding it a little difficult to talk about it.” A soft feeling of closeness enveloped him when she rested her head against his shoulder as they walked along the trail.

He continued telling her about the Clarksons, wanting to get it all out before it overwhelmed him. “By keeping a personal distance from those I was doing business with I had been able to develop an immunity to the emotional repercussions of a business deal that went sour. On those few occasions when it happened, I would simply tell the investors that the deal had fallen through and explain as best I could exactly why and what had happened, then I would move on. It was all cut-and-dried.

“But nothing had prepared me for the reality of having to tell Stanley and Rose that their money was gone. My gut twisted into a thousand knots, and I literally felt sick to my stomach when I gave them the bad news. The only saving grace to the situation was that they could afford the loss…” His words trailed off as a hard lump settled in the pit of his stomach. “At least that's what I thought.”

Dylan glanced up at the sky, noting the gathering storm clouds that were beginning to block out the sun. A cool breeze rustled through the trees sending a shiver across his skin. “They were understanding, but it didn't take long for me to realize that the monetary loss was very significant for them. Just that knowledge upset me, but then something happened that hit me like nothing else in my life ever had and left me totally devastated.”

He swallowed, not at all happy with the confusing mixture of emotions that churned inside him. “Stanley
put his arm around Rose's shoulder and said that as long as they had each other their love would pull them through any crisis. His words, attitude and gracious manner in the face of adversity had produced an overwhelming guilt and remorse in me unlike anything I had ever experienced before, even though my dealings had all been ethical and straightforward. It was a moment that touched me on the deepest level of despair. That happened three months ago, and it's preyed on my conscience ever since that day.”

Jessica stopped walking, which brought Dylan to a halt. Her eyes showed a deep concern that carried over into her voice. “Is that how and why you ended up here?”

It was a valid question, as much as the one that had continued to circulate through his mind from that day—the question that asked what it must be like to be able to share that much love and devotion with someone special. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Would he ever be privileged to have that kind of love and devotion in his life? Could Jessica be that person? Or would it be something elusive that would always be just beyond his reach?

“Yes, that's how and why I came to be in the cabin. I managed to salvage their money from the collapsed deal, but it didn't do anything to stop my mounting guilt. Even now, three months later, it still haunts me. It's what made me realize that I needed to make some drastic changes in my life and that I needed a place of quiet and solitude to work them out.”

Dylan had almost told her about how he had recouped the Clarksons' money…the whole story…but had decided against it at the last moment. It had been difficult, but he had finally managed to get back part
of their investment from the collapsed deal. He had made up the difference out of his own pocket without telling the Clarksons that the money had come from him personally. He knew them well enough to know that they would not have accepted the money if they had known it was his. It was a small gesture, one that had no real financial impact on his bank account, but something he felt he had to do. It was not enough, but he hadn't known what else to do other than again offer his sincerest apologies.

A wave of sadness swept over Jessica, almost as if she were able to personally touch the disheartened state he had described. Her words were soft and emotion laden. “I'm sorry.”

“Oh?” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. A hint of a grin pulled at the corners of his mouth in sharp contrast to the heartfelt words he had used to explain his concerns. “And just what is it that you're sorry for?”

She paused for a moment, trying to find the proper words. She refused to be deterred by his apparent attempt to lighten the mood. “I'm sorry I gave you such a bad time about why you wanted to use the cabin. I had no business trying to pry into your personal situation by insisting on answers that you were obviously not willing to give. I should have respected your privacy and backed off, rather than intruding into your need for solitude. As you said, Justin did promise you the use of the cabin, and I was supposed to be in New York.”

His features softened as most of the tension left his face. She reached up and gently smoothed out the remaining worry wrinkle that furrowed his forehead, then offered a hesitant smile.

“Is there anything I can do? Something that will help ease the situation for you?”

He put his arm around her shoulder. “You've already helped a great deal. You allowed me someone to tell about what happened. I feel better now that I've been able to get the words out. It's like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. This has been churning inside me for months. It's put my entire life into a tailspin. I didn't know what to do or which way to turn. It's really been eating me up inside.”

Just being able to verbalize his inner turmoil had been a great relief. He pulled her into his embrace and placed a tender kiss on her lips, one that spoke of caring yet conveyed a sensuality that defined the passion that embodied Dylan Russell.

“As for your intruding…I'm very grateful that you did.” His voice was a whisper, his words truly heartfelt. “Thank you…thank you for listening to me, for being here.”

For the first time in his life Dylan was beginning to feel truly settled in his feelings and mind about a direction for his life. Had he finally been able to come to terms with the misplaced guilt that had been bothering him for the past three months? For the first time he believed that he could actually get on with his life…a life that would be far more productive than it had been in the past. And Jessica had played a major role in making it possible. Without having realized it at the time, he now knew that she had been an inspiration…a reason to set some goals for his life, to try for better things.

A shiver of panic brought his thoughts around to the here and now. His growing involvement with Jessica had been pushing at him, telling him that it had
already gone beyond what he had been prepared to handle. She was everything a man could want—certainly everything he had ever wanted—but he wasn't sure quite how to define what was happening or what to do about it.

He lowered his head to hers and captured her mouth in a heated kiss, partly to drive away his doubts and fears and partly because he didn't seem to be able to keep his hands off her. Her arms circled his neck in response to his fervor. His kiss deepened as he pulled her body tighter against his. His tongue invaded the dark recesses of her mouth…teasing, exploring, tasting.

The wind picked up and the sky darkened as it filled with storm clouds. The scent of approaching rain filled the air. Dylan broke the kiss and glanced up at the sky. He brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “I think we'd better get back to the cabin before we get caught out here without an umbrella.”

She glanced up at the stormy sky. “You're right.”

He continued to hold her in his embrace and her arms remained around his neck. Neither of them made any effort to break the spell holding them together. He looked into her eyes. His breath caught in his throat, and the panic welled inside him. He had spent most of his adult life avoiding any situation with a woman that could end up requiring a commitment from him. But he had not been able to escape the tantalizing presence of Jessica McGuire. How easy it would be for him to be pulled into the depths of those eyes.