Relaxing her grip on his shirt, she flattened her palms against his chest and tilted her head back just far enough to look up at his face. He was ready to apologize. To beg forgiveness for the treachery of his unruly body. Instead, the searing intimacy of her steady gaze fanned the slow burning in his blood.
It was wrong, very wrong, but words seized in his throat. The feel of her soft curves molding to the hardened proof of his desire was the only thing he could understand. Dipping his head, his lips touched hers. So very soft. Her hands inched up to his shoulders, slowly wound around his neck and he was lost. Lost in the warm heat. The sweet taste of passion, need, and want engulfed him in a ravenous hunger that was stronger, hotter than anything he’d ever known.
More, he wanted so much more. In a single swift move he hadn’t used since high school, he had her shirt untucked and lifted far enough for his hand to reach up and slide under her bra. A groan strangled in her throat as he flicked and caressed her nipple into rigid attention.
Warning sirens blared loudly in his head when her hips began a rhythmic sway, rubbing deliciously against his growing arousal, but God she felt so good.
“Inside,” she mumbled against his lips.
Right. Inside. To his room. No, her room. Wherever. A soft bed, any bed, a mattress, the rug. He needed to slow this down long enough to get her some place, any place, private. With more self-control than he thought humanly possible under the circumstances, he dragged his mouth away from her tantalizing lips and laced his fingers through hers.
The hunger, desire and passion he’d felt in every touch, heard in every whimper, blazed deep and dark in her eyes. She wanted and needed this as much as he did.
Unbidden, the memory of Kat’s words rang in his ears. What she really needs is a good lay.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
She saw the instant his sanity returned. The steel gray eyes that made her knees want to buckle with a mere glance had reverted back to their cooler shade of sapphire blue.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, taking a half step back, his voice rough as sandpaper.
That was the last thing she wanted to hear. All she wanted was to be carried off and made love to like the heroine in a sexy novel. If only her body didn’t still hum from the electrical current bouncing off every nerve ending.
It had been a very long time since she’d felt so alive, and she so wanted to feel. “Please,” she whispered, closing her eyes, praying he still wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“I can’t.”
He can’t. God how she wanted him. Opening her eyes she was tempted to beg when he spoke again.
“There are rules. I’ve never broken them before and I’m not going to start with you.” His voice seemed stronger, more in control. Damn.
“Rules?”
“You don’t take advantage of a lady who has had too much to drink, too much heartache, or too much confusion in her world. You don’t ask when a woman is emotionally vulnerable. There’s a reason it’s called taking advantage. I won’t do that. I can’t.”
“You said that already.” It was lame, she knew it was lame, but they were the only words her vocal chords could manage.
His hands lifted, tracing the sides of her arms until they landed lightly on her shoulders. She thought for a minute he was going to give in, change his mind. Then his arms snapped back to his sides. “I won’t be a fill in either.”
That hurt. Was that what she was doing? Looking for a man, any man to fill in for what was missing in her life? And when had she decided there even was something missing in her life?
Oh great Scott. He was right. She couldn’t be more confused if she were a compass without a magnet. “Maybe I am a little out of sorts, but I don’t go around jumping any man’s bones because I’ve had a rough few days.”
“I didn’t say you did.” He swallowed hard, hesitated, then took another step back before she saw his lips start to move. “If there comes a day, after everything is settled and you’re off this emotional roller coaster you’ve been forced to ride, if you still want me then, I’ll be here. And I won’t say no.”
Before she could fully absorb the impact of everything he’d said, he was gone. She heard the screen door slam closed, his footsteps fading down the hall.
An ice cold shower only helped if he stopped painting pictures of Anna in his mind. Punching his pillow into submission, he flipped over on the narrow couch and tried counting sheep again. Ugly sheep.
He shouldn’t have touched her, kissed her. One taste wasn’t enough, but it was all he could have. It would have to be enough. She belonged to that asshole. Or did she? He’d been so consumed by the passion and need, he hadn’t considered what she was saying. Could it be she didn’t want the asshole?
His mind wandered back to the kiss, the passion, the heat, the frenzy. That was not the response of a woman who was well loved. He sprang up, rubbing his face, clearing his mind. Much the way a shaggy dog would shake off water after playing in the rain, he shook away the images of Anna in another man’s arms. Could Kat be right? Did it even matter?
No. His responsibility was Marcia. That’s what he needed to focus on. And the list. What had Barb wanted to talk to Anna about? Did it even have anything to do with Marcia? With both of them gone, would Barb still want him to stay quiet?
“Damn it, guys. You weren’t supposed to die.” At least not till they were all old and gray. He needed to stay on track. Tom and Barb trusted him to keep their secrets.
Falling back onto the sofa, he turned and beat the pillow once more for good measure. He would not let them down.
By five o’clock in the morning Anna had given up any hope of getting a decent night’s sleep. Slipping into Babs’ robe, she padded barefoot down the stairs.
