by Leanne Banks
After a little more time, Max would grow to love David. He wouldn’t be able to resist the child. It would be no time before David would be looking at Max with hero worship in his eyes. Surely a child’s adoration would be able to penetrate the steel vault protecting Max’s heart. Lilli just wasn’t sure she could make it into his heart and maybe it was best if she didn’t try.
Later that night after she fed David once more and put him to bed, she turned on the monitor and cracked the door to the nursery as she left the room. Bone tired, all she could think about was going to sleep. Max met her in the hallway holding two glasses of wine.
“Time for the rest of the honeymoon.”
Despite her weariness, her pulse quickened at the seductiveness in his eyes. “If I drink a sip of that wine, I’ll fall into a coma.”
“Tired?” he asked, nudging the glass into her hand and guiding her down the stairs. “Baby wear you out with all his gas?”
She shot a dark look at him. “It wasn’t gas. He was smiling.”
“Did he do it again?” he asked.
“No, but—”
“Like I said.”
“I’m the mother. I know,” she said defiantly.
He lifted his lips in a half grin. “Can’t argue with that,” he said and clinked his glass against hers. He dipped his mouth over hers. “A meeting of the minds. Next, a meeting of the bodies. I think you might like a soak in the Jacuzzi.”
It sounded wonderful. “I need my swimsuit.”
He shook his head. “No, you don’t.”
Her heart jumped again. “Won’t one of the staff see?”
“They’re paid not to see.”
“But still,” she began.
“If your modesty is screaming that loudly,” he said. “I can turn off the lights. Come on.” He tugged her out the patio door and into the cool night air.
She shivered.
“The Jacuzzi will warm you up in no time.”
It was easier being naked in front of him when they were in bed, when she didn’t have time to think. She took a shallow breath. “You go first.”
“Okay,” he said and set their wineglasses beside the tub. He shucked his clothes without an ounce of self-consciousness. His tanned skin gleamed in the moonlight. His shoulders were broad, his belly flat, his buttocks firm.
Why should he be self-conscious? He had a body that should have been chiseled in marble. His face was hard, but when he smiled, he could turn her world upside down. And his eyes did things to her heart rate, her temperature, and her whole body.
He stepped into the Jacuzzi and turned to look at her. “Your turn.”
She fought a rush of self-consciousness. “Turn off the light.”
After he killed the light, she pulled off her shirt and jeans, then her bra and panties. Fortifying herself with another breath, she stepped into the tub. Despite the hot temperature, she plunged her body under the bubbles.
“Better?” he asked.
“Hot,” she said, although she was grateful for the semicover of water.
His laugh rumbled all the way down between her legs. “You sound like Goldilocks. Too cold. Too hot. You even have the hair,” he said, touching her hair before he slid his mouth over hers. His mouth was warm, his tongue seductive.
She felt some of the tension ease out of her.
“You have a beautiful body,” he said against her lips. “I love the way your breasts respond to me.” He lowered his hands to her nipples and plucked at them, turning them into hard orbs of sensation.
Making a sound of approval, he pulled her onto his lap. She balanced herself with her hands on his chest. His skin felt slick and sexy beneath her touch. Her thighs were slippery against his and the steamy water mirrored the heat between them.
He dipped his forehead against hers. “This wasn’t such a bad idea, was it?”
Her breasts brushed against his chest, keeping her nipples taut and sensitive. “It’s nice.”
“I thought you would like it.” Reaching behind him, he grabbed a remote and the strains of a saxophone eased around them. “Are you hungry? I can ask the housekeeper to bring something out—”
“I would drown so she wouldn’t see me.”
He chuckled and slid his arms around her. “I’ll help you get over your shyness.”
“Maybe with you,” she said, her breath hitching when he fondled her breasts again.
“I wasn’t sure how I would like being married, but so far I’m liking it,” he said.
“So far is all of six weeks. But that reminds me of something,” she said and tried to focus on something other than his muscular chest or how his hands felt on her or how his hard thighs felt under her bottom.
“What?”
“If we’re going to make this marriage thing work—”
“We are,” he interjected.
She nodded. “It occurred to me that I don’t know what you want from me as your wife.”
His eyes glinted with an irresistible sexy humor. “You’ve done very well so far.”
“I didn’t mean that. I mean when we’re not in bed.”
“We’re not in bed right now,” he reminded her, shifting her legs apart and pulling her intimately against him. He slid one of his hands between her thighs and moved his hand in a sensual, searching motion.
“I mean when we’re not—” She broke off when he grazed the most sensitive part of her. “You’re making it hard for me to concentrate.”
“That’s because you’re concentrating on the wrong thing,” he said. “I want you to concentrate on what you’re feeling right now.” He sank deeper into the water and slipped his hand under her bottom, pushing her upward so that her breasts bobbed directly in front of his face.
He lowered his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth. The sight of his dark head against her pale skin sent a hot current to the most sensitive pleasure points in her body. His thumb found her again and a delicious haze fell over her.
It didn’t matter that things between them felt so unsettled. It didn’t matter that they were outside and if someone really wanted to watch them, they could. What mattered was that she was in his arms and the water made her feel both relaxed and eager. He was looking at her as if she was his first meal in a long time, and she knew firsthand that it hadn’t been very long at all.
