by Lori Wilde
“Now for the finale.” He breathed.
He lifted a small cylinder from the center of the machine and held the tube out for her to survey. The substance inside looked like sparkling sand.
“Glass?” Tobie marveled, arching her eyebrows in disbelief.
Clay nodded. “It was the hardest to perfect.”
“This is extraordinary! Oh, Clay, I’m so proud of you!” Tobie threw her arms around his neck and kissed him squarely on the lips.
Although she’d taken him by surprise, Clay responded quickly, fumbling to set down the cylinder then grabbing both of her wrists and pulling her to his chest.
Tobie gasped, shocked by the intensity of his reaction.
His mouth came down on hers like an avalanche—monumental, majestic, overwhelming.
No one had ever kissed her like this.
It was as if a lighter flicked; their kiss simulated the dynamic combination of flame and oxygen. Higher, hotter, more savagely their passion churned as they drank thirstily from each other’s lips.
His firm masculine hands burrowed beneath the hem of her T-shirt, creeping upward to cup her tender breasts in his callused palms. His tongue plunged the hungry cavern of her mouth.
She allowed him access. Courted his touch.
The very center of her contracted, crying out for him. She yearned to fuse with him, longed for their bodies to be one. She had never given herself so fully to a man. His molten embrace gave her a glimpse into a magical world, and she wanted more!
Until this moment, in the throes of his untamed passion, she hadn’t realized exactly how much she wanted him.
Molly’s shrill cry shattered their connection, saving Tobie from the rash action that might have ruined everything.
Blindly, she pushed Clay away. Stumbling from his arms, she ran down the hallway to soothe the sobbing baby. Tobie pushed through the bedroom door, took Molly from the Pack ’n Play, and pressed the child to her chest.
Relieved yet saddened that things had ended this way.
The sound of Clay’s footsteps vibrating against the parquet floor corresponded with each thud of her heart, a steady throbbing that pulsed through her ears, louder and harder with every advancing step.
He was coming for her.
Cowering in the middle of the room, Tobie clutched Molly to her, her eyes trained on the door. How could she face Clay? What would she say to him?
One last step.
The bedroom door creaked loudly. Her breath hung in her throat. She looked up.
His body filled the doorway, blotting out the hallway light. In the shadows he appeared alien, his expression somber and dark.
Tobie trembled. Who was this man? She had kissed him with heartfelt fervency, yet she knew almost nothing about him.
His eyes met hers, and to Tobie’s surprise, she saw pain reflected in those murky depths.
A long moment stretched into a painful silence. Tobie dropped her gaze but kept a firm hand on Molly.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked at last.
Was she afraid of Clay?
He was a paradox, at once honest and secretive. And just as her father had, he’d tossed aside society’s expectations of manhood to pursue a dream. But Clay differed from her itinerant parent. He had proven himself with his marvelous invention.
Tonight, he had shown her in a stark manifestation that he was a man of his word.
Yet beneath his persona smoldered a rebel. She spotted it in the cocky way he slouched against the doorjamb, the way his hungry eyes raked over her body. Everything about him set her on fire: the timbre of his voice, the softness of his touch, the tickle of his warm breath on her neck.
What would it feel like to make love to this man?
Her mind conjured an image of their bodies entwined as they generously gave themselves to each other. Mouth against mouth, skin against skin, a man against a woman.
“Tobie?”
She did not answer.
In two strides, Clay covered the space between them. Reaching out a hand, he cupped her chin and guided her face up to meet his.
“Are you afraid of me?” he repeated.
She was not afraid of Clay. Rather, the feelings rioting in her mind and body terrified her.
“No,” she whispered.
“Then why did you run from me?”
She shrugged helplessly, unable to voice her thoughts. “Molly—”
“The baby was an excuse, and you know it. I would never ask you to do anything you didn’t want to do. You understand that, right?”
“I know.”
“Things got a little heated in there, a bit out of control.”
“Yes.”
Molly cooed and curled a hand around Tobie’s ear. The baby’s damp fingers tickled.
“I just wanted to reassure you that you’re safe with me if you want to go back to sleep.”
But did she want to be safe from his heated touch?
That was the question.
She could easily become hooked on the sound of his laughter and his agreeable nature. He was a balm on a painful burn, soothing and healing. Just being in the same room with him made her feel more positive about herself.
“Thanks.” Tobie forced a smile.
He took her hand and guided her over to the bed. “Here. Snuggle up in my bed.” He pulled back the bedspread.
Still holding Molly, Tobie slid between the sheets, arranging the baby beside her. Clay tucked the blanket around them. Snapping off the nightlight, he settled down into a chair beside the bed.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Tobie whispered.
Clay’s wristwatch glowed a luminescent green. He shook his head. “Too keyed up. But you get some rest.”
Tobie burrowed into the covers and breathed deeply of Clay’s scent trapped among the cotton fibers. Molly curled into the curve of Tobie’s body, made fretful noises, then finally fell asleep.
Lying in the darkness, she listened to the reliable sounds of Clay’s breathing, and her heart filled with longing. It felt so good, so right to be here. She’d found the place where she belonged, but did she have the courage to reach out and grab it?
