With a sense of purpose, she stepped inside, inhaled deeply of the ripe summer scents, and smiled when he glanced up.
His clear gaze swept over her, a look of such yearning that her heart squeezed around a beat. She recognized his frown, the tightening of his jaw, knew he was worried about her.
“I’m ready to talk about Victoria now,” she said.
“You okay?”
His tender tone squeezed her heart a little more. “I will be.”
“So how are we going to fix this?”
We.
Sitting on the fountain edge beside him, Miranda took his coffee mug and set it aside. She twined her fingers through his, and his grip tightened on hers, his work-roughened hands so strong and capable, if she’d only let him share his strength with her.
And she would. One step at a time. She’d take that first step by opening up about her sister and letting him help her find a resolution.
“I won’t sit back and let another generation of sisters be divided,” she said.
“Glad to hear it. So what’s the plan?”
She shrugged. “I was hoping you’d help me with that.”
“Really?” He searched her expression with a stoic gaze. “I thought you’d rather fly solo.”
There was a world of implication in those words, yet she sensed no anger or resentment. Only an offer.
“Not rather. Just not sure how to do it differently.”
Troy seemed to recognize how big this admission was because he scooted closer, rested his forehead against hers. “I’m here.”
“I know.” Exhaling a soft sigh, she absorbed the promise in his words, a tangible feeling that radiated through her like the warmth of his skin.
It was a thoughtful moment, filled with a tenderness that drove home how she’d closed herself off from these moments, how she’d been distancing herself from the intimacy that was such a special part of their relationship.
There were so many wonderful things about being married to Troy, but she’d allowed herself to get consumed by pressures and worries when she should have been focusing on what they had together.
No more.
And she’d taken the all-important first step.
“We’ve got some decisions to make,” she said, feeling that sense of purpose.
“Yeah, we do.”
We.
She wasn’t sure what the next step would be, but with Troy’s help she’d figure it out.
A smile softened his features, erasing his frown. “So talk, Miranda. Let’s tackle the problems so we can get on with our day.”
“Ready for a mud bath, are you?”
“I get enough of mud during land maneuvers, so there’s been another change in plans.”
“Don’t tell me you want to go fishing again.”
He shook his head. “Something I thought you’d enjoy more.”
“You don’t think I enjoyed fishing?”
Arching a brow, he stared down at her until she laughed.
“All right, I wouldn’t have chosen to go fishing if I’d been choosing, Troy, but honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought.”
“Glad to hear it, but you’re such an accommodating wife I think you’d make the best out of bootcamp if you thought it would make me happy.”
There was something in his tone that suggested he wasn’t convinced this was such a great thing.
“I like spending time with you. And I don’t expect our interests always to run in the same directions. Take right now for example. I’m sure you’d rather get on with our day rather than discuss what to do about my family.”
“Furniture shopping was worse.”
She laughed, his smile and the bright summer morning acting as a balm for her mood. The lush smells of the blooms. The bubbling rhythm of the fountain. She was on her way to solving the problem and she felt hopeful. “This is supposed to be our fantasy vacation. You haven’t been home in so long, you deserve a chance to enjoy yourself, not have to worry about stuff.”
“That stuff is my life, Miranda. I can’t stop living it because I’m away. I don’t want to. If I haven’t made that clear before then give me another chance because I will.”
She didn’t doubt that he meant what he said. That statement was full of implication, but she wasn’t sure what he felt responsible for. “Troy, you haven’t done anything you need another chance for—”
“Shh.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Let’s not worry about anything now except how to solve the immediate problem with your family. We’ll figure everything else out. Trust me.”
“I do.”
He sat back with a smile. “Then where do we start?”
“I’ve messed things up completely by going to my grandfather.”
“You did what you thought was best.”
“I sold out my sister.”
“You couldn’t know how the senator would react.”
She stared down at their clasped hands, his skin so dark against hers. “No, I couldn’t, but I shouldn’t have taken the chance. Victoria didn’t have much room to play with. I knew that.”
“You saw potential risks. It was a no-win situation.”
Miranda gazed up into those clear green eyes, saw so much love there, felt the weight of living up to so much love. “Are you going to rationalize everything to make me feel better?”
“I’m not rationalizing. I’m giving you perspective. I do have a plan to make you feel better, but not until we decide what to do about your family.”
“What plan?”
“A tension building plan. That’s the game, right? Tease and torture to build the tension.”
She nodded. “And you scheduled this in place of our mud bath?”
“It’s a surprise for later.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Later.” He kissed her again. “Let’s analyze the problem and come up with a way to fix it.”
“Plotting a campaign here, Lieutenant Commander?”
“That’s what I do.” He traced the arch of her brow. “So the first thing we have to do is establish the goal. What do you want to happen here?”
“We’ve got to stop history from repeating itself. Not only am I responsible for siccing my grandfather on Victoria, but my mother doesn’t need this stress. I can’t imagine how she’ll feel if Grandfather insists she boycott the wedding.”