She slid her hand down between them and found him already hard. He gave a sensual groan and leaned backward on one of the graduated steps, looking at her through hooded eyes. “How am I supposed to go slow if you’re going to touch me like that?”
“You want me to stop?”
“Oh, no,” he said and pulled her over him and took her mouth in a kiss that made her feel consumed and restless. “You have no idea how sexy you look,” he muttered and cupped her bottom, guiding her over him. His pelvis flexed upward and she sank down onto him. With her hair spilling forward, she kissed him. His tongue filled her mouth with the same rhythm he filled her lower body. Slow and easy, the erotic motion made her dizzy with pleasure.
He squeezed her bottom. She lifted her mouth for a breath and he drew one of her nipples deep into his mouth. “You make me so greedy,” he said.
He made her desperate to please him. At the same time, though, he made sure she was pleasured. She’d thought she would be too sore, too sensitive, but the water cushioned their movements.
Steam rose around them. Tiny droplets dotted his face. His dark eyes were glazed with arousal. He continued to rub and she matched his pace, her nether regions tightening with every stroke. She felt the peak start in her breasts and shower down to where she convulsed around him, her muscles contracting around his hardness.
His eyes narrowed as he gasped in pleasure, surging into her. “Oh, Lilli.”
When he said her name, an aftershock coursed through her, and she realized what she craved. She wanted this to be more than good sex for Max. She wanted it to mean something to him. She wanted to mean something to him. Fear prickled inside her. I
t wouldn’t be a good idea to want these kinds of things from a man who didn’t believe in romantic love. She needed to figure out how to stay safe and sane.
He took her mouth in a kiss and moved sideways in the bubbling water, still inside her, her legs laced with his muscular thighs. Sanity was the last thing she could muster.
Twelve
The following morning, Max rose early. He felt an itchy sensation in his back. He felt crowded, yet at the same time, he would have liked to stay in bed and enjoy his wife’s charms. Instead, he took a shower and was putting on his tie just as Lilli awakened.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced at the alarm clock. “It’s only six o’clock. You’re going into the office already?”
“There’s a lot waiting for me. I’ll be home late tonight.”
“What’s late?”
He shrugged. “Maybe nine.”
She nodded slowly. “Can I get you some breakfast?”
He shook his head as he straightened his tie. “I’m going straight to the office. My assistant will bring something.”
Pulling the sheets up to her shoulders, she met his gaze in the mirror. Her hair was sexily rumpled and she blinked her eyes as she obviously tried to make herself wake up. The skin around her chin was pink from the effects of his beard.
He would need to be more careful in the future, he thought as he rubbed his just-shaven jaw. Her skin was sensitive and he’d mauled her from head to toe during the last two days. The vulnerability in her eyes made him want to hold her, but something else made him want to run.
He walked toward her. “Have a good day, lovely Lilli,” he said in a light voice and, not trusting himself, he dropped an even lighter kiss on her cheek.
“You, too,” she said. “If David smiles, I’ll try to catch it with my camera phone. I’ll send you a message.”
The offer made his chest feel tight. “You mean if he has gas?” he teased and opened the bedroom door to leave. But not before he felt a pillow hit him in the back of the head. He whipped around, staring at her in surprise. Her hand covered her mouth as if she’d surprised herself, too. It didn’t help his concentration that she’d dropped the sheets and her breasts were bared to his sight.
Steeling himself against the distraction and the hard-on growing harder by the moment, he looked down at her and shook his head. “You had me fooled. I thought you were an angel except when I got you in bed.”
She bit her lip, but couldn’t seem to prevent the beginning of a saucy smile. “I’m still in bed.”
“So you are,” he said and wished like hell he were there with her. “See you tonight.”
Maybe it shouldn’t have felt abrupt for Max to leave so early, but it did. Lilli pulled the sheet over her head and told herself to go back to sleep. She tried to push aside her feelings, but she felt bothered, unsettled. Was this the future for their marriage? Strangers everywhere except when they shared a bed?
Groaning, she threw off the sheet and climbed out of bed. Sore and tired, she wished she could grab a few extra winks, but she knew her mind wasn’t going to let her. Grumbling to herself, she took a shower. Her body was sensitive, and she ached in secret places. She allowed the hot water to flow over her, willing it to soothe the tenderness in her muscles. And her heart.
After she dressed, she gave Maria a well-deserved break and listened for David’s cry. He’d barely let out a sound before she gathered him to her and fed him. As he devoured his bottle, she noticed tiny beads of perspiration break out on his forehead.
“You are very intense about your food, aren’t you, sweetie?” she said.
Moments later, he finished and she squeezed a couple burps out of him. She looked down into his face and smiled at him. He smiled back. Delighted, Lilli drank in his joyful expression. Then she remembered she needed to take a photograph, so Max would believe her. Jumping up from the rocking chair, she ran to grab her cell phone and positioned it over David’s face, ready to take a photo. David, however, was less interested in smiling and more fascinated with the object in her hand. The smile had disappeared.
