by Sara Orwig
He lowered his head to kiss her. The moment his mouth covered hers, urgency and need swept her. She moaned softly, lost in wanting him, knowing she was breaking all her own rules for herself, yet unable to resist. She wanted his arms around her and longed for his kisses.
His arms tightened around her, drawing her close against him as he leaned over her to kiss her possessively. Her heart pounded while she slipped her arm around his neck. He held her with one arm while his other hand caressed her nape and then her back, moving to her waist to tug her blouse free of her slacks. His hand slipped beneath the silk to caress her breast as he shifted her slightly. His warm hand on her breast stirred a shower of tingles, sparks that fell on growing fires within her.
She moaned, her voice dim in her ears. She poured herself into her kisses, wanting him blindly, tossing all caution aside, knowing there would be another time to worry about succumbing to him.
“Ahh, Ava, you’re marvelous,” he whispered, showering kisses on her, and then his mouth settled on hers again, a fierce, passionate kiss that made her ache with desire. He pushed away the flimsy lace bra she wore and cupped her breast. As his thumb lightly circled her nipple, she gasped with pleasure, moving against him.
She tugged his shirt free, slipping her hand beneath it to run her fingers across his muscled chest, tangling her fingers in his thick chest hair, relishing being able to touch him as he caressed her.
A dim voice of caution persisted and she finally stepped back. “Will, this isn’t part of why I’m here and it doesn’t fit my plans. I don’t want a summer fling and I’m not ready for any emotional upheaval.” The words tumbled out breathlessly. She moved away to pull her clothes back in place and give them both a chance to cool. Reason and caution should prevail. Yet as she tried to cling to logic, she longed to step back into his embrace and kiss him.
His breath was warm on her nape and he moved close behind her, his arm circling her waist. He pressed against her backside, drawing her against him.
“You’re fabulous, and I want to kiss and touch you all night. You need to live again, Ava. You’re shutting yourself away. Touching and kissing isn’t commitment. Stop being afraid to enjoy life a little.”
“I can’t get emotionally involved,” she repeated, turning to face him. “Are you listening to me?”
He continued to hold her. “Yes, I hear you,” he replied, his gaze traveling over her features while he combed long strands of her hair away from her face. He gazed into her eyes again and then leaned close to kiss her.
One more kiss, and then she would make him stop and mean it. Time and thought ceased and she was consumed by his kisses that grew more passionate. His arm tightened around her waist, holding her tightly against him. She had one arm around his shoulders, one hand on his back.
She pulled away and tried to catch her breath. “Will, let’s get back to safe topics and just talk.”
“All right, for now.” He stood beside a sofa. “Come sit while we talk.”
She curled up in one corner of it. He sat facing her a few feet away, but he stretched out his arm across the back to touch her hair and wind his fingers in it. While the slight tugs on her scalp made her tingle, she tried to ignore them.
“So do you know where to get a puppy like the one she picked out?”
“Yes. I’ve even seen the available litters and all are either ready to pick up this week or will be by next week. The puppies are twelve weeks old now, which is a good age. We’ll have to drive to Fort Worth to get the one she selected.”
“That’s all great, Will.”
“The Yorkie litter is in Lubbock. Frankly, I’m glad she didn’t pick that one or we would have had a long drive.”
“Which you would have done without any protest,” she said, amused that he even voiced the complaint about the drive when he was so eager to make Caroline happy.
“Besides, you could meet my parents, since they live in Lubbock.” She smiled. “I think Caroline will love having a puppy so much.”
He turned strands of Ava’s hair in his hand. “I like being at home in the evenings. I’ve always traveled a lot so this is new for me.”
“Good. It’ll be better for your niece. That could be why she was more responsive tonight.”
“I don’t think so. We got more out of her today—that’s your doing. And the pup. I’ve been around all along. Though, granted, not for those two weeks. So how did reading with her go today?” he asked, winding the lock of hair around his finger.
“No different than yesterday. I don’t see that as a setback.”
“I agree. I had lunch with my brother Zach today. I couldn’t bring him home because he was short on time. He’ll be back when they read Dad’s will. You’ll meet all my family then—my mother will be here briefly, both brothers. Garrett, who you met at the opera, will be present because he’s like a brother. His dad worked for mine and they were close. The reading shouldn’t take long and I expect it will occur soon.”
Listening, she looked into his thickly lashed dark eyes and thought about their kisses. The new dog, Will’s enthusiasm, his conversation, all of it diminished until she didn’t hear anything for thinking about his kisses and how she was getting closer to him, drawing nearer to seduction.
After a while he leaned toward her and held her chin lightly with his fingers. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve been saying.”
Jolted, she focused on him. “Yes, I have.”
“Right,” he stated in a tone that conveyed the opposite. “So what do you think?”
Her face was hot. “Sorry. I was thinking about Caroline’s puppy.”
“No, you weren’t. You were thinking about us.”
“There is no ‘us.’”
He smiled knowingly. “So tell me, where’s this school of yours going to be located? Do you have property yet?”
