His to Claim by Opal Carew Page A

apologize for not trusting me.”
    He leaned back against the counter. “That’s the whole thing, isn’t it? It’s not just
     that I didn’t trust you. It’s that there was no reason for you not to take Travis
     up on whatever proposition he made, because…” He shrugged. “I told you I wasn’t ready
     for a relationship right now. And that meant we had no commitment.”
    He pushed away from the counter and stepped toward her. Maybe he wasn’t so clueless
     after all.
    He stood in front of her and stroked back a strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin
     tingled at the gentle caress.
    “I was a fool.” He cupped her cheek. “And I don’t want to lose you.”
    She watched, mesmerized, as his face approached hers. His lips brushed hers, lightly
     at first, then more firmly as he drew her close to his body. She wrapped her arms
     around his neck and melted against him, his kiss igniting her inner need.
    When he drew back, his sky blue eyes questioning, she smiled.
    “So, Mr. Ranier, are you asking me to go steady?”
    He grinned. “That’s exactly what I’m asking.”
    *   *   *
    Melanie finished putting on her mascara and gazed critically at her face in the mirror.
     The dark kohl around her eyes, along with the muted earth-tone shadows, made her green
     eyes look bigger, and the blush gave her pale cheeks a soft flush of color.
    She glanced at the clock. It was time to go.
    As much as Melanie had wanted to fall into bed with Storm after his apology last night,
     she’d had plans with friends she couldn’t change, so he’d promised they’d do something
     special tonight. He’d offered to take her to a fancy restaurant with dancing and maybe
     a show, but she’d told him she would rather be with him somewhere they could be alone.
     He’d smiled and suggested dinner and a movie at his place.
    She ran a brush through her long, dark blonde hair, then walked through the living
     room, stopping to take a sniff of the lovely roses before grabbing her sweater from
     the front closet and heading out the door toward the elevator. Moments later, as soon
     as she pushed open the lobby door, she saw the black limo waiting for her. She stepped
     outside into the warm evening air.
    “Melanie, hi. I was coming up to get you.” Storm stood a few paces ahead on the sidewalk.
     He walked alongside her the few steps to the car and the chauffeur opened the back
     door.
    Storm followed her into the limo and settled in the seat beside her. He wore his jeans
     this evening, but with a black button-up shirt rather than a T-shirt or tank top like
     she’d usually seen him in as Storm. It was a nice compromise between Storm, the rock
     guitarist and Rafe, the businessman.
    Of course, no matter how he was dressed, he still revved her engine. She could lean
     into his arms right now and ravage those full, sexy lips of his.
    He glanced toward her and smiled. “What are you thinking about?” His eyes glittered.
     “Me, I hope.”
    She stroked her finger along the placket of his shirt, from the neck to the second
     button, which was open, revealing a hint of the tattoos on his chest.
    “I’m looking forward to getting to your place.”
    He nuzzled her cheek. “If you were to keep looking at me like that and we had more
     than just another two blocks to go, I’d say we wouldn’t make it to my place.”
    She laughed and turned her face up, then brushed her lips against his. His arms went
     around her and she melted against his solid chest as she explored his mouth.
    Then the car slowed down and pulled up in front of a tall building. As the chauffeur
     got out of the car, Storm eased away, then the back door opened and she climbed out
     of the car. She walked with Storm toward the glass doors of the building in front
     of them. A doorman opened the door for them and they stepped into the air-conditioned
     lobby. It was lovely, with cream marble floors and walls, a sitting area of leather
     couches and tables, and lots of