Frank kissed her neck, her throat and each shoulder, before lowering his head to first one breast and then the other. Already aroused unbearably, Leenie keened when he suckled her breast, his tongue tormenting her nipple. Her back arched. She grasped his muscular biceps and her nails bit into his flesh. His mouth on her breasts, moving back and forth from one to the other, drove her mad. He cupped her hips and pulled her up and against his erection. Pure electricity shot through her when he drove his tongue into her mouth at the same time he lifted her by her hips so that he could thrust up inside her. Yowling with earthshattering intensity, she wrapped her legs around his waist.
With their bodies joined intimately, Frank walked backward toward the bed, then toppled them over and onto the plush cotton sheets. He hammered into her repeatedly. Leenie responded with upward lunges, wild with her own need. They went at one another with animalistic passion. Kissing. Licking. Nipping. The tension wound tighter and tighter inside Leenie until she thought she’d splinter into a million pieces, but each time she reached the brink, Frank would pull back just enough to stop the inevitable. And after she had a chance to catch her breath, he’d begin the sensual attack again until she was out of her mind, wanting, needing, begging him for release.
He lifted her buttocks, bringing her as close as possible and then plunged to the hilt, burying himself deeply inside her. She clung to him, maneuvering herself so that each jab gave her pleasure and suddenly with one final thrust, she came apart. Fulfillment burst inside her. The sensations went on and on, until only the sweet aftershocks remained. And as those remaining tingles floated through her body, Frank increased his speed, pounding harder and faster. He growled, then shuddered as he jetted into her.
Afterward he slid to her side and they lay there together, breathing hard, staring up at the ceiling. He inched his hand over to hers and clasped it firmly. She sighed with contentment. And in that moment she realized that lovemaking would never be this way with anyone else. Only with Frank. Because she loved Frank, as she would never love another man.
Twelve
After Leenie left for the studio, Frank wandered around the house, returning again and again to Andrew’s nursery. He wanted to take care of his son, wanted to provide for him. And he wanted to make sure that even if something happened to him Leenie and Andrew would be provided for. He wasn’t a multimillionaire by any means, but when his father died, he’d inherited close to half a million dollars, which he’d divided between investments and one-hundred-percent-safe certificates of deposit. The first thing he wanted his lawyer to do was set up a college fund for Andrew. After that he needed to adjust his will. All of this could wait till morning, of course. He intended to call his lawyer first thing tomorrow and let him get busy on the paperwork. He’d have to fly back to Atlanta sooner than he’d planned to sign the papers, to lease his apartment and to hand in his resignation. Sawyer might release him immediately, if he wasn’t needed on another assignment. If that were the case, he’d use the final assignment as the equivalent of his two weeks’ notice.
He might be jumping the gun a bit by making all these plans. Leenie hadn’t agreed to marry him. Not yet. But she hadn’t been able to come up with an arrangement that made more sense. If anyone had told him that he’d ever even remotely consider remarrying, he’d have told them they were crazy. He’d sworn to himself that after the fiasco with Rita, he’d stay single to his dying day. But that was before Andrew.
Admit it, Latimer, Andrew is only a part of this equation. You actually want to marry Leenie. You like the idea of being with her every day for the rest of your life.
So what would it take to persuade Leenie to accept his proposal? Would he have to get down on bended knee?
Come to think of it, he never did actually propose. He’d asked her if she knew another solution to their problem other than marriage. That sure hadn’t been romantic. No wonder she hadn’t been overly thrilled by his suggestion. Women liked romance. Leenie probably expected a diamond and a fancy dinner and— He’d have to take care of those things, too, when he went to Atlanta. But he wanted everything to be a surprise. So, how was he going to work it? He’d have to figure out something so she wouldn’t suspect what he had planned.
And what will you do if after all your best laid plans, she tells you thanks but no thanks? He’d camp on her doorstep and wear her down, that’s what he’d do. He had no intention of taking no for an answer.
