One True Love

by Barbara Freethy

  With her resistance gone, Nick's kisses changed from angry to passionate to needy, and she couldn't help but respond to that longing. With each kiss, he took back a part of her that had once been his.

  Eight years of absence disappeared into nothingness as his mouth demanded and she gave, as his body tightened and hers softened, as his hands caressed her shoulders and her hands clung to his waist.

  Nick backed her up against the wall so there was no place for her to go. His mouth left her lips to travel across her cheek, to the curve of her neck. His tongue drew a line around the lobe of her ear, and she thought she might just die with the pleasure of it.

  When Nick's hands came up under her sweatshirt, she didn't slap them away. She wanted him to touch her breasts. She wanted his hands all over her body, and suddenly that's exactly where they were.

  "Nick," she breathed, as he teased one nipple into a sharp point of pleasure.

  "I love the way you say my name," he murmured, kissing her mouth again and again and again.

  His fingers fumbled with the snap on her jeans. Finally, it was open, and his hand caressed the fiat of her stomach, the edge of her panties, teasingly, until she knew she wanted more and more and more.

  "You're driving me crazy. I can't sleep at night. I can't think about anything or anyone but you," he said against her mouth. "I thought you were out of my head, but you're right back in it."

  He pulled away and looked deep into her eyes, searching them for some sort of truth. She tried to hide from his gaze, but there was nowhere to go, no way to disguise the way she felt-- overwhelmed and seduced by his eyes and his hands and his mouth. And it wasn't just her body that was responding -- it was her heart and her soul.

  He took her hand and pulled her down the hall toward Maggie's bedroom. Lisa didn't think about resisting. Her body wanted more of his touch. Her mind seemed lost to reason.

  Try to think, she told herself, as Nick kissed her again. She moaned with the pleasure of it. How could she fight herself and him, too? The task seemed daunting, but as Nick pulled off his shirt, a cool breeze blew in her face, and she suddenly realized she was standing in the middle of Maggie's bedroom. This wasn't her house or her life or her man.

  "We can't." She held up a hand as Nick stepped toward her. "Mary Bea--"

  "Is asleep."

  She eyed his bare, muscular chest and felt her resolve slipping away. He looked so good, so damn good, and it had been a long, long time. The years between had starved her for this moment. She took a deep breath and tried to count to ten. She counted seven twice and eight three times, but she finally made it to ten. "We're divorced, Nick."

  He laughed, but the sound was harsh and unforgiving. His mouth tightened, his eyes turned bleak, and the light of desire changed into anger. "So that should stop us from wanting each other? I have a news flash for you. It doesn't change a thing. We promised to love each other forever, until death do us part. If you think a piece of paper will destroy that--"

  "It was till death we do part," she reminded him.

  "I'm not dead."

  "You know what I mean."

  "The promise was between us," he said fiercely. "I've never even considered marrying anyone else."

  His statement shocked her. "What about Suzanne?''

  He ran a hand through his hair. "Suzanne is a very nice woman, who thinks we make a good couple. But she doesn't know me. She doesn't even know about Robin. I've tried to tell her, to trust her, but I can't do it. And I can't marry her, knowing I don't love her the way I loved you. It wouldn't be fair to her."

  His words made Lisa feel like the biggest cheater in the world. Was she short changing Raymond, giving him only a part of herself? Didn't he deserve a woman who absolutely adored him, who would love and cherish him all the days of his life?

  But she would be good to Raymond, she told herself. She would treat him with respect. She would make his life easier. She would be his partner, his friend, his mate. Surely, at his age he didn't expect mind-blowing passion.

  At his age. What was she thinking? Was that why she was marrying him, because she thought he would have fewer expectations than a younger man? Was that true? Was it fair? And did Raymond deserve a woman who still wanted to make love to her ex-husband?

  Suddenly, she had so many questions and not one answer.

  "Lisa." Nick put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Just admit one thing. You still want me in your bed."

  "I can't admit that."

