Day Leclaire - The Provocative Proposal

by The Provocative Proposal (lit)

  Guilty? She pulled free of his arms. “I assume you plan to explain that one?”

  Shayde released his breath in a tired sigh. “It’s sim­ple, Tess. You survived and Robert didn’t. You said it yourself. He was an incredible man. Everyone who knew him, loved him. He didn’t deserve to die, not when he had so much to offer.”

  Every word struck like a blow. “He didn’t! He didn’t deserve to die.”

  “And if he’d lived, what would Robert be doing now?”

  She froze. “He’d ...he’d—”

  “Be working for Altruistics? Turning Impossibles with his innate goodness and boyish enthusiasm? He told you that’s what he planned to do when he graduated from college, didn’t he, Tess? He told you he planned to dedicate his life to finding a cure for the disease that he thought he’d licked. And when it stole him from you. you took up his cause.”

  His accuracy stunned her and it took three tries to get the words out. “I had to do something to help,” she tried to explain. “I couldn’t let his dream die with him.”

  “Of course you couldn’t. Don’t you get it, Tess? You couldn’t because you’re every bit as special as Robert. You have the same sort of innate goodness.” He tipped her face up to his. “And while I wouldn’t describe you as having boyish enthusiasm, you have the sort of fem­inine passion that moves people to action.”

  “It might not move Walt Moore,” she protested.

  “What if it does?”

  He was right. As much as she hated to admit it, the time had come to put aside her own pain and do her job. “Okay, I’ll make an appointment.”

  “Somehow I thought you might.” Shayde kissed her, the caress filled with barely tempered hunger. “If there’s any way I can lend a hand, just ask.”

  She managed a smile. “Will you catch me when I fall?”

  “Always.”

  The word offered the sweetest of promises, a promise she reveled in. And it offered something else, something she hadn’t felt in years.

  It offered hope.

  “Okay, sweetheart. It’s time.” Shayde straightened Tess’s collar and brushed a fiery ringlet from her brow. “My sources tell me that Walt Moore comes to the park every evening. It’s always the same bench, same time, which means he should be along any minute now.”

  “I doubt he’ll appreciate my interrupting his private time,” she muttered.

  “You’re probably right. But I suspect it’s the only way you’ll get to see him, considering he’s turned down all of your other requests.” Shayde glanced toward the bench and saw an elderly man approach. “Here he comes. Are you ready?”

  “No. But, I won’t let that stop me.” She lifted her face to his in a gesture as natural as it was appealing. “Wish me luck.”

  He couldn’t resist. He took her in his arms and gave her a kiss of encouragement. If they’d been anywhere else, it would have deepened into something far more, perhaps because Tess had an uncanny knack for putting all of herself into even the simplest of kisses. Or perhaps it had to do with her natural generosity. Or maybe she’d developed an overwhelming hankering for his embrace. Hell, a man could dream.

  Reluctantly, he set her free and gave her a gentle nudge in the direction of the park bench. “Good luck, love,” he called. “Just be honest with him. That’s all anyone can expect.”

  With a nervous smile, Tess walked away leaving Shayde wishing there were something more he could do to help. Unfortunately, there wasn’t. She needed to earn her promotion fairly and he wouldn’t interfere with that. She crossed a strip of freshly mowed grass and paused just shy of the park bench where Walt Moore sat. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and ran her hands along the sides of her slacks. But aside from that one telling gesture, she didn’t reveal any hint of ner­vousness.

  The next few minutes were the most crucial. If Tess were allowed to talk, Shayde didn’t doubt for a minute that she’d have a good shot at making a case for herself. He leaned against a towering maple and folded his arms across his chest, watching intently.

  At first Walt appeared startled by the interruption, then disgruntled. But he didn’t object when she sat down beside him. Slowly, the more she talked, the more his demeanor changed. His shoulders sagged in sorrow and he kept shaking his head. But he listened. Nor did he jerk his hand away when she covered it with her own. After an endless ten minutes, the old man stood. He said something to Tess, something that impacted like a slap. And then he walked away.

