Exclusive / a Touch of Heaven

by Samantha Chase

  Regan should be having sex with a Bennett right now, but instead she’d walked away from that possibility to check on her liar-liar-pants-on-fire mother! Storming over to her car, Regan refused to look back at the house. She climbed into the vehicle and pulled out of the driveway as if the hounds of hell were after her.

  Where to go? Where to go? Regan’s mind was racing. The responsible thing to do was to go back to the spa and run the business her mother clearly had no interest in. The irresponsible part of her wanted to track Sawyer down and finish what they had started earlier.

  Except she was mad.

  Really mad.

  Really, really mad.

  Ever since the Bennett men had come into her life, nothing had been the same. Regan liked things simple and predictable. Surprises were never her thing. And yet, ever since Caroline had met Max in the home improvement store, life had been one surprise after another, and not all of them were good. Well, that didn’t matter; the fact remained that Regan hated surprises and she wasn’t sure if she could take many more. Between the changes at the house, her mother’s affair, and Regan’s own out-of-control feelings for Sawyer, she didn’t think she was capable of making any kind of rational decision on anything at the moment.

  So instead of following her heart and going to the damn hotel and throwing caution to the wind, she headed toward home. “Well,” she said out loud, “it wouldn’t hurt to call him and rant a little about what I just saw.” Upon all the contract signings, Sawyer had given her his business card with his cell number on it. While stopped at a traffic light, she hit the Bluetooth and dialed his number. His sleepy voice greeted her.

  “Hey,” he said. “Is Caroline all right?”

  Regan debated for all of five seconds on that one. Hell, if she had to witness what she did, he was damn well going to hear about it. “As a matter of fact, she is,” she responded with a hint of sarcasm.

  “What’s going on, Regan? You don’t sound right.”

  “No? You don’t think so?” she asked snappishly.

  “Regan…”

  “So I got to the house and was all set to make some tea or something light for Mom to eat and I was admiring the granite countertops—”

  “They came out great, right?”

  Regan ignored his request for praise and continued on with her story. “—when all of a sudden I heard Mom talking. I figured she was on the phone and I took it as a good sign, that maybe she was feeling better.”

  “And?”

  “I had called out to her twice and she didn’t answer, but I figured that was because she was on the phone. You know, maybe she didn’t hear me. Well, imagine my surprise when I opened the door of the master bedroom and found your father in bed with my mother!”

  “No!” he said with disbelief. “Oh, geez, Regan, what did you do?”

  “What do you think I did? I turned and ran from the room. But not before I got quite the view of naked limbs all wrapped around one another!”

  Reagan heard Sawyer sigh in exasperation. “Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay. Dammit, Sawyer, I told you something was up! Now I’ll have to stab out my own eyes to get that image out of them!” A shudder racked her body and her stomach roiled at the thought of it. “I just cannot believe—”

  “That your mother has sex?” he asked.

  “Don’t say that! She said that too and I just don’t want to think about it or hear it because then I start seeing it again!”

  “Okay, okay, clearly you’re upset. Why don’t you come over and we’ll grab something to eat and you can calm down?”

  Didn’t he realize that if she showed up at his hotel, the last thing she’d want to do was calm down? Did earlier today leave no impression on him at all? If she actually did show up, it would be with the sole purpose of stripping him naked and having her way with him!

  Hmm… The idea had merit. Maybe that’s what she needed: a night of wild, animalistic sex to help her unwind. She could do a more intimate massage than what she’d done earlier, and then she’d let Sawyer have his turn running his hands over her, and maybe then—

  “Regan? Are you still there?”

  “Huh? What?” Damn dirty mind. “No, I think I’ll go home and do my best to…forget this day ever happened.”

  “Look, I really don’t think going home and being alone obsessing about it is the answer. If you don’t want to come to the hotel, let me come to you. We’ll get a pizza, watch a movie…whatever you want to do to distract yourself.”

  Oh, if only he knew how much she wanted to say yes. Regan had no doubt in her mind that Sawyer could distract her. Hell, he could probably distract her for days, but was jumping into bed with him while she was upset the right thing to do? Or would she wake up tomorrow feeling worse than she did right now?

  You’ve seen the man half naked, Regan! There is no way he can leave you feeling worse. While her inner voice no doubt had a point, Regan was not one to do something so wild, so impulsive…so tempting that it was all she could think about! She heard Sawyer clear his throat and realized there had been nothing but dead air for several moments.

  The devil in her reminded Regan of how hot they had been this afternoon in the massage room, whereas the practical woman in her reminded her that sex was not a cure-all.

  She hated her practical side, because it spoke louder to her.

  “I really do appreciate the offer, Sawyer, but I have to pass.” There. She’d said it. Now he’d probably be a gentleman and wish her a good night, maybe offer to let her call later on if she needed someone to talk to, yadda, yadda, yadda.

  “I guess I understand,” he said mildly. “After all, the way you threw yourself at me earlier, you probably don’t trust yourself to be alone with me. No worries. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around before the reno is done.”

  Regan thought that surely she must be hearing things. “Excuse me? What did you just say?”