  "Then you're lying to yourself as well as to me. Oh, to hell with you. If you want to lie, lie." He grabbed his shirt off the floor and stormed toward the door. "It won't change the truth."

  "Which is that we're finished," she called after him, determined to have the last word.

  He paused in the doorway. "You'll never be finished with me, no matter who you marry. I'm in your blood. I'm under your skin. I'm in your head. Now that you've kissed me again, do you really think you won't see me when you're kissing him?"

  "You're an arrogant, obnoxious jerk."

  "Who knows you better than anyone."

  As Nick left the room, Lisa had a terrible feeling he might just be right.

  * * *

  "Great news," Jeremy declared as Maggie opened her hotel room door.

  "Really?" she asked hopefully, noting his pleased expression. "You talked to Serena?"

  His smile altered slightly as he stepped inside the room, "No. I spoke to the concierge. I told him I was trying to catch up with a friend of mine and wondered if she'd stopped by to ask directions for an activity we were planning."

  "That sounds inventive."

  He grinned. "I'm pretty good at this undercover stuff."

  "So..."

  "He said the woman I described was headed to the wine country with her friend."

  "The wine country?" she echoed in despair. "That's pretty vague. Do you know how many wineries there are in Napa Valley? That is, if they went to Napa and not to Sonoma. In which case, we'd have to cover another valley."

  "Heroines do not get discouraged. They get tough. They fight back," Jeremy said.

  "I'm not a heroine."

  "I think you are." His smile broadened. "Don't give up on me now."

  "Jeremy, this isn't just an adventure for me. It's serious. I'm looking for a man I was married to for thirteen years. If he faked his death and lied to me, my whole life will have been one big lie. I won't know who I am any more." She sighed. "Actually, I don't know who I am at the moment, so that probably won't change."

  "Maggie, I know this is hard for you," Jeremy said, his smile dimming. "I'm sorry if I seem to be taking your quest too lightly. But we can do this. We can find Serena. I know we can." He held up the brochure in his hand. "And the task may not be as difficult as you might think. The concierge circled the wineries he recommended to Serena. And there's more good news. Serena only left a half hour ago. With any luck, we should be able to catch up to her before the end of the day."

  "With any luck," Maggie echoed doubtfully. "I haven't had much luck lately." She walked over to the window, gazing down at the city of San Francisco. What was she doing in a place so far from home, with one man she barely knew, chasing after another man she apparently had never known?

  Jeremy put his arms around her waist, letting her rest against his chest. "What else happened?" he asked quietly. "You weren't this upset when I left you an hour ago."

  Maggie thought back to her phone call with Nick. She shouldn't have told Nick about Keith. She should have known he'd be skeptical. On top of that, she'd lost her temper and never had a chance to ask how Lisa and the kids were doing. Of course, if there were a problem with the kids, Nick would have told her. He would have used that information to get her to come home.

  Still, Maggie felt uneasy, probably because she hadn't been away from the kids for this many days in a long time. Which was why she needed this break, she told herself firmly. The kids were fine. They had Nick and Lisa and Silvia. They cou
ld do without her for a few more days. She'd call in the afternoon when the kids were home from school and talk to them directly.

  "Maggie? Where are you?" Jeremy snapped his fingers in front of her face.

  She turned in his arms. "Sorry. I was just thinking about what to do next."

  "We'll find Serena. I promise you that. I don't know when or how, but I know it will happen. Have some faith."

  She kissed him on the cheek. "You're great, you know that?"

  "I don't mind hearing it from you."

  She saw the desire flash in his eyes yet again, a physical connection between them that seemed to grow more with each passing minute. "Why?" she asked somewhat helplessly.

  "Why what?" he asked in confusion.

  "Why me? I have a mirror, Jeremy, and it does not tell me I'm the fairest in the land. In fact, I don't even come close." She smiled self-consciously, trying to act like she didn't care, when deep down her insecurity ate away at her confidence.

  Jeremy sent her a thoughtful look. "I don't think you see what I see." He pulled her over in front of the mirror. His hands cupped her head so she couldn't twist away. "Look, Maggie."

