by Desiree Holt
Why am I doing this? No one will ever see it.
It made her feel good, and she really needed that. Dressed in an ivory suit and matching heels, she took a look at herself in the mirror. It had been a long time since she’d dressed in anything but jeans and a blouse or T-shirt. That’s what she wore to work, and that’s what she wore at home. Her meager social life didn’t demand anything else. She looked at the new dressed-up Sarah with a mixture of anxiety and pleasure. All she needed to add to her outfit was her jewelry and she’d be all set. She hoped. She was just tucking a pearl comb into the back of her hair when someone tapped on her bedroom door.
“It’s Reno. May I come in?”
Reno? What now? “Yes, of course.”
He came to stand behind her. Reflected in the mirror, he looked incredibly handsome in his dark suit and snow-white shirt. The cloth hung impeccably on his large body, the shirt setting off his dark, good looks. She knew his feet would be encased in his familiar trademark boots, polished to a high gloss.
He cleared his throat. “You’re an extraordinary woman, Sarah. I appreciate the fact that you’ve agreed to do this. It appears to be working out well with the child. I want you to know I’m very grateful.”
The stilted words weren’t the romantic speech she’d hoped for in the unlikely event she ever remarried, but they certainly weren’t words to take lightly. If gratitude was what she got, she’d take comfort from that. “I appreciate that.”
With great care, he reached around in front of her and handed her a small box.
She frowned. “What’s this?”
“Just a little wedding gift from the groom to the bride.” There was a stiffness, both to his posture and his voice. “I believe it’s appropriate.”
She opened the box with fingers that shook a little then gasped. Nestled on blue velvet were a pair of exquisite pearl and diamond teardrop earrings. “Oh, Reno they’re gorgeous. How did you know I love pearls?”
“Your mother is a great source of information.” He smiled in relief at her reaction, obviously pleased with himself. “She was only too happy to make a suggestion. I see she was right. They’re perfect.”
He reached to take them out of the box, and their fingers touched for the briefest instant. They stared at each other in the mirror, wrapped in the heat they generated.
All Sarah could think was, How I wish we were going to have a real wedding night?
Her next thought was, Will he ever get over the death of his wife and move forward with his life?
Mentally shaking herself, she broke the spell. “This is very thoughtful of you. I’ll treasure them.”
His eyes never left her while she fastened the earrings in place. “You’re a beautiful woman, Sarah. Today you’re absolutely radiant. I’m proud that you’ll be taking my name.”
Sarah wanted to cry. It was the most personal thing he had said to her since that momentous dinner. “Thank you,” was all she could manage.
He took a slim leather portfolio from his pocket, all business again. “Here’s your checkbook, with money already in the account. I’ll put money in every month for your personal everyday needs and for the child’s. Spend it, save it, do whatever you wish with it.”
Sarah looked at the checkbook and stifled a gasp. “This is so much,” she protested. “And I still have a great deal of the cash you gave me.”
“There are also two credit cards in your name. You don’t need to worry about a spending limit. Use those whenever you can and save your cash for when you need it. Oh, and I’m adding your parents to the company health insurance policy. This”—he indicated what he’d just given her—“should help you take care of any other needs they have that might arise. I think that should take care of everything.”
She didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t as if he were bankrupting himself to do this. No one knew better than she did that he didn’t have to pinch pennies. Guardian Security was booming. Nick was even bidding on out of state projects. Well, Reno had done what he’d said he would, and now she would do her part.
“I think I’m ready,” she finally managed. “Let me check on Nicki and the baby, and we can leave.”
Molly had just awakened, and Nicki was in the process of changing her. Sarah bent over and planted a soft kiss on the tiny forehead. The baby gurgled at her.
“She’s so sweet,” Nicki said, deftly taping the diaper in place.
“Yes, she is.” And Sarah’s heart turned over. No matter that the baby’s father didn’t seem to want her. She would make sure Molly was loved and cherished.
