She still had her hair pinned back, but that had only been to keep it out of the food as they re-checked everything. As of a few moments ago, she’d stepped into those cherry red stilettos and put on the lipstick. Looking at herself in the mirror, with the collar and dainty silver chains running across her body, she felt like a sensuous descendant of Lilith. And that didn’t feel like a bad thing at all.
Still, propriety lurched back to the forefront when Dana took her hand, began to drag her toward the door. Rachel balked. “Dana, I’m not wearing the robe,” she hissed.
“Trust me.” When the woman reached the door, her hand outstretched to find it, she called through the panel. “Max, you need to close your eyes, okay? Promise you won’t open them.”
“I don’t even want to know.” His sigh was audible. “All right, they’re closed. But I will need to open them to get you down the stairs.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall. I’m specially trained to navigate in the dark. You’ll have to trust me for a change.”
A snort. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”
Dana gave Rachel a wink, then turned the knob.
She was the corner apartment, at the end of a hallway and around a slight bend, so her door was nested in a sheltered arch, not immediately visible to her other neighbors. Even so, panic did a quick skitter through her when Dana yanked the door open.
Max stood there, arms crossed over his broad chest. He’d apparently gone home after normal business hours, so instead of the suit, he was wearing a form-fitting T-shirt and jeans, his dark blond hair tousled over the high forehead. There was the beginning of a faint five o’clock shadow on his Superman square jaw.
He is so hot, Dana mouthed. Rachel had to stifle an astonishingly girlish giggle, but even as she did, she had to wonder again at the man’s likeness to Peter. She assumed Dana had never actually seen Max, since she’d told Rachel she hadn’t come to Baton Rouge until after being wounded. But given Dana’s heightened senses and intuition, it was logical, the blind woman bonding in such an affectionate way with a man who had many of the characteristics of the one she obviously loved with all her soul.
Rising high on her toes, Dana put her hand over Max’s closed eyes, bracing her other hand, the one holding her cane, against his chest. He automatically put his own over her wrist and on her waist to steady her. “Rachel is wearing nothing but a pair of cherry red f*ck-me heels. That, and a matching lipstick so wet and luscious-looking it’s probably called Carnal Sin.” Dana grinned impishly and poked his chest. “See, I knew I’d have to put my hand over your eyes. You couldn’t help it. Your eyes popped right open. Your lashes brushed my hand like feathers.”
“I’m going to strangle you,” he promised, but there was a resigned smile on his firm lips. However, at Dana’s provocative description, Rachel noted his fingers had flexed on Dana’s waist. That Lilith feeling increased inside her. He wanted to look. She was worth looking at. She looked like every male’s fantasy. At least for this second, she was aroused enough to believe it.
“Oops, forgot. She is wearing one other thing. Something Jon put on her to keep her hot and bothered, but I won’t describe that. There’s only so much a big, manly guy like yourself can take. I’m going to say goodbye to her now and then we’ll go. You need to keep your eyes closed, or Jon will be really mad.”
Max sighed again. “The eggplant smells very good, Ms. Madison,” he said politely.
“Thank you,” Rachel replied, at a loss. Dana smirked at both of them, then her hand slid away from Max’s eyes. He had beautiful, thick lashes, Rachel noted. Then Dana turned toward her, that devilish look still in her gaze.
“Thanks for letting me visit this afternoon. We should do it again. I like spending time with you when you don’t have me stretched out on a mattress, torturing me.”
“I’ll leave that job to Peter tonight.” That made Max chuckle and gave Rachel a smile herself. When Dana came to her, she had a pretty good idea what she was about. With her body already humming, it was no hardship to let those slender brown hands slide up and along the outside of her breasts, again avoiding her nipples, but settling on her collar before Dana leaned full into Rachel, bringing their lips together for a playful tongue-tangling kiss. Rachel couldn’t help it. She was too close to seeing Jon, and a moan rose in her throat. Her hands convulsed on Dana’s hips, fingers curling over the pockets of the snug jeans she wore, feeling the toned female ass beneath.
Max swore softly. “Goddamn it, Dana.” But when Dana at last slid back, Rachel saw his eyes were still closed. She also saw his cock was a thick line against his jeans. It drew Rachel’s fascinated gaze, made her moisten her lips.
Dana brushed her finger over her own mouth, collecting some of the wet color Rachel had transferred there, and then brushed it over Max’s, giving a yelp and a short squeak of laughter as he bit the finger, caught her wrist and gave it a light shake.
“Peter shouldn’t let you out of the house without a leash.”
“I think that’s what you are, big guy.” Dana impulsively gave him a hard hug, a gesture of true affection, though Rachel expected Max got the reward she had, of feeling Dana’s tight, aroused nipples through his T-shirt. “You’re a treasure.”
She turned back to Rachel, gave her a hug too, this one with no sexual tease to it, though Rachel still had to absorb the shock of physical contact to her overly alert body. “Good luck,” Dana said, then her voice lowered, underscoring the new intimacy and understanding between them. “Tonight, keep in mind what I told you, without thinking too hard about it, okay? It’ll be all right, all of it. Trust him. And trust that part of yourself you maybe haven’t trusted in way too long, if ever.”
“Okay,” Rachel said, though she wasn’t sure about any of it.
“Better freshen up that lipstick.” Dana lifted up on her toes then, balancing herself by holding Rachel’s bare waist, fingers tangling with the chain at her hip. She whispered in her ear. “I’ll bet Max peeked. You’re too damn irresistible. I don’t have to see to know you look absolutely beautiful—it’s coming off you in waves. Whatever your heart truly desires, you can have it tonight. I know it.”
* * * * *
Max remained where he was, eyes closed, until Rachel closed the door. Leaning against it, she listened to him and Dana move back down her hallway. She was starting to feel the way Dorothy might have if, instead of being whirled away to Oz, that glittering place had set up camp inside her gray farmhouse.
Her gaze went to the clock. Fifteen minutes. He’d be on his way here already, and she knew he’d be prompt. He’d have called otherwise. Her gaze slid over the room. She’d turned on Kitaro’s Silk Road composition and the exotic yet soothing melody filled the apartment. When she’d played part of it for Dana, the woman had given her a thumbs up.
“Peter and I are pretty much heavy metal junkies, though he’s also given me a new appreciation for country songs about shirtless boys on tractors.” That quick grin. “I’d never buy the stuff Jon plays, but when I’m there at his place, it fits the mood, the man, everything. This is like that. It’s perfect. For both of you.”