Whisper My Name Read online

  She cleared her throat. “I see.” Danielle turned in his arms.

  “I don’t think you do.” Silence laid between them a long moment. “I could’ve killed them for touching you,” he said in a guttural voice.

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Hillman and the photographer.”

  “I have made bad choices when it comes to men.” Danielle tried to make light of it but failed. “I’m going to step back and take a breather from all male species.”

  “You didn’t choose me, I chose you.” Brody looked at her with narrowed eyes. “You never have to worry about them again. I won’t let you out of my sight,” he said bluntly.

  He took her mouth without warning, no preliminary tenderness.

  She pulled back, gasping for much needed air for her lungs.

  “I’m starving, Danielle,” he demanded, guiding her face back to his with an insistent hand at the back of her neck.

  “You just ate,” she teased softly.

  “I didn’t have anything that was sweet. I have a craving…it needs to be satisfied.”

  His lips found hers again, and because she couldn’t help it, she moaned at the contact. Her arms slipped around his neck. She was aware of him and oblivious to everything else. Drowning, she fed on his kiss, aching to be a part of him. Before she knew it, her fingers touched him through the rough denim. He stiffened, pulled her to him and ground his mouth to hers. The only sounds now were the grunts of King in his stall and the muffled sighs of their breathing as they kissed with heated abandonment.

  She groaned out loud as his hand smoothed over her breast.

  “Brody,” she whimpered into his mouth. She was on fire. Danielle trembled as her nails bit into the back of his neck.

  “Easy, baby,” he whispered, easing the embrace and releasing her breast. His mouth lifted, brushing hers with a tenderness that was almost her undoing. “I want you so bad.”

  She arched her body against his, feeling the hardness of his chest muscles against hers. He nibbled her upper lip, then her lower one. All the while the pleasure made her helpless against him.

  Somewhere there was a sound of laugher and horse hoofs coming closer to the stables. He stepped away from her, putting space between them. They both took deep breaths. She looked into his gorgeous green eyes, the heat from them overpowering. She felt the strength of its force, as if she were being hit by a ball of fire. Her stomach spun in wild circles, causing confusion.

  Brody gave her a long, slow look. “It will happen between us.”

  “I know,” she murmured, moving away from him. She was painfully aware of the ache between her legs.

  “Go away with me,” he said

  She blinked. “What?”

  “My ranch in Montana. It’s secluded.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “Where is this coming from?”

  He frowned. “Desire.”

  “What else do you expect from me?”

  He was silent for so long she didn’t think he heard her.

  “I’ll take whatever I can get.”

  ###

  After the ranch visitation, Brody took her to dinner at Callahan’s Steak House. The question of them going away together still lay between them. To be frank, it wasn’t a question. It had been a statement. One he made and she didn’t acknowledge. So she pretended the words weren’t spoken. Conversation between them had almost been nonexistent after they left the ranch. He wasn’t much of a talker, which didn’t make her uncomfortable.

  She was beginning to believe the man ate nothing but steak. This was the same place she saw him and Ashton having dinner over a month ago.

  She ate a combination of grilled salmon and shrimp with a side of thinly sliced fried onion rings. The meal was her cheat food for the day. While he devoured a twenty ounce porterhouse steak, she threw quick glances his way. Damn. Even eating, she connected with the heat radiating from his body, making her squirm in her seat. He pinned her with his bright, green gaze.

  Danielle blushed at getting caught gawking. She lowered her eyes and tried to concentrate on the food on her plate.

  “You never answered the question,” he said.

  “What question?”

  He stopped chewing, glared at her, but didn’t say anything for a long moment.

  She didn’t want to give him the impression that she was easy. Danielle was determined to make him work for any response she gave him. So she pretended she didn’t know what he was asking and continued eating.

  “You like games, Danielle?”

  Surprised at the question, she replied, “Pardon me?”

  “I asked you if you liked games.”

  “I don’t understand—”

  “I don’t play games or indulge in conversation that is partial to game playing.” He leaned in close to her. “I want you. You know it. Now you need to make a decision about it.”

  She shrank back as he continued to move in. There was a hardness in his watchful eyes that fanned her anger and interest. Warmth began to trickle through her veins. She didn’t like the feeling but it damned sure felt good. A man had never excited her more or made her want to throw caution aside and indulge in a dangerous liaison of passion and forgetfulness. Heat suffused her powerfully in the lower part of her body as her mind zeroed in on memories of what had transpired between them at the pool party, the stables, and the powerful man now sitting across from her.

  “Don’t push me, Brody.”

  “It’s my nature. Are you going to answer me?”

  “When I’m ready,” she shot back.

  He frowned and his lips tightened. Good. She threw him off balance. They would sleep together, but on her terms.

  “I don’t know you. Granted, you are Sally’s brother, but that is all I do know.”

  Brody raised an eyebrow quizzically. His eyes didn’t soften while he waited for her to continue.

  “But I may take a chance on you,” she said cheekily.

