The Way You Love Me

by Unknown

  She blew out a breath and leaned into him. “Mother never liked him, neither did Jackie or Noah, for that matter. What’s wrong with me that I couldn’t see through him?”

  “You think the best of everyone. Remember, he fooled your father as well,” Shane said, not batting an eye at the lie. He’d bet anything her father had planned on getting something out of the marriage. Perhaps even a huge chunk of Paige’s inheritance. Russell’s parents probably knew about the inheritance as well.

  “You’re right. I’m putting Russell out of my mind.” She curved her arms around his neck, fitting her body to his. “You’d never deceive me.”

  It took all of Shane’s control not to flinch. “I’ll always have your best interests at heart.”

  “Good. After dinner, why don’t we take a swim and you can show me?” Her mouth pressed against his, sweet and tempting.

  What she was doing was filled with danger, but so exciting and sensual that she had no intention of not continuing. Just looking at Shane wearing only brief black swim trunks, stretched out before her like a pagan offering, made her a bit light-headed.

  Her jaw had become unhinged earlier when he’d first slipped out of his pants and shirt. If his face was gorgeous, his body was magnificent. His chest was scored, his stomach flat, his thighs strong.

  She’d stared and concentrated on breathing. When she’d looked her fill and lifted her head, she found him looking at her the same reverent, greedy way. Her heart thundered in her chest.

  “If I touch you now I’m not sure I can stop this time,” he’d told her, his voice thick and strained with desire.

  This startling confession from a man who had no obvious weaknesses awed her. She felt powerful and so blessed to have found the one man who moved her, touched her heart and soul.

  Turning away from him, she’d dived into the pool. He’d come in after her. All the time they were swimming, she’d been thinking about this moment when she’d get to freely run her hands over his magnificent body.

  With an unsteady hand she picked up the small bottle of massage oil. “Ready?”

  He twisted his head to stare up at her as she knelt beside him. His eyes were dark with desire on her. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

  Neither was she, but there was no way she wasn’t going through with the massage. She wanted her hands on him. “You promised and you’d never break a promise.”

  His hands fisted, he looked away.

  Opening the bottle, she poured a generous portion of the exotic-smelling oil onto the palms of her hands, rubbed them together. Taking a deep breath she placed her hands on Shane’s bare back. Muscles and skin rippled.

  His reaction radiated up her arm and settled low in her belly, leaving her restless, achy. She embraced the sensations. For so long she had thought she’d never feel desire that almost consumed her. But what made it heaven was knowing the man she desired felt the same way about her.

  Without hesitation, she straddled him, her knees on either side of his hips, her body poised over his. Only her hands touched him. Immediately he tensed beneath her.

  “Paige.” He growled her name in warning. “Don’t.”

  Despite need gnawing at her, she smiled. Yes, she affected him as much as he affected her. Her warrior. Her Black Knight. “I can’t do it properly otherwise. Just relax.” Leaning forward, she kissed his shoulder, felt him shudder. Her hands trembled as much as her body. “I like touching you.”

  “And I like it too much,” he rumbled.

  Her hand stilled, then began a smooth glide up his back, her thumbs almost meeting at his spine. “You’re beautiful.”

  He snorted.

  She laughed, accidentally settling against him, cradling him between her thighs. Heat and hardness radiated from him to the very core of her. “I—” was all she got out before she found herself on her back, Shane staring down at her, his face and breathing harsh in the night.

  For a split second, she experienced a forgotten fear, then just as swiftly it was gone. This was Shane; she was his woman. He’d never hurt her.

  She placed her hands on his broad chest, felt a shiver race through him. Her gaze on him, her fingertips stroked the warm, supple skin. “I guess I did it wrong. I’ll get better.”

  When he didn’t say anything, just continued staring down at her, she knew he was fighting making her his. With her mother in the house, that wasn’t going to happen. “You’re the first man I’ve ever wanted to touch, to give a massage to. Before you came into my life I used to think there was something wrong with me because I didn’t feel attracted to men. I thought there was a malfunction in me. Another thing wrong in the long list.”

