by Marie Force
“I don’t know her very well, but I have a feeling she’s tougher than she looks.”
“I had lunch with them. He could hardly take his eyes off her.”
“Very interesting.”
“Pardon me, Mr. North,” the maitre d’ said. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but the rest of your party has arrived. Shall I show them in?”
Travis gave Liana’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Yes, Stuart. Thank you.”
They stood to greet Agnes and David, who was tall and distinguished looking with gray hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a dark suit and kept an arm around Agnes as they followed Stuart to the table.
Travis greeted Agnes with a kiss to her cheek. “It’s nice to see you again, Agnes.” He reached out to shake hands with David. “Travis North.”
“David Leary. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Travis kept his arm around Liana. “I’m glad you were able to join us tonight.”
“Honey, this is David. David, my daughter, Liana.”
“It’s a great pleasure to finally meet you, Liana.” David held the hand she extended between both of his. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“I wish I could say the same,” she said with an amused glance at her mother, who was suffering through the introductions.
“Well,” Travis said, “I think we could all use a drink.” He signaled the waiter and gestured for David and Agnes to be seated across from him and Liana.
“I know I could,” Agnes said, and they all laughed.
They were enjoying a glass of port after dessert when Stuart returned to the table.
“I’m so sorry to disturb you, Mr. North, but you have an urgent phone call in the office.”
“Will you please excuse me?” Travis asked.
“I hope everything’s all right,” Liana said.
“I’m sure it’s nothing.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
Liana watched him cross the room and then shifted her eyes to find her mother and David watching her. “What?”
Agnes smiled. “You seem quite smitten, honey.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Mother. We’re just friends.”
“Me thinks she doth protesteth too much,” David said with an amused glance at Agnes.
“Me thinks she doesn’t like you as much as she thought she did,” Liana teased him.
David laughed. “He’s an impressive young man.”
“Yes.” Liana trailed a finger over her wine glass. “He is that.”
“You make such a striking couple,” Agnes observed. “Your children would be gorgeous.”
“Mom!”
Agnes chuckled and held up her hands to quiet her daughter. “Relax, honey. I’m just saying—”
“What?”
“He’s perfect for you. That’s all.”
Amused, Liana said, “Don’t hold back. Tell me how you really feel.”
“All right. I will. You’ve become imprisoned by your career and the unwanted attention that comes with it. You’ve got reporters following you everywhere you go, and I think it’s been a long time since you’ve enjoyed the work. That glamorous life doesn’t suit you, honey. You don’t fit into the crazy world you live in—you never have, and you never will.”
When Liana began to object, her mother reached for her hand.
“You’re too decent, too kind, too generous. It’s time for you to settle down and have a family, and I can’t think of a more ideal candidate for a husband than the man who’s hardly taken his eyes off you all evening.”
“Anything else?” Liana asked in a small voice.
“Yes, one more thing.”
“I can’t wait to hear this,” Liana murmured.
“Since you’re already in love with him, don’t be a fool and pretend otherwise.”
Before Liana could reply to that astounding statement, Travis returned to the table with a troubled look on his face. He slid in next to Liana.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Remember Niki, who you met the other night when we were trying to track down your mother?”
“She’s the one who remembered Mom calling the cab,” Liana said with a pointed look at her mother, who shrugged with chagrin.
“That’s right. She’s been in a pretty serious car accident.”
“Oh, no, Travis! Is she all right?”
“She will be, but she broke her leg and a couple of ribs. She’s in the hospital.”
“That’s terrible.”
“She’ll be out of commission for a couple of weeks,” he said grimly. “I hate to think about work at a time like this, but she’s overseeing weddings this weekend and next. I was so focused on Enid and Brady’s wedding that I’ve had nothing to do with either of the next two.”
“Can I help?” Liana asked.
He kissed the hand she had wrapped around his. “No, sweetheart. You’re on vacation. Thank you, though.”
“I want to,” Liana insisted. “Surely there’s something I can do to help. It’d be fun.”
Travis studied her. “Do you really want to? It’s a lot of work.”
She nodded, surprised to realize just how much she wanted to help him if she could. That, coupled with her mother’s observations, caused Liana’s stomach to contract with nerves. Am I in love with him?
“Then I gratefully accept but only for a couple of hours a day. You need some down time while you’re home.”
Liana clapped her hands together. “When can I start?” She glanced over to find her mother and David looking smug and shot them a dirty look.
“Tomorrow,” Travis said.
Chapter Twelve
After they said goodnight to her mother and David, Travis and Liana walked hand-in-hand along the boardwalk that lined the shore between the club and The Tower. The breeze off the water was warm and fragrant. A sliver of moon provided a slight glow to complement the soft lights on the boardwalk.
“Thank you for dinner,” Liana said.
“It was my pleasure. David seems like a nice guy.”
