Payne, Lillith - His Unconventional Woman (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lillith Payne

  Slowly, he stopped twirling her, forcing Dana to lean in, watching his eyes intently as he lowered her to the ground, her body sliding against his. It was several long seconds before either of them moved their hands away, his from her waist, and hers from his shoulders. The voices were getting closer as Clay took a step back, waiting for Dana to grab her purse from the front seat of her blue bullet. Laughing at her thoughts, she gave him her typical Dana look, one eyebrow up, one hand on her hip, and her eyes expressing the need for information.

  “I was just thinking I should be shot.” He shifted the baby’s present to his other hand, took her arm, and started walking them toward the front of the house.

  “I can use a gun, but tell me why first,” she teased. Even with a short-sleeved shirt and no tie, Clay looked exotic. His hair was in need of a trim, the back and sides brushing his collar, the natural wave at the ends of the dark brown strands teasing against his skin.

  “Because I helped to teach you how to drive!” he told her.

  As they walked to the house, she had an overwhelming urge to fuss with his hair. Suddenly they both stopped walking, and her hand came up to do so, only it caressed his face, her finger running along his cheekbone. Clay seemed startled but didn’t pull back from the intimate touch. Later she wondered what would have happened if Linda Cole hadn’t interrupted them.

  Watching from the wide porch, Linda Cole’s body language told her story to anyone who witnessed it. Her back became ramrod straight, her hand unconsciously smoothing the pastel skirt she decided to wear instead of the solid-colored business suits she usually chose. Her facial expression was the same one she wore in court when she had been bested by the opposition. Her lips were tight, her eyelids half closed in a glare. Linda’s mind went into overdrive, working out the possible scenarios that could take place, opting for Southern grace rather than the catty jealousy that overcame her instantly when she saw Clay with Dana on his arm.

  She hadn’t been invited to the party and knew she wouldn’t be. But she also knew Clay Hollister would be. That morning, she had chosen her skirt and blouse carefully, wanting to avoid any business attire, plainly exposing the feminine side that most people didn’t see. Linda was uncomfortable in the flowery skirt. The matching top felt unnatural without a blazer to go over it. Today, she knew Clay had to see her as a woman, not a professional. Her excuse was valid. There was some Chamber of Commerce business she wanted to talk over with Jeff Britton. Would it be her fault she happened to stop by on this beautiful afternoon? She had been out driving, enjoying the sun, when she realized she was near his home. Choosing to drop by to see to those arrangements seemed plausible. Linda didn’t care what anyone else thought. She knew Southern hospitality would have Jeff inviting her to stay and enjoy the festivities of his firstborn son’s christening party. What could be better? Her mood was unusually light today, hoping that she would take one step closer to Clay Hollister. That is, until she saw Dana Britton in his arms.

  “There you are, Clay. Lisa and I were just wondering if you had forgotten.” Her posture straightened further as they approached, her blond hair bobbing around her shoulders. Her seeing Dana, still on Clay’s arm, didn’t put her at ease.

  “I couldn’t forget Adam’s day.” He hadn’t let go of Dana’s arm, and she seemed to be holding on tighter. Watching the other woman’s body language, Linda knew she was staring into the eyes of her competition. With an inward groan she hoped he couldn’t hear, she watched Clay tighten his grip on Dana’s arm as they continued up the stairs. Once on the porch, he stilled. Linda knew Dana was opting to put her on the defensive.

  “Hello, Linda, it’s nice to see you again. It’s my fault Clay’s late. He was helping me find my shoes.” With that, she turned and placed a kiss on his cheek. “See you later, handsome,” she whispered, smiling broadly at Linda as she passed. Linda had to hold back the seething look that threatened to overtake her plastered-on smile. Clay had to see her as feminine and alluring today. He waited a moment and motioned with his hand for her to go ahead of him into the house. Linda chose to loop her arm around his, drawing him closer as they entered the house. She could still hear Dana’s voice ahead of them and held back from fisting her hand against Clay’s arm. What she really wanted to do was toss Dana Britton on her head. It had taken the better part of a year to be noticed by Clay Hollister, and it wasn’t easy at that. Now that Dana was back, Clay was among the missing in relation to her, Linda realized. Well, she had a few tricks in reserve. Clay was a flesh and blood man, and she knew how to work a man.