  Shayde didn’t wait. He pushed off from the tree and sprinted to her side. She didn’t speak, just erupted from the bench and into his arms. “You tried,” he murmured against the top of her head. “At least you tried.”

  “Please take me home.”

  He didn’t hesitate. Within minutes he had her in the Jag, headed for Green Lake. To his concern, she didn’t say a word the entire way. Parking outside her house, he followed her inside. “You did your best, Tess.”

  She slammed the door shut behind her and tossed her purse onto the hallway table. “My best wasn’t good enough. Telling him about Robert didn’t make the least difference. He told me he’d grieve in his own way, that throwing money at some cause wouldn’t bring his wife back.”

  “He might reconsider once he’s had time to think about what you said,” Shayde argued. “People listen to you, sweetheart. Even though Walt Moore refused you this time— Hell, even if he refuses you the next time you approach him, he’ll still listen to what you have to say. And one of these days you’ll get through to him because he’ll recognize your sincerity and realize that he wants to act instead of grieve.”

  His words might have made more of an impact if she didn’t feel so utterly defeated. “Thank you for coming with me,” she said in her most professional tone of voice. “If you have other plans, I won’t keep you any longer.”

  “That tears it.”­

  Without warning, he swung her into his arms. It never even occurred to Tess to struggle. Instead, she clasped her hands around his neck and held on tight.

  “What are you doing?” she asked with impressive calm.

  “Catching you.” He took her mouth in a swift, pas­sionate kiss that should have added to her tension. To her delight, it did the precise opposite, unraveling her in the most remarkable ways. “Granted, you didn’t fall. In fact, it didn’t amount to much more than a stumble. But I promised I’d be here for you. And somehow I have the impression you’re about to turn into my employer and dismiss me while you lick your wounds in private.”

  She shot him a teasing look from beneath her lashes. “I gather that’s not going to happen?”

  His arms tightened around her. “Not a chance. If there’s any licking to be done, I’m the man for the job.”

  “In that case, I have a final order for you.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Take me to my inner sanctum.” She waved her hand toward the steps leading to her bedroom. “It’s thatta way, in case you’ve forgotten.”

  “I haven’t forgotten.” He lifted an eyebrow. “What am I supposed to do when I get there? Leave?”

  She shook her head. “Good heavens, no. You’re sup­posed to make wild, crazed love to me.” The words fell somewhere between a demand and a plea.

  He got as far as the steps before slowly lowering her to her feet. His arms continued to ring her, but a frown warned that he wasn’t exactly swept up in the delirium of the moment. “This isn’t a good idea.”

  “I think it’s an excellent idea,” she countered.

  His frown deepened. “Why are you doing this, Tess? Because you’re upset? Lonely? In need of a man?”

  “In need of a man, as in any man?” she demanded indignantly. How could he believe such a thing? “Is that what you think?”

  “I know you better than that. You’re not into casual sex.”

  She couldn’t help laughing. “Are you saying you are?” She tilted her head to one side. “Which is it, Shayde? Are you only interested if
it is casual ... or if it isn’t? Or is it that you’re not interested at all?”

  He pulled her closer. “Does this feel like a man who isn’t interested?” He skimmed his hand along the length of her spine, molding her to him. There wasn’t any doubt that he wanted her. “Pure physical desire isn’t the prob­lem.”

  “But you want more than just physical, is that it?”

  “Yes.”

  She kept her gaze fixed on his. Direct. Steady. Certain. “So do I.”

  “Tess—”

  Without a word she backed out of his embrace. Unbuttoning her blouse, she stripped it off her shoulders and dropped it to the floor. Next, she reached for the zip at the side of her skirt. The sound of the nylon teeth giving way rent the air.

  “What the hell are you doing, woman?”

  “Settling any remaining questions.”

  “In the hallway?”

