“Today when I saw you walking down the aisle toward me, I was certain you could never look more beautiful,” he whispered. “But tonight you look like a goddess.”
Smiling, she stepped closer and slid her hands down the planes of his shoulders. “That’s because you turned out the light.”
His hands closed around her waist and drew her against him. Sierra’s blood began to sing as his hands cupped her buttocks and his arousal stirred against her belly.
“I can see just fine, Mrs. Calloway.”
Rising on her tiptoes, she curled her arms around his neck and turned her lips to the side of his face. He quickly twisted his head to find her mouth and Sierra moaned with pleasure as his lips roamed greedily over hers.
Continuing the kiss, he nudged her backward until her calves hit the side of the bed, then, gently, he eased the both of them down on the mattress.
Once he broke the contact of their lips, they were both gulping for air and Alex whispered against the curve of her neck. “I need you so much—so much.”
And she needed him for the rest of her life, she thought, as love swelled her heart to the bursting point.
“Let me do something about that,” she murmured as desire began to grip her like a tight glove. She pushed at his shoulder until he was lying on his back and then she straddled his hips.
“Baby. Baby! You’re too good to me,” he muttered in a hoarse voice.
Leaning forward, she cupped her palm against his cheek. “My husband,” she whispered fervently, then, bending lower, she placed her lips over his.
With a growl of fierce need, Alex thrust himself inside her and let the hungry rhythm of her body carry him away.
Later, after the heat of their bodies had cooled, Alex drowsily stroked the back of Sierra’s long hair.
“Alex?” She propped her head on her hand and studied his face in the moonlight.
“Hmm?”
“Let’s go sit on the beach. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“The beach! Good Lord, woman, it’s way past midnight, can’t you talk right here? This bed feels awfully good, especially with you in it.”
She slid a finger down the middle of his chest until she reached his navel. Once there, she hesitated, then dared to slip her hand a bit farther.
“Yeah, but just think how good it will feel to get back in it,” she softly purred.
“God, I must have been out of my mind,” he exclaimed good-naturedly as he rose up and flung the sheet off both their legs. “All these years I thought you were some meek little thing that got her kicks from books. Boy, did I have you pegged wrong.”
Even though he was teasing, his comment thrilled Sierra. For a long time, even before she’d ever dreamed of having him for a lover, she’d wanted him to think of her as sexy and sultry and a woman who could turn a man’s head and keep it turned. But when one man after another had left her flat and the last one had accused her of being boring, she’d doubted herself as a woman capable of attracting any man.
Now Alex made her feel beautiful and sensuous and wanted. If she tried to tell him in a million words how empowered that made her feel, he still wouldn’t understand.
“You’ll survive,” she promised as she jerked on a pair of shorts and a halter top.
Seeing she wasn’t about to relent on her purpose, Alex pulled on shorts and a shirt, leaving the latter unbuttoned to the muggy air.
The both of them stuck their feet in leather sandals before they exited the hotel through a side door away from the main lobby.
The night was very warm, the wind stiff. Alex noticed a half moon was suspended above the ocean and the silver light laced the tide as it rolled onto the wide beach. As he took Sierra by the hand and walked across the warm sand, he wondered how he could get through the days and months ahead without knowing if his wife loved him. If she’d simply married him to secure Bowie’s adoption, he didn’t know if he could stand it. Yet he had to, he realized. He loved her too much to do anything else.
“Do you think Bowie is okay?” she asked as they found a spot just out of reach of the tide and sank onto the sand. “I miss him so much.”
He swallowed as uncertainty rolled around in the pit of his stomach. “I’m sure your mother is taking wonderful care of him. And if she needs help, you have two sisters who will be more than willing to lend a hand.”
“Yes, but he’s used to me. I know exactly how he likes to be rocked and fed—” She stopped suddenly and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Alex. I sound like a fretful mother. That’s not what a groom wants to hear on his wedding night.”
He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “I want to hear anything you want to tell me.”
Oh God, he was so dear, so much a part of her, she thought. If she said something wrong, if she got too emotional and caused a wedge between them now, she’d never be able to stand it.
Turning her face to the salty breeze, she shook back her hair and breathed deeply.
“Alex, I didn’t ask you to come down here to talk about Bowie. I think I’m pretty sure you understand how much I love him. And I’m fairly certain that you love him, too.”
Still holding on to her fingers, he slipped his opposite hand around the back of her waist. “That is the reason I’m making him my son.”
She released another shaky breath. “He’s important to both of us.”
