Tempted by a Carrington

He stood. “It’s okay. I was out of line, and I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath. “I’m leaving now. I want to make love to you…and I can’t.”

Lanier felt awful, but she couldn’t bring herself to engage in lovemaking at Haven House.

This was her fault, she knew. It started with the offer of bumping and grinding while dancing. She had been sexually affected by what was on the television screen, so she should’ve expected Dallas to feel something, too. The erotic movie had made her just as hot as he was.

He touched his lips lightly to her forehead. “Good night. See you tomorrow.”

Lanier hated to see their evening end like so many of their past dates. He was sexually frustrated, and she was to blame. She had to change her position about Haven House. It was the girls’ home, but it was also hers. The girls weren’t here, and Dallas had been so close. Now she felt sad and lonely. It had been hard to see him go, and she should’ve asked him to stay.

In white jeans and a sexy orange sleeveless top, Lanier stepped outside the house to wait for Dallas. She sat on the porch swing and laid her purse beside her. As she looked around at the beautiful flowers and shrubs, she smiled, remembering when Haven House looked like it should’ve been condemned. Instead it had been sold to her and Ashleigh way below market value. A lot of hard work and money had gone into restoring the home to a beautiful property.

Dallas’s silver Mercedes-Benz came into view. By the time she reached the vehicle, he was out of the car, making his way around to the passenger side.

He gently kissed her forehead. “Sweetheart, you look gorgeous.”

Dallas brought Lanier into his arms and kissed her passionately. His manhood readily responded to the mere feel of her, but now was not the time for his virility to react so wildly to her sexiness. Last night’s disappointing episode was enough for him. Holding Lanier slightly away from him, his ebony eyes connected with hers. “Is everything okay?”

Lanier nodded. “It couldn’t be better. I can’t wait to tour the town houses.”

Ten minutes later Dallas drove his car through security gates and parked. Leaning across the seat, he kissed Lanier. “Sit tight. I’ll open your door.”

Extending his hand to Lanier, Dallas helped her exit. Physical contact with her sent another jolt of electricity right through him. All he could do was wish they were off somewhere alone so he could make love to her endlessly.

Hand in hand, Dallas and Lanier walked through the neighborhood, her eyes drinking in the lush landscaping. She already liked the feel of this place. The atmosphere was peaceful. Living alone still scared her, but she couldn’t move forward in her life without having the experience.

Opening the office door, Dallas allowed Lanier to precede him.

“Let’s start with the last model and work our way back to the first,” he suggested.

“Good idea. Model home sites tend to save the best for last.”

They entered the model and looked around. Dallas checked for signs of approval or disapproval on Lanier’s face. She was expressionless, making it impossible for him to read her.

“It doesn’t feel warm to me. It’s nice but lacks something I can’t put my finger on. Trying to imagine it without furnishings is hard. I wish models were empty so visitors could see it frill-free,” she remarked.

The couple went upstairs, but Lanier still looked unimpressed.

Dallas pursed his lips. “Ready to move on to the next one?”

“May as well. This one is not for me.”

Dallas took Lanier’s hand and led her back downstairs. As they reached the exit, he pulled her to him suddenly and united their lips in a tender kiss. As his sex responded to the feel of her body close to his, his mouth increased the pressure on hers.

Dallas ended the kiss, but Lanier took up where he’d left off. Her hunger for him had her crazy with desire as she rubbed against his thickened organ pressing against her thigh. Even though she was in public, she had no problem envisioning them making love.

Raw passion in her eyes made Dallas gulp hard. “In a naughty-girl mood, huh?”

“You can say that. If I wasn’t worried about someone walking in on us, I’d tempt you to take me right here.”

Feeling the intense heat of her body, Dallas felt as if he were sweating from within. It was selfish of him, but he’d been fantasizing about her moving away from Haven House. Their lovemaking was restricted because of her position as foster mother. Even when she spent a night at his home, she couldn’t relax completely because she had to remain in control of herself.

Letting go and completely freeing inhibitions was difficult for someone filled with fear. He loved spending time with her at Haven House, but so many rules had to be closely followed. No matter how much he wanted her to himself, he’d never ask her to move.

Another couple entered the model, and Lanier and Dallas regrouped then quickly exited. The man looked as if he recognized Dallas but said nothing.

Lanier giggled. “Did you see how hard that guy was staring at you?”

Dallas shrugged. “He was probably trying to place me.”

Dallas’s fame was merely a part of what he did for a living and nothing to do with who he was as a man. Some sports figures got caught up in the fame game, but not him. Dallas was grounded and he loved his fans and enjoyed meeting them. Superstar attitude was not in him.

Dallas grinned. “Houston’s the ham in the family, and he loves his megastar power. He has settled down a lot down since meeting Kelly. She brought him down to earth in a hurry.”

“She certainly tamed that big old Texas boy.”

“Yeah, and my parents are totally gone on Kelly. I wonder when they’ll walk down the aisle.”

Lanier looped her arm through Dallas’s. “They’re smart not to rush into anything, even if they are perfect for each other.”

Dallas outlined Lanier’s heart with his finger. “Are we?”

Lanier shut her eyes. “Not as perfect as I want. It’s on me, though. I have lots of imperfections. I want to give you my all, and I’m working hard to get it right.”

Dallas frowned. “The last thing I want is for you to do hard labor in this relationship.” If it didn’t come to her naturally, he feared they’d never work as a couple. Thinking she might not love him enough to marry him was upsetting. Yet, deep down inside, he felt loved by her.

As the couple moved through the next town house, Dallas was quiet. His carefree mood had changed to more reserved. Lanier made him think hard and worry too much about what was happening inside her head, yet she was also the only one who could make changes in herself.

Dallas had no desire to change Lanier, but he wanted her to be totally confident about her feelings for him. Forcing a time frame on her wouldn’t help, either. But he didn’t plan to wait forever for her to make up her mind about loving him enough to marry. Perhaps she just couldn’t love that hard. But there was no in-between for him; it was all or nothing.

As soon as they’d entered the last town house, Lanier perked up. “Oh, my goodness, look at this place. It’s beautiful, the kind of home I’ve dreamed of! I know I haven’t seen it all, but I love what I see.”

Moving into the spacious kitchen, Lanier’s hands lovingly swept the granite counters. That all appliances were stainless steel had her tickled pink.

“Look here, Dallas. An entire stainless package is standard instead of an upgrade.”

Dallas grinned and grabbed her hand, steering her toward the wrought-iron staircase.

Lanier stopped on the stairway. Turning to Dallas, she cupped his face between her hands. “This is it! I feel it. I probably should look at a few more complexes, but I bet I’ll end up right back here.”

“This one really is great. Have you thought about buying instead of leasing? I can set you up with my Realtor. Just say the word and it’s done.”

“Maybe I will. I’m sure it’s better to buy a home than pay rent and end up with nothing to show for it.”

Lanier and Dallas rapidly made their way up the few remaining steps. They entered the master suite and the glowing expression on Lanier’s face said it all. “How huge is this! Oh, my God, check out the bathroom with that fabulous tub. I can imagine us in it together.”

Dallas could imagine it, too. The thought of Lanier straddling him in the tub caused a rise in his manhood. He made a mental note to coerce her into the bathroom Jacuzzi at his house.

Lanier’s wild enthusiasm over the largest town house had Casey smiling. “I’ll work up both sets of figures for you. If you finance with us, we pay closing costs and offer ten thousand dollars in upgrades.”