by Lexi Blake
“She stayed close to him because she wanted his money,” she argued.
“Then why the hell would she send him away?” Cal said with a sigh. “You know this argument never made a lick of sense to me.”
“I’ve always wondered if he found out she was pregnant by another man.” She’d thought about this far too much. “By her married lover, and that was what did it. That was what made him run away.”
“We’ll never know,” Angie said. “But what I do know is if Harry is determined to date Sera, he’ll do it and he won’t back down. If you ask him to choose, you won’t like his choice.”
“Well, I would think he’d choose his aunt,” she replied. “I’m the one who took care of him.”
“You wrote a couple of checks and went to visit him,” Cal pointed out. “It’s not the same, and I assure you Seraphina won’t ask him to make a choice. If I know her at all, she’s already tried to tell Harry it won’t work and she won’t come between him and his family.”
“That’s just a manipulation.” The girl hadn’t even learned from her mistakes. Sera was playing games with her family again. “She’s trying to put herself in the better position, to make me look like the bad guy.”
“You are the bad guy.” Cal strode to the hall and picked up his umbrella. “You’re going to drive Harry away. Hell, I think one of these days you’re going to drive me away. No one is good enough for you, Momma.”
“That’s not true.”
He pointed a finger her way. “Only because my last name is Beaumont. And if you want to know why you don’t think anyone ever bullied me, it’s because I didn’t trust you or Dad enough to tell you. He would have blamed me, and you would have backed him up because you saved every bit of your influence for Wes.”
Her heart threatened to break. “Cal. Oh, Calvin, sweetie, I love you.”
“As much as you can love anyone,” he said with a bitter shake of his head. “I’m going over to Rene’s. I’ll probably get drunk off my ass and spend the night.”
The idea of him on the road scared the hell out of her. “You can’t drive. There’s a storm. Don’t you know how terrified that will make me?”
He simply shrugged. “Hey, at least I’ll know you’re actually thinking about me.”
He strode out, slamming the door behind him.
He couldn’t possibly think he wasn’t important to her. It was utterly ridiculous, and the fact that he would walk away from her . . . She preferred to focus on righteous indignation. “He’s going to get himself killed.”
Angie’s eyes rolled. “He’ll be fine. Cal always is. I think I’ll skip dinner tonight. After all, we don’t want a fat bride. That would embarrass the family name.”
It looked like all her children were ganging up on her tonight. “I didn’t say that.”
“Yes, you pretty much did,” Angie replied as she made for the stairs. “Please remember that the gazebo is important to my reception. If you’re going to dump Harry for his taste in women, try to find someone else who can do the job.”
“How can you say that? He’s family.” She had no idea how the night had gone so wrong. She’d just been worried about them. Tears threatened and she couldn’t let them fall. She had to be strong. Strength was the only thing she had left.
“Well, Mom, I’ve learned that when people disappoint me, I move on. After all, that’s what you do, and you’re going to let your hatred for a girl who only ever was a friend to your son kill your relationship with your nephew. I’m smart enough to know which side of the purse strings I need to be on. Good night.”
Celeste was left standing in her living room, the storm outside picking up again.
But it was the storm inside that truly raged.
They had been perfectly fine. Her little family had been happy, and Harry had been fitting in nicely. Then Seraphina had waltzed in and it had all gone to hell again.
It was Sera’s fault, but Celeste could see the game wasn’t the same this time. She would need to play differently.
“Ma’am, should I serve dinner?” Annemarie stood in the hallway, a concerned look on her face. “I can make you a plate.”
Annemarie had been with the family for ten years, but Celeste knew nothing about the woman. It was obvious she’d heard what had happened. Servants who knew secrets should be immediately dismissed. That was what her mother-in-law had taught her.
Why should she turn out a woman who did her job simply because she might know she fought with her children? Annemarie was excellent at taking care of the house and the family. And actually Celeste did know a bit about her. Annemarie was a mother of four. They were all out in the world now, but she was a mom, too.
“Have you eaten?”
Annemarie’s eyes widened. “No, ma’am.”
“Cook left her excellent roast.” If she sat there alone, she would brood. Perhaps it would be good to talk to someone. “Would you please join me? Unless you need to head home. I’m alone. It appears I’ve angered all my children today.”
“I was actually trying to avoid the storm. I don’t like driving in this rain,” Annemarie explained.
“Then let’s not let that roast go to waste.” It felt good to have one person not hate her. “How are your children, by the way?”
Annemarie began talking about college and the grandbaby she was expecting soon.
If she wanted her own grandbabies to care about her at all, she needed to find a way to be more than purse strings. Perhaps it was time to change her image.
And then she would change Seraphina’s. She was going to win.
She had to.
* * *
***
Harry came awake to the feel of Seraphina rubbing her cheek on his chest. His arm was around her and the night before came back in a rush.
