SILENT DESIRES

He would kiss her gently, nothing too involved.

He did not want to frighten her, but he owed her this small concession for having made her cry. Buying furniture for her women’s shelter would not cut it.

That was money, but the insult had been personal and this was personal atonement.

His lips touched hers and she trembled. He gently tasted her with his tongue.

She was sweet and her lips were soft. They were still parted and he decided to go a step further. He wanted to taste the warmth and wetness of her mouth. So he did.

And it was good, better than he would have thought possible.

Her tongue tentatively brushed against his and heat surged through his male flesh. He wanted more, so he took it, moving one hand to her back and pressing her into him. She went completely pliant against him, molding her body to his like molten metal over a cast figure. Using the hand on her back, he lifted her off the floor until her face was even with his own and he could kiss her as urgently as he wanted to do.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned, kissing him back with a passion that more than matched his own.

The small noises emanating from her drove him on. He deepened the kiss further, oblivious now to his surroundings.

He wanted to do more than kiss her. He wanted to strip her naked and taste every centimeter of her delectable little body. The library. He could take her back to the library.

His hand was actually moving to catch her knees so he could carry her off when a booming voice broke through the daze of his lascivious thoughts.

“With a kiss like that, you’re both bound to have more good luck than a Chinese dragon.”

——————

Dash’s head snapped up at the sound of Neal Patchett’s humor-filled voice and reality came back with a painful thud.

Tess was still clinging to him, her expression dazed, but the rest of the room was very much aware. And what they were aware of was that he’d been caught kissing the host’s daughter like a horny teenager on his first date with an older woman.

He set Tess down with more speed than finesse, putting her away from him with a brusque movement.

She stared up at him, eyes darkened with passion and still unfocused.

“Dash?” she said.

“Didn’t know you two knew each other so well.” A crafty expression entered Neal’s eyes that Dash did not like.

“It is not a requirement to know someone really well to kiss,” he replied firmly, wanting to immediately squelch any ideas the man might have regarding he and Tess as anything other than passing acquaintances. He had already brought up the ridiculous idea of them getting married and Dash did not want to give him the impression that it was a good idea.

He shouldn’t have kissed Tess. He realized that now.

“Is that right?” Neal turned to Tess. “What do you say, pumpkin?”

Tess stared at her father as if she did not recognize him. Then her eyes sought out Dash once again, the question in them making him defensive.

He frowned at her. “She is your daughter.” he said. “You know as well as anyone how little I have seen of her over the years.” His eyes willed Tess to snap out of her reverie and affirm his stand to her father.

At first, she just looked confused, but then her expression seemed to transform with the speed of light. She went from dazed to hurt to horrified, but within a second she was doing her best to look unaffected.

It was not a completely successful effort with her generous lips swollen from the consuming kiss.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

She forced a smile that hurt him to see because it was so obviously not the direction those lips wanted to go. “It wasn’t anything, Dad. Less than nothing.” She said. She spun on her heel without looking back at Dash. “I’ve got to check on the champagne.” And she was gone.

He watched her go, feeling he should have handled that situation better and wishing he’d never come to the party in the first place.

“It didn’t look like less than nothing to me, but I’m an old man. What do I know?” Neal said.

The speculative tone of Neal Patchett voice sent an arrow of wariness arcing through Dash. He remembered the gossip he had overheard earlier. People knew of his plans already. He wondered who else Neal had told.

Rumors often started from a kernel of truth. The man could forget trying to buy him as a husband for his shy daughter. It wasn’t going to happen.

She might kiss with more passion than many women made love, but Dash Black was not for sale.

He had no intention of marrying for years yet and when he did, it wouldn’t be to Tess Patchett and no one was going to make him do it before he was ready. No one made decisions for him and definitely not this kind of decision.

Even if kissing Tess Patchett was as close to making love with his clothes on as he’d ever come.

————————-

Tess slammed the door of her bedroom behind her and then spun around to lock it for good measure.

It was after three o’clock and the last guest had finally departed. She’d made herself stay downstairs for the remainder of the party because she was guiltily aware her father had arranged it for her benefit rather than business.

He’d said as much when he told her he planned to have a bash at the mansion.

She wished he had not bothered. She wasn’t even sure why he did it, but she guessed it was his own way of making up for his shortcomings as a father

Yet she wished he hadn’t gone through the trouble of doing it, since he had invited his friends and it had turned into a business party as usual. Not that she cared though. These kinda parties didn’t usually interest her.

The other part of her, the sensual woman that lurked inside her was reveling in her first taste of passion.

Dash Black had kissed her. Like he meant it.