TheTemptationNotJustifiedAReFinal (13 page)

“You’re
gonna make me have an accident,” he teased in a shaky voice. His teeth nipped
at her ear.

“I
want you so much.”

The
aching in her voice almost undid him. “You want me?” he asked, slipping his
hand down the waistband of her shorts. “Let me see how much.” She gasped when
he made contact with the moisture between her thighs. “Oh yeah,” he groaned,
his lips now at her bare shoulder, punctuating his words with hard kisses. “You
want me.”

When
he tried to remove his hand, she made a desperate grab to hold it in place.

“No.
Please,” she pleaded. “Please don’t stop, Roarke. Please, don’t stop.”

Roarke
resolved to oblige her request. He worked his fingers through the slick
moisture, listening to her pants next to his ear where her head rested on his
shoulder.

He
inserted one, then a second finger inside her. With long strokes he glided in
and out, simultaneously rubbing his warm hand against the tightened nub.

“I
wish this was me,” he whispered in her ear.

When
the climax hit, she shuddered, biting down on her lip to keep from crying out.
She grabbed his wrist in a viselike grip and pumped faster, riding out the
release. When she came down off her high, her body pressed back against him.

With
ease, he scooped her up in his arms and took her onto the grass beneath one of
the trees away from the porch lights. When he lowered her weakened body to the
ground, she reached for the button on his jeans, and his abdominal muscles
tightened.

“What
are you doing?”

“I
want to touch you.”

“Not
a good idea,” he said, bracing himself above her. She didn’t listen, and he was
powerless to stop her. She pulled down the zipper and freed him into her hand.

“Celeste
. . . I can’t . . . baby . . .” He cursed, tearing at the grass with curled
fingers. “
You’re killing me
.”

She
dragged his head down to hers, opening her mouth for his tongue. The kiss was hungry,
wet, devouring. She continued to stroke his hard length, each caress bringing
him closer and closer to the brink.

A
guttural sound left his throat when he pulled her hand away. He couldn’t wait
anymore. He undid her shorts and yanked them and her panties off. Then he
pushed her shirt up and lowered his head to one stiff, toffee-colored peak. She
arched upward, running her hand along his bare back. He grabbed her buttocks, lifted
her lower body off the grass, and sank into her—deep—their mutual groans
drifting on the night air.

Sweet
mother
. . . she
felt so good . . . No woman should feel this good. He rocked into her, guiding
her to take his rhythm. With each thrust he buried himself deep into the sleek
wetness of her body as if his life depended on it.

Celeste
wrapped her legs around his waist, a feeling of completion coming over her as
he filled her. She matched each stroke with the upward tilt of her hips, but he
controlled their movements. His big hands held her off the ground while his
mouth continued to shower kisses on her breasts and lave her nipples with his
tongue. Each possessive thrust tightened the spring of tension in her loins.

Her
movements became more frantic, and his grip tightened, signaling he neared the
limits of self-restraint. She strained against him, mindless, sinking her
fingers into the powerful muscles of his arms. Never, ever had she known such
passion like she did with him. Never had she imagined she could feel this level
of awareness, as if their bodies literally became one.

“I
can’t get enough of you,” he whispered roughly.

The
words were a match that lit the bomb inside her. She exploded, shattering.
Spasms crashed over her like the waves at the shore. Her mouth fell open in a
silent scream, her nails digging into his firm flesh. With a groan, he surged
forward, burying himself to the hilt. He convulsed inside her, and didn’t draw
back, remaining frozen, as if he wanted to savor every blissful second.

Gradually,
their breathing returned to normal, their tight, tense bodies relaxed, and he
eased back.

“I’ll
never get enough.”

He slowly
ran his fingertips along the length of her collarbone. Celeste reached up and
stroked his bearded face with the back of her hand. She wanted to tell him she
loved him. After such explosive lovemaking, it seemed appropriate. The words
burned the back of her throat, but she couldn’t say them. He wanted her, and they
were certainly compatible sexually, but love? She couldn’t bear to experience
his rejection once she said the words.

Roarke
rolled onto his back in the grass and pulled her on top of him. Spent, she
rested her head on his chest. He picked grass out of her hair, and she suspected
her shirt would be grass-stained.

He
spoke first. “We didn’t use any protection.”

“It’s
okay, I’m on the Pill. And I don’t have anything.”

“I
don’t, either, but I never . . .” His voice trailed off. He caressed the skin
of her back, ran his hand over her bare bottom, and stroked down to her thighs.
Instead of inciting erotic feelings, his touch soothed this time, comforting
instead of urgent. “You drive me crazy, make me do things I wouldn’t normally
do. I don’t know who the hell I am when I’m with you.”

“Is that
such a bad thing?” She kissed the indentation at the base of his throat.

He
cupped her chin and lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. “It’s not a
good thing, and you know why.”

She
didn’t want to talk about Derrick. Not so soon after. It would take her down
off the high. “I don’t want to do this now,” she whispered.

“Celeste,
I’m not the kind of man who sneaks around, and you’re that kind of woman,
either. I don’t think I misread you when we met. We have to tell him, no matter
what the fallout.”

“My
relationship with Derrick isn’t what you think. It’s hard to explain.”

“Try.”

“It’s
complicated.” He allowed her to pull away, and she stood up and slipped on her underwear
and shorts.

By
betraying Derrick, she had effectively forced a deeper wedge between the two
brothers. Derrick would never forgive her or Roarke. She could feel him
watching her, his eyes boring into her back.

“Celeste.”
She stiffened. His arms crossed around her, and he nudged her hair from the
back of her neck to place his lips in its place. “He’s my brother. We have to
tell him.”

