by Joanna Shupe
William removed a stack of papers. “Also, I’ve made progress on the other list, if you’d like to see it now. We acquired the last two big blocks of shares yesterday.”
“Excellent. All that’s left is to get the family shares.”
“We talked about making your brother an offer through an anonymous company. Then he wouldn’t know it was you.”
“Thomas won’t ever knowingly sell them. They’re practically all he has left.”
“Then I cannot see how to get controlling interest away from your family.”
Harrison grabbed for a pencil. “I might have an idea. Let’s see what we can do.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Even Vallie was impressed with the way Maddie played against Fred Hovey—and her coach was a hard man to impress. She invited both of them to stay for lemonade, but they declined, so she shook Fred’s hand vigorously. “This has been a treat. Thank you.”
“As I said, it was my pleasure,” Fred said as he toweled off his face. “You are fierce out there on the court, Maddie.”
“I just hope I’m good enough to win at Nationals.”
“Never doubt yourself. Always believe that you can do it,” he said.
“Exactly what I keep telling her,” Vallie said. “That, and to rush the net more often.”
Fred laughed. “A player must go with his or her own instincts on that one. Vallie was always too aggressive for his own good at the net.”
“Lies.” Vallie shook Maddie’s hand. “Great job today. I’ll see you in the morning. Get some rest.”
The men departed around the side of the house and Maddie nearly floated inside. She was exhausted, but it was the best kind of exhaustion, her mind happy and light. And she had her husband to thank for it.
This morning’s gesture touched her, a gift utterly perfect and one that only Harrison could have pulled off. How had he arranged this? It couldn’t have been easy.
I am trying to do better at the request of my wife.
No one knew her as well as he did, and he’d shown her time and time again how much he cared for her. Their wedding hadn’t been perfect, true. Her dreams of a big affair at St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church were dashed and she would have preferred to avoid a scandal. While none of this had been in her plans a month ago, she could not change the past.
Life is fleeting. We have to enjoy it while we’re here.
Nellie was right. Did Maddie really wish to keep Harrison at a distance forever?
No, of course not. Though they’d shared dinner together the past three nights, she missed the rest of it. She wanted more of what happened during their wedding night, like the breathlessness and the anticipation. The hot kisses and the slide of his hands across her skin.
The feel of him inside her body.
Goodness, she craved that. Just thinking about that night in the carriage house melted her insides, her skin turning tight and hot, the need for him burning in her blood. Never had she imagined a man could give her so much pleasure—and she suspected it was their connection, their friendship that made it possible.
She had to see him. Now. Though she was coated in perspiration and tired, she had to thank him for this surprise. Perhaps she could also distract him from whatever he was doing at the moment. A stolen hour or two where she could touch and kiss him, feel his strong shoulders and firm chest. Rub against him and hear him moan in her ear—
She nearly bumped into a footman in the corridor. “Oh, I’m sorry, Joseph.” Could he see the wicked thoughts on her face?
“My apologies, madam.” The young man started to go around her.
“Do you know where Mr. Archer is at the moment? Has he gone out?”
“I believe he is seeing Mr. Innis out, madam.”
Perfect.
Heart pounding, she hurried toward the entryway, desperation and lust making her light-headed. She was practically panting, nearly sweating with her need for him, the area between her legs thumping with desire. Coming around the corner, she spotted his wide shoulders in his beige coat, the long legs and the back of his head with his thick hair. The sheer handsomeness caused butterflies in her stomach.
The front door closed and Harrison turned around. Whatever he saw on her face sent his brows arching high. “Hello. Have a nice practice?”
No one else was around and she couldn’t wait a second longer to get her hands on him. Not bothering to answer his question, she put her palms on his chest and pushed him toward the coat closet.
“Wait, what is happening?” He chuckled softly as she manhandled him, not resisting in the least.
Opening the closet door, she shoved him inside. He stumbled, getting tangled up in the few coats stored there. She shut them in, plunging them into semidarkness, and the light coming in under the door offered just enough illumination to make out the confusion on his face.
“Are we hiding from someone—or are we playing another game?”
She didn’t want to talk. She launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders like a mink stole while she captured his mouth. After a split second of surprise, he joined in, kissing her back feverishly. Had he been thinking about this, too? Had he needed her just as badly?
He tasted familiar, like coffee and mint, and she pressed closer, curling her fingers into his hair as their tongues worked. Their breathing echoed through the tiny space, mouths working in tandem, competing for dominance. Then he kissed her harder, his lips unforgiving against hers, relentlessly seeking her pleasure as his hands wandered.
“Upstairs.” He dropped kisses along her jaw. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Her mind rejected the idea of leaving. Now. Right here.
While she wasn’t keen on being surprised, she liked the idea of surprising Harrison. It was reminiscent of the changing room, a quiet, secret place where they could do all manner of wickedness together, where her inexperience and clumsy attempts at seduction wouldn’t be quite so humiliating. She’d enjoyed catching him unawares that day, hearing his breath catch and feel his body tremble as her fingers explored him.
