Please no! the voice in her head screamed. It was Valentine’s Day and she prayed he hadn’t planned to propose marriage. She’d known him six weeks, and couldn’t help but think about Aiden whom she’d married after knowing him six weeks. But Keaton wasn’t Aiden and he had made it so easy for Francine to love him.
Reaching for her hand, Keaton placed the box on her palm. “I think these will go very nicely with your hair styled like that.”
It took two attempts before Francine opened the box to reveal a pair of heart-shaped diamond studs. Her free hand covered her throat. “Omigosh! They’re beautiful.” Her eyes shimmered with happy tears. She handed him the box and removed the pearl studs from her ears, replacing them with the diamond hearts.
Keaton nodded his approval. “They’re perfect.” Dipping his head, he kissed the side of her neck.
Her hand grazed his smooth cheek. “Thank you, milord.”
“Did I not say you were born to wear silk and fancy baubles, my fair maiden?”
Francine giggled. She loved their playacting. “Aye, milord.”
“A most fetching maiden, who has the power to make me give up my nomadic wandering and settle down and become a gentleman farmer.”
Francine’s smile did not reach her eyes. Keaton had used their playacting to issue a backhanded marriage proposal. If there was one man who could get her to change her stance when it came to marriage it would be Keaton. But not now. It was their first Valentine’s Day and she hadn’t expected him to give her jewelry. Her normally smooth relationship with Keaton had just become a little more complicated.
“This maiden is ready to leave whenever you are,” she said in response. She knew from Keaton’s expression that he wasn’t pleased with her comeback. Picking up a black cashmere shawl, small silk evening bag, and house keys off a chair she walked to the door.
U.S. Congressman Jason Parker opened the door, inviting his wife’s guests into their home with an open smile and a handshake. Francine introduced Keaton to their representative, the two men exchanging strong handshakes.
Jason kissed Francine’s cheek. “I’m glad you could come, Red. Alice really appreciates your family’s support. We’re sorry your mother couldn’t make it. Please send her my best for a speedy recovery.”
“I’ll definitely tell her.”
“I hope you don’t mind if I borrow your boyfriend for a few minutes, because I want to introduce him to some of the other guys.”
Francine met Keaton’s eyes. “No, I don’t mind.” Her gaze lingered on Keaton’s broad shoulders under a dark blue tailored suit jacket when Jason led him out of the living room.
“Don’t worry about your man, Francine. He’s not going anywhere.”
She turned to find Kara standing behind her. “You got an invitation, too?”
The new mother was stunning in a short, flared black dress with a revealing neckline. Motherhood agreed with her. Everything about her, including her body, was lush. Kara nodded. “Jeff’s the one who got the invitation. I just came along for the ride.”
“How’s Austin?”
A dreamy look flitted across Kara’s face. “He’s getting so big.” Her hazel eyes sparkled like precious jewels. “I wake up in the middle of the night just to go and stare at him. I still can’t believe I gave birth to such an incredibly lovable little person.”
“Is he sleeping throughout the night?”
“Not yet. If I feed him just before putting him down for the night he’ll usually sleep between four and five hours without waking up.”
“I assume Miss Corrine is babysitting tonight.”
“She’s in heaven because this is her first time babysitting.”
“How is Oliver adjusting to sharing Miss Corrine with the baby?”
“Not well. He growls at Gram whenever she picks up Austin. I suppose it’s going to take a while before he realizes Gram has enough love to give him and her great-grandson.” Kara rested a hand on her chest. “I told Jeff that we can’t stay too long because I’ll embarrass myself if my milk starts leaking through my nursing pads.”
Alice swept into the living room wearing a thigh-high, revealing black tank dress and four-inch-heeled booties. She’d brushed her hair off her face. The hairstyle and clothes were the complete opposite of her side-swept bangs, conservative suits, blouses, and shoes she wore when campaigning. She took Francine’s hands, exchanging air kisses with her. “Well, look at you,” she crooned. “You look absolutely gorgeous. And your earrings are exquisite.”
Francine smiled, touching a diamond in her lobe. “Thank you. And you’ve made quite a transformation, Miss Soon-to-be-Mayor of Sanctuary Cove.” She glanced around the living room. “You’ve also done wonders with this house.”
Two years before, the Parkers had downsized their lives when they sold their six-bedroom, palatial home overlooking Charleston Harbor to move into a three-bedroom Lowcountry-style fixer-upper in the Cove. The Parker name wasn’t new on the island. It went back more than two hundred years, when Cyrus Parker established a rice plantation on Haven Creek.
“Thank you. I love this house and the Cove. When Jason suggested moving back here I was ready to divorce him because I’d already established a lifestyle that I’d become accustomed to. But he was adamant when he said he was moving with or without me. I fought too hard to get Jason to marry me to give it up over a house. I think we were here a month when I realized I was born to live in a small town. The kids know everyone in their school and every weekend there’re kids running in and out of the house. Instead of becoming a soccer mom wearing designer clothes, I’m now baking cookies and chaperoning sleepovers.”
“What made you decide to run for mayor?” Kara asked Alice.
