by Leanne Banks
She bit her lip and tried to stick to reason, but she wanted him more than the warning bell clanging in her brain. “I don’t want to stop, either,” she said and ran her hands over his skin.
He hissed at her touch and pulled her back to his mouth. His kiss spoke of dark, raw need, and something inside her echoed the emotion right back at him. He stripped off her shirt and his, but kept her warm in his arms.
“Cold?” he asked.
Vivian shook her head, reveling in the sensation of her breasts against his chest. The night air was cool, but he was hot and making her hotter with each passing moment. He dropped his mouth to her breasts, and she arched into him.
She couldn’t remember feeling wanted this much. She couldn’t remember wanting this much. He unfastened her jeans and pushed them down, along with her panties. His hands were warm as he caressed her between her legs and she grew damp and restless.
Moving against him, she pulled his mouth to his and kissed him, drawing his tongue into her mouth. His groan of approval aroused her even more, and she reached down to undo his jeans. He was warm and hard, and she enjoyed touching him as intimately as he had touched her.
“Oh, Viv,” he said. “I’m not going to be able to stand much of that.”
“I want you to feel the way I do,” she whispered.
“Lady, I’m already there,” he told her and laid his jacket beneath her on the dock. Shucking his jeans, he pulled protection from his pocket.
A breeze flowed over her body, and for just a second she felt a chill. But he covered her with his warmth.
“How did you just happen to have a condom in your pocket?” she asked, smiling into his eyes.
“I told you. The way you make me feel, I always want to be ready. Now I’m going to make sure you’re ready, too.”
He kissed and caressed his way down her body and back up again until it was all she could do not to beg him to finish her. She felt as if she were in full sensual bloom and need. She might not be verbally begging, but her body sure was.
Touching him again intimately, she found him even harder with need. “Oh, Viv, I’ve got to have you.” He put on the protection and plunged inside her.
His gaze locking with hers, he moved in a rhythm that took them both higher and higher. Sensation chased emotion, and Vivian felt herself burst into a powerful climax. Seconds later, Benjamin thrust deep inside her and stiffened, groaning in pleasure.
Still bracing himself on his forearms, he sank closer to her, kissing her throat. “How’d you get to be so good and bad at the same time?” he asked her.
“I didn’t know I was,” she said, trying to catch her breath. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close, wanting to stay in his embrace as long as possible.
Benjamin rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him. “You okay?” he asked in sexy, husky voice. “Wanna go again?”
“Oh, wow,” she said, feeling a wicked thrill. “Yes, but I’m starting to feel that cool breeze.”
“Can’t have that,” he said and dragged his jacket from beside them to cover her back.
Vivian snuggled against him, savoring the moment, because she knew it couldn’t last forever.
“You’re quiet,” he said. “Regrets already?”
“None,” she told him, meeting his gaze. “But I may be a little sex-drunk.”
“I’ll have to see if I can keep you that way,” Benjamin said.
“That could be dangerous,” she said.
“I’m willing to try it,” he said and took her mouth.
Vivian felt a combination of thrill and fear. She needed to keep the reins on her heart. She’d learned that when she didn’t, things could go badly.
Chapter Eight
Vivian slept so hard she drooled on her pillow and awakened an hour past the time she usually rose. After glancing at her clock, she scrambled out of bed and took a quick shower and dressed. She tried not to think about making love with Benjamin last night, but her body reminded her with subtle aches and awareness. She’d forgotten sex could be a workout, or maybe it never had been for her before.
Grabbing an energy bar and a cup of coffee, she gave a quick greeting to Grayson and checked on Jet. The dog seemed to be resting well. Climbing the stairs, she waved at Jilly and mouthed, “Good morning,” since Jilly was wearing her earphones.
“Hello. This is looking great,” she said to Temple, pausing on her way to the room she hoped to finish painting today.
“Thanks,” Temple said. “Where have you been?”
“I overslept. I guess some of the stress just caught up with me,” she said, even though she knew Benjamin was the reason she’d slept so well.
“You’re not sick, are you?” Temple asked, walking toward her, studying her more closely.
“No. I’m fine,” Vivian said, feeling self-conscious. Even though she knew Temple couldn’t see what Vivian had done on the dock last night, she still felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny. “That extra hour of sleep did wonders. I’ll head on to my assigned room since I’m a bit behind schedule.”
“Wait a minute.” Temple frowned. “What’s wrong with your neck? It looks like you have a bruise,” she said, lifting her finger. “If you were a teenager, I’d suspect a hickey. Have you been having a little too much fun with Benjamin?”
Vivian felt a rush of heat to her face and prayed it didn’t show. “Oh, of course not. It’s not as if I have gobs of extra time.” She rubbed at her neck. “I must have scratched it when I was in the woods looking for Jet yesterday. I was so frantic to find him, I must not have noticed.”
“It doesn’t look like a scratch,” Temple mused.
“Well, it must have happened yesterday. I can’t think of anything else. It’s not bothering me, so I imagine it will go away soon. I really should get on with painting if we’re going to meet our goal. I’ll see you at lunch. Okay?”
Temple nodded. “Okay. Don’t work too hard. We don’t need you getting sick.”
