After that fourth time he took her all the way to climax and right on through, she was crying out so loud and so desperately, he had to reach up and lay his hand across her mouth, to quiet her a little, to keep her from shouting the house down.
That touch—the simple, gentle pressure of his hand against her lips…
That touch reached down inside her, somehow. It made the tears rise. She let them fall. They trickled back along her temples into her hair. And still, below, he went on kissing her, teasing her, loving her, creating endless, building waves of desire and fulfillment that somehow always became desire all over again.
At last, when she thought she would die from the never-ending pleasure he wrung from her, he lifted his head. She moaned and reached for him, tried to pull him back down, to make him torment her some more.
But he only gazed at her, his gray eyes, silver now as the eyes of a wolf, gleaming at her. His mouth glistened. Her own wetness was smeared on his chin.
And then he pounced, sliding up her body so fast, bringing his wonderful, hard male weight all along the length of her. She felt him, there, the tip already easing in, right where she needed him most. She was open and so wet and oh, so willing.
He slid inside—glided in, so thick and hard. She welcomed him with a hungry moan, accepting him so eagerly, feeling her inner body stretching willingly to have all of him, so deep and so good. She lifted her arms, wrapping him tight. And sliding her legs up so she could hook her feet behind his back.
She offered her mouth and he took it. He took all of her.
Everything.
And she gave herself up to him, losing herself in him, in the pleasure he gave her. She surrendered her body fully. With total abandon.
She could afford that. To give him her body, completely.
It was her heart she wouldn't—couldn't—bear to surrender to him. Not again.
Never again.
* * *
Corrine went to Matt's after work for the next three nights, climbing into his bed with him in the darkest hours of the early morning. Each night he turned and reached for her, either to make love, or to pull her close in sleep.
All three nights, she left Kira at home with Aleta, who got her up in the morning and took her to school. Friday night—which was Saturday morning by the time she left the Rose, Corrine went back to her own house. She didn't want her daughter waking up every morning without her mom.
She fed Kira breakfast and then took her to Matt's. He urged her to stay. But she had errands to run and piles of laundry that weren't going to wash themselves.
He kissed her before she left, whispered, "Tonight…"
She talked to him at four on his cell.
He said, "Your daughter's been after me. She hasn't forgotten we promised to take her to Chuck E. Cheese's last Sunday, but we went to the ranch instead. She says she does love the Bravo Ridge, but we did promise her. 'And it's not nice to break your promise, Daddy.'"
"Well, we did promise. Actually, you promised."
"Yes, I did. And I'm a guy who keeps his promises."
The way he said that had her dreading another go-round on the subject of marriage. He hadn't brought it up since Sunday night. She'd been kind of hoping they were done with that.
He went on, "So what do you say? A thrilling visit to kid heaven in an hour or two? I know you have to work tonight…."
"It's fine. Kid heaven is definitely doable."
"Are my parents at your place?"
"Your mom is."
"Invite her. See if she can get hold of my dad and get him to come, too. Kira was very specific. She claims we're all supposed to go."
Corrine chuckled. She knew her daughter, who was nothing if not specific when it came to saying what she wanted. "Ten minutes. I'll call you back."
Corrine invited Aleta and Aleta called Davis. He was there in a limo in fifteen minutes, flat. They took the limo to Matt's, where he and Kira joined them. The driver dropped them off at Chuck E. Cheese's. They had pizza and soft drinks. Davis bought Kira way more tokens than he should have. She rode all the little-kid rides and played all the little-kid games. The adults took turns following her around.
When not currently on duty watching Kira, they sat at the table, drinking too many soft drinks, smiling and not talking a whole lot. At Chuck E. Cheese's, the music and the games were kept at one level: loud. It was hardly the kind of place for adult conversation.
They got back to Matt's at a little after seven. Kira was beat. Matt got her bath going. She hugged everyone goodbye, complete with the usual loud, happy kisses.
Matt came back downstairs just as they were going out the door. He caught her hand. The look in his eye said it all: After work? She nodded and pulled her fingers free, feeling a little awkward, there at the door, with Matt's mom and dad waiting.
Which was probably beyond silly. Aleta and Davis had to know that she and Matt were lovers now. She was hardly ever home anymore, since she spent most of her nights with him.
Still…
She turned toward the limo waiting at the curb and saw Davis's gaze kind of slide away—clearly, he'd noticed the silent exchange. And she felt a surge of resentment so powerful she had to consciously stop herself from baring her teeth and growling at him. She just knew he had to be thinking that she wasn't good enough for one of his precious sons.
He'd probably have a stroke if he knew that Matt had not only been sleeping with her again, he'd been after her to marry him….
