3, 2, 1...Married!

by Sharon Sala

  Still captured in Holt’s embrace, Bennie didn’t care if they were trapped at the lodge for a week. The longer this magic night lasted, the better. “Guess we’ll be sleeping on the floor tonight. Maybe the inn will provide some pillows and blankets.”

  “Wonder if all the rooms are booked?” Holt mused aloud.

  “Probably, but I suppose we could ask.”

  “Come on.” Holt grabbed her hand and led her off the dance floor and through the restaurant.

  A pair of French doors led to the lobby of the inn. The manager, a short, stout man of about sixty, met them the moment they entered. His small gold nameplate read Mr. T. Perkins.

  “Mr. Jackson.” The manager offer his hand. “I hope everything has been satisfactory tonight.”

  Holt shook the man’s hand. “Everything’s been just fine, except for this bad weather.”

  “Yes, it is rather frightening to think that the Butler Bridge is impassable, but I’m sure that once the rain stops and the river waters subside, y’all will be able to get back to Fairmount.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. My guess is that we should get out of here by tomorrow afternoon, unless it rains all night,” Holt said. “But our main concern is tonight.”

  “Oh? Is there some reason you’re concerned?” Mr. Perkins inquired. “I assure you that your room has been prepared exactly as your secretary instructed. If once you’ve seen it and find anything unsatisfactory, all you need do is let me know and I’ll take care of the problem myself.”

  “My room?” Holt asked.

  “Rene booked us a room?” Bennie’s cheeks flushed. How dare Rene book them a room at the inn! What would Holt think—that she had expected to spend the night with him?

  “Yes, of course,” Mr. Perkins said. “Ms. Lowe reserved our finest—the Blue Room.”

  “I swear to you that I had no idea Rene would go this far,” Bennie explained. “I wasn’t expecting anything beyond dinner.”

  Mr. Perkins cleared his throat. Holt chuckled. Bennie cringed.

  “Well, Mr. Perkins, under the circumstances, I hope you can provide us with a few items for our overnight stay.” Holt grinned wickedly at Bennie.

  “Is there another room available?” she asked.

  “Why no, ma’am. All our rooms are booked.” Mr. Perkins then turned to Holt. “Just what will y’all need, Mr. Jackson? The bathroom is fully stocked and there are robes provided. And of course, per Ms. Lowe’s instructions, a fire has been lit in the fireplace, another bottle of champagne is already chilled and your breakfast will be served in your room whenever—”

  “I get the idea,” Holt said, then winked at Bennie. “Rene really did think of everything, didn’t she?”

  Chapter 5

  A king-size cherry wood canopy bed, draped in endless yards of blue print fabric caught Bennie’s eye the moment she stepped into the room. All the fabric, from curtains to coverlet, complimented the Blue Willow plates that were displayed in the antique bookcase. There was a vague familiarity about the room and its elegant furnishings. She had grown up surrounded by expensive things. Indeed there had been a time when she had taken her family’s wealth and social position for granted.

  Candles burned on the bedside tables and lined the mantel. A glass lantern burned softly in the center of the round table that held a silver ice bucket and a tray of edible delights.

  “Now, this is some room,” Holt said. “Take a good look around you, Bennie. This is the kind of style the right wife for me will have.”

  “Does this remind you of the homes your mother used to clean?”

  “Yeah.”

  Holt strolled over to the double French doors on the far side of the room, then opened them. “Looks like the rain is slacking off.” He glanced over his shoulder at Bennie. “Mind if I leave these open for a while? I kind of like listening to the rain.”

  “No, I don’t mind. As a matter of fact, the cool night air feels pretty good.” She glanced meaningfully at the brightly burning fire in the elaborately decorative fireplace. “It’s really too warm for a fire tonight. But I’m sure Rene didn’t take the temperature into consideration when she placed an order for it.”

  “Rene wasn’t thinking about anything but romance.” Holt turned slowly and inspected the entire room. “That must be the bath.” He nodded toward the door to his left. “You want first dibs?”

  “What?”

  “The bathroom,” he said. “I’d like to take a shower before I turn in.”

