Playtime was over.
“I don’t know how you do it,” he said breathlessly between kisses, “but you make it impossible for me to have any form of self-control.” Another kiss. “I could live ten lifetimes and never get enough of your hands on me.”
“Good,” she said, licking her way down his throat only to rain a trail of kisses across the expanse of his wonderfully muscled chest. “It’s good to know I’m not alone in this.” Regan flicked her tongue across one flat nipple and when he hissed, she did the same to the other one. “I have done plenty of massages before, and this is the first time I couldn’t keep my clothes on.”
“Good to know,” he said, pulling her back up so he could kiss her again. “I’d hate to have to come in here and kick every guy’s ass that you massage.” Regan chuckled softly but Sawyer was serious. His grip on her tightened possessively. “The only man you’ll strip for is me,” he said in a low rumble. “Mine.” It was the last word he could utter before reaching around and grasping Regan’s bottom in both hands and pulling her snugly against his arousal.
The intensity of his words and the feel of his hands holding on to her had Regan ready to lose control. Every time with Sawyer was exciting and yet something about this moment seemed so much more. “We’ll have to be careful,” she whispered. “This isn’t the sturdiest of tables.” She kissed him, trying to calm the beast in both of them.
“Then we’ll have to go slow,” he said, lifting her slightly so he could kick free the blanket that had been covering him from the waist down.
Regan gasped. Unable to help herself, she reached out and stroked the hard length of him. “That’s pretty naughty,” she teased before scooting down a little farther on the table and taking him in her mouth. Sawyer gasped out a breath and ran his fingers through her hair.
Suddenly he stopped her. When she looked at him in confusion, he said, “No more. I need to be inside you. Now.” Roughly, he pulled her up the length of his body and then groaned.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“Condom,” he said. “Over on the chair—in the pocket of my jeans.”
There was a seductive smile on Regan’s face as she climbed off him and pulled two condoms from his pocket. “I guess you really were a Scout,” she teased.
He shrugged. “It pays to be prepared.”
While Sawyer sheathed himself, Regan shimmied out of her panties. No sooner had they hit the ground than Sawyer had his hands on her hips, positioning her above him. Just when he was about to enter her he stopped and let his hands skim up her body, where he unhooked her bra and tossed it to the floor on top of her panties, and then finished traveling up to her face.
“You are so beautiful, Regan,” he said, mesmerized by the sight of her. “So damn beautiful.” Tears glistened in her eyes at his words and she wiggled in his lap, letting out a small plea. Sawyer was more than ready to comply. In one swift move he was inside her. Their mingled sigh of pleasure was the only sound in the room for a long time and then Regan slowly began to move. Sawyer guided her movements, his hands gently gripping her hips.
Between the candlelight, the sounds of the ocean, and the sensual way she rode him, he knew she wouldn’t last long, couldn’t last long. Taking one strong hand from her hip, Sawyer reached out to where their bodies were joined and gently used his finger to stroke her. Regan gasped at his touch, picking up her pace slightly but Sawyer kept up with her, stroking her inside and out with an accuracy that was guaranteed to take her over the edge. With his name a cry on her lips, wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her. Her hands were braced on his chest as she rode her orgasm out until she felt as if there wasn’t a bone left in her body.
Spent and exhausted, Regan draped her body on his. “My turn,” Sawyer whispered as he pumped into her repeatedly until his own orgasm took over—and seemed to go on and on until he, too, was completely spent. Their hearts beat against one another in sync and it took long moments for their breathing to calm.
Regan sleepily lifted her head and smiled dreamily down at him. “I think we’ll save that second condom for another time.”
Sawyer chuckled and reached up to cup her head and bring her down for a soft, lingering kiss. “Deal.”
Chapter 8
Bridal party pampering was always fun, but Regan found she was equally excited when the group was done and walking out the door. She and her entire staff sat like a platoon of wounded soldiers as the last tiara-wearing bridesmaid left the building.
“That is going to be one wild wedding,” Caroline said as she slouched down in one of the massaging pedicure chairs. “I can only imagine the pictures they’ll get and the stories they’ll tell afterward.”
“If I had to hear any more about edible underwear, I think I would have had to leave,” Todd said with a grin. “And believe me, nothing makes me happier than talking underwear and lingerie with women, but something about that group just made it seem…wrong.”
“Poor baby,” Regan laughed. “Did they traumatize you?”
Rising, Todd nodded. “Absolutely. Now if you ladies will excuse me, my shift is over. I am going home to rest up for my date tonight.” He grabbed his keys and headed for the door.
“Don’t forget the edible underwear,” Caroline called out and then broke into laughter at the way the color drained from his face.
Todd turned to Regan. “It’s even more traumatizing coming from your mother.” And with that, he left.
Caroline was still giggling when Regan sat on the chair beside her and clicked on the rolling massage setting. “I’m glad you think it’s funny to taunt the hired help.”
“Oh, please,” Caroline said with a smile. “That boy has done plenty of sharing way too much information with all of us about his sexual escapades. It was kind of fun to give him a taste of his own medicine.”
