by Sara Daniel
“Yes, everything. As long as it’s from you.”
“Wrong answer.” Damn him, he rejoiced in knowing she wanted everything because it came from him. He thrust his finger deep into her wetness.
She screamed his name as her muscles shuddered around him.
He couldn’t let her come while his name spilled from her lips. He planned to make her mindless for pleasure, not for him. His need too great to alter his plans, he pulled his hand free and yanked off his pants and briefs then rolled on the condom.
“What’s the right answer?” she begged.
“Say you want this.” He slid his finger into her again then added a second one, stretching her hot, wet body. Oh Lord, he wanted her, more than he could have ever dreamed.
“Yes, I do. I want you so badly.” Eyes still closed, she writhed under him. Reaching up, she clamped her arm around his neck.
He allowed her to pull him down, but instead of kissing her lips, he dropped his face to her chest, tugging her nipple into his mouth. Her cries, feverish skin, and straining muscles consumed him. Every inch of her fully engaged him, as she begged for more of what he desperately gave.
Teasing her clit to increase her mindlessness, he thrust his fingers, and she convulsed against his hand. “Ca—”
He sucked her breast until his half-spoken name turned into a scream. Then he ripped her underwear off. Tossing it aside, he repositioned himself above her. But as he stared down at her passion-filled face, he had to remind himself. “This is only physical. We’re doing it because we’re getting our lust out of the way.”
“Because what we have is unstoppable.” She lifted her hips, meeting him.
He plunged inside, unable to stop, regardless of whether their minds were in the same place. Their bodies had taken over, which meant he’d achieved a purely physical connection.
Buried inside her hot sweetness, he found his home and stability, his touchstone. He rocked against her. She moaned and wrapped her legs around him, driving him in deeper. He thrust, first in rhythm, then in desperation.
She shuddered. “Caleb!”
He lunged against her, her body and her words driving him over the edge. Covering her mouth with his, he kissed her, drinking her emotions to keep her from screaming his name, and worse, her love for him.
“Olivia.” He gasped, showering her with a passion more explosive than anything he’d ever experienced before. Because of her. Because Olivia changed everything.
He’d failed at everything he’d set out to do. Fortunately, failure felt like nirvana.
* * * *
Ethan had hoped Penelope would make herself at home in his condo, but as her eyes widened and darted around the spare bedroom, he couldn’t let her think she had no other options. “If you want to go to a hotel, I’ll drive you over and reserve a room for you.”
“No, this is fine. More practical. Cheaper. I need a couple of minutes to myself.”
He stepped out of the doorway, and she closed the door in his face. His cell phone vibrated against his hip, and he reluctantly left her alone to take his mother’s call. “I’m a basket case,” he confided, shuffling away from the closed door. “I’ve brought a girl home who’s spending the night in the spare bedroom, instead of mine, and I have no idea what to do.”
“Hallelujah. You’ve fallen in love. When’s the wedding?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Actually, Caleb thinks he’s going to marry her.”
“The girl you love?” Mom’s outrage brought a smile to his lips. “Does he love her too? No, of course not, not Caleb. Don’t you dare let him stand in your way. All the other poppycock doesn’t work without love. Does the girl love you?”
“I don’t know.” For as many emotional clues as she gave off, her feelings about him remained a mystery. “She doesn’t have much experience. I’m out of my element.”
“Out of your element.” She laughed. “That’s a first.”
Penelope hurried through the room toward the kitchen. “Sorry to disturb you. I’m getting a glass of water.”
“Is that her? Let me talk to her,” Mom said against his ear.
He held out the phone and relayed the request.
“Why?” Penelope didn’t reach for it.
He held it up to her ear. “Ask her yourself.”
She took it and stepped back, answering his mother’s questions of who, where, and what they were doing together. She broke the news that he’d quit his job to work for her. He’d definitely get an earful the next time the phone rang.