Corrine drew her fury up short. She followed Davis and Aleta back to the limo and ducked inside feeling a little ashamed of herself.
Yes, there was a time when Davis had looked down on her, had considered her unworthy of Matt and had made his opinion of her all too hurtfully clear. But times do change. And Matt's dad had been exceptionally decent and civil toward her the past few weeks—truthfully, he'd been treating her well enough for years now. It was just that memories of his early behavior toward her died hard.
Sometimes even eating your words won't make them go away, her mom used to say. Better not to say them in the first place.
Well, Davis Bravo had said them. Maybe he regretted that now. But he was going to have to be really nice to her for a very long time before she didn't find herself wanting to slap him silly every time he looked at her.
* * *
Corrine slipped into Matt's bed at a little before three Sunday morning. He didn't wake but reached for her in his sleep. She cuddled in close. In the morning, he got up and fed Kira so Corrine could sleep till noon.
Sunday afternoon, the three of them went to the latest Disney movie. And Sunday night, after Kira was tucked in bed, Corrine and Matt made long, slow, sweet love.
Monday, Matt left for BravoCorp at eight and Kira went to kindergarten in the morning, with lessons later. Once the lessons were out of the way, Corrine took her home to put the finishing touches on the pilgrim costume for the Thanksgiving play that Wednesday. Kira modeled the costume for Matt that evening after dinner, complete with the slightly lopsided construction-paper pilgrim hat she'd made herself a couple of weeks before.
"You look great, sweetheart," Matt told her. "Very authentic."
She wrinkled up her little nose. "Authentic?"
"Like the real thing. A real pilgrim lady."
"Oh, yes! That's right!" Kira beamed. "I'm authentic, that's what I am."
After that, everything was authentic. Her bath toys. The book she wanted Matt to read her when it was time for bed. "Daddy. Read me this one. It's authentic."
When Corrine came in to kiss her good-night, she announced, "Mom. Give me a real kiss, an authentic kiss…"
Corrine gave her just that, complete with the preferred loud, smacking sound.
Later, in bed, Matt told her he was going to Los Angeles for a week to firm up a solar energy project with a distant Bravo cousin.
She snuggled in closer to him. "BravoCorp's in solar energy? I thought you guys were all about property development and
big oil."
"We are. But land development projects are pretty much on hold, what with the current economy. We've got a high-end housing development in progress up I-10, not far from Boerne, called Bravo River Homes. We'll carry through on that. It's a sustainable-resource project and we're proud of it. And oil is…well, it's always going to be a big part of what BravoCorp is about. But we're in wind energy already—and we've invested in solar, too. We want to move into more green energy solutions. Taking on a bigger solar project is the next step."
"When will you go?"
"A week from today for five days."
"So you'll be here for Kira's play—and Thanksgiving?"
"Absolutely."
She was already missing him, which only proved how far gone she was getting over him. Matt had been on a lot of business trips in the years since she'd had his child. She'd never missed him in advance of his leaving before. That was something a woman in love did—and she was not in love with Matt. No way. Uh-uh. "So you'll be gone Monday through Friday…"
"Right. Back a week from Friday, in the afternoon. Gabe and Ash will go, too." Gabe was BravoCorp's lawyer and Ash was the company's CEO. "Ash is bringing Tessa…" She felt his lips at her temple in a tender, brushing kiss.
She stopped him before he could say it. "Sorry, I can't go with you."
He went still beside her. Too still. Tense-still. "Did I ask you to go?"
"You were going to."
"You have no way of knowing that."
"Matt."
He made a sound, a grunt that told her he was listening, at least.
She said, each word precise, "Were you about to ask me to go?"
He pulled away. She felt the bed shift as he reached over and turned on the lamp he'd switched off a few minutes before. When he faced her again, he braced up on an elbow and glared down at her. "You said no without a damn nanosecond of hesitation. You didn't even consider the idea. You didn't even give me a chance to ask you to go."
"So then. You were going to ask me?"
"It's not the point, Corrie."
"It was the point about ninety seconds ago."
He glared some more but didn't immediately reply. And that gave her time to admit to herself that she was being a total bitch about this.
She said with real regret, "Look. I'm sorry. You're right. I did jump to the conclusion that you would ask me. And then I said no without giving it a second thought."
His expression relaxed. "So, then. How about it?"
She cast about for a delicate way to turn him down. "Oh, Matt…"
His jaw stiffened all over again. "Why not?"
"Kira needs—"
"—someone to love her and look after her while we're gone. My mom will be glad to do both."
"Of course she would. But there's the Rose. Matt, you know I have to work. In the bar business, the boss really needs to be there. Skipping a night now and then is one thing. But three nights in a row…uh-uh. I don't think so."