“Despite what he professes, Spencer is soft on developers. When I hear him talk about them there’s no passion in his voice. The reason Jason fought so hard to get money to build the road between the Cove and Landing was to counter the argument that Cavanaugh Island’s infrastructure was eroding. And the Angels Landing Plantation’s restoration couldn’t come at a better time.” She paused. “Excuse me, ladies, but Hannah and the caterers just arrived.”
Kara gave Francine a sidelong glance. “Are they a gift from someone special?”
“What?”
“Your earrings.”
“Yes.”
“Keaton?”
“Yes,” Francine repeated.
“You’re next, Francine.”
Her brow furrowed. “Next for what?”
“You’re the next one to get married. I started it, then Morgan followed, and now you’re next. The man looks at you as if you were a decadent dessert,” Kara continued. “I’ve heard talk about how he brings you lunch every day. A man who looks after his woman like that is someone you should hold on to. I can assure you that if you let him get away some woman will reel him in before you bat an eye. I thought there were some hungry women in New York, but they’ve got nothing on these barracudas down here.” She leaned in close to Francine. “Jeff told me about a woman, whose name I will not mention, who opened the door for him wearing nothing but a pair of red panties. When he threatened to arrest her for lewdness, she went back into the house and put on a dress.”
“Damn,” Francine drawled.
Kara laughed. “That’s what he said. I think I see our men now.”
Francine was reunited with Keaton when he reappeared with Jeff, both men carrying highball glasses filled with an amber liquid. Within another fifteen minutes the living room was filled with Alice’s supporters as the caterers’ waitstaff offered her guests hot and cold hors d’oeuvres that included jumbo prawns and sushi before everyone filed into the dining room for a buffet dinner.
She found herself hovering close to Keaton after a man she’d never seen before tried hitting on her. At first he’d complimented her on her dress, then it was her legs and feet. When she tried to appear gracious he deliberately pressed his groin against her hips. It was apparent Keaton saw what was happenin
g when he stalked across the room.
“You can look at her, but I’m warning you not to touch her again.”
The man with an oily comb-over held up both hands. “It’s not what you think.”
“I know it’s not what I think but what I saw. Stay the hell away from my wife.”
Gurgling sounds came from the throat of Alice’s press secretary. “I’m… I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know she was your wife.”
My wife. The two words caused Francine’s breath to stop in her chest. It wasn’t only what Keaton said, but how he’d said it. The passion and possessiveness was so obvious that she felt as if she truly were his wife.
She and Keaton departed soon after Kara and Jeff did, their ride back to Magnolia Drive accomplished in complete silence. She unlocked the door, and he followed her up the staircase. It was only a matter of time before word got out that she and Keaton were married, while nothing could be further from the truth.
“Tonight was nice,” Francine said over her shoulder as she opened the apartment door and walked in.
Keaton closed the door behind them. “It was until that cretin lost his mind and decided to hump you.”
She turned to face Keaton. “He had one more hump before I inflicted some serious pain that would’ve had him cradling his family jewels. I had enough of humping whenever I rode the subways in New York to last me for the rest of my life.”
“How often does that happen to you?” Keaton asked.
“What, someone humping me?”
He shook his head. “No. Men coming onto you when you’re dressed like this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, Keaton? You think I dress to get attention?”
He took a step, anchoring his hands against the wall next to her head. “No. I think it’s because you don’t realize just how sexy you are.” He tucked in a curl that had escaped the pins holding her hair in place. “Just looking at you makes me hard.” He grasped her hand, holding it against the solid bulge in the front of his suit trousers.
Knowing she had that effect on Keaton elicited an erotic hunger in Francine she hadn’t known she possessed. Her hands were busy when she unzipped his fly, her fingers closing around the hardness pulsing against the fabric of his briefs. Her mouth was as busy as her hands as she covered his mouth with hers. She wanted to get closer, absorb everything about Keaton inside her.
He picked her up, one arm holding her aloft while the other found the waistband of her thong panties, pulling the scrap of silk off her hips, and tossing it to the floor. Common sense fled, insanity taking over when Francine freed his erection. They stood in the dimly lit entryway, her legs around his waist, arms holding onto his neck. She was in heat and all she wanted was his hardness sliding in and out of her wet, quivering flesh.
Chapter Nineteen
The sounds of heavy breathing, punctuated with the slip-slap of flesh meeting flooded Keaton’s senses. The raw passion Francine offered him made him forget every woman he had ever known. She’d suspected he wanted something from her and if he were honest he would’ve told her he wanted her to love him as much as he’d come to love her. He wanted to go to sleep with her every night and wake up with her beside him every morning. He wanted to watch her belly swell with the children he hoped to have with her. There were so many things he wanted to share with her.
Keaton felt the tingling sensation at the base of his spine, the tightening of his scrotum, and knew he was close to ejaculating. He knew he should pull out, yet he didn’t want it to end. He knew the possibility of getting Francine pregnant would complicate everything. Keaton wasn’t certain where he summoned the strength to pull out, while he continued to pump his hips against her mound. Together they climbed the peak of passion, poising at the precipice before floating back down to earth and reality.