In the kitchen she reached for the coffee can. What had she been thinking yesterday? She poured a level measure of coffee into the filter. What must Mark think of her? Another scoop. She practically threw herself at him. Another scoop. For heaven’s sake, she almost begged him to seduce her. Another scoop. How was she going to face him? Her hand froze midair, holding a rounded scoop of coffee. She glanced at the growing mound of brown flakes. “Shit.” Carefully lifting the filter out of the coffeemaker, she dumped the grounds into the can and started over. “One.” She measured. “Two.” She scooped more. “And three.” Pouring the water then closing the lid, she pushed the pot back against the wall, crossed her arms, and stared at the contraption, listening to it hiss and gurgle.
At least one of them had had the good sense to realize she didn’t know what she was doing. If she felt guilty now, she shuddered at how she’d feel if she’d awakened in another man’s arms. Not any man, she reminded herself. A heated vision of her naked flesh pressed warmly against Mark Lambert sent goosebumps up her arm. “Don’t go there.”
She needed to concentrate. To get organized. Prioritize. She needed coffee and, God help her, a really great night of unabashedly hot and erotic sex.
“Thought I heard someone up.” Kat yawned from the doorway.
“Coffee?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Anna poured two cups, added a little sugar and milk, and handed a mug to her sleepy-eyed friend.
Leaning her hip against the nearest counter, Kat blew into her cup. “Hard time sleeping?”
“I think I’m still adjusting to the time change.” One little white lie wouldn’t hurt.
A single brow arched high on Kat’s forehead. “Right.”
Who was she kidding? Kat could probably read - I came within an inch of screwing my brains out- flashing like a neon sign over her head. “Mark kissed me last night.”
Kat’s eyes popped open so huge, for a moment Anna thought they might fall out of their sockets. A new question seemed to appear with every blink, but she remained silent.
“I don’t think I want to marry Harrison.”
“Must have been some kiss,” Kat mumbled over the rim of her cup.
“Yes, but no. I mean, yes i
t was some kiss, but no that’s not why I don’t think I want to marry Harrison.” She lifted a dismissive shoulder and heaved a soft sigh. “Before Mark came out on the deck last night I was having doubts. With Harrison, too often it seems like everything is always about him and no one else. I’m just supposed to marry him. He never even asked. As a matter of fact-” she set her mug down on the counter hard, a flare of sheer anger overriding her guilt. “His exact words were ‘we have to get married’ like I was the bride in a shotgun wedding.”
“I see.” Kat took another sip of her coffee. “Will his asking nicely make a difference?”
Damn. “I don’t know,” she said more calmly, her surging anger quickly taking a back seat to confusion. She still needed to find that damn magnet for her compass. Picking up her coffee, she stared into the nearly empty mug and repeated, “I just don’t know. I thought he was everything I wanted.”
The muffled sound of her cell phone broke the silence. Scanning the room, she spotted her pocketbook on the opposite counter closer to Kat. Before she could react, Kat had lifted the phone out of the bag and read the caller ID.
“Here’s your chance to find some answers.” Kat handed her the phone. “It’s Harrison.”
“How long did you think you could hide the truth from me?” His voice was so loud she had to pull the phone away from her ear.
Staring momentarily at the phone she wondered what truth? Had the man been hiding in the shrubs? How could he possibly know she’d been kissing Mark? “I can explain,” she said defensively.
“Do you realize how many hours we’ve spent putting just the right spin on this? Are you trying to make me look like a fool?”
Damn. He had to know. But how? “It didn’t mean anything, really.” At least it shouldn’t have.
“Didn’t mean anything? You lied to me. I told you I didn’t want children and you lied. Did you really think they wouldn’t step forward?”
Step forward? What? “Harrison, what are you talking about? Who stepped forward?”
“Tom’s parents.”
“That’s impossible,” she said flatly. “They’re dead. I told you that.”
“For dead people, they’ve got a pretty damn good attorney. He didn’t waste any time. I’m staring at the petition for custody now.”
“Not dead,” she mumbled.
That caught Kat’s attention. She’d begun unloading the dishwasher and stopped stalk still at Anna’s muttering.
“I don’t understand.” Anna whirled around, her eyes meeting Kat’s confused gaze.
“It’s quite simple. You wanted this baby, even though you know we don’t have room for children in our lives. You told me the grandparents were dead. They’re not. As your attorney of record the courts have notified me of their petition for custody and have scheduled a hearing to determine who gets the kid.”
“Her name is Marcia.”
“Whatever. It’s right here. Howard and Amanda Prescott.”
“Tom’s name is Preston.” A mistake, it was a mistake. She bit on her lower lip waiting for his response.
“Not before 1994. Thomas William Prescott had his name legally changed to Preston in 1994.”
She spun around and grabbed the edge of the counter. “Why?”
Kat quietly closed the door to the dishwasher and stepped up beside her, resting her hand on Anna’s shoulder.
“How the hell should I know. These are your friends.”
“You’ve got to find out what happened. Are these people really who they say they are?” She slid her hand over and grabbed Kat’s.
Harrison hesitated, his quiet breathing all she could hear. “You really don’t know?”
“Babs told me they were dead.”
More silence. Juggling the phone on her shoulder, she reached for a bottle of antacids and popped a handful into her mouth.
