Not for the first time, Will wondered what drove a man like Rafe. The guy had lost his mom at a fairly young age and his dad had later remarried. For a couple of minutes Will tried to dwell on what it would have been like to lose either of his parents while he was still a kid. There was no doubting it would have a monumental effect on anyone.
Rafe was currently living in a spectacular property overlooking the beach. The condo had cost a pretty penny and Rafe had commented on it being a far cry from what he’d grown up in. And yet, he was probably on his own at this very moment. Alone like Will was himself.
In fact, he’d never felt more alone.
Deep inside there was a hollow emptiness that he couldn’t ignore. Outwardly, he had everything he’d ever wanted. He had his apartment in Manhattan, a job he loved. Challenges every day that tested his mental acuity and ability to its fullest extent.
He should be on top of his game right now. He’d done a bloody good job on the Worth Industries takeover and proposals and, with Jason Cole’s assistance, uncovered who had been acting outside of company procedure for pecuniary gain. So why then did he lack the sense of satisfaction that usually accompanied a job well done? The “rightness” about his work. Something was very definitely missing.
Will took a sip of the whiskey and swallowed it slowly, feeling the burn all the way down to his stomach. Who was he kidding? Of course he was missing something. Margaret. Just thinking her name was enough to sharpen the ache he felt deep inside. Not having her with him, not seeing her smile or hearing the sound of her voice, not feeling the softness of her welcoming body beneath him.
Will put his drink down on the table in front of him and stared at the glass. He’d never felt this way about a woman before. Somehow, Margaret had become as integral to his every day as breathing. She was his first thought on waking, his last on going to sleep and she infiltrated his dreams with recurring frequency. He’d royally screwed up.
They’d shared a powerful attraction back in February and he’d acted on it as he acted on everything—with determination to achieve his ultimate goal. So what was his ultimate goal now? He’d told himself he needed to use Margaret to get his dad to sign over the family farm, but even he hadn’t been able to stand himself any longer when he’d analyzed how horribly he’d used her and deceived his family. The end had never justified the means.
He was left with less than nothing. His brothers had left curt messages on his cell phone and his mother hadn’t even been in contact with him since Will’s discussion with his father. He’d hurt them all so badly, but, he suspected, none as badly as he’d hurt Margaret. He’d lowered her importance in his world to nothing less than a pawn in an intricate game of chess. A vital piece on the playing board, yet sacrificial at the same time.
He’d been a prize fool. He’d sabotaged what had the potential to be the best thing he’d ever had, and he’d done it all himself. Finally he could begin to understand where his family was coming from. What they wanted for him. He’d been on the verge of having that with Margaret, and he’d ruined everything.
Now he could understand why he’d been so reluctant to end their affair. She’d begun to mean more to him than anyone or anything he’d ever loved before.
Will sat up straight in his chair.
Loved? He loved Margaret Cole. The words turned around in his mind, over and over, as if he couldn’t quite believe them. He said it out loud.
“I love Margaret Cole.”
The hollowness in his chest began to ease, so he said it again, even louder, and then again, in a shout that attracted the attention of a couple strolling on the darkened shoreline in front of the hotel.
He loved Margaret Cole with the kind of love that came from deep inside him. So deep even he had not wanted to reach that far to examine how she made him feel. How much he wanted, no, needed her at his side, in his life, forever. In his pigheadedness he’d done a huge amount of damage but he hadn’t gotten where he was today by giving up at the first, or even the highest, hurdle.
Forgetting all about the almost untouched whiskey he’d left on the patio table, he went back into his suite, grabbed a jacket and his car keys from his bedroom and went out through the door at a run. He couldn’t waste another moment. He had to try to mend things between them now.
As he drove to Margaret’s home, he thought about the things his family had wanted for him and yet he’d been too stubborn and too darn focused on work to ever believe that kind of love could have a place in his life. Now he knew his life was all the more empty, that he was only half a man, without it.
He turned onto her street and felt the first seeds of doubt. The sensation was foreign to him. Usually he could bank on the outcome of any situation he instigated but this wasn’t something he could define with numbers. It wasn’t assets or liabilities, or profit or loss. It was a fearful thing he couldn’t quantify in any shape or form.