“I’m looking at areas in Austin and also San Antonio. San Antonio has a diverse population, although there isn’t a city in the U.S. that can’t use a school focused on reading. It will probably be Austin because I know the city better and it will be easier. I won’t have to move.”
“What about Dallas?”
“No. Austin is where I live and I’m more familiar with the city.”
“Who is looking for property for you?”
She told him the name of the real estate group, aware he had scooted closer and stroked her nape lightly, stirring far more tingles than he had by twisting locks of her hair. He asked questions about her plans, nodding, making few comments and no suggestions, which surprised her. She suspected wheels were turning in his mind and he could make quite a few suggestions if she asked for them.
Several times while they talked about various topics, she intended to tell him it was time to go. Instead, she was pulled into the conversation until she saw it was almost three in the morning. She stood. “Will, it’s so late. I’ll fall asleep tomorrow while I play with Caroline.”
“I doubt that, but we can turn in,” he said, standing and draping an arm casually across her shoulders as he walked beside her.
Chatting about the next day’s schedule, they headed out of the room. She waited while he locked the front door and then they climbed the steps. Each step brought her closer to telling him good-night and the awareness they would kiss sent her pulse galloping again.
Would she be able to turn him away at her door?
Seven
He entered her suite with her, closed the door and drew her into his arms to kiss her. She held him tightly, kissing him with pent-up passion that was tinged with anger that he had broken through the barrier she had kept around herself for the past six years.
Leaning against the closed door, he pulled her against him while he kissed her. Desire blazed, a stronger need than ever. After a few moments, he shifted slightly and his fingers tugged free the buttons of her blouse. While his hands flew over her, clothing fell away. His warm hands cradling each breast fanned flames. His gaze roamed slowly, carefully over her.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, his dark brown eyes a silent echo of his words. He leaned down to draw his tongue in circles on her nipple, a leisurely torment before he moved to her other breast. Gripping his arms, she gasped with pleasure. Wanting the slight barriers between them gone, she yanked free his shirt. He pulled it over his head to toss aside.
His bronzed chest rippled with muscles, capturing her attention. She had to touch the thick mat of chest hair that narrowed to a single line that disappeared below his belt. The moment her fingers made contact, he groaned, his response stirring her in turn.
“We do things to each other,” she whispered.
“Magic,” he whispered, then kissed her neck.
He wrapped her in his arms again to hold her close and kiss her. Why did it seem urgent to kiss him? Realizing she was racing headlong toward calamity, she stopped.
She stepped away, yanking up her blouse and holding it in front of her.
“Good night, Will. You have to go.”
His dark gaze bore through her while he reached out to grasp her shoulder. “Sometime soon you will not tell me to go.” His eyes burned with such intense desire, her knees were weak. He leaned close to brush a kiss on her mouth while he caressed her nape. She gasped and closed her eyes. “See, you respond. You can’t keep from it because this is what you want, too, darlin’. It’s good between us, but there is so much more.”
“What I want is commitment,” she said, the words tumbling out.
“I think you’ve had my commitment since the moment we met.”
“Commitment to an affair,” she said, gasping for breath.
He showered kisses on her throat and face and then his mouth settled on hers again.
How long they kissed she couldn’t guess. Finally, she stepped away. He caught her waist, leaning forward. “Good night, darlin’. I’ll dream about you.” He brushed a kiss on her lips and then was gone, closing the door behind him.
His shirt lay on the floor. She picked it up and tossed it on a chair. She wasn’t going after him and she didn’t think he would come back for it.
She touched her lips. She was letting him get too close in too many ways.
Her thoughts churned as she got ready for bed and then lay in the dark to steep in regrets. She had to do better in keeping him at a distance. Avoiding him was impossible. He grew more irresistible each time they were together. How long before seduction? And then how long before heartbreak? Her thoughts shifted to Caroline. Had today really been progress, or just a temporary ripple? Only time would tell. Ava prayed the puppy turned out to be what Caroline expected and hoped for. Ava knew of many programs that brought together animals and children for therapeutic purposes. Hopefully, a puppy would be something Caroline could love and respond to. Another question that only time could answer.
The next day it took no time to realize Caroline was excited about the puppy. She picked out books about dogs to read and once she gave Ava a smile. Ava’s heart turned over and she realized she was grasping at tiny responses as much as Will did.
She noticed Caroline was looking often at the tall nursery-rhyme-character clock in her playroom and she realized for the first time that Caroline could tell time.
She wrote Will a text that Caroline was watching the clock and thought she was excited and anxious for him to come home to take her to pick out her puppy’s things. Ava hesitated before sending the message, unsure if she should get Will’s hopes up, but a minute after she sent it, she received a brief reply that he would try to come home early.
When Will arrived home at three, Caroline was ready, holding the brown bear and waiting quietly.
He came striding into the room in his charcoal suit. Handsome, oozing vitality, Will had a dynamic presence that charged the air with electricity. He flashed a wide smile at Ava and picked up Caroline to hug her. “Ready to get your puppy a crate and bed and toys?”
