Tag turned around. “And what do you think about when you look at Martha?”
Edgar stretched out his legs, leaned back in his chair and locked his fingers behind his head. “Same thing, but added to those two is love. And that’s the key, kid. Find a woman who can ignite you with passion and desire and who can also fill your heart with love.”
Tag grunted. He doubted there was a woman in existence who could fill his heart with love, but when it came to passion and desire there was one face that readily came to mind.
Renee’s.
“Thanks for picking me up,” Renee said as she eased into the leather seat of Tag’s SUV.
“You don’t have to thank me, Renee.” He closed the door and came around the other side and slid into the driver’s seat.
He glanced over at her. “You look nice. But then you always do.”
His compliment made her smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He pulled out into traffic.
She was silent, her gaze skimming the buildings and people as they drove by. Although she had never eaten at Une Nuit, she had heard of a lot of nice things about the restaurant. According to what Tag had told her earlier, his cousin Bryan had gotten out of the family business a few years ago to try his hand in the restaurant business. The change in careers had proved successful. Tag had also mentioned that Bryan traveled quite a bit and when he did, the restaurant was managed by a capable Frenchman by the name of Stash Martin.
“My sister and brothers are looking forward to meeting you tonight. They appreciate all you did for our mother while she was in the hospital.”
To say what she’d done was merely her job would sound rather cold, Renee thought, especially when she considered the time she’d spent with Karen more valuable than that. She glanced over at Tag. “I’m looking forward to meeting them as well and look forward to doing what I can to help lift your mother’s spirits.”
When the vehicle came to a stop at a traffic light, she said gently, “Tell me about them.” She inhaled sharply when he turned and met her gaze. The depths of his blue eyes shone darkly under a flashing street sign. He did something to her each and every time he looked at her, whether she wanted the reaction or not.
“Gannon, who is thirty-three, is my oldest brother and the second in command to my father at Pulse. He always loved his carefree bachelor lifestyle but last month he became engaged to a woman he’d had an affair with over a year ago by the name of Erika Layven. You’ll also get to meet her tonight.”
Tag hit the brakes when a yellow cab carelessly darted out in front of his Lexus. “Liam,” he continued, “is thirty-one and is EPH’s financial operating officer.” He chuckled. “We tease him about being my grandfather’s favorite grandchild because he’s the one who keeps tabs on the money, and trust me, he does a damn good job of it. He’s sharp when it comes to numbers.
“Last but not least, there’s Bridget, who is your age. She’s a photo editor for Charisma and according to what she tells me, she’s still trying to find herself.”
He glanced over at Renee. “And there you have it.” And with that timely ending, the car came to a stop in front of Une Nuit.
Six
I f Renee had felt strange and uncomfortable when she’d first walked into Une Nuit with Tag, then those feelings were definitely behind her now. His siblings had a way of making her feel relaxed, and she could easily tell that the four of them shared a rather close relationship.
The inside of the restaurant looked sensational and the place was filled to capacity, with a number of celebrities in the house. She and Tag bypassed the long line of patrons waiting to be seated and were escorted to the “Elliott Table” where Gannon, Liam and Bridget was waiting for them. Gannon’s fiancée, Erika, joined the group a few minutes later.
Tag was quick to explain that with so many family members frequenting the restaurant, Bryan had designated a rear table as the “Elliott Table.”
Renee had blinked twice when she’d met the restaurateur. With his jet black hair and blue eyes, she could easily tell that he and Tag were related. And he was so laid-back and friendly.
“Are you sure you don’t prefer wine, Renee?” Gannon asked, smiling.
Renee liked Tag’s brothers and his sister, as well as Erika. She thought there wasn’t a pretentious bone in Erika’s body, and like the others, she went out of her way to make her feel comfortable. “No thank you,” Renee said. “I better stick with this coffee since there’s work tomorrow.”
“Yes, there is that. And we want to thank you for your willingness to help with Mom,” Gannon said, acting as spokesman for the group. The others nodded in full agreement.
Renee’s smile spread to each corner of her lips. “None of you has to thank me. Your mother is a wonderful person and I’m happy to do anything that I can to help her.” She had explained earlier exactly what Karen needed. All of them had listened attentively and had thrown out several good ideas and suggestions, but it was Gannon and Erika’s suggestion that everyone decided was the best.
In light of Karen’s breast cancer, the couple had decided to fly to Vegas and marry at the end of the month instead of having a traditional wedding. However, if planning a wedding would give Karen something to do and lift her spirits, they would certainly change their plans. It was decided that Erika would contact Karen and ask her assistance in planning a small wedding. The family had already made plans to gather at Patrick and Maeve’s Hampton estate at the end of the month to celebrate the older couple’s anniversary, and Gannon and Erika thought it would be special to exchange their vows on the same exact date Gannon’s grandparents had fifty-seven years ago. Since everyone knew how much Karen loved planning special events, they hoped assisting Erika with her wedding would lift Karen’s spirits.