“Yes, he’s lovely. He’s exactly what I’d want for her.”
“Now that the jig’s up, he’s probably going to want to marry her.”
“I know.”
“Is that okay with you?”
“Yes.”
“Then why so sad?”
“I still miss my dad,” Liana sighed. “We were always close, and even after seven years, it’s still a shock to come home and realize he’s not here anymore.”
“He must’ve been very proud of you.”
“He was, but I think he was also a little disappointed that I took the obvious and easy path by trading on my looks to make a living.”
“What did he have in mind for you?”
“Nothing specific. I just always got the sense that he thought I could’ve done better.”
“Well, maybe you’ll find out what he meant one of these days.”
“Maybe.”
“In the meantime, there’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing now. It serves a purpose to the people you work for.”
Liana smiled at him. “Actually, it’s empty and shallow and vain. But I appreciate you trying to make it into something it’s not.”
They had reached a dark stretch on the boardwalk, and he pressed her back against the railing. “You look so incredibly beautiful tonight.” He dropped soft kisses on her neck and jaw. “When I first saw you in the dining room, I almost stopped breathing. All I could think about was how lucky I was that you were coming to see me. And wearing my favorite color, too.”
“I hoped you’d notice that.”
His lips skimmed over hers, denying her the deeper kiss she craved. “I notice everything when it comes to you.”
She reached up to hold him still. Using her lips, tongue, and teeth, she took possession of his mouth and was thrilled when a huge shiver of desire rippled through him. That she could have that effect on such a strong, handsome man was a powerful aphrodisi
ac.
“Liana,” he whispered, holding her tight against him. “I want you so much I can’t think of anything else.”
Touched by his confession, she said, “You have me. For right now, for tonight, I’m yours, Travis.”
“Let’s go home.”
They walked the short distance to The Tower. He kept her close to him in the elevator and when they arrived he walked her straight to his bedroom where he kissed her until she was weak. “Wait one second,” he said.
She heard him moving around in the dark and startled when a match lit up the room. Liana watched him light two candles on his bedside table. “They weren’t there this morning.”
“I stole them from the club today so I could make love to you by candlelight.”
“You’re a romantic!” she said with delight.
He scoffed as he blew out the match and shed his suit coat. “That’s worse than sensitive.”
“All evidence points to a sensitive romantic.” She giggled at the look of horror on his face as she tugged his tie free. “I like it.”
“I like you.” He reached for her and tightened his arms around her. “A whole lot.”
She ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair. “I like you, too.”
“Are you enjoying this little fling of ours?”
“More than I ever imagined I would,” she said as she unbuttoned his shirt. “I’m so glad Enid picked you for me.”
He laughed and dropped his pants. “What a bossy little brat she is.”
“Hey! I love her.”
“I love her, too.” He unzipped Liana’s dress. “After all, she’s the one who put the idea of a sweaty fling in your head.”
“Yes, she did.”
His eyes smoldered when he unveiled the racy black bra, panties, and garter belt she had on under the dress. Staring at her, he swallowed hard. “And for that I shall be eternally grateful.”
“Eternally?” she teased.
“Maybe.”
“Travis . . .”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I know it’s a fling.” He ran his hands over her, making her tremble with desire. “But damn, you’re a total goddess in this get up. I don’t even know where to begin. I want to touch you everywhere, and then taste you, and then nibble on a few very strategic places.”
She released a nervous laugh as the intense look on his face made her stomach flutter.
He left a hot trail of kisses from her neck to her breasts to her belly.
Liana closed her eyes and let the pleasure take over. Her fingers found his hair and held on while he kissed the place where garter met stocking.
He released the garter and rolled the stocking down her leg with maddening patience before he moved on to the other leg. “I can honestly say,” he whispered, dragging his tongue over the back of her knee, “that I’ve never seen anything sexier than you in black garters.”
Trying to keep her knees from buckling and not wanting him to stop what he was doing, she didn’t say anything. Besides, she couldn’t have spoken just then if her life had depended on it.
“Are you the same girl who said you don’t know anything about flirting and flinging?” he asked with his lips pressed to her inner thigh. In one swift move, he removed her panties and the garter belt. “It seems to me that a girl who owns such scandalous underwear knows something about both.”
“I got to keep it after a catalog shoot,” she said breathlessly. “Even though it was too warm for hose tonight, I thought you might enjoy the garters.”
“You thought right, but I hate the idea of anyone else seeing you like this. I’m going to have to track down every copy of that catalog.”
She didn’t even notice that he had eased her down to the edge of the bed. A moment later, though, he had her full attention when he spread her legs and buried his face between them. She was so ready for him that it took just a few strokes of his tongue to send her spiraling into orgasm. She was still coming when he rolled on a condom and entered her with one swift thrust of his hips.
He released the front clasp of her bra and filled his hands with her breasts as he withdrew almost completely and then filled her again.