The teenager hefted the baby to her shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry, we’ll have a great time, won’t we, cutie pie?”
Reno waited by the front door when Sarah came downstairs. “I left the car in the driveway. I didn’t think the bride should exit through the garage.”
She appreciated how hard he was trying to make the day as pleasant for her as possible. It had to be twice as difficult for him. “I guess we’re set then.”
Reno took an extra moment to instruct Nicki again about the alarm and to show her how to scroll through the shots on the kitchen laptop if she heard anything suspicious. He also made sure she had his number and Sarah’s on speed dial.
“I’m good, Mr. Sullivan.” She nodded solemnly. “Nothing’s going to happen to this sweetheart while I’m watching her.”
“All right, then.”
Everyone else was waiting for them at Judge Hoffman’s office when they arrived. The judge shook hands with Reno and kissed Sarah on the cheek when they were introduced.
“I always kiss the bride,” he twinkled.
Sarah’s mother hugged her, as did Lindsey, and her father kissed her forehead.
Even Tony gave her a brotherly peck. “You’ve got guts, girl,” he whispered. “If he gives you a rough time, just give me a call. I’ll straighten him out.”
“We’re always here for you, Sarah,” Nick said in a quiet voice when it was his turn. “Don’t forget that.”
She was so grateful for their support she almost wept.
Then they were standing before Judge Hoffman, Lindsey to one side and Tony to the other, and the judge delivered the words that would bind them together. For better or worse. That covered a lot of territory for them. Tony handed them the rings to exchange, and they became man and wife.
Sarah was dazed. There was an awkward moment when it was time for the bride and groom to kiss, but Reno never faltered, touching his lips to hers. For a moment, that spark hovering around them threatened to explode, but they quickly broke apart. Everyone hugged and kissed again, and she felt Reno’s firm hand at her elbow.
“We have reservations at the restaurant for six o’clock,” he told everyone, “so we should get going. We’ll meet you all there.” He shook hands again with Judge Hoffman, then led Sarah from the chambers, his hand still firmly on her elbow.
Unexpectedly, the dinner turned into a festive occasion, and it was well after ten before everyone said their goodnights and headed for home.
At the house, Sarah paid Nicki and saw the young girl off to her car. Then she and Reno both headed upstairs. She had checked on Molly and was sitting on her bed in her robe and gown, her hair down and curling softly below her shoulders, when she looked up and saw Reno in the doorway.
“I just wanted to say goodnight.” His eyes scanned the room. “I didn’t think to ask. Are you comfortable in here? Is this room all right for you? Do you have everything you need?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Everything worked out very well.” When he showed no sign of moving, she asked, “Did you need something else?”
Before she could react, he walked to the bed, pulled her gently to her feet and brought his lips down to hers. They were pressed together from shoulder to knee, her breasts against the heated wall of his chest, his erection outlined against the softness of her abdomen. Skyrockets went off in her body. Her nipples hardened into sharp points, and wetness flooded her pussy.
&n
bsp; When Reno moved his tongue against the seam of her lips, she opened for him without protest. Oh so slowly, his tongue slipped into her mouth. She felt the texture of it as he danced through her warm, wet recess, the softness of his lips pressed against hers. The hands holding her were like burning fingers of flame, and his spicy cologne surrounded her. Her senses were on overload. She couldn’t pull away, and the kiss seemed to last forever.
At last, Reno lifted his head, but his face was still only inches from hers. He cupped her cheeks in his large, gentle hands. “I’ve wanted to do that every day since our first dinner. God, Sarah, you taste like heaven.”
She stared at him, heat rising in her face and her legs shaking. She didn’t know which affected her more—the kiss or the fact that she’d responded. Reno looked as if he was about to say something else, then turned on his heel and strode from the room, leaving Sarah more confused than ever.
