Derek’s hand moved from the small
of her back to slide between them, stopping at the deeply draped bodice of her jumpsuit. His palm moved in a slow, circular rhythm over her hardened breasts, the silk fabric gliding sinuously beneath his hand. Summer gasped as her body arched instinctively toward him. His head lowered further to drop moist, hot kisses along the delicate curve of her throat.
“Oh, Derek,” she moaned, her eyes tightly closed. Nothing had ever felt so right, so natural, as his arms around her, his mouth against her skin. His hardness against her softness told her how much he wanted her, and she admitted to herself that she wanted him, too.
He kissed her deeply again as her control slipped even further. Derek loosened the front of her jumpsuit just as her back touched the sofa, and she realized hazily that he had moved her to the sofa as easily as he had guided her in their dance. His breath was ragged, as was hers, clearly audible over the soft music still pouring from the hidden speakers. She could feel his breath on her skin, hot and moist, when he pressed his lips to the upper swell of one breast.
Growing impatient, she lifted herself toward him and clutched the sides of his head, needing to feel his mouth upon her. She cried out when he obliged her by taking one pointed crest between his lips.
“So beautiful. You’re so beautiful,” he muttered, his tongue teasing the sensitized tip he’d captured.
Summer shuddered, feeling as if there were a fire blazing between her legs. She’d never known desire so intense, need so desperate. She plucked ineffectively at his clothing, wanting to feel those sleek shoulders beneath her palms.
Their caresses escalated until they were almost out of control. With a gasp Derek tore his mouth from her heated skin. His chest heaving, he stared at her, and Summer wondered through her mist of passion when he’d removed his glasses. “I want you, Summer,” she heard him mutter through the thick fog that seemed to surround her. “I’ve never wanted any woman this much.”
“I want you, too, Derek,” she whispered, knowing it wasn’t necessary to tell him with words when her body had already shown him how much she wanted him.
“Ah, Summer. Sweetheart. Make love with me. Stay with me tonight.”
“B-but…” she stammered, knowing there was some reason she should refuse. “The caterers!” she exclaimed. No, she thought dazedly. That wasn’t it.
“The caterers left a long time ago, Summer-love,” he told her tenderly. “There’s no one here but us. Come, darling.” His arm curled gently around her, lifting her from the sofa to support her at his side.
The movement seemed to bring her out of her stupor. Going stiff in Derek’s arms, Summer closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to work, she told herself regretfully. As much as she would like to have Derek carry her into his bedroom, she just couldn’t do it. It simply wasn’t in her nature to make love with a man only because it felt good at the time, with no chance of a future involved. Perhaps Derek had chosen to ignore their differences for now, but Summer could not. His wanting her didn’t change the fact that he considered her a flighty party-girl, that he disapproved of her.
She refused to set herself up for heartbreak again. This time the wounds might never heal.
“I’m sorry, Derek, I can’t,” she said finally when she felt that her voice was under control.
He stiffened in resistance to her words. “What? What do you mean, you can’t?”
Pulling away from his arms, Summer took a few steps away from him, her limp seeming more pronounced than usual, and turned to face him. “Maybe I phrased that wrong. I should have said I won’t,” she clarified. “I told you last weekend, Derek, I’m not in the market for an affair.”
Taut with frustration, Derek shoved one hand in his pocket and the other through his hair. “Dammit, Summer, you said you wanted me.”
She laced her fingers tightly in front of her. “I’ll admit that I’m very attracted to you, Derek. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you. I’m not.”
“We’re good together, Summer. Admit it.”
“No. We’re too different.”
“I don’t think that we are,” Derek countered, some of the tension beginning to leave his body. He had begun to recognize the fear behind the bravado in her eyes. “We have a lot in common, Summer. Similar tastes in many things. We’ve never had trouble talking. I like you, and I’ve enjoyed spending time with you.”
He liked her. Why should those words hurt? Summer lifted her chin. “But you don’t approve of me.”
He hesitated. “I’m not crazy about some of your attitudes about things that I think are important, but I don’t disapprove of you. I’m beginning to understand you. I suspect that there’s a lot more to you than you allow the world to see, and underneath your glib facade is a complex, fascinating person. Look how well you fit in with the people who attended my party tonight. You looked perfectly at ease in a social situation that is hardly the type you’re accustomed to.”
She found that statement rather patronizing, and her narrowed eyes told him so. Derek seemed to be deluding himself that he could mold her into the type of woman he wanted Connie to be. How dare he think that Summer needed changing? Did he have some sort of compulsion to change people? And just how the hell did he plan to repair Summer’s leg so that she could be as perfect as he probably wanted her to be? Some tiny inner voice told her that she was being unfair in her anger, but only through anger could she resist the hunger she still saw in his lambent gaze.
“I really don’t think we need to discuss this any further, Derek,” she told him coolly. “I like you, you’re a nice guy, and I hope you and Connie manage to patch up your relationship. Sorry, but I’m not interested in anything else.”
By all rights he should have been angry. Instead, he was incredibly gentle when he cupped her face in his hand. “Summer, I’m not going to try to force you to make love with me if you’re not ready. That’s not the way I want it to be between us. But don’t try to tell me you’re not interested.”
She trembled at his touch, wanting nothing more than to throw herself into his arms. Why was he being so damned understanding? Why wasn’t he snarling at her, shouting at her, anything to help her resist him? Surely he could only be contemplating an affair. He would amuse himself with her for a while, then go off in search of a woman more like himself. And Summer would be devastated.
He’d certainly never mentioned any permanent relationship with Summer. Only that he liked her and he wanted to sleep with her. Not that she should expect anything more from him after only a week, she told herself candidly. But still, the thought of making herself so vulnerable to Derek terrified her. The intensity of her feelings for him frightened her.
She’d known so much pain.