by Sara Orwig
His hand drifted over her, sliding down her back and over her bottom, drifting up to her nape to caress her until she stopped him.
“Garrett, I need to get ready for tonight,” she said, gasping for breath.
He looked at her a long moment and then he turned to go. “I’ll come get you here when I’m ready.” She nodded, watching as he walked out and closed the door behind him.
She turned to look at the elegant sitting room that looked like a formal living room. The floors were polished oak with furniture that looked antique, each piece a gem. She strolled to the bedroom, which was a beautiful room with a king-size canopied bed.
Turning her bracelet, she thought about Garrett. She could no longer deny it— She had fallen in love with him. She had never before felt this way about someone. No other man had ever been as important to her.
I’m not ready to get tied down. She could remember his words clearly yet it was impossible to resist Garrett. The struggle was growing. The more she wanted him, the more important commitment became.
She pulled off her sweater and gathered her things to head for the shower, hoping to clear her head before tonight.
* * *
When Garrett rapped lightly on her door, she was dressed and ready. Trying to be conservative, she wore a plain black dress with a high neck and long sleeves. The dress ended above her knees and she wore high-heeled black pumps. Her hands were cold and some of her nervousness had returned. She crossed the room to open the door, catching her breath at the sight of him in an open-necked shirt, a charcoal sports jacket and gray trousers.
When Garrett smiled, her nervousness dropped slightly. As his gaze took a slow inventory, his expression revealed his approval. “You’re beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you,” she replied, feeling slightly better again.
“Shall we go?”
“If we have to,” she answered.
“Stop worrying. You’ll see.”
“I hope you’re right.”
During the drive on the chilly fall night, Garrett kept up the cheerful chatter again. They didn’t have far to go and soon she found herself at another palatial estate with lights ablaze and a party atmosphere already in the air.
Inside they were shown to a reception room that she barely noticed. Across the room stood a brown-eyed man with thick, wavy black hair. Handsome, he was slightly shorter than Garrett. Even she could see a family resemblance, realizing if she had seen him in a crowd on the street, she would have looked twice because he had the same bone structure she had, the same eyes.
As he smiled and crossed the room to her, she extended her hand. He accepted it, his hand closing around hers in a firm clasp. “Welcome to the Delaney family,” he said and hugged her lightly. He released her and continued to smile. “We’re strangers in a way, but one look at you and I know you’re my sister. And we’re not going to be strangers ever again. We’re family.”
“Thank you, William,” she said, her nervousness and concern evaporating because he was as welcoming as Garrett said he would be.
“Please, call me Will. Everyone is coming, but I wanted to meet you first. Sophia, thank you for meeting with us and giving us a chance here. I have to admit, we’re all curious about our newly discovered sister. Unfortunately, we knew absolutely nothing about your existence. My dad kept things to himself.”
“I didn’t know that none of you knew about me, because I’ve always known about you. I never saw any pictures, though.”
“That’s enough about him. I want you to meet the family. They’re waiting for us. One more thing—don’t blame Garrett for what happened in Houston because we really pressured him. He’s like a brother to all of us and we took advantage of that.”
“I’ll remember,” she said, glancing at Garrett, wondering if she had been far too harsh with him.
“Everyone is in the family room,” Will said, taking her arm lightly. “I’ll show you.”
They walked past various large rooms and then Will entered an open area with Corinthian columns and a glass wall giving a view of the veranda and pool area. Two handsome men stood talking to a tall, slender, sandy-haired blonde. To one side a little girl with black curly hair sat playing with a small brown bear. She glanced at Sophia and looked down quickly at her bear. She was even prettier than her picture had been.
Will introduced Sophia first to his wife, Ava, and they shook hands briefly. Ava had a welcoming smile as she greeted her. “We’re all so happy to meet you.”
“This is something I never expected to be doing,” Sophia admitted.
“They’ve been eager to meet you,” Ava said, smiling at Will. Sophia felt the current that passed between Ava and Will, realizing they were deeply in love. She ignored the twinge of longing she felt as she observed them.
Will turned to Sophia. “Ava, excuse us and I’ll continue introducing Sophia.”
“Of course,” she said, giving Sophia’s hand a squeeze. “We’ll talk later. I’ve never met a famous artist before.”
Sophia smiled, instantly relaxing a degree as she shook her head. “I don’t know about fame,” she said. “But thanks, Ava,” she added, more for being nice than what she had said.
Will steered Sophia to the child. Caroline’s brown eyes were filled with curiosity as she gazed at Sophia, who smiled.
“Sophia, this is Caroline,” Will said. “I know you’ve heard about her. Caroline, meet your aunt Sophia Rivers.”
“How do you do, Caroline,” Sophia said, smiling at her. “You look very pretty, Caroline. How old are you?”
“I’m five.”
“Is that your favorite bear?”
Caroline nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” she answered, hugging the bear.
“I guess you sleep with your bear.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Caroline said, smiling at her.
“And you have a dog, don’t you?”
“I have Muffy.”
“I’ve seen your picture with Muffy who is a very cute dog. Sometime I’ll meet Muffy, too.”