“That’s probably an understatement,” he said gently, then, studying her face, he shook his head. “Darlin’, why are you looking so serious? It’s a gorgeous night. We’re on the beach and we have each other all to ourselves.”
Lifting her chin, she gave him a quavering smile. “You’re right. This night is so special.” She lifted her hand and touched her fingers to his cheek. “That’s why I—oh, Alex, promise that you won’t laugh or ridicule me when I tell you this—”
“Sierra,” he gently interrupted. “No one has to tell me I’m a stinker at times. But I won’t laugh. Unless you tell me a joke.”
But maybe he would think it was a joke, Sierra thought sickly. All these years he’d mostly used the word “love” as a sarcastic verb.
“Alex, the real reason I married you is—”
Terrified at what she was about to tell him, he touched a finger to her lips. “Before you say anything else, I have to tell you something. I—”
“Alex, don’t keep interrupting me!” she scolded gently. “I’m trying to tell you that I love you!”
Her outburst caught him totally off guard and he stared at her for long moments. “Oh God. Oh, Sierra!”
His hands came up to cradle the back of her head and he tilted her face upward to the moonlight.
Her expression puzzled, she asked, “Alex, what are you doing?”
“I’m looking at you with your face bathed in moonlight and your hair whipping like strands of glossy silk. I want to always remember you just like this.”
Sierra’s heart was beating so hard and fast she thought it was going to burst from her chest. “Why?”
The corners of his mouth tilted to a satisfied grin. “Because you’re my wife. The woman I love.”
It took a moment for her to digest his declaration, but once she did, a whimper passed her lips and she fell forward and buried her face against his bare chest.
“Alex,” she said through happy tears. “All this time I’ve been afraid to tell you how I felt—because I was certain you could never love me. I thought—I was afraid you were only marrying me because you wanted to be Bowie’s father.”
He laughed as a joy such as he’d never felt before zinged through his veins and pumped sheer happiness straight into his heart. “Oh, Sierra, you’re not going to believe this. But I thought the same thing about you. I figured you were only marrying me because your chances of adopting Bowie would be much better with a father in the house.”
Her cheeks wet with happy tears, she flung her arms around his neck and clung tightly. “We’ve been crazy, Alex.”
“Yeah. And we’ll probably be crazy again. But we’ll get through it. Together. Always together.” Easing her head back, he placed a long, promising kiss upon her lips that left her sighing with contentment.
“What do you think about starting on a brother or sister for Bowie? He’ll need several, you know,” he said with a sly grin. “Or do you want to wait until we’re married longer?”
Why would she want to wait? Sierra wondered blissfully. They’d already had nine years together. She knew he’d be around for the next nine and for always after that.
“Actually I’ve got to admit something, Alex. For the first time ever, I forgot to take my birth control pill this morning. I guess I was just too excited with wedding preparations to remember. Maybe now is a good time to toss the rest of them in the trash?”
Laughing, he tugged her up from their seats on the sand and pulled her along toward the roaring surf.
“Uh, don’t you think that project would work better if we went back to bed?” she asked.
“Later.”
“Alex!” she squealed as water rushed over her feet. “What are you doing?”
“We’re going to take a little swim.”
“Now?” she asked incredulously. “What about the bed?”
Laughing, he teased, “Just think how good it will feel once we get back in it.”
Epilogue
Sierra didn’t waste any time about paying off her debt to her sisters. The next weekend after she and Alex had come home from their honeymoon, she offered herself to Christina and Gloria as their happy slave.
Since either sister couldn’t think of any task they considered awful enough to punish Sierra for going back on her word and marrying a man, she suggested they allow her to cook each one of them a nice dinner. She even managed to add a shudder, as though the very thought was downright horrible.
Let them think they were punishing her, Sierra thought, as she happily hummed to herself in Christina’s kitchen. She loved to cook and because she did so much of it, she was very efficient in the kitchen.
Yesterday had been Gloria’s payday and Sierra had pretended to kill herself over a huge pot roast dinner. She wasn’t about to tell her sisters that she’d read a paperback while the whole thing was cooking in the oven.
Today, for Christina, she was preparing steak fajitas. What could be easier than stir-frying a few strips of meat, peppers and onions and rolling it all up in warm tortillas, she thought with a clever giggle.
“Hey, I thought this was supposed to be a chore for you,” Christina suddenly spoke from out of nowhere. “Instead you’re laughing. If you think it’s so funny, maybe Gloria and I should put you outside mowing the lawn.”
