by Lucy Monroe
"No, I wouldn't."
He kissed her again, just for that, then said, "Our children's lives do not have to be touched by Andrea even if you tell Bethany the truth."
"If Bethany is like her, if she's got some kind of angle getting ahold of me now, it'll be like my mother is still here, still alive to destroy the lives of those around her."
"And what if Bethany Stone is nothing like Andrea? What if she is like you? A giving, caring woman who just wants to expand her family?"
"Why wait so many years to get ahold of me?"
"You can ask her. After I've turned her name over to Hawk Securities and we've gotten a deep report on her life. After she agrees to a DNA test to confirm the filial link and that test has been done. You are, after all, married to a billionaire."
"And we're not opening our family up to a stranger without confirmation of her claims." There was a lot of relief and satisfaction in his wife's tone.
"Even with those confirmations, Bethany Stone will not be meeting our children until you and I have met her and determined that is the right course of action."
Rachel let out what was clearly a happy sigh. "You know, sometimes I find your distrustful cynicism so incredibly comforting."
She leaned up, pressing her lips to his. Enjoying very much when she initiated physical intimacy, Sebastian's libido spiked. After fifteen years, no matter how often she did it, every time was special. Every time a gift.
Sebastian returned his beautiful wife's kiss, touching her body through the thin sweater, cupping her generous breast even as he slid one hand under the fabric to find the naked skin of her stomach. She made the sound he loved so much, that little moan of feminine need that told him his touch had the same powerful impact on her as hers did on him.
Even after more than fifteen years and four children.
Sebastian broke the kiss long enough to give his smart technology the verbal command to shut and lock his office door. The door closed with a soft whoosh, the lock falling into place with a snick that said their privacy was ensured, the sound freeing his inhibitions even as it had the same effect on his Rachel.
Her kiss turned deliciously heated, the passion in her lips igniting his own, not that he wasn't already turned on. How could he be anything but with her sitting on his lap for the past fifteen minutes?
Sebastian had always found Rachel irresistible, but the longer they were married, the stronger his desire for her grew, the more intrinsic his need to possess her body as well as her heart. He'd heard from other men with wives of many years that physical intimacy became less necessary, that their affection settled into something comfortable.
While his very precious wife gave Sebastian comfort in the deepest part of his spirit, his feelings for her were not comfortable. They were not tame. His need for her body had not diminished as the years went by and she gave him four amazing children.
"I want you more today than I did on the day we made our first child and I thought then, I could never want a woman as much as I did you." He'd been so out of control it had scared him into behaving like a complete and utter ass the next day, but she'd forgiven him and he'd never once taken that beneficence for granted.
"I'm glad, but no more talk." She tugged his tie off, going for the buttons on his shirt. "I need you, Sebastian. Don't make me wait."
"But waiting can be so much fun." He pressed a kiss to the side of her mouth, tugging her sweater up one delicious centimeter at a time. "Anticipation only heightens the pleasure."
"You've said that before," she offered breathlessly.
"And. I. Have. Been. Right. Before." He accentuated each word with a kiss, first to each eyelid, then to her neck, then leaning down to press his lips to the valley between her breasts, then the slope of each beautiful curve, then her lips, claiming her mouth with his own.
His own arousal grew with each shiver, each shudder, every honest, uninhibited reaction of her body.
Sebastian took his time removing Rachel's clothes, smoothing his hands over her satin soft skin as he exposed it, enjoying the goose-bumps that appeared, knowing they had nothing to do with the cold. He groaned as he took off her bra, revealing the pale peach mounds that gave him so much pleasure, her beaded, cherry red nipples, just begging for his mouth.
He lifted Rachel so her nipples were close enough to taste. He nipped at first the sweet, succulent berry on the right and then the one on the left, taking it into his mouth to suckle, knowing the effect it would have on her.
"Oh, yes, that's so good, Sebastian. My love, please, more!"
Sebastian was happy to oblige, nibbling and licking at her hard, little pebbles, caressing her thighs, her delectable bottom, everywhere but where he knew she was craving it most. He left her most intimate flesh untouched, loving the way she rocked against him in her need. He offered all the attention she could want to her sensitive breasts with his mouth and his hands, knowing how aroused that would make her, how much she loved having her breasts played with.
Sebastian pushed both their desire higher and higher with his touching until she was demanding loudly that he do something about the ache between her legs.
Tucking his arm under her knees and lifting Rachel against his chest, Sebastian carried her to the oversized sofa he kept in his office just for this reason. He used to have chairs around the low table for meetings, but discovered he needed a piece of furniture on which he could comfortably make love to his wife.
He settled her over the side of the sofa arm, spreading her legs with his own, her gorgeous curvy bottom on display, and pressed against her entrance with his erection. Lacking any inhibition, her confidence in their intimacy having grown strong over the years, she pressed back against him, silently inviting him deeper inside.
Then, not so silently demanding he pick up the pace, go deeper and make love to her, darn it!