Caroline nodded.
“Caroline looks like you,” Will said. “Excuse us, Caroline, while I introduce your aunt Sophia to your other uncles.”
They crossed the room. “Garrett showed me pictures of all of you. Let me guess,” she said, standing in front of the two remaining Delaney brothers. “You must be Zach,” she said, extending her hand to a curly-haired man with startling crystal-blue eyes that were so unlike the rest of the brown-eyed family.
“The brother who does not look like a brother,” she said. “I’m glad to meet you.”
“It’s about time. Welcome to the Delaney family.”
“Thank you,” she said, turning to the youngest brother, another handsome man with brown hair. “You have to be Ryan.”
“Indeed, I am. Thanks for coming to meet us. We’ve looked forward to this since the moment the attorney read Dad’s will. Let me get you something to drink. We have everything from beer to champagne to cocktails—whatever suits you.”
“I’d love a piña colada,” she said.
Garrett appeared at her elbow. “Zach, bring me a martini, would you?”
In a short time, Sophia felt drawn to all of them. They shared stories of childhood, which she guessed were being told for her benefit. They were at their best, she was certain. All of them were entertaining, polite, friendly. Garrett was relaxed and happy here with his lifelong friends.
It was almost eleven when she saw an opportunity to change the subject of the conversation. “I really should go soon, but before I leave I want to say something while I’m with all of you.” She glanced at Garrett who gave her a faint smile.
“I’m thrilled to meet my half brothers and relieved that you’ve welcomed me into the family. I’m happy to discover that I like all of you,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Even though he was very good to my mother, I did not have a satisfactory relationship with your father. In financial matters, he was generous, I will give him that. But that’s
the past and really has little to do with the current situation. I know your legacies hinge on me accepting my inheritance. Well, after meeting all of you, I’m happy to cooperate with all of you.”
She was drowned out by thanks and cheers.
“We really appreciate this, Sophia,” Will said.
“I blamed all of you for things that none of you did or had any control over, and it was wrong. I’m sorry, but this should make up for it.”
“Don’t give all that another thought,” Zach said, smiling at her. “We’re glad to know you. We all had our problems with our dad, so we understand a bit about how you feel. We just say a giant thank-you for doing this.”
“I stand to benefit, too, in a very big way,” she said, smiling. “The most important thing is that I’m not alone any longer. I feel I have a family now. Thanks to each of you for being so nice and welcoming me. I’m really overwhelmed and owe you an apology for being so uncooperative.” She was quickly drowned out by them telling her to forget the past.
She felt a knot in her throat. They were being incredibly nice to her and she hated to think how cold she had been to them, and how angry she’d been with Garrett when he had tried to get her to see their side.
“I think it’s time I go home before I get really emotional over all this. The evening has been delightful.”
The goodbyes were long and it was almost midnight before she was in the car with Garrett. He reached over to squeeze her hand. “You were fantastic tonight and you did the right thing, Sophia.”
“You were right, Garrett. They were all charming. Ava made me feel as if I’ve known her a long time and Caroline is an adorable little girl. It’s hard to imagine her going through all she has.”
“Ava has been the biggest blessing for Caroline and probably for Will, too.”
“I had a wonderful time. I know they were at their best, trying every way possible to please me. Well, they succeeded. That was the most delightful dinner party I’ve ever attended.”
“You know you can keep part of your money and do so many things you want to do—the house and gallery in Santa Fe, the gallery in Taos.”
“I have my own money. The Delaney money will go to charities.”
“You’ll make a lot of people incredibly happy.”
At his house, he walked in with his arm across her shoulders. “Sophia,” he said in a husky voice that made her pulse jump before they’d barely closed the door.
Nine
As she wrapped her arms around him, her heart pounded. Longing swamped her, making her tremble while his kiss melted her. She clung to him tightly, yielding to mindless loving, swept away by desire.
He wound his fingers in her hair and tipped her head back. “I missed you and have dreamed about you, thought about you, wanted you constantly. Forgive me.”
“Garrett, I do. I shouldn’t have been so harsh—thank heavens you made me see that.”
“Sophia, will you trust me again?” he asked. She gave him a searching look and slowly nodded.
“I missed you,” he repeated.
“We haven’t been apart that long, Garrett,” she whispered, his words making her heart beat even faster. His gray eyes were dark, stormy with passion. He had faint stubble now on his jaw and his hair was in disarray on his forehead. Her gaze lowered to his mouth and she wanted to kiss him. She pulled his head down and his lips covered hers, hard and demanding. Her pulse thundered, shutting out other sounds.
She had missed him dreadfully, more than she had wanted to admit to herself. Now she was desperate to love and be loved, to kiss and caress him once again.
He drew the zipper down the back of her dress. As cool air rushed over her shoulders, she felt his hands moving on her. He peeled away the dress and it fell in a whisper around her ankles. She kicked off her shoes and he held her back to look at her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered while she tugged free his buttons and pushed his shirt off.
His hands drifted over her. When her lace bra fell, he cupped her breasts, his hands warm, his fingers a torment.