  “You heard me. I don’t blame you, really. We’re attracted to one another and you tend to…you know, lose control with me whenever we’re alone. I’m sure that’s not what you need right now after such an upsetting incident at your mom’s, so I completely get why you think it’s…safer…to be alone.”

  Regan looked around her car in disbelief and hoped someone else was hearing this, because she certainly couldn’t believe what Sawyer was saying! What a conceited, arrogant jackass! Which was exactly what she called him because she couldn’t think of anything else to say at the moment.

  “You can call me all the names you want if it makes you feel better. I don’t mind. But right now, I’m going back to soak in the Jacuzzi like you suggested. It works wonders. I should follow up with a hot shower, too, you said, right?”

  Now he wanted professional advice on his injury? Did this man have no decency at all? Did he think everything was about him? Regan was still at a loss for words. “Yeah, sure,” she mumbled. “Whatever.”

  “Have a good night, Regan,” he said silkily, and it had Regan’s teeth on edge. She may have wished him a good night in return, she couldn’t be sure. Once the call ended, she punched the steering wheel. She called him every name in the book and still couldn’t believe the ego on him. Did he honestly believe she was the one who couldn’t control herself when they were alone? Didn’t he realize that he always made the first move? That he was the first one to reach out and find an excuse to touch her?

  She drove on, replaying the few short times they had been in one another’s company, from the first time when he couldn’t take his eyes off her breasts to the way he’d pulled her onto his lap when he was practically naked.

  Bastard.

  If anything, Regan had no choice but to respond to his…mauling her! Yes, that’s what it was. He. Mauled. Her. Repeatedly. And she had no doubt she could easily be in his presence without touching him or kissing him or even wantin
g to rip his shirt off just so she could marvel at the pure male perfection.

  She was better than that.

  She was the strong one.

  She was…pulling up in front of his hotel.

  What??? How had that happened?

  Putting the car in park, Regan sat there and contemplated her options. No one had to know she had mistakenly shown up here; Sawyer certainly didn’t need to know. It was still a mystery how she had gotten here, when clearly she had wanted to go home to be by herself. That was her plan. It was a good plan.

  Well, she thought, as long as I’m here…

  With a sense of pure determination, Regan got out of the car and walked boldly into the lobby. Without stopping at the front desk, she immediately went in search of the pool. Sawyer had said he was going back to the Jacuzzi, so it made sense she’d find him there.

  But she didn’t.

  Now she had no choice but to go to the desk and ask for his room number. With more bravado than she actually felt, she got the information from the clerk and headed up to the sixth floor. The entire way up in the elevator, Regan reminded herself of Sawyer’s cocky words and let herself ride the wave of anger all the way to his room. It would do her good to hold on to that feeling so she wasn’t distracted by her attraction to him and find herself doing exactly as he claimed—throwing herself at him.

  Sawyer’s room was at the end of the hall. She knocked forcefully on the door and nearly fell through into his arms when he opened it up. Luckily she caught herself in time and found herself staring at six-plus feet of wet male in clingy black swim trunks. Her mouth went dry, and she searched her brain for some kind of witty or snarky comment to make to prove she wasn’t here to throw herself at him. But she never got the chance. Before she knew what was happening, Sawyer snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her flush up against him, slamming the door behind them.

  “It’s about damn time you got here,” he muttered before covering her mouth with his.

  Chapter 5

  Regan was too shocked to respond instantly, but once Sawyer had her pinned up against the wall and his tongue licked her bottom lip, she was lost. Dropping her purse to the floor, she wrapped her arms around Sawyer’s neck, and managed to pull back enough to say, “How did you know I’d come here?”

  He had a dirty comeback for her but didn’t dare say it. “Wishful thinking,” he panted as he dove back in for another hot, wet kiss. Sawyer knew he hadn’t played fair; he’d essentially dared her to show up and be alone with him. It was childish and a huge risk, but he was relieved it had paid off. Regan was here in his arms and he wasn’t about to let her run off anytime soon.

  She tore her mouth away. “Just for the record, you kissed me first.”

  Sawyer chuckled. “Just for the record,” he said and bit down gently on her earlobe, “I know.” He went for her lips again but she ducked her head to the side. “What?” He said a silent prayer she wasn’t reconsidering her options or regretting being here, because he didn’t think he’d be able to survive if she left again.

  “I just…” Regan said. What? she screamed to herself. What could you possibly have to say right now that is better than having Sawyer’s hands and mouth all over you? “I just wanted you to know I didn’t come here for this.”

  Sawyer’s smile turned wicked as he leaned into her, resting his forehead on hers. “I know. But I also know I seriously goaded you into being here.” Very tenderly, he placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. “I wanted you here that badly.”

  When his deep green eyes met hers, she was lost. “I wanted to be here, too,” she admitted shyly.

  “Are we done talking?”

  Regan nodded. “Most definitely.” She wasn’t aware a man could move so quickly. Sawyer bent at the knees and wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed fully into her so she could feel how glad he was that she was there with him. A soft gasp escaped her lips right before he claimed them again. It was hot and urgent. Regan knew there was nowhere else she’d rather be than right here, right now, with this man.

