One More Night Read online

  Now it was his turn to catch her off guard. He gently pushed her hand away seconds before sweeping her into his arms. He leaned down and kissed her with a voraciousness that had her moaning in his mouth.

  When he finally pulled away, he took in a deep breath and knew he had to get completely submerged inside her body before he lost it. He stared down at her kiss-swollen lips as he held her in his arms.

  “Do you know what you’ve asked for?” He wanted to make sure they were on the same page.

  She held his gaze. “Yes. I know.”

  “You sure it’s what you want?” He had to make doubly sure.

  She shifted in his arms and ran her wet, warm tongue across his bare chest. The muscles in his stomach tightened and he knew, without her uttering a single word, he had gotten his answer.

  Without saying anything else, he carried her upstairs to his bedroom.

  * * *

  Summer felt hot.

  And when Darius placed her on his bed and joined her there, she felt passion that had been bottled up inside of her, ready to boldly claim its freedom. Every bone in her body seemed to vibrate, needing a release.

  Her head began spinning when Darius removed her clothes with a swiftness that sent pieces flying everywhere. Then he stood and in record time, dropped his jeans and put on a condom he’d taken out of the nightstand drawer. Moments later, when she lay flat on her back, naked, he towered over her and she felt her thighs quiver with a yearning she hadn’t felt in years.

  He leaned back to slowly peruse her body and she felt heat every place his eyes touched, especially around her feminine core where his gaze seemed to linger, making sensations stir deep within her. The look in his eyes gave her more than an inkling of what he was thinking, and when he reached out and lifted her hips, placing her legs across his shoulders, she literally cried out before his mouth had a chance to touch her.

  She cried out again when his mouth did touch her. He pushed his tongue inside, working it around in her with a greed that sent sparks shooting off in her, scorching everywhere it touched and weakening every bone in her body, turning her muscles to mush.

  He spread her legs wider as his mouth continued to inflict upon her torment that was unyielding. What he was doing had captured her senses, totally wrecked her brain cells and fractured all rational thought. Physically, she was beginning to feel herself break into pieces and she grasped the strong arms on each side of her, trying to let him know there was no way she could take any more.

  As if determined to prove to her that she could, he continued his torment on her body, tightening his grip on her thighs as his tongue dived deeper inside of her. When he flicked across a sensitive part of her, she shattered, and helplessly screamed his name as an onslaught of sensations ripped into her.

  It was only then that he pulled back and straddled her, and before her lungs could fill with more air, he entered her in one deep thrust as he captured one of her breasts into his mouth, sucking deeply on a nipple.

  The joining had been so perfect it nearly brought tears to her eyes. She grabbed hold of his head to hold him to her breast and wrapped her legs around him to keep him inside of her. But the movement of his body told her he wasn’t going anywhere.

  He began moving, retreating and then pushing back in. Over and over again. Harder. Deeper. Faster. She felt every hard inch of him, felt the strong veins of his erection throb deep inside of her and push her over an edge that had her moaning yet again.

  And when he shifted his mouth to her other breast and began the same mind-wrecking torment, her moan turned into another scream. She felt every nerve in her body explode, and she began riding a wave that took her across the top of anything and everything. When his body stiffened and bucked mercilessly while he tightly gripped her hips, she knew this was the fusing of not only their bodies, but their minds and souls.

  And at that moment, nothing else existed in her world but the man who continued to push in and out of her while screaming her name. This was the same man who’d first shown her how beautiful the joining of a man and woman could be. The same man who moments later slumped down on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms, holding her as if he never, ever wanted to let her go.

  * * *

  Summer awoke with the sunlight shining on her face and a strong, hard body plastered to her own. She shifted slightly and looked over at the man sleeping beside her, the man whose strong masculine leg was thrown over hers and whose arms, even in sleep, were wrapped around her.

  Memories of last night flowed through her mind. It was the first time she had made love in seven years and it had been everything that she had remembered and more. Same man. Same passion. Same love.

  She closed her eyes thinking that by rights, she should be upset with herself for still loving him and for the weakness that allowed her to tumble back into bed with him, especially after the way he had cheapened their first night together. But then she couldn’t feel remorse when every part of her body was rejuvenated, like it had been awakened from a long sleep by pure pleasure. It had been making love with Darius the last time that had made her appreciate the fact she’d been born a woman, and it was his lovemaking now that was deepening that appreciation.

  But still...memories of her pain, her humiliation wouldn’t completely go away. How could a man who was so caring when it came to her so easily dishonor her the way he had? She had fallen in love with him completely and when he had made love to her that night, that love had intensified to a point that totally overwhelmed her.

  He hadn’t said the word love to her, but she had been certain of his feelings and had felt he’d displayed with his actions what he hadn’t spoken. But she’d discovered her assumptions had been wrong. She did not intend to make the same mistake twice. All she and Darius had just shared was a sexual release. For her, it was a long time coming. She would not assume anything about their relationship ever again. She would accept it for what it was.