He put up his hand, palm flat. She raised hers to meet it. They twined their fingers together. "How long since you had a little time off?"
"Saturday before last. I took the night off. I came here, to see you."
"One night does not a vacation make."
"It's just…not a good idea right now." The excuse sounded totally weak, and she knew it.
He opened his fingers and pulled his hand free of hers. "When will it be a good time?"
"Matt. Come on." She pushed him over onto his back and rose up to lean over him. "Let it be."
"I know it's not smart to bring up the M-word with you, but you're married to that bar, you know that?"
She kissed his chin—though it was firmly set against her. "That's not true."
"So then, when will you let me take you away somewhere romantic, somewhere with palm trees and balmy beaches?"
"We'll see, okay?"
"That's a limp-ass excuse for a 'never' if I ever heard one."
"Kiss me, Matt."
"You're just trying to distract me with sex."
She slid a hand down beneath the sheet and encircled him. "Kiss me…."
He groaned. "Guess what? It's working."
* * *
Wednesday evening was Kira's school play.
Davis had his driver take them in the limousine. They all agreed Kira was a standout. She played a pilgrim wife and had two lines: "We are here to gain freedom from religious oppression." And, "Thank you, oh great Sachem, Massasoit, for sharing your corn."
She spoke those lines out loud and clear, without a stumble, even though they contained several big words. And she looked adorable in her pilgrim dress and crooked hat.
Afterward, while they shared cookies and punch with the other students and their families, Kira solemnly explained that her tall black hat wasn't really the authentic kind of hat a pilgrim wife would wear.
"But I like the men's hats better, so I made one. And Miss Bell let me wear it." She was frowning. "Why did the men have better hats than the women?"
Davis scooped her up in his arms. "Because that was four hundred years ago when men ran the world. Things have changed since then." He put on a mournful frown. "It's very sad." And then he winked at her.
Kira laughed. "Oh, Grandpa. You're so funny."
Corrine watched the exchange, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Davis did love her daughter and that mattered a lot. She would try to remember that when she found herself resenting him for what he'd said and done in the past.
They dropped Matt off at his house on the way home. He sent her a look as he got out of the limo. She gave him a nod, meaning she would be over after she finished at the Rose for the night. He kissed Kira and shut the door and the limo rolled on up the street.
She sat back in the plush seat, getting that sentimental feeling again. No matter how long their second chance at romance lasted, it was something special to be with a guy who could understand you with just a shared look.
She smiled to herself. Must be the season. She was feeling thankful for everything that evening.
The next day was Thanksgiving and the Rose was closed for the holiday. They all headed out to Bravo Ridge together—Aleta, Kira, Matt and Corrine. Davis was already there. He'd gone ahead, first thing in the morning.
Eight of Davis and Aleta's nine children showed up for the party. Even the brooding loner and ex-con, Jericho. Only Travis, seventh-born—after Jericho and before Abilene—didn't make it. Gabe brought his wife, Mary. And Ash came with his bride, Tessa. Gabe's stepdaughter, Ginny, seven months old with shiny baby curls and the cutest dimples you ever saw, was there, too. And Mary's former stepmother, Ida, as well. Matt whispered to Corrine that Gabe thought the world of Ida and that since Gabe and Mary had gotten together, Ida had become like a member of the Bravo family.
Luz Cabrera was there. According to Matt, she was in her late forties. She looked amazing—a stunning woman, with a fine, full figure and thick brown hair. Elena attended, too. She looked like her mother. But the shape of her face and the strong chin? All Bravo.
Elena hung out with Caleb a lot. Matt said that Elena and Caleb had become close a few months before, after they found out that they were half brother and sister. A year younger than Matt, Caleb was BravoCorp's top sales rep. He drove fast cars and dated a lot of women. Back in October, Matt had told her that Caleb was going out with Ash's former fiancée, Lianna Mercer. When Corrine had asked Matt why, he had shrugged and replied, "Because Caleb never could resist a pretty face."
Now, in a whisper, she asked him, "So why didn't he bring Lianna to Thanksgiving?"
Matt sent her a look. "He got smart—finally—and called it off. Now he's going out with Emily Gray, a BravoCorp executive."
"Is that a good idea, dating someone at work?"
"I don't believe he's thinking with his brain, actually."
Corrine stifled a laugh. "I see."
"Truth is, we're all figuring he'll end up with his housekeeper, Irina. Have you met her?"
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"Uh-uh."
"She's very quiet. Serious. Takes great care of him. She's Victor Lukovic's cousin—you know, the linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys?"
Corrine nodded. "Caleb's friend from college."
"That's him."
She was still thinking about Lianna. "You said Caleb got smart and dumped Lianna. You don't like her much, huh?"
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