by Susan Crosby
He wasn’t eighteen anymore. He’d navigated the business world, the social world, the real world. He didn’t need a mentor. And, no, he didn’t need a psychiatrist, either, he’d told his mother when she’d offered up that idea. He hadn’t realized how much they expected of him, how much they took for granted. They had seemed to encourage his independence, but it was all a lie. They’d actually plotted every step of his life. Well, almost every step. Or perhaps they’d interfered in his personal life more than he’d thought.
Which didn’t matter now. He had Mollie. She was his wife. His parents couldn’t change that.
He picked up the telephone and dialed, turning in his chair to look out the window as the phone rang.
“Every Bloomin’ Thing, Mollie McGuire speaking.”
“So, have you made a mistake and said Mollie Shaw in the past ten days?” he asked He could almost feel her warmth seep through the phone lines.
“Not once. Are you on your way home?”
“Tomorrow. My mother said you called.”
She sighed. “An exercise in futility.”
“Remember that they’re upset with me, not you. It’ll take some time. I’m not sure I’ll be on speaking terms with them when this is over.”
“I’m not giving up. She told me in the garden at her house that you were everything to her.”
“She did?”
“It’s the truth. Do you think they would ignore grandchildren?”
Gray sat up straighter. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
She laughed, a warm, sweet sound. “I think it would be too soon to tell.”
“We’ve been careful. Since the first couple of days.”
“And one other time,” she said, reminding him of the lunch that hadn’t included a meal the day before he left for California. “As I said before, I’ll go on the Pill if that eases your mind.”
“Okay,” he said. “Schedule an appointment.”
“I already did.”
“I hear that smile of yours, Sunshine. You only seem docile. You’re not in the least.”
“Would you be interested in an obedient, submissive wife?”
“I believe sometimes I would.”
She laughed, as he’d intended. “Well, then, sometimes I will be. Just catch me on the right day.”
“The twelfth of never?”
“I love you.”
The words still blindsided him. He wished he could return them as easily, but they stuck in his throat.
“Call me later,” she said, filling up the empty space.
“I will. Don’t tell Tasha all our secrets, okay?”
“Are you kidding? Our life is totally tame compared to hers. She’d be bored to tears.”
Which meant that Mollie guarded their privacy as much as he did. He was grateful. “Goodbye, my Sunshine.”
“Goodbye, my heart.”
He waited for her to hang up, then he set the receiver in the cradle without disturbing the air where her tender words still drifted. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve her. He had intended to use her as a tool to get his own justice. It would have destroyed her.
He would even the score with Stuart Fortune—Knight Sta belonged to Gray—but Stuart’s family wouldn’t suffer the same humiliation that Gray and his mother had. No eye for an eye. but a business deal, and a slice into Stuart’s ego, then the returr of the company into the proper hands. Stuart would still have his position at Fortune Corporation. His life would continue, if a little fractured.
The victory wouldn’t be as complete, but Gray could live witt winning the battle, if not the war. There was Mollie to consider And Mollie mattered most.
“It’s a surprise,” Mollie said as Gray drove according to he directions out of the city and into the countryside.
“A surprise. It’s nine o’clock at night on a Tuesday—a work night—and you want to go for a drive in the country.”
“That’s right.” She wished for something other than bucke seats. Wished she could scoot over beside him. He’d been sc stressed for the past month. At first the news of his resignation from McGuire Enterprises was a closely guarded secret Ther once the news was made public, he’d been inundated with more media attention than after their wedding, and it hadn’t let up She wanted him to have one peaceful evening, so she’d fixed him dinner at her apartment, which was now mostly her office then had given him a back rub. When they climbed into the ca to go to the hotel, she instructed him otherwise.
“You know I don’t like surprises, Mollie.”
“We need to work on changing that.”
She thought he sighed, but she knew he wasn’t perturbed o merely humoring her. She had succeeded in her goal. He was learning to have fun His life was in chaos, but he could laugh about it She figured he was ready for this surprise. “Okay, pul over here. You can park right between those trees, facing the lake.”
He jammed on the brakes. “Oh, no, you don’t. I can see whai you’re up to.” A car honked, forcing him to ease into the spot she’d pointed out. “We are not staying. We have a perfectly good bedroom. I’m well past the age of necking in a car.”
“That old, huh?” She turned off the ignition and yanked out the keys, then dropped them down her dress.
He slammed his palms against the steering wheel. She was pretty sure he was laughing He held out a hand but didn’t look at her.
“Give me the keys, Mollie. I’m a well-known and respected businessman. We’re mamed, for God’s sake! I am not going to get caught necking with my wife.”
“You need to be able to cross this off your lifetime to-do list.”
“Like hell I do.”
“Front seat or back?” she asked cheerfully.
“Give me the keys.”
“Get them yourself.”
Gray heard the dare in her voice. “I’ll get them, and we won’t be staying here afterward.”
“Give it your best shot.”
