“Kate.” His voice penetrated her dream, low and husky.
She stretched again, still asleep, still needing.
She felt his fingers at the buttons of her shirt. Cool air whispered over her skin as he took away her bra. The feel of his mouth on her hardened nipple brought her awake with a start.
Although Sean was in the room, he was standing by the fireplace, and Kate was still fully dressed. Her disappointment was keen.
“That must have been a pretty erotic dream,” he said, throwing another log on the fire before approaching the bed.
Kate blushed in the relative darkness of the room, but her words were bold. “It was. You were making love to me beside a campfire.”
“Rest assured, Katie-did,” he said, bending to kiss her forehead, “I’m not about to make love to you.”
Kate glared up at him. “Why not?” she asked, insulted.
“Because the guilt would eat you alive,” Sean answered. “For you at least, there would be three of us in the room—you, me and Abby.”
Kate closed her eyes. As much as she wanted to cry out that he was wrong, she knew he wasn’t. She tossed back the afghan and sat up.
“Mrs. Manchester made tea,” Sean said, indicating a wheeled cart sitting beside the fireplace.
Apparently they were going to pretend they hadn’t discussed sex. Kate smoothed her hair and disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes. When she came out, she had recovered her dignity.
She sat down in one of the two wing chairs facing the hearth and poured tea from a small china pot into a matching cup. There were strawberry scones, too, and various cookies she knew Sean would refer to as biscuits. Kate took a raspberry scone, even though she normally didn’t eat sugary foods.
Sean was leaning against the fireplace mantle, watching Kate as though she were a complex puzzle. “Why are you here?” he asked.
Kate took a sip of strong tea before answering, “I wanted to see Gil, of course.”
“If that were all of it, you’d have been here a long time before now.”
Avoiding his gaze, Kate reached for a cookie. The man made her nervous, and when she was nervous, she ate. She shrugged. “I guess you could say I’m looking for myself,” she replied. Her indigo eyes rose of their own accord to his face. “You were the one who said I needed a life of my own.”
Sean poured tea into the second cup, added generous doses of sugar and milk and sat down in the chair across from Kate’s. “Are you serious about that?”
Kate nodded. “I turned thirty a few days back, Sean, and look at me. I’ve never been married, never borne a child, never even worked at a real job that I landed on my own.”
“And now you’re out for an adventure?”
Kate considered for a moment. “Something like that.”
Sean set his teacup down in its saucer. Even in the firelight Kate could see the mischief dancing in his eyes. “I think I can provide you with one of those,” he said.
Before Kate could think of a response, Gil burst into the room with Snidely loping at his heels. “Mrs. Manchester’s gone out to see her sister,” he explained, “so I brought Snidely inside straight away.” He glanced at the scones and biscuits.
“Have one,” Kate said, watching him with delight.
Gil hesitated, looking to his father for permission. Sean must have given it silently, for the boy closed one grubby hand around a scone. After saying thank you and breaking off a small piece for Snidely, he ate hungrily.
“Are you going back to America soon?” the child asked when he’d disposed of the scone.
“I don’t think so,” Kate said, wondering if Gil was anxious for her to leave. She was probably disrupting some planned excursion with her unexpected visit.
“I hope you stay a long time,” Gil responded. “You’re not scared of Snidely and you don’t go ’round saying he smells. I like that in a woman.”
“It’s certainly a trait I always look for,” Sean agreed, deadpan.
Kate laughed and rumpled Gil’s hair. “Well, I happen to like a discerning gentleman,” she said.
“We’ll try to dig one up for you,” Sean replied.
Snidely was following his own tail in an endless circle. Outside, the winter rain drizzled against the windows, and the fire crackled on the hearth. Kate wanted to stay in that room with Gil and Sean forever.
As it happened, though, Sean rose out of his chair and said, “We’ll leave you to yourself for a while. Dinner’s in a couple of hours.”
Kate wondered if she was supposed to dress up. It didn’t seem likely that dinner would be formal when Mrs. Manchester was out of the house.