Regan looked at her mom and was stunned by the transformation. Caroline looked ten years younger; lately she had been smiling more than Regan could remember her doing in years. Caroline noticed Regan’s appraisal of her and squirmed a little. “What? What’s the matter? Do I have spinach in my teeth?”
Reaching over, Regan took her mother’s hand. “You really are happy, aren’t you? With Max, I mean.”
Nodding, Caroline squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I never imagined something like this would happen for me. I was content with my life and looked forward to the day when you would become a wife and a mother. I hadn’t realized I had given up on such a big part of my life until I met Max.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “It was so unexpected. Men never pay me much attention, so when Max approached me, it scared me to death. I mean, here was this big, burly man and he was talking to me and asking to come to my house!”
Regan laughed. “He had a camera crew with him, Mom, it wasn’t as if he approached you in a dark alley.”
“To me it was almost the same thing.” She faced Regan. “Most of the men I come in contact with are husbands of my friends or clients. I don’t know, maybe I gave off some sort of vibe that told men to back off, but Max was genuinely the first man since your father to seem to want to get to know me. It was a little unnerving.”
“Maybe you just weren’t ready until now. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Caroline shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Either way, I wake up every morning and think, ‘Oh my goodness! I get to see Max today!’” She smiled. “It’s a wonderful feeling. I wish you would find someone who makes you feel the same way.”
I already have, Regan thought and for a brief moment considered sharing that fact with her mother, then shrugged it off. This was Caroline’s time to be in the spotlight, and she wanted to give her a little more time to have the focus on her. “You’re very lucky and I know that someday it will happen for me, too. And then we’ll make everyone around us sick with how happy we are!”
“That’s my girl! W
atch out, because it happens when you least expect it and sometimes it’s even with who you least expect. Your father was a quiet and conservative businessman. Never in my life would I have imagined myself with someone as big and loud and hands-on as Max Bennett.” She fanned herself. “The man certainly has a way with his hands.”
Regan sat back and closed her eyes, shaking her head. “TMI, Mom… TMI.”
* * *
Regan had no idea what Sawyer had planned for their date this evening; he was being very secretive about it. Staring at the contents of her closet, she was clueless about how she was supposed to dress. But somehow tonight felt like a special occasion.
Something about this date seemed like a game changer.
Admiring her curvy form in the silky black lingerie she had purchased for this evening, Regan thought they really didn’t need much to attain maximum enjoyment of one another. They never ran out of topics to talk about and they had a lot of common interests—and then there was the sex. She sighed. Enjoyment seemed too mild a word for that.
Making her mind move away from that particular topic, Regan slithered into a little black dress and then reached for the stilettos. She didn’t often wear such racy shoes, but tonight she would make the sacrifice. She rummaged through her closet for a wrap to use when it cooled down later in the evening, and with one last glance at her reflection, headed down the stairs to wait.
Placing her purse and wrap by the front door, she walked to the kitchen and poured herself a drink of water. She was nervous. It didn’t make sense, because being with Sawyer was becoming familiar and something she embraced. Regan tried to put her finger on what it was. Surely she couldn’t be nervous because they were going out on an official date, could she? A small giggle escaped before she could stop it.
“For crying out loud,” she said with a shake of her head. “You’re a grown woman and yet here you are acting like a schoolgirl going on her very first date.” Immediately, thoughts of her mother and Max came to mind and Regan knew she wasn’t alone in what she was feeling. If she let the cat out of the bag on her relationship with Sawyer, would others see the kind of transformation in Regan that she’d seen in Caroline?
With a smile, Regan put down her glass. “I hope so.” Seeing her mother so happy made her happy, so maybe if Caroline saw how happy Regan was with Sawyer, it would have the same effect. You never can have too much happiness, right?
At six thirty on the dot, there was a knock at her door. Smoothing her dress and with a quick fluff of her hair, Regan opened the door to the man who was fast becoming as necessary to her as breathing. She saw a massive bouquet of tulips and irises in bold shades of reds and purples. “Oh, my,” she gasped as Sawyer walked in, dressed in a suit and tie.
“I wasn’t sure what kind of flowers you like, but when I saw these colors, they made me think of you.”
“Oh, Sawyer, they’re magnificent.” Taking them in her hands she leaned in to breathe in their perfume and hummed with pleasure. “They’re so beautiful and so perfect. Thank you.” Before turning to find a vase, she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. “I love them.”
Sawyer wanted to deepen the kiss, but knew if he started, he wouldn’t want to stop. Tonight was about taking Regan out and showing her he enjoyed spending time with her—and not just in bed. He followed her into the kitchen and watched as she fluttered around in search of a vase. As she stretched to reach one he got a full glimpse of what she was wearing. The simple black dress hugged her every curve and was held up with tiny straps. The neckline wasn’t plunging, but it gave him a glorious view of her cleavage, where a small heart pendant on a gold chain nestled lovingly.
His gaze raked over her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and he almost stopped breathing at the sight of the stilettos. Good gracious! He couldn’t imagine how she could walk in them, and wondered if he should possibly change their plans for the night so they skipped the Art Walk. He was frowning when she turned around.