****
Shutting himself in his room, Reno fell across the bed still fully clothed, his cock still harder than steel, his balls aching. It was all he could do to keep himself from yanking Sarah’s robe and gown from her body and throwing her down on the bed. Just the feel of her against him spiked his desire to an almost unmanageable level. This was way off the charts for him. What the hell had he been thinking?
The answer was simple. He hadn’t been. His little head was leading his big head around in a chokehold. It wanted to be inside Sarah Madison so badly it was driving him crazy.
What a stupid thing he’d done, but he’d been drawn to Sarah like a magnet. She was beautiful, desirable, and not in the cheap way Maggie had been. Sarah was a woman who deserved to be possessed with dignity, and he’d attacked her as if he were a horny teenager. The feel of her body when he’d given into impulse and pulled her into that kiss was imprinted on him, and he could still taste her mouth. Another minute and he’d have had her naked on the bed, plunging himself into her.
God, wouldn’t that have just taken the cake. But he’d felt her respond to him, heard her breathy little moans as his tongue plundered her mouth. She had to have been as turned on as he was.
So much for his emphasis on celibacy. She must think him either the most arrogant jerk or an insufferable ass. Had he ruined a perfectly good arrangement because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself? Was she insulted because he wanted her or hurt because he thrust her away before he lost his head completely? Now what did he do? Could they wake up tomorrow and act as if nothing had changed? But it had and it would take superhuman effort from both of them to pretend otherwise.
His fingers curled as the memory of the feel of her breasts and the hard buds of her nipples shot through him. He’d been a nanosecond away from sliding his hand beneath her nightgown to feel just how wet her cunt was. To dip his finger into that delicious liquid… At least, he was sure it was delicious. He was dying for a chance to taste her, to slide his tongue through her swollen pink flesh and probe at the entrance to her pussy. To take her clit between his lips and draw on it until she was ready to explode.
Her hand closed around his shaft and he was sure she could feel the pulsing of his blood through the thick veins. The feeling was so sensual, like velvet stretched over a rod of steel.
He tossed her nightgown to the floor, exposing her flesh to him from head to toe. He lowered himself to the bed beside her, his hands going again to her breasts even as his mouth sought hers once more. Her hardened nipples pressed against his heated palms, and he bent to take them in his mouth, one then the other.
She was pliant in his arms as he sucked, caressed, and nibbled the pebbled tips gently with his teeth. But not unaffected, as he could tell by the rapid beat of her pulse at the hollow of her throat and the erotic little moans whispering from her mouth. He shifted to press the hard, thick shaft of his cock against her thigh, the moisture at the slit dropping onto her skin. When she rubbed herself against him, he had to exert every bit of effort not to go off like a teenager. He groaned, and his hands began a further exploration of her body, drifting down the softness of her stomach, brushing the soft curls covering her mound, until he found her labia, already damp from stimulation.
Slowly, slowly, he separated the lips, his thumb rasping back and forth against her engorged clitoris. With a gentle touch, he nudged her thighs farther apart, spreading her opening and inserting one finger. Sliding a second one in beside it, he began a slow, stroking motion that had her body nearly jackknifing. She reached for him, anchoring her hands in the hair on the plane of his chest. The heavy thud of his heartbeat reverberated through him…
Shit!
He was doing it again.
He pushed himself off the bed, stripped off his clothes, and went into the bathroom. He turned on the shower to icy cold. It helped but only marginally. Toweling himself off, he crawled into bed, wondering how he was going to face his brand new wife in the morning, knowing he had already violated one of the rules of this arrangement he’d set himself.
Chapter Seven
Needed to do some things with Tony. Be back in time for dinner. Don’t cook. I’ll bring home food. Call me on my cell if you need anything. Be sure alarm is set. R.
Sarah read the note propped up on the kitchen counter. Just before she and Reno had returned home from last night’s dinner, Nicki had given Molly a bottle. Wonder of wonders, the baby actually slept until quarter to seven this morning. Sarah walked softly into the kitchen, wondering if Reno was wandering around at that hour, only to find the note he’d left. Apparently, he’d had the same thoughts she had.
