CUPID'S BOW (MADARIS SERIES Book 2)

by Brenda Jackson

  “Kyle?” Kimara said drowsily.

  “Hmm?”

  “Are we going to make a baby now?”

  So exhausted, so sleepy, was Kimara, she didn’t notice Kyle’s hesitation before answering, nor did she fully comprehend the words spoken soft and tender from his lips.

  “You’re too tired and sleepy tonight, sweetheart. The first time our bodies join, I want you to be wide awake to enjoy every minute.”

  Kyle cradled her closer to him. He looked down and studied her features-- the long, sweeping lashes covering her eyes, her high cheekbones, her straight nose, high forehead, silky chestnut hair, and cocoa- colored complexion. He wondered what of her features their child would inherit. What of his?

  Kimara shifted in sleep and her eyes opened. She stared at him for a moment, disoriented. A deep pulse leapt in Kyle’s throat, and he struggled desperately for control and sanity. During that short moment while she looked at him through dark lashes half-lowered over drowsy eyes, it seemed like some kind of ethereal glow surrounded them, bonding them together. She closed her eyes again, breaking the spell, and Kyle slowly released his breath.

  A slightly confused frown creased his face as he pulled Kimara closer into his arms. He shook his head to clear it, wondering if he was somehow losing his mind. There seemed to be something magical about this place and the two of them together here. That thought was still on his mind when sleep finally overtook him.

  The warmth of the morning sun glided its radiant beam into the bedroom, touching the bodies of the two people wrapped in each other’s arms in the huge bed.

  Consciousness slowly infiltrated Kimara’s mind, and she gradually opened her eyes. She was snuggled next to Kyle, who was still asleep. His hand was resting on the curve of her hip, and her head was cradled against his shoulder and chin. She lay perfectly still for a moment as yesterday’s memories came sailing through her mind.

  Swallowing nervously, she fixed her eyes on the man lying next to her, who was holding her tight in a warm embrace. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t known Kyle. A smile touched her lips when she remembered how at the age of six she had pledge her undying love for him. It was right after he had saved her puppy from drowning in the Staffords’ swimming pool. From that day forward, he’d become her hero.

  By the time she was twelve Kyle had entered college at Howard in D.C., and she saw less and less of him, but her feelings had only intensified over the years. By the time she was fourteen she was still operating under the strain of an enormous crush on him. At the age of sixteen her, while he was working on his graduate degree at Harvard in Massachusetts, was when her crush had transformed into love. It was that same year that she experienced her first heartbreak over his engagement.

  In the following years, thanks to numerous publishers who loved to print new stories about the rich and famous, she had read with envy as Kyle wined and dined one gorgeous woman after another. She had long ago accepted that she was someone whom he would never be interested in.

  She felt disappointment touch her with a tangible force. The only reason Kyle had married her was to fulfill his grandfather’s wishes. She knew she was a far cry from the glamorous women he preferred. Luckily her heart was now inviolate to him.

  A lump formed in Kimara’s throat when she suddenly became aware of the state of her dress-- or undress --which meant Kyle had removed most of her clothing the previous night. The last coherent memory she had of the night before was him carrying her over the threshold. She wondered what happened after that? Certainly they had not made love. She would remember if they had. Wouldn’t she?

  Deciding it would be best not to be in the same bed with Kyle when he awakened, and to give herself time to try to remember exactly what did or did not happen in that bed, she tried easing out of his arms.

  Kyle’s hand resting on Kimara’s hip tightened and his leg moved over hers. “Going someplace, sweetheart?”

  Her gaze flew upward and the eye contact jolted her as an intense sensation erupted deep in the pit of her stomach. She lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling shy and uncertain. “Yes. It’s morning.”

  Kyle’s hold on her tightened even more. “I can see that,” he replied huskily, pushing himself up on one elbow and looking down at her.