Feeling rumpled from her nap, she took a long, hot shower. Then, not knowing what was expected of her, she got into a striped dress in shades of pink and a pair of sandals. She wore her dark hair down and applied a small amount of makeup.
Sean’s eyes lit up when she walked into the living room. He was wearing black pants and a beautiful cable-knit sweater, and his dark hair caught the light of the fire.
“Now I’m sorry we’re having dinner at home,” he teased, deliberately intensifying his accent. “I could make all me mates jealous if I showed you off.”
Kate laughed, but his words pleased her. It had been a long time since she’d felt so attractive.
Sean offered white wine, and she nodded. When he brought her the glass, she asked, “Where’s Gil?”
“He’ll be along when he’s done dressing. He had a bath—and Snidely got into the tub with him.”
Kate laughed again at the picture that came to her mind, and then took a long sip of her wine because she felt so nervous inside. It was as though she’d regressed from thirty years of age to thirteen, and she couldn’t for the life of her think of anything intelligent to say. She followed the sip with a gulp.
Sean was just about to say something when Gil bounded into the room, looking scrubbed and handsome in pants and a white shirt. “May I stay home tomorrow and look after Kate?” he asked with a hopeful lilt in his voice.
“Actually, no,” Sean responded immediately.
Gil’s disappointment was only momentary. After an instant, he was smiling broadly again. “Well,” he said, “if you’re going to be that way about it—”
“I am,” Sean assured him.
Watching her nephew, Kate was thinking how much her parents would enjoy knowing him. She made a mental note to approach Sean, when the right moment arrived, about letting the boy visit.
The three had a simple dinner of meat pies and salad left behind by the very efficient Mrs. Manchester, and then Gil went off to do his homework. The next day was Monday, and school would be back in session.
“I’m sorry I haven’t asked you before, Kate—how’s your father?” Sean asked as they sat at a small table in a glass alcove, watching the rain fall.
“He’s getting better every day,” she answered. She studied Sean, wondering if she dared mention the possibility of a visit from Gil in the same sentence with her father. She decided against it. “I called home as soon as I arrived at the hotel, and Mother said he was almost ready to go back to Washington.”
Sean turned his wineglass in one hand. “Have you let them know you’re here?” he asked.
“I called the hotel and left word at the desk,” she answered, yawning. “If any messages come in, they’ll call me.”
“You’re still not over the jet lag,” Sean remarked. “You’d better get some sleep.”
“Will I see you tomorrow?”
Sean shook his head. “Not until late. I’ve got business meetings all day.”
And Gil would be in school. A feeling of loneliness swept over Kate, and she lowered her eyes.
Unexpectedly Sean put his hand under her chin and raised her face. “Come away with me, Kate,” he said hoarsely, getting to his feet and drawing her to him. “I’ll show you the adventure of a lifetime.”
Despite all her fine resolutions, Kate was powerless in his arms. Something melted deep ins
ide her at the memory of that afternoon’s erotic dream. “What kind of adventure?” she asked, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.
“I’ve got a little plane. I could show you some of the outback.”
The idea intrigued Kate more than she would have dared to admit. “What about Gil?” she asked. “Would he go along, too?”
Sean shook his head. “He’s got a school trip coming up. We could go then.”
“When?” Kate wanted to know. She felt herself melting like a candle as Sean gently caressed her breasts.
“Day after tomorrow,” he answered on a long, weary breath.
Kate closed her eyes. She wanted Sean to bare her as he had that other time on her bed at home, but she knew he wouldn’t. He was only torturing her, and himself. “Just the two of us,” she mused aloud. “Interesting.”
Sean bent his head and nibbled the covered peak of one breast. It went taut between his lips. “It’ll be very interesting,” he promised.
Kate was burning inside. The guilt she’d felt earlier was fading. Sean had a right to happiness, and so did she. No law, moral or civil, said the two of them had to stay apart for fear of defaming Abby’s memory. “I think I should go back to my hotel,” she said.