“Is everything okay?”
Sawyer felt ridiculous to voice his concern, but more than anything, he wanted this to be a perfect night for Regan and ending the night with blisters on her feet was not anybody’s idea of a perfect evening. He cleared his throat and tried to think of a way to say what he had to without it resulting in her changing her shoes.
They looked really good.
Sexy.
He could easily imagine making love to her later on with her wearing nothing but those shoes. “You just look so damn beautiful. You take my breath away every time I see you.” Taking the few steps to close the distance between them, Sawyer cupped her face and kissed her tenderly before pulling back. “I have this whole night planned and then I look at you and this incredibly sexy dress and those killer shoes and…well…”
“Am I overdressed? Should I go and change?” That wouldn’t make too much sense, she thought, since Sawyer was dressed in a suit and tie.
“No, no, Regan, you’re perfect. It’s just that I had planned on us doing the Art Walk in Raleigh, but I think that would be cruel to do to you in those shoes.”
She let out a throaty laugh and leaned back in to kiss him. “Silly man. We women can handle a little stroll around town even in killer heels. No worries. And if they really start to bother me, I’ll walk barefoot and just dangle them from my fingers.”
Sawyer couldn’t say why but even that sounded sexy. He had it bad, that was for sure. “I just wanted you to have a heads-up before we left. I had hoped to surprise you with it after dinner, but once I got a look at you, I wanted to make sure you were okay with the plans.”
Regan smiled and reached out to cup the side of his face. “I don’t care where we go. I’m just looking forward to going out with you tonight.”
Her words warmed him and Sawyer held out his arm. “Ready?”
Shyly, she hooked her arm through his and they walked together out to…a Mercedes? Regan looked from the car to Sawyer and back again. “Where did this come from? You have a truck. Where’s the truck?”
Placing a hand on the small of her back, he gently nudged her closer to the car. “I didn’t want to take you out in my work vehicle. I rented the car for the weekend. I figured it was much more suitable for a night out on the town and doing whatever else we wanted this weekend.”
“Oh, Sawyer,” she sighed. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have been fine with us using my car and, really, it would not have been an issue going out in the truck. I hate that you went through all this trouble just to take me out.” She pouted slightly and Sawyer spun her around in his arms.
“I didn’t want to take you out in the truck. I also believe a man should pick a woman up to take her out.”
She rolled her eyes at him playfully. “You were still taking me out, Sawyer.”
He shook his head. “No. I wanted to come here, pick you up, and take you out in my car. Well, a car that’s mine for the weekend.”
Regan kissed his cheek as Sawyer reached to open the car door for her. “You are very sweet, and I love the fact that you are old-fashioned, too. We have that in common.” Carefully, Regan lowered herself into the luxury car and made herself comfortable as Sawyer closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Once he was seated and buckled in, he turned to her.
“Ready?”
“Are you kidding? I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for a night like this.” And with that, Sawyer pulled out of the driveway and took them toward a romantic new beginning.
* * *
“I am so full that it doesn’t matter what shoes I’m wearing, I need to walk,” Regan said with a laugh as they strolled hand in hand through downtown Raleigh. There were live bands playing and a variety of shops and art galleries open for them to explore. “I’ve lived here my entire life and have never once done this. How did you find out about it?”
“I did my research
and tried to think of something that would be different—even if you’d done it before. This seemed like a good option.”
“It’s perfect. And so was dinner.” Regan placed a hand on her only slightly overfull belly.
Sawyer noticed and chuckled. “It’s refreshing to take out a woman who eats.”
She punched him in the arm. “Hey! I did not eat that much.”
“I didn’t say you did,” he bantered back. “It’s just that most women I know go out to eat and then pick at their meal. I was glad you enjoyed yours.”
“You will never have to worry about me turning down a meal. I could probably stand to skip a few—that’s why I’m a little more, shall we say, full-figured than is trendy right now.”
“Your body is perfect,” he said sternly, stopping them in their tracks. “There isn’t a damn thing wrong with you, and if you wanted to go someplace and eat right now, I’d take you. You name it, what would you like? Cake? Ice cream?”
She was laughing out loud now. “I couldn’t eat another bite right now if you paid me.” Then she stopped and considered her words. “But don’t hold me to that an hour or so from now. I almost never say no to ice cream.”
“Good to know,” he said with a nod, tucking that little tidbit of information away.
They continued to stroll and explore for what seemed like hours when Regan’s pace began to slow. “I know I said I could do this for hours, but I think I was being too optimistic.” Reaching down, she gracefully stepped out of the heels and then looped them over her fingers. The cool pavement felt wonderful on her sore feet and before she had gone more than five steps, she let out a shriek as Sawyer scooped her up into his arms. “Sawyer? Are you crazy? What are you doing?”
“I thought that would be obvious.”
“I know you’re carrying me,” she said as if she was speaking to a child. “What I don’t know is why.”
“I don’t want you walking on this pavement, you could hurt yourself. We’ll head back to the car.”
Exclusive / a Touch of Heaven Page 26
