He was the only man I’d ever wanted… and he’d given us a piano with a view of the sea…
And I fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of satin sashes and Will’s strong hands, all set to the soft, lonely strains of a Chopin waltz.
15
Will
I held my breath almost as well as she held her tongue.
We’d toured the entire house… well, almost all of it… before she’d said much more than good morning. When she finally spoke, the relief was exquisite…
“It’s lovely,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I studied most of the popular architects in class… but I don’t really see any of them in this. Who did you use?”
“I designed it myself,” I said, feeling a surge of pride. “The Bartlett Group worked up the plans from my sketches. And I took a leave of absence from the office so I could have a hand in the actual building.
I’ve always liked working with my hands…”
I caught her eye, certain I saw a spark. Then I caught her hand. It was the first time all morning I’d felt close enough to touch her.
“We should talk about color schemes… and textures that you like,” she said. She reached for the samples she’d brought, scattered over the dining room table.
“I want to start with the bedroom,” I said, not letting go of her. “Then the living room, and we can finish up with the dining room. The table stays. And my bed. This will get you started.” I took a check out of the pocket of my denim shirt and handed it to her, gratified to see her eyes widen. “I give you total and complete freedom.”
“Started…?” she breathed. “This is a small fortune… and you’re not interested in having any input…?” She blinked, confused.
“You can start tomorrow.” I kept her hand and led her into the kitchen. It was stone and steel, all rough and smooth, dull surfaces and shining ones. Skylights brought in natural light, enhancing the subtle colors in the marble and slate. “I packed a lunch for us this afternoon. I thought we could take Violet down to the cove and let her gather shells. I should meet her, don’t you think? And I have a gift for her that won’t wait too much longer…” But she put her hands on my chest as I pulled her to me, stopping me before I could kiss her.
“I’m overwhelming you again…”
“I haven’t even thanked you for the cottage yet,” she answered. “Or the job… or the piano…” She looked into my eyes and I forced back the desire to unbutton her sweater. “You’ve already been too generous. How did you even know to put in a piano?”
“I remembered that you liked to play,” I answered. She seemed to visibly relax. “It seemed the right thing somehow.”
“The perfect thing,” she said, “more than you know… But let’s go to the cove on our own. We need to talk, and I know Mattie was planning to help Violet plant some tomatoes in the garden.”
“And my gift?” I asked.
“Can it wait a little longer?” She looked down from my eyes and stared at the buttons on my shirt. “Just a little while longer?”
Half a roasted chicken and the better part of a bottle of wine later, we were in each other’s arms. The blanket underneath us was bunched and covered with sand.
“Oh God, Will… I’m sorry… I can’t…” She sat up, pushing my hands away just as they slipped under the edge of her sweater. “I can’t just pick up where we left off at the club.” She ran her hands over her hair, disheveling it even more. “You’re my boss… I’m your employee, for God’s sake. And my little girl…”
I sat back, noticing how her lips had swelled and reddened. Kissing her was an intoxicating pleasure all its own… And the wine had softened her edge. She was flushed, ready to talk to me now…
“I’ve been on my own since before Violet was born,” she said. “I was too busy with classes and taking care of a brand new baby… I’d never have made it without Mattie and her sister, but at the end of the day, she was my responsibility… and only mine. I know you want something more to happen between us… but I don’t know how to have a relationship and a daughter. I don’t even know if it’s a relationship you’re looking for.” She was breathing and talking fast now. “For me, what happened at the club was an excerpt in my life. It was never supposed to involve my family… or affect my child…”
I stroked her arm as she spoke, tangling my fingers with hers. “A lot of things have changed since prom night,” she said. “What happened between us back then… well, it was something I never had again. At the club that night… I was there looking for a memory…”
“And you found me,” I answered. I lifted her hand to my lips and pressed my lips to her fingertips, “by accident, maybe. Except that I made damned sure it happened.” I looked at her hard, willing her eyes up to mine. “I wasn’t looking for memories. I was looking for you. And the bond between us is even stronger than ever. I know you feel it, too.”
I leaned forward to kiss her again, feeling that familiar heat surging through my veins. I felt her response… and let it build…
“I can only imagine what you’ve gone through,” I said, letting my lips move lightly over hers. “And how hard it is for you to trust…” I took her face in my hands and looked into her crystalline blue eyes. “But we belong together. We always have. I want all of you… every inch… every touch… every thought, every moment.
And I want you to trust me with more than just your body, Angel.”
16
Angelina
For the last three weeks, I’d managed to keep him at arm’s length.
It was easy enough to justify. I’d put in at least eight hours a day, placing orders, making phone calls, handling the complications of deliveries to an island. And I wasn’t even close to finished. There were drapes and carpets and artwork to select. And despite Will’s request, I hadn’t started with his bedroom. It was still waiting. And so were the particular needs he’d only mentioned. I had more than enough on my plate as it was. And so our relationship had stayed purely professional.