  "I know what I look like."

  "You have beautiful blond hair that turns gold in the sunlight and silver in the moonlight. I know because I've seen you in both." He paused for a moment as their eyes met in the mirror. "You have a perfect oval face."

  "With lines," she whispered.

  "Laugh lines. Life lines. They make your face interesting,"

  "You are a good writer," she said with a reluctant smile.

  "And you have the lushest mouth I could ever imagine, just made for all kinds of wicked things."

  Maggie licked her lips, watching in the mirror as Jeremy's gaze followed her movement with lustful fascination. A shiver ran down her spine as their eyes met again. Here with him, in the mirror, she did look somewhat different, sexier, sultrier. She almost didn't recognize herself, but then she'd seen herself for so long through Keith's eyes and her children's eyes that she'd forgotten she was a woman.

  "Beautiful Maggie," Jeremy said.

  "Thank you."

  "For what."

  "Everything." She turned to face him. "I lived with Keith for a long time. I became comfortable in our love, and I didn't bother much with makeup or hair. When he died, the little vanity I had completely disappeared, and I didn't care. But when I saw Keith last night getting into that car with Serena, I felt abandoned and used and really, really ugly." She took a breath and offered him a shaky smile. "Thanks for making me take another look. I don't think the supermodels need to be worried about me honing in on their territory, but it wasn't as bad as I feared."

  "You don't need makeup, Maggie. You're real. Believe me, it's a lot more appealing. I went to bed with an actress one night, and the next morning half her face was on the pillow. It scared the hell out of me."

  Maggie grinned. "You're making that up."

  "It was that bad. And did I tell you about the time I thought I was getting my hands on two of the biggest hooters I had ever seen in my life, only to find out she was wearing one of those miracle bras?"

  Maggie laughed at his disgruntled expression. "Poor baby. Unfortunately, with me, what you see is pretty much what you get."

  "So when do I get it?"

  She punched him on the arm. "We're supposed to be tracking down Serena. Remember?"

  "We could always wait here until they come back. I'm sure we could find a way to make use of our time."

  She was sure they could find more than one way. But how could she concentrate on Jeremy when her mind was on Keith?

  Jeremy cleared his throat. "I sense a rejection coming."

  "Not a rejection, exactly."

  "You want to go wine tasting, don't you?"

  "I want to find Serena and Keith." She walked over to the dresser and grabbed her purse. "I need to confront them face to face."

  "Okay," he said with a nod, eyeing her large bag. "But you don't have a weapon in there, do you?"

  "Only enough crayons to color her to death."

  "Crayons?" he asked in surprise. "Why would you have crayons?"

  "Uh." She searched desperately for an answer. "Sometimes I volunteer -- at a school, a preschool, where they color a lot, with crayons, lots and lots of crayons." She pulled open the door. "Shouldn't we go?"

  He sent her an odd look. "Sure. But..." He walked over to her. "After we solve the mystery of Keith and Serena, we'll solve the mystery of Maggie."

  "There is no mystery."

  "Every time you lie, you push your hair behind your ear."

  Maggie caught herself doing just that. "It's just a habit."

  "That's what I intend to find out, Maggie, all of your habits, especially the bad ones."

  Maggie dug her hands into the pockets of her blue jeans. "I don't have any bad habits."

  "Your left eye also twitches when you lie."

  "Oh, it does not." But Maggie couldn't help glancing in the mirror just to make sure.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lisa put a stamp on the last wedding invitation and set it in the box with a sense of finality. She could not procrastinate any longer. She had to mail the invitations before she changed her mind. Not that she planned on changing her mind, she told herself firmly.

  She stood up and glanced out the kitchen window at the empty driveway. It was past one o'clock and Nick hadn't returned. He probably loved the idea of making her wait for the fax, just because it was from Raymond.

  A small smile curved her lips. Nick was jealous. She saw the green fire in his eyes every time she said Raymond's name. Maybe she ought to say it more often just to torture him. Of course, then he'd probably start saying, Suzanne. Her smile turned into a frown.