  That remark released half of a smile across his mouth. She was glad she could get that much out of him. It didn’t matter if it was just half a smile. She was going to get him to laugh before whatever was happening between them came to an end.

  The waiter handed him the bill. He stood, moved to her chair, offering her his hand. With the other hand, he took possession of the lightweight scarf she’d thrown across the back of the chair. As he did so, she rose. The movement threw her against Brody—their bodies touching with her lips a mere few inches from his.

  Time was suspended. Without a smile, but with a gentleness that trapped the air in her lungs, he caressed her hair with his hand. She wanted to mold herself against him. The urge was so powerful it almost paralyzed her. She stepped back from him.

  He moved closer. “Are you ready?”

  Danielle cleared her throat. “Yes.”

  She walked ahead of him, leaving him to follow behind with her wrap in his hand.

  ###

  After leaving the restaurant, he had asked if she would mind if he stopped by his office to pick up some papers he needed for an early meeting the next morning in Grand Prairie. They ended up staying for an hour while he took a few phone calls.

  Upon arriving at her house, he’d told her to stay on the porch, while he walked through the house, making sure no one had tripped the alarm that she’d set. Would he stay or leave? Who was she fooling? She wanted him to finish what he started in the stables.

  “All clear.” He held the door so she could enter the house.

  She walked through the door while he followed behind. The small lamp he’d flicked on casted a dim glow in the room.

  Danielle took a deep breath, twisted her hands in front of her and turned toward him. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “No.”

  He leveled a green stare straight at her. “You’re nervous.”

  She chuckled half-heartedly. “It shows?”

  He touched her. His fingers were warm and co
nfident on her skin as he moved her hand over in his. “We aren’t going to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” His voice was warm and intimate in her ear. She hadn’t realized he was that close. He turned her so that she was in the circle of his arms. Danielle met his gaze, looked into eyes that made her forget her own will. She held on to the remnants before she lost it all.

  He brought her head to his chest and just held her without words. Danielle inhaled his scent into her lungs, enjoying the essence of his smell. It was clean, mesmerizing and powerful, holding her captive. She lost awareness of everything except Brody and their bodies, of his calmness, and his supple strength. The desire that cruised between them was strong; a heady sensation.

  She imagined more.

  She desired more.

  She was determined to take more—tonight.

  Danielle lifted her head and leaned back in the circle of his arms, meeting his gaze. The desire that had been smoldering since they first met at the christening ignited and swept through her. The cover of pretense on her part was removed. No more masks of indifference. He exuded confidence, strength and barely concealed sexuality. He tempted her. But she knew there would be no commitment on his part—or on hers.

  He was her escape into a world that wasn’t real. For now it was enough—it had to be.

  She pulled away from him but he held her hand. “Let me put on something more comfortable,” she said. It was so cliché. She tried to think of something more experienced or sophisticated to say but couldn’t.

  His eyes roamed over her. “There’s no need.”

  She laughed with nervous tension and hurried out of the room.

  Brody knew she was nervous and he would give her this moment of reprieve. The silence in the room forced his resolve to diligently pursue her. But he wanted more. Where in the hell did that come from?

  She came back into the room in a soft, red, short nightgown that covered her ass, but not quite. The tiny straps were hanging on for dear life, trying to keep her perky breasts from escaping but failed.

  Those long legs of hers would be his undying cross to bear. They were still in her living room and he knew they wouldn’t make it to the bedroom. She walked toward him and he met her halfway.

  Danielle tilted her head and he kissed her. Her mouth opened, he groaned and deepened the kiss, fighting to keep control over his libido. Damn. He was a man that always stayed in control with everyone and everything around him. He was known for it. But at the moment, that control was perilously thin.

  He ached to claim her.

  Every inch of her.

  Damn. He ached to be claimed by her.

  He needed this to be as explosive and as exceptional for her as every fiber of his being told it was going to be for him.

  Tonight needed to last forever.

  With an iron will, he broke the kiss, rested his forehead against hers. Brody cupped her bare shoulders and slid off the thin strips on the gown. Beneath his touch he felt movement as her hands, trembling and eager, pulled his shirt free, working the buttons undone until they succumbed—traveling, questing, and rippling fire in their wake—settling in his chest, over his heart. Did she feel how it erupted with the blood that exploded through him for her?

  There was no movement only the silence of stillness, the calm before the storm, and then they kissed again, this time more urgently. He picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and placed her up against the wall. Their tongues teased and danced. She moaned and leaned into him deeper. His heart escalated faster. Her passion staggered him, awaking something foreign within him, a primitive intensity that made him want to claim her not just for now, but for always.

  Using one hand, he slid the offending garment down to her waist, exposing her breasts. He locked his lips on one, suckling the nipple while he tried to tame the fire in his blood. He was very close to erupting before he even got her to the bed. He wouldn’t make it. The closest for him was the sofa. He swung her into his arms, moving to lay her on the sofa. She stared at him. He stared back. No words passed between them. With his hands he stripped the gown from her body leaving nothing but a red thong. He knelt over her, raining kisses on her breasts and then moving to her stomach. The swift intake of breath propelled him to continue the journey.

