As the beauty of her face and the seduction of her body had attracted him, her perception and wit had captured him. Still, there was so much he didn’t know about her—a mystery he had every intention of solving, just as he had every intention of keeping her in his life.
During the meal he pointed out several good aspects of the three previous places they’d seen, but Meghan stuck to her guns, insisting he’d be glad for the space later.
“Besides,” she added convincingly, “the open spaces, all those windows, and the hardwood trim gives it so much … character.”
“And we all know what an excellent judge of character you are,” he teased.
Meghan’s head flew up to find merriment dancing in his eyes. There were no accusations, no malice, only an easy, good-natured humor behind his deep chuckle.
“That’s right,” she said, giving her head a confident nod and Michael a cocky grin.
In the end, he chose her favorite apartment with the stipulation that when he was ready to move in, she would help him. Appealing to her nonexistent domestic nature, he reinforced his argument, saying that everyone knew how inept men were when it came to knowing the right places for sofas and pictures.
She had laughed at the irony of his request, and he took it as her assent. She didn’t correct him. It hurt somehow, but she knew that once she was gone, he’d find a more knowledgeable, able-bodied woman to do the job.
Michael was grinning smugly. Not only had he known she’d like the apartment when he’d signed the lease a little over a week ago, but he had conned her into helping him decorate. His mother would be disappointed, but he’d make it up to her. Right now he needed the time. Time to see Meghan and get to know her better. She was so damned busy, it was hard getting a date with her. She did, however, seem to make time for him if he needed her, and at this point he wasn’t above stooping to trumped-up excuses and a little clever manipulating.
Sunday he called her apartment, panic ringing in his voice.
“Meghan. I’ve got to see you one last time. My unit’s been called up. They’re moving us to the front lines,” he told her without preamble. “This could be our last chance to see one another. I … I could die out there,” he added grimly.
“Who is this?” She feigned indignation, then laughed, giving herself away.
“Ah! Low blow! I thought I could trust you. I thought you’d wait for me. I thought you’d burn a candle in your window for me.”
“You can. I am. I will … along with all the others. I may have to move though. I’m running out of window space,” she said in a happy voice.
A few seconds passed before Michael spoke. “You’re breaking my heart,” he said seriously.
“You know it’s not intentional,” she offered in a similar tone.
“I really am leaving tomorrow,” he told her. “And I really would like to see you again before I leave.” He paused briefly. “Can you spare the time?” he asked, knowing what it was like to be overworked, to have deadlines to meet. She’d already taken some time-out for him, and although he’d kill to be with her, he’d much rather have her mind at ease for her upcoming cases in court.
“Yes,” Meghan informed him. Her heart was suddenly heavy and each beat sent a shaft of pain shooting through her chest.
“If I bring dinner, may I come over?” he asked, his pulse racing, his muscles tense from the need to be with her.
“Of course,” she said. Stunned by her sorrow, it was hard to believe she had been anxiously awaiting this day. She bit her lip to keep from blurting out, “Don’t go. When you come back, I’ll be gone. You’ll hate me. Well never see each other again. Don’t go!”
“Do you like the Chinese food from that little place around the corner from your apartment?” she heard him ask.
“Yes. It’s good.”
“Anything special you want me to get?”
“No. It’s all delicious,” she said, then reconsidered, “I’m not crazy about anything raw, though.”
“Come on. I know you can eat more than that.” He had brought enough food to feed half the Chinese population. She had eaten so hungrily every time he’d taken her out, he hadn’t been sure how much to order. He liked women who didn’t pick at their food all night, but Meghan ate like a ranch hand.
“No. Really. I’m full. And I told you before I don’t always pig out like that. It’s just that I’m used to eating at certain times and if I don’t, I get ravenous. If you’d stick to my schedule, I’d be a much cheaper date,” she said, trying to lighten the tension that had been building steadily since he’d arrived.
“Oh, I don’t mind feeding you. I’m just afraid you’ll explode all over the restaurant. How could I possibly explain it to the management?”
“Michael, I’m shocked that you’d even think I’d ever do that to you. I was brought up with much better manners. Exploding in public was strictly forbidden,” she retorted.
“I’m sure,” he teased, “But it makes me very curious to know where you put it all.”
“If all things in this world were as easy to explain as that, it would be a much simpler place to live,” she prophesied.
He waited for her revelation, and when it didn’t come, he finally asked, “Where do you put it?”
“I have a hollow leg.”
Michael’s eyes grew wide in mock wonderment. “How fascinating. Which one is it?”
Meghan indicated her left one and before she realized the error of her ways, he had lifted the leg and placed it across his lap. He held it out and turned it slightly from side to side. He gave it a few gentle raps with his knuckles, working his way up from ankle to mid-thigh, all the while sending waves of tingling excitement rushing through Meghan’s body.
Her heart beat wildly. Her mouth was dry and she wanted to say something pithy and witty, but nothing came to mind. She was too busy absorbing the feel of his hand through her jeans and the sensations he was creating in her.