He didn’t laugh. He wanted to, though. Eyeing the low neck of her dress, he planned his strategy. She kept one fist pressed between her breasts, undoubtedly against the keys nestled in her bra. He cbuld distract her with kisses, which always worked. Some things were predictable about her.
“I’m waiting,” she taunted.
He leaned toward her.
“Gonna divert my attention with kisses, huh? Good idea. That way we won’t be ‘necking in the car.’ ”
“You’ve got this all figured out.”
“I believe I do.”
He angled toward her a little more, then ran his finger along her low neckline, dipping his finger a little farther beneath the fabric with each pass—and not encountering any other fabric. “You’re not wearing a bra.”
“Nope”
“Which means the keys aren’t...are—”
“Elsewhere.”
He molded his hand over her warm, firm breast, and felt her push toward him a little. She dropped the fist she’d used as a decoy, giving him better access.
“You’re not playing fair,” he said, moving his hand to the other side.
“This is a game—” her breath caught “—where you make up the rules as you go.”
He pressed his lips right below her ear, tasted her fragrant skin. “So are you naked under that dress?”
“Find out for yourself.” She turned her head, aligning their mouths. He groaned as hers opened, welcoming him, then he slid a hand under her skirt, along her thigh.
“We’re steaming up the windows,” he said.
“You’re fast.”
“Mollie.” His fingers touched the silky triangle of her femininity and then metal. He scraped the keys out onto the floorboard, then put his hand back, loving the damp warmth he encountered, devouring her mouth with his at the same time. His body was contorted over the console; she was holding herself at an odd angle. “When did you get rid of your bra and underwear?”
“Before we left the apartment.” With her tongue, she drew a hot, mo
ist trail down his neck. Her hand came down to blanket him, tease him. “I was really offended that you didn’t notice,” she breathed. “I’m not that small.”
“I was anticipating getting home and getting you into bed.” He used his fingers on her until she lifted her hips high. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered as he moved his thumb in a slow circle. She was moments away from climax. Moments—
Light streamed into the car. Gray took a second to look Mollie over. Clothes in place. All important body parts covered. Then with a sigh he snatched the keys from the floorboard, turned the ignition on far enough to activate the power switches, then rolled down his window. “Officer,” he said, wincing as the light hit his eyes.
“Aren’t you a little old for this, sir?”
“Dougie?” Mollie’s voice held surprise and laughter. She crouched low. “Is that you?”
The officer shifted the light. “Mollie? Damn it, what are you doing up here?”
“Necking with my husband. He never got to as a teenager. I felt his education needed completing.”
Gray wanted to sink under the steering column. Unlike Mollie, he didn’t find the situation amusing.
“You want me to send out a call to leave you alone?” the big, uniformed man asked.
“No, we do not,” Gray said, sending a look Mollie’s direction.
“I think we’re going home,” she said meekly. “Good to see you, Dougie.”
“You, too, Mollie. Nice to meet you, sir.”
He whistled as he walked away. Gray was stuck because the police car blocked his path. The second it pulled away, Gray was on the road.
“Gray—”
“Not a word.”
“But—”
“I mean it.”
Silence surrounded them all the way to the hotel and up the elevator. She matched him stride for stride as they walked down the short hallway to their suite. He rammed the keycard in the door, then let her go ahead of him. When the door shut behind them, he grabbed her hand and walked into the bedroom.
And then he kissed her, with gratitude for the adventure she’d brought to his life, with anticipation of everything she would bring to his future.
“You’re not mad at me?” she asked as he stripped off her dress, leaving her beautifully naked. Temptingly naked.
He yanked off his own clothes, then he moved her to the bed, following her down. A heartbeat later he was inside her. “I should be,” he murmured, angling down to suck a hard nipple into his mouth. “I damn well should be.”
“But?”
He moved inside her. “You were right It was dangerous.” He pulled back. “Exciting. I don’t know how far I would’ve gone if the cop hadn’t come along.” She moaned, arched, dug her fingers into his buttocks. He plunged, retreated, plunged again. “Is this what you want?”
She made sounds of acquiescence.
“Then take it all, Mollie. Take it all.” He could feel her doing exactly that, surrounding him, holding him deep inside, then convulsing around him, her whole body reacting, climbing, arching, soaring. When she slowed the rhythm he urged her to try again. “Don’t relax. Don’t let yourself come all the way down. Let yourself fly. I want you to.”
He heard her say his name, heard her say she loved him, triggering an explosion inside him, not physical release, but emotional. Life. Hope. Happiness. It filled him, overflowed from him, imprisoned him. He pulled her leg higher along his hip so that he could get closer. Impossibly closer.
“Are you with me?” he asked.
Mollie managed to tell him yes. He wasn’t hurting her—he could never hurt her—but he dominated. Controlled. Pleased. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, as she responded again, shocked by how much she loved this side of him, knowing somehow she’d caused it—which filled her with power and satisfaction.
“Because I need you.” He kissed her violently. “I need you.”