Even though he’d given me total control, I’d still run all the major choices past him for approval. But he’d always looked more closely at me than at the photographs. And there was something about his infinite patience that rattled me to the core. He hadn’t even tried to touch me, and yet I could feel the cord that bound us growing tighter every day. I was being pulled into his life and he was being pulled into mine. I knew a collision was coming. And the anticipation was building deep inside. Every day I put him off only made it grow stronger. And every day he was kind and patient and generous, I wanted to believe. That I could let him inside my secrets and he wouldn’t turn away. That I could give him my body without losing myself. That I could trust him not to break my heart…
Or, more importantly, my daughter’s…
Violet had remained a source of friction between us. He was eager to meet her, and it was understandable enough. She was his family, too, since he and Jimmy were half-brothers. It made him her uncle, I supposed.
I pushed away the shadows surrounding that thought, and tied my hair up into a loose ponytail. I’d already used every excuse I could think of. That she had the sniffles, that she and Mattie had taken the ferry into the city. That it simply wasn’t the right time. I’d seen it in his eyes, that he knew I was only buying time. And I knew I’d have to give in eventually. And so he was bringing Violet’s gift down to the cottage today. My stomach had been in knots all morning. I hadn’t known how to tell him about her ahead of time, so I’d simply said nothing. It had always been inevitable, that he’d find out sooner or later.
And even though there was nothing but love and pride in my heart for my baby, I dreaded seeing the look I’d seen so many times before. Embarrassment, discomfort… pity, when people realized my daughter was different from all the other children. I felt a vague wave of nausea, imagining that same look on Will’s face…
“Hi, baby,” I said, as Mattie brought her into my room. “Let’s put on an extra swea
ter and tie your hair back just like Mommy’s. Our friend Will is coming today to walk with us on the beach.” Mattie and I exchanged a deep look, there weren’t any secrets between us. “He lives in the big house on the hill and he has a birthday present for you.” I helped her into her sweater and smiled when she met my eyes. I let out a breath… it was a good day…
“You can collect shells and we’ll have cake when we get home,” I said softly. “Five years old…,” I said, more to myself than to her. Mattie put her hand on my shoulder. “My baby girl is growing up… I can’t believe it’s been so long…”
“We’ve got this, you know,” Mattie said, “no matter how he reacts. Violet’s life isn’t going to change, and she’s already surrounded with love.” She squeezed my shoulder and I looked at her. “Will’s nothing like Jimmy,” she said pointedly. “That was then… This is now.”
I pulled her arms around me, and for just a little longer, it felt like nothing had changed. But my heart was still beating too fast. And I knew after today, nothing could ever be the same.
We were waiting in the garden when he arrived with her gift.
Fifteen pounds of golden lab puppy on a pink satin leash. I shot him a look, and couldn’t help but smile at the expression on his face. You’d think he was the five-year-old and the puppy was his...
“I can’t believe you did this without asking me,” I said, in exasperation. “One child wasn’t enough, so you gave me another?”
“Consider me her proud papa… and at your disposal,” he answered against my ear. “I’m available at all hours, for leash patrol, puppy-sitting… stain removal.” He kissed my cheek and let his lips trail to my earlobe. It lasted less than a second and left my whole body aching for more.
“That’s incredibly sweet,” I said fast, as Mattie and Vi were heading over from the tomato plants. “But this… this could be overwhelming…
Violet’s shyer than other kids her age,” I said, protectively. But he was already ignoring me, kneeling down in the grass. Part of me noticed how calm and well-trained the puppy was. The rest of me was completely freaking out.
“Hello, Violet,” he said in a soft voice. “Your mama told me today is your birthday. This is for you.” He held out the pink leash, but she didn’t reach out to take it. I should have told him, I thought, as my stomach turned over. Why the fuck hadn’t I warned him?
“Her name is Mirielle, but I’ve been calling her Miri. But you can name her anything you want.” His voice was slow and steady. He put the leash in her little hand, and Mattie and I both let out a breath of relief. Violet had let him touch her hand, no matter how briefly. And she hadn’t pulled away…
“She likes to play on the beach, too,” he went on. “Would you like to take her for a walk? You can show her where you find your shells, and when she’s thirsty, we can give her a drink.”
He stood up and took my hand. Violet looked at the puppy who sat waiting patiently, and then up at us. When Violet put her hand on Miri’s head, I thought my knees were going to buckle.
“Shall we?” Will asked, with a grand, sweeping gesture toward the beach. And all the tension in my body burst out into laughter. He looked so sweet, so kind… so clueless. And I felt closer to him than I’d ever felt to anyone in my whole life.
“I told you it’d be fine,” he said, taking my hand and following behind my daughter and her new puppy. “I have a way with kids and animals…”
17
Will
I’d never have admitted it, but I was feeling every bit as much relief as I could clearly see on Angelina’s face.
I’d imagined this moment a hundred different ways in the last couple of weeks, ranging from terrified shrieks to outright rejection. Not every kid takes to every dog, or every person. It had all been a risk…
But my greatest relief was that I didn’t see Jimmy’s sour expression looking out of Violet’s face. She’d taken only after her lovely mother, except her hair was a dark, deep brown like mine. Everything about her was so gentle, so sweet…
She held onto the leash with a quiet focus I’d never seen in a child so young. And Miri seemed to know by instinct not to overwhelm the girl. They walked ahead of us, Mattie beside them… everyone pausing whenever Violet bent to examine a shell.