While Renee sipped her coffee she couldn’t help but notice when Gannon leaned over to Erika and whispered something into her ear. Whatever he said brought a smile to Erika’s face, and she tilted her head for him to kiss her on the lips. Renee was touched by the romantic gesture, just one of several that had passed between the couple that night. She’d been surprised by how open they had been in admitting their love for each other and their desire to get married and start a family right away.
“Ready to leave?”
Renee nearly jumped when Tag leaned over and whispered into her ear. She lifted her gaze but she didn’t dare move her head. Doing so would have their lips practically touching. Yet, they were so close there was no way their breath wouldn’t mingle when she did speak. “Yes, I’m ready.”
She regretted having to say good-night to everyone and was surprised when Bridget slipped her business card into her hand and told her to call her one day soon so the two of them could do lunch. Erika did the same thing.
“I enjoyed myself tonight,” Renee said to Tag when they were in the SUV and on their way back to her place. “You have special siblings, and after meeting your parents I can see why. They did a great job in raising all of you.”
Tag glanced over at her and smiled. “Thanks.” Although she had given him a compliment, he couldn’t forget it had just been a few days since she had stood in her office and practically said she could not have a relationship with him because of their different races and his family’s wealth.
“What’s this joke about the family feud?”
Renee’s question interrupted Tag’s thoughts. He glanced over at her. “It’s no joke, it’s the truth. My grandfather is retiring at the end of the year and has decreed that whoever makes their magazine the biggest success by the end of the year will be given the position of CEO of EPH.”
Renee glanced at him with widened eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
Tag chuckled. “No, I wish I was but I’m dead serious. And what’s so crazy is that although the four magazines are run by a different offspring, the staff is mixed. For example, Bridget doesn’t work with me, Gannon and my father at Pulse. She works with Aunt Finola at Charisma. So in essence, in
trying to put Charisma on top, she won’t be rallying to our father’s side in his bid for the CEO position.”
“Uh-oh, that can be a pretty sticky position to be placed in,” Renee said, wondering why Tag’s grandfather would do such a thing in pitting his family against each other that way.
“It already is and personally, I don’t like it. The feud between the different magazines is making things tense at the office.”
Renee turned her head and recognized the deli on the corner. They were within a block of her place. She shifted in her seat, suddenly feeling nervous. When Tag had picked her up earlier she had been dressed and ready to go and had walked out of the apartment before he’d had a chance to knock. She couldn’t help wondering, considering their argument in her office over a week ago, if he would just drop her off at the curb and keep going. She had to be realistic enough to know that the only reason he had shown up at her office last night was to ask for her help with his mother.
When his car turned the corner and came to a stop in front of her apartment building, she began unbuckling her seat belt. In a way, she was sorry the ride had ended. “Thanks again for tonight.”
“I should be thanking you, and I do,” he said huskily, seconds before opening his door and quickly walking in front of the car to open the car door for her. He offered her his hand.
She took it and immediately felt flushed from the top of her head all the way to her toes. All it took was a look in his eyes to know he’d felt it, too. Tingles of awareness were electrifying the space between them. A yearning sensation was spreading all through her limbs and she suddenly longed for the feel of his lips on hers. She blinked, forcing those thoughts away, and knew she had to take control of what was happening to her. Put a stop to it immediately.
They didn’t say anything as he walked her to her apartment, and when they reached her door he stood silently by while she took the key from her purse and unlocked it. She turned to him. “Thanks for walking me to the door, Tag.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Renee.”
If she had been focused more on her surroundings than on Tag, Renee would not have noticed the deep timbre of his voice or the intensity that filled his blue eyes. But she did notice those things although she wished she hadn’t, because in doing so she felt more heat spread through her.
She remembered their conversation that day in her office. She knew every single word she had told him, could probably recite it in her sleep. But now, at this very moment, none of it mattered. She was dealing with an emotion she’d never dealt with before and she knew, whether she wanted it to happen or not, she had fallen in love with Tag.
Forbidden love.
She sucked in a deep breath at the realization and wondered how she could have let such a thing happen. The big question was not how he had gotten through her defenses so quickly, but how he had managed to get through them at all. They were completely wrong for each other, on different ends of a spectrum, worlds apart. They could never share a happy life together without stares and frowns. There was no reason to think about a future with him, but there was something they could share tonight that would be theirs and theirs alone.
“Good-night, Renee.” Tag leaned down and kissed her cheek before turning to leave. He took a few steps, stopped, and then, as if he was compelled to look at her just one more time, he turned back around.
The moment their gazes reconnected she knew she was doomed. She loved him and she wanted him. It was as simple as that. At least for tonight it would be simple. “Would you like to come in for a drink or something?” she asked softly, unable to hold her silence any longer.
With a smile that would have endeared him to her for life if he hadn’t already been so, he recovered the distance separating them and whispered, “Are you sure you want to be alone with me tonight, Renee?”
Emotions clogged her throat. She knew what he was asking.