Sean lifted his head quickly, his green eyes full of questions. He voiced only one. “Why?”
“Because there I wouldn’t feel as though Abby’s watching me from beyond the veil,” she answered.
“Gil won’t understand,” Sean reasoned.
Kate didn’t want to do anything to hurt her nephew, especially when she was just getting to know him. “You’re right,” she conceded, deflated.
“There’s another place we could go,” Sean said thoughtfully. “Wait here.”
Kate sat watching the fire and willing her agitated body to calm itself. Presently Sean returned, his hair sparkling with droplets of rainwater, accompanied by a teenage girl.
“This is Angie,” he said to Kate. “She lives across the way, and she’s Gil’s favorite babysitter. Angie, this is my good friend, Kate Blake.”
The pretty blond girl smiled at Kate. “That I am,” she said. “Gil’s favorite babysitter, I mean. Pleased to meet you, Miss Blake.”
Kate nodded to the girl, but she was looking at Sean.
He beckoned to her with one hand, and against her better judgment, she stood and took his hand.
They were inside his car, a British sports model with a convertible top, and speeding down the driveway before Kate could catch her breath. She certainly hoped Sean didn’t fly the way he drove.
“Where are we going?” she finally asked when it was clear that no explanation was forthcoming.
“You’ll see,” Sean answered.
A few minutes later they pulled into the parking garage of a towering building overlooking Sydney Harbour and the Opera House. Kate looked at Sean questioningly as he hauled her out of the car and strode off toward a bank of elevators, still gripping her hand.
“Sean!” she protested.
Inside, he pulled her close and kissed her so thoroughly that when he drew back, she was momentarily disoriented. He chuckled and kissed her again.
“Where are you taking me?” she demanded when she could gather the breath to speak.
The elevators whisked open on a small, beautifully decorated lobby. “This is the penthouse,” Sean explained at last. “My company keeps it for visiting dignitaries.”
Kate lifted an eyebrow as he unlocked the door. “Is that what I am?” she teased.
Sean winked. “Austra-Air wants to make sure your stay in Oz is memorable,” he assured her. Then he opened the door, and Kate stepped into the penthouse, instantly bedazzled.
The outside walls were all glass, and Kate could see, through the rain, the lights of the bridge and the Opera House and the ferry boats crossing the water. All around them, in fact, lay the city like a kingdom made of colorful jewels.
“Oh, Sean, it’s magnificent,” Kate whispered.
He closed and locked the door. “So are you,” he whispered, drawing her close again.
She reveled in the muscular hardness of his body as he bent and nibbled softly at her neck. When she was nearly too weak to stand, he led her into the darkened living room, where huge couches and chaise longues sat in the shadows. He removed her dress with a minimum of trouble, pleased to find she was wearing only panties beneath it.
Kate groaned as he laid her out on one of the large chaises, the city spread before her like a gift, and eased her panties down over her hips. Something nagged at her—the realization that she’d been so wrong about another man in what seemed to be another lifetime—but she couldn’t break free of Sean’s spell. It was entirely too powerful.
“Do you want me to love you, Kate?” he asked.
“Yes,” Kate managed to whisper. “Oh, yes.”
Gently he lifted her legs so that they rested over his shoulders. His hands caressed her inner thighs. “Prepare for some slight turbulence,” he teased.
Chapter 5
After a few minutes of Sean’s loving, Kate was frantic for fulfillment. A delirium of pleasure caused her to writhe and toss her head from side to side even as she pleaded, “Sean—I don’t want to—not without you…”
Breathing very hard, he stripped off his sweater and tossed it away, then got to his feet. He lifted Kate into his arms and carried her into a nearby bedroom.
Her skin, covered with a fine film of perspiration from her exertions, felt deliciously cool. She watched her man as he removed the rest of his clothes and then came to her.
“Kate,” he whispered hoarsely, just before his lips covered hers in a masterful kiss.
