Waltz This Way (v1.1) (28 page)

“So Frank mentioned me? Oh, Jackie— I’ve always loved Frank, but after that kind of a recommendation for an unknown, I owe him at least one healthy male child.”

Jackie’s rings sparkled in the low light of the wall sconce when she shook her finger at Mel. “You can only sleep with my husband if it means you take the rest of the kids with you as part of the package. No way are you bagging me with your love child while you flit from party to party in Versace.”

Mel’s chuckle filled Drew’s ears, happier and lighter than he’d heard it since they met.

“Tell the hunk we’re just joking,” Jackie directed. “He looks posi-tively green.”

Mel turned to Drew, her beautiful face full of mischief. “We’re just joking. No healthy male child. But I’d definitely sleep with him. Frank’s hot.”

Now both women laughed, leaving Drew to wrestle with the illogical, totally irrational anger filling his gut at Mel sleeping with this Frank. A man who was clearly happily married to this woman Drew couldn’t help but like, rich or not.

“So tell me what you know,” Mel prodded.

“I just know Frank was clear he wanted you. Not to mention, this would be incredible publicity for Celebrity Ballroom, seeing Stanislov Cherkasov’s ex-wife on an opposing network. Never forget, my husband’s a shark, honey. This isn’t totally altruistic, and you can always count on me to be honest with you about his motives. He was honest with me when he sent me here to ask you. The ratings would go through the roof and you’d never have to say word one about Stan. It’s like a subtle smack down. Something that schmuck deserves.”

Drew waited to see if Mel harbored the wish to make Stan pay, but if she was still holding a grudge, she was doing a fine job of hiding it.

“Well, that’s just Hollywood,” Mel replied easily. “It makes sense that Frank would make a decision based on ratings. Ratings I get. For the last year of our marriage, that was all Stan talked about. I don’t begrudge Frank that.”

“It’s one of the reasons he is where he is. I love where he is. It means I could eat like this every night if it weren’t for my spawn wanting all that nurturing I read about in books. Now, food’s here. No more business, let’s eat. I’m starving.” Jackie dug into her steak with passion, laughing and chatting with Mel while Drew listened attentively and participated when requested.

When the evening drew to a close, he was the first to jump up and usher the ladies out into the parking lot, opening Jackie’s car door for her. “You”—she pointed at Drew—“I like. You know when to talk and when to just let us run our big mouths uninterrupted. That’s a skill, Mr. McPhee, a skill finely honed. You must have been married for at least five years, right?”

Drew bit the inside of his cheek and forced another smile. “I was.”

“It shows,” Jackie said with a smile. “So you be good to my Mel—got it? I’m a tough old bitch. I’ll kick your ass if you even think about breaking my girl’s heart here.”

He tucked Mel to his side. “I’ll remember that with the appropriate fear in my heart,” Drew joked.

Jackie’s mouth opened in raucous laughter. “Oh, my God, I like you. Okay, kids, I’m out. I fly back early in the morning because my horrible children need love and someone has some kind of recital—or something that involved me making a costume with duct-tape and a glue gun. Mel? I love you. I’ll call you the second Frank has more details. Now gimme a hug and don’t get all whiny with the goodbyes. I hate crying.”

Mel gave Jackie a hard squeeze. “I miss you so much, and now that you see Jersey isn’t so bad, you’ll come back, right?”

“Hah! Not before I get you back to L. A. Love to your dad. Bye, guys.” She got into her car after one last hug and drove away.

Mel wiped a tear from her eyes as she stared down at her feet.

“Just give me a sec to get the sissy out of my system.”

Drew pulled her into his embrace, inhaling the scent of her rasp-berry shampoo. “Don’t make a mess of this suit with all that mascara. It’s the only one I’ve got,” he teased.

She sniffled. “I didn’t realize how much I missed her until just this second.”

“She’s quite a character.”

“She’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had.” Pulling away, she looked up at him. “She liked you. That says something.”

“Really? What does that say?”

“That she won’t hire someone to pick you off with all her lovely money.”

Drew chuckled. “Sooooo …” he whispered against her ear.

Mel put her arms around his neck, tilting her head up. “Yesssss?”

“We’re still on for my apartment?”

“Where’s Nate?”