Wanting to get rid of any barriers between them, she unfastened his belt and then his trousers, shoving them off. In seconds she was in his arms, naked, warm, feeling his solid, hard body. While he kissed her, he picked her up to carry her to a bedroom. She was not conscious of where he took her—just that he placed her on a bed, kneeling to shower kisses on her while he drank in the sight of her and caressed her.
She moaned and pleasure heightened until it was torment for her. She rolled over to kiss him, knowing that she did love him.
He rolled her gently on her stomach and knelt to continue trailing kisses on her legs as she writhed and whispered endearments. When he reached her back, she rolled over, reaching for him. He stepped away to get protection and then returned, ready.
Kneeling between her legs, he lowered himself to enter her. Crying out his name, she wrapped her legs around him. She held him tightly, turning her head to kiss him and he filled her and withdrew, moving slowly, a tantalizing loving that heightened her need.
Writhing with passion, she clung to him as she cried out. “Love me, Garrett,” she gasped. “Love me now.”
“You are fabulous, perfect,” he whispered in her ear as he slowly filled her again. Trying to pleasure her, his control stretched. Sweat beaded his shoulders and chest. Finally his control went and he pumped furiously as she moved with him.
He shuddered with release when his climax came and she thrashed wildly, soaring over a brink, caught up in rapture. “Garrett,” she cried, clinging to him, unaware of anything beyond his body and hers together.
She held him tightly as they slowed, finally growing quiet. Keeping her close, he rolled on his side.
“I want you in my arms every night.”
“That’s impossible.”
“It’s not.” He kissed her with light, feathery kisses on her temple, her cheek, down to her throat, lower until she stopped him.
“Just hold me, Garrett. I want you close.”
“I want to hold you constantly, to kiss you, to love you,” he said, kissing her between words. “What I’d like right now is for you to agree to go back to Colorado with me again next weekend.”
“Garrett, I don’t want to think about schedules or weekends or anything else right now except you.”
“Good enough. We’ll put the Colorado discussion off until later. Want to go for a midnight swim? The pool is heated.”
“I don’t have the energy and I’m surprised you do,” she said, laughing.
“How about a hot bath instead? Just sit and soak and hold each other.”
“That sounds far more interesting.” He led her to a bathroom with a large marble tub.
“Where are we? Are we in your room?”
“No. This is a downstairs guest bedroom. I didn’t carry you up a long flight of stairs, if you remember.”
“I don’t remember. You could have been carrying me outside to the car and I wouldn’t have noticed, which means your loving takes all my attention.”
“That’s good news.” He ran water, taking her hand to walk down three steps into the bath. Hot water swirled around her, but she was barely aware of it. All of her attention was on Garrett and his marvelous body with muscles from shoulders to feet.
As the tub filled, she sat between Garrett’s legs, pressed against his wet, warm body while he wrapped his arms around her and held her. Another weekend in Colorado with him tempted her—it was something she would love to do—but it went against her good judgment.
Everything was different now. Because she was in love.
* * *
Hours later Garrett stirred. Dawn’s pale light filtered into the room. He turned his head to look at Sophia who was in his arms, her legs entangled with his. Soft and warm, she took his breath away.
His gaze roamed slowly over her, memorizing her features. She excited him more than any other woman he had known. He wanted her with him—the extent of how b
adly surprised him. His feelings for her had grown over the weekend. He had missed her when they had been separated, but now he didn’t want her to go back to Houston. He wanted her to stay with him.
He had never asked a woman to move in with him, but he wanted Sophia to do so. He ran his fingers through her hair, remembering her stating vehemently that she never wanted an affair. He brushed aside her declaration because they were past that now. She had seemed as eager as he to make love.
He mulled over asking her to move in—a commitment of sorts that he’d never given anyone before Sophia. But the thought of her flying back to Houston and then to Santa Fe and being unavailable for long periods was unacceptable.
It had been far worse than he had expected when she had been out of his life. Which raised a very important question: Was he falling in love with her?
He couldn’t answer that. His usual caution and weighing of pros and cons kicked in from a lifelong habit of thinking things through before he acted.
He kissed her so lightly, dropping feathery kisses over her face, finally kissing her on her mouth. Then he lay back beside her, staring into space while he thought about asking her to stay.
* * *
When Sophia awoke, sunlight streamed through the windows. She turned to find Garrett smiling at her as he drew her to him.
“I’ll cook your breakfast. Are you hungry?”
“Yes. I’ll guess it’s afternoon?”
“Good guess. I can see my watch,” he said, turning to look at his watch on a bedside table. “It’s almost one. Explains why I thought of food. Let’s go shower and then I’ll cook.”
“If we shower together, which I think is what you’re suggesting, then you won’t be cooking for a while,” she said, smiling at him. He smiled in return, turning back to kiss her.
“You might be right. Let’s try and see,” he said, stepping out of bed, picking her up to carry her to the shower. “I don’t want to let go of you.”
“That’s fine with me,” she replied. She wished he meant exactly what he said to her. She had fallen in love with him and she wanted his love—his commitment—in return. She felt shut away in their own tiny corner of paradise, yet too soon the world would intrude on them.