  Bennie eyed the enormous bed. “I suppose you’ve noticed that there’s only one bed.”

  “So? It’s a big bed, honey. There’s room enough for both of us.”

  “Are you suggesting that we sleep together?”

  Holt laughed, the gesture crinkling the tiny lines around his eyes. “Yeah, sleep. Nothing more. Your virtue is safe with me.”

  “I wasn’t implying anything else,” she told him. “But you must admit that this is a very awkward situation.”

  “Only if we make it awkward. Just think of this as a business trip and the hotel screwed up our reservations. We’ve had connecting rooms dozens of times and once, in Atlanta, we had to share a room. Remember?”

  Remember? She’d never forget that sleepless night! “There were two double beds.”

  Holt sauntered across the room, dropped down on the bed and bounced several times, then patted the blue-and-white plaid coverlet. “This bed’s so big we’ll never even brush elbows. And it’s comfortable.” He bounced up and down a couple of times as if to test the bed’s sturdiness.

  “All right. I’ll take the bathroom first.” Bennie glanced down at her red dress. “May I have your shirt?”

  “You want my shirt?”

  ‘Yes!” she snapped her reply. “I assume you aren’t going to sleep in it, so I’d like to borrow it for a nightshirt.”

  “Oh. Sure. No problem.”

  Bennie looked everywhere except at Holt. She scanned the hand-painted settee at the foot of the bed. A needlepoint pillow and a pale-pink cashmere shawl lay against one of the slender ebony arms. Tapping her foot nervously, she darted a glance at Holt. His unbuttoned shirt hung open, revealing a wide expanse of swirling brown chest hair. She sucked in a deep breath and looked away hurriedly. Her gaze rested on the bamboo étagère in the corner by the bathroom.

  “Here we go,” he said.

  Bennie turned around just in time to see Holt’s hunter-green shirt flying through the air toward her. She reached out, grabbed the shirt and pressed it to her chest.

  “Thanks.”

  She tried desperately not to look at his naked chest, but she couldn’t help herself. Mercy! He was beautiful. He had such broad shoulders, such big arms and such a washboard-lean belly. And his chest! Swirls of honey-brown hair spread out between his tiny nipples in a triangle shape and dissected his body from collarbone to navel…and below. His jeans fit snugly, accentuating his narrow hips and defining the oh so masculine part of his lower body.

  Tiny fireworks exploded in Bennie’s stomach, sending shock waves through her system. Heat suffused her body.

  “Take as long as you’d like in the bathroom.” Holt glanced at the champagne bottle chilling in a silver bucket on the round table in front of the French doors. “I think I’ll open the champagne. Since I’m paying for it, there’s no need to let it go to waste.”

  “I won’t be long.” Bennie rushed into the bathroom, closed the door, then leaned against the door as she caught her breath.

  How was she going to sleep in the same bed with Holt and keep her hands off him? But if she made the first move and Holt rejected her, she’d feel like even more of a fool than she already did.

  So help me, God, when I get my hands on Rene, I’m going to choke her! She overstepped her bounds when she reserved a room for Holt and me.

  Bennie took her time undressing, making sure to fold her red dress neatly. She’d have to wear it out of here tomorrow and she didn’t want to leave the inn looking lik
e a rumpled mess.

  A big claw-foot tub awaited her. A variety of toiletries, including her favorite rose-scented soap and lotion, lined the vanity. A dozen candles in various-size brass-and-crystal holders filled the room—on the windowsill, on the vanity, on the floor. A separate shower enclosure nestled in the corner. And two plush, terry cloth robes hung on a brass rack.

  She’d already had one long, relaxing bubble bath today, so she opted for a quick shower tonight. Trying to tuck all her hair under the shower cap proved an impossible task, so she gave up on stuffing the last few loose strands inside the cap.

  Fifteen minutes later, teeth brushed, body lotion applied and damp hair hanging down around her shoulders, Bennie slipped into Holt’s shirt. The cuffs hung off her fingertips. The hem hit her midthigh. She lifted her arm to her nose and sniffed the sleeve, breathing in the unique smell of Holt Jackson.