Her voice vibrated with excitement and hope as she described her company and their goals. Her anticipation over what they were building together made enduring his mother’s grilling and optimism for his doomed love life worthwhile.
“I’m going to change your perfume mix,” she said into the phone. “I got it all wrong, so don’t let Caleb give it to you yet...No, no, it was definitely Caleb. Give me a couple of weeks. If I had my supplies with me, I’d work on it tonight...You want me to what?” Her face turned red then paled. “I’m sorry. You misinterpreted what Ethan and I do together.” Her hand shook as she returned the phone to him.
“She’s the one,” Mom crowed into Ethan’s ear. “I’m going to schedule some time off to meet her in person.”
The phone disconnected before he could protest. He set it aside and focused on Penelope. “My mother likes you.”
“She’s very nice, and she thinks the world of you.” Her voice, as well as her knees, trembled.
“What, exactly, did she say to you?”
“She told me to jump you.”
No wonder she teetered on the verge of a breakdown. He held his arms out at his sides. “Go ahead. Make my dreams come true.”
She shook her head and backed away. “I don’t have a clue how to fulfill your dreams.”
Ironic, as she was the only one who could.
Chapter 18
Caleb refastened his pants. Exposed and vulnerable, he added his suit coat too. His tie strangled him before he completed the knot, so he tossed it on the bed where Olivia slept naked on the bedspread. He attempted to cover her by folding an edge of the fabric over her, but one of her nipples remained on glorious display.
He groaned, and his body hardened. Worse, tenderness filled him. Her ecstasy had unraveled him. As she’d consumed his entire world, he’d kissed her, swallowing her words of love and nearly declaring his own emotions. Hell, the words remained on the tip of his tongue.
He needed to regain his perspective and couldn’t do so with her in the same room. “Wake up.”
She rolled on her side, tugging the comforter with her, and held out her hand to him. “Caleb, come back to bed.”
God, she tempted him, but he couldn’t toss aside his core beliefs, no matter how much he wanted her. He hardly remembered the person who’d strode so confidently in front of The Brighid Show cameras last week. His marriage theories had still been valid, his books a foundation of solid advice, and he’d known how to fix his clients’ problems. “Sleeping together was a mistake.”
She sat up, the comforter pooling in her lap. “Because I didn’t stop loving you like you thought?”
He could still make her stop. Yes, he’d break her heart, but by the time her son returned, she’d be over him and coasting on an even emotional keel. Hurting her now was the best thing he could do for her, for Austin, and for himself, even if it killed him. “I’m an ass, remember? And I’m kicking you out now.”
“You didn’t think I was so awful when you were fingering my naked body.”
“Physical desire doesn’t give us a personal connection.” Not according to his plan, so why did he feel like he’d sliced his heart in half? He tossed her sweater to her, but her panties were beyond repair, so he tucked them in his pocket to hide the evidence of his desperation.
“I’d feel sorry for you if I thought you really believed that.” She tugged her sweater over her head and stood, shoving her arms in the sleeves.
She wrestled the bedspread around her waist several times, covering her lower half in an unwieldy skirt. “Here’s the truth. We had an emotional, as well as a physical, connection, and we’d be making love right this minute if you’d stop being so stubborn and accept my love.”
“I need you out of my life. If you won’t do it for me, then think of Liam. I need to do what’s right for him, and I can’t when I’m with you.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she pointed a finger at his chest. “However horrible I am for you, do not tell me I didn’t do what was best for Liam.” She stormed toward the door.
He closed his eyes, shamed by his accusation. “I’m sorry.”
She paused, peering over her shoulder at him. “For what?”
“For what I said about Liam. You’ve been an amazing caretaker. And I’m also sorry for having sex with you. I never should have touched you. I made a mistake, and I take full responsibility.”
Hitching the comforter above her ankles, she shot him a look full of regal reproach. “The correct term is making love. The mistakes, though, were definitely yours.”
