Magnificent Folly - Iris Johansen [14]
Dear heavens, he was beautiful. The faded jeans clung to his long, powerful thighs and rode low on his slim hips. He had taken off his shirt to get some sun when he’d first sat down beside her that afternoon, and now his reclining position pulled the muscles of his stomach taut as they flowed into the corded strength of his chest and shoulders. She had a sudden urge to put her hand on that flat stomach and feel the muscles contract. Warmth stung her cheeks as she looked quickly back at Cassie. “Then you should think about something more productive.”
“I’m hoping it will be very productive. What are you thinking about?”
She had been thinking how gorgeously tough he looked and wondering how many women had thought the same thing. “Don’t your damned instincts tell you?”
“Let me see.” His lids lifted to reveal brown eyes sparkling with humor. “You’re lusting after me again. Why don’t you give in to it, Lily? I guarantee I’ll be a pushover.”
“I was not lusting after you. I was just wondering where you got the great tan.”
“The Clanad is based in Sedikhan. It’s principally desert country.”
“You work for a foreign corporation?”
“International.”
“What does the Clanad produce?”
“Lots of things,” Andrew said vaguely. “It’s sort of hard to explain. Why do you want to know?”
“You never talk about your work. What do you do for this Clanad corporation?”
“It’s kind of difficult to describe. I guess you could say I fix things when they break down.”
“Computers?”
He shook his head. “I told you it was a difficult job to describe.”
“Well, they seem to give you plenty of time off. Corporations don’t usually give such long vacations to new employees, even if—”
“But I’m not new.” He sat up and reached for his cream-colored shirt. “I’m an old and trusted employee. They want to keep me happy.”
“Old?” she asked drily. “Then you must have started working for them when you were in high school.”
“Something like that.” He started to button his shirt. “You seem to have a hang-up because I’m younger than you. Four years shouldn’t make a difference.” He grinned impishly. “Particularly as I’m such a jaded man of the world these days.”
No one could be less jaded than Andrew, Lily thought with sudden aching tenderness. He lived each moment with the same zest and curiosity Cassie did. “No way. Sometimes I think I should send you out to play in the sand, the way I do Cassie.”
His smile faded. “There you go again. I’m not a kid, Lily. If you want to build defenses, you can’t base them on those four years. I’m no inexperienced boy who has a fixation on an older woman. I think sex is great and I have strong appetites, but that isn’t what this is all about. I want much more from you.” His lips tightened. “And, by God, I’ll have it.”
“Andrew …” She gazed at him helplessly. “Go away. I’ll hurt you. I don’t have anything left to give. He drained me.”
“Baldor? He may have almost destroyed you, but you were too strong for him. You just needed time to recover and heal.” He was suddenly on his knees beside her. “You’re ready to come alive again, Lily. Don’t be afraid. Let me help.”
He was burning, blazing, with nearly irresistible intensity. She found herself swaying toward him as if drawn into the center of a tornado. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered.
“Yes, I do.” He framed her cheeks with his hands and gazed down into her eyes. “Do you like me?”
She didn’t answer.
“Don’t hide it. Tell me.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think I want to hurt you?”
“No, but—”
“Shhh. We’re making progress.” He smiled down at her with radiant sweetness. “Now the big one. Do you want me?”
“I told you I didn’t.” She moistened her lips with her tongue and, since he continued to stare down at her, finally burst out, “Yes, dammit, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
He laughed joyously as he gave her a quick, exuberant kiss. “The hell it doesn’t.”
His lips were hard, firm, and warm, and she had wanted them to linger. She unconsciously tilted her head back, seeking more. He smelled of clean soap and fresh sea air as the warmth of his body reached out