“Well, darn,” she muttered. She smiled again and he looked at her with solemn eyes as he blew bubbles. “That’s just as cute as a smile,” she said and took the photo and sent it to Max anyway.
She took David for a stroll around the block. Just as she was turning into the driveway, her cell phone rang. Her heart racing, she didn’t bother to check the caller ID because she was sure it was Max. “Hi there,” she said.
“Hi, Lilli,” an unfamiliar voice said. “This is Devon.”
Lilli stopped midstep and swallowed a sudden foolish twinge of disappointment. Devon, one of the hospice attendants to her mother, he had been with them until the very end. “Oh, Devon, I haven’t heard from you in a while. How are you? How are your parents?”
“Dad’s not doing so well. He’s in the final stages of cancer and my mother was just admitted to the hospital. They want to put her on dialysis.”
Sympathy surged through her. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“I didn’t want to ask, but you told me to call you if things got out of control. I’m staying with my father around the clock, so I’m not making any money.”
“I understand,” she said. “How much do you need?”
“It depends,” Devon said, his voice choking up. “On how soon my father goes. Oh, God, I can’t believe I said that.”
“No, I understand. I took off a lot of time to be with my mother at the end.”
“I don’t want him to die, but—” He broke off again and sighed. “You would think that since I work in a hospice, I would be better prepared for this.”
“It’s much more personal,” Lilli said. “It’s your father. Listen, why don’t I bring you some money to tide you over? I’ve forgotten your address. Give it to me again.”
Devon gave her the address. “I’ll probably need to call you back for directions. Would you like me to sit with your father so you can get out for a while?”
“I couldn’t do that to you,” he said. “I feel bad enough asking for financial help.”
“You forget how great you were with my mother when she was so sick. You were there for us. I’d like to be there for you.”
“But that was my job.”
“Well, you did an amazing job and my mother and I couldn’t thank you enough. So let this be a little token. I’ll come over this afternoon around three. David should be napping.”
“Ah, the baby. How is he?” Devon asked.
“Perfect,” she said.
He laughed. “As if he could be anything else since he came from you.”
She smiled. “Please keep your cell handy, in case I get lost.”
“Will do, Lilli, and thanks,” Devon said.
Lilli drove her little Toyota instead of the monster SUV Max had bought for her use. She left David in Maria’s caring arms. After stopping by the grocery store to pick up a few things for Devon and his family, she only got lost twice, but finally arrived at Devon’s apartment complex.
Devon greeted her at the door, but his father had taken a turn for the worse, so he refused to accept Lilli’s offer to sit with his father so that Devon could get out for a little while.
Lilli gave the dark gentle giant a hug and left. The visit brought back memories of her mother’s time in hospice. Lilli had been forced to hide the gnawing grief she’d felt in anticipation of her mother’s death. Losing her mother inch by inch had been excruciating, but she wouldn’t trade a moment of the time she’d had with her.
The familiar feeling of being all alone hit her as she stopped at a traffic light. She’d never known her father. Her mother was gone. Even though she was married, she sometimes still felt alone. Her chest grew heavy, her throat tightened and her eyes began to burn. Tears streamed down her face and she tried to comfort herself.
She had David. She had her little baby. She wasn’t alone. The thought soothed her and she made a turn when the
light turned green. Twenty minutes later, she realized she was horribly lost.
She reluctantly called Devon, but he wasn’t picking up. She thought about stopping at a convenience store, but several men sat outside on the ground drinking from bottles in brown bags.
Lilli began to fuss at herself. “Should have done MapQuest. It would have taken three minutes. Three minutes.” She rounded the corner and, spotting a small grocery store, she pulled into the tiny parking lot and went inside. The owner spoke very little English, but gave her directions to the interstate.
She followed the directions, or so she thought, but just found herself deeper into another area where she’d never been. At six-thirty, she gave up the fight and called Max’s driver, Ricardo. He offered to come and get her, but she refused, embarrassed by her lack of a sense of direction.
Ricardo gave her turn by turn directions. Once she arrived at the interstate, she sagged with relief. Ricardo didn’t want to hang up, but Lilli insisted she would be fine. She pulled into the garage an hour later and was surprised to see Max’s car.
She smiled as she bounded up the stairs from the garage. Walking through the corridor, she looked for him in the foyer. She spared a quick glance into the den and noticed the patio door was open. Still dressed in his business attire, he stood outside with a bottle of water in his hand.
Lilli rushed to the patio. “Hi. You’re home early,” she said, unable to disguise her delight.
He turned to look at her. “And you’re home late,” he said in a voice that could cut glass. His eyes were cold. “Where have you been?”
Lilli winced when she remembered the discussion she’d had with Max about visiting suspicious areas of town. “I visited a friend and got a little lost driving back.”
“Ricardo told me you called him from one of the worst neighborhoods in the city,” Max said.
She could feel anger emanating from him. “Like I said, I got all turned around. I should have used MapQuest.”
“If this was such a good friend,” Max said. “Why would you need directions to their house?”
Lilli refused to squirm. She’d done nothing wrong. “I haven’t been there very often. But I’m back now,” she said cheerfully. “I need to check on David.”