  He shifted in bed and she tilted her head to look over at him. Before she could say a word, he leaned over and kissed her with a tenderness that made her groan. She didn’t have to mull over what they were about to do again, this time in the brightness of the sunlight. And when he eased his body over hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly gave him the mouth he seemed so intent to claim.

  * * *

  Summer stood at the window in her office. She kept replaying in her mind what had transpired last night and this morning. Although Darius had made love to her with an intensity and passion that nearly brought tears to her eyes, on the drive back over to her place this morning, she could sense him withdrawing. Why? Was he afraid she might assume just because they had slept together that she would think he wanted her back in his life? If that was the case, then he didn’t know how wrong he was about it. She knew better than to think that way. She had learned her lesson well.

  He had insisted on driving her to the office after he’d taken her home to dress, and he hadn’t had a lot to say about what they had shared last night. Instead, he’d kept the conversation centered on Tyrone and all the things he would be checking on, saying he would take a trip to Houston if he had to.

  He was still displaying those protective tendencies, but she could feel him putting up his guard, shielding emotions from her, keeping them out of her reach. More than once while in his arms last night and this morning, she had been tempted to ask him why he had done what he did seven years ago. But then she would decide to leave well enough alone. What happened was no longer a threat as long as she kept her heart out of the mix. Besides, she had bigger fish to fry. Tyrone Whitman and his whereabouts were what she needed to stay focused on. It was the only thing she should care about, the only thing that mattered.

  The thought of Tyrone being free made her skin crawl, but she refused to allow him to make her live in total fear. More than ever she was convinced he was the one who’d left tha
t note on her windshield and slashed her tires, mainly because those were things Tyrone would do. Saying he took care of his own was something he’d said to her more than once. The reason she hadn’t made the connection before was because she had assumed he was still locked up in prison. But now she knew that was not the case.

  She glanced up at the clock on the wall. Darius said he would be coming back to walk her over to the café for lunch, and not to leave without him. This would be one time she did what he asked without any hesitation.

  The phone on her desk rang and she immediately went to pick it up, hoping it was Darius with good news. “Hello?”

  The person on the other end didn’t say anything. “Hello?” she repeated. Chills ran down her spine when the person finally hung up. She tried to convince herself it was probably just a misdialed number. But deep down she had a feeling that wasn’t true.

  * * *

  Darius’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as he turned down the street that would take him to Helping Hands. Already he was regretting the news he was about to deliver to Summer.

  He had made a call to the Houston Police Department as soon as he’d dropped Summer off at work. He’d been told Walt was out of town on an investigation, so he had spoken with Manny, another detective he knew. It had taken Manny less than an hour to find out what he wanted to know.

  Manny had verified Whitman was out on parole with an order not to leave Houston. However, according to Manny, Whitman could not be found at what should have been his current address, and his landlord hadn’t seen him in weeks. Since Whitman had a week or so left before they could haul him in for violating parole, so far he hadn’t broken any laws...unless it could be proven he had left Houston.

  There was no doubt in Darius’s mind that Whitman had been in Somerset and was possibly still around. Since Somerset was such a small town, it would be easy for Whitman to find out where Summer worked—as well as where she lived. The thought of her being at Whitman’s mercy again was enough to make every fiber of his being roar in anger.

  He shifted his thoughts to last night and this morning. While making love to her, he had tried holding himself back but he hadn’t been able to control his emotions. Never had he been so affected by making love to a woman. It was as if the last seven years hadn’t existed and there had never been a wedge between them. Last night and this morning fit perfectly into his plans. After this morning, he was supposed to take her back home, tell her about all the wealth he had accumulated over the years, that he was a member of the TCC and that not only did he know Kevin Novak but that Kevin was one of his closest friends. He had wanted to see the hurt in her eyes.

  But Whitman’s parole made that impossible—at least that’s what he told himself. If it was determined the man was a threat to Summer, that would mean she’d stay with him for a while. She wouldn’t like the idea, but he was determined to protect her at all costs.

  * * *

  Summer had been hoping, praying that the last seven years in jail would have changed Tyrone and she would no longer matter to him. It was disheartening to know she had been wrong and there was a strong chance he was stalking her again.

  She told Darius about the strange phone call she had gotten that morning, and he, too, was convinced it had been Tyrone.

  “Come on, let’s go to lunch.”

  During lunch at the café Darius received a call. After the conversation ended, Summer knew from the look on his face that she was not going to like what he had to say.

  He proved her right. “Before coming to the shelter I stopped at police headquarters to alert them that Whitman might be in the area. I provided them with a description of how he looked the last time I saw him, figuring his looks hadn’t changed much over the years. But even if they had, Somerset is a small enough town that a stranger would stick out like a sore thumb.”

  He stopped talking, but she could tell there was more. “And?” she prompted.