  She opened her soft leather briefcase and pulled out a notepad, determined to concentrate on work. Roxy would be dropped off after band practice, which ended around four-thirty, and Nick would pick up Dylan from baseball practice around five. As long as Mary Bea slept, Lisa could work. She could forget about Nick and his taunts and his kisses.

  With a sigh, she unconsciously touched her fingers to her lips. It shocked her to think she still wanted Nick. Eight years ago, she'd hated him. When she'd left San Diego and started her new life, she'd managed to shove him completely out of her mind, with a ruthlessness that was probably the one thing that had kept her going. Not that she'd ever really forgotten him. Too many nights he'd invaded her dreams.

  Think about cereal, she told herself as she pulled out the advertisement that Monty Friedman had run with his previous agency, and studied it. She listed three good points and three negative points. Then she stared at her pad of paper and tried to think of a catchy slogan.

  Nothing came to mind. She began brainstorming evocative, powerful words that would create an image in the reader's mind. Mother Nature. Healthy. Satisfying. Great taste. No fat. Your kids will love it. Yeah, right. Nobody believed that one anymore.

  Her pulse jumped at the sound of a car in the driveway. Nick was back. Her suddenly racing heart made a mockery of her pretended disinterest in the man. But it was just lust, chemistry, not love.

  When Nick entered the kitchen, she focused her attention on her work.

  Nick tossed a bunch of papers onto the table, careless of where they landed. "There you go. Love notes from lover boy."

  "Gee, thanks," she said, as she straightened the papers into a pile. "You're a real peach."

  "And you're a real pain in the ass."

  "I see your mood hasn't improved. Why don't you go back to work?"

  Nick sprawled into the chair across from her. "I'm hungry. Did you eat?"

  "I made vegetable soup." She tipped her head to the pot on the stove.

  His expression lightened. "Can I have some?"

  "You want soup made by a pain in the--"

  He reluctantly smiled. "I take it back. Please, may I have some soup, oh, darling, wonderful Lisa?"

  "Help yourself," s
he said ignoring his charming smile.

  Nick filled a bowl, then returned to the table, eating quietly while she read through the faxes.

  They made little sense to her. She was too acutely aware of Nick to concentrate. Every nerve ending in her body felt like it was on fire. Nick sat so close, barely a foot away. She could touch him if she wanted to. She could probably kiss him if she wanted to.

  Think about cereal, she told herself again.

  "So what's all that about?" Nick asked, waving his hand toward the work spread out in front of her.

  "Cereal, breakfast bars and whole-grain breads. It's very healthy."

  "If it's not, I'm sure you'll convince me." He pushed his empty bowl to one side. "What's the worst thing you've ever had to advertise?"

  "The worst thing?" She thought for a moment. "Bug killers. We did a Cinderella campaign featuring a roach coach. Send your roaches off to the ball in this coach and they won't come back at midnight."

  Nick burst out laughing. "No way. That was you? I remember those commercials."

  "It was better with the music and the visuals."

  "You sold me. I actually bought one of those roach coaches, and it worked." He sat back in his chair. "I'm impressed."

  "Food certainly improved your mood."

  Before he could reply, they were interrupted by a piercing scream. She jumped up and raced toward the door, colliding with Nick in the doorway. She broke free, then ran up the stairs, Nick following behind her.

  Mary Bea wasn't just moaning now, she was crying full force, clutching her stomach and moving her legs in a desperate manner, as if she were trying to crawl out of her own skin.

  Nick took one look at Mary Bea and paled. "This can't be normal."

  "It hurts," Mary Bea screamed.

  Lisa gathered her into her arms. "It's okay, honey. Where -- where does it hurt?"

  "My stomach. Make it stop. Please make it stop."

  Lisa stared at the little girl, feeling completely overwhelmed and panicked. She couldn't make the pain stop. She couldn't help Mary Bea any more than she could help... "Oh, God. I can't do this," she said, looking at Nick, her breathing coming in ragged gasps as anxiety took over her mind and her body.