“Will she?”
“No. I suspect she does miss her sister. She won’t give up Victoria the same way, but being forced to stand between two people she loves will devastate her.”
“How much time do we have?”
“Victoria told me she’d talk to Laura and call off the search. Then she’ll handle grandfather.”
“Sounds like the problem’s already solved.”
She shook her head. “It isn’t. Victoria will call off the search to satisfy Grandfather, but that doesn’t mean she’ll get what she wants.”
“Which is?”
She scowled. “The whole family together at her double wedding with Laura and Dale.”
Troy shook his head as if to clear it. “Whoa, I missed that part.”
“She wants both sides of our family to celebrate at the wedding and live happily ever after.”
He raised her hands to his lips, brushed his mouth across her knuckles. “This place has gone to her head.”
“This place is insane. That’s all there is to it.”
“Insane, or magic?” He looked so amused, she knew he’d already decided on which it was.
Miranda wished she thought so, too, but from her own struggles with self-doubt and vanishing orgasms to facing a long-term family rift… “Everything feels insane.”
He reached up to thumb stray hairs from her temple. His skin brushed hers, warm, a tender touch that underscored their closeness, a newfound intimacy. “What do you want to happen?”
Somewhere between the time she’d gotten into the shower and back out again, Miranda had figured out what she wanted. S
he could answer this question with certainty. “I want the people I love to be happy. I just didn’t realize how much I wanted it until seeing Victoria and Laura together. My sister and I have grown too far apart.”
He trailed his fingers down her cheek, a thoughtful touch that made her feel wanted, loved, hopeful. “An epiphany. I’ll bet you never expected one of those when we checked-in for our stint as the Hottest Honeymoon Couple.”
“No, I didn’t.” She’d expected to leave her problems behind but they’d followed her instead.
Turning her face, she pressed a kiss against Troy’s hand, feeling the weight of the burden she’d carried so long unexpectedly lighten enough that she could take a deep breath.
“So how much are you willing to risk to reach mission objective?” he asked.
“You’re the big sister, Miranda. It’s your job to keep an eye on Victoria, to protect her if she needs protecting.”
Victoria needed protecting now.
Miranda’s path suddenly appeared crystal clear. If she had the guts to take it. Lately, it seemed, every time she took a left turn she should have taken a right. But that was self-doubt talking and she’d already decided to jettison self-doubt.
“As long as Victoria’s out of the picture, she’s off the hook. What if you and I continue our investigation, figure out what happened thirty years ago and then I talk with my grandfather?”
This time she wouldn’t run away from a confrontation.
Troy gave a low whistle. “What makes you think he won’t cut you off?”
“He might.”
“And you’re willing to risk this whole situation blowing up in everyone’s face?”
“Yes.”
“For Victoria?”
“Yes.” Because that’s what big sisters did. “I don’t think it will explode in our faces. My grandfather lied to me, Troy. I didn’t call him on it because I was afraid it would hurt him.”
And she’d been afraid to deal with the way that felt. “But this isn’t about me and what I want. Now that he’s made a stand, it’s about more than just him. It’s about Victoria and my mother, too. If we find out what the problem is, I can sit down and rationally discuss what to do about it. All I want is for this family to be together at the wedding and give our mothers a chance to make peace if that’s what they want.”
“You’ll blackmail him?”
“I would never.” She scowled, not believing he’d spoken the word. “I’ll negotiate with the facts. My grandfather can let the past stay in the past so we can have our weddings in peace, or he can choose to drag it all into the present. We’d have done this already if he’d have just answered my question honestly.”
“That’s blackmail, Miranda.”
“It’s negotiation. My grandfather respects good business. He taught me all about it.”
“It’s a calculated risk.”
No denying that. She inclined her head in agreement.
“Miranda Knight doesn’t take calculated risks. I know. I married her.”
“It’s time for a change.”
Troy leaned forward to kiss her, a quick kiss on the edge of a laugh. “Another epiphany?”
“Yes.”
11
WHEN A KNOCK SOUNDED at the door, Troy headed across the room, pausing for effect with his hand on the knob. “Are you ready to forget about everything except feeling good for a little while?”
“Is this my surprise?”
“We’re going to relax and regroup,” he said, cutting off any chance for a reply when he flung the door wide to reveal a smiling Laura.
“Greetings, my Hottest Honeymoon Couple. Are you ready for us?” At Troy’s nod, she stepped inside the suite and motioned behind her. “Come on in, everyone.”
Troy backed into the living room to make way for the half dozen hotel staff who filed inside the suite behind loaded pushcarts. As they passed, he could make out swaths of faux fur, an array of erotic items from silk restraints to leather paddles and stacks of neatly folded sheets.
Oh, yeah. This was just what the doctor ordered.
Miranda sidled close, her eyes widening as she watched each cart disappear into the bedroom. “What’s all this?”
“The make your own sheet set party.”