  A warm feeling began to seep from Kimara’s fingertips to her toes with Kyle’s touch. “Kyle, I don’t think we should--”

  “You don’t think we should what?” he asked, cuddling her closer to him. He nuzzled her face, and then gently kissed her lips. “I think we should do whatever we feel like doing. After all, we’re married.”

  She ignored the feel of the stubbly chin scraping her skin, but she could not ignore the feel of his kiss on her lips. Nor could she ignore the hair-covered leg over hers or the feel of the hard, masculine bulge that was resting against her side. A blush spread across her features. He didn’t have on any clothes!

  “Kyle, I think we should talk about this. I know the reason we married, but I don’t think we should rush into anything. Shouldn’t we get to know each other better?”

  He threw his head back and let out a great peal of laughter. “Get to know each other better? Baby, I’ve known you from the very beginning. Have you forgotten that I was here in this very house the night you were born? I was barely seven at the time. Our fathers tried their damnedest to talk your mother into going to the hospital, but she refused. My mother wasn’t any help. She was encouraging your mom to be rebellious. Dr. Firestone arrived just in time. He was in this house less than five minutes before you were born.”

  Kimara couldn’t help but smile at Kyle’s recounting of the story she’d heard numerous times. According to her father, her mother had almost given him heart failure that night.

  “Then there was the time I got into trouble when I was twelve for something that you did, Kimara.”

  She raised a brow. “And what did I do?”

  A smile touched Kyle’s lips. “You were around five years old at the time and had decided you wanted to play pirate by burying things. When I happened to come upon you on your knees, busy at work digging a hole in our backyard, I foolishly agreed to help you bury your treasure. How was I to know that little brown bag you were burying contained some of your mother’s valuable jewelry?”

  Kimara couldn’t help laughing. She tried to ignore the slight ache in her head from her overindulgence in champagne the day before. “Oh, Kyle, I remember that! I did get you in trouble, didn’t I? I really didn’t mean to. It was just a game. I’ll never forget the look of horror on my parents’ faces when they found out a large chunk of the Staffords’ gems were buried in a hole somewhere on the Garwood estate. It was a good thing you remembered where the spot was. I was too tired and sleepy after all that digging to even care.”

  Kyle’s laugh was deep, warm, and rich. “Then there was the time that I jumped into that huge swimming pool to save that blasted puppy of yours and almost got my nose bit off in the process.”

  “He thought you were trying to hurt him.”

  “I was trying to save his hide.”

  Kimara tried to suppress a giggle. “He didn’t know that. He was afraid.”

  “If you say so. But it didn’t help matters when that same animal grew up to be an ungrateful mutt. He tried to bite me again when I dropped by to see you years later.”

  “He didn’t remember you, and he was trying to protect me,” she implored as a smile stole into her features.

  “I guess in that case I can forgive him for the mix- up. But, as you can see, Kimara, we do know each other,” Kyle said in a silky voice. “The only way we really don’t know each other is intimately, but we’ll remedy that soon, won’t we?”

  Before she could think of a reply, Kyle’s mouth came down on hers. The unexpectedness of the kiss and the erotic feelings it evoked made her heart begin hammering in her chest. His tongue, silken and hot as a summer’s night, flitted across her lips in a taunting play of feathery strokes. She found herself fill
ed with a strange inner excitement. A shudder passed through her when Kyle deepened the kiss, allowing his tongue to penetrate the confines of her mouth, and at the same time he gathered her closer into his arms and held her snugly.

  When his tongue came into contact with hers, a sensuous duel took place. Kimara’s skin tingled with this intimate touch. When he finally released her, she relaxed, sinking into his cushioning embrace, totally in awe of the magnitude of the effect Kyle’s kiss had on her. His breath was warm and moist against her face, and she could see the smoldering depths of his eyes and a light sheen of moisture on his lips.

