He gave a silent cheer at the thought of Lola and Serafina working together. Even if he could have only a peripheral place in Lola’s life, he’d take whatever he could get. Because he already knew there would be no one else for him, no other woman who could replace Lola in his heart.
“Could I take a look?” he asked.
“Sure, although the ideas are pretty rough.”
In only a few hours, she’d managed to synthesize Serafina’s aesthetic with her own unique flair for color and shape. “Serafina is going to love this.” He studied Lola’s designs again. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she came up with an entirely new collection around your textiles.”
Though Lola looked pleased by his enthusiasm, she said, “I’d be happy if she decided to make a dress or two out of my fabric.”
They had both turned back to their computers, when he was surprised to hear Lola gasp. “I just got an email from a law firm about the textile company I have always wanted to work with. They’re offering to buy my company in a multimillion-dollar deal, while leaving me fifty-one percent ownership.” Her eyes were huge as she reread the offer. “I would assume this was spam, but I know this law firm. They’re legit.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of that.” Duncan’s voice vibrated with barely leashed fury.
She turned to him, obviously confused by his reaction. “Wait a minute.” She scowled as realization dawned. “You think your brother is behind this offer? And that the law firm, and the textile company, are in his pocket?”
Duncan nodded. “This is what Alastair does. He figures out what his opponents want, and he delivers beyond their wildest dreams so that instead of fighting him, they’re forever on his side. Exactly where he wants them.”
“I would never be on his side!” She shoved away from the table. “You’ve been glued to your computer all day, so you must have more than enough background information on your brother and his company to send to my cousins, right?”
Duncan nodded. “I uploaded the information to the group portal thirty minutes ago.”
“Good. Because forget coffee, I need a much stiffer drink.” She walked over to a cupboard fully stocked with the makings for cocktails. “Good thing I have my own cocktail bar right here. I’ll mix us up some Long Island Iced Teas, and we can sneak them out to the seawall.”
Just as they walked outside with their extremely strong drinks, a flash storm blew in, clouding over the blue sky and sending a torrent of rain down over them.
But instead of running for cover, Lola stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to him. “How did you live with someone like your brother for so long and still manage to be such a good man?”
Duncan stared into her eyes, so big and beautiful as rain drenched them from head to toe. “I didn’t think you thought I was a good man anymore.”
Emotion was written all over Lola’s face as she said, “I’ve started to reconsider that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Lola had never experienced such a wide range of feelings in so short a time. First, she’d fallen head over heels in love. Then, when Moira singled out Duncan as being a bad guy, she’d been consumed with fury. And now, all she wanted was to kiss him…and just keep kissing him forever.
She shivered at the thought, knowing how good it would be. Only, wouldn’t she be setting herself up for another heart-crushing fall if she gave in to desire when she still wasn’t one hundred percent sure about him? Hadn’t she vowed that she’d never let down her guard again unless she knew, without even a shadow of doubt, that she’d found the kind of true, pure love that her parents had?
“You’re cold,” he said. “We should go back inside and dry off.”
But she didn’t want to go back to her office. She needed to go to somewhere she could decompress. “Let’s go home to have our drinks.” Belatedly, she realized she’d said home as though it was both of theirs, not just hers. Of course her stomach rumbled right on cue. “And also,” she added with a small smile, “I’m starved.”
He fell into step beside her. “I’m a fairly good cook if you wouldn’t mind letting me loose in your kitchen.”
Given how badly she still wanted to kiss Duncan, she was sorely tempted to let him loose everywhere. No matter how hard she tried to steel her heart against him, he continued to touch her on an elemental level that defied rational thought. “That would be great,” she said in as easy a voice as she could manage, given her conflicting emotions.
They entered her cottage via the mudroom, where she kept clean towels in case of flash storms like this. Duncan rubbed his towel over his head like he would a wet dog. By the time he hung it on a wooden peg, his hair stood up in all directions.
She laughed, a joyful sound that filled the small room, and when she mimed the height of his hair, he laughed too, but made no move to smooth it down.
It felt good to laugh with him again. So good that she knew she’d better move away fast, otherwise the kiss she’d almost given him out on the waterfront was bound to happen here. And her bedroom was way too close to risk that happening if she wanted to keep things platonic. At least until she was completely sure where her head was.
“I’ll go find you some dry clothes.”
“I doubt I’ll fit into anything of yours.” His voice was tinged with humor…and barely repressed desire.
She suddenly realized that her own clothes were sticking to her, outlining every abundant curve. Though he had seen her naked before, their one night together seemed like a lifetime ago.
“My brothers and father sometimes leave clothes here if they’ve helped me in the garden.” She made herself back away, when all she wanted was to devour every gorgeous inch of him. “I’m sure I’ve got a pair of jeans and a shirt that will fit you. Just give me a minute, and I’ll be back with them.”
Though she quickly found the clothes in the back of her closet, she counted to sixty to cool herself off and bring her hormones back under control. Heading back to the mudroom, she said, “Here you g—”
She nearly dropped the bundle of dry clothes as she took in Duncan’s magnificent bare chest and his muscular legs outlined by his soaking-wet pants.
Catching her surprised expression, he explained, “I thought I’d get going with taking the wet things off.”
“Of course,” she replied in a too-bright voice, all but throwing the dry clothes at him, even as she couldn’t help but greedily drink him. “I need to get changed myself. Make yourself comfortable.” She dashed off toward her bedroom, feeling breathless and overheated, even though she was still in her cold, wet dress.
My God, Duncan was gorgeous. She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted him.
It would be so easy to strip off her wet clothes, walk back into the living room, and hold out her hand in an invitation to lose themselves in pleasure. How she wished they’d made love their first night together! If they had, then she wouldn’t have to keep fantasizing about him, because she would know exactly how good, how wild, how perfect being with Duncan truly was.
Desire pulsed through her veins so strongly that, even though he was on the other side of the cottage, all of her senses felt intertwined with his.