  “There is nothing wrong with you.”

  Despite the tense situation, her smile returned. He would defend her even against herself. “I know that now. So forgive me if I enjoy having my hands on you a bit too much.”

  “Paige.” Her name trembled over his lips, then they were on hers, hot and greedy. He devoured her mouth, his tongue retreating, then returning to ravish and excite her. With a groan of pure pleasure, her arms went around his neck, drawing him to her, enjoying the feel of his hard body on hers.

  His thick arousal pushed against her stomach, causing it to knot, her nipples to harden, the place between her legs to throb. Restlessly, she moved against him, trying to appease the ache.

  Shane sucked in his breath. His hand cupped her woman’s softness. “Paige.” His voice was sharp with unfulfilled desire.

  She whimpered, lifted her hips to increase the pressure. Her fingernails bit into his naked shoulder. “More.”

  Abruptly he lifted to his head. In one smooth motion he stood, pulling her with him to her feet. Their harsh breathing was loud in the night. Several seconds passed before Shane spoke. “You better go inside.”

  Reaching for her own control, Paige tried to remember that her mother was in the house, and not how badly she wanted Shane’s hands and mouth on her again. “What about you?”

  “I think I’ll swim for a while.”

  She shook her head. “You wouldn’t let me swim alone. I’m not going to let you, either.”

  “Pai—”

  “No. Since this is not one of those times that kissing will make it better, how about a walk? The trails around the garden rooms are a mile and a half. We could jog, but you’d leave me in the dust. Or we—”

  A small smile curved his lips, then ragged laughter rippled from his throat. He hugged her. “My Paige. Always thinking of the other person.” He brushed his lips across the top of her head. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

  My Paige. Her heart was so full she could hardly get the words out. “We’re both lucky and blessed.”

  “That we are.” Hugging her tightly to him, he stepped back, curving his arm around her waist. Together they went to where they’d left their clothes. Picking up her robe, he slipped the pink terry robe on her, tied the sash, then picked up his shirt and jeans.

  She sighed loudly. He glanced up, his gaze questioning, his hands pausing on the snap of his jeans. “It seems such a shame to cover up such an incredible body.”

  His intense gaze held hers. “Same thing I thought when I tied your robe.”

  She started to reach out to him, then changed her mind. It was a good chance they’d end up back on the mat, and this time they might not stop. Instead she picked up the massage oil and slipped it into her pocket. “I don’t want to forget this. We’ll need it next time.”

  Shane grinned. “I am indeed a blessed and lucky man.”

  With the Masquerade Ball less than thirty hours away, Paige sat behind her office desk Friday morning checking and double-checking everything in her notebook against the computer printout. Every day a new problem came up, but thank goodness she’d been able to solve them all.

  Today the last delivery for the gift bags—lemon sugar cookies in a box shaped like the petals of a daisy—was to arrive by noon from the gourmet bakery. She’d already hired Ga
yle to be at the Carrington Estate to receive the delivery, and supervise the cookies being placed in the gift bags. When Shane drove Gayle to the estate he was going to put the banners up.

  Paige shook her head. She hadn’t even thought of securing the banners until he’d mentioned it last night when she was going over her list with him. It was certainly nice having a man who seemed to think of everything.

  Her door opened after the briefest knock and Doris strode in, an empty coffee can in her hand. “We’re out of coffee.”

  The smile on Paige’s face evaporated. She and Doris had never been friends, but the other woman had become cooler toward Paige since the first day Shane came to the office.

  “We’re also low on snacks,” Doris added.

  In the past Paige might have overlooked the other woman’s curtness because she wasn’t the only one benefiting from the goodies Paige purchased. No more. She wasn’t being a doormat for anyone else. “I’ve been busy as you can see. Perhaps you or someone else would like to restock the break room.”

  Doris blinked. “What?”

