At His Mercy (6 page)

"You’re damn right. I'm not." He moved
away from the door and sat beside her, reaching for her hand. "The
tire isn't about the sex, Lise. It's about seeing you safe on the
road."

"I know."

"Even if I don't want you to
go."

"What?" she asked, her head coming up,
her confused gaze finding his.

He hadn't meant to say it, but he
realized he meant every word. He wasn't ready to let her walk out
of his life. Not yet. Not now. "I don't want you to go."

"I have to—"

"No you don't."

"My brother—"

The idea came out of nowhere. "Cook for
me here."

"What?"

"I know steaks and burgers won’t be
much of a challenge, but I'll only be here another six months.
Stay, and we can go to New Orleans together."

She got to her feet, turned and looked
back. "Wait. You're not making any sense. Why would you go to New
Orleans?"

"Because I live there." He stood,
walked to her. "And because you'll be there."

"You live there?" She blinked, blinked
again, shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did."

"I don't know. I just … don't know,"
she said, her fingers coming up to press the deep crevice between
her brows.

She was close. So close. He tempted her
further. "A day at a time, Lise. That's all I'm asking for. I want
to know you better. Twenty-four hours isn't enough."

She laughed softly. "It hasn't even
been twenty-four hours. It's barely been twelve."

"The best twelve I've spent in a very
long time. Maybe the best I've spent in forever."

"You're just saying that to get in my
pants."

"No, Lise." He cupped her face. "If I
want to get in your pants, I won't play mind games or word games. I
won't play games at all."

"What will you do?" she asked shakily,
wetting her lips and catching the lower with the edge of her
teeth.

He smiled then. He knew that he had
her. Knew he was the one at her mercy. "Why don't you let me show
you?"

Chapter Nine

From the corner swing on the side porch
of the Barrett's Bed & Breakfast, Lise watched Donovan load his
boxes of belongings into his pickup's bed. He'd lived two years
with fewer personal items than she'd brought with her from
Atlanta.

Granted, she'd packed up her life, and
he'd needed nothing but T-shirts, jeans, and his laptop for
writing. But it was hard to believe she'd lived in Danport for six
months with so little when she'd lived in her other life with so
much.

Oh, but this life was so much better.
Here she had the only things that mattered. Here she had love and
respect, a partnership and passion.

Here she had Donovan True.

And now they were finally making the
trip to New Orleans. He was returning to the home he'd been away
from two years, and she was going with him. Her unexpected layover
was coming to an end. It was time to begin the rest of her
life.

Of their life.

Donovan slammed the truck's tail gate,
bringing her back to the moment. He dusted his hands together and
headed for the porch. When he caught her watching him, he slowed
his steps, his smile both wicked and sweet.

He leaned against the railing in front
of her, his hands in his pockets, his feet crossed at the ankle.
"You talk to your brother?"

Still clutching her phone, she nodded,
wondering how he could make her want him by doing nothing at all.
"The chef he hired still has six months on his contract, so I'll
have that time to learn the ropes and everything."

"Anything more from your
ex?"

"I think Mark got the message when Rich
kicked him out of the restaurant for the third time. Not a word
since the last incident, and that's been what? Four months
now?"

"Another four and he'll be out of your
life for good."

They both knew the damage Mark had
caused her would be a long time in fading away, but the end of
their legal bond couldn't come soon enough. Neither could saying
goodbye to Danport.

As much as she was going to miss what
she'd shared here with Donovan, it was time to see how their
relationship fared in the real world. She was ready.

She stood, moving against him, weaving
their thighs, pressing her hips to his, looping her arms around his
neck and rubbing her breasts against his very hard chest. "Tell me
one more time about your bed."

He nuzzled his mouth to the edge of
hers, his beard stubble scratching. She shivered in response,
shivered again when he ran both palms down her back to her bottom
and squeezed.

"If you’ll get your pretty ass behind
the wheel, we’ll be there in less than two hours. You can see it
for yourself."

She threaded her fingers into his hair,
felt the pulse of his erection against her thigh. "Two hours is too
long."

"I think you can wait." He whispered
the words into her ear, teething her earlobe, sucking at the skin
of her neck.

This time the shivers had her panties
growing damp. What had she ever done without Donovan True in her
life? "You don’t know me very well, do you?"

He pulled back, his gaze tender as it
held onto hers. "Good thing I’ve got the rest of my life to figure
you out."

A lifetime with this man
would never be enough. She smiled, her lips against his as she
whispered, "Baby, you are
so
going to need it."

###