Liana gasped from the impact and clutched his backside to keep him inside her. For added insurance, she wrapped her long legs around him, which seemed to make him a little crazy.
He tugged her nipple into his mouth, and she came again with a deep moan of pleasure.
“Liana,” he cried. “Oh, God, Liana . . .”
She held him tight against her with her arms and legs as he threw his head back and came with his eyes closed and his jaw clenched with tension.
He slumped down on top of her breathing heavily against her neck.
Liana brushed the hair off his damp forehead and kissed his face. Mom’s right. I love him. How could I not love him? But I was the one who insisted on the emotionless affair, so he can’t know that I’ve broken all my own rules. She closed her eyes against a rush of emotion and tightened her hold on him.
So, Travis thought as he rested on top of her, this is love. This is what it feels like to find the missing piece and to realize you’ll never be the same—that you’ll never be whole again without her. Never in his life had he experienced the complete loss of control that occurred when he was with her. Never. When she wrapped those endless legs around him . . . The memory made him tremble, and she held him closer.
“Am I crushing you?”
“No.” She used her lips to deal with a stray strand of hair on his forehead.
The tender gesture filled his heart, and it was all he could do not to tell her he loved her. He had to remember that she didn’t want that. She wanted a sweaty fling, and he’d promised her that with no emotion, no talk of tomorrow, nothing but right now. If he started talking about love, he would ruin their fling, and he’d lose her before he had the chance to show her what they could have together.
No, he would keep his feelings to himself and use the time they had left to make himself essential to her. That was his only hope. And if, at the end of their two weeks together, he hadn’t done enough, well, then he’d spend the rest of his life missing her.
Beck walked around to the passenger side of his truck to open the door for Jessie. He had spent part of the afternoon cleaning his company truck while wishing he had a better vehicle to take her out in. But she hadn’t seemed to mind. She was easy to please, which was both unexpected and charming. He had planned to take her to a fancy restaurant, but she’d asked if they could get take out and go to the beach instead. Knowing she loved the beach, he’d been happy to oblige and had to admit they’d had a lot more fun eating on the sand than they would have had in a stuffy restaurant.
“Next time we’ll bring bathing suits,” she said as he helped her out of the truck.
Her blond corkscrew curls brushed against his hand, and he wanted so badly to twirl one of them around his finger. At her mention of next time, his heart skipped a happy beat. “Definitely.” He had been relieved to get her off the property and back in without rousing the interest of the reporters staked out at the gate, hoping for a glimpse of Liana and Travis.
Jessie tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. “Thank you for such a nice time tonight. I haven’t had this much fun or been this relaxed in longer than I can remember.”
“Me either,” he said. “We’ve had some issues with vandals here on the property lately. I’ve been really stressed out about it.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I hate to let Travis down, you know?” He was surprised by how easy it was to confide in her—how easy everything seemed to be with her.
“I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way. He knows you’re doing everything you can.”
He held the elevator door and stepped in after her. “Doesn’t seem to be enough, though. Somehow they keep getting in, despite everything we’re doing to stop them.” He watched her swallow hard and wanted to shoot himself for being so stupid. “You don’t nee
d to be worried that he’s going to find you here, Jessie. I’m sorry I mentioned the vandalism. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay.” She looked up at him with those bottomless blue eyes. “I just hate to add to your burden. You’ve got enough going on without having to baby-sit me, too.”
He smiled. “Babysitting you is a real hardship, Ms. Stone.”
Her eyes twinkled with mirth as she dug out the key to her apartment. Sounding just like Scarlet O’Hara herself, Jessie said, “Why you’re just a regular charmer, Mr. Beck.”
Taking the key from her, he opened the door. When he went to give it back to her, she surprised him by wrapping her hand around his.
“Can you come in for a bit?”
Struck dumb, he could only stare at her exquisite face. “I, ah, I should probably get home. We could both use some sleep.” He had the best of intentions, really he did. She had come here seeking refuge from a man who was harassing her. The last thing Beck wanted to do was complicate her life any more than it already was. But when she looped her arms around his neck and leaned her lush body into his, he did what any man in that situation would have done—he dipped his head and fused his lips to hers.
Everything about that kiss rocked his world. From the way she pressed herself against him to the timid strokes of her tongue against his, from the mewling sounds that came from the back of her throat to her fingers spooling through his hair, Beck had never experienced anything quite like kissing Jessie Stone. The fragrance that reminded him of soft summer flowers drifted through his senses as he held her close to him and tried to rein in the overwhelming urge to plunder.
“Mmm,” she sighed against his lips. “You’re good at that.”
He laughed. Damn, she was cute! And young—far too young for him, if he were being honest. The thought sobered him. He drew back from her. “I should get going.”
“Oh.” She released him and stepped back. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually so forward. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“You weren’t forward. I wanted that as much as you did—maybe even more.”
