16 Marsden Place

by Rachel Brimble

  Running downstairs, he grabbed his keys from a side table and stormed out into the night. The cool air hit his face, and he breathed deeply. Everything would be all right. Everything had to be all right.

  Sienna left the front door open. An invitation (or initiation) into the unknown. She lounged seductively on the stairs, naked but for a sheer baby-doll and four-inch heels. Drunken seduction, when you had access to a room full of lingerie and toys, was pretty much full on. Otherwise, what was the point? That was what she’d been saying over and over in her head like a damn mantra for the last five minutes.

  Smoothing her shaking hands over her breasts, she smacked her newly painted lips together. Where was he? Presumably, he’d hung up on her in his haste to get to her, and yet here she was, still sitting by her lonesome twenty minutes later.

  Panic galloped through her sobering bloodstream. What if he’d hung up on her in distaste rather than excitement? Shame stung her cheeks and stripped away her nerve, leaving her naked and exposed. Or at least more naked and exposed.

  No. Jack wanted her. She’d felt it in every kiss, and she’d certainly felt it in his illegally dexterous fingers during the best damn orgasm of her life. God, she wanted another one. She wanted Jack. Even with a houseful of screeching women and her mother, her thoughts had been filled with him and the fact he was alone and childless on the other side of her shop wall.

  Perhaps their lives had suddenly and silently separated over the last week, but enough was enough. Hearing his deep, smooth voice tonight for the first time in days had been the flint that lit her now-raging fire. If they allowed the separation to linger, it could be hard for both of them to step back in.

  The thud of footsteps approaching the open door sent her heart flying into her throat. Pulling on her sexiest heavy-lidded look, Sienna slid her legs ever so slightly apart. Praying she looked like Sophia Loren in her heyday rather than Eartha Kitt on LSD, she thrust out her breasts and casually leaned back on her elbows.

  “You took your time,” she purred.

  Jack stepped over the threshold and kicked the door shut behind him. Sienna’s heart hammered. From her position on the stairs, he looked huge. Huge, muscular, strong, and so unbelievably attractive. Her nipples reached out to him of their own accord.

  She was about as in control of this situation as a mouse at a cat dance.

  Why wasn’t he saying anything?

  Sienna’s smile faltered as he strode toward her. Dressed in a plain white T-shirt and black jeans, his hair glistened damp from the shower. She felt underdressed—and underprepared. This was a bad idea. What had she been thinking? He was sober. Dressed. Clean. She was naked but for a damn gossamer nightdress, half-drunk, and no doubt smelling of wine, chocolate body paint, and a liberal application of Champagne Lick at her collarbones.

  “Um…look, this seemed like a good idea—”

  “It is.” He cut her off as he leaned his massive bulk over her.

  If this was a game, she’d already lost. She fell into the hot-blue fire of his gaze, and her entire body burst into flames. One of his hands slipped around her back and the other under her knees, drawing them together in a single fluid motion. Before she could draw another breath, Jack lifted her into his arms. She looped her own arms around his neck.

  “We going somewhere, Blue Eyes?”

  “Bed. Now.”

  “Fine by me.” She settled her head in the crook of his neck. He smelled like autumn again. Whatever happened the next day, the next week, month, or year, Sienna would never forget the way Jack Beaton smelled.

  As though he already knew where it was on reaching the top of the stairs, he walked straight into her bedroom. The room was dark but for the bolt of moonlight shooting across the carpet. The walls shined silver, her pictures gleaming in the half-light, and the smell from the cranberry candles flickering on her dresser was just enough to be perfect.

  Silently, Jack carried her to the bed and laid her down. Sienna settled on the pillows, aware the baby-doll barely covered her lace thong. Yet all her trepidation evaporated as he watched her. He languidly appraised the entire length of her body as he yanked open his jeans and stepped from his shoes. She felt amazing. Sexy, confident, and beautiful. Her nipples ached against the sheer material.

  Her gaze dropped to his crotch. His erect penis tented his boxers. A lot. Excitement quivered in her stomach, and her center throbbed.

  Jack pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor.

  Holy mother of God, the man was just…beautiful. He crawled onto the bed; thick tendons and sinewy muscles rippled as he edged toward her. When his face was level with hers, his eyes danced over her face before he closed them and kissed her. Sienna’s lids fluttered closed.

  For some reason, she’d expected the same frenzied possession he had exhibited when he’d touched her on the swing seat. This was different. His lips teased soft then hard, and his tongue touched tip-to-tip with hers, sending such loving sensations to every part of her, all feeling in her legs disappeared. She reached up and scored her fingers into his hair. The intensity of their kiss increased, and Sienna jumped when his hand covered her breast. He held it for a second before she relaxed, and his thumb teased her sensitized nipple.