Her world blasted apart with his words. It was more than a beginning. It was a huge, huge step for him. Love poured out of her as he groaned the words again, at the same moment following her into the explosion of light and sound that got brighter and louder every time they made love. He grabbed her to him, his body going stiff and still, his chest vibrating with sound, then he collapsed on her, holding her as if she would disappear, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Mollie came slowly aware of his weight against her, of his face burrowed against her neck. Floating on her memories, she brushed his hair with her hands, again and again, until he relaxed, rolling to his side and pulling her along. Their legs entwined. She leaned back just far enough to see his face. “We’re going to have a baby,” she said into the peacefulness.
Gray felt his heart stop. What? What had she said? “We’re having a baby?”
She nodded. “I’ve known for six hours. It was the hardest secret I’ve ever kept. I had intended to tell you at the lake. I figured that would make everything really memorable.”
“This whole evening is written in indelible ink in my mind.” He could see expectation in her eyes. How could he tell her how he felt when he couldn’t put it into words himself? Every protective mstinct doubled. Nothing and no one would hurt her or their child. He brushed her hair from her face and kissed her gently. “I thought you were going on the Pill.”
“I was supposed to start them when my period came. It never came, so I went back to the doctor today. We pretty much figured out when I conceived.”
“When? We were careful after the first couple of days.”
“Remember the second time you came home from California. The last time, when everything was settled and the announcement made?”
He smiled at the memory. “Oh.”
“Which means I’m about four weeks along. Are you okay with this? I know it’s sooner than you wanted.”
“I didn’t do much to prevent it, did I? I must have wanted it as much as you. How do you feel?”
“Happy. Fine. My breasts are a little tender.”
God. He’d been rough with her. Made her climax twice. Would that hurt the baby?
“Are you happy?” she asked.
“Yes.” He stroked her back, his hands shaking a little. He had to call the doctor, swallow his embarrassment and ask if he could have hurt the baby. “I’ll take good care of you, Mollie. I swear.”
“Well, of course you will. We’ll take good care of each other.” She pressed a kiss to his chest. “Now, let’s call your parents.”
He knew he didn’t stand a chance of talking her out of it, so he dragged the phone onto the bed and dialed. After he shared the good news, he passed the phone to Mollie, then rubbed her back as she talked and smiled and laughed.
“She sounded emotional,” Mollie said after she hung up. She curled like a kitten against him, enjoying the massage he hadn’t stopped giving her.
“Do you think so?”
“I know so. There was a little catch in her voice. And she was very concerned that I take good care of myself.”
“Is that when you told her that I would take very good care of you, too?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Just when I think she won’t surprise me.”
“I told you there was hope.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I remember, Sunshine.”
“Grandchildren are second chances.”
Gray considered that. Would his mother try to make up for all that had gone wrong before?
“I’m so happy,” Mollie whispered, then her body relaxed against him completely.
A terrible sense of dread came over him, unnamed but real. Within touching distance. Happiness never lasted long.
He pulled up the blankets and wrapped his precious wife close to him, a barrier against whatever threat hovered. His fear didn’t fade. His heart thundered with it. Then he lay awake all night, keeping it at bay. Keeping her safe.
Fourteen
Mollie picked up a black teddy in the Sheer Pleasure lingerie shop a
nd examined it critically. Gray had not made love to her in a week, ever since he’d found out she was pregnant She wasn’t putting up with it for one more night. In her van was a bouquet of carnations—his favorites—and a lamb’s wool duster she intended to sweep along his entire body. The image made her smile. He’d thought she was a hard woman to resist before. Wait until he walked into the scene she was setting.
She returned the black teddy to the rack and selected a rich, royal blue one, a little lacier than the black, definitely a change of pace from the unimaginative stuff she’d never gotten around to replacing. He would be pleased that she would finally use her credit card, too. He’d been after her about that. “Splurge a little,” he told her repeatedly. Well, she just might invest in a few more sexy garments while she was in the mood.
“Mollie?”
Mollie stifled a groan. The very first time she tries to do something sexy, she gets caught. And by Marie Fortune, Stuart’s wife.
The sixtyish woman offered the slightest of smiles. “I thought that was you,” Marie said. “Still on your honeymoon, I see.”
“Hi. Just taking your advice.”
“Mine? What would that be?”
“At Kelly’s baby shower, you gave her lingerie, remember?” Mollie asked. She was so uncomfortable around Marie, knowing what she knew about Stuart. And Gray. And Knight Star Systems.
“I remember.”
“You also said something about us young girls today, how we don’t know how to keep a husband interested.”
Marie did smile then. “I recall that now. Someone asked if that was how I kept Stuart from straying.”
“You said you’d murder him if he tried.”
“And he’s still quite alive.” Mane fingered the blue teddy. “This should go a long way toward keeping your new husband interested.”
“I keep wondering if I should go with black. Or red.”
“Try this little test, why don’t you. Right before you go to sleep tonight, ask him what color the teddy was.” She tucked her purse close to her side. “You look very happy, Mollie.”