Will pulled up at the curbside and turned off his engine, staying seated in the darkened interior of his car. This was crazy. He’d come without warning, without even knowing if she reciprocated his feelings. Logically, sure, he knew she had to have some feelings for him. A woman like Margaret wasn’t the type who’d embark on a sexual affair at the drop of a hat with a man she barely knew. He replayed some of their time together through his mind—the moments where she’d seemed at her happiest. The moment, in particular, when he’d given her the ruby and diamond ring. Happy, and yet pensive at the same time. She’d had so many moments like that, and if he thought about it properly, there’d been a yearning in her eyes. Maybe he was only grasping at straws but the idea gave him a glimpse of hope. Hope he probably wasn’t entitled to feel given his behavior in forcing her to be with him. Could he honestly expect Margaret to believe him when he told her he loved her? Could he even dream to hear the same in return?
There was only one way to find out. Will got out of the car and strode to the front door of the modest home. There was no porch light on and he hesitated before knocking. It was late, maybe she was asleep already. Well, she’d have to wake up. This was far too important to wait until tomorrow.
He knocked sharply on the door and waited. Footsteps on the other side signaled that someone at least was home and awake. The door opened, revealing Jason on the other side.
“Mr. Tanner. What—?” he started.
“Is Margaret home?”
“Yes, she is. She went to bed early, though.”
“Jason? Who is it?” Margaret’s voice echoed down the hallway.
Will stiffened at the sound of her voice and looked at Jason, who was studying him with a strange expression on his face.
“Maybe I should head out for a bit,” Jason said.
“Good idea,” Will said, tossing Jason the keys to his car and pushing the key card to his suite into Jason’s hand. “Feel free to stay out all night.”
He closed the door behind the now smiling younger man at the same moment Margaret came out from a side room—her bedroom, he surmised. The instant she saw him she wrapped her robe tightly around her body, revealing far more of her than she probably hoped to conceal.
Will started to walk toward her.
“We need to talk,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Margaret couldn’t believe her eyes. Will Tanner, here in her house at this time of night? Even if she’d dreamed it she wouldn’t have believed it.
She led him through to the kitchen where she gestured for him to sit down.
“Coffee?” she asked, realizing it was the first thing she’d said to him since his shocking arrival.
“Leave that,” he answered as he reached for her hand and tugged her down into the seat next to his.
For a man who’d seemed so intent on a discussion he was being surprisingly quiet. Margaret clutched at straws for something to talk about.
“How did the meeting with Mr. Cameron go?”
Will shrugged. “He said he’ll take the recommendations on board but he didn’t make
any promises.”
Margaret sighed, but started as he spoke again.
“I’m not here to talk about work.”
“So why, then? That’s all we have in common, right?”
“No. That’s not all we have in common.” He huffed a sigh of frustration. “At least, I hope that’s not all we have in common.”
She waited patiently, silently, hardly daring to move a muscle as he appeared to pull his thoughts together, his eyes cast down as if he was examining the very grain of the wooden table top.
“I’m here because I don’t want to be away from you tonight. In fact, I don’t want to spend another night without you in my arms—ever.”
He looked at her then and she could see it in his eyes. He meant every single word of it. But she wanted more than that. It wasn’t enough that he wanted her body. He had to want her—mind, body and soul.
“What exactly do you mean by that, Will? Are you asking me to resume the arrangement we had?” she asked cautiously, not even daring to hope for her heart’s desire.
“I’m not talking about some half-assed arrangement. I was a complete idiot to even dream that up. I never gave us a chance to be a proper couple. To court you. To show you how much I’ve grown to love you and to hope that one day you’ll also love me in return. I want that opportunity now. I love you, Margaret. I want us to start again.”
Margaret’s breath caught sharply in her throat. He loved her? Was she dreaming? No, he was definitely here in her kitchen, looking as gorgeous as ever, the scent of his cologne subtly teasing her senses. She looked at him, unsure of what to do or say.
“Margaret, please give me another chance. I don’t expect you to return my love straight away. I know I’ve gone about this all the wrong way but I’m hoping you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me for that start and grant me a new one.”
“Shh.” Margaret laid a finger on Will’s lips. “You don’t need to say any more. Will, I’ve loved you pretty much from the moment I first saw you at the ball. I know it sounds stupid and horribly romantic, but I’d never felt such a connection with another person before. When you kissed me, it was as if I was being transported into another world. A world I’d craved ever since I was a little girl. I was afraid to admit that I could feel so much so soon, but when we started our fake engagement I knew I was fighting against the tide. I could never have been with you in San Diego, the way I was, if I didn’t love you. I can’t believe you love me in return.”