  She shivered, her arousal warm in her almost non-existent panties. She was wet already. The man was such a new phenomenon to her. For months, even years, she’d had a barely-concealed nonchalance for any guy who’d shown interest in her, but her feelings for Jack were downright terrifying. As he massaged her breast and lifted his mouth from hers to feed on the curve of her neck, Sienna sent up a silent prayer that God make him hers. That He keep him safe. Protect him from harm. And not let her sabotage this potentially fantastic relationship through fear of the unknown, of a future she had no control over.

  “Hey, you’re crying.”

  His soft whisper broke through her thoughts and jolted through her body. She lifted a hand and swiped her fingers under her eyes, waiting for the usual embarrassment and rush of nervous laughter if anyone, including her mother, caught her being vulnerable. It didn’t come.

  Smiling, Sienna reached up and cupped his stubbled jaw. “I’m just happy. I didn’t mean to spoil the moment.” She laughed. “I get kind of emotional sometimes. You’ll get used to it.”

  The concern in his eyes deepened. “I don’t want either of us to end up getting hurt.”

  “We won’t. Make love to me, Jack.”

  The word love reverberated loud and clear in her mind, and Sienna’s stomach tightened. She couldn’t possibly be in love—could she? It was madness. This was too much too soon…

  “I know this is crazy.” His voice broke through her thoughts. “I know this isn’t what either of us needs right now, but it’s happening. I don’t want to toss it aside just because of what-ifs.”

  The tension left Sienna’s body, and she sank further into the mattress, her hand sliding to his neck and pulling his face to hers. She kissed him with everything she had. Branded his lips, scalded his tongue, absorbed the very essence of him.

  His hand moved across her collarbones and back again, making her tremble. Then, as though giving in to the inevitable, he exhaled heavily and tugged at the crisscross of ribbon above her breasts. The baby-doll came apart. When he slid his fingers downward, the ribbon slipped from the material, leaving her exposed to her belly button. The flush of cool air against her burning skin was almost more than she could stand.

  When he moved his body over hers and lay atop her, Sienna relished the crush of his broad, flat chest against her breasts. Slowly, he lifted his weight onto his elbows beside her shoulders.

  “God, I want you,” he said just before urgently covering her mouth with his.

  The heavy, hot push of his erection pressed down on her clitoris. The scrap of lace and cotton that covered it did nothing to diminish the erotic feel of him, and Sienna’s anticipation skyrocketed. She dug her nails into the rock-hard muscle of his shoulders, purposely scra
ping down his back, then up again and down his biceps. To her satisfaction, his body stiffened under her touch.

  Jack made her feel powerful, capable, and deliciously sensuous. He was an amazing man and, God willing, her man. As she pushed against him, he ground his pelvis against her.

  “Have you got anything?” she whispered against his mouth.

  He lifted away and brushed some fallen hair from her face. “I’ve got it, but we’re nowhere near ready for it.”

  The ache between her legs and the tingle at her breasts told her otherwise, but who was she to argue? She shivered involuntarily as his gaze stayed on hers and he eased his hand over the dip of her waist, the curve of her hip, and across her thigh. Her legs parted as his fingers played at her core through the lace of her thong.

  His smile was slow, confident, and incredibly sexy. “You’re soaking wet.”

  A bolt of stimulation struck her beneath his fingers. “You’d better take them off, then. I don’t want to catch cold.”

  One corner of his smile stretched to a mischievous smirk, and he dropped his face to her breast. Her hand came up and held the back of his head, her eyes closing. Jack pulled her nipple into his mouth, and Sienna concentrated on her breathing as her body heated. He sucked and teased, licked and nipped. She writhed beneath him, her hands smoothing over the broad expanse of his back and up into his hair. Expectancy furled between her thighs as he journeyed lower, featherlight kisses covering her torso and stomach. Sienna curled her toes when his head disappeared out of sight.

  Reaching for the headboard above her, she wrapped her fingers around the wrought-iron bars and held on. The string of her thong snapped with a single tug of his hand, and his tongue lapped like a flame of fire against her wetness. As he flicked it back and forth, her mouth drained of moisture.

  “Jack.”

  Sliding his hand down her thigh, he eased her leg farther across the bed, his mouth still busy at her core. She moaned and tossed her head from side to side as his tongue delved deep inside her, his thumb coming round to massage her at the same time. Her body trembled; her mind scrambled.

  Opening her eyes, she met his. The raw possession there sent her senses reeling, and as the pressure built, she swallowed. “I want you inside me. I want to see you come.”

  Ignoring her plea, he feasted further, sucking, licking, teasing, and taking.

  “Jack, please.”

  At last, he moved away. With her eyes closed, Sienna listened to the telltale sound of a condom packet ripping open. Her body buzzing