Christina wasn’t supposed to be back in the house for another hour. The sound of her voice shocked Sierra and she whirled around from the sizzling skillet to see both her sisters standing in the middle of the kitchen, eyeing her with amused but accusing looks.
Laughing sheepishly, Sierra waved a dismissive hand in the air and tried to appear as weary as possible. “Oh, you two are really mean. I wasn’t laughing about the cooking. In fact, I’m just exhausted from standing over this hot stove. I don’t know why Christina made me do all this frying!”
“Uh-huh,” Gloria said with a pointed smile. “Everybody laughs when they’re exhausted.”
Sierra’s mind grabbed on to the first feasible excuse that popped into her head. “For your information, dear sisters, I was laughing because I’m so happy. Alex and I received some great news this morning.”
“Oh? What?” Christina quickly prompted. She walked over to the cabinet and picked up a strip of raw bell pepper and chomped into the piece of vegetable.
Sierra’s brown eyes were suddenly lit from within and the glow spread to her entire face. “We’ll be signing the adoption papers for Bowie on Tuesday.”
“That soon!” Gloria exclaimed. “I thought there’d be weeks of red tape. Even with Alex using his legal prowess.”
“So did we,” Sierra explained. “Alex and I both expected a long process. But he has friends in high places. One of the state legislators owed him a favor and he pulled some strings. The papers will be ready for us to sign in a couple days. And then you two can help me plan a christening party.”
“Oh, Sierra, that’s the greatest news!” Christina cried with joy.
“Absolutely wonderful!” Gloria added as both sisters rushed to hug Sierra tightly.
After a few moments of happy tears and congratulations, Sierra disentangled herself from the two women and turned back to her skillet before the whole meal was burned to a crisp.
Christina and Gloria grabbed cold sodas from the fridge and sat down at a nearby table. Both women kicked off their heels and sighed with pleasure as they wiggled squished toes.
After a moment Christina looked at Gloria and winked. “Sierra, there’s flour all over that cute little nose of yours. You’d better be careful and not sneeze. Your nostrils might glue together.”
“Very funny,” Sierra drawled. “That’s what I get for making you homemade tortillas. See what I ever do for you again.” Glancing over her shoulder, she arched a brow at her sisters. “So what have you two been doing, out trying to make up nasty jokes about your sister’s cooking?”
Laughing, Gloria reached down and rubbed her aching calves. “Not hardly. We’ve been out all day shopping for evening dresses.”
Surprised, Sierra looked back and forth between the two of them. “Evening dresses,” she repeated blankly. “What’s the occasion, Fortune-Rockwell is throwing some sort of shindig?”
Christina rose from her chair and twirled around on the ball of her bare foot. “It’s much more exciting than that. Governor Meyers is throwing a party and we’re invited.”
Sierra raised her brows to mocking proportions. “Oh, I didn’t realize you two were chummy with the governor.”
Gloria laughed. “We’re not. But we’re friends with Ryan Fortune and the governor happens to think Ryan deserves a party for all of the charitable deeds he’s done for our area.”
“He certainly does deserve it,” Sierra said matter-of-factly. “So did you two find something to wear?”
“Not yet,” Christina told her. “We’re going to look again tomorrow. Want to come with us?”
Sierra tossed her sisters a wry smile. “Why would I want to go? I don’t need an evening dress.”
“Oh, yes, you do,” Gloria spoke up. “You and Alex are invited, too. But come to think of it, you look pretty cute in that getup you’re cooking in. Maybe you just ought to wear that.”
Sierra glanced down at her flour-and-grease splotched T-shirt and jeans, then burst out laughing.
Giggling along with her, Gloria and Christina left their seats to join her and all three women hugged together in a tight, loving circle. They were truly a family again.
The price of privilege, the power of family!
FORTUNE’S HEIRS: REUNION
Three exciting stories linked to the beloved Fortune dynasty from three favourite authors
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MILLS & BOON SPOTLIGHT™
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February 2010 His Virgin Wife
Featuring
The Wedding in White by Diana Palmer Caught in the Crossfire by Annette Broadrick The Virgin’s Secret Marriage by Cathy Gillen Thacker
Fortune’s Heirs: Reunion
Featuring
Her Good Fortune by Marie Ferrarella A Tycoon in Texas by Crystal Green In a Texas Minute by Stella Bagwell
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or
in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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First published in Great Britain 2009
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Harlequin Books S.A. 2005
ISBN: 978-1-4089-2100-5
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Full Title Page
Her Good Fortune
About The Author
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Fortune's Heirs: Reunion Page 52