Inescapable Eye of the Storm Read online

  "I...uhmmm," Abigail choked as she swallowed hard and her toes curled inside her ballet flats. "I doubt that's going to be possible," she denied hoarsely, glancing over her shoulder as the building seemed to moan around them, a heavy gust of wind rattling the window pane.

  "I never thought you were such a pessimist, Donavan," Colin grumbled, sitting up straighter in the surprisingly comfortable chair. Why the hell wouldn't she just cooperate with him? "Just tell me what we need to do, and we'll do it," he demanded, trying to tamp down on his irritation. He was used to people following his directives immediately. Money and power usually assured him that his orders were well followed. He had learned, however, that as beautiful as Abigail Donavan was, the woman could be outright infuriating when she decided to be evasive.

  Hearing his roughly spoken request, Abigail's body flooded with heat. He was trying to help, her psyche reminded her calmly. So, biting his head off really wasn’t an option. But telling him the truth? She wasn’t sure she had the courage that kind of honesty would take.

  But oh, how she'd like to spend the length of this hurricane being distracted in the same way she had been several years ago...especially with Colin Storm. God knew it would probably be much more satisfying now that it had been then. Unfortunately, she doubted her sexy boss would be quite so adamant in his demand if she told him what her stress reliever had been that long ago night.

  Her method wouldn't exactly be FEMA or Human Resources approved, she thought with a silent laugh at her own wittiness.

  His growl told her that he was not appreciating her silence on the matter any longer.

  "Colin, it isn't possible, okay?" Abigail retorted, lifting a hand to shove her hair behind her ear while hazarding a look in his direction. And then his dark hooded gaze told her he wasn’t about to let the subject drop between them.

  "It's not impossible until I say it is," Colin countered smoothly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he leveled her with a penetrating stare. "Talk, Abby. Now."

  Like a freaking dog trying to find his favorite bone, Abigail thought with annoyance. That was Colin Storm to a tee. "Fine," she snapped, rolling her eyes. "You really want to know?" she asked, dropping her hands to her hips as she faced off with him. Let’s see if she could stun the man others often accused of being made of steel.

  "I do," Colin returned with a nod as he impatiently waited for her explanation.

  "I spent that night having exhausting, mind numbing sex in every position conceivable with an old boyfriend from college. He kept me so busy that I barely even noticed the tree falling on the house next door, nor did I care," she informed him briskly, the words spoken evenly and with no emotion. "So, Mister Storm," she asked mockingly, "do you think you'd be willing to help me out with that?" she smirked, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for his answer.

  Chapter Two

  Staring into the brightened eyes of the woman standing just a foot or so away from him, Colin's eyes darkened as her explanation rang in his ears, heating his blood almost to the point of boiling. If she ever realized how close he was to throwing her down on the bed behind him and showing her exactly what he was capable of doing, he’d ride out this hurricane in a jail cell at the local precinct’s station. "I'm assuming you think I'll say no to that scenario," he replied silkily, forcing himself to inject a casual note into his voice that he didn’t particularly feel.

  Taken aback at that simple statement, Abigail's eyes narrowed on Colin Storm's darkly handsome face. She could feel his grey eyes assessing her as she stood in front of him, almost as though he was undressing her with his eyes. But, that couldn't be right, could it? The shy, insecure woman that still resided inside her despite her best efforts to undo the damage a distant and critical mother had done her sat in the corner of her mind and shook her head. She had to be misreading this situation. There was no way a man this hot could possibly be looking at her with any real interest. "I..." she faltered, unsure how to respond to his question.

  For once in her life, Abigail Donavan was truly flummoxed. She had no clue what to say now. Running a self conscious hand through her tangled dark locks, she licked her dry lips.

  His mouth tilted in a faint smile, Colin gave her an openly challenging look. "Stunned speechless, huh?" he mocked teasingly as he winked. "I guess there really is a first time for everything, Abby."

