Married for His Heir

by Sara Orwig

  “I’m glad you’re both back,” he said. “I have presents for you,” he said to Hattie.

  She giggled up at him and ran her chubby little hands across his cheeks.

  “Let’s go see what your presents are,” he said and reached out to drape his arm across Talia’s shoulders. “Hi.”

  “Hi, Nick,” she said, smiling at him. The moment he looked into her eyes, he felt sparks fly between them. He couldn’t understand the chemistry between them. All he knew was that it took his breath away and, as usual, made him want to rush her off to the bedroom as soon as possible.

  “I couldn’t keep from getting emotional over that greeting. It’s a reminder I won’t ever hear Artie say those words to me.”

  “No, but you are hearing Hattie say them to you. If you let her, she’ll wrap herself around your heart and put it in her collection. She’s a sweetie.”

  “I’m glad you two are back at the ranch and so is the rest of the family. Stan wants us all for Sunday dinner. Grandmother can’t wait to see Hattie and I promised you two would come over today after you got in.”

  “That’s good. I’ll be happy to see her.”

  “I have all sorts of plans for later,” he said, looking into her blue eyes that held his gaze.

  “So do I,” she said and his pulse raced.

  They went to the family room and he picked up a box wrapped in red paper. Another present in blue paper was beside it.

  “Here, Hattie, this is a present for you,” Nick said, handing it to her.

  She smiled and began to try to tear off the wrapping. She yanked free the stick-on bow and tossed it behind her. When she couldn’t open the box, Nick helped.

  “Dolly,” she squealed, picking up a fancy doll with long blond hair and a pink satin dress. She hugged it to her chest.

  “Thank you,” Talia said to Nick, slowly and clearly so Hattie would hear and begin to learn the words. Hattie smiled at him and hugged her doll.

  Nick watched her, happy because she was happy. Then he turned to Talia and took her hand, feeling her smooth, soft skin and wanting to run his hands all over her and lose himself in her softness. “Thank you for bringing her into my life. I could have so easily never known about her.”

  They exchanged a look and he didn’t know exactly what she was thinking, but he suspected she was thinking how close she, too, had come to losing Hattie.

  He shifted closer to put his arm around Talia as they watched Hattie. Nick gave his daughter the next present, which was a book that she immediately wanted Talia to read to her.

  As he watched them huddle together as Talia read the story, Nick had only one thought: life was good.

  * * *

  It was almost nine by the time they put Hattie to bed. When they left Hattie’s room, Nick took Talia’s hand.

  “Come here,” he said.

  “Nick—”

  “Shh. Come with me,” he said, leading her to his suite, where a lamp was turned low. “Hattie isn’t the only one getting a present,” he said, holding out a box wrapped in white paper and tied with a blue satin bow. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

  “Mine? Are you aware this is June, not December? Why the presents, Nick?”

  “I have presents for Hattie because she’s my little girl. And presents for you because you’re my wife now and you’ve been patient, understanding and kind. You got a raw deal in some ways even though you got what you wanted—Hattie. Anyway, here’s a little token of my thanks.”

  She stepped close and put her arm around his neck, pulling him closer as she brushed a light kiss on his mouth. Her lips were velvety soft, pure temptation.

  “I didn’t get a raw deal,” she whispered. “I’m so happy, Nick. I’ve told you, that was my fantasy fulfilled, to get to keep her. You can’t imagine how scared and worried I’ve been about Hattie, especially before I met you.”

  “Shh.” His arm circled her waist. “That’s all over. She’s your daughter now and forever.” He tightened his arm around her and really kissed her. It took only a startled second before she responded, her tongue meeting his, setting him ablaze. Then suddenly she pulled away.

  “I have a present to open,” she whispered, holding it up.

  “I thought my kiss might make you forget the present,” he teased and she smiled.

  “I’ll get back to you in a few minutes,” she said in a sultry voice that made his pulse jump.

  She untied the bow, tearing off the paper and opening the box. She gasped as the light caught the diamond pendant. “Nick, this pendant is absolutely gorgeous.” She took it out of the box. “This is so beautiful. Put it on me, please,” she said and turned so he could.

  He lifted it over her head and fastened the catch, brushing light kisses on her nape as he did so. She turned to face him.

  “It’s so beautiful. Thank you,” she said and kissed him again.

  As they kissed, his hands went to her blouse to unbutton it. He wanted her with a hungry need so intense he was surprised.

  “I’m so glad you’re home,” he whispered. He pushed her blouse off her shoulders. “You’re beautiful, so gorgeous.”

  He picked her up and carried her to his bed, yanking away the covers again. “Let me show you how much I’ve missed you.”

  * * *

  Talia clung to him, wanting him yet holding back the words that she wanted to say, words that would tell him how much she cared for him, how important he had become to her. But now was not the time. Not when he was doing things to her body that drove away all conscious thought.

  She could only moan in pleasure and longing as heat spread low in her belly and desire made her pulse race. His hand caressed her breasts and she felt them tighten. In another second she wouldn’t be able to stop the sexual onslaught. She was torn between desiring him and protecting her heart. She was dallying with trouble, with seduction and heartbreak, yet his scalding kisses were fanning flames that wiped out all her half-hearted arguments.