  “Perhaps you or someone else would like to restock the break room this time,” Paige repeated slowly.

  “If I had your money I wouldn’t quibble over a few bucks,” Doris snapped. “It’s not as if you can’t afford it.”

  Paige stared at Doris and realized that she was jealous of her. “Doris, I suggest if you want coffee or snacks, you buy them. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy.”

  “That’s selfish,” she huffed, and turned, almost bumping into Jackie. “I-I . . .”

  “Paige is the most giving person I know.” Jackie bit off each word. “You talk about being selfish when you’ve never spent one penny to buy one item for the break room or bring a dish when we have potluck. But you always eat.”

  Doris flushed, bit her lips. “I-I always wake up too late to cook.”

  “So you claim.” Jackie folded her arms. “Before you start pointing fingers or slinging accusations, I’d say you better look in the mirror.”

  Doris tucked her head and started from the room.

  “One more thing,” Jackie said. “I suggest, as Paige said, if you want coffee, you purchase it. Now, I’m sure you have work to do.” Doris quickly left.

  “Jackie—”

  Jackie held up her hand, cutting Paige off. “I hate to admit it, but Doris made me realize how we’ve all taken advantage of you. I’m sending out a memo that we can either start a goody fund or everyone will have to bring their own.”

  Paige started to argue, then realized that people often better appreciated those things they had to make an effort to obtain. “All right.”

  Jackie nodded at the papers on Paige’s desk. “Everything going all right?”

  “Yes. I’m just checking everything now,” she told her boss.

  A knock sounded on the door. She glanced up and smiled at Shane, then she noticed the white bakery box in his hands. Frowning, she shot to her feet. “The bakery didn’t get the size of the cookies mixed up, did they?”

  “Nope. Hello, Jackie.” Shane placed the twelve-by-twelve box in the center of her desk. “This is for you.”

  “Hello and good-bye, Shane,” Jackie said, slipping from the office and closing the door after her.

  Paige looked from Shane’s smiling face to the cookie box. He said, “It won’t untie itself.”

  Nodding, she undid the ornate silk organza bow, then lifted the lid. Her hand trembled. Inside was a large, heart-shaped lemon sugar cookie.

  “Aren’t you going to taste it?” He rounded the desk to stand beside her.

  “Yes.” She took his mouth, dipping her tongue, swirling, tasting him. “Delicious.”

  “Delicious.” He kissed her again, then gently touched her cheek. “I’d stay and continue this, but I have to pick up Gayle and put up a couple of banners.”

  “Then we’ll have to continue once I’m home.”

  His eyes darkened. “Don’t be late.” Kissing her swiftly, he strode from the room, closing the door behind him.

  Paige sighed, then quickly went back to work. She planned on going home tonight on time.

  Saturday morning, waving good-bye to Paige as she left to do a final walk-through at the Carrington Estate, Shane accepted that his life had taken a turn he hadn’t foreseen. He knew his responsibilities better than anyone. He had worked all his life to achieve respectability and a certain amount of financial success, but that was no longer enough. He didn’t want to think of a day he couldn’t see her, be with her.

  He’d worked with two men he had been honored to call his friends, but he needed something more. He needed Paige. She was so pleased with little things he gave her—the white roses, the chocolates, and the cookie she refused to eat.

  She filled his life, made the days brighter, his life better. His purpose had shifted. Looking back, he knew it had happened the second his body had covered hers. His heart had known it. It had just taken his brain longer to accept it and stop fighting.

  Now the problem became: How did he make Paige his? Nothing could be built on lies and deceit. He abhorred both, had worked to leave them behind with his shiftless family. One thing he understood and accepted, there could never be anything between him and Paige until she knew the truth.

  The call wasn’t his. And that presented a problem.

  Taking the path from the garage he opened the back door to find Mrs. Albright still at the kitchen table drinking her coffee as he’d known she would be. “After the ball, I want to tell Paige the real reason I’m here.”