“She’s perfect,” I said, wrapping my arm around Angelina’s waist. “Like her mother.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she said, looking down at the sand under our feet. “I should have, I know… I just never knew how to start…”
“Tell me what?” I asked, pulling me to a stop beside him. “That she’s beautiful and sweet… and uniquely herself? Why would I expect anything else? She’s your daughter…”
“She’s autistic…,” she said softly, meeting my eyes. “But she’s so much more than just that.”
“And you’re used to people seeing only that,” I finished for her. She relaxed against me and I could feel her legs were unsteady. “Angel… my beautiful, protective, lovely angel…
Did you think I couldn’t see below the surface?” I turned her in my arms so that she was resting against my chest, facing the ocean with me. The sky was unusually clear and the horizon extended for miles.
“The water’s smooth… quiet on the surface,” I said. The others had continued ahead, and I had her all to myself. “See only that, and you miss an entire universe underneath.
It looks still. Some days it barely moves except for the rhythm of the waves. But the part we see is just a fraction of what lies underneath. There’s a whole world living under that water, a thousand things we understand… and thousands more we’ve never dreamed of…
It’s the same for us, too, Angel.” I drew her to my chest and kissed her with all the need I could barely contain. By the time I pulled back, we were both unsteady. But she rewarded me with what I needed most. Her smile. And the happiness that shined in her eyes.
By the time we caught up with the others, Mattie was spreading a blanket and unpacking our lunch. Violet and Miri were sitting in the sand, and the little girl was running her fingers gently and methodically over the puppy’s back. And Angelina’s eyes were filled with tears.
It had been the perfect day.
And by the time the cake was cut, and the milk both spilled and cleaned up by the puppy, I’d had a chance to talk to Mattie. Her bright red hair and edgy makeup were an interesting counter to her level-headed self-assurance. She had agreed to my request instantly.
“She’s asleep,” Angelina said, closing the door softly behind her. “I tried to get her to let go of Miri… but she…”
“Let them be,” Mattie said, with a grin. “You worry too damned much. I’ll check in an hour or so and make sure they’re okay. As a mom, you’re officially off-duty for the night.”
“I want you to come with me, back up to the house,” I said, running my hand around her waist, letting it linger in the curves. “Mattie has agreed to stay with Violet for the night. And you can be back before she wakes up in the morning, if you like.” I leaned in closer and Mattie disappeared into the other room discreetly. “I have a gift for you, too…”
I ran my hands underneath the back of her sweater, feeling the softness of her skin under my hands, the tiny muscles working between her shoulder blades. The kiss started gently, seductively… but a split second later the simmering heat between us had ignited into a raging fire. I could feel there was a war going on inside her still, but it only seemed to make us burn even hotter. She was kissing me back, her hands pulling my shirt from my jeans to find straining muscle…
“There’s a part of the house I haven’t shown you yet,” I said darkly. “A room I built myself… not part of the original plans…” I unbuttoned her sweater as she watched me and leaned down to catch a hard, round mouthful of lace-covered nipple. The shudder that rocked her body made my cock surge with impatience. “It needs a woman’s touch… your touch…
Tell me you’ll come with me,” I demanded, kissing and kne
ading her luscious breasts. I dropped to my knees and unzipped her jeans, dipping my tongue into the open vee and catching the scent of her arousal. “So fucking help me, I will take you right here if I have to,” I threatened, sweeping her into my arms.
Come with me…”
Part of me was whispering just below consciousness, that I was pushing her, too soon, too fast.
But the last three weeks of having her so close… without being able to touch her, had pushed my patience to the wall. And the fact that she’d tested her own limits today and trusted me with the truth about Violet…
She was opening herself up to me. And instinct told me she was ripe for more. I opened the door to my bedroom and caught her in my arms.
“So where is this place I haven’t seen?” she asked, breathlessly. By the time we’d reached the top of the flagstone path, I’d managed to strip her to the waist. My own shirt and shoes had been left in the entryway. I turned her in my hands and let my greedy eyes take their fill. Her breasts were round and heavy, making her body look even more delicate in contrast. Her nipples were dark and large, beckoning…
“In time,” I answered. “Just not yet…
This is the right place to start,” I said, gesturing toward my bed with a lift of my jaw. “With satin sheets and heavy wooden shafts…” I watched her eyes widen and felt my heartbeat in my erection.
“Will you trust me?” I asked, running my fingers inside her open jeans and just under the silky elastic. She swallowed and nodded, unblinking. “Then strip for me,” I said, darkly. “I want you totally bare and completely vulnerable.” I sat down on the edge of the bed. It was old, dark wood, and the posts at each corner reached almost to the ceiling. It was massive, imposing. Truly the first place to start…
I watched her walk over near the window, where the fast fading light was a still a pale pink. She moved slowly, deliberately, turning her back to me as she slipped her jeans down. She leaned over to slip them over her feet, farther than necessary, and I wondered briefly who was really in charge… Her lacy thong bit into her ass, disappearing between sweet, round cheeks…
The Baby Pact_A BDSM Romance Page 6