“Wasn’t this supposed to happen in the Toy Shoppe?”
“I thought you could use a distraction, Mrs. Knight, so I had Laura make the party to go. Are you up to being distracted?”
A slow smile touched her mouth. “I think that’s exactly what I need.”
Troy moved in and twined a silky black curl around his finger, deeply pleased with her reaction. Not only to the sheet set party but to Victoria’s visit earlier. Her decision to open up about the problem and involve him in the solution moved them in the direction he wanted to go, and he appreciated this chance to convince her there was magic happening around here.
To convince her to believe in them.
He had Miranda’s heart, but he wanted more. He wanted her to talk to him, to share her feelings. He wanted to prove to her that he was interested in everything about her, not only the easy, but the tough, too. No distance or war or any trouble could come between them if they didn’t let it. He didn’t think she believed that. Her family had set such a different example. When the going got tough, her family had split ranks.
Leaning toward her, he pressed a kiss to her mouth, felt a sudden rush of longing when her lips parted beneath his. Unable to resist, he speared his fingers into those cool silk curls and guided her head back, drawing her deeper into their kiss. He swept his tongue inside, tasted their desire, hot and needy and sweet, his own raw edged with an urgency that drove home how much rode on making her believe.
When the bedroom door closed, the sound echoed through the suite and dragged them from the moment. He gazed down at his wife, the color riding high in her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Shouldn’t be long,” he said.
“I had no idea you were so high maintenance, Lieutenant Commander. Laura must regret sending us an invitation to her grand opening.”
“Laura wants to make peace with you for her mother’s sake. She’s more than willing to do whatever it takes to accommodate us.”
Half sitting on the arm of the sofa, he looped his arms loosely around her waist and pulled her toward him. “So let’s discuss terms.”
“Of what?”
“Tease and Torture. You’re in charge. I want to know what’ll throw the game.”
“When one of us begs, of course.”
He’d suspected as much, but had needed to be sure. “You told me this was win-win, Mrs. Knight.”
Laughter sparkled in her eyes. To his surprise, and profound pleasure, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his cheek. “And it will be, Lieutenant Commander. I’ll have a very good time making you beg.”
“You think I’ll be the one to beg first?”
She eyed him boldly. “I had no idea you had such a big ego.”
“I’m with the United States Navy, ma’am,” he drawled. “Of course I have a big ego.”
Tugging her between his legs, he kissed the reply from her lips, coaxing her into one of those soul-deep numbers that made him glad he was sitting. His blood began to slog through his veins, hot and potent, every throb of his pulse swelling with erotic potential. Her breaths filtered across his lips in warm bursts. He traced his tongue along her bottom lip, a moist stroke that made her shiver.
To his profound pleasure, she slipped her hands around his neck and idly toyed with his nape, a teasing touch that aroused places inside him that should have been a lot harder to awaken after nearly three weeks at a romance resort.
When the door cracked open, Miranda sprang back with a laugh, her chest rising and falling on shallow breaths. He’d play her game as long as she wanted him to, but he wanted a chance to convince her that she didn’t want to keep playing. “Your game seems to be working. The tension’s already building.”
&
nbsp; She only nodded, and then Laura’s entourage emerged from the bedroom with empty pushcarts. Troy held the door wide as they proceeded across the suite in single file.
“Have fun,” Laura said. “I’m 1-9 on the house phone if you need anything else.”
And Troy wouldn’t hesitate to call if he did. Laura had proven herself an unexpected and valuable ally, and he thanked her while escorting her to the door. Giving them a conspiratorial wink, she slipped out behind her staff.
“You are not going to believe this,” Miranda said.
With a smile at her breathless tone, he turned to find her standing inside the bedroom. He joined her, gazing into the once-familiar room that had been transformed into a fantasy.
With its shimmering fabric draped from the ceilings and the bright gold furnishings, the Egyptian Pleasure Pyramid was exotic on a normal day, but what Laura and her staff had created in a short period of time was beyond exotic.
The bed had been stripped except for a white silk cover encasing the mattress. A portable shelf displayed an array of sheet sets in a variety of fabrics and colors. Each set sat in a neatly folded pile with a corner draped outward, an artful trick that seemed the hallmark of five-star hotels. Blushing pink. Brazen black. Tempting tan. A palette of colors for any mood.
Glancing at his wife, Troy found her darting her gaze between tables that had been set up in every free area in the room. Covered in rich velvet display cloths, each held a variety of items. From this vantage he could make out bottles of lotions and sex toys. A table for restraints. One devoted to protection.
His blood began to pulse warm and thick through his veins and he looped his arm through hers and asked, “Shall we?”
Inclining her head, she let him lead her farther inside, and he could sense her excitement in the way she held herself as they strolled toward the first table.
“How does she do this?” Miranda reached for a brightly colored cellophane package.
“Do what?”
“This.” She waved the package around, motioning around the room. “She turns everything into a fantasy, and this room was a fantasy already.”
Pillow Chase Page 13