* * * *
Ignoring her bowl of soggy breakfast cereal, Penelope dialed Olivia’s number, hoping to finish the conversation before Ethan emerged from the shower and witnessed another round of her humiliation.
“I’m such a dork. I left my purse at home.” Go ahead. Say it. I can’t take care of myself.
“It’s okay. I’ll send it with Caleb when he leaves.” Her sister sounded a little sniffly, probably because she missed Austin.
“I need more than the purse. Ethan’s been great about handling everything. But I need you.” There, she said it.
“If he’s taking care of everything, you don’t need me.”
“I do! I only have the clearance dress I bought five years ago for Aunt Carla’s wedding, and I need you to help me shop for something better. Ethan said the dinner party and talk show could really help our company if I don’t screw up.”
“He didn’t mention anything about you screwing up.”
Nobody had to say it. She knew what they were thinking. The bathroom door opened, and her heart pounded while sweat gathered in the usual places.
Ethan sauntered into the kitchen and poured a bowl of cereal from the box she’d left out.
“I’m happy to go shopping with you,” Olivia said over the phone. “But where am I going to stay and what will I do while you’re at the party?”
“You can share my room at Ethan’s.”
His hand stilled on the cereal box.
“Olivia,” she mouthed to him, then spoke into the receiver again. “If he doesn’t have a date to the party, maybe you can team up with him.”
He stared straight at her, until she thought her heart would pound out of her chest. “I don’t have a date,” he said at last. “Tell Olivia I’m saving a spot on my right arm for her.”
“Did you hear that?” she said into the phone.
He snatched the receiver from her. “When you come, bring a couple dozen scones. The almond-poppy seed ones are my favorite. Bring a lot of them...What do you mean you’re not sure you’re coming?...Fine, I’ll go in the dressing room with Penelope.”
She yelped and lunged across his chest for the phone. “You have to come. I need an opinion from my sister, not some guy who wants me in red sequins with plunging cleavage that I’ll never fill.”
“You’d look great in red sequins,” Ethan said, his face inches from hers. “And I’ll be the judge of your cleavage.”
Her heart thundered so loudly the entire city probably heard it. “Olivia, I need you.”
“All right, I’m coming. How do I get there?”
* * * *
So much for her plan to stay out of Caleb’s sight until he left. Olivia shouldered her overnight bag and stood by the front door as he emerged from his room with his final load of luggage and Liam strapped in the infant seat.
“Is something wrong with my checkout slip?” He looked no happier with their reunion than she.
“No.” He’d left a tip so generous she now had a down payment on her building renovations. “I’m going to New York too.”
“No, you’re not.”
Liam whimpered and squirmed against his car seat straps.
She resisted stepping forward to soothe the baby. “Your date wants me to take her shopping, and I’m attending the dinner with your brother. If you want to cancel your taxi, we can take my car to the airport.” Because of the storm, he hadn’t been able to get an immediate replacement on his damaged rental car.
“Actually, Maude Richardson is driving. I asked her to spend a couple of days in New York caring for Liam until I can hire a regular babysitter.”
As he spoke, the older woman’s Buick rolled up the driveway. Within five minutes, they were all settled in the vehicle and driving away from The Scot’s Mansion. Olivia amused Liam with an assortment of books and toys, even as her mind wandered.
Caleb needed to fall in love, and despite her dreams and desires, he hadn’t fallen for her. Even though it ripped her heart in two, she had to somehow steer her sister to heal the scars on his heart.
Austin would still depend on his mother for a few more years, but he was growing up fast, needing her less every day. All too soon he would leave home. And her time left with Liam...well, she could count it in hours and minutes.
Eventually, she’d have foster children—some younger, some older—who needed her for a while. Despite believing the parent and child bond created the only lasting love, she now understood a child’s presence would never be truly permanent. She had no one to share her life with.
“Do we need to stop for breakfast before we get to the airport?” Maude asked.