  Kimara blinked, and then focused her gaze again on him. He stared back; his gaze beckoned her closer and closer. Suddenly she remembered that night, so long ago, when she was going to reveal to him the secret of her love. But only it hadn’t worked out that way. He had chosen another. A pain surrounded her heart at the memory. She didn’t want to fall under Kyle’s spell ever again. Every time he kissed her, she felt things she’d never felt before. Suddenly feeling a need to get away from him, she placed her hands on his chest, intending to push him away. But he didn’t let her. He covered her hands with his.

  “I’m not ready to let you go yet.”

  She ignored the rich seductiveness in his voice. But she couldn’t ignore the feel of his free hand as it slowly moved upward toward her inner thigh. “Stop it, Kyle. I have no intention of making love with you right now. The only thing I plan on doing is taking a shower and fixing breakfast.”

  Kyle frowned at the iciness in her voice and pulled both hands away. “And what about the kiss we just shared?”

  “What about it? Our hormones were acting up, nothing more. We’ll just have to work hard at keeping them under control, won’t we? And what you said earlier isn’t true. We don’t know each other, at least not as adults. All we have between us are childhood memories, and they don’t make a relationship.”

  He looked exasperated. “Who’s concerned about a relationship? We’re not here to play a game of ‘getting to know you.’ We’re here to--”

  “I know why we’re here. I allowed you to rush me into this marriage, but I won’t be rushed into anything else, especially sleeping with you. I don’t feel comfortable sharing a bed with a man I know nothing about other than what I read in the papers and magazines.” She didn’t add that she wasn’t in a hurry to sleep with the man who had hurt her once, and if she didn’t keep the upper hand, could possibly hurt her again.

  “Please turn your back, Kyle.”

  He lifted a brow. “Turn my back? For what?”

  “I need to get out of bed.”

  “What’s stopping you?”

  She took a deep breath. “I have no intention of parading in front of you half naked.”

  Kyle rolled his eyes upward, shaking his head. “Kimara, I undressed you last night. Besides, soon enough I’ll now your body as well as I know my own. Why do you want to hide it?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll appreciate it if you’ll just turn your back.”

  “What if I don’t want to?” he said with a wicked smile.

  Kimara’s eyes reflected her anger. “You’re impossible!”

  “I’m sorry you think so. I just happen to love looking at you. You should have figured that out that day by your pool. However, since I feel like being a nice guy this morning, I’ll be glad to get your robe for you. I put away some of your things last night.”

  The thought of him going through her luggage, especially through some of her intimate things, didn’t sit well with Kimara, but she figured that now was not a good time to make waves. He might take back his offer to get her robe. “Thanks for being kind enough to get my robe, Kyle.”

  “Sure.”

  She regretted his act of kindness the minute he threw back the bedcovers. She had forgotten he didn’t have on a stitch of clothing. A blush covered her face when he got out of bed and walked across the room to the closet completely naked. The man had no shame . . . but then, neither did she, she thought upon realizing she couldn’t help but stare at his excellent physical shape. His lean tapered hips and legs were covered with fine hair. His stomach was firm and hard, and his shoulders and arms denoted supreme masculinity. His dark body stretched in a fine arch when he reached into the closet for her robe. Her throat went dry, and she was speechless when he strode back over to the bed. She couldn’t stop her eyes from moving all over him when he stood next to the bed with her robe in his hand.

  “Anything else, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice hoarse, thick, and suggestive.

  Somehow she found her voice. “Yes, you can get your own robe and cover yourself,” she retorted sharply. She was angry at herself for the desire she had begun to feel for him all over again.

  Her words seemed to amuse him. A flash of humor crossed his features. “You may as well get used to seeing me this way. I feel most comfortable when I’m wearing hardly anything.”

  Kimara snatched the robe from his hands. To her supreme relief, he sauntered off in the direction of the bathroom, giving her a more than gracious view of the planes and angles of his physique, especially his captivating backside. She released a deep breath when she heard the sound of the shower. Quickly donning the robe, she took notice of her surroundings for the first time when she smelled the fragrance of flowers. A smile touched her lips when she saw the numerous arrangements of roses around the room and the bottle of champagne. Ignoring the feel of the cool wooden floor beneath her feet, she made her way over to the arrangement that held the card. Her hand trembled slightly when she recognized the sprawling bold writing on it. She silently read the message it contained. So intent was she in reading the card that she had not heard the sound of the shower stopping.