“Believe it,” Will said gruffly.
He stood and pulled her to her feet, gathering her gently into his arms and tilting her chin up so she looked straight into his face.
“I love you, Margaret Cole. More than I ever thought possible.”
When he kissed her, Margaret was instantly assailed with the familiar surge of desire that always accompanied his touch, yet at the same time it was permeated with a sense of rightness, a belonging that had been missing from their liaison before. And when she took his hands and led him down the hall toward her bedroom, she knew she’d be able to finally show him, with all the love within her, exactly how she felt about him—using both words and her touch.
In the darkness of her childhood bedroom, their lips met and melded together again. Margaret’s hands deftly slid Will’s jacket from his shoulders, before flying to the buttons of his shirt and sliding each one free. As soon as his chest was bare she smoothed her hands over his skin, her hands tingling at the touch, her entire body warming in response. Beneath her palms she felt his nipples grow taut and she relinquished his lips only long enough to press a kiss to each one, swirling the tip of her tongue around each hard male disk, loving the way his body shuddered in response.
He wasted no time disrobing her, her robe soon a jumbled mass of cotton on her bedroom floor. The satin three-quarter pants she wore soon followed, as did the short-sleeved satin shirt. Once she was naked, he pushed her gently onto the bed before shucking his shoes and socks and finally, his jeans and briefs, which he slid off in one smooth rush.
She sighed in contentment as he covered her body with his own, relishing the heat of his skin, the deftness of his touch. And when he brought her to orgasm with his skillful fingers before donning a condom and sliding his length inside her, Margaret felt tears of joy spring to her eyes. Nothing before had ever been like this. Not with him, not with anybody.
They belonged together. In love as in all things.
As Will started to move within her, she met and welcomed each thrust—sensation spiraling tighter and tighter until she let go on a burst of joy so complete she thought she’d lose consciousness. His own climax came simultaneously and as she held him in her arms, feeling his body shake with the strength of his pleasure, she’d never felt so right with her world in all her life.
They lay together, joined, she supporting the weight of his body with her own, for some minutes. Their breaths mingling, the rhythm of their lungs in perfect synchronization. Their heartbeats slowing to a more natural tempo as their skin cooled.
Will shifted, withdrawing from her, and supporting his weight on his elbows. In the shadowed light of her room, Margaret looked up into eyes that gleamed with intent.
“I want you to wear my ring again,” he said, his voice a little unsteady but growing stronger with each carefully chosen word. “And one day, when you’re ready, I want you to be my wife. Except this time, we’ll do everything the right way. In our own time. So, how about it? Will you marry me?”
Marry him? Margaret searched his face, almost too afraid to believe what she was hearing. But it was clear in his eyes, in the expression on his handsome features. He meant every word. She felt the final remnants of the sorrow around her heart begin to melt.
“Yes,” she whispered against his lips. “Yes, I will marry you.”
As their lips met and as they began to make love again, she knew she’d done the right thing. For today and for all her tomorrows.
The sun caught the gleam of brilliance residing on Margaret’s ring finger as they exited Paige Adams’s office the next morning. Although she was snowed under with work for the upcoming gala for Hannah’s Hope, she’d gleefully agreed to arrange their wedding for the same weekend so all their friends, and Will’s family, who’d be in town for the gala, could attend.
Will had scarcely been able to believe that Paige could organize a wedding at such short notice, yet he had to admit, as he looked at the woman on his arm, she’d already proven she had the touch of a fairy godmother about her.
Margaret’s fingers squeezed his forearm and he watched as a supremely happy smile spread across her face.
“Happy?” he asked, knowing he already knew her answer.
“I couldn’t be happier,” she said. “Everything is right with my world. Jason is well and truly on the straight and narrow and I have the one thing I’ve always wanted my whole life.”
“And that is?”
“The love of a very good man. You.”
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Yvonne Lindsay for her contribution to The Takeover miniseries.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8918-9
BOUGHT: HIS TEMPORARY FIANCÉE
Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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*New Zealand Knights
†Rogue Diamonds
**Wed at Any Price
Bought: His Temporary Fiancée Page 15