  “If that’s what you want.” She inspected the area with mock intentness. “The floor might be a bit hard on your knees, but if you prefer it to the inner sanctum, I can be persuaded.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “A pity.” She allowed her skirt to drop to the floor. Stepping free of it, she started up the steps leading to her bedroom. She paused long enough to glance over her shoulder. “It’s your choice, Shayde. You caught me. Now what are you going to do with me?”

  “You shouldn’t issue challenges, lady.”

  She didn’t bother to reply, but simply added an extra waggle to her hips. She made it to the top of the stairs before he came charging after her. In one smooth move­ment, he snagged her around the middle and tossed her over his shoulder. Wrapping one arm around her knees, he kicked open her bedroom door.

  “Challenging me only accomplishes one thing,” he explained kindly.

  She viewed her upside down world with a broad smile. “I’m hoping that one thing involves a bed, the two of us and as little clothing as possible.”

  “You got it.”

  His hand shifted upward, plying a tantalizing path along the back of her thighs to her silk-covered bottom. His fingers splayed across the rounded curves and it took every ounce of self-possession not to cry out. She bit down on her lip, a dozen different entreaties lodging in her throat. Then she gave up maintaining the least bit of control. Why bother? Shayde should know how he af­fected her. He should know how desperately she wanted him. She’d spent far too many years hiding from her feelings. But no longer. Shayde deserved total honesty.

  “Shayde, please. No more games. Make love to me.”

  He lowered her to the mattress and regarded her with such a look of tenderness, she wanted to weep. “Are you sure you won’t regret this later?”

  “I’ve never been more certain in my life.”

  The afternoon sun blazed a path across her canopied bed, intensifying the jewel tones of the drapes and spread and pillows. It was as though they found themselves in the midst of a primeval jungle. She'd designed the room to provoke just that sort of reaction. The wildness of form and color spoke to her own inner wildness, evoking emotions she'd refused to allow free rein anywhere else. Inhibitions didn't belong here. Nothing belonged that wasn't open and natural and genuine.

  She reached out for him, catching his hand in hers. Tugging, she pulled him onto the mattress to join her. "You have far too many clothes on."

  "Then do something about it."

  "Ah, a demanding man. I like that."

  Setting out to correct the oversight, Tess unbuttoned Shayde's shirt and pushed it from his shoulders. He ripped the shirt the rest of the way off. Planting his arms on either side of her head, his mouth collided with hers. Briefly, their limbs entwined, then released to give them the opportunity to. shed more clothing. Her bra joined his shirt. After retrieving a foil packet from his wallet, his trousers followed the other bits and pieces. In the space of a few nervous heartbeats, she removed the last of the barriers separating them and fully bared herself to him.

  It was a moment of utter vulnerability and he recog­nized it almost before she did. "I'm the first, aren't l?"

  She didn't pretend to misunderstand. "Since Robert? Yes."

  "Why, sweetheart?"

  "Because ... because you were right." She reached up and slid her fingers through his hair, then traced a path over his angled cheekbones to his mouth. She lingered there, smiling as he buried a kiss in her palm. "All this time I've been afraid of love. And I've been compen­sating by directing all my focus into my job. It's safer than risking another loss."

  “You won’t lose me.”

  “Promise?” It was a cry from the heart.

  Stripping the covers from the bed, he settled her into a splash of sunlight and took her into his arms. “I prom­ise, Tess. No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you. I won’t leave you. Not ever.”

  And then he kissed her.

  It was a kiss different from all those that had come before. It spoke of an unending need, and of promises made and promises kept. It told of a door closing on the past and opening into the future, and of his desire to be part of that future. It assured her that she’d found some­one who’d remain by her side, no matter what that future might bring.

  But more, that single kiss revealed a truth she’d been carrying deep in her heart.

  Tess stared up at Shayde in wonder. How could she have been so blind? She loved this man. She loved him with a passion she’d never known before. What she’d felt for Robert had been so very different—a first love that had never had the opportunity to mature into some­thing deeper and more permanent. But what she felt for Shayde had blossomed like a flower greedy for sunshine, its roots plunging deep into fertile soil.