Caroline nodded. “Yes, sir. And a collar.”
“We’ll get a collar, too. Shall we go?”
In the pet store, Ava enjoyed watching the two of them walking around while Will talked to Caroline about her choices. She pointed at what she wanted, and Will would put it in a basket he carried. When she selected a collar, she smiled briefly at Will. She placed the collar in the basket he carried and when she turned away, he gave Ava a glance that indicated how thrilled he was over Caroline’s response.
When they returned home, they picked a place in the kitchen for the dog dishes, and upstairs a perfect spot in Caroline’s playroom for the puppy’s crate. Caroline set out the toys while Will put away the puppy food.
Finally, it was bedtime for the tired little girl. Will carried Caroline to bed. While he was gone, Ava left him a note that she was going to turn in early. She hurried to her suite to close the door on another night of temptation. It would be more fun to spend the next few hours with Will, but better if she didn’t. All the time at the pet shop her pulse had galloped. She was drawn to Will more each day, yet she hadn’t changed her feelings about an affair. Will was utterly opposed to marriage and serious commitment—the things she cherished most. The safest thing to do was to keep her distance when she could.
By ten o’clock, she was more restless than ever and wished she hadn’t been so hasty in shutting herself away from him.
She didn’t fall asleep until nearly morning, and then it was fitful and filled with dreams that involved Will.
The next day was another like the previous one with Caroline watching the clock and being far more wiggly than normal. In the early afternoon after lunch, Ava read a book Caroline had selected. When she finished, she picked up another one.
“Did you like your dog?” Caroline asked.
Startled by Caroline speaking to her, Ava tried to avoid showing her surprise. “Yes, I did. We had a Labrador retriever, Gus. We loved him and he loved us.”
Caroline nodded.
Ava was so pleased that Caroline had asked her a question. It was a very good sign.
Will wanted Ava to go along to get the pup, so once again the three of them climbed into the limo, a travel crate, leash and a toy at the ready.
Ava took a camcorder, wondering whether Will ever took pictures of Caroline.
They drove to a tall two-story house in a north suburban area of Fort Worth. A friendly woman introduced herself and showed them in, taking them to the garage where a mother dog was sprawled on a blanket. Caroline’s eyes were wide as she watched fluffy puppies wandering around her.
“Now, Caroline, you pick out which one of the puppies you would like to take home,” Will said.
Two puppies wandered to Caroline; one chewed on her shoe. Will leaned down to pick up the puppy and hold it so Caroline could see its face. He reached out and scooped up another. Ava watched the two of them and she prayed the puppy would make a difference in Caroline’s life.
After deliberating and looking at each puppy several times, Caroline finally picked one up and held it carefully with Will’s help.
“This one,” she said to him.
He shot a glance at Ava and she smiled, her heart leaping because of the moment that was significant for them.
“You want that puppy? You’re sure?”
“Yes, please,” Caroline answered, nodding her head.
Will settled up with Mrs. Winston, the breeder, then carried the puppy to the car and placed it in the crate. Caroline sat beside it, her arm on the crate while she watched the puppy, Will talking warmly about the dog.
By they time they got home and had the pup and its belongings unloaded, Ava left Will and Caroline while she went to her room to freshen up. After a while, she walked back to the playroom to see what was happening.
Will lay on the floor with his shoes kicked off. His shirt was pulled out of his slacks and his tie was gone, the shirt’s top buttons unfastened. He was stretched out, playing with the pup while Caroline sat facing him, holding a toy sock monkey for the dog. Ava’s heart missed a beat at the sigh
t of Will and his niece. He was laughing, playing with the dog and talking to Caroline, who laughed at the pup’s antics.
In that moment Ava had to face the fact that she was falling in love with Will. Sadness for the loss of Ethan no longer was a solid wall around her, enclosing her feelings and her heart.
She stepped inside, going to sit near them.
“Come join us,” Will said. “This is a great pup. We’re going to have to give it a name so it will come when we call it. And it’s a girl, so it has to be a girl name. I’ve been waiting for you to come to help think up a name.”
“She looks like a snowball,” Ava said. “Snowball? Powder? Puff? My dog was Gus. Gussie for a girl.”
“I thought of Millie, Tiny, Princess. That’s seven names to choose from. Miss Ava, what do you like best?”
He ignored Caroline, an uncustomary occurrence when she was involved. Ava wondered if he was trying to avoid pinning down Caroline when she wouldn’t respond. Or if he had another reason.
“I prefer my names. Maybe Powder.”
“Too much like a cat name,” Will stated. “So is Puff and so is Snowball.”
“No, it’s not,” she argued lightly, thinking he looked more appealing than ever, stretched on the floor, playing with the dog and concerned with Caroline.
“Muffy,” Caroline said.
As if it were the most normal thing for her to suggest a name, Will repeated it, “Muffy. That’s a good name. All right, Caroline. Muffy it is. Muffy is your puppy and if you want to name her Muffy, we will.”