Their intimacy was intense, her responses strong and powerful. He reached around her, finally giving her what he knew she needed most, touching the bundle of nerves now swollen and incredibly sensitive. Rachel keened her pleasure and then shouted, "Finish it!" with imperious demand.
And he did, bringing his sexy wife to a shattering climax even as he exploded inside her, his body going rigid with ecstasy.
#
Eden yawned as she entered her and Aristide's bedroom to change for dinner. Her tycoon husband was already there, his shirt open, no tie yet, his slacks on, but not buttoned or zipped.
She gave him a sincere look of appreciation. "Very nice."
He turned toward her, his usual smile upon her arrival conspicuously absent. "You know what is not so nice?"
She shook her head, her attention still mostly on the gorgeous male body on display. For her eyes only. She would never grow tired of the knowledge that she got to touch and look at this incredible, beautiful man in a way no other woman could.
"My wife standing me up for lunch."
Her gaze flew to his and what she saw there wasn't happiness, or even desire like she was feeling. It was hurt and accusation.
She stifled a sigh. He didn't deserve that. She had cancelled their lunch at the last moment. "I'm sorry."
"For the third time in two short weeks," he continued as if she hadn't spoken.
Really? Three times. She winced when she acknowledged his count was accurate. "I would have come if I could."
The excuse sounded lame, even to her ears.
"And why could you not? You are not only the founder, but the director of the Kouros Children's Fund, are you not? You are the boss."
"Yes, you know I am."
"So?" he prompted. "You are not in control of your schedule?"
"I am, but it's not that simple. I got a call from a potential donor. He wanted a run down on all of our programs. I couldn't just hang up on him."
"A potential donor and the world must stop."
"Don't be sarcastic."
"Was that sarcasm?" he asked, his tone as sardonic as they came. "I thought according to my very
busy wife, that was truth as she saw it."
"So, you're really angry. But Aristide, you need to deal with the fact I am not available to you twenty-four-seven."
"When have you ever been at my beck and call like that?" he demanded, sounding really, truly angry, but also seriously hurt. "When have I ever not respected that you had other people and responsibilities you were committed to? We have had Theo since months after our marriage. Regardless of your father's reciprocity, you have made time for him whenever he would allow you to. You have always had some sort of career, whether in a paid position, or not."
"But I was more available before I started Kouros for Children."
"Yes, you were. More importantly, I and our children made it onto the upper echelon of your priority list."
"Are you trying to imply you don't now?" she asked, hurt he could say something like that. Even if he was frustrated by her cancelling lunch plans.
He stared at her like she wasn't understanding something vital. "I am not implying anything. I am not a subtle man. I am stating a fact. Theodore, Angel and I are adjuncts to your very important life as the director of a worldwide children's charity now."
"How can you say that?" she asked with pain and shock. "I love you all more than anything."
He had to know that. She had always loved him, from the very beginning, even when he was fighting his own feelings for her.
"That may have been true at one time." Aristide sighed and looked away from her, his own expression bleak. "I will not disparage your love for your children. Even if they do not play the central role in your life that they once did, you are a loving and compassionate mother. However, the jury is out on your feelings for me."
She didn't like the feeling she got when he said that Theo and Angel weren't the center of her life like they once had been. Because she couldn’t deny that her time with them had become more limited in the last two years and she missed events and milestones that at one time she never would have. Still, how could he keep saying he wasn't sure of her love?
She'd never hidden her feelings for him. "That's ridiculous. You know I love you."
"Do I? When a call from a donor, and a potential one at that, was enough to have you cancelling lunch plans. Again? When you miss our family dinners one night out of three and have either cancelled, or simply turned me down for several nights out as a couple? The last four times, not mention the many occasions previous, I have made overtures for lovemaking, you have been too tired, too busy or just too oblivious."
With each example he gave, Eden felt more and more guilty. Because she couldn't deny a single one, or even accuse him of exaggerating.
He frowned. "And regardless of your admiring glance right now, it is clear from the dark circles under your eyes that you are too exhausted for me to entertain thoughts of intimacy any time soon."
"What? I never said I was too tired." In fact, she missed him. Missed making love with her husband so, so much.
"I did. You may have little care for your health, but you are my wife. I would be a selfish bastard if I even considered depleting what little energy stores you have right now with lovemaking."
"It's not like that."
"What is it like? You are so tired, it will be a miracle if you make it through dinner without dozing off."
"I would never be so gauche as to fall asleep at the dinner table."
He shook his head as if her comment saddened him in some inexplicable, inexorable way. "I suppose you have forgotten those months when Angel was up all night with colic every night, and Theo still awoke bright and early the next morning. We both caught ourselves dozing more than once at the dining table."
"No, I didn't forget. I just meant…"
But he was done with the conversation, having turned away to button and tuck in his shirt.
"Aristide!"
"What?" he asked, his back to her, grabbing a tie and creating an expert Windsor knot with deft movements.