  “Shayde.” His name escaped in a joyful whisper. “Please make love to me.”

  “I will, sweetheart.” He filled his hands with her hair. allowing the curls to cascade through his fingers. Sunshine radiated within the red-gold curls, providing a striking contrast to the paleness of her skin. “Are all the ghosts gone now?”

  “All gone,” she confirmed. “And they won’t be­back.”

  With infinite tenderness he kissed her again, the give and take of lip and tongue languid and delicious. He didn’t rush her, but waited for her desire to build. Not that it took long. Everything about him stirred that de­sire-the powerful width of his shoulders, the crisp whorls of hair that formed an inverted triangle across his chest, the expression in his eyes whenever he looked at her. Heat washed across her skin and he tracked the gen­tle burn downward, cupping her breasts and anointing them with his tongue. Not fully satisfied, he followed the wash of heat further, tracing the warmth across her abdomen to the very core of her, where the fire burned with painful intensity. She twisted beneath him, straining her hips upward.

  “Easy,” he murmured. “Slow and easy.”

  “I’d rather do it fast and hard. We can try slow and easy next time. Though I doubt it’ll work any better.”

  To her frustration, he didn’t listen. Each caress be­came more tantalizing than the last. His fingertips teased, then soothed, then stroked her with fierce aggression. She was completely open to him, more open than she’d ever been with anyone, ever before. She heard her frantic pleas from a vast distance, heard his incoherent response. Finally, when she couldn’t have held on for another in­stant, he positioned himself between her thighs. In one swift stroke he sank into her fluid softness, then drove into it, shattering her universe and rebuilding it again with that single act of possession. Wrapping herself around him, she matched his rhythm with an instinct that came from the heart and soul. She gave everything she had. And then she gave still more.

  His breath exploded close to her ear. She vaguely heard the words he uttered. They must have been life­-altering, for instantly, her muscles tensed in reaction and she flew apart, soaring high and far. His response came just as quickly. Her name escaped his lips in a desperate bellow as he followed her over the edge. Hours passed. Or was it minutes? Time had
no meaning, only the man who held her safe within their color-strewn world.

  At long last she opened her eyes and stared up at him, stared into eyes as pure and steadfast as silver. The ghosts truly were gone and something new and amazing had come in their stead. She’d found what she’d thought she’d least wanted—the sort of happily-ever-after fairy tale she’d wished for her two best friends.

  With Shayde she’d found love again.

  Shayde escaped the bed. Snagging his trousers from the floor, he climbed into them and silently left the room. Once downstairs, he removed his cell phone from his pocket and punched in a phone number.

  “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Shadoe’s sleepy voice demanded.

  “I quit.”

  “Shayde?”

  “Wake up and listen to what I’m saying, Shadoe. I quit. I won’t be your Instigator anymore. Tell the Committee I’ve officially resigned.”

  “Let me take a wild stab here ...Tess Lonigan is somehow involved in your decision.”

  “I refuse to set her up with Gray. They’re dead wrong for each other.”

  “And you’re right for her?”

  “No question.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Fine. In that case, she’s all yours.”

  The capitulation came so unexpectedly, it took a min­ute to switch gears. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that,” Shadoe confirmed.

  Shayde closed his eyes. All the pieces fell into place, the picture becoming an annoying whole and he swore violently. “You set me up, didn’t you?”

  “Sure did. And I gotta tell you. It worked better than any of us anticipated.”

  “You will pay, Shadoe.”

  “Tell it to someone who scares easy.”

  With an exclamation of disgust, Shayde flipped his phone closed. To hell with his brother and the Committee. As far as he was concerned, they’d simply made his job easier by eliminating one of the problems standing in his way. That left him with one more to handle. Turning, he found Tess standing behind him, wearing his hastily donned shirt. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out she’d been there for a while. One look at her expression told him that much.