  It all became clear in an instant that this was destined to happen; from the first moment she’d seen him, touched him—even in the most casual of ways—it was all leading up to this moment. Regan had never felt such an instant connection to a man, such an urgent need. She needed Sawyer like she needed her next breath.

  And right now, she was gasping for her next breath because of all the wonderfully wicked things he was doing to her. Sawyer’s hands skimmed up her sides, her back still braced against the wall. He gently teased the undersides of her breasts and she almost came undone. She gasped his name before uttering, “Bed. Now. Please.” Although the whole up-against-the-wall thing could be interesting, right now Regan wanted to feel the weight of Sawyer on top of her.

  Naked.

  No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she found herself sprawled out on the king-size bed with Sawyer stretched out beside her. “Promise me you’re not leaving,” he said, staring intently into her eyes. “Tell me what you want.” His words were spoken so low and so deep they were nearly a growl.

  Regan was never one to be bold, but right now, under the intensity of Sawyer’s gaze, she was. Slowly, she lifted her shirt over her head and faced him in her simple black skinny jeans and a hot-pink lace bra.

  “You’re killing me,” he said, entranced by the mere sight of her. His finger lazily traced the outline of the cups of her bra and he hissed when her nipples pebbled as he breathed over them. “From the first time I saw you in the sparkly T-shirt, I wondered what you were wearing underneath.” He removed his finger from her breast and reached up to trace her cheek. “This is better than I fantasized.”

  “You fantasized about my underwear?” she teased.

  Sawyer leaned forward to trace the line of one full cup with his tongue. “No,” he said simply. “I fantasized about you.”

  Then they were done talking. Again. Regan lost track of how the rest of her clothes fell away. She couldn’t remember how she found the strength to have Sawyer stop touching her while she removed his swim trunks. But the next thing she knew they were both sighing with pleasure at the full skin-on-skin contact from head to toe.

  Sawyer’s hands were everywhere, his mouth never far behind. Regan found herself on the brink several times, but Sawyer wasn’t ready to let her come yet; he seemed content to take his time loving every single inch of her. “Sawyer, please,” she begged, needing him more than she’d thought possible and finding she didn’t want to wait another moment to feel him inside her.

  They were on the same page, because in the next instant he was kneeling between her legs, sheathing himself with a condom. His expression told her he was just as close to the edge as she was. “I’m not making any promises, Regan,” he said seriously, dipping his head to suckle on one of her nipples. “I feel like I’ve waited a lifetime for you. This is going to be fast and it’s going to be hard, but I promise you, the next time will be better.”

  He didn’t wait for a response; he surged forward, his eyes locked on Regan’s. When hers closed, he commanded her to open them back up and to look at him. He needed to watch her and wanted her to see into his very soul as he loved her. She was wrapped tightly around him, and Sawyer swore when he was buried as deep as he could possibly get.

  Perfect.

  It didn’t take long for Regan to climax once he was inside her, crying out his name over and over as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her. Never in her life could she remember an orgasm as intense as what she was feeling. The longer he moved inside her, the more sensitized she became, until she wasn’t sure the feeling would ever end.

  As promised, once Sawyer found his rhythm, he all but lost control. She was too…everything. The feel of her, the sounds she made, the look in her eyes as they glazed over when he drove into her harder and faster…he was on sensory overload. His
eyes started to shut. He was so close. Just another thrust—

  “Look at me,” she whispered, and that was all it took. His gaze shifted to Regan’s and he lost the battle for control, filling her with everything he had. Their bodies were sheened with sweat. As soon as the waves of pleasure began to subside, Sawyer leaned down and kissed her and knew it wasn’t enough. One time wouldn’t be enough; hell, he was pretty certain a lifetime might not be enough.

  He settled lightly on top of her and if anything, Regan wrapped herself even more snugly around him. It took a while for their breathing to settle and when Sawyer felt he could move, he rolled over and tucked Regan at his side. She placed a hand over his heart and sighed contentedly. When her breathing returned to normal, she said, “Wow.”

  Sawyer pulled her close and relished the feel of her beside him. “You were pretty ‘wow’ yourself.” He kissed the top of her head, unsure what else to say. He had played dirty to get her here, but there were certainly no regrets. The fact that Regan was silent had him worrying that she did. Reaching up, he tucked a finger under her chin to force her to look at him. “You’re not sorry you’re here, are you?”

  Regan shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “I’m not. I’ll admit I’ve never quite done anything like this, but…”

  “Well, you were a natural,” he teased, and she pinched him. “Hey!” he yelled with a laugh.

  “I don’t mean I’ve never had sex before, I just never…lost control with anyone so entirely. I don’t know what you do to me, Sawyer Bennett, but I think I like it.” She smiled up at him and Sawyer was lost. She was so beautiful, she fit him so perfectly, and he knew he had finally found that something elusive he hadn’t even been aware he was searching for.

  “Well,” he said silkily, “if you liked that, then you’re going to love this.” And lightning-quick, he had her on her back again and was ravaging her mouth. “I believe I made some grand statement earlier,” he said when he finally released her kiss-swollen lips. “Something about the next time being better.”