“Have one of the machines snowing on the people as they ride through!”
“You’re always three steps ahead of me,” he said. “What do you think?”
“I love it.”
“Really? You wouldn’t just say that because you know it’s what I want to hear?”
“No. I think it’ll be something different. People will talk about it and everyone will want to come see it. You’re a genius, Mr. Scott.”
“That’s true, but I try to stay humble.” He got an elbow in the ribs as he propelled her back toward the door. “Ouch! It’s expected of me to carry on the family tradition. My father was an extremely astute businessman.”
“Was? He’s dead?”
“No, very much alive. I just meant ‘was’ in the sense that he’s retired. On my thirtieth birthday, he turned the whole kit and caboodle over to me. He and Mom live in Atlanta.”
“You really are a business whiz kid, though, aren’t you?”
He didn’t answer for a while and she could almost feel his shrug in the darkness. “I’ve been lucky on some gambles that paid off.” It was obvious by his tone that he didn’t want to talk about his financial success, so she didn’t press the issue.
“Mom and Dad would like you. I want you to meet them soon. Have I ever told you that whenever I look at your legs I get turned on?”
She stumbled in the dark. “You can’t even see them.”
“Yes I can. I’m holding the light on them.”
“Well you ought to be watching where you’re going.”
Just as the words were out of her mouth, she heard the sickening crack of bone against wood. Tyler cursed loudly and dropped the flashlight, which rolled in a half-circle before coming to rest against his shoe.
“Oh, Tyler,” she moaned, covering her mouth with her hand. “What did you do?”
He made a grating sound. “I ran into one of those damn low beams I warned you about. Dammit. That hurts.”
“Let me see,” she said gently, coming up on her toes and easing his hand away from his forehead. Because of the darkness, she gingerly felt along his brow until she found the hard lump forming on his temple. ?
?I’m so sorry,” she said in a crooning, soothing voice. With delicate fingers, she examined the injury. “I think it’ll be all right. It’s swelling and that’s a good sign. It’s when it doesn’t swell that it can be dangerous.”
“Never mind about that now,” he said in a low growl as he pulled her against him. He sought her mouth.
“Tyler, your head—”
“Hurts like hell. Kiss me and take my mind off it.”
He kissed her with such urgency that for a moment she was too stunned to respond. His tongue was a sweet invader, a plunderer in her mouth that gave more than it took. His hands were those of a sculptor, molding her malleable body to his. With a suggestion of desperation, his hips rubbed against her.
Whether it was their discussion about the clandestine loving that went on in the Cave, or the darkness that enveloped them, or his touch that she had missed, something prompted her to answer his provocative movement with one of her own.
“Oh God, Hailey.” With a shuddering effort, he imposed restraint on his body. His lips blazed across her cheek to her ear. “You’re sweet medicine. But I’ve only exchanged one dull ache for another. This one will surely kill me.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She wanted to sound contrite, but he heard the smile behind her words.
“Um. I’ll bet you are. I think you derive a perverse delight from torturing me like this.” He captured her earlobe with his teeth and worried it gently. “Your time’s coming, Miss Ashton. You’ll be panting for my lovemaking, and I’ll make you purr with contentment.”
Embarrassed because she knew he was probably right, she knelt down to pick up the flashlight. The tunnel was suddenly ablaze with light.
“Wha—” She stared in stupefaction at Tyler’s hand near a wall light switch. Her green eyes narrowed to suspicious slits as she turned to glare at his sly expression. “You knew there were lights in here all along. Why didn’t you turn them on when we first came in?”
He grinned wolfishly. “Now why do you think? There’s something to be learned from the younger generation.”