Leenie woke at ten-thirty the next morning when the telephone rang insistently. Where’s Frank? she wondered. She’d arrived home from the station at two-forty this morning and found Frank asleep in the rocker in Andrew’s room. She hadn’t had the heart to wake him, but sometime before dawn, he’d crawled in bed with her and snuggled close. They’d made slow, sweet love and then had fallen asleep.
Damn, why didn’t he answer the phone? She came awake groggily, reached over and picked up the receiver from the bedside phone.
“Hello?”
“May I speak with Frank Latimer?” a male voice asked.
“Who may I say is calling?”
“Steve O’Neal. I’m his lawyer.”
Leenie’s eyes popped wide open. “And this is in reference to?”
“Is this Ms. Patton?” the man asked.
“Yes, it is.”
“Then I’m sure Frank’s told you about his plans for Andrew.”
Frank had plans for Andrew? What plans? “Yes, of course he’s told me.”
“I have to admit that I was totally surprised by Frank’s news that he’s a father. Never saw old Frank in that role. But he doesn’t seem to have any doubts about being a full-time father to his son.”
Leenie’s heart sank. Frank intended to be a full-time father? When had he gotten in touch with his lawyer? Had he called this Mr. O’Neal and told him that he wanted full custody of Andrew? No! Frank wouldn’t do that. But what other reason would Frank need a lawyer to handle anything concerning Andrew?
“Hold on, please, Mr. O’Neal, and I’ll get Frank.”
Leenie laid the phone on the nightstand, got out of bed, slipped into her robe and searched from room to room. She found Frank in the kitchen scrambling eggs and frying bacon. Safe in his infant carrier placed in the middle of the kitchen table, Andrew contentedly watched his father.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Morning, Slim. I’m fixing your breakfast. I had planned to bring it to you on a tray, but now that you’re up, I’ll serve it to you at the table.”
“Didn’t you hear the phone ringing?”
“Yeah, but I sort of had my hands full, so I figured I’d let the answering machine get it.” His broad, infectious smile prompted an involuntary smile from her. “Damn, I didn’t unplug the phone in the bedroom, did I? I’d meant to do that, so if it rang it wouldn’t wake you, but—”
“The call is for you,” she told him. “It’s a Mr. O’Neal.”
“Oh, yeah. He’s a, uh, er, a friend from Atlanta.”
Leenie kept her smile in place by sheer force of will. If Frank had nothing to hide, why hadn’t he admitted that Mr. O’Neal was his lawyer? Whatever business about Andrew he needed to discuss with his attorney apparently was something he didn’t want her to know about. So what could she construe from that?
“Look, honey, everything’s ready—even the coffee. All you have to do is put the bacon, eggs and toast on a plate. I won’t be on the phone long. You enjoy breakfast and I’ll clean up when I get back.”
He gave her a hurried kiss as he passed by her on his way out of the kitchen. The minute he went out the door, she slumped into a kitchen chair and turned to her son.
“I think your father might be up to something.” Leenie sighed. “The problem is I’m not sure what. If I trusted him, I wouldn’t be filled with all these doubts, would I? When he comes back, I’ll ask him. I’ll come right out and tell him I want to know what’s going on.”
Andrew gurgled and cooed. Leenie groaned. Would she have to marry F
rank to stop him for trying to get custody of Andrew? Maybe he’d contacted a lawyer because he wanted partial custody. But that wasn’t what he’d told her. He’d agreed that while he was an infant, Andrew needed to be with her. So, what had changed Frank’s mind? Did he intend to give her a choice—either marry him or he’d take Andrew away from her?
Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself. Frank would never— She had to trust him. Had to believe in him. But could she marry him, knowing he didn’t love her? It’s what she wanted, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it possible that he’d fall in love with her after they married? It could happen, couldn’t it?
Frank came back in the kitchen ten minutes later, after talking to Steve and then placing a call to Sawyer, who’d accepted his resignation over the phone and wished him the best of luck.