Yes, they were in a cheap motel and he’d screwed up, but she’d come to him so sweetly he could only be grateful that Sera was a forgiving woman. The drapes didn’t quite cover the whole of the window, so a shaft of light illuminated the room. He was covered in her hair. It was spread all over his chest and across his arm, flowing out on the sheet. Yes, he was caught in her web and that seemed like a perfect thing to be.
Sera yawned and cuddled close. “What time is it?”
He glanced over at the clock. “Early. Did you sleep all right?”
He intended to sleep with her a lot. As often as he could. If the night before had taught him anything, it was that their connection was real. It might be the realest thing he’d ever felt.
That should have been a problem, given how his aunt felt about her, but he wasn’t going to let that hold him back. Aunt Celeste was wrong about Seraphina. She was not merely a good person, she was a person he looked up to. She worked hard and made him want to be a better man. His mother would have adored Seraphina. If his aunt couldn’t see that, it was her loss.
“Like a baby.” She sat up in bed. “I have a baby.”
He reached for her phone. His was a brick because he hadn’t charged it before he’d left. Sera was far more responsible, but then she had a lot she was responsible for. “Call. I bet your mom’s awake.”
She took the phone, the blanket falling away and revealing her breast.
He lay back and watched her. She was the single most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and he was going to have to get a new damn phone because he wanted her to be able to contact him anytime she needed him. If she got a flat, he would be there. If she needed someone to pick up Luc, he wanted to be that person for her. He wanted the responsibility so badly he ached with it.
“Hey, Momma. How is Luc?”
Harry closed his eyes and let a feeling of serenity flow over him. It felt like something had fallen into place the night before, something he’d been missing for a long time.
Purpose.
He’d been floating around, l
ooking for something to ground him, and he thought he’d found it. Her. He’d found her.
“Seriously? That’s so sweet. I’m glad to hear it. I promise we’ll be . . . Really? Well, if you wouldn’t mind. Yeah, I would like to have breakfast before we . . . Yes, I’m still with Harry.”
He opened his eyes and felt a smile cross his face. “Damn straight you are.”
She flushed the prettiest pink and shook her head his way before getting back to talking to her mom. “Yes, that’s what I mean. We’re . . . dating.”
He reached out and put a hand on her leg, loving the fact that he had the right to touch her.
“Okay.” Sera smiled down at him. “Send me that picture. See you soon, Mom. Yes, I’m happy, too. I am really happy, and I’ll talk to you later this afternoon. Thank you for taking care of Luc. Yeah. I love you, too.”
He’d put that smile on her face. That breathy, almost anticipatory sound was because of him, and it made him feel like he was the damn king of the world. She’d seen him in all his missing-limbed glory and she’d still wanted him. She’d still let him press her down into the bed and take her in the sweetest way possible. She’d accepted him.
“What picture?” He needed her to understand that he knew she was a package deal.
He was ready to spend real time with that kid. He was ready to see if they could work as a family. Damn but he was ready for a family.
She stared down at the phone, moving her finger across it and then turning it his way. “Luc got out of bed, but Shep took care of him. Oh, it’s so sweet. Look at them.”
He looked at the phone, and the picture there damn near melted his heart. It was of a little boy curled up on Shep. He’d pulled his blanket with him and had covered himself up. His head was resting on Shep’s chest and the dog was curved around him protectively. The deep affection between the two was unmistakable.
They might be soulmates. Like him and Seraphina.
Should he even be thinking that way? It was far too early but he couldn’t help it. He knew what was in his heart. She was.
He stared up at her and the moment held. She went still for a moment, her eyes on him and a heaviness in her gaze.
“Did you tell your mom you’re with me?” He knew what she’d said, but they needed to acknowledge it. It was important.
“I did.” She put her hand on his chest. “I told you. I’m in. I’m all in. I won’t pretend or hide it. I know that’s what you want.”
“Why do I want it?”
She was quiet for a moment, and he worried he’d pushed her too far. But then her hand moved over his chest, stroking him. “Because you’re serious about me.”
He caught her hand and held it against his heart. “I am very serious about you.”
Her eyes closed. “I’m serious about you, too.”
“Then kiss me, because we can take a little time. Luc is safe. I’ll get ready in a couple of minutes and then I’ll grab some coffee for us before we head back into town. But right now, I want you to kiss me and drop the blanket because you’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She loomed over him, her hair creating a waterfall around her and framing that smile that got his heart going. “You’re not so bad yourself, Jefferys.”
She leaned over and brushed her lips against his. Once and then again.
It was all he needed. He sank his hands into her hair and dragged her down on top of him, his arms winding around her.
He kissed her over and over again. This was how every single day should start, but he knew it would be a while before they could do this again. Somehow he didn’t think he would stay over at her house, and she definitely wouldn’t be staying at Beaumont House.
He knew he was going to have to deal with his aunt, but in that moment he couldn’t care. He would find a way to spend sweet time with Sera, and it wouldn’t be some quickie.
