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she licked cream from her fingers. "My dad was a pharmacist, my mother was his assistant. They were best friends and I don’t ever remember them fighting. We lived in the same house where my father was born and I went to the same schools he went to, and when I was a teenager, I worked in the pharmacy after school. Then I began keeping the books for them, doing the taxes, so when I was ready for college, I didn’t even have to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I majored in business."
    She paused to drink deeply from her champagne, and Dion could sense a change in her mood. He brushed his hand over hers, squeezing it reassuringly.
    "When I was a junior at Columbia, my father had a massive coronary and died. I missed a full semester so I could stay with my mom, although she kept telling me to go back to school. Finally, I felt like if I didn’t go back, I never would, so… " Her voice trailed off.
    She took another drink from her glass. "I went back, finished the semester I’d missed then took summer classes to make up for lost time. I graduated with my class and my mom was there to watch me get my diploma."
    "I bet she was proud of you," he said.
    Patty nodded, but a tear slipped down her cheek. "She was. She died two months later."
    "I’m sorry. I didn’t know," he said and held her hand in his.
    Wiping her cheek with the linen napkin, she smiled softly. "It’s all right. It was a long time ago."
    "Even so, it can’t be easy to lose your parents. You don’t have brothers or sister?"
    "No, I’m an only child. How about you? What’s your story, Dion?"
    He almost choked, but managed to force a smile. "Nothing special," he replied. "I have one older brother and my parents are still around, though I don’t see my father very much."
    "They’re divorced?"
    "No," he said and chuckled. "Actually, they were never married."
    "Oh, that’s pretty common, you know. It’s no big deal."
    Dion laughed out loud. "If you only knew my parents," he began then stopped and shook his head. "Dance with me."
    It wasn’t a question. He stood, still holding her hand, and pulled her to her feet.
    The music soared and the lights from inside dimmed. Beneath the clear skies and a full moon that seemed to appear from nowhere, Patty felt as if she was floating. Her breasts were pressed against his muscular as he held her gently, yet securely, to him. She felt warm and safe and breathless and calm and excited and tingly and hot and… so hot.
    Everything about her felt hot, inside and outside, from the hair on her head to the soles
    of her feet. And he felt so strong and sure of himself, and her heart beat hard against his chest.
     
    His scent was unlike any she’d ever known before—spicy and wild—and she felt as if it was curling inside her, sliding into her senses, flowing along her bloodstream.
    Please don’t let this end-please don’t let this end ! If just once a wish would come true, it was this one Patty wanted more than any other. Just let the music keep playing, she thought, and let the dance go on forever.
     
    Her heart hammered against his chest, and Dion could not only feel it, he could hear it. At least he hoped it was hers, because his was hammering just as hard. Her hair felt like silk against his cheek as he danced her slowly across the balcony. Her scent was delicate, sweet, alluring, soft, and every fiber of his being came alive. The wanting of her was so intense, and only surpassed by his need for her. His senses had come alive. They were so keen, he felt stronger, bigger , mor e than he ever had before in his life. And that was saying something. His awareness of her was as sharp as the edge of a razor. He knew her on a level he couldn’t explain and it left him breathless.
    They were no longer moving, just swaying gently back and forth, their gazes locked. Her tongue flicked out and she licked her lips in a nervous gesture. Dion dipped his head and their lips touched, gently, slowly, and sparks flew.