“I’m flying back to Atlanta this afternoon,” Frank had told Sawyer. “I’ve got some legal papers to sign and an engagement ring to buy. And there’s my apartment, I need to get rid of it, but I doubt I’ll be able to get out of my lease.”
“Geoff Monday’s looking for a place,” Sawyer had said. “He’d probably be glad to sublet the apartment from you until your lease is up.”
Leenie sat at the table sipping coffee and pushing her scrambled eggs around on the plate. It didn’t look as if she’d eaten a bite.
“What’s wrong, Slim, aren’t you hungry?” Frank asked. “Or don’t you like my eggs?”
She offered him a fragile smile. “Just not hungry, I guess.”
“Hey, look, I’ve got something to tell you.”
Her smile widened. “Yes, what is it?”
“I have to fly back to Atlanta this afternoon.”
“What?”
“I’ll be gone only a couple of days,” he said. “I’ll be back before you know I’m gone.”
“Why do you have to leave? I thought you planned—”
“Plans change. I—I’ve got some business for Dundee to take care of and—”
“Does Mr. O’Neal have something to do with your change of plans?”
“In a way.” Frank came up behind her chair, leaned over, lifted her hair and kissed the nape of her neck. “Miss me a little while I’m gone.”
“Frank, maybe we should talk some more about getting married. We never did resolve the issue, did we? I’ve been thinking about all the reasons I’m reluctant to rush into marriage and—”
“We can talk about our future plans when I get back from Atlanta.” He gave her shoulders a caressing squeeze. “If I’m going to catch my plane, I need to hustle.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go.”
“I’ll be gone two days, tops.”
She looked up at him with those shimmery blue eyes of hers and he thought he’d lose it. She had to be the prettiest thing on God’s green earth. And if he played his cards right and didn’t screw up again, she just might be his for the rest of their lives. But he had to do this thing right. He had to prove to her that they could make a lifelong commitment work. Okay, so she wanted romance and lovey-dovey stuff and he wasn’t good at playing Prince Charming. But he could damn well try, couldn’t he? And even if all they had going for them was great sex and Andrew, that would be enough, wouldn’t it? Who knew, maybe love would come later for both of them.
“How about you and Andrew go with me to the airport?” he asked, wanting to be with them as long as possible. What he really wanted was to ask her to bring Andrew and come to Atlanta with him. But he’d be so damn busy that she might feel neglected.
“Why don’t you just call a cab,” she suggested. “We can say our goodbyes here and I won’t have to get Andrew out in the cold.”
“Sure.” There was something bothering Leenie, but he couldn’t imagine what. Maybe he should ask her about it. No, he’d just let it wait until he came back. If he didn’t get a move on, he’d miss his flight and the sooner he went to Atlanta and set his house in order, the sooner he could come back to Leenie and Andrew.
Leenie had been stewing for two and a half days. Frank had called a couple of times each day and he’d been all sweetness and light, telling her how much he missed Andrew and her. And for the entire time he’d been gone, she had fought her inner demons—distrust and fear.
She had come to realize that it wasn’t so much that she didn’t trust Frank as that she wouldn’t allow herself to believe that everything would work out all right for them. She’d had such rotten luck in her life. First her mother had died and a few years later her father. She’d been bounced around from foster home to foster home until she’d been sent to live with the Schmales. And in the happily ever after department, her love life had been a dismal failure. She’d had her heart battered and bruised several times before Frank Latimer finally broke it in so many pieces that it could never be mended.
Leenie was afraid to believe anyone could love her. And that’s what it all boiled down to in the end. Frank was afraid to love because love had hurt him so badly in the past. And despite what her brilliant, logical mind told her, Leenie had somehow convinced herself that no man would ever truly love her. Certainly not Frank.
“Come on tater-tot,” Leenie said as she lifted Andrew into her arms. “Your daddy is coming home today and we’re going to the airport to meet him.”
Ever since Frank had telephoned her to let her know he’d be arriving in Maysville around two-thirty, she had been debating what to do.