12
Clay dozed a little, jerking awake before dawn. Exhilarated, he stared at Tobie’s sleeping form snuggled under the covers, little Molly nestled next to her. During the course of one night, two dramatic paradigm shifts occurred.
After years of research, hard work, and fierce determination, he’d created a valuable machine. His long-held dreams had culminated in an invention that served mankind. Pride knotted his chest, the triumphant sensation of a job well done.
And Tobie had been there to share the moment with him.
Tobie.
Thinking of her, he smiled into the darkness. When they’d kissed, something incredible happened. Something that had stolen his breath, addled his mind, and fogged his senses. He’d ached with an overwhelming need for her. He burned with a longing so strong he tasted it in the back of his throat. He wanted her as he’d never wanted another. The cravings stretched far beyond the physical.
He wanted all of her.
Not just her gorgeous body but her heart, soul, and undying commitment as well.
He had to win her. And that meant telling her the truth about himself. Revealing that he was Clay Barton, heir to a vast fortune. How would that alter her perception of him?
How did he go about confessing that he’d purposely deceived her? Wincing, he shifted in the chair, stretching his arms and rotating his neck to get out the kinks.
Perhaps it might be best to wait until he patented the recycler, then he could come to her, a self-made man, getting her respect and hoping against hope that he could win her heart.
“Hi, honey.”
“Hi, Mom.”
Her mother’s voice drifted from the phone. Tobie smiled at the sound. Two years ago, her mother’s employer, a retail clothing boutique, had sold out to a conglomerate. Stella Avery had accepted a promotion as distr
ict sales manager and had moved to company headquarters in South Carolina.
Although they didn’t get to see each other as often as Tobie would like, they still had a close rapport. They texted almost daily and talked on the phone at least twice a week.
But since meeting Clay, Tobie hadn’t called her mother and let her know what had been going on in her life over the past several days.
“What’s happening in your world?” her mother asked.
“Funny you should ask.” Tobie was sitting outside in the rocking chair on Clay’s porch with Molly in her lap. Clay was in the chair in the bedroom where he’d fallen asleep. She hadn’t wanted to wake him up and had taken Molly into the main room to change her diaper and feed her. “I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
“Sweetie, I’m calling to see if you and Edward might be free next week. I’m coming to San Antonio on business, and I thought you could meet me there for dinner.”
Tobie bit down on her lip. Was it only yesterday that she’d called things off with Edward? It seemed ages ago.
“I broke up with Edward,” Tobie blurted.
“Oh.” Her mother's voice lifted. “Well, how do you feel about that?”
“Happy.”
To Tobie’s surprise, her mother agreed. “I never thought Edward was the right man for you.”
“How come you didn’t tell me?”
“And risk getting accused of interfering in your life?” Her mother chuckled. “You’re a grown woman, Tobie Lynne. I can’t tell you who to love.”
“Why didn’t you like him?”
“I never said I didn’t like Edward, but I was afraid you were marrying him to ensure financial security. I watched you try to convince yourself you were in love with him.”
“How did you know?” Tobie leaned back in her chair, bouncing Molly on her knee. The baby grinned at her around a teething biscuit.
“Sweet girl, I’ve been in love. I know what the real thing feels like. I know the way a woman looks at a man when she’s truly, madly, deeply in love. You, my dear, never looked at Edward that way.”
“I don’t know if I believe in that kind of wild out-of-control love,” Tobie mumbled, but her heart swelled with thoughts of Clay. How could she love him so soon after meeting him? She’d concluded that the strange attraction was old-fashioned lust, and nothing more.
“Fiddlesticks. That’s a load of fairy dust, and you know it. You’re just afraid to let yourself love.”
Tobie stroked Molly’s soft curls. Maybe her mother was right. Maybe she was afraid of falling in love, of losing control, of ending up a prisoner to her emotions. Had she subconsciously chosen Edward for that very reason? The thought was disconcerting. His cool, unruffled nature promised a calm, secure life.
“You know how I felt about your father,” her mother murmured. “He was my soul mate. My other half. As much a part of me as an arm or leg.”
“Yes,” Tobie replied. “And Daddy left you destitute, and his death almost destroyed you. I never want to hurt like that.”
“Darling,” her mother chided, “you’re missing the point. Without some pain, you can never know true joy. Everything I went through with your father was worth it. I loved him. Nothing else mattered. Not surviving on a shoestring, nor moving from town to town, nor all the emotional highs and lows of living with a creative man. What you don’t seem to realize is that I had complete faith in him.”
Did she have faith in Clay? After last night, after he’d proven himself with the recycler, yes. But before that? Tobie nibbled her lip. No, she had not.
“Dad let you down.”
“I truly believe in the very depths of my heart, if your father had lived, he eventually would have achieved his dreams.”
“Mother, you’re living in a fantasy.”
“Perhaps.” She sounded hurt, and a twinge of guilt shot through Tobie. “But marrying your father was the best thing that ever happened to me, and without him, I would never have given birth to you.”