He loved that she was always concerned about his son. “At my mother’s. It’s Friday night, which means movies and ice cream. So we’re good?”

She gave him a coy glance. “Only if dessert’s involved.”

“Oh, I got your dessert,” he murmured against her lips.

She pressed a tender kiss against his lips. “Then what’s the hold up, slowpoke?”

He pulled her to his truck, helping her in. When the light from the dome in the ceiling illuminated her as she tucked her legs inside, Drew had to grip the door.

Her hair fell down her back in silky ringlets of dark chocolate, framing her heart-shaped face with a seductive curtain he wanted to bury his hands in. But it was her eyes that made his breath still for the briefest of seconds.

They were as dark as her hair, smoldering black with just a glint of amber in them, and he realized, he recognized that look.

It was the one he thought was reserved only for when she danced.

He’d seen it on more than one occasion while he watched her practice with the boys at school like some lovesick fool.

As his breath left his lungs— he knew.

Now he had to make sure she knew, too.

Mel’s heart thumped in her chest with an uneven rhythm while Drew lit candles and put a disc in the CD player. Suddenly, she was nervous. Their last romp had been unexpected. She hadn’t had time to worry about what she looked like naked. Even after almost six weeks of Neil’s grueling workout regimen, she still had lumps.

Lumps she’d probably rather weren’t highlighted by his Glade scented candles.

Mel clenched her cold hands together in nervous anticipation when Drew loosened his tie and took off his jacket to hang it in the small closet by his front door.

It gave her a moment to reassess his apartment, which was sparse in terms of furniture and any kind of decoration. Well, except for the picture of the waterfall.

Drew reached behind it and turned something on. “See? It’s just like real water, so sayeth Myriam. She told me I didn’t have enough atmosphere in the apartment for Nate— so she bought this for us when she was in Atlantic City.”

Mel watched the waterfall seemingly flow with real water, her mouth open in fascination. “It’s as riveting as a velvet Elvis painting. I can’t tear my eyes away.”

Drew approached her from behind. “Let me help you with that,” he whispered against her ear, wreaking havoc with her belly. Drew ran his hands over her hips, drawing her back to lean completely against him.

His muscled frame against hers, pressing into her flesh through her thin dress was intoxicating. They swayed for a bit, moving to the soft music on the CD player. Mel’s eyes closed when a familiar tune came on, and she whispered, “Is that Tony Bennett?”

Drew’s lips slid over the sensitive skin of her neck. “It is.”

“I’d have never figured you for that type of guy.”

“Then you still have much to learn, grasshopper. I was raised on Bennett and Sinatra, to name a few.” He turned her in his arms, molding her to him, smoothing his hands over her waist.

“I have a confession.”

“Well, I know you’re not a man. What’s left?”

“Funny. I’m being serious here.”

“Confess,” he prompted, gliding his tongue over her lips.

“I’m petrified.”

He pulled his lips from hers, giving her a concerned glance. “Of?”

“Being naked.”

“That must make it hard to shower.”

“Again, being serious.”

He chuckled low and gritty. “Sorry. Being very serious, I can assure you, you have nothing to be petrified about.”

“Oh, please. You didn’t see me totally naked. It was dark the last time. Now we have all these stupid candles.”

“Oh, but I did. Now I have a confession. I peeked while you were sleeping. Pretty impressive backend ya got there, lady.”

Mel buried her face in his shoulder, her cheeks hot. “It is not. It’s flabby.”

“How about you let me be the judge of that? It couldn’t be that bad because I’m back for seconds. And let’s not forget, I’ve been waiting for that flabby ass of yours to be naked for more than a month’s worth of make-out sessions. Clearly, I like you, flabby and otherwise. So how about you let me prove that to you?”

Mel let him lead her to his bedroom, stepping over the shoes he kicked off. He opened his arms, and she went willingly, burrowing against the crisp material of his shirt with a sigh. His chest pressed against her cheek, allowing her to hear his heartbeat, rapid and sure.

Tilting her head up, Drew caressed her lips with his, tentatively touching them before pulling away. His hands roamed in soothing circles across her back and down along the slope of her hips, pulling her closer and closer.