  “And they think he’s been seen. A couple of the police officers who were cruising the area a few blocks from the shelter got suspicious of a guy who met Whitman’s description. When they tried to approach him to question him, he ran.”

  Summer didn’t say anything for a moment. “I refuse to let Tyrone scare me again, Darius. Although it didn’t work the last time, I’m going to get another restraining order.”

  “That’s a good idea. If he is taken into custody here in Somerset for any reason, his parole will automatically be revoked.”

  Darius hesitated a moment and then said, “Although you’re refusing to let Tyrone scare you, I’m hoping you’ll continue to stay with me until this issue with him is resolved. It will only be a matter of time before he finds out where you live, if he doesn’t know already. Alarm or no alarm, if he ever breaks inside your home again, depending on his frame of mind, there’s no telling what he will do. If knowing he will go back to jail and serve out the rest of his sentence hasn’t deterred him, that can only mean he doesn’t care. And people who don’t care will do just about anything to get back at the person they think has betrayed them.”

  Summer knew what Darius said was true. Tyrone had held a gun to her head, willing and ready to end her life as well as his own. She really didn’t want to go home with Darius again, but she didn’t have a choice. Even after what they had shared last night and this morning, she could still feel tension between them. She could tell he still had his guard up.

  “Summer?”

  She met his gaze, felt the heat in the dark depths of his eyes. He wanted to keep her safe. And he wanted her. Summer knew that no matter how guarded he was being, he couldn’t deny he enjoyed having her back in his bed, and she would admit she enjoyed being there. Intimacy between them wasn’t just good, it was off the charts. Sexual tension was always oozing between them, even when she didn’t want it to, like now.

  Knowing he was waiting on an answer, she said, “Okay, I’ll move in with you for the time being if you think it will be for the best.”

  Chapter 9

  A week later, as Darius sat in the TCC café waiting to meet with Lance, he was convinced that Summer moving in with him had been the best thing to keep her safe. Although he wasn’t sure just what her being underfoot was doing to his peace of mind.

  At first, he had put up his guard, finding excuses to work outdoors in the evenings to stay away from the house. But living under the same roof made it difficult to deny his desire for her when she was near.

  Evidently, she hadn’t been sure just where she should sleep the night she had returned to his place. They had stopped by her house to get more of her things, and after she had gotten settled at his place and taken a shower, she had gone to sleep in the guest bedroom.

  He had stayed outside deliberately talking to his ranch foreman, and when he had come inside and found her asleep in the guest bedroom, he tried to convince himself that her sleeping arrangements were fine with him.

  He’d taken a shower and crawled into his own bed. But knowing that she was asleep in another bedroom didn’t suit him. However, his stubbornness, the cold hard casting around his heart, just wouldn’t thaw any.

  After the third night, he realized that he had finally reached his limit. He got out of bed and went into the guest bedroom to discover her wide awake. She had been unable to sleep those nights, too.

  He could vividly recall that particular night, and how he had stood in the doorway and stared at her across the room, wanting so much to despise her, and also his weakness for her. Without saying a word, he had reached out his hand to her and she had eased out of bed, crossing the room to place her hand in his.

  Darius sighed deeply thinking it had been at that particular moment that he could no longer deny that she was and would always be a part of him. He had faced the truth that the reason he was so determined to protect her was because he still cared for her. Deeply.

  Since then she had shared
his bed every night and he’d enjoyed waking up with her beside him each morning. And he was getting used to her being in his home, in his space. Being under the same roof with her gave him a chance to get to know the new Summer, the one that had grown up without him. And he couldn’t help but admire the woman she had become, the dedicated social worker who understood what it was like to be a woman in jeopardy. A woman who had been abused.

  In the evenings he no longer found reasons to stay away from his home. Together they would prepare meals, clean up the kitchen and talk about the day’s events, only bringing up Whitman when they needed to. He had been sighted several more times in Somerset. Darius had even approached the Texas Rangers about Whitman informing them that he had violated parole. Although he had yet to be apprehended, Darius was convinced that eventually he would be, and was glad, in the meantime, that he was keeping Summer safe.

  “Sorry I’m late. I sort of got detained,” Lance said, breaking into his thoughts and sliding into the chair across from him.

  Darius couldn’t help but laugh. Based on the satisfied smile on his best friend’s face, he could only assume Kate was the reason he was late, and now he understood what it was like to have a woman under your skin and close at hand.

  “No problem. I just wanted to give you a copy of the official fire department report and provide an update on my investigation. I checked out all your employees who were questionable and was able to rule out each and every one of them.”

  Lance nodded. “I figured you would. I told you who I suspect.”

  Yes, Lance had told him, Darius thought, several times. But Darius still wasn’t convinced. Something didn’t sit right with him.

  Darius checked his watch. It had become a routine for him to drive Summer to work every morning and pick her up in the afternoon, and he did not want to be late. It was a routine he was beginning to get accustomed to. And it was one he liked, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Business would have to wait.