  For a few minutes or a long time, she didn’t know, she kissed him in return. She wanted his loving, wanted all of him, wanted his body against hers and wanted more nights of his kisses. She had made her decision to take the risks with Nick. Life was filled with risks and it was worth taking a risk with her new husband, who had been so marvelous to Hattie and to her. They had repeated marriage vows that she felt they each would live by and that meant they would be together, for a lifetime. Even as she thought about it, his hands, his lips were driving all rational thought out of mind while a tiny, nagging voice still whispered warnings of a broken heart. Emotionally, she was torn. Physically, she desired him more than ever. When his hand slid over the curve of her hip and found the part of her that ached for him, she knew she couldn’t deny her body what it craved.

  Emboldened, she unbuttoned and pushed away his clothes and in seconds he was naked before her. When she reached out for his erection, grasping it in her palm, she heard his sharp intake of breath even as her heart thudded.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered as he cupped her breasts, pausing to look at her before he leaned forward to run his tongue over her nipple, circling it slowly, his tongue warm and wet. She gasped with pleasure, closing her eyes and letting him loose in order to cling to his hard biceps. He ran his tongue over her ear, down on her throat, then down over her breast while his fingers worried both nipples, slowly, featherlight.

  She moaned softly with pleasure and desire, needing more, aching for him.

  “I want you,” she whispered. “Now. Inside me. I’ve missed you.”

  “We won’t rush. I want to pleasure you. I want to take our time,” he whispered, showering kisses between his words—words she barely heard over the drumming of her heart. She pressed against him and leaned away a fraction to rub her breasts against him.

  “Ahh, Talia, what you do to me,” he whispered as h
e picked her up. He placed her on his bed and then knelt between her legs, running his hands so lightly over her inner thighs, his fingers brushing her intimately. When he followed with his tongue, sensations bombarded her, but she was even more aware of the handsome, naked man caressing her, kneeling between her legs.

  She gasped with pleasure, arching beneath him. His tongue drove her wild, yet she didn’t want to end it that way. Instead, she pushed him back and sat up to straddle his legs. She leaned down and ran her tongue down his chest as her fingers danced over him.

  “You have to be the sexiest man on this earth,” she whispered and then ran the tip of her tongue beside the path of hair that arrowed to his impressive erection. She moved down, trailing wet kisses up his shaft, but when she opened her mouth to take him in, he stopped her. He grabbed her in his big hands and in a flash he was over her and she was beneath him and he was filling her as she arched to meet him.

  Wrapping her long legs around him, she held him tightly. She cried out, raising her hips while he thrust slowly, taking time to heighten every pleasure, to build her needs.

  When she lost control, she moved with him, both together as they strained to reach a pinnacle. His thick rod filled her, sensations rocking her. She cried out with release, her legs tight around him while she clung to him.

  His release burst, spilling hotly inside her, giving her what she sought. Gasping for breath, she held him as he clung to her and they moved together, causing more waves of pleasure to pour over her.

  His arms tightened around her, solid, reassuring as they pumped together and shared the moment. With a cry, ecstasy rippled through her when she climaxed again. Finally she was still, gasping for breath as much as he was.

  He brushed long, damp strands of silken hair away from her face and caressed her cheek so lightly. “That had to be the sexiest climax I’ve ever reached,” he said, looking down at her. “You’re fantastic.”

  And so was he, she thought. And that was the problem. “Nick, we can’t do this every night.”

  He shook his head and looked at her, as if he didn’t believe what he heard. “We can’t? Why not?”

  “Because one of us might fall in love and the other one would not.”

  Her words obviously had no effect on him, because he didn’t move off her. “I don’t want this night to end. I want to kiss and touch and explore and hug straight through the weekend. Promise me you won’t get out of bed or out of my arms.”

  “I’m afraid you’re not getting that promise, but I’m here now.” His body was hot, hard, muscled and masculine. As much as she shouldn’t, she wanted nothing else but to run her fingers over him, discover every inch of him, memorize his body and everything about him that she could learn about him.

  “Stay here with me tonight. I want you here in my arms. I want you close to me,” he said, leaning down to kiss her tenderly. Then he turned, keeping her with him.

  She slept with his arm around her. At one point during the night she turned to watch him as he slept and knew she was in love with him. It was too late to avoid that now.

  She couldn’t see him as an ordinary person. When he was around, she was excited, continually aware of him, still getting streaks of fire from the slightest physical contact with him. She was falling more in love with him with each day she spent around him. And it was likely he would never be in love with her.

  * * *

  On the Fourth of July, Nick and his brothers had a cookout on the ranch. All hands, their families, neighbors and friends were invited. Talia found it amazing how well and smoothly the day went. She watched with other moms while Hattie played with some of the little kids who lived on the ranch, but her favorite part of the day was when Nick had Hattie on his broad shoulders and her fingers were wound in his thick hair while she laughed. Talia wished Nick would spend more time like this with Hattie. She knew they both needed to make adjustments and they would, but he was still working too late lots of nights, coming in too late to see Hattie. He knew she poured love out to Hattie and he seemed to feel that was sufficient, but Talia wanted Hattie to have Nick’s love, his attention. Whenever she worried about how little he saw his daughter, she reminded herself that he probably needed more time to adjust.

