A Wife for a Westmoreland - Brenda Jackson [47]
Moments later, with a cup of hot chocolate in her hand, she moved toward the living room to watch her movie. She had a fire blazing in the fireplace and it added soothing warmth to the entire room. Why she wanted to watch a romantic movie when she lacked romance in her own life was beyond her. But then, women had their dreams and fantasies, didn’t they?
Lucia had settled back against her sofa with a cup in one hand and a remote in the other when the doorbell rang. She frowned, wondering what on earth could get Mrs. Noel to come across the street in this weather, unless her heating unit was on the blink again. Standing, she placed the cup and the remote on the table and headed for the door. She looked out the peephole and caught her breath.
Derringer!
Denying the rush of heat she immediately felt between her thighs, seeing him standing there and looking sexier than any man had a right to look—this time of day and in this horrid weather—she drew in a deep breath and fought the anger escalating in her chest. She would not hear from him for a week or so and then he would show up at her place unannounced. It didn’t matter that she had told him to leave her alone. That was beside the point. The only point she could concentrate on was that he evidently thought he could add her to his booty-call list. Well, she had news for him.
She snatched the door open and was about to ask what he was doing there, but wasn’t given the chance to do so.
Derringer didn’t give Lucia the chance to ask any questions, but leaned in and covered her mouth with his. He not only wanted to silence her, he also wanted the heat from his kiss to inflame her as they stood just inside with a frigid snowstorm raging outside. There was no doubt in his mind the kiss had enough spark, power and electricity to light the entire city of Denver. And he felt it all rush through his body.
She didn’t resist him, and at the moment that was a good thing. He didn’t need her resistance, what he needed was this—the taste of her all over his tongue.
He had tried not thinking about her all week. Hell, with the delivery of those horses he’d had enough to keep his mind and time occupied. But things hadn’t happened quite that way. She’d still managed to creep into his thoughts most of the time, and he had awakened that morning with a need to see her so intense that he just couldn’t understand it. And nothing, not elephant snowflakes nor below-zero-degree temperature would keep him from her. From this.
He finally pulled back from the kiss. Somehow they had made it inside her house and closed the door behind them and that was a good thing. Having an X-rated kiss on her doorstep would definitely have given her neighbors something to talk about for years.
She gazed up at him and he thought at that moment she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. No other women he’d messed around with before could claim that. He inwardly flinched when he thought of what he’d just done. He had compared her with all the other women in his womanizing life and in essence none could compare to her. In fact, her biggest beef about having an affair with him were those other women in his life. But he knew at that moment he would give them all up for her.
The reality of him willingly doing that hit him below the belt and he nearly tumbled over. Derringer Westmoreland would give up his lifestyle for a woman? Make a commitment to be only with her? He drew in a sharp breath. He’d never made such an allegiance with any female. Had never intended to be dedicated or devoted to one. There were too many out there and he enjoyed being footloose and fancy-free. Was she worth all of that? He knew in that instant that she was.
“What are you doing here, Derringer?”
He could tell she had regained control of the senses they’d both lost when she had opened her door. He had initiated the kiss, but she had reciprocated, which told him that although she wished otherwise, she