  That was the second time he’d called her by the girlish nickname that nobody had used with her since high school. She’d cured most everyone in her life of using it. Except him. He knew she hated it with a passion and yet, he persisted. "Are you making fun of me?" Abigail retorted, finding her tongue as she felt a shudder slide through her body.

  "Maybe a little," Colin admitted with a slight shrug of his broad shoulders. "But, you never answered my question, Donavan. You assumed I'd say no, didn't you?"

  Blinking rapidly as she tried to process whatever it was that seemed to be happening between them in the small hotel room, Abigail swallowed. "Well...yes," she managed after a moment. Of course she thought he’d say no. Did he assume she was a moron? Or, had he finally seen through her well honed shields and glimpsed the needy woman that hovered just below her surface… the one that had fantasized about having him naked above her in bed since the moment she’d first learned that she would indeed be interviewing for a true legend inside their field of expertise? That potential outcome was chilling enough that she felt her heartbeat stutter beneath her breasts.

  "You know," Colin stated, his voice low as he looked into Abigail's confused eyes, "I've been told on more than one occasion lately that I've become somewhat predictable. Not a great thing for a guy that makes his living in the advertising world, wouldn’t you agree? Maybe it's time for me to put a stop to those assumptions," he commented in a voice that held just the hint of a threat.

  Watching as Colin's lithe body began to rise from the deep blue chair, Abigail wondered if she'd fallen into some weird parallel universe. It was one where suddenly Colin Storm oozed sex appeal from every pore of his body, and she wanted to catch every drop with her tongue.

  Approaching her slowly, his steps measured and deliberate, Colin's deep voice commanded her, "Say something, Abigail." Her name tasted wonderful on his lips, falling off his tongue smoothly, the feel natural in a way he had not expected to experience.

  "I...don't know what to say," Abigail replied breathlessly as her heart did somersaults within her chest, her body tingling with each passing step that he took in her direction. Get it together, Abs, she ordered herself. This is what you’ve dreamed of happening, isn’t it? Pull your mind together and enjoy this moment.

  "All right, let's approach this from another direction," Colin replied, his voice a seductive purr in the lavish hotel room. "What would you say if I told you that you'd have my full and undivided support in riding this hurricane out in whatever way you deemed necessary?" he queried, his eyes blazing with an intensity she'd never witnessed in the past.

  "I'd say that I'm surprised," Abigail confided huskily, struggling to catch her breath as she felt her heart skip a beat. It was no secret that in spite of all Hadley’s malicious ploys and machinations, he still loved his ex-wife. She couldn’t lose sight of that important factor. He was not quite touching her, but remained close enough for her to feel the heat pouring off his body, and she struggled to keep her hands at her sides. "We work together, Colin."

  "We do," Colin agreed, gazing intently at her as he acknowledged the weakly spoken words and turned them over in his own mind. It took him another moment to speak, but when he did, it was with confidence. "Nevertheless, I think we're both two adults that recognize the difference between work and play and can abide by the boundaries between the two. I suggest that for tonight, we're not Mr. Storm and Ms. Donavan, two individuals that work together. I think, instead, that for this evening we should be Colin and Abigail, two adults that are attracted to each other and choose to use this time together to get to know each other on a much more
intimate level," he suggested, lifting a hand to trail down her bare flesh, stifling a grin that threatened to overtake his face when he felt her arm shiver beneath his touch. "Two adults like us are entirely capable of keeping each other's minds occupied while Mother Nature runs its course. What do you think, Abigail?" he asked, deliberately using her given name.

  Opening her mouth to respond, Abigail jumped as a heavy branch fell against the window behind her. "God!" she panicked, her startled eyes wide, turning in place as Colin wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his strong chest. Staring dumbly out the window as the wind whistled through the trees lining the mostly deserted street below, she felt Colin’s warm hands resting just below her breasts and barely resisted the urge to jump again.

  "You're okay, Abigail," he murmured against her ear. "It was just a tree limb," he soothed, flattening his palms against her quivering abdomen while the muscles jumped nervously against his fingertips. "Just relax."