  Jeff caught sight of Dana, using his index finger to tap at the glass on his watch.

  “I know, I know, I couldn’t find my shoes,” she started then laughed openly at the grimace her loving brother produced for her. “Relax, Jeffy.” She knew the nickname would send chills up his spine, loving the idea she could still get to him, even after all the time they’d spent apart. “Where’s my nephew? I didn’t come home to stand here getting a lecture from you.” She scanned the crowded room to her right, then her left, until she spotted Lisa holding a small bundle wrapped in white. “There he is. See you later.” She kissed his cheek lightly then wove her way through the crowd toward the guest of honor.

  It struck her how happy Jeff and Lisa looked. Their glances to each other held a hint of the passion and understanding they had found together. A match made in heaven, Dana decided, and had a fleeting thought if she would ever have something so special in her life.

  Dana smiled, hugged, and greeted old friends and family. She had planned her homecoming with the christening. When Adam was born, she was finishing up her scheduled commitments, refusing to add any more to her book. Professionally, Dana Britton was retiring. She would still do some charity work of her choice, but her days of modeling before the cameras were winding down. Instead, she looked forward to a more normal existence. Moving back to the coastal Carolina home she had left ten years before was her only hope of finding what was missing from her life.

  Chapter Two

  The simple ceremony was held in the one-room stone chapel that sat apart from the rest of the house. Its own freestanding building, it had been built with the rest of the landscape in mind, its stained glass windows reflecting the southern light. Dana remembered the stories of the arguments her parents had had, her father finally giving in and building the chapel for her mother when they married.

  Her mother was new to the area, having met her handsome fiancé away at college. They drifted apart just after graduation. Her father had traveled to her Napa Valley home a few years later, winning her heart. He had wanted to establish himself before asking for her commitment. The house was almost completed, the farm just starting to turn a profit again, when he brought her home. She adapted easily, except that she felt the place was missing something. When their wedding plans were being finalized, she had put her foot down. She would not be wed outside of the church. However, Dana’s father felt they should be married at home. Hence, the chapel he built as her wedding present. From then on, every important ritual had taken place in the small stone space. For the ceremony, only their longtime family friend Reverend Frost stood in front of the font, Jeff and Lisa to one side, Dana and Clay to the other. Their father’s sister, Mary, was the only remaining relative, along with her husband Leo. They sat in the first pew to witness the ceremony. Ruth, their long time housekeeper, sat across the aisle.

  The small bundle in her arms was anointed without waking from his nap. When they exited the chapel, Dana gave the baby back to Lisa. Watching them walk back toward the house where sixty friends and extended family members gathered to celebrate, Dana hung back, retreating into the cool, quiet space. There alone, she let herself have a good cry, which was cleansing in many ways, as just being home helped to soothe her.

  Clay stood in the open doorway of the chapel, wondering if he should stay or leave. He had never seen Dana cry, not even when she broke her arm falling from a horse as a skinny twelve-year-old. Even when h
er father had been killed, she stood stoic beside Jeff, refusing to let her tears escape before the prying eyes of those gathered to mourn him.

  These tears bothered him. He wasn’t sure why, but they did. Quietly he went and sat on the wooden pew behind her, leaning over to hand her a white handkerchief. He saw her stiffen when she realized she wasn’t alone. After several long minutes of quiet, she finally spoke.

  “Don’t worry, I haven’t gone soft on you, it’s just this miracle of life thing got to me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  As she turned to look back at him, he noted her posture change. “We have company,” she told him quietly.

  Clay wasn’t sure if that meant she wouldn’t or couldn’t continue their conversation now that they weren’t alone. Something deep inside her hurt. That was what he felt. Somehow Dana was wounded inside, and his need to make it better was being stifled. Without turning to see who was approaching, he asked her quietly, “Want me to send them away?” Her brown eyes twinkled from the colored light reflecting through the windows. Her profile didn’t waver, but he stared at her lips, longing to kiss her. Dana never got a chance to answer him.