It ended when he slid down to the floor, taking Francine with him. She straddled his thighs, her head resting on his shoulder. “I love you, Keaton. I love you so much it pains me to even say it.”
Keaton kissed her forehead. The night was filled with surprises. He hadn’t expected Francine to look as if she’d just stepped off the pages of a glossy fashion magazine. He hadn’t expected to spend his time at the Parkers watching her every move, hanging on to her every word when she introduced him to those she’d known for years. Despite there being more than two dozen people there, it could’ve been only the two of them, because he’d blocked out everyone except himself and Francine.
He cradled her face, his heart turning over when he saw her tears. “I love you, too.”
She let out a long shudder. “Thank you, Keaton.”
“There’s no need to thank me for loving you.”
She closed her eyes, spiked lashes resting on the ridge of high cheekbones. “Not about that. It could’ve ended in disaster if you hadn’t pulled out. I picked the wrong time of the month to get reckless.”
“It’s okay, baby.” Dipping his head, he brushed a kiss over her parted lips. “I like spontaneity.”
Her expression changed, becoming somber. “We can’t do this again. It’s too risky.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Making love?”
“Making love without using protection,” Francine corrected. She anchored her arms under his shoulders. “I want children, but…”
Keaton stopped her words when he placed his fingers over her mouth. He knew what she wanted, because he wanted the same. “I know what you want.”
“What do I want besides children?” she asked.
“You want a husband you can trust to love, protect, and provide for you and the children you hope to have together. And you want a stable life filled with people you love.”
She giggled, the sound reminiscent of Keaton’s sister when she was a little girl. “You really think you know me that well?”
“Not as well as I’ve come to know your delectable body, sweetie.”
Francine nuzzled his ear. “It looks as if I’m going to need some extra tutoring before I get to know yours,” she said teasingly.
Keaton played with the curls grazing the nape of her neck. “I don’t mind staying after class to help you out.”
Francine kissed the bridge of his nose. “Sorry, darling, but I’m going to have to postpone that lesson for another time. Help me up, please. My legs are going to sleep.”
Keaton zipped his fly, massaged her calves and thighs, and then helped Francine to her feet. He stared at her intently as she smoothed down her dress. Bending down, he picked up her panties, dangling them from his forefinger. “I think these belong to you.”
She flashed a sexy smile. “I do believe they do.” She kissed him. “Go home, Keaton.”
She wanted him to go home when it was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Is that what you want?” he asked with deceptive calm.
Francine nodded. “I need to be alone to think about everything that’s happened between us tonight.”
“Everything that happened tonight was supposed to happen.” That said, he turned on his heel and walked out.
She loved him.
He loved her.
But was it enough to commit to a future together? The question nagged at him when he stood under the spray of the shower, and it continued to plague him when he lay on the bed staring into darkness. It was sometime before the sky brightened with the dawn of a new day that he finally fell asleep.
Sunday afternoon Keaton sat across from Devon at a table in a restaurant within walking distance of her hotel. Peering at her over the rim of his cup of coffee, he met her eyes. Her face had changed. It was thinner and it was the first time he’d seen her without makeup and her hair pulled off her face.
“What’s the matter, Devon?”
She avoided his eyes. “Everything.”
Reaching across the table, he held one of her hands. “Is something wrong with your baby?”
Devon’s hazel eyes filled with tears. “No, it’s not the baby. It’s me.”
Keaton released her
hand and leaned back in his chair. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to talk about it—”
“I have to talk about it,” she said, interrupting him, “or I’ll lose my mind.”
He couldn’t figure out what it could be, but he knew it had to be serious to make his friend and attorney leave New York to seek him out. The most obvious thing would be that Gregory wasn’t thrilled that she was carrying his child.
“Remember what I said before, Devon. Whatever the outcome, I’m here for you.”
“He doesn’t want this baby, Keaton.”
“Has he told you that?”
Devon picked up a napkin and touched it to the corners of her eyes. “Remember when I told you he was flying up from Virginia to see me?” Keaton nodded. “Well, it never happened.”
“Did he at least call you to tell you he wouldn’t be coming?”
“No. And when I called him, it went directly to voice mail. I waited a day and called again and that’s when I found out that he’d blocked my calls.”
“Did he suspect you were pregnant with his child?”
“I think so, because I’d mentioned to him that I was late and my period always comes on time.”
“So, the bastard bails on you because he believes you’re going to tell him that he’s going to be a father?”
Devon sniffled audibly. “It’s more than that, Keaton.”
“How much more?”
“I did something that I told myself I would never do, and that was chase a man. I drove down to Newport News to confront him. When I rang his doorbell a woman who identified herself as his aunt told me that Gregory was staying with his parents, because his father had just had open heart surgery. She also told me that Gregory and his fiancée had postponed their wedding until his father’s health improved. When I asked about his fiancée, his aunt told me she was the daughter of the junior senator from Mississippi.”
“You believed her?” Keaton asked.
“At first I didn’t, but when I Googled the senator’s name I saw photographs of him with his wife and daughter. There was also one with Gregory cuddling with the daughter at a fund-raising event.”
Magnolia Drive Page 28