“I wish you’d come to the airport to meet me. You and Andrew. I’m flying in on the Dundee jet,” he’d told her.
Not knowing what to expect when she arrived at the airport, Leenie buckled Andrew into his car seat in the back of her Envoy. Debra stood in the doorway, waving and smiling, as if she were seeing them off on some fabulous adventure. As a matter of fact, Debra had been entirely too cheerful since she’d come home from the hospital and whenever Leenie had complained about Frank’s behavior, Debra had defended him. Was it because Debra wanted Leenie to marry Frank? Debra was just old-fashioned enough to think that a child’s parents should be married. Or did Debra know something she didn’t know?
Fifteen minutes after leaving her house, Leenie pulled into a parking slot at Maysville’s small airport. What would she do if Frank asked her to marry him? What if he gave her only two choices—marry him or he’d take her to court over Andrew’s custody?
“Let’s go find out what Daddy’s got up his sleeve.” Leenie removed Andrew from his car seat, pulled the hood of his quilted coat over his head and took him out of the SUV.
After wrapping Andrew in a thick blanket to block out the crisp December wind, she hurried into the airport terminal and checked at the arrival desk to see if the private Dundee jet was expected to be on time.
“Yes, ma’am, that aircraft will be landing in approximately four minutes. By the way, are you Dr. Patton?”
“Yes, I’m Lurleen Patton.”
“The pilot radioed ahead to ask that Dr. Patton—” the clerk smiled at Andrew “—and her son be escorted to the airplane.”
“Oh, I see.” Frank had been awfully sure she’d show up, hadn’t he? “Well, all right. Exactly what do we do?”
“Just follow me. You’ll be driven out on the runway and personally taken to the plane.”
“I don’t understand, but—”
“Come along. By the time we get outside, the plane will have landed.”
Keeping Andrew cuddled against her, Leenie went along for the ride. Literally. In less than five minutes, when she stepped out of the cart that had delivered them to the Dundee jet, Frank Latimer appeared at the top of the steps. He waved at her, then rushed down the steps toward her.
She gasped when he wrapped his arm around her and urged her toward the steps. “Come on, Slim, I want to show you and Andrew the Dundee jet.”
“Frank, what’s going on? Nothing has made any sense to me since the day you left.”
“Just come on board and I’ll explain everything.” When she eyed him skeptically, he said, “I promise.”
>
She allowed him to escort her up the steps and into the airplane. Once inside, she skidded to a halt. The sleek, luxuriously decorated interior had been filled with flowers. Soft music wafted through the lounge. A bottle of champagne chilled in a silver bucket, flanked by two crystal flutes.
“What—what is all this?” she asked.
“It’s a romantic setting,” Frank told her.
“Yes, I guess it is, but—”
Frank reached out and took Andrew from her, removed their son’s coat and placed him in an infant carrier lying in one of the ultraplush seats. “You sit there and be quiet for a few minutes, okay, pal? Daddy’s got something very important to do.”
Frank came back to Leenie, knelt down on one knee in front of her and clasped her hand. She felt as if her head was spinning.
“Leenie, will you marry me?”
“What?”
“I want you to marry me. I want us to build a life together.”
He was proposing to her. Wasn’t this what she’d wanted? And he’d set the scene for his proposal. He’d thought of just about everything.
“You want us to get married for Andrew’s sake,” she said.
Frank dug in his rumpled jacket pocket, pulled out a midnight blue velvet box and flipped open the lid. A sparkling diamond solitaire glistened against the dark blue bed.
“I went to half a dozen jewelers in Atlanta before I found the right one.” He removed the ring from the box, lifted Leenie’s left hand and slid the ring on her finger. She looked at the two-carat diamond and then stared down into Frank’s smiling face.
“What will you do if I say no?” she asked, and held her breath waiting for his reply.
He laughed. “I’d die of a broken heart,” he said jokingly.
“No, Frank, I’m serious.” She tugged on his shoulders, urging him to stand.
Keeping Baby Secret Page 14