  His deep voice hypnotized her as her body melted against his chest, his warm breath cascading over her neck and sending a shiver of excitement sizzling down her spine. Tilting her head back to rest against his neck, Abigail inhaled deeply as she absorbed the feeling of having Colin's muscular body nestled against hers, his warm hands trailing her lower belly.

  "Better?" he whispered huskily against her cheek, inhaling the sweet floral scent he always associated with Abigail Donavan. Happily amazed to now know that her body fit against his perfectly, every curve of her conforming to him as though it had been custom made to fit his, he felt his own body relaxing into the embrace. It felt oddly natural, this act of holding her in his arms.

  Nodding slowly, Abigail breathed deeply. "Much better," she said, her voice equally quiet as she felt his body responding to her nearness, the undeniable evidence of his interest prodding her buttocks gently, irrefutable proof of his virility. Even more surprising was the fact that she found herself pressing closer to him, her ass gently swaying against groin provocatively.

  Tightening his arms around her narrow waist, Colin somehow pulled her impossibly closer, meshing their still clothed bodies together. "So, what do you say? Any chance you'd be willing to give me that opportunity to distract you?" he asked huskily, dipping his head to rub his lips against the creamy slope of her neck. He’d dreamed of kissing that alabaster skin of hers. It was as soft and smooth as he’d imagined and warm against his lips.

  Her breath hitched as his damp lips rested against the incredibly sensitive and delicate skin between her collar bone and neck. She bit her lip as his tongue laved gently over the vulnerable spot, and Abigail shivered as she felt her core clench at the contact of feeling his tongue moving against her neck. "You've been a distraction for years, Colin. Wondering what this would feel like if it ever happened between us… I’ve thought about it probably more than I should have," Abigail admitted with a slight gasp as his teeth made an erotic pass over her neck and scraped the throbbing pulse hidden below.

  "That goes both ways," Colin murmured truthfully. "Maybe it's time we acted on it," he proposed, rolling his hips against her ass and gently biting the delicate flesh of her neck to emphasis his point. “Maybe we could get each other out of our systems,” he suggested. Hell, he knew he was lying. One taste of Abigail would be all it took to addict him to her body. Even now, his desperation to have her… to fill her… to possess her was growing, and it threatened to shatter him with an intensity that would have terrified him if he’d bothered to analyze it.

  "Ahhhh!" She shuddered in his arms when his tongue soothed the small love bite. Like a strike of lightening from above, suddenly she was energized, vibrating with the need to let go… to be the woman she’d been in her fantasies with him tonight. It was time to ignore that cautious, careful woman she’d always been and grab for the brass ring at least once. "I think that's a good idea," she whispered as she felt her panties dampen with need. Pressing herself back against his groin, she breathed, "A really good idea."

  His smile widened when he heard those faint words, and Colin kept one arm firmly around her as he reached for the drape’s tassel. He pulled it closed slowly, effectively shutting out the coming weather with a purposeful flick of his wrist. "I don't think we need to concern ourselves with the storm outside anymore, do you?" he asked, pressing a trail of kisses over the line of her jaw. "The one in here is going to be dangerous enough," his deep voice predicted, an undercurrent of something deliciously dark in his tone. He had her now, he thought wickedly, staring down into her bright eyes. Tonight he’d finally claim that luscious body he’d tried so hard to ignore.

  "Is it?" Abigail replied, her voice not quite steady. Biting her lower lip as his hand lifted to surround one aching breast, his thumb toying with her plump nipple while his tongue painted a wicked path down her neck, she barely stifled the needy moan pushing its way past her lips. That quickly he had her, needy and desperate to assuage the desire running rampant through her veins. There was no escape for her now.

  "In the interest of complete honesty, maybe I should warn you that I haven't fucked another woman since Hadley, Abigail," Colin's seductive voice warned against her ear as another clap of thunder rocked the room. Smiling again as he realized Abigail hadn't even registered the resonating boom, he gently pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it erotically. "And the things I've fanaticized doing with you for the last few years... to you... let's just say I've got an imagination full of wicked plans. I've been waiting for the chance to sate these urges...this hunger."

