Full Surrender

But maybe the truth was that spark just hadn’t been there with Josh. Not the way it was with Danny. She got back to hammering out the details for a fling, hardly daring to believe it was really going to happen after all this time.

“I mean, where should we conduct this liaison? Here? Or would you like to come with me to my place in D.C.? For that matter, we can find a neutral location if you want to go out of town for a few days.”

He seemed to ponder the idea while he ripped off a piece of bread.

“Can you take some time off from your work?” He passed the bread basket to her, but she couldn’t eat another bite.

“I’m in a good position with work. A friend is filling in for me at the studio and I cleared my personal appointments for a couple of weeks.” She finished her water and then realized how that sounded. “Although, I was also giving myself a vacation. I don’t expect you to hang out with me all that time. I know you must have things to do here since you’re not home all that often.”

“Actually, I promised my folks I’d head home in a couple of days. I’m spending ten days back in Cape Cod so they can invite all the family and throw a big shindig for me the weekend before my brother Jack’s wedding. It’s the only reason they didn’t meet the ship when I came home.”

“So you don’t have much time.” She bit her lip, wishing she had him to herself a little longer. Plus, knowing he’d only be here a few days put an awful lot of pressure on her to get this affair off the ground in a hurry. “Unless we could do this after you get back to Norfolk?”

She was already mentally rearranging her schedule. Beside her, Danny put down his fork on his empty plate.

“Why don’t you just go to the Cape with me?” He finished his water and set the glass on the table, his full attention back on her.

“With all your family? For a wedding, no less?” She knew a little about the Murphys thanks to her friend and former coworker Christina, Danny’s cousin—Stephanie and Danny had met at Christina’s house all those years ago.

The Murphy family was huge, with five biological brothers and a sixth who they’d fostered. They were also wealthy beyond her imagining, owning a hotel conglomerate with interests that spanned the globe. Danny’s father was a Fortune 500 executive, and he’d always expected Danny to go into the family business. She’d read a little more about the Murphys in the past year, which was how she’d worked up the nerve to phone Danny’s mom a week ago. No matter that his dad sounded like a driven business guru, the articles online had depicted Colleen Murphy as a dedicated humanitarian and down-to-earth person.

“Why not? There’s lots of room back home, so it’s not like we’d be right on top of everyone else. I usually stay in the gatehouse, so I’ve got some privacy while I’m there. And two of my brothers have places nearby so they wouldn’t be underfoot anyhow.” He propped an elbow on the back of the couch, facing her. “They’re not a bad group. Competitive as all hell, but they’re good guys. And the thing is, I hear they’ve all got women in tow now. So if you don’t go, I’d be the only stag Murphy in the bunch.”

“They’ve got women in tow?” Stephanie wondered if she should be offended. “Will I be in tow?”

“Okay. Poor choice of words. Technically, I’ve got two brothers engaged, one getting married and two more sapped out over women they’re dating.” His hand strayed close to her shoulder and she imagined its weight on her skin. Its warmth smoothing over her bare flesh. “I haven’t even met Kyle’s or Axel’s new girlfriends so that’ll be a trip.”

“Won’t it be a lot of pressure for you to show up with me?” She wasn’t sure she was ready for family scrutiny when she’d only just barely worked up the courage to reclaim her sleeping sensuality after all this time. “I mean, will people expect us to be a real couple?”

“No one is going to expect anything.” He frowned. “But if it makes you uncomfortable—”

“No.” She didn’t want to miss out on the time with him. Family or not, she preferred to have more time with Danny since she didn’t expect to solve her intimacy issues overnight. As much as she wanted to test the waters with him, she worried she might take two steps forward and one step back. “I’d love to go to the Cape with you. Thanks for asking.”

“Great.” He settled deeper into the couch cushions, his fingers finally straying closer to her shoulder. He smoothed a touch along her upper arm, just below the seam of the white cotton fabric of the T-shirt. “That settles that. Now we just need to figure out what to do for the next couple of days until we leave.”

Was it her imagination, or had his voice grown softer? Seductive. The hooded look he gave her revealed nothing, but it sure heated her insides.