  “There you two are. Lisa asked me to find you, lunch is about to be served, and the godparents are a no-show.” Clay stiffened when he recognized Linda’s voice. While her tone was light sounding, Clay didn’t buy her polite and teasing attitude. He’d met women like her in the past. She had an agenda and it soured his stomach to realize he was on it.

  “Linda, we were just coming along. It’s amazing to us both that Jeff has a son of his own now. Time seems to go so quickly these days.” Dana let her voice trail off, accepting that Linda didn’t care. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll slip inside and repair the damage from this silly crying jag.”

  Clay almost told her not to go, that she didn’t need to be repaired, she was more beautiful now with puffy cheeks and watery brown eyes than ever before, but one glance at Linda and he knew to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he stood, offering his arm to Linda. “Shall we? I’m starved. This godfather thing makes a man hungry.”

  “Oh, Clay, believe me, I know what to feed you then,” Linda purred back. His stomach flipped again but not in a good way, more like instant nausea.

  Dana felt a shiver of repulsion run through her, wondering if Clay had enough sense to see where Linda was leading him. With a shake of her head, she walked around the chapel and in the kitchen door, up to her old room using the back staircase. There, she gave herself five minutes to regain her composure then fixed her makeup and headed downstairs.

  At the top of the stairs, she halted, taking deep breaths for control. Jealousy was a new emotion for Dana. It had first happened when she saw him across an airport several years before, a slim blonde on his arm. It had taken all her strength not to go to him that day, knowing she couldn’t trust herself not to make a fool of herself at that point. During the next few months, every time she pictured the scene she had witnessed, it turned her sick inside. Dana knew Clay dated, but seeing him with the stranger had hit her on such a base level it scared her. Never before had she felt so bitter. It was then she started limiting her trips home. Avoiding the situation seemed the best way for her to handle it. Now she knew she would have to deal with it. “Not today,” she said aloud, checking her appearance one last time.

  Lisa and Jeff both watched Dana out of the corner of their eyes. They knew something was wrong, but all Dana had told them was she had decided she missed home and was moving back. She had dismissed all their attempts to dig deeper, yet the couple knew something was haunting her, something she wasn’t ready to deal with. Until she was ready, the most they could do was offer her love and support.

  Jeff’s wandering looks found Lisa across the room. Seeing him holding Adam on his shoulder, she let out a sigh. She was thankful her body was returning to normal after the birth, wanting to be the stunning woman he married once again. The miracle of it all surfaced, and she held back a few stray tears that threatened to escape.

  Lisa went about her hostess duties, urging everyone to have seconds, accepting compliments directed toward the new Britton heir. For the most part it was routine, except for the family. Lisa loved the idea of having a family close-by. She had grown up an only child, lonely and forgotten to sitters most of the time. Deep inside, the one thing she knew was that she would raise her children, not a nanny.

  Their longtime housekeeper was given more responsibility after Adam was born, Lisa turning her attentions to her husband and baby. The house ran smoothly before Lisa came to live there. It would continue to do so under the careful eye of Ruth. The two women had come to an understanding early on, when Lisa had first been introduced to the household. She had taken the initiative, asking Ruth to lunch the day after she had accepted Jeff’s marriage proposal. What could have turned into a power play, she managed to turn into a loving relationship. She wasn’t interested in changing the way Ruth ran the house; in fact, she was relieved to have those duties taken from her. It would give her time to concentrate on her new husband and still allow her time for her painting. She and Ruth had slowly learned to trust each other and eventually to confide in one another. Lisa made a point of always including Ruth in all family occasions, coming to think of her as more of a parent figure than she had ever considered her own.