  Keeping her eyes trained on his, Abigail smiled serenely even as her body seemed to explode with passion. He wasn’t the only one that had fantasies. “Then perhaps you should get started, Mr. Storm,” she invited bravely.

  Chapter Three

  "Oh, God." Abigail shuddered with anticipation as one of his strong hands dropped to the soft silk of her skirt. His hand toyed with the zipper while his lips gently dropped damp kisses along the column of her neck. Sliding the zipper down slowly, he smoothly dropped his hand along her bared midriff, his fingers teasing the soft skin.

  “You like this, don’t you, Abigail?” he asked huskily against her ear. “Do you enjoy feeling my hands teasing your flesh? You’re quivering, sweetheart,” he noted silkily, feeling the skin beneath his fingertips jump. “Is that excitement or fear?” he asked darkly, his breath washing against her neck.

  “Maybe a little of both,” she admitted shakily. “It’s no secret that you’re rumored to be a very dark man, Colin, in and out of the boardroom.” Biting her lip as he found her shrouded femininity, already moist with need, she shivered.

  “Dark, yes,” he agreed as he bit her earlobe and massaged her pussy through the silky barrier of her panties whilst his other hand plucked at her ripe breast. “But not depraved, darling. Those were simply the vicious accusations of a very bitter ex-wife.”

  The splashes of color outside the almost window could have been a million miles away, her mind suddenly unable to focus on nothing but the feelings that were overwhelming her taut body. How the hell could any woman have been repulsed by this man’s attention? Hadley must have been out of her mind to say that his excessive demands in the bedroom had contributed to the demise of their marriage.

  "You're already wet for me," Colin breathed, awed as his fingers kneaded the dampened scrap of fabric covering her mound. It was a refreshing change of pace for him. For years, he'd had lukewarm vanilla sex with a woman that had never really wanted him...never really been interested in experiencing the pleasure two bodies colliding could bring each other. Mildly satisfying, yes….but nothing like the electric sensations he felt coursing between himself and the woman he held against him. And fortunately for him, Abigail's response to his touch already ensured that she'd be a more than willing participant for what he had in mind. “Lucky for you, I have an incredible imagination and can think of fifty things to do with this kind of heat.”

  He never thought he'd be gratefu
l for a hurricane…until today.

  "Mmm hmmm," Abigail hummed, her mouth opening slightly as his fingers ground against the wet material into her clit, rolling it between his talented fingers. "I think I'm going to like that imagination," she moaned as she lifted her hips against his hand and searched for more of that erotic touch.

  "Yeah?" he muttered thickly, sucking her earlobe between his lips as her body rocked against his, her ass torturously rubbing against his stiff cock. Damn, her supple body felt as though it had been created to cradle his. And those breathy sounds of approval escaping her lips only served to heighten his pleasure.

  "Oh, yeah." Abigail nodded, barely able to catch her breath as Colin whipped her around to face him. Bracing her hands against his muscular chest, she forced herself to meet his blazing eyes with her own focused gaze. She was no shy schoolgirl… no naïve woman. She was fully aware of who this was and the journey she was about to embark on with him.

  "Be sure, Abigail," Colin warned, his dark glaze glittering as their gazes collided. "I've been waiting a long time to lose my control...to throw my fucking inhibitions away and concentrate on what feels good. Are you sure you’re ready to be that woman with me?"

  Their eyes held for a long, taut moment in time before Abigail finally whispered, "I want you...and everything that goes with having you even if it’s only for a night."

  Nodding, Colin's hands tightened around her hips as he tugged her against his body, bending his head to cover her lips with his. Relieved when her mouth eagerly parted to receive his tongue, he groaned as her flavor flooded his mouth. God, she was a perfect blend of mint and sweetness, he thought as her tongue met his, tangling in a sensual dance. "Mmmm," he hummed against her mouth as she sucked his bottom lip between her own, laving it with her tongue. She was surprisingly sexy, and the bold carnality of her kiss spurred his desire for her to another level.