  “Kimara?” Who sent the flowers and champagne?”

  She glanced up. Kyle was standing in the bathroom doorway wearing only a towel around his hips. For a moment she was mesmerized upon remembering she’d slept snuggled next to that magnificent body. Reluctantly, she pulled her eyes from his torso and back to his face.

  “You won’t believe it when I tell you who sent them, Kyle.”

  He raised a brow and walked over to her. “Really? Who sent them?”

  She handed him the card.

  Kyle recognized the handwriting immediately. It was distinct, with a flair that belonged to only one man.

  His grandfather.

  Kyle read the card he held in his hand.

  To the granddaughter of my heart and the grandson of my blood.

  Thanks for fulfilling an old man’s

  last dream. The Garwood and Stafford legacy will continue thanks to the two of you.

  I love you both.

  Kyle Garwood III

  “Aren’t the flowers beautiful?”

  Kimara’s question drew Kyle’s gaze. She was unaware of the captivating picture she made standing next to the arrangement of roses. “Yes, they are. There wasn’t any doubt in Granddad’s mind we’d get married like he wanted,” Kyle said, smiling, and silently admiring his grandfather’s wisdom in choosing Kimara as the woman to continue the Garwood line.

  He was beginning to see that there was more to her than the beauty that shone on the outside. She possessed an inner beauty that most people lacked. She was a woman to be admired for her accomplishments. Having survived losing both parents, she’d made an alteration in her life that had boosted her self-esteem but hadn’t rearranged her priorities. And now he kind of liked the idea of her giving birth to his child. The thought of her gorgeous body swelling with his baby made a feeling of fierce pride flow through him. There was no doubt in his mind that she would make a good mother.

  Kyle never been around children much, but he had watched Kimara interact with a little girl who’d been with her parents at the airport. It had been easy to see she liked kids. He knew at that moment he no longer wanted to think of the child they would make together as the Garwood heir. He wanted the baby for its own sake and not for any purpose it would serve or ho
w it figured in his grandfather’s will.

  “I guess it’s like you said that day in Mason’s office. He knew deep down we wouldn’t deny his last wish. I wonder how the flowers and champagne got here.”

  Kimara’s words broke into Kyle’s thoughts. “I bet he left Mason explicit instructions what to do. He was the one who suggested that we come here for our honeymoon. I wonder what other surprises we should expect. I have a feeling Granddad thoroughly enjoyed planning all of this.”

  “Are you saying Poppa Garwood knew he was dying? But that’s not possible. He had a sudden heart attack.”

  “Sudden but not unexpected. I paid a visit to John Stone, his doctor, last week. He went over his case with me. Granddad began experiencing chest pains a couple of months ago. John ran tests that showed he needed to undergo open heart surgery. From what John said, he explained to Granddad there was a chance he wouldn’t survive the surgery, but without it he could have an attack and die at any time. Instead of having the surgery, he opted to spend his last days planning our wedding and assuring the birth of his great-grandchild.”

  Tears gathered in Kimara’s eyes. “Oh, Kyle. I wish he would have told us. I wish he would have let us share those final days with him.”

  Kyle pulled her into his arms. “You knew my grandfather, Kimara. He was a proud man. He wouldn’t have wanted our pity.”

  “But we wouldn’t have pitied him. We would have given him our love.”

  “I know. But in his way of thinking, for us to carry out the terms of the will is all the love we could ever give him.”

  “But he isn’t here to know that we actually did it.”

  Kyle smiled. “He knows. In his heart he knows. All of this proves that he knew it before he died. There was never any doubt in his mind what we would do. He took the biggest gamble of his life and won. He’s probably up there, looking down on us, grinning from ear to ear and feeling mighty proud of himself.”