“I’m fine. Thanks, though,” Vivian said over her shoulder as she headed down the hallway. As soon as she entered the bedroom she was painting, she darted into the bathroom to look in the mirror. Sure enough, she saw a bruise on the side of her neck. Swearing, she released her hair from its ponytail in order to cover the telltale mark. She would have to give Benjamin instructions to be more careful next time. She caught herself at the thought and swore again. Not that there would be a next time.
* * *
Benjamin caught a few fish that morning, but they were either too small or they were carp. Nothing worth eating. His mind was mostly on Vivian. He hadn’t expected her to be such a daring lover, but she’d been hot enough to fry him inside and out, and now he wanted more. Not just sex. He wanted more time with her, period.
After he cleaned up, he meandered down the hallway to the room she was painting. With her backside facing him, he couldn’t help thinking about how he’d squeezed her last night. He came up behind her and put his hands on her hips.
“Aren’t you ready for some lunch?”
Vivian squealed, whirling so quickly to face him that he had to dodge her paintbrush. “Whoa,” he said, steadying her hand.
“You startled me. What are you doing, sneaking up behind me like that?” she demanded.
“I wasn’t sneaking. You just didn’t hear me,” he said. “What’s got your panties in a twist?”
“I think Temple may suspect you and I—” she hesitated “—got together last night. I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t want to be teased. I don’t want the speculation.”
“Why would she suspect?” he asked.
“Because you gave me a hickey!” she said in the most outraged whisper he’d ever heard. She lifted her hair to reveal the mark.
“Oops. I don’
t remember...” He shrugged. “Gotta tell you, I pretty much wanted to consume you. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Color rose to her cheeks. “Well, you need to be more careful when we—” She cleared her throat. “If we,” she corrected herself.
“I’ll do my best, but you’re hell on my control. I’m wondering if I might affect you the same way,” he said and pulled back his collar so that she could see the mark she’d left on his neck.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she covered her mouth. “Oh, my, no.” She shook her head. “Are you sure I did that? I mean, I’ve never—not that I can remember, anyway.” She closed her eyes, clearly mortified. “I apologize.”
“Don’t,” he said and pulled her into his arms. “If I’m the first guy you gave a hickey, then I’m honored. You can even do it again if the mood strikes,” he said and chuckled as he brushed his mouth over her forehead.
She glanced up at him. “It’s not funny. I’d like to keep our relationship secret. I don’t want to draw attention.”
“I’m not really big on secrets. I’ve had to deal with a few in my lifetime, and they can turn into a big burden,” he said, thinking of his sister and his parents’ relationship. “But I get that you want to be discreet. I’ll try not to attack you when you’re around other people.”
* * *
That afternoon while Vivian painted and tried not to think about Benjamin, her cell phone rang with an unfamiliar number on the caller ID. She considered not answering because her work calls were filtered through the office, but shrugged and picked up. “Vivian Jackson,” she said, surveying her painting job.
“Hello, Vivian, this is Corinne Whitman Jergenson. Your friend Sela Warren mentioned you are opening a lake house as an intimate wedding venue. My daughter is getting married. Third marriage,” she murmured in a low voice. “We’d like to do this soon. We’ve been visiting my mother in Ashville, and I wondered if Olive and I could pop by your lakeside villa for a peek.”
Vivian nearly dropped her phone. She’d always thought Sela Warren looked down on her as if Vivian weren’t quite good enough, despite the fact that the two of them were active in several charities in Atlanta. Perhaps she did look down on her, if she’d sent the Corinne Whitman Jergenson, whose father owned a quarter of the state of Georgia.
“I’m so flattered. I don’t know what to say. We are nowhere ready to entertain guests. In fact, I’m pa—I’m supervising refurbishment even at this moment.”
“No problem. Olive and I have vivid imaginations. We can picture the possibilities.”
Vivian clenched her jaw and took a deep breath. “Well, I fear Sela may have embellished. You know what a positive person she is. Honeymoon Mountain Lake is more of a hunting and fishing lodge with cabins.”
The deep sound of silence stretched.
Vivian counted to ten, then decided to rescue both herself and the Corinne from continuing discomfort. “I really appreciate your interest, but—”
“We’d still like to visit,” Corinne said. “Olive’s husband-to-be is a professional bass fisherman. And since it’s her third marriage... We’ll arrive in two hours. See you soon.”
“But. But. But.” Vivian realized she was speaking to air. “Oh, crap,” she said and darted from the room.
“Corinne Whitman Jergenson is coming,” she yelled. “We need to straighten up, clean up, make everything perfect,” she said, trying to keep her panic from her voice.
Temple peeked her head outside a room down the hall. “Who is Corinne Whitman Jergenson?” she asked.
“She’s big. Very big. High society in Atlanta. If we impress her, she will say wonderful things about us.”
“So, why is she coming here?” Temple asked.
“It’s her daughter’s third wedding. I guess they’re hedging their bets,” Vivian said. “Start cleaning and straightening, please.”
Vivian continued down the hall and found Jillian happily painting. Her sister was wearing earphones and wiggling her butt as she painted. Vivian knew yelling would do no good, so she tapped Jilly on the shoulder.