  Hugging her arms around her, she closed her eyes. Why, oh, why did she love the man so damn much? You can’t hide away in the bathroom all night. Holt is perfectly all right with this situation, so you should be, too. It doesn’t seem to bother him the least bit that y’all are trapped together for the night.

  Bennie grabbed one of the robes from the brass rack, put it on and tied the belt securely. Squaring her shoulders, she opened the door and marched into the bedroom.

  Damn! She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Holt. He had stripped down to his briefs and, with a glass of champagne in his hand, rested leisurely against the frame of the doorway that opened to the small balcony. With his back to her, his shoulders looked six feet wide! Her stomach flip-flopped madly.

  He glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled. For a second there, she thought she was going to faint.

  “Finished?” he asked.

  “Uh…yes, all finished.”

  “The little chocolate mint on my pillow wasn’t half bad. If you don’t want yours, I’ll eat it later.” He held open his hand to show her the unwrapped mint, then dropped it onto the table.

  As he moved toward her, Bennie heard her heartbeat drumming in her ears. Get hold of yourself, she cautioned. At this rate, you’ll be jumping on him the minute he comes to bed. “It’s all yours. The bathroom and the chocolate mint.” She smiled nervously.

  Holt paused at her side on his trek to the bathroom. “If you’re tired, don’t wait up for me.” He caressed her cheek with his knuckles.

  She held her smile in place by sheer force of will. If he touched her again, she would break into a hundred pieces and the shattered fragments of her body would fall at his feet.

  “Right side or left side?” she asked, hoping the tension inside her hadn’t relayed to her voice.

  “Doesn’t matter. I usually sleep all over the bed since I sleep alone.”

  She didn’t move a muscle until he disappeared into the bathroom. Then she doubled over and gasped in huge gulps of air. She couldn’t do this! She could not do this! No way! No how!

  And what was that crack about his sleeping alone? Ha! Ha! Ha! Like anyone would believe that. Holt changed women as often as she changed the sheets on her bed. Weekly! And nobody could convince her that all of those brief relationships were nonsexual.

  Bennie eyed the champagne. Maybe she should get drunk. That way she’d probably fall asleep quickly. Either that or puke her guts out. The only time she’d ever been drunk was the New Year’s Eve when she’d been engaged to Grayson. The romantic evening he had planned turned sour when she spend most of the night in the bathroom throwing up. She had been so nervous at the thought of their making love, she’d drunk way too much.

  Looking back on her engagement to Grayson, she wished she’d gotten drunk the night that they finally had consummated their relationship. It had been the singular most uneventful night of her life. She’d been a virgin and Grayson had been a fumbling, wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am lover. A couple of subsequent tries had been dismal failures, at least as far as she was concerned. She looked back on their breakup with relief. She shuddered whenever she thought how close she’d come to having a miserable life.

  Okay, so scratch the idea of getting drunk! she decided. Just go to bed and pretend you’re asleep.

  Bennie slipped the robe off, laid it on the settee and then crawled into the massive king-size bed. Taking the right side, she shifted her weight until her knees touched the edge. She intended to give Holt plenty of space, otherwise he might think she was coming on to him.

  What a situation! She’d be sharing a bed with the man she loved and yet she couldn’t encourage him to make love to her. If anything happened between them—tonight or in the future—Holt would have to come to her. She didn’t want him regretting anything later and blaming her for seducing him.

  Bennie laughed. Oh, yeah, like she could seduce any man. Her only sexual experiences had been five years ago with the most disappointing lover on God’s green earth.

  Holt took the longest shower of his life. He had never dreaded anything as much as going back into the bedroom and getting into bed with Bennie. Lying next to her, without touching her, would be sheer torture. But Bennie wasn’t the kind of woman you fooled around with and then forgot. She wanted a husband and kids, not a one-night stand. And even if she were willing to settle for less than a commitment, what would their having sex do to their business relationship?

  Keep reminding yourself that you don’t want to lose Bennie as your assistant or your friend.