  Joann’s head lifted abruptly. Her slim fingers flexed on the handle of the delicate cup in her hand. “Russell is out of the picture. Why can’t we just leave things alone?”

  “Because lies have a way of coming out,” he told her. “Paige has a right to know the truth.”

  “Is that the only reason?” she asked, staring at him.

  He didn’t hesitate. “I care about her, and every time she says how much she trusts me, I feel like the underbelly of a snake.”

  “So you plan to return to Santa Fe?” she questioned, watching him closely.

  “I’m moving out in the morning and getting a place. I plan on sticking around for a few days,” he said slowly. Or longer. Blade would understand the new direction Shane’s life had taken. Rio was another matter. “I want to make sure Paige understands.”

  Mrs. Albright rose and took her coffee cup to the sink. “Have you considered that she’ll know that you knew about Trent?”

  He’d thought of little else. “Yes.”

  She turned, her face and voice determined. “I don’t want you to tell her.”

  “You can’t keep running from the truth,” he told her. “It will destroy you.”

  “Perhaps, but it won’t destroy my relationship with Paige,” she reasoned.

  “What about my relationship with her?” he asked, keeping his gaze level. “If we don’t tell her and she finds out later, she might see this as another occasion of people making a fool out of her.”

  “That’s a chance I have to take.”

  “You’re condemning me to take it right along with you.”

  “I’m sorry, but that is the way it has to be. There are too many variables.” Turning back to the sink, she began rinsing the breakfast dishes.

  Shane quietly left the room. He didn’t agree with her, but it was her call . . . at least for tonight.

  Chapter 20

  The taupe-and-beige evening gown was designed to draw a man’s attention and keep it. Swirls of silk were bordered by flesh-toned organza that, at first glance, appeared to be naked flesh. The material skimmed over the body before flaring at the knees in flirtatious ruffles with a foot-long train. One shoulder was bare, the other had a bouffant sleeve. The back was bare to the waist. With every movement, the gown shifted, beckoned. It was daring, a bit wicked—and nothing like the old Paige would have worn.

  Underneath she wore only bikini panties and thigh-high stoc
kings. On her feet were four-inch matching evening sandals. After she and Shane had visited the Carrington Estate the first time, she had changed her mind about wearing the dark pink taffeta gown with the flowing skirt. She wanted a complete departure from the reserved Paige. Tonight she wanted to be a little wicked. If the night worked out as she’d planned, she’d be a lot wicked when morning came.

  Taking a deep breath, she picked up her jeweled evening bag and left the room. Her steps were slow on the stairs. She paused when she saw Shane waiting for her at the bottom.

  Her heart stopped, then raced. He was incredibly gorgeous. The black tux fit his broad shoulders perfectly, emphasizing his muscular build. Any woman would take a second look at the body, but the gorgeous face would stop her in her tracks, just as it had Paige.

  “You take my breath away.”

  “Good, because you do the same to me,” she said, feeling bold and daring. She had a feeling that this night would change everything between them. She continued down the stairs, feeling his hunger, the desire he barely kept in check, with each stop.

  “I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight tonight,” he said, drawing her closer, his mouth hovering near hers.

  “I’ll be busy.”

  “No matter.” His thumb graced across her chin. “I want to kiss you so badly, but one taste wouldn’t be enough and I’d undoubtedly mess up your hair and wrinkle the gown.”

  She moistened her lips. “You tempt me to let you do just that.”

  “I know.” He blew out a breath and grabbed her hand. “Let’s get you to the ball before your guests arrive.” He opened the front door. “Your mother is coming later. Your carriage awaits.”

  She laughed, a warm melodious sound that went straight to his heart. “Carriage?”

  “The word seemed to fit. You’re awakening like Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. Only at midnight, we’ll still be dancing.”

  Paige looked at the black limousine, the uniformed driver waiting by the open door. How many times had she dreamed of her modern-day knight taking her to the ball? It was impossible to resist a man who fulfilled her fantasies. “Thank you.”