  As she watched him play, she thought about being with him later and excitement streaked through her like a lightning bolt, burning up all her concerns.

  * * *

  The rest of the week, Talia spent most of her time getting her art studio set up and checking on the progress of the nursery. She worked some on the portrait of Myra and Hattie together. Friday night Nick came in early. He cooked out and they ate on the patio. Afterward, they drove to his grandmother’s house to visit for a short time because she loved to see Hattie.

  It was after one in the morning by the time Nick and Talia were in bed with Talia pressed against his side. He had his arm around her and she felt content, satiated, so happy after the day and night.

  “Nick, I loved it that you came in early enough tonight for the three of us to eat together like a family and to give you time to play with Hattie.”

  “I liked it, too. I’ll try to get in earlier more often. There are always things to do.”

  “There’s a little girl who needs your love.”

  “She has that. You pour love out to her all day. She isn’t going to lack for love. Neither are you,” he said, turning to kiss her.

  “Are you getting love mixed up with sex?”

  “Is that a complaint?” he asked and she could hear the amusement in his voice.

  “Absolutely not. I have no complaints,” she said, knowing she would never admit to him that she often wished he showed more affection for Hattie.

  Later, as she lay in his arms, she ran her fingers over his shoulder. “I need to get up and get my nightgown,” she said, running her fingers over the stubble on his jaw. “You sexy man. And, oh, what muscles you have,” she said, running her hand over his biceps and then across his shoulders and on his chest. “Oh, my.”

  “You keep that up and you’ll start something again.”

  “Let me try and see if I can,” she said, smiling at him. “I think I was going to get a nightgown.”

  “You definitely don’t need one. I like you naked. You’re warm and soft. I might wake and want to hold you. I don’t want anything in the way.”

  She smiled at him. “I suspect you can get me out of that nightgown very quickly.”

  Before he could answer her, his phone rang.

  “It’s almost two in the morning—damn late for a phone call. This isn’t going to be good news.” He retrieved his phone and looked at it and frowned, and she hoped it wasn’t terrible news.

  He sat up in bed. “This is Nick.” He was quiet for a moment and then he drew a deep breath. “Oh, damn. I’ll be there. I’ll call Stan now. I’ll talk to my brothers.”

  She let her fingers drift lazily over his bare back. “Go ahead,” he said into the phone, but she noticed his voice had changed, gotten deeper. Chills broke out over her arms and she slipped out of bed to grab the nearest piece of clothing. She wrapped his white shirt around her, suddenly so cold.

  Eight

  “I’ll see you in about twenty minutes,” he said right before he ended the call. Talia knew what that meant. Twenty minutes meant something had happened on the ranch. He couldn’t get off the ranch and get somewhere else in twenty minutes.

  He gulped deep breaths and suddenly threw his phone across the room, where it hit a chair and bounced onto the floor with a clatter.

  “What’s happened?” she asked, knowing it was really bad news.

  “I have to go. I have to call my brothers first.” But he didn’t move. He sat at the side of the bed, his head down.

  She waited quietly, giving him space, knowing he would talk to her when he was ready.

  “My grandmother died tonig
ht,” he said softly without even moving. “She went to sleep and...died. She just quit breathing. Ida said she never heard a sound from her.”

  “Oh, Nick,” Talia said, feeling a gut-wrenching pain inside. “I’m so sorry that’s happened.”

  “When Ida went in to check on her, she realized Grandmother wasn’t breathing. They called an ambulance and it should be here any minute now.”

  He turned to look at her then and his face was tight, his eyes dark. More than anything she wanted to reach out for him, but his posture told her to stay away.

  “Just when she had something to live for and she was happy, filled with enthusiasm and energy to get to know Hattie. She loved Hattie and Hattie seems to have loved her. I wanted Hattie to know her.” His eyes filled with tears and he wiped them with his fingers. “There’s too much death in my life. Too damn many losses. We were all so happy. She was happy again. We haven’t seen her like this in years.” He slammed the mattress beside him and stood up. “Dammit to hell. One more death instead of life and joy.”

  Talia knew there wasn’t anything she could say or do that would help him. She could just be there for him.

  “I have to call my brothers and I want to go over there before they take her body to the funeral home. I’ll probably have to call the sheriff since she died unexpectedly at home. I don’t know. They’ll tell me when the ambulance arrives.”

  “Can I do anything?” she asked quietly.

  “Just watch Hattie.” He got out of bed, yanked on his briefs and jeans before picking up his phone.

  Talia quietly gathered her clothes that had been tossed in haste only a short while ago.

  “Poor Hattie.” He sighed as he pocketed his phone. “She lost her mother and now her grandmother. At least she has the two of us. Today she has us. Who knows who she’ll have in a month?” He ground out the words and she knew he was hurting.