"This conversation isn't over."
He turned back to face her, his expression closed off in a way it hadn't been since those first awful weeks after he'd lost his memory when she was pregnant with Angel. "What more is there to say? For two years, we've had conversations like this one. Ever since you started the Kouros Children's Fun. You have made your position clear. What is the point in rehashing old ground?"
"You said you don't think I love you anymore." That was the point. He couldn't believe that. She wouldn't accept it.
He looked at her like he didn't understand what the problem was.
"You and the children are my life," she asserted vehemently.
But her husband looked wholly unconvinced and not even a little impressed with her passionate declaration. "No, your work on behalf of children in need is your life. We are the family you are content to neglect while doing so."
"That's not fair. I never accused you of neglecting the family because of your demanding job for Kouros Enterprises."
"Did I neglect you?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to say of course there had been times, but since he'd regained his memory, he'd turned over a new leaf, cutting back on his travel by more than 50%, and making sure she and the children could go with him comfortably when he did have to leave Greece. She could count on one hand and still have fingers left over, the number of times in the last decade that he'd cancelled any plans with her or the children.
"I guess you're better at scheduling your time than I am," she said, feeling a little defeated.
"You think that is what made the difference? For such an intelligent woman, I'd have to say that you have developed some singularly irritating blind spots."
"What are you trying to say?"
"You don't lack the ability to order your time, or anything else. You've run our family's schedule since our marriage, you've always managed to work at something, whether it was with local museums, or later your work with the charitable funds from Kouros Enterprises and still maintain your family commitments just as I have. But two years ago, your priorities changed when the foundation you'd dreamed of became a reality."
"You supported me starting Kouros Children's Fund."
"Even knowing the personal cost to myself, or the change in your relationship with our children, I would do it again." His tone reflected sadness, but sincerity.
Her own heart was hurting. "Those are some pretty heavy caveats."
"The truth is sometimes a heavy burden."
"I didn't stop loving you." How could she make him believe that?
"Perhaps you never loved me as I thought you did. If your feelings didn't change, you just never had anything in your life more important to you than me. I do not like it, but I would not take it away."
He really believed she didn't love him. Not soul-deep and with everything in her. He thought she cared more about the foundation than him, maybe even than their children, though he'd been careful not to say so.
He let out a weary sigh. "Come, it is time to go to dinner."
"Dinner can wait. We need to finish this conversation."
"No. Dinner cannot wait. My mother and her husband arrived this afternoon. You have not even greeted them. Sebastian and Rachel are going through something and need our support and encouragement."
"What's going on with Sebastian and Rachel?" she asked, worried.
She couldn't change the fact she hadn't been there to greet Phillipa and Vincent upon arrival. Though Eden now remembered that was why she and Aristide had made plans for lunch. So, she could spend time with the older couple.
"Perhaps if you are available to her later, Rachel will tell you."
"Don't be petty. I'm your wife. You tell me."
He frowned, but she could tell he was going to answer and he did. "A woman claiming to be Rachel's sister, the daughter that Andrea gave up for adoption at birth, has contacted her."
"I didn't know."
"Naturally not."
"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. "Rachel and I are
friends. She's been like a sister to me since you and I got married. We see each other several times a week at the foundation offices. She could have said something."
"At work?" he asked with clear censure. "That is when she should have told you something upsetting and highly personal?"
"I saw her last night at dinner."
"And were late arriving, missing cocktails before dinner, then left directly after eating to work on your computer."
"The New Year's gala is our biggest fundraiser and happening in less than two weeks."
"Did I ask what kept you from us? I did not because I am not stupid. I knew. I merely pointed out why it might have been difficult for Rachel to share anything important with you."
"I'm not my father," Eden claimed with an inner painful uncertainty that scared her as much as her husband's lack of belief in her love.
Aristide shrugged into his suit jacket, looking every bit the part of the billionaire tycoon. "You are your own person, Eden. Your children know you in a way you have never known your father, even since he came to live with us after his stroke. You are mostly aware of your children's needs and do not hold yourself distant from them as he did with you."
"He's a very different grandfather."
"Since his stroke left him partially paralyzed, yes, he is. He wasn't any more interested in the children than he was in you, his only daughter, before that though."
Aristide stepped to the door. "Are you ready?"
She'd managed to freshen her makeup and brush her hair, but had only removed her suit jacket. She still wore the heather grey silk top and eggplant purple skirt from the designer suit she'd worn all day at work.
"My skirt doesn't look too crushed, does it?"
"It is fine."
"Why are you wearing a suit? You usually dress down for dinner." She loved that part of her day, when she got to see her tycoon husband in a cashmere sweater, or untucked short sleeved shirt.
"Leiandros and Savannah are hosting their annual Christmas party tonight. We agreed to go last month."
Her shoulders slumped at yet another reminder her plans with her family were not at the top of her priority list. "I forgot."