Her sister jumped, splattering paint everywhere.
Vivian swallowed several swearwords.
Jillian pulled out her earphones. “What? Why did you startle me?”
“How do I not startle you when you’re wearing earphones?”
Jillian frowned. “Well.” She scowled. “I don’t know. What do you want?”
“We have a big-time potential client coming, so we need to clean up as quickly as we can.”
“Now?” Jillian asked.
“Five minutes ago.”
“Who could be that important?”
“She’s a very influential woman from Atlanta. If she praises us, we’ll be getting bookings with no problems. Her approval is great advertising.”
“And if she doesn’t like the lodge?” Jillian asked.
Vivian made a face. “Let’s not think about that.”
She crammed as much as she could into closets and fluffed the pillows on the sofa and chairs on the porch. As she headed to the bar with a dust rag, a knock sounded at the front door.
Wincing, she stuffed the rag in a cabinet and raced to the door. Just as she opened the door, she realized her hair was in a ponytail and she might still have paint on her face. Alrighty.
Vivian flung open the door and gave her best smile. “Hello, and welcome to Honeymoon Lodge. I wish we could have been better prepared for your visit. Please come in and bear in mind that we’re making improvements.”
Corrine Whitman Jergenson smiled. Her lips moved, but the rest of her face did not. Neither did her hair. Olive wore so much eye makeup and contouring cream.
Olive smiled, however, and the rest of her face moved, so Vivian felt a smidge of relief.
“This looks so charming and rustic. I just know Bubba would approve of it,” Olive said. “He loves hunting and fishing, and I know he loves me for me.”
“Yes, dear,” Corinne said. “Let’s take a look around first. I must ask,” she said to Vivian, “where would you hold the ceremony?”
“We have limited space for large gatherings. Some people use the foyer for their weddings. The stairway offers a grand entrance and can be decorated as you wish.”
“It’s a bit small,” Corinne said.
Vivian’s stomach knotted. “Yes. I’m not sure what size group you want to accommodate.”
“We’re not, either,” Corinne muttered.
“We also offer two outside venues,” Vivian said and led them through the screened-in porch to view the outdoor dock. “If you want a larger group, we can accommodate a wedding by the lake.”
“Oh, that’s beautiful,” Olive said. “Bubba would love it.”
“What if it rains?” Corinne countered.
“Tents can be rented,” Vivian said.
“But the mud,” Corinne said with a frown.
“There is one other option in our bar area,” Vivian said, walking back to the lodge. “We can remove seating. It would be cozy. After the ceremony, we could open the bar and other areas to accommodate the guests.”
Corinne glanced around the area. “It’s a bit dark, but not bad. With a little extra lighting, it could work.”
“I like the outside better,” Olive said.
“Outside venues get too expensive with the need for tents and temperature control, especially since we’d be at the mercy of the weather,” Corinne said. “I can see possibilities here. How many bedrooms are available?”
“We have fifteen rooms in the lodge and seven cabins. I must remind you that our accommodations are more rustic than luxury.”
“Does that mean our guests will use outhouses?”
“Oh, no,” Vivian said. “Our cabins are furnished with comfortable linens,
heat and air-conditioning, bathrooms, and a microwave and minifridge.”
Corinne waved her hand. “That’s more than many luxury resorts offer. Plus, you have an amazing view.” She paused. “And it’s only one weekend.”
Vivian somehow felt as if she’d been patted and slapped at the same time, but forced a smile. “Well, thank you so much for stopping by.”
The back door flung open and Jet ambled into the room with Benjamin behind him, carting a cooler. Jet dumped a dead fish at Vivian’s feet.
Benjamin glanced from Vivian to the visitors and shook his head. “Jet got out again. He grabbed one of my fish. I guess he was determined to bring it to you.”
Despite the disdainful glare of Corinne, Vivian knew what she had to do. Poor Jet had been depressed for so long. She bent down and petted him. “Sweet boy. You’re such a good boy. Jet was my father’s dog,” she began.
Olive wrinkled her nose. “That smell. Is it the fish?”
Unfortunately not. The smell was Jet. Before Vivian could say or do anything, she caught sight of Millicent at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a house robe. “Oh, dear,” she said. “Do we have visitors? This is my first day I can take on the stairs by myself.”
“Good for you,” Vivian said. “I’m so pleased for you.” She turned to Corinne. “Mrs. Jergenson, I know you can appreciate overcoming a disabling injury. Everyone is familiar with your charity work.”
Corinne lifted her chin with an expression of pride. “Yes, of course I understand. I’ve volunteered many hours of my time, and my husband has even donated a wing to the hospital.” She walked to Millicent and offered her hand. “Congratulations on your improvement. I’m sure you’ll be back to your old self in no time.” She then turned to her daughter. “Olive, we should go. Miss Jackson, thank you for your hospitality. We’ll contact you if we need further information.”
“Thank you for stopping by,” Vivian said, and the door closed behind Corinne and her daughter.
Her sisters appeared suddenly as if they’d been hiding in the woodwork. “How do you think it went?” Temple asked.