“No time,” Caleb said.
“I brought scones. No tea, preserves, or butter. Just cold, dry scones, but I’ll share.” Olivia gave up trying to entice Caleb. Her efforts only backfired.
“I’ll take one. It’s better than starving,” he said.
Not quite the endorsement she’d choose for the summer brochure, but she passed him a plain scone along with Maude’s preferred orange currant flavor.
He held the triangular biscuit on his palm and examined the golden brown top. “This is lighter than I expected. Lighter in color too.” He flipped it over. “You didn’t burn the bottom.”
“Of course not.” She returned her attention to Liam. Scores of guests had deemed her scones perfect, but Caleb would find something lacking. He’d certainly found plenty lacking in her.
A moan tore from deep in his throat, a raw sound of sensual pleasure...or perhaps an allergic reaction. Despite her resolve, she looked up. He’d devoured half the scone and wasn’t stopping.
“I’ve never tasted anything so soft and flaky and delicate,” he proclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me they were so good? I would have eaten them every day.”
She dug her nails into the door armrest. “I did tell you. When my words don’t mesh with your preconceived ideas, you simply don’t believe me.”
“Can I have another scone? Name your price. I’ll pay.”
If only. Considering, she tapped her fingernails on the armrest. Now that she’d reached him on one front, could she get him to reconsider the truth in other areas?
Maude turned the car turned into the tiny parking lot of the regional airport. They exited the car, and she headed for the bathroom before they boarded.
After taking Liam’s car seat from the car, Olivia turned to Caleb. “My price for the scones is a kiss.”
His expression hardened. “We’re not kissing. I have a son and can’t afford emotional entanglements.”
Her heart soared. “So you admit I make you feel real emotions.”
“I’m saying you’re wrong for me. You’re wrong for Liam. And you’re wrong for Forever.”
She flinched but refused to back down. “You’re right that I’m wrong for Forever. But if you’re putting your stupid theories above your happine
ss and your son’s happiness, then you’ll both suffer. You might deserve it, but he doesn’t.”
“I’m making choices to minimize his suffering.”
“In that case,” She held out the bag of scones, “you can have all of them. You need something you can find pleasure in for the rest of your life.”
* * * *
Dreading the meeting but unable to put it off, Caleb walked into the conference room. His lawyers sat on one side of the table, while Jennifer’s lawyers sat across from them and she paced the floor across the room.
She stopped and looked at him. “Can I talk to you for a minute without these guys?”
“I recommend you keep all conversations where we are present,” his head legal counsel advised.
If only she’d approached him this way from the beginning instead of detonating his life with the national TV bombshell. Ignoring the advice, he ushered Jennifer into a side room. “Why the sudden need for privacy?”
She resumed pacing again. “I am so sick of your lawyers going on and on about how Liam is only ‘allegedly’ your child. By all means, do the paternity test thing so you can have proof. In the meantime, stop insinuating I slept with a different guy every night.”
He didn’t approve of the campaign to cast doubt on his son’s paternity and had ordered it stopped as soon as he learned of its existence, but he had no reason to believe he wasn’t one of many. Unlike his night with Olivia, their encounter hadn’t been special or meaningful.
“I’d broken up with my boyfriend three months before we hooked up and hoped he and I would patch up our differences when he came back from Afghanistan. I wasn’t interested in finding someone to take his place. That’s why I wasn’t on birth control. The night with you was just an accident.”
In more ways than one, apparently.
“Look, you were pretty drunk and passed out right after you came, so maybe you don’t remember but the condom broke.”
He didn’t remember anything but blaming Ethan for his drunken stupor. Of course, his brother’s confession put the blame back on him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “Scared. Lonely. I missed having a boyfriend. No offense, but I didn’t want anything long term with you. At first, I thought a baby would replace my need for Jay, but the loneliness was worse. I hated being a mother. I only want to be Jay’s girlfriend.”