Tobie said nothing. What was there to say? A bubble of loneliness built inside her. A sad feeling so achingly bittersweet, she tasted it. Would she ever know true love? Did she really want to?
“Don’t worry, honey,” her mother continued. “I have a feeling you will meet the right man soon.”
She almost told her mother about Clay, but prudence stayed her tongue. Unprepared to talk about the budding relationship, if the situation between Clay and her was even a relationship at all, Tobie said nothing. She’d been there when he’d perfected his invention. Momentous joy had precipitated that passionate burst between her and Clay. It certainly wasn’t something on which one built a future.
“Well, dear, I think you made the right decision about your engagement to Edward. How about I drive to Rascal to see you when I’m through with business on Monday? I was cleaning out the attic, and I found your father’s old strongbox. When I moved, I wasn’t ready to deal with my grief, so I put it away and forgot about. I’d like to talk to you about it.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. There were some interesting papers inside. I’ve got to consult a lawyer, but I think I might have some good news.”
“Mother, stop being so mysterious. What’s up?”
“I’d rather not say right now. But I’ll see you Monday night.”
“All right, Mother.”
“See you on Monday.”
Tobie hung up and stared at her cell phone before slipping it into her pocket. What was her mother hinting at?
“Do you think your uncle is awake yet?” Tobie asked Molly.
“Ba,” Molly said.
“Yeah,” Tobie laughed. “Me either.”
Gazing out across the pasture, Tobie saw dust billowing up in the distance. Someone was coming up the dirt road. Tobie stood, watching the vehicle arrive, concern latching on to her when she recognized the sleek black Porsche. He pulled to a stop, got out, and glanced around like he’d just found himself in a time warp and landed in the 1880s.
“Edward? What are you doing here?”
An enormous bouquet of at least three dozen yellow roses preceded her ex-fiancé up the front porch. As always, impeccably dressed in one of his thousand-dollar suits, Edward’s hair lay perfectly styled.
“I’m here to win back your affections,” he said, striding across the room to confront her.
“How did you know where to find me?”
“The girl who works for you.”
It suddenly occurred to her that they’d been together for a year, and Edward hadn’t even bothered learning the name of her only employee. “Tiffani. Her name is Tiffani.”
“Ah, yes,” he said. “Tiffani. When I went to your house and discovered it was being fumigated, I called her to ask where you were.”
“Why did you call her instead of me?”
“I was afraid you’d tell me you didn’t want to see me.”
Frankly, she would have. Tobie’s feet welded to the floor. She clutched Molly close. The baby was staring at Edward, who looked out of place in his pin-striped suit.
Edward extended the flowers, ignoring the baby in her arms.
“Um… I can’t take them.”
“Oh, right, yes.” He set the flowers on the small table beside the rocking chair, then he dusted off his hands and stepped back. “They’re for you.”
“The flowers are beautiful, Edward, but you shouldn’t have.”
Edward curled a hand around her free elbow. “I must have been crazy to let you walk out last night.”
“I don’t think this is the time or place to discuss our breakup. Why did you come way out here on a Saturday morning?”
“Please, darling, I know I’ve neglected you. I’m so sorry. Let me plead my case. Sit down.” He waved her into the rocking chair.
Not knowing what else to do, she plunked down with Molly. “Edward, I don’t want you to get your hopes up. This isn’t going to work—”
“Shh.” He crouched beside the rocking chair and laid a f
inger over his lips. “Hear me out.”
Molly frowned at him and gave him a comical look that seemed to say, step off, guy.
Tobie sighed. “All right.”
“After you left, I meditated on our relationship.”
“You did?”
“Yes. Particularly when my guests arrived, and everyone missed your captivating presence.”
Ah-ha, there was the truth. His society pals had noticed her absence. That’s why he missed her. He despised public embarrassment and avoided social gaffs as much as possible. Hosting a party without her had placed him in the realm of improper etiquette. Funny how she could suddenly see his motives so clearly now.
“Listen, Edward, I appreciate—”
“No, no.” He interrupted her a second time, holding up a soft hand that contrasted with Clay’s rugged, callused palm.
It shocked Tobie to realize that at one point, she’d seriously considered sharing her life with this man.
“Allow me to continue,” he said.
Closing her mouth, she settled Molly into her lap and waited.
“Tobie, you are an exquisite gem, and I must have you as my bride. If that means I have to start a second family, then so be it.”
“Are you offering to have children with me, Edward?”
“That is correct.” He veered away from Molly, who had reached out to touch his hair.
“I’m sorry, Edward, but no.”
A startled expression crossed his face as if he hadn’t considered the possibility of her refusal. “I beg your pardon?”
Tobie sucked in her breath. “I said no.”
For once, the sophisticated physician was at a loss for words. “Er... well, maybe you could reconsider.”
“I don’t love you, Edward. I thought I did, but I now know I didn’t. Love and security are not the same things.”
He looked as if she’d dealt him a solid blow straight to the solar plexus. “Then my original contention must be the real reason you left me.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ve found someone else.”
“You’re darn tootin’ she has!”
Tobie and Edward both swiveled their heads to stare at Clay who was standing shirtless in the doorway, wearing nothing but his Wranglers.