A heavy sigh broke the interminable lull. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do. Maybe we can make this work to our advantage. If some kook is trying to steal an orphan, it’ll only make me look better.”
She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared blankly at the keypad. Stunned, she couldn’t think of a polite thing to say. All he cared about was the political spin. Had he always been this way? Was she so desperate to get out of the Bronx she simply didn’t see what had been right in front of her all the time? When she heard his voice speaking again, she returned the phone to her ear.
“You’re going to have to get a different attorney of record. I can’t be flying out there to fight these people if what you say is true. Can the lawyer who handled the will handle this?”
“Sid? Yeah, I think so.” She glanced over her shoulder at Kat and noticed all the color had drained from her face. She wondered if she looked any better.
“Good. You take care of that. I’ll have a local PI check out the Prescotts.”
“Thank you.” Regardless of his selfish motives, she needed the help.
“You won’t be able to fly home now. You’ll have to stay in California for the hearing.”
“When is that?”
“Doesn’t say. But it will be soon.”
“Right.” She tightened her hold on her friend’s hand.
“I have to call Desmond. I’ll keep you posted.” The call disconnected.
Anna flipped her phone shut and stared at the hunk of black plastic resting in her hand. This had to be a horrible nightmare. She’d wake up any minute and find Babs scrambling eggs with mushrooms and peppers the way she’d done every morning of every visit all these years.
“You look like you should sit before you fall down.” Kat pulled out a chair and nudged Anna’s shoulder until her knees gave out and she collapsed in the seat.
“They’re not dead.”
“Who’s not dead?” Kat sat beside her.
“Tom’s parents. He changed his name. They’re not dead.”
What little color was left in Kat’s cheeks faded fast. “Are you sure?”
“No. Harrison is checking it out. But a couple claiming to be Marcia’s grandparents have hired an attorney and filed for custody.”
“Oh, God.” Kat leaned back in her seat.
“No shit.” Anna set the phone on the table and raked the fingers of both hands through her hair. “What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t get it. Why would they lie? It has to be some absurd hoax. Or...”
“Or what?”
“Or this is the truth Babs wanted to tell you.”
“Crap.” Anna let out a long slow sigh. “What this is, is a damn nightmare. When the hell are we going to wake up?”
“I wish I knew.” Kat pushed to her feet. “I’d better make more coffee. It looks like this is going to be a very long morning.”
“I have to call Sid.”
“Anna, it’s not even six.” Kat patted her shoulder. “Like I said, a very long morning.”
“Right. Two more hours.” She looked up at the clock on the wall. “Marcia will be waking up soon too.”
“Mark will take care of her, but maybe one of us should wake him up, tell him about Harrison’s call.” Kat pointed over her shoulder with her thumb toward the living room. “He should know if Tom’s parents are really dead.”
He should know. Mark knows. Oh God. She felt every drop of blood rush to her feet. “Mark knows.”
Kat’s eyes rounded like silver dollars. “You don’t think--”
Anna’s phone cut Kat off. Liz’s personal number flashed across the caller ID. “Hello.”
“We’ve got problems.”
“I know.”
“You do? How?”
“Harrison just called me.”
Liz paused longer than Anna expected. “How does he know about the Fed Ex package?”
“Fed Ex? What Fed Ex?” Please God, don’t let this be something else, Anna prayed.
“The change of orders that arrived via Fed Ex this morning from San Francisco with your name all over them.”
“What?”
“Damn,” Anna muttered. “How long ago?”
“This morning. Sandy in accounting thought something about it seemed odd and she brought it over to me. I told her to sit on it till I could get through to you. She’s agreed to try and hold it till I get back to her.”
“Great. If the guy doesn’t prove to everyone I’m an incompetent ass, he’ll at least have every clerk in New York City thinking I’m schizophrenic.”
“She did look at me a little odd. I figured this would be a good time to keep my mouth shut. I couldn’t think of a single explanation for why you would do a one-eighty on this without pointing the finger at Junior and accusing him of sabotage.
“No. We can’t say anything until we have proof.”
“Also, I know this isn’t a good time, but I thought you should know. Steve Keller has been spending an unusual amount of time buttering up old man Peterson. Yesterday at lunch he was discussing rather loudly how much extra work he’s had to take on covering your, and I quote, “gallivanting ass.” Looks like he’s making a move for the new VP opening. The one you’ve earned. It would be really helpful if you were to tell me you’ll be on the next flight back to New York.”
“Great. Well, we’ve always known he wants my job. Now we know he’d rather be my boss. Either way, this would be the time to go after it. But I can’t leave.” Especially not now. “I’m sorry. I know things seem a bit out of control.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Anna pulled another antacid from her pocket. She needed to be in her office. She needed to deal with the open to buys herself. She needed to confirm the turnaround time on the replacement order. She needed to check with logistics on getting a new shipment. She needed to smooth some ruffled feathers at the old vendors. And damn it, she just needed to be in New York. She took a deep breath. “What about the original agreements? Any luck seeing who signed them?”
The Champagne Sisterhood Page 16