“I can go back to Norfolk.” She knew it was a foolish offer as soon as she made it. She’d asked him to re-create their affair, hadn’t she? Why back away like a scared rabbit now that he’d said yes? “I mean, I don’t want to infringe on your downtime if you’d like a few days to rest and … whatever.”

“I think it would be great if you’d stay with me. Right here.” His thumb circled a small patch of her skin, giving her goose bumps everywhere else.

“Ooh.” She cleared her throat to cover her sigh of pleasure at his touch. “That would be nice. I left my car back near the base, though. My bag is in the trunk.”

“Do you keep a spare key in the wheel well or somewhere underneath?” His fingers skimmed higher, hitching up the seam on her T-shirt to touch the top of her shoulder.

“No.” She couldn’t help the shiver that went through her. “Why?”

“I have a friend who would drive it up here if I let him take my boat out in return. That is, if you don’t mind someone else driving your car.”

She had all she could do not to stretch like a cat under his lightly stroking hand. Why was it that she could let her guard down around him so easily when she’d been tense and agitated every time Josh came near her back when they’d dated? Was it that another year had passed? Or was it one hundred percent Daniel Murphy?

“Actually, I have one of those models where you can call the company and they’ll bounce a satellite signal down to make it unlock or some crazy trick like that. Although I guess that won’t help him start the car.” She frowned, wishing she could have taken him up on the offer. The trip from D.C. had been more than enough time behind the wheel for her in a day.

“Umm … this guy’s a ship mechanic. I give him ten-to-one odds he can hot-wire your car with his eyes closed. I’ll have him pick it up in the morning, unless you really need your things tonight.” His whole hand cupped her bare shoulder now and that seemed to be the only thing she could think about.

With no bra to get in the way, he could be touching her bare breast with the slightest movement. Better yet was the realization that she really, really would like that.

“Yes.” She tipped her neck to one side, giving him all the more room to touch her. “That would be perfect.”

He quit touching her.

“You want me to have it brought here tonight?” Danny reached for his phone on the coffee table.

She shook her head, confused for a moment until she recalled what he’d asked. “No. I don’t need the car.”

“You’re sure?” He still held the cell phone when she wanted him to hold her.

“Positive.” She left the rest of the words unspoken, the request for him to put his hands back on her.

“Okay. Cool.” He set the phone down again and met her gaze.

She could have sworn that heat flared in his eyes for a second before he scrambled to his feet.

“I’d better put the food away.” He picked up the dishes and glasses, whisking them into the kitchen while she tried to recover from the sharp bite of longing she hadn’t felt in years.

Seducing Danny could take a little more ingenuity than she’d thought if she had intimacy issues and he was going to insist on taking things slow. Just because she’d received an invitation to spend the night didn’t mean she’d be sleeping in his bed.

ACCEPTING STEPHANIE’S INVITATION didn’t mean he could fall on her like a sailor on dry land for the first time in months. He would restrain himself because she deserved better. Hell, she might not even be ready to be with him like that given the way he’d freaked her out back in the water. As much as she might be sending him the green-light signal, chances were good that she didn’t know exactly what she needed.

Which was why he would be a gentleman if it killed him. Which was also why he cleared the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen with a speed and dedication he usually reserved for his job.

He had no idea how things would go between them tonight, but his blood still simmered. He’d be back out in the bay to cool down if he couldn’t get himself under control.

In the living room, Stephanie wandered around checking out his book collection on one shelf and old CDs on the other. He’d chased her out of the kitchen twice, mostly because he needed the space to get his head on straight. He looked over again, and saw she was scrolling through his iPod playlist while the device was docked in the stereo. When she cranked up a Doors tune, the house filled with dark, moody music. She sang and twirled absently, occasionally running her finger down a book spine or drifting past the open French doors to breathe the fresh air.

Seeing her like this, full of song and a bounce in her step, brought him right back to that night they’d first met.…

MUSIC STILL POURED through him, the echo of his show in the city humming in his head. Danny had booked the gig in Manhattan three months ago, knowing his band had what it took to make it on a big stage. And sure enough, the well-connected club owner had declared their show a success. The other guys in the band had expressed doubts about his level of commitment to music given the prominence of his family—and his dad’s seemingly never-ending thirst to expand Murphy Resorts, Inc. while strong-arming all his sons into corporate positions. But maybe the fact that Danny had set up this gig would quiet his detractors.