  Ruth made the transition easy for Lisa. She knew what was going on in town all the time, who needed to be appeased and who didn’t. Their friendship had grown through the three years she had lived there as Mrs. Jeffrey Britton, a friendship she valued and nurtured. Adam would call Ruth Aunt Ruth, no matter what Aunt Mary had to say about it. All Lisa’s children would. Jeff saw nothing wrong with it, and his was the only opinion that mattered. Catching Ruth’s eye, she smiled, knowing everything was in control.

  Dana filled a plate from the buffet and made a point of carrying it with her for a long time. If anyone noticed, they would see her laughing and talking with friends and family she had missed for the past three years. It was easy to fall back into the little girl that was fussed over by her aunt and uncle, as well as all of the employees at the farm. She had grown up amongst all of them and their families, remembering all the times they protected her or kept her out of trouble.

  Photographs were taken, cake was eaten, couples danced in the atrium as the afternoon progressed. After seven, Dana saw Jeff and Lisa swaying in a corner of the room, Adam close between them.

  “May I interrupt? I haven’t had a chance to dance with my nephew,” she teased, easing the baby from his mother’s arms.

  “I was just going to put him down,” Lisa told her.

  “I know. Stay and dance with your husband. I’ll put him down.”

  “No. Dana, you stay and enjoy the party.”

  “No, you stay and enjoy your guests.” She leaned in to the couple as if her statement was meant for them only. “Besides, it will give me fifteen minutes out of these shoes,” she teased.

  Slowly, Jeff and Lisa smiled at her. Dana cuddled Adam in the crook of her arm then took Jeff’s hand and placed it on Lisa’s waist. “Dance for awhile. We’ll be just fine.” Walking away, she knew the couple would be holding each other close, swaying to the music around them. Walking up to the nursery, she was unaware of the brown eyes that watched every step she took.

  Talking to Adam in a whispered tone, Dana conversed with the baby, assuring him that his parents were nearby, but that he was in safe hands. As she ascended the wide stairs slowly, she thought about Jeff and Lisa. They were a handsome couple, both tall and slim, yet loving toward each other. The first time they met, Dana was home for the holiday from college, Lisa a Christmas Eve guest. No one had to tell her, the looks that crossed between her brother and Lisa confirmed her suspicions. Lisa was a good match for Jeff. She stood her ground against his stubbornness and usually managed to persuade him with laughter. Only her fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes were a switch for Jeff. Usually, he dated brunettes. The following year, on New Year’s Da
y, Jeff had married Lisa in the family chapel. At that same time, Dana realized she had always seen blondes on Clay’s arm. Linda Cole was a blonde, even if it wasn’t natural.

  She smiled remembering what a good time she’d had at their wedding. Foremost in her mind was dancing with Clay, her head resting on his shoulder with his hands tight to her waist. Dana sighed when she thought back to how he’d taken her hand and led her away from the party when it was starting to wind down. She followed without complaint, laughing as he guided her through the house to the small room under the main staircase. It was supposed to be a closet but everyone used the mud porch off the back door. It had become a storage room of sorts over the years, mainly empty now that the good silver serving pieces were being used for the reception. Clay had glanced around, and when he saw nobody was in the hallway, all but pushed her inside. He reached for the switch that lit a single overhead bulb.

  Clay grasped her around the waist and tugged her against him, his lips meeting hers in a kiss she longed for. It was sweet yet sensual, and she never wanted it to end. When he pulled away from her mouth, she started to object until he put his index finger to her mouth.

  “No words, Dana. Be quiet or someone will find us.” What he did next surprised her. He let his hands run down along her hips and when he drew them back up, he had her dress clasped in his fingers. She watched wordlessly as he dropped in front of her and pushed more of the material upward. “Hold this,” he instructed, and she gathered the dress as best she could. What he did next still sent a shiver through her body.

  Dana knew or had hoped what he was going to do, but when he hooked his index fingers under her bikini underwear, she was shocked when he tore them from her body. She’d assumed he’d draw them down her legs, not tear them off. Yet that simple act had set her body into a sexual tilt. With great flair, she watched him tuck them in his pants pocket and lean forward. With the first touch of his mouth to her clit, she sighed.