He had tried walking away but couldn’t. Like her, he had reached the end of his rope. Desire had thickened their minds, taken control of their thoughts, and, God forbid, pushed them over the edge. Once they stepped into her apartment there would be no turning back and they both knew it.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she said, her mind completely made up. They would have this night together. With that decision made, an unexpected rush of relief and pleasure washed over her, forcing any and all opposition from her mind. He was man. She was woman. And at this moment, he was the man she loved and wanted.
“If you’re sure,” he said, slowly opening the door.
“And I am,” she said as an assured smile touched the corners of her lips.
“In that case, I think we should take this inside.”
He held the door open to let her go in first and then he followed, closing and locking the door behind him.
There was definitely something sexual and elemental about being alone with the woman you desperately wanted, Tag thought as he leaned against the closed door.
He watched as Renee went to stand in the middle of the room. She was nervous. He could tell. But then he was aroused and he knew that she could tell that as well. There was no way his body could keep something like that a secret. He suddenly felt like holding her in his embrace, needing to feel the heat of her body against his.
He held his hand out to her. “Come here, Renee,” he said in a voice that wanted to retain control but was slowly losing it.
She placed her purse on a table and crossed the room to stand in front of him. His hands automatically slid around her waist. “I want to hold you for a little while,” he said, bringing her body closer to the fit of him. Renee’s head automatically rested upon his chest.
Tag knew there were still unresolved issues between them but at this very moment, while she was in his arms, nothing mattered but them being together this way. What was important was that when it came to passion and desire they were in accord.
Passion and desire.
Edgar’s words rang loudly in Tag’s ears. He thought of all the other women he’d ever dated, some as stunning as a woman could get, but there was something about Renee that was different. She was as beautiful as the rest but there was this ingrained, unadulterated sense of kindness and decency that pulled him to her each and every time.
“Tag?” she whispered moments later, the warmth of her breath splaying against his cheek.
“Mmm?”
“Are we going to stand here like this all night?”
His lips parted in a smile. Only Renee could ask such a question at a time like this. Instead of answering her, he bent and swept her into his arms at the exact moment his mouth settled hungrily over hers. It was by no means a gentle kiss and was intended to let her know just how much he desired her.
She moaned and the sound intensified the deep-rooted longing within him. He pulled his mouth away briefly to ask, “Which way to the bedroom?”
“Down the hall then to your right.”
Holding her tight against him, he moved in that direction. When they reached the bedroom doorway he resumed kissing her, letting his tongue explore and devour every inch of her mouth. Somehow, with their lips locked, they made it to the bed. He was grateful she had left a lamp on in the room.
She gave a nervous laugh and pulled him down on the soft mattress with her. He tilted his head back and looked at her, thinking that he’d never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Renee. Anticipation filled his entire being as he slipped off the bed to remove his clothes.
He watched her watch him remove his shirt then he reached his hand out and pulled her off the bed to him. After removing her shoes he turned her around to work at the zipper on her dress. He liked her dress, a silky-looking A-line blue dress that showed off her shapely figure. He had definitely liked seeing her in it, but would enjoy seeing her out of it even more.
“I’ve wanted you from that first day I walked into your office,” he whispered, placing a wet kiss on her shoulder. He felt a shudder race through her body and gloried in the fact t
hat he had been the one to make it happen.
“You did?”
“Yes, and it shook me up some because I’ve never wanted a woman that much before.”
He slid the zipper down and then pushed the garment off her shoulders. All it took was for Renee to do one sensuous shimmy of her hips and the dress fell in a heap at her feet. Next, on one bended knee, he removed her panty hose, leaving her clad in the sexiest bra and panty set he’d ever seen. Simply seeing the baby-blue lace against her dark skin made his loins tighten. Added to that were her gorgeous legs and bright red painted toenails that matched the color of her fingernails. He was of the opinion that for all intents and purposes, she took the word sexy to a whole new level. She was the epitome of every male fantasy, definitely his own. His mind began spinning, blood pumped hot and heavy through his veins as he unbuckled his belt and began removing his pants.
From their first kiss he had been fighting the need to make love to her. She was constantly in his thoughts, even when he hadn’t wanted her there. Fantasizing about her had become his favorite pastime.
He tossed his pants aside and stood before her wearing only his briefs, and suddenly felt a jolt of desire when she reached out and slid her hand down his chest, letting her fingers slowly work their way beneath the waistband of his underwear to curl around his rock-hard erection. And when she began stroking him, he thought he was going to lose it. He knew he was going to lose it if she didn’t stop.
“Renee…”
“Yes?”
Her response was as innocent as it could get and he quickly decided that two could definitely play her game. And in this case, two definitely would. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently pulled her to him to straddle his hips. His hands spanned her waist just before they began kneading her buttocks. He liked the feel of her soft skin and the scent of her as well. Damn, she smelled good.
And when she leaned forward and began nuzzling his jaw with her lips and running her hands over his shoulder and chest, he inhaled sharply, gripping her hips and pushing upward, wanting her to feel just what she was doing to him, how deeply aroused he was.
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