She sighed when his tongue slipped into her mouth, rasping against hers, tasting like the mint he’d used after dinner. His groan of encouragement when she wrapped her arms around his neck made her back arch, pushing her breasts into the muscles of his chest.

His hands found the zipper on the back of her dress, sliding it down her spine while his lips devoured hers. The contact of his hands on her hot flesh made her gasp in hungry need to feel all of him.

When he slid her dress off, leaving her in a white lace bra and low-waist panties, Drew smiled his approval. “Were you planning to have your way with me, Ms. Cherkasov?”

Mel rolled her eyes at him, planting a finger on his chest. “I was thinking no such thing. Underwear is underwear. Why is something sexy a presumption that sex will occur? Maybe I just like nice underwear.”

“I gotta tell ya, I like your version of ‘no presumption of sex’ underwear,” he muttered, thick and low while she unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it aside to feel the heat of his skin.

Her fingers fumbled when she reached for his zipper, dragging it down, the sound sharp in her ears. As her hands made the connection to his hard abs and lean hips, she sucked in a breath.

Every inch of Drew was as good, if not better, than the last time she’d touched him. His firm flesh beneath his boxer-briefs made her fingers shake when she dragged them over his thick thighs.

Drew unsnapped her bra with ease, letting it fall off her shoulders, then hooked his thumbs into the scrap of panties she’d totally lied about choosing because they were just underwear, and slipped them off her.

And then they were naked, and it was all she could do not to cover herself from his scrutiny. It was as exciting as it was embarrassing, but Drew changed that with just one word. A word that was low and husky, matching the clear desire in his eyes.

“Perfect,” he said before dragging her with him to the edge of the bed. He pulled her body flush to his face, taking a deep breath, inhaling her flesh and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Mel’s hands went to his hair, raking her fingers though it, arching into the stubble that had formed on his cheeks and was now tickling her skin. Drew’s lips were hot, consuming her flesh as he groaned, kissing his way along her hipbone.

Mel’s gasp was sharp when he slid his palms up between her inner thighs, grazing the tender flesh. She gripped his shoulders to keep her knees from collapsing beneath her when his breath whispered over her swollen, aching flesh.

He slithered his tongue inside her, spreading her lips to caress her clit with long strokes.

Mel rocked against him, shuddering against his hard embrace, lifting herself on her toes to savor the lap of his tongue, hot and wet.

Drew’s hands cupped her ass, kneading it, drawing her against his mouth with force. When the first sharp sting of orgasm wound tight in her belly, Mel’s breathing came in harsh gasps. She whimpered the words, “Please, don’t stop,” in a cry of anguish.

Drew complied, whispering his tongue along the lips of her sex, dragging it back and forth until he evoked a deep growl that began in her chest and came out a howl of pleasure. Her hips gyrated, her hands when to his wrists, clinging to them as his fingers tugged at her hard nipples.

She ground against him, pushing her body until completion came hard and fast in a crash of light and sound.

The aftermath of her climax left her falling boneless against the shelter of his strong body, allowing him to encompass her in his embrace.

Drew sprawled her across his lap, his cock pressing insistently against her thigh. Clinging to his neck, she sighed as he rocked her, giving her the time to recuperate. His lips lay against the top of her head, and Mel closed her eyes, relishing the intimate contact.

But her hands itched for other things. They itched to discover Drew and find what pleased him. She slid off his lap in a sinuous movement, slithering down between his legs to spread his thighs wide.

His stare gleamed from above her, his eyes dark with need— one she intended to fulfill. Mel let her hands explore the crisp hair on his thighs, dragging her fingers through it, luxuriating in the ripple of his muscles beneath her palm.

She leaned forward, pressing her hot cheek to his abdomen, kissing his heated skin then resting her head there while she examined what lay between his thighs.

He was long and thick, the skin stretching across his cock smooth and lightly veined. Her fingers were compelled to skim the satiny flesh, and he jolted when she enveloped him in her grasp.

Mel made a long, drawn-out pass up and then down his shaft before placing her lips on it, tasting him. Drew leaned back on his elbows with a groan, cupping her chin, tracing the outline of her lips when she finally took his length into her mouth.

His gasp was raw, his hips jutting upward, reaching, driving between her lips. His fingers found the back of her head, threading them into her hair, directing her as she pleasured him.