Also, there was something she’d been dying to try, but hadn’t worked up the nerve during their wedding night. Here in the near dark seemed like the perfect opportunity to make her first attempt.
Taking a small step back, she lifted her skirts . . . and sank to her knees.
The ground was hard and unforgiving under her bones but she hardly cared. Her face was directly in front of his groin, where the most enticing erection tented her husband’s trousers.
“Oh, God,” he wheezed. “What are you doing?”
She reached for the fastenings, intent on getting to his skin as quickly as possible. He stayed her hands. “Does this have to do with my surprise this morning? Because you needn’t do this to thank me.”
Meeting his gaze, she pushed his hands away. “I am doing this because I want to, and because I hope you’ll like it.”
His arms hung loosely at his sides as she started unbuttoning his clothing. When the placket of his trousers hung open, she reached in to unfasten his suspenders, first one side, then the other. The trousers slithered to the floor, wool gathering at his ankles.
“Mads, what if Farley needs to retrieve a coat? Or someone comes to the door?”
Though it seemed highly improbable, the idea they might get caught sent lust streaking up her thighs and through her sex. “Then I guess you must be quick.”
“Oh, shit,” he breathed, his voice thick and rough.
She focused on the tiny buttons of his undergarment, pausing after a few to drag her palm over the stiff length of him. He groaned and grabbed on to the wooden rod holding up the coats. “Faster. Before I spill in my clothes.”
After loosening enough buttons, she took him out and admired the thick shaft. Her fingers didn’t quite meet as she circled the base, the skin so smooth and warm in her palm. Leaning in, she pressed a kiss to the tip, tasting the salty fluid gathered there. Then she licked him, and his hips shot forwa
rd as his body jerked.
“Take me in your mouth, she-devil,” he growled.
Suppressing a smile at the nickname, she did as instructed, sliding the length of him past her lips and onto her tongue. It was not what she’d expected. His penis was hard and soft at the same time, like velvet stretched over bedrock, but sweet, like Harrison.
He gasped. “Look at me.”
She tilted her face up, and the intensity that blazed down at her sent sparks along her spine. He stared at her mouth as if mesmerized. He likes to watch me do this. Not looking away, she repeated the motion two or three times, loving the way his breathing hitched on every pass. Then she swirled her tongue over the crown, noting how he hissed a curse when she paid attention to the underside.
Pretend it’s a tennis match and you have to learn everything you can about your opponent.
She filed his reactions away, what worked and what didn’t. She would become proficient at this, no matter what.
His thighs began to shake. “Suck hard. Take me deep.”
She brought him to the back of her mouth while still watching him, and his chest heaved, his hooded gaze locked on her mouth. “That’s it, beautiful. Faster now.”
Holding the base with one hand, she moved quicker, setting a steady pace. His hips began to rock and she tried to bring him deeper each time. It was a challenge to see how much she could take. He didn’t look away, barely blinking, and she dedicated herself to the task, determined to see and hear him unravel.
He began grunting softly with each thrust, and one hand found its way into her hair, cupping her head gently. “Oh, God. Oh, Christ. Oh, fuck. I am close . . . so goddamn close.”
Her rebellious Fifth Avenue husband had a dirty mouth.
She hummed her approval, and the vibration must have sent him over the edge because he snapped, “Now. Fuck, I’m coming now.”
There was a hint of warning in his voice but she wasn’t sure why. Instead, she kept at it, and seconds later the muscles in his thighs tensed, his entire body locking in place. He threw his head back, moaning, and his erection swelled between her lips just before spend landed on her tongue. He trembled, jerking with each pulse, before it finally ended. She released him and swallowed the salty fluid.
Still panting, he yanked her up and lunged for her mouth, pressing his tongue inside, tasting her and him mingled together. Again and again his lips slanted over hers and she whimpered, already excited from using her mouth on him. She could feel the slickness between her thighs, the swollen tissues begging for his touch.
After a long moment, he rested his forehead on her temple, sucking in gulps of air. “That was the most arousing thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. Jesus, Maddie. I am wrecked.”
“I’m glad.”
He kissed her as his hands buttoned up his undergarment. “I am going to take you upstairs and reciprocate just as soon as I put myself to rights.”
Tingles skated along her skin at his promise, the walls of her sex clenching. She wanted that so very much, but she hadn’t cleaned up after her lesson. “I should bathe first.”
“There’s no time for that, and besides, I want you just like this. Go upstairs and get out of your clothing.” He was already lifting his trousers and adjusting his suspenders. “I want to find you naked on my bed, wife.”
Who was she to argue?
Leaning in, she decided to tease him. “I may have to get started without you.”
Unbelievably, he began moving faster but his fingers turned clumsy. He struggled to fasten his trousers. “Goddamn it, Madeline.”
Laughing, she slipped out of the closet and dashed for his bedroom.
Maddie snuggled against her husband’s naked body, his arm wrapped around her back. Sweat still cooled on their skin as the afternoon light bathed the bedroom in a golden yellow. They had been in here for hours, pleasuring each other, ever since she accosted him in the closet.