  He moved the thong aside and pushed his tongue into the wet folds.

  The ringing of a phone didn’t stop his progress. But the persistent noise didn’t cease.

  He leaned back on his knees, taking deep breaths. “You better get it.” He stood and crossed his arms.

  She sat up, grabbed the discarded garment and slipped it over her head. “I’m sorry. It must be important for the person to keep calling.”

  Danielle grabbed the cellphone she had placed on the end table earlier. “Hello,” she said, slowly. Then she covered the mouthpiece. “It’s my agent.”

  He grunted and nodded.

  She spoke into the phone. “Please hold on a minute.” Without waiting for an acknowledgement, she turned to him. “Brody, I’m sorry…maybe…”

  He held up his hand to stop her, leaned over and brushed a light kiss to her cheek. “I’ll call you.”

  He moved to the door. She followed him with the phone pressed to her chest like a shield. Before walking out the door, he kissed her hard, wanting to linger. He didn’t want to leave any doubt that they would pick up where they had left off.

  “Next time…you won’t be saved by a phone call.” He kissed her again. “Lock up behind me.”

  He opened the door and strolled out.

  Damn. This was becoming a habit, him walking out.

  Chapter Ten

  Light was coming through the opened bedroom window when Danielle slipped from the tangled sheets and placed her feet on the side of the bed. She squeezed her eyes, yawned and rolled her neck in a circular motion. She was tired. Well, lack of sleep caused it. Brody added to the problem. When he’d left her house yesterday evening, she’d felt it was for the best. She almost made a mistake and had sex with him. It would’ve complicated things. She didn’t want to be another woman added to his long list of conquests. A vision of him suckling her breast caused an immediate flood. She shook her head to erase the memory.

  It was no need to lie to herself. She would’ve welcomed him in her bed. She wanted him badly—still did.

  The phone call from her agent had broken the mood. Maybe the interruption was an omen. Although, Brody didn’t appeared upset when he left the night before, she could feel some tension, knowing he was not happy when he walked out of her door.

  In the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She would take a shower later. Then she threw on sweats, a cropped top and walked barefooted to the kitchen. A cup of strong, black coffee would wake her up and maybe stop Brody from invading her mind.

  Sipping the hot brew, the ringing of the doorbell stopped her progression to the family room.

  She placed the cup of coffee on the table in the hallway, peered through the peephole and threw it open wide.

  Lee screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes large with disbelief.

  Danielle grabbed his arm and pulled him over the threshold. “What the hell is wrong with you screaming like that? I have neighbors.”

  He stepped back and shook his head displaying a sad expression. “You look bad, girl.”

  “I don’t care. I’m home, not on the runway.”

  Lee gasped. “Bite your tongue. “We must be on display at all times. Do you realize you have on baggy sweat pants, and a plaid shirt that’s two sizes too big? You scared me half to death when you opened the door.”

  “Real funny. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  She made a move toward the mirror on the wall in the foyer.

  “Don’t look honey, you’ll scare yourself.” He gave her a comforting pat on the arm. “Your hair looks like mangled chicken wire.” He peered closer. “Oh, mercy. Your eyes are going to need at least four wet tea bags and ice cubes to get rid
of the puffiness. Not even death would want you at this point.” He planted one hand on his hip and fanned his face with the other. “I feel as if I’m going to faint. It’s so damn hot in Texas. Can you get my suitcases?”

  Danielle glanced at the two large Louis Vuitton suitcases and small carry-on standing on her porch. “Lee, there is luggage on my porch.” A frown creased her forehead. “Why?”

  “I’m taking a little vacation. Close the door. You’re letting out the air conditioning.”

  He moved further into the foyer.

  She grabbed the bags. “Lee, at least pick up the carry-on.”

  The bags were heavy. Struggling through the door, she dropped them at his feet.

  “I broke a nail getting in the cab.” He wiggled his fingers in her face. “I don’t want to want to make it any worse.”

  She rolled her eyes, went back to the porch and kicked the carry-on bag through the door. Lee shrieked. “Oh, nah you didn’t.” The southern accent that he worked so hard to get rid of reared its head. He grabbed the smaller bag and held it to his chest then he opened it and started to examine the contents. “Everything I need is in this bag, lipstick, mascara, face powders, perfumes, hair clips and boojack.”

  “What is a boojack?”

  He pulled something from the carry-on bag and held it in his hand. “This is Boojack. It’s his name.” He held it like it was a cherished baby.

  Danielle moved to get a closer look. It was scruffy and mangy like a deformed bulldog. It had a mouth, but no lips. An eyeball sat in the middle of the forehead. One ear was missing, but the remaining one was hanging almost completely off the side of its head.

  “It’s a ragged stuffed…dog or some sort of animal. It’s so ugly I can’t tell what it is.”

  “Bite your tongue” Lee placed his hands over the stuffed animal’s ears. “He’s sensitive. Boojack goes with me everywhere, even on vacation.”

  “Vacation? Did I issue an invitation?” she asked.