More Than a Man

by Rebecca York

  And perhaps Fielding had made himself vulnerable. If he’d gotten Olivia Stapler out of the hospital and taken her with him, she must be important to him. That might be the way to get him to talk about himself when they finally scooped him up, which was simply a matter of time.

  OLIVIA was only half-asleep, but she kept her eyes closed. She could sense Noah in the doorway looking at her. They should talk, but she didn’t know what to say to him.

  He stayed where he was for long seconds, then stepped back and closed the door.

  She could hear him in the next room, talking on the phone. Later she heard a soft knock at the door, then the murmur of voices in the sitting room. Minutes later he came back into the bedroom.

  Feeling like she couldn’t hide from him any longer, she opened her eyes.

  “How are you?” he asked softly.

  “Better. Who were you talking to out there?”

  “The clerk in one of the shops downstairs. She brought you some things to wear. I thought we’d have the wedding ceremony in here and you could wear this.”

  Wedding ceremony? So he’d been serious.

  He stepped away from the doorway, then came back with a white nightgown. It had spaghetti straps and lace edging the bodice. The matching robe was also trimmed with lace.

  She drew in a quick breath. “These are beautiful.”

  “They suit you.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Probably not the wedding dress you always dreamed of, but I think it’ll do under the circumstances.”

  Olivia kept her gaze on the man who seemed determined to change her life. Her mind was muzzy from the medication the doctor had given her, but she needed to hear some things from Noah. “You’re serious about getting married?”

  “You don’t want to?” he asked in a gritting voice. “If you think it’s too crazy an idea, I’ll back off.”

  Olivia kept her gaze steady as she replied. “At my apartment, before Pearson came over, I was having fantasies about you marrying me and whisking me away from here.”

  He seemed to visibly relax. “Good.”

  When he eased down on the bed beside her, her eyes searched his. She wanted to ask him a million questions, but she didn’t know where to start. Not when she was half out of it on painkillers. He had secrets and he was more than he seemed on the surface. She knew that much.

  But there were some things he couldn’t hide from her. He had a basic integrity that showed in every action he took and he seemed determined to keep her from harm.

  Still, she couldn’t stop doubts from swirling in her mind, so she chose the question that might answer all the others.

  “What am I to you?” she asked softly.

  “You’re a very sweet and appealing woman who’s gotten into trouble you don’t deserve.”

  “Sweet?”

  “How would you describe yourself?”

  “Tough.”

  “Yeah, you had to be tough to get away from your brother in the car. You did it, but now you’ve run out of resources,” he added.

  She nodded. “And you’re the knight on the white horse.”

  He gave her a small smile. “You could say that.”

  “Why do you care about me so much?” she pressed.

  “You remind me of someone I…lost.”

  “I remind you of her. But I’m not her. And you can’t bring her back.”

  A look of resignation crossed his features. “I know.” He reached out and took her hand. “But once we’re married, we’ll get to know each other as well as any man and woman, and we’ll mean something important to each other.”

  Noah’s words traveled through the haze that was her brain, sparking synapses until she finally understood. As her husband, he would be entitled to all marital rights and privileges—including sleeping with his wife.

  Chapter Eight

  “You want to marry me and have children?” Even her own ears couldn’t discern what she heard in her voice. Was it shock or fear…or desire?

  She was, however, able to read his expression. The regret was back in his eyes. “I can’t have children.”

  “How do you know?”

  He shrugged. “It’s never happened.”

  “Did you have yourself tested?”

  “No.”

  “So maybe it’s not really true.”

  He switched the focus back to her. “Are children important to you?”

  She took a moment to think. “I guess I always thought of them as something in my future. But I wasn’t real serious about it. I was selfish. My career was more important.”

  “That’s not selfish.”

  “What would you call it?”

  “Honest.” He cleared his throat and changed the subject, no doubt sensing her unease. “You know, you needn’t worry about your brother anymore. I’m taking you where he can’t find you.”

  “Which is where, exactly?”

  “I have a ranch in California. Not a working ranch. But it’s out in the country.”

  Touched by his concern, she decided right then to tell him everything. She made her voice firm. “Before we go any further, I have to tell you what happened. I mean about Pearson’s and my scam.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “I let him talk me into it.”

  “Because he was going to lie about you to your father.”

  Her brow wrinkled. “I remember. You said that to the cops, but how do you know?”

  “I read your lips when you were talking in the lobby.”

  “You read lips?”

  “It’s not that hard.” He shrugged it off and took her hand again. “Look, Olivia, you don’t have to explain any—”

  “No, I do.” She squeezed his hand and took a breath. “Pearson said he got an idea from that presidential candidate who got into trouble for cheating on his wife.” She raised her chin when she said it.

  “You’re not having an affair with a married man.”

  “But I worked for an escort service. That was enough for Pearson to call me a prostitute.”

  “Did you—” his voice hitched “—have sex with any of the men you escorted?”