She responded with her whole being, her doubts falling away behind her like the tail of a comet. The throbbing heat in her body was building toward a crescendo again, and she began to twist and thrash beneath Sean. She was wildly impatient.
He buried his face in her neck, chuckling. “So it’s like that, is it?” he teased in a husky rasp.
Kate arched her back, and in that moment, Sean’s control snapped. He found and entered her in one fiery stroke.
For Kate, for that instant, all of creation froze like the slides in a broken kaleidoscope. In the next, the universe splintered into colorful pieces, for she had been too greatly aroused and too long denied. Her body bonded itself to Sean’s, and with a primitive cry, she gave of herself, body and soul.
Her triumph excited Sean, and with a groan, he began increasing his pace. Kate urged him on with soft, breathless words and the motions of her hands. She met each thrust with a swift rise of her hips, taking him far inside her.
He muttered something that might have been either a prayer or a curse when the quest became urgent, and then, with a hoarse shout, he stiffened, gasping her name.
Her hands soothed the moist, muscle-corded expanse of his back. “I’m here,” she whispered.
Sean trembled violently as he surrendered, then sank down beside Kate on the bed of shadows. “God,” he muttered. “My God.”
They lay still and silent for a long time, and then Kate started to rise from the bed. Sean immediately pressed her back down.
“I’m not through with you yet, love,” he told her. “Not nearly.”
Kate gave an involuntary groan as he found her breast in the darkness and weighed it in the palm of his hand. His thumb moved over the responsive nipple, shaping it. Preparing it.
She twisted onto her stomach, gasping, knowing she needed a few minutes to rest. But Sean was granting no quarter; he reached beneath her, and she flung back her head like a wild mare when he found what he sought.
“Stop,” Kate murmured, even as she ground her hips in an involuntary response.
“Not until you’re satisfied,” Sean replied.
Kate could not turn onto her back again, for she was trapped by her own needs. “Oh, Sean—Sean—”
“Almost there,” he told her, intensifying his efforts to drive her mad. “Almost there…”
<
br /> Kate was damp with perspiration from her head to her feet. Her legs were stiff and wide apart, and her toes curled into the bedspread, seeking purchase. Her hands were pressed against the mattress, raising her upper body from the bed. “Oh,” she cried, lifting her eyes to a ceiling she couldn’t see. “Oh—oh…”
“It’s going to be a long night, love,” she heard Sean say gently from somewhere beyond the exploding lights and shooting flares of her climax. “A long, sweet night.”
*
Kate awakened feeling as though she were lying in the light of a gentle sun, her sated body wrapped in the softest silk. Expertly Sean had put her through her paces, draining away all her tensions.
He bent and kissed her. “We’d better go, love. Mrs. Manchester will get the idea we’re up to something.”
Kate laughed and then stretched. “I don’t think I can move from this bed,” she said.
“That’s fine, too,” Sean answered. He was fully dressed again, but he pretended he was about to take off his sweater.
Kate bounded out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. One more session of Sean’s singular brand of loving would turn her into a madwoman for sure.
She took a hasty shower and got back into her panties and dress, which Sean had thoughtfully brought from the living room. He was there when she came to him, looking out at the city lights and sipping from a crystal glass.
“What’s that?” Kate asked.
“Vodka,” he answered.
Kate wrinkled her nose. “Bad for you,” she said.
“We’re fresh out of carrot juice,” Sean explained. “Let’s go, love.”
They took the elevator down to the parking garage and walked to Sean’s car. When Kate was seated in the passenger seat, Sean walked around to the driver’s side and got in. The engine roared to life and Kate felt sad to be leaving a place that had been hers and Sean’s for a house that had been Abby’s.
“I’ll sell the house,” Sean said, and Kate was convinced he’d been reading her mind. “It’s that simple.”
“It isn’t, and you know it,” Kate argued. “You have a child—my sister’s child. I live in one hemisphere, and you live in another. There are just too many differences.”
Just Kate: His Only Wife (Bestselling Author Collection) Page 6