His bandmates certainly looked happy enough as they mingled at a house party hosted by Danny’s cousin, journalist Christina Marcel. The timing had been nice for him since Christina was headed overseas for a six-month-long news feature on the war in Iraq and she’d wanted to throw a little going-away party for her and her camerawoman, Stephanie Rosen. She’d been more than happy to expand the event into a reception for the musicians.

“You were awesome!” Christina threw herself into Danny’s arms as soon as he walked out onto her balcony, her energy a formidable thing. “You’ve got to cut yourself free from the resort business and pursue your music, Dan,” she whispered in his ear. “You’re so talented with that guitar.”

“Thanks.” He kissed her cheek, liking the view from her Brooklyn apartment. The city glowed across the water, reminding him his dreams were all right there for the taking.

Except that, more than music, he wanted to follow Christina over to Iraq. He hated sitting at a desk job and carrying on, business as usual, while a war unfolded. He needed to get involved. To use his smarts for something beyond making another dollar for the old man. He liked music, but even that had been making him feel restless.

“Have you met Stephanie?” Christina asked, oblivious to his dark thoughts as she blew kisses to someone who had just come out onto the balcony.

Danny turned to see one of his older brothers, Jack, who’d made the trip to New York with him. Danny couldn’t help but think that Jack was his designated watchdog this weekend. In a family full of high achievers, Danny had always been the crazy one, whereas Jack was Mr. Responsible. Long ago, the guy had been charged with watching over the younger brothers while the oldest learned the ropes of the resort business.

“No.” Danny looked around the balcony, more than ready to meet anyone that wasn’t related to him. Sometimes, when you had a big family, it was damn tough to escape their expectations. “Is she here yet?”

“Are you kidding?” Christina laughed and tugged him closer to whisper in his ear. “She’s been looking forward to an introduction ever since your first set back at the club.”

Danny waited while Christina waved her hand over the crowd.

And summoned a woman who damn near floored him.

It wasn’t just one thing about her. It was everything. Pale and delicate with wide blue eyes and fairy-tale dark waves that hugged her shoulders, she looked as though she belonged to another era. Except she wore a red silk scarf, tied pirate-style around her forehead, and her lips were quirked in a wry, knowing smile. She danced her way over to the jazz tune piped through an outdoor sound system.

“Hola, Christina,” she greeted his cousin, toasting her with the drink she held in one hand. Then, never taking a sip, she set her glass down on the railing twined with pink-flamingo-shaped decorative lights, which surround the balcony. “And hola to you, Daniel Murphy. I’ve been anxious to tell you that you play guitar like a god.”

She didn’t say it like a groupie. She said it like someone who genuinely loved music. And then she launched into an air guitar riff, her head thrown back and her fingers flying over imaginary strings. Danny was surprised, charmed and yeah, totally taken with her.

And he’d known her for all of two minutes.…

HOW THE HELL WOULD he ever be able to resist her now? He’d been a sucker for her then, before he’d ever touched her. This time, he knew exactly how good they were together. More importantly, she’d finally sought him out after all this time. When she’d ignored a couple of phone calls from him a few years ago, he’d left her alone, figuring she’d moved on. But now?

She needed him.

So what was he doing in the kitchen drying the same glass for the last freaking five minutes?

He set the tumbler on the counter with a force that threatened to shatter the thing on the granite. Stephanie peered his way.

“All done?” She took a step in his direction but paused at the stereo to turn the music down a few notches.

No. He was only just getting started.

“Yes. I have been for a while, actually.” He tossed the towel on the breakfast bar and met her in the middle of the living area. “I’ve just been looking at you and wondering … where to go from here.”

She hugged her arms around her waist and shrugged. Her blue-black hair was glossy in the sunlight that streamed through the windows that lined half the room. Her eyes sparked with some of the old light, the mischief he’d always liked about her. She had a playful spirit that really worked for him.

Or at least, she used to have a playful spirit. Protectiveness surged through him at the thought of anyone daring to take that from her.

“Funny you should say that, because I’ve been over here thinking the same thing.” She combed a strand of hair away from her forehead with one hand.