  “No.” She shuddered. “I had to make it clear to some of them that that wasn’t part of the package. But Pearson thought that if we could catch men in compromising situations, they’d pay us to keep quiet. He was going to burst into the room when I was with somebody. I…I said I wouldn’t do it.”

  She didn’t want to admit the rest, but she forced herself to tell him all of it. “He kept at me and at me. Finally I let a man pick me up, and I went up to his room. Then I hated what I was doing and I didn’t…” She stopped and started again. “Pearson thought he’d find us in bed. He burst through the door, and the guy laughed at us.” When she finished, her face was flaming.

  He reached out and eased her into his arms, holding her gently. “It’s all right.”

  “How can it be?” she asked in a small voice.

  “You were brave to tell me all that when you thought I might change my mind about marrying you.”

  “You don’t care that I let myself be talked into that scam?”

  “I care. Because I know what it’s like to be out of money and desperate. I know what it’s like to be forced to do things that make your insides curdle.”

  She raised her face to him. “You do?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to tell me about it?”

  A shuttered look crossed his features. “Now it’s my turn to worry that you won’t marry me if you know some of the things I’ve done.”

  “Tell me something you did that you’re ashamed of. Maybe that will put us on a more even footing.”

  He sighed. “When I got kicked out of the community where I was living, I stole money and clothing to give myself a new start.”

  “You’re not making that up?”

  “No.”

  “What else?”

  He sighed. “I took the identity of a dead man wh
en the cops were after me.”

  “Noah Fielding?”

  “No. I made up that name.”

  She gave him a considering appraisal. “How old are you?”

  “Older than I look. I’ve had time to get into a lot of trouble.”

  “But you seem…so moral.”

  “Well, I changed myself. That woman I told you about helped change me. She taught me that anything can be forgiven, if you vow to go forward with a different set of values.”

  “Anything?”

  “Yes. Stop beating yourself up. One little scam isn’t so bad in the grand scheme of things.”

  She was about to keep arguing, but he shook his head. “Can we leave it at that for now? I’m not perfect. Nobody is. Everybody has done things that make them cringe when they think about it later.”

  She nodded, wondering if she was making a mistake. Her parents had had a happy marriage, until her mother had died. They’d given her a good model to follow, and she wondered if she could do as well.

  When a knock at the door interrupted the conversation, her would-be husband looked relieved.

  “I’d better get that,” he said as he rose from the bed.

  A few minutes later, he was back with three women.

  “Let me introduce you to Sandy, Beth and Teresa,” he said. “They’re here to help you get ready. Sandy and Beth are practical nurses.” He gestured toward a thin brunette and a chubby blonde, both of whom wore light green uniforms.

  “And Teresa is a beautician,” he continued, indicating the third woman, whose dark hair with silver highlights and a short black dress accented a beautiful face and a slim figure.

  “Nice to meet you,” Olivia murmured.

  “I’ll leave you girls—uh, women—alone,” Noah said.

  When he withdrew from the room, the three newcomers hurried over.

  “He’s a doll,” Teresa said with a nod toward the door.

  “Did he bring you here to get married?” Sandy asked.

  “We met here.”

  “Lucky you!” Beth said. “That’s the dream of every woman who works in this town.”

  Olivia nodded, knowing that was only a slight exaggeration.

  “He says you were at the wrong place at the wrong time and got hurt.”

  She nodded, thinking that was a rather delicate way to put the facts. But then, Noah did have a way with words.

  “Let me just have a look at your wound,” Beth said. She and the other nurse guided her into the bathroom where they redressed the cut, then helped Olivia wash and put on the white gown. After that, Teresa helped her to the dressing table chair, where the beautician went to work on her hair and makeup.

  Standing back, she gave her a studied inspection. “You look lovely.”

  Olivia eyed herself in amazement. She’d been injured only a few hours ago, but nobody would know it, unless they zeroed in on the bandage below her gown. Teresa had done a very subtle, very natural job with the makeup.

  “I should take lessons from you.”

  “I’ll leave you notes on what I used.”

  “Thank you. And thanks to you all,” she said, looking around at the group. “I want to thank you so much.”

  An hour after they’d arrived, she was back in bed, propped against a mountain of pillows and wearing the matching robe over the gown. She was feeling like a queen, but her anxious gaze went to Noah when he came back in.

  The look on his face confirmed that the women had done wonders with her.

  “You look lovely,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  While she’d been busy, he’d changed into dark slacks and a crisp white shirt that he must have gotten at the hotel shop.

  Behind him was a short, balding man in a dark suit who introduced himself as Reverend Hartley.

  The two nurses were the witnesses, and Teresa also stayed for the ceremony.

  It was a very nontraditional wedding, with the groom sitting on the side of the bed holding the bride’s hand.

  Olivia tried to focus on the words Reverend Hartley was speaking. This was her wedding, one of the most important days of her life. Even if it was under very strange circumstances.

