Amalie’s response struck his senses with the force of an oncoming thunderstorm. He could have sworn that lightning flashed in the conservatory. So much for a cautious, exploratory kiss. They were standing too close to the edge of the cliff tonight. The fierce winds of desire caught them both by surprise and swept them straight over the edge.
He hauled her across his thighs, wrapped one arm around her, and deepened the kiss. He was hungry, ravenous; desperate. A hot, thrilling exultation rolled through him. He had told her the truth about himself and his talent, and she did not care. She was in his arms, returning his kisses with a fervor that matched his own.
He covered one apple-shaped breast with the palm of his hand. Through the thin fabric of her dress and the delicate bra she wore underneath, he could feel the tight ridge of a nipple. She took a sharp breath and tightened her arms around his neck.
“Matthias,” she said.
His name was a husky whisper. There was urgency, passion, and a dazed excitement in her voice. He realized he was not the only one who had been unprepared for the heat they were generating together.
When she twisted against him, trying to get closer, he thought the soft weight of her thigh against his erection would steal what little was left of his control. He gathered her to him and moved his mouth to her warm, silky throat. Her head fell back against his shoulder. Her scent intoxicated him.
He slid his palm under the skirt of her dress and up the inside of her sleek, stocking-clad leg. When he encountered the fastening of her dainty garter belt, he heard a distant warning bell. The conservatory was hardly a private location. Willa was somewhere upstairs. Vincent Hyde and his chauffeur could walk through the front door at any moment.
He should stop now, while that was still possible, Matthias thought. But he undid the fastening instead. The stocking glided downward. He moved his hand higher and discovered the flirty hem of her panties.
Amalie speared her fingers through his hair and opened her mouth for him. The crotch of her panties dampened at his touch.
He was not sure what would have happened if the rumble of a car engine in the drive hadn’t jolted him back to reality. Amalie stiffened in his arms. Her eyes snapped open.
“My guests,” she said.
She levitated up out of his grasp, gaining her feet and her balance in a fluid motion. She paused long enough to bend over and raise the hem of her skirt. He watched, riveted, as she deftly refastened her stocking. The searing intimacy of the action nearly undid him.
He suppressed a groan.
“Right,” he said. “Your guests. Sounds like they’re back.”
Amalie did not respond. She was already halfway down the conservatory path, heading for the lobby.
With a sigh, he got to his feet, adjusted the front of his trousers, and raked his fingers through his hair. By the time he decided that he was reasonably presentable Amalie was deep in her role, playing the gracious, welcoming innkeeper.
He heard her offer Vincent Hyde a brandy. The actor accepted and told his chauffeur to go on upstairs to bed.
That left Amalie alone with Vincent Hyde. Matthias reflected on that for about two seconds. He would have preferred to retreat to his room and contemplate what had almost happened in the conservatory or, better yet, have another brandy to deal with the aftershocks, but Hyde’s dramatic, resonant voice rolled down the hall in a dark wave.
“Do join me, Miss Vaughn. I enjoyed my evening at the Paradise, but one can only take so much excitement. Besides, almost everyone there was from L.A. Tell me, what do the locals do for fun here in Burning Cove?”
Matthias remembered the gossip about Vincent Hyde and his various leading ladies. The actor was at least fifteen years older than Amalie but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to seduce her.
Matthias walked into the lobby. Hyde was annoyed to see him but he covered the reaction with the smooth, polished ease of a professional actor.
“I see I am not the only guest who is still up,” he said. “Are you on your way to bed, Mr. Jones?”
“I believe I heard someone mention brandy,” Matthias said.
“Yes, you did,” Amalie said, moving smartly to the drinks cabinet. “Why don’t you two gentlemen sit down? I’ll pour the brandies.”
She crossed the room, handed out the brandies, and then sat down in one of the big reading chairs. She crossed one leg over the other and smiled at Hyde.
“I hope that you are finding the atmosphere here at the Hidden Beach Inn inspiring, Mr. Hyde,” she said.
He smiled. “Indeed, Miss Vaughn. I can sense the eerie energy infused in the rooms of this villa. By the time I return to L.A. I’m sure I will be brilliantly prepared for my next role.”
“Another Mad Doctor X film?” Matthias asked, mostly so that Hyde could not ignore his presence.
“My old studio is begging me to return for another Doctor X film, but as I told Miss Vaughn, I’m currently negotiating a contract for a vampire movie.”
Waves of dissonant energy shivered through the words. It was a small lie, Matthias thought, and probably not important. It was just the sort of lie you might expect to hear from an actor who was trying to restore a fading reputation. But it was a lie, nonetheless.
He was sure that Vincent Hyde had not been offered a role in another Mad Doctor X film and equally certain that there was no new contract being negotiated.