Her cheeks warmed. Had that brazen woman really been she?
Harrison had seemed to enjoy it, so she pushed aside her embarrassment. And, really . . . this was still her oldest friend, the person who knew her better than anyone. He’d never once judged her or made her feel small. Indeed, he always encouraged and supported her.
This right here was all that mattered—you and me, together.
She bit her lip as emotions warred inside her. There had been so much she hadn’t known, like his family’s financial troubles and his reasons for leaving. His feelings for her. Hard to reconcile this secretive man with the boy who’d once shared everything with her.
He’s not a boy any longer, Maddie.
Yes, that much was evident, as her gaze swept his muscular chest with its light dusting of dark hair. Perhaps he was right, that they had needed the time apart before coming together again. Had he stayed, would she ever have viewed him as anything but a friend, the brother she never had?
Or would she have dedicated herself so completely to lawn tennis, determined to become the best?
Furthermore, would Harrison have made his own fortune, then come back as ambitious and obsessed?
She suspected the answer to all those questions was no.
Like it or not, the events of that fateful night, the one before he left for Paris, had changed their lives. But every decision, every moment in the past, had led them here, married and bound until death. It felt right. It felt like . . . destiny.
Sighing, she dragged her palm over his sternum and ribs, mapping him with her fingers. This was all so new, but familiar, too. As if somewhere in the back of her mind she always knew they’d end up here.
Her chest expanded, her heart nearly bursting. She’d never been happier. Am I in love with him? She froze as the question echoed in her mind. It seemed too soon for love, especially since they’d just made up after he’d lied to her. Again.
Indeed, she cared for him, but love was hearts and flowers, rainbows and poems—not arguments and deceptions. Love required trust and mutual respect. A sense of partnership. Harrison hadn’t even been completely honest with her until three days ago. Someday love might blossom between them, but she suspected this swelling inside her chest was just the lingering effects of lust combined with affection.
“What are you thinking about so seriously?” he asked quietly.
You. “Nothing. Merely enjoying the moment.”
He huffed a laugh. “You have never once in your life slowed down enough to enjoy a moment. Your mind never stops planning what you are doing next.”
“Says the man who never stops to plan, period.”
“Touché. Though I will say I’ve spent a fair amount of time plotting these past three years.”
“Speaking of, why did you work from here today instead of downtown?”
“I wanted to stay close to you.”
There went her chest, ballooning once more. She relaxed against him and listened to the sounds from the back gardens coming in through the window. Gardeners clipped bushes and rolled carts over gravel. Insects were buzzing and birds chirped from the surrounding trees. It was a perfect moment, full of peace and quiescence.
He stroked the side of her breast with his fingertips, causing her to shiver. “What came over you today after practice? Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Merely curious.”
“I missed you.”
“I see.”
She could hear the smile in his voice so she pushed up onto her elbow to see his face. “Do not gloat, Harrison Archer.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Sliding a hand behind her head, he pulled her down to his mouth. “And,” he whispered against her lips, “I missed you, too.” Then he kissed her, long and deep, with his lips moving against her own as if starved for the taste of her. Their tongues twined and danced, until she was breathless, light-headed, and she finally had to pull away to gulp air into her lungs.
He trailed tiny kisses along her jaw. “Are you still angry with me?”
“No.” She looked down at him and sear
ched his midnight-blue eyes. “Just . . . do not keep anything from me again. Please.”
He cupped her cheek in his large palm. “You have my word that I won’t.”
Satisfied that he meant it, she nodded once. “Good.”
“In the interest of full disclosure, then, I should tell you that I’ve come up with a way to acquire the remaining stock tomorrow morning.”
“Oh? How?”
“It might not work, but I’m going to visit my family.”
That sounded ominous. “Anything else you’d like to share in the interest of full disclosure?”
He rolled her onto her back, where he loomed over her, a wicked smile on his face. A lock of dark hair fell over his brow. “Yes. I plan to fuck you one more time before dinner. So would you like a bath now or later?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The house looked much the same from the outside, still cold and forbidding. No flowers on the stoop, paint peeling on several shutters. Not so much disrepair as . . . neglect.
Harrison felt nothing as he stared up at the place in which he’d spent most his life. No warm nostalgia, no yearnings for simpler times. Those were horrible years, his misery alleviated only when he was in Newport with Maddie. In fact, the entire place could burn and he would not shed a single tear.
After ringing the bell, he entered the vestibule and removed his hat, but kept hold of the satchel he carried. He was shown to the smaller sitting room, the one used for immediate family. He strode inside, anticipation jumping in his veins, and found his mother seated on the sofa while Thomas sprawled in an armchair, looking petulant. As if his brother was annoyed to have been kept waiting.
“You’re late,” Thomas snapped. “We’ve been waiting nearly a quarter of an hour.”
Harrison folded himself into an empty armchair and ignored the criticism. Far more important matters were at hand than tardiness.