  When Noah produced a ring, she could hardly believe her eyes. He must have gotten that in the hotel, too. Or maybe he’d had time to run out to a jewelry store. When he slipped it on her finger, she felt her whole body tingle.

  There was kind of a strange moment when the preacher got Noah’s name wrong. Then she remembered he’d registered at this hotel under a different name. But they got it straightened out and they were married as Noah Fielding and Olivia Stapler.

  Were they really married?

  She guessed she’d find out soon enough. And she’d find out what she’d gotten herself into.

  He’d even ordered champagne and a small three-tiered wedding cake. When she saw the words “Noah and Olivia” on the top, entwined in a heart, she had to fight back tears. He’d gone to a lot of trouble to make this a memorable occasion—and it had to be for her. Unless he was a blatant sentimentalist.

  All the guests had a piece of cake and a glass of champagne. Still feeling like the main character in a Cinderella story, Olivia took a few bites of cake and a sip of the champagne. After a few minutes of small talk, Noah offered the rest of the cake and champagne to the wedding guests, who took the hint and left the bride and groom alone.

  AS soon as Noah had ushered everyone out, he came back to Olivia, who was looking dazed.

  “I hope that wasn’t too much for you,” he murmured.

  “It was…more than anyone has ever done for me.”

  He eased onto the side of the bed. “You sound like you’re not sure that’s good.”

  “It’s kind of overwhelming.”

  He gave her a crooked grin. “I’m hoping you’ll adjust to being pampered.”

  “That’s not how I ever pictured myself.” She ducked her head a moment, then looked back at him. “Do you have a cook at your ranch?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will she teach me your favorite recipes and let me cook them?”

  “Of course,” he answered, wondering if Margarita was going to feel like her space was being invaded.

  “What are your favorite foods?” Olivia asked.

  “My favorites?” He thought for a moment, his mind ranging back over all the dishes he’d enjoyed. It was almost impossible to choose, but she looked so hopeful that he said, “Shashlik.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Like shish kebab but made the Greek way.”

  “You had it in Greece?”

  “Um. And I like a good polenta with a fresh marinara sauce.”

  “And you first had that in Italy?”

  “Yes. It’s amazing how the Europeans have taken to corn.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it’s a New World plant.”

  “Oh, I never thought of that. You’re so much more educated than I am,” she whispered. “And well-traveled.”

  “Actually, I never graduated from college.”

  “Really?”

  “I learned a lot from books. You can do that, too. And I can teach you a lot of what I know. Now that you don’t have to worry about supporting yourself.”

  She sighed. “You’re right. I never had the time to spend on myself. I mean when I wasn’t practicing my dancing.”

  “We can study whatever you want and we’ll travel together. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

  “To China?”

  “Why China?”

  “I got interested in it when the Olympics were in Beijing. The country seems so exotic.”

  Noah nodded. He still hadn’t figured out how to talk about his background. But they’d deal with that. Reaching up, he brushed back her golden hair, thinking she looked so young and vulnerable. When she quivered, he prayed that he’d done the right thing.

  He’d said he wanted to keep her safe, but he knew he was being selfish just the sam
e. He had been alone for a long time and he knew this woman could end that loneliness for a time—unless he messed things up.

  That thought made his stomach knot.

  “This is our…wedding night.” She glanced toward the window, then back at him. “Well, not night, yet. But we don’t get to take full advantage of the moment.”

  “We will. I’ve had a lot of practice waiting for what I want.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. Then because he needed more, he pressed a bit harder.

  When she made a small sound and opened for him, he tipped his head so that he could fit his mouth more tightly to hers, moving his lips in little nibbling motions.

  Then he reminded himself that she was recovering from a very rough couple of days, and the doctor had said she needed to rest. Instead he had rushed her into a wedding ceremony. A wedding night was out of the question.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

  “About what?”

  “Not letting you relax.”

  She lay back against the pillows, gazing up at him, and a smile flickered at the corners of her lips. “This is very relaxing.”

  He grinned back, then sobered as he dipped a finger under the edge of her bodice, stroking the tops of her breasts.

  She was his wife. It had been a very long time since he had taken that step, and now the need to make love with her surged inside him.

  He couldn’t do that, not when she needed to mend. But he couldn’t stop himself from going a little farther. His gaze fixed on hers, he tugged at the elastic top of her gown. When she didn’t flinch, he pulled the bodice below her breasts. The elastic cradled them and raised them temptingly toward him. He gazed down at her creamy breasts, crowned by her tightened nipples.

  She stared up at him, her expression part shock and part invitation. He accepted the invitation, stroking his fingers over the peach-colored crests, then squeezing them gently, entranced by the sensual view. When he bent to swirl his tongue around one distended bud and suck it into his mouth, she sighed her approval. Before he realized her intention, she reached out to press her hand over the erection straining at the front of his slacks.

  When she slid her hand up and down his length, he leaned back, enjoying her touch for a few moments before lifting her hand away.