“This is incredible, Meghan,” he said softly in awe. “A work of art. It looks perfectly natural. No hollow sound,” he continued, as he began to push her pant leg up, his hands touching her bare skin, intensifying her susceptibility a hundredfold. “And look at this,” he crowed. “Completely impervious to light. Opaque. Beautiful. They could use you in espionage work.”
He rubbed his hands lightly over her calf and regarded her with interest. “Do you have any other secret hiding places? Your arm, maybe?” He drew his hand down the length of her left arm, adding a new source of stimulation to Meghan’s already overexcited body.
She shook her head negatively in answer to his question.
“No? Maybe your head then?” he asked, as he placed both big hands on either side of her face.
Again she shook her head. She felt mesmerized, completely under his spell. She was powerless to stop him. “Now you’re lying to yourself,” she thought to herself hopelessly. “You could stop him if you wanted to. You just don’t want to. You want to make love with him one last time. You want him because you’re falling in love with him.”
Meghan’s most precious wish lay exposed in her eyes. Michael’s heart soared and his body quickened. He struggled for control as he said, “Are you sure? When you shake your head like that I hear a distinct rattle.”
He pressed his lips gently, sensuously to hers. He savored the taste and feel of her. As his fever grew, he explored with his tongue, memorizing her softness, the sweetness that was Meghan’s alone.
Meghan returned his kisses and did some research of her own. Their passion intensified as they became bolder and more possessive. Their hands caressed and petted, each feeding the fires in the other.
Michael’s drawl was raspy and hoarse when he murmured between soft kisses along the column of her neck. “This time we will do it right. We’ll make love all night long and into tomorrow. I’m not going to let you disappear on me again. And I’ll warn you now, I don’t plan to be easily forgotten while I’m gone.”
“Oh, Michael.
” She moaned. There was no way she could ever forget him. She would disappear again … and he’d hate her forever. But they did have tonight.
He stood and held out a hand to her. She took it, and he drew her into his embrace. “This has got to go,” he said, as he tugged on the rear tail of her oversized sweatshirt.
“You don’t like it?” she asked him innocently. “Is it too provocative?”
He leaned back, frowning, and viewed the front of her shirt, which sported the words, “WHEN GOD CREATED MAN, SHE WAS ONLY JOKING.” He slipped his hands underneath the material and ran them over her back. “As I recall, what is under this provokes far less hostile thoughts,” he said with a lecherous grin.
“Well, if you can’t take a joke, let’s by all means remove the offending piece of clothing.”
“By all means … let’s,” he purred, as he took the hem of her shirt in his large hands and pulled it up her body and over her head.
Her loose hair fell forward on her shoulders and partially veiled her bare breasts from his sight. She’d worn denim slacks with an elastic waistband for comfort, but Michael found it a great convenience as he simply slid them off her hips and to the floor, leaving only her navy blue bikini panties behind.
He committed her body to memory with reverent eyes. One hand came out to play with the downy-soft tress of red hair that fell over her left breast, and then he gathered up the strands, letting the back of his hand brush across her hardened nipple before he placed the fall of hair behind her.
He viewed her once more, then leaned forward and kissed her deeply. “Meghan,” he said with a groan, as he held her tight against his rock hard chest. “I want you so much.”
“And I want you,” she murmured against his throat, as she kissed and gently nibbled at his skin.
They turned slowly toward the bedroom, touching and kissing and whispering words of love to each other.
“No ride this time?” she asked as she luxuriated in the feel of him so close to her.
“I wouldn’t want to risk it. I can hardly walk as it is.”
They laughed softly, intimately together. Moments later they were both naked and lying on the bed, Meghan on her back running her fingers through the coarse, dark hair on his chest, Michael with his head propped on one elbow as he moved the other hand slowly over her skin from her neck to her pelvis.
“You are so beautiful. More so than I remembered,” he told her.
“Only because you think I am. Then I feel like I am, which makes you think I am. It’s a lovely cycle, isn’t it?” she murmured, as she moved her head slightly to kiss his chin.
“Mmm. Lovely,” he repeated in his thick, deep voice, as he lowered his lips to hers.
Their loving was long and leisurely, the crescendo building gradually to a fevered cadenza and finally an explosive finale.
They clung together, warm and content. They whispered and giggled in the dark. They dozed for a while, and then woke with a hunger only the other could vanquish.
Meghan lay awake, listening to Michael breathe as she watched the dawn slowly illuminate the room. Slowly, careful not to wake him, she tilted her head up to look at him.
His eyes were closed and his long lashes fanned out across his cheeks, but he was smiling. “That was very good. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you motionless for so long,” came his deep voice, gravelly from sleep. He peeked at her with one eye, then tightened his embrace to cuddle closer.
“I just kept hoping that if I didn’t move, time would stand still and this wouldn’t end,” she said, as she molded her body closer to his.
“I know,” he murmured, squirming to get even closer to her. “But this isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning.”
“Lord, what a cuddly person you are.” She cheerfully and affectionately changed the subject. “You’re like a big, lovable teddy bear.”
“Then I’m glad to see you like teddy bears,” he said.
“What makes you think I do?” She chuckled as he shifted positions again.
“Is that or is that not a teddy bear?” he asked, as he rolled over and pointed to the soft, brown toy on Meghan’s dresser.