He wouldn’t be having one of those today, either. He sighed and lifted his head. “I should go and get that coffee because . . . well, you know why.”
Because he’d been prepared for one encounter. Not two.
“Who would have guessed I would be the one who needed the box of condoms?” Sera asked with an impish grin.
He might pick some up when he grabbed their coffees. “Give me fifteen minutes.”
She shook her head and pushed against his chest, staring down at him. “You don’t need fifteen minutes. You didn’t need anything last night to make me happy. Anything but your lips and tongue and that creative brain of yours.”
His whole body went electric at her words. The night before he’d found himself unprepared for another round, but he hadn’t wanted to stop. He’d wanted every second of pleasure and connection he could have with her, so he’d kissed his way down her body and worshipped her with his mouth. Nothing had ever made him feel as good as Sera crying out his name and clinging to him.
But the feel of her lips on his neck, kissing her way down his chest while her hands caressed his skin, came close.
She showed him absolutely no mercy. There wasn’t an inch of skin she didn’t lavish her affection on.
He reached for her, but her head came up, giving him a shake. “No. Do you remember what you told me last night?”
He did. When he’d realized he couldn’t make love to her again because he’d run out of protection, he’d had her lie back and he’d spent a whole lot of time making sure she understood how much he could give her. “I told you it was my time.”
She nodded with the wickedest grin on her face. “Yes, you did. This is my time, Harry.”
She lowered her lips to his chest again and he relaxed back. It was beyond obvious that his lady believed in equal time, and he meant to give it to her. She seemed intent on exploring him with all the thoroughness he’d explored her with the night before.
Everywhere she touched him, his skin lit up, sensitizing places he’d never thought of as erotic before. When she kissed his elbow, he had to hold back a groan. The same with his knees. And when she laid a tender kiss where his right leg ended. It wasn’t pretty. It was scarred and the skin around it oddly smooth. But she kissed his stump like it was utterly perfect.
She was the perfect one, and no scar could take that away from her. He’d kissed her surgical scar the night before, letting her know it didn’t distract from how gorgeous she was. She was telling him the same thing. He was enough for her.
He was in so deep with this woman. Now he knew he’d never really been in love before. He’d liked women, felt a certain affection for his girlfriends, but it was nothing compared to the passion he had for Seraphina Guidry.
Then he wasn’t thinking about anything at all because her mouth closed over him and pleasure made his eyes close so he could concentrate on how he felt. Desired. Wanted.
Over and over Sera worked her magic. It wasn’t long before he couldn’t hold out another moment.
“Baby, I’m going to . . .”
“Yes,” she murmured, the words rumbling along his skin and making it harder and harder to stay in control. “That was my plan.”
She settled back in and he let go, tangling his hands in her hair and giving her everything he had.
After the tremors had subsided, a glorious languor thrummed through his system. “Come here.”
She slid up against him, cuddling down.
For a moment, all was right with the world.
* * *
***
Sera started at the knock on the door. She’d just finished cleaning up, but she hadn’t expected Harry back so soon. He’d been planning on going to the nearest fast-food place to grab some breakfast sandwiches. She glanced at the clock. It had only been fifteen minutes, but he must be quick.
It had been fifteen minutes and she’d missed him.
She was in way too deep when she still wasn’t even sure she co
uld stay in town. But then wouldn’t it be easier to start a new life somewhere else if she had Harry with her?
She shook off the questions because it was far too early to be thinking that way, especially since she knew Celeste would do her best to keep them apart. There would be a whole bunch of worries to deal with the minute they drove over the bridge this morning. Telling her mother she was dating Harry was the least of what she would have to deal with. She was taking the next hour or so to revel in the peace they had left before the storm. Because there was no doubt the storm was coming.
She threw open the door to let her boyfriend in and realized the storm was already here. Celeste Beaumont stood there dressed in a chic business suit, a Chanel necklace, shiny pumps, and a handbag to complete the feminine-power ensemble.
She had a frown on her perfectly made-up face as she glanced inside the cheap motel room. “Seraphina, is my nephew here?”
She shook her head, wondering if she could get out of this. She wasn’t ready for this showdown. “No. Harry isn’t here.”
It wasn’t a lie. He wasn’t here. Now.
Celeste took her sunglasses off with a sigh and waltzed into the room like she owned it. “Then where is he? And don’t tell me you don’t know. If you’re planning on dating him, you have to stop acting like a sad mouse every time I walk into a room. Stand up straight, child.”
Her spine reacted to the words, her shoulders going back. “I’m not a child.”
Celeste nodded her way. “Yes, that’s a much better tone to take. You sound like a woman. Now, where is my nephew?”
She wished she were wearing something besides that dumb beer T-shirt, but she’d kind of planned on seducing Harry into taking a shower with her before they headed back home. So she was left standing in front of the dragon without a bit of armor. But the mouse insult kind of pissed her off. “He’s getting breakfast. He should be back soon.”