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. He’d been doing just that for the entire five years he’d known her, and with each passing year, keeping his hands off her had gotten progressively more difficult.

  If anybody had told him that he’d be sharing a bed with a woman he wanted—and wanted badly—without even touching her, he’d have called them crazy. It wasn’t as if he were a Don Juan or anything. He had dated a lot of different women, but all those dates hadn’t ended up in the sack. He had a sixth sense when it came to women—he could easily weed out the ones who had wedding bells ringing in their ears. Those were the kind who could get a guy in big trouble. A girl like Bennie, to whom sex and commitment were synonymous, had always been strictly off-limits.

  If only Bennie did have that prestigious lineage that Rene had fabricated when she’d filled out the form for the personal ad. His life would be so simple if he could ask Bennie to marry him. She was right about their being perfect work partners. And he’d never known anyone he enjoyed being with more. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt being married to a woman who turned him on. Even without love and romance, the sex would be hot enough to set the sheets on fire.

  Damn! Get your mind off sex! Holt stood in the middle of the bathroom, totally naked and painfully aroused. He had a feeling he wouldn’t get much sleep tonight.

  Grumbling to himself, he snatched the robe from the brass rack, stuffed his arms through the sleeves and loosely tied the belt. When he opened the door, he found the bedroom dark and quiet. Apparently Bennie had blown out all the candles, leaving only the kerosene lamp and the soft firelight to illuminate the room. As he crossed the area rug, he noticed that Bennie was curled up on the far right side of the bed. Humph! If she moved an inch closer to the edge, she’ll fall off on the floor.

  Holt removed the robe, tossed it to the foot of the bed, then eased back the covers and slipped under them. He probably should have worn his briefs—had even considered putting them on—but he was used to sleeping naked. And what difference would it make? It wasn’t as if he and Bennie would ever touch during the night.

  The bed was softer than his bed at home. He liked a firmer mattress. Tossing and turning, he tried to find a comfortable position. He jerked the top pillow from under his head and threw it onto the floor. Then he punched the remaining pillow and folded it in half. Spreading out on his back, he tried to relax.

  Minutes ticked by. Bennie didn’t move. He begin to wonder if she was even breathing. She was playing possum, pretending to be asleep, he thought. Well, two could play at that game. Holt closed his eyes, took in a l
ong, slow breath and released it gradually.

  Try as he might, he couldn’t relax. Knowing Bennie was within arm’s reach played havoc with his nerves. And being able to smell that sweet, rose scent that was her signature fragrance was driving him crazy.

  An hour after Holt had come to bed, Bennie felt relatively certain that he was asleep. He hadn’t moved or groaned in quite some time. She was glad one of them would get some sleep tonight. But it wouldn’t be her. Her body ached from lying in one position for so long. Get up and move around, she told herself. If Holt’s asleep, he’ll never know.

  She crept out of bed, then silently padded across the room to the open French doors. The rain had stopped, leaving behind a damp fog that obscured the view. She walked out onto the balcony, allowing the dark night to envelop her. The cool breeze sent shivers up her bare legs. She hugged her arms around her body and listened to the soft wind sighing and the residue of raindrops dripping off the roof.

  Suddenly, strong, warm arms enveloped her. Bennie gasped, then relaxed, leaning her body back against Holt’s chest. His sex pulsated against her buttocks. As he held her close and safe, she realized that somewhere, on a subconscious level, she had known that if she left the bed, he would follow her.

  “What’s wrong, honey? Can’t sleep?” he asked, his voice a whispered breath in her ear.

  “No, I can’t sleep,” she replied, her own voice a hushed sigh.

  “We’re a fine pair, aren’t we?” He nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. “We shouldn’t be here together this way and we both know it.”

  “If I said that I didn’t care about tomorrow, that tonight would be a moment out of time, then would you—”

  He whirled her around to face him. Holding her securely by the shoulders, he gazed into her eyes. “Don’t make me an offer like that, unless you mean it.” Sliding one hand down her shoulder to her waist, he caressed her with gentle strength. With his other hand he cupped the back of her head. “You have no idea how much I want you…or how long I’ve wanted you.”