She sighed. Saturday morning, the day after the wedding and her brand new husband had made himself scarce.
In a way, she was glad. She needed the space to deal with their encounter last night and get her raging hormones under control. Not to mention the fact that another erotic dream had consumed her last night and was still vivid in her mind. She shivered just remembering images of the hot coupling of their bodies. She couldn’t seem to shut them away.
Somehow, by the time Reno came home, she had to put distance between them, find a place where they could get past this little bump in the road, be cool, reserved Sarah again and stay that way, without making him uncomfortable that they’d nearly violated their No Sex rule.
She looked around the house before going back upstairs to get the baby. The cleaning crew had been back twice, and the windows sparkled and the wood cabinets shone. Everything had a fresh, new garden smell to it. The blinds in all the rooms were open, and sunlight flooded everywhere, casting a golden angel’s kiss glow.
She had yet to venture into Reno’s room, mindful of his orders. But her room was filled with her personal knick-knacks, and she’d hung some prints on the walls. The nursery was now a zoo of stuffed animals in every conceivable color, the same animals marching across the wall in prints she’d found in the children’s store. Instead of the depressing environment she’d seen that first day, the room was lively, cheerful, and smelled of the strawberry-scented lotion she used on Molly after every bath.
“Okay, sugar,” she told the little girl, plucking her from her crib.
Molly sucked on her fist and stared at her with huge blue eyes.
Sarah smiled, hugged the child to her heart, and kissed her soft cheek. “Looks as if it’s just you and me today, kiddo. How about if, after we eat, we get out the stroller and take a look around the neighborhood?”
For a brief moment, she wondered if it would be safe taking Molly for a walk. Was Aguilar anywhere in the area? No, she was pretty sure the FBI would let them know if he’d been spotted.
But what if they don’t know?
Damn! But she couldn’t hide in the house forever. That’s what she had her gun and pepper spray for. They’d just take a walk around the block, that’s all. Get a little fresh air.
Feeding Molly was accomplished with a minimum of fuss and a lot of giggles. Once she’d washed the chubby little face and hands, she pulled out the stroller and placed Molly in the seat. She checked h
er gun, placed it in a small shoulder bag that had a special slot for it, and added the pepper spray and her cell phone. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing, strolling in a gorgeous upscale neighborhood on such a beautiful day fully armed. But she knew too well what happened to people who weren’t prepared.
“Let’s see who’s out and about today, shall we?”
Spring in Central Texas was always balmy, just on the verge of being sultry. This beautiful late spring morning was a perfect example, warm but not hot. The scent of fresh cut grass mingled with the perfume of freshly blooming flowers, swirled together on the fingers of a gentle breeze. The air had the heady feel of approaching summer.
“Guaranteed to put us in a good mood, right, sweetheart?” Sarah asked, fastening the safety straps.
They walked up one street and down another, letting the warmth of the day wash over them, the faint breeze kissing Molly’s skin. If Sarah hadn’t known better, she’d have thought the infant actually smiled. It was just after ten when they made it back to the house. She was barely inside when her cell phone rang.
“Where the hell are you?”
She was stunned at the anger in Reno’s voice. “Reno? What’s the matter?”
“Where are you?” he repeated.
“I just walked back in the house. Molly and I took a little stroll around the block.”
Was he angry because she’d gone out? Did he think she’d taken the baby and run away? What was wrong with him?
“Lindsey just called me for your cell number. She said she’d been calling the house, and there was no answer.”
Sarah looked at the answering machine on the counter and saw the light flashing.
“I’m sorry, but we weren’t gone long. And yes, I had my gun and pepper spray with me. Please. I’m not stupid.”
There was a moment of silence.
“I’m sorry I yelled,” he said at last. “I was just worried.”
“I understand, but you have to learn to trust me, okay? I can’t hide in the house with Molly, but I will always make sure we’re protected.”