She had forgotten about it completely. The teddy bear with its big red ribbon had been too tempting when she’d seen it in the store window yesterday. She’d gone in and picked it up, testing its softness. She had known instantly that her baby had to have it. When she’d gotten home, she’d propped him lovingly on her dresser. He was there to help her wait for the arrival of their baby.
“That’s for a friend of mine,” she said hastily.
“A young one, I hope,” he said, grinning.
“Oh, I expect when I meet him, he’ll be very, very young,” she whispered whimsically, almost to herself.
“A friend of yours is having a baby?” he inquired offhandedly, as he smoothed his hand over her barely rounded abdomen. He pictured her carrying his baby and warmed to the idea immediately.
“Yes, she’s very close to me,” Meghan replied as honestly as she thought she could without causing him heart failure.
“That’s wonderful,” he murmured against her neck, aware of the reawakening desire inside him. “I like children.”
“So do I,” she whispered, as his lips came up to press tenderly on hers.
Eight
MEGHAN COULD VAGUELY remember her mother’s funeral. She had cried without really knowing why, but was aware that part of her life was missing and nothing would ever be the same. She wanted to cry this morning for the same reasons, plus the added grief of knowing why.
“Lord, I hate that look on your face, darlin’, but it makes me so happy,” Michael said, planting another kiss on her mouth as they said their good-byes in front of her apartment building. “Cheer up, Meghan, love, the month will fly by, and we’ll be together again.” He kissed her long and hard once more, then raced off to his cab, calling, “I’ll phone you tonight.”
Meghan only nodded, not trusting herself to open her mouth. He called her from the airport, not waiting until he’d reached Dallas, and caught her at the office on her way out to have lunch with a client.
“Hi.” His voice came cheerfully over the line. Meghan had just accustomed herself to the sluggish, depressed feeling that had prevailed throughout her morning, only to have her heart skip a beat and begin a rapid tapping at the mere sound of his voice.
“Hi,” she returned breathlessly. “Where are you?”
“I’m still at Kennedy. My plane was delayed so I thought I’d give you a second chance to try and entice me into staying in New York. I’m feeling very susceptible to emotional blackmail right now,” he hinted.
“I thought this was an important trip,” she returned thoughtfully, as a satisfied smile played unconsciously at her lips.
“It is, or I wouldn’t be going right now, but I still wouldn’t object to you making a fuss and maybe whining and crying a little,” he said.
“That’s not exactly my style,” she returned, unable to suppress the giggle at the back of her throat.
“So I’ve noticed,” he informed her bluntly. “Would you consider packing a bag and going with me if I took a later flight out of here?”
“Well,” she said, “that is more my style, but the timing is all wrong.”
Playful banter could be addictive with Michael around. She loved his wit and intelligence, but they were only one part of what she was going to miss about him. On that thought her spirits came crashing back to earth and, more resolute than ever, she sat up straighter in her chair.
“We both have busy professional lives,” she reminded him. “That makes … other things a little complicated, doesn’t it?”
“In this case, the … other things are well worth making time for, Meghan. And I may as well warn you, darlin’, if I feel you slipping away from me again, there won’t be anything in Texas important enough to keep me from coming back,” he told her firmly. And she believed him.
He called that night, and every morning and n
ight after that, right up until the time Meghan had to leave town. As he had predicted, the time had flown by.
Instead of the usual slow work period at the office during the holidays, things picked up after Thanksgiving. Two of Meghan’s cases came to trial earlier than expected, and her appointments in the office were arranged back-to-back.
Her busy schedule, the fatigue of her pregnancy, and the anguish she felt over Michael began to show. She lost weight, which Lucy chastised her for severely and called Mrs. Belinski with a special high protein, high calorie diet and charged her with the duty of making sure Meghan ate it.
She didn’t look much better a week later when she entered Henry Alderman’s office.
“I’ve finished the Ramsey case. Do you want it? All we need is his signature and his check. The papers to incorporate Dobsons’ into Texacal are in the file too. He just has to sign them,” she finished.
“Sure. It’ll be a good excuse to see him again,” he said. Henry gave her a speculative look, then asked, “What did you think of him?”
Meghan shrugged noncommittally. “He’s okay. Why?”
“When I met him, I was very curious about the effect he would have on a red-blooded woman … such as yourself,” he explained, as his lips twitched to keep himself from grinning. Henry’s grin became hard to conceal as he watched her squirm in her chair, a slight rosiness flushing her cheeks.
Discussing Michael Ramsey as a client was part of her job and he was a topic that she had to handle professionally, but discussing him as a man was disturbing to her. She cleared her throat gently, then replied, “He’s just another client, Henry, and you know I don’t get involved with clients.”
“I see,” he said with a straight face, as he looked down at the paperwork before him. “So, when is this client supposed to come sign these papers?”
“I’m not sure. I have to call him about a couple of small matters, so I’ll let him know that he is to contact you when he gets back,” she said, preparing to go. “I’ll leave my files and summaries with your secretary before I go, and you can dole them out. And Greta knows how to reach me if the need arises.”
Divine Design Page 9