“I
know.” She turned and looped her arms around him and pressed a tender kiss to
his mouth.

“I’m
sleeping in your bed tonight.”

Her
eyes widened. “What about the house rules?”

“You
make me want to break the rules.” He drew her closer and kissed her. “I’ll be out
before anyone gets up. But there’s no way I’m letting you spend the rest of the
night alone in your bed.”

Anticipation
boiled her blood.

“I’m
taking my Aunt Iris and grandmother to Savannah tomorrow morning. When I get
back, you and I need to talk, and then we’re going to have a talk with Derrick.
Agreed?”

Celeste
nodded. “Agreed.”

Chapter
Eleven

Celeste
swung her legs off the side of the bed.

Although
she and Roarke had agreed they would talk to Derrick together, she decided it
would be better if she spoke to him alone. Once she explained the situation to
Derrick, he would have to understand. Her feelings for Roarke weren’t going
away. If anything, they deepened after he held her in his arms all night. No
lovemaking. Just the repose of two people comfortable enough to lie in bed
together and enjoy a fitful sleep.

The
drive to Savannah would take Roarke approximately three hours round trip. In
the meantime, she would swallow her pride, tell Derrick everything, and make
sure he didn’t take out his anger on Roarke.

*
* * *

Roarke
ran up the steps of the front porch. He’d broken every speed limit on his way
back. If a cop had pulled him over, he would have been slapped with a reckless
driving ticket for sure.

Up
the stairs he went to the second floor and knocked on Celeste’s bedroom door. No
response. He knocked again.

When
she still didn’t answer, he went in. The bed was unmade, but with a cursory
glance, he noted none of her personal belongings were in the room. Last night
her toiletry bag sat on the antique dresser, but it was gone. Her suitcase had
rested in the corner. Gone.

He
strode over to the window and looked down at the beach. Uncle Reese, Lenora,
Matthew, other family members and guests were down on the beach with umbrellas
and chairs, enjoying the nice weather. No sign of Celeste.

Unease
settled over him.

He
rushed out the door and almost slammed into Derrick. The minute he saw his
brother’s face, he knew.

“Where
is she?”

The
sly smile grated on his nerves. “Who?”

“You
know who.” Roarke advanced on him. “Where is she?”

“Wouldn’t
you like to know?” Derrick laughed. He actually had the nerve to laugh and then
turned his back to walk down the hall.

Roarke
grabbed him from behind and shoved him against the wall. His fingers clenched
around Derrick’s lapels. “What did you say to her? Tell me where she is!”

Derrick
looked pointedly down at his hands. “Are you going to beat me up?”

Roarke
stepped back immediately, shocked at his own behavior. He took a calming
breath. “Fine, don’t tell me,” he said. “I’ll find her myself. If I have to
call every Celeste Burton in Decatur, then I will.” Hardening his jaw, he swung
away from his brother.

“Did
you get a good laugh at my expense?” Derrick’s words halted him at the top of
the staircase. “Did you enjoy keeping your little secret from me, knowing I’d brought
her here and asked her to pretend to be my girlfriend?”

“Pretend?
What are you talking about?”

Derrick’s
haughty smile faltered. His eyes narrowed. “You mean she didn’t tell you?”

“Tell
me what?”

“This
gets even better. You slept with her thinking she was my girlfriend. Wow. You
really are your father’s son.”

The
words had been meant to cause pain, and they did. Roarke’s conscience had
already taken a beating, and this last lash only served to deepen the guilt.

“I’m
not proud of what I did, but we had no intention of sneaking around behind your
back. But now you’re telling me you two weren’t even involved?”

Celeste’s
comments came back to him. “My relationship with Derrick isn’t what you think.
It’s complicated.”

“Yep.”
His arrogance was really getting on Roarke’s nerves. “But it didn’t make any
difference to you. You saw something you wanted, and you took it. Roarke
Hawthorne always gets whatever he wants.”

He
bristled at the words. “It always comes back to our father. You can’t let it
go.”

Derrick
took two steps forward. “You wouldn’t either if you had been the one rejected.”

“I
didn’t have a choice, Derrick!” Roarke snarled. “None of us did. It’s not like
I told him not to have anything to do with you. I was a toddler, like you. But
you know what, I’m done. For fifteen years I’ve tried to create a relationship
between us, be a brother to you, but you’d rather hate me and wallow in self-pity.
I’ve had it up to here.” He brought his hand up to his forehead. “You want to
hate me, hate me. Obviously, nothing I do will change your mind.”

“Damn
straight.”

Roarke
chuckled. “You have serious issues. The crazy thing is, you had a father, and
still do. Maybe he’s not the one you wanted, and you don’t have the same DNA, but
anybody can see how much Phineas loves you. Anybody but you. Somehow you even
managed to mess up that relationship and convince yourself your stepfather only
adopted you because your mother made him do it.” With a shake of his head,
Roarke continued. “That sits right up there with hating me because our father
chose to stay with my mother. And while we’re at it, do I get to hate you
because your mother stole my father from my mother? Do I get to hate you
because our parents’ affair eventually caused me to lose my own mother? How
exactly does this hate thing work? I’m new at it.”

“This
isn’t funny!”

“I
never said it was, but I’m tired of putting up with your nonsense. I’m tired of
tiptoeing around your feelings. If I’d known fifteen years ago your anger and
bitterness would still be so strong, I wouldn’t have told the family to contact
you.” He started down the stairs.

“What?
What do you mean you told the family to contact me?” Derrick had moved to the
head of the staircase, his face a mask of confusion.

“Exactly
what I said. I was the one who told Aunt Iris and Uncle Reese to find you. You’d
lost two parents, like us. I thought, as family, we could help each other
through a difficult time.”