“Really?” He told himself to take it slow. No matter how she flirted with him, he was going to take this easy. One day at a time. “For the woman who set this whole thing in motion, I’m surprised you don’t have some idea what to do next.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Yes. Well. Like you, I remember the logistics, even if it’s been a while.” She tossed his words from earlier back in his face, an irrepressible smile drawing him into the sphere of her spell.

And yeah, he could call it that because she had that kind of power over him.

“Would you like some help figuring it out?” He sifted his fingers through the dark waves curling around one of her shoulders and twined a lock around his thumb.

“I’m all ears,” she assured him, swaying closer.

His heart slugged so heavily in his chest it felt like an alien force trying to fight its way out. He wanted her. Badly.

“We could try the kiss again,” he suggested, his voice dipping into a predatory rumble no matter how he tried to keep things light. “Maybe this time, we could christen the do-over better than what I managed out in the bay.”

Bright blue eyes shifted downward, her glance settling on his mouth.

“I’d like that.” Her hands found his arms and gripped them lightly. She dragged him down to the couch to sit beside her.

Every instinct he possessed urged him to wrap her against him and hold her there. He’d let go of her five years ago and lived to regret it sorely. How the hell could he resist squeezing her tightly to him now?

But the battle raged inside him and he wrestled that hungry beast to the ground, giving Stephanie the barest brush of his mouth on hers. She tipped her face higher, providing him with more access, so he increased the pressure slightly.

Slowly, he learned the taste of her all over again. Recalled the nuances of her kisses and the way she arched into him for more. His soap on her skin didn’t dilute the more feminine essence beneath it—her fragrance, her lip gloss, her everything. He cradled her face in his hand, enjoying the moment.

That would have been enough for hours. For days even. Except that she closed the space between them, pressing her breasts to his chest with nothing to separate them but his T-shirts—one on him and two on her. She wore nothing underneath his clothes. He’d thought as much earlier when he’d watched her move around the living room. Even before that when he’d touched her shoulder and didn’t feel a bra strap there.

But now, knowing for certain how easily he could cup the gentle swell of her breasts in his hands …

Slow and easy went out the window.

Sliding his arms around her back, he hauled her against him and hoped he never had to let go.

4

SWEET SENSATIONS FLOODED her so fast, Stephanie couldn’t begin to appreciate all the ways Danny’s touch made her feel … extraordinary. His lips on hers were gentle, thorough, stirring a need that she’d been running from for years.

Now, she welcomed it.

Nerve endings came to life virtually everywhere as she inched closer to him on the couch. Pleasure spiraled just below her skin, a soft tickling up the backs of her thighs and a small shiver down her spine. Her breasts ached at the feel of his hard chest, her nipples so tight with need there was no way he could miss her response.

She felt sexy. Sexual. And yes, safe. Nothing could touch her when Danny held her. It was a soul-deep surety that made her relax and let her guard down. That knowledge, along with her trust in him, made everything else easy. Pleasurable.

God, she should have found him a long time ago. She needed him.

The iPod soundtrack switched from the Doors to Elvis Costello, the late afternoon sunlight slanting through the French doors to warm her shoulders while Danny warmed all the rest of her. She cupped his face, keeping his lips to hers so she could savor every teasing stroke of his tongue.

His hands smoothed down her back, pausing just before her hips and starting the slow journey up again. Broad palms and long fingers left no square inch untouched. Better yet, the slight pressure molded the rest of her closer to the unyielding muscles of his chest. She could still remember how it had felt to be naked against him. To trade touches and sexual favors, their moments together all the more frantic and precious because they’d known they wouldn’t last.…

“What’s wrong?” He pulled back, green eyes instantly clear. Alert.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, fingers skimming his shoulders. She wanted to lose herself in him. “Why?”

He tipped her chin up, as if to see her better. “It’s hard to explain. You drew back somehow. I didn’t know what you were thinking and I don’t want to upset you, like back in the water.”

“No. That won’t happen again.” She brushed a hair out of her eyes. “I won’t let it.”

She wouldn’t allow the past to rob her of one more day. Not one more minute. She’d already rebounded in every way except this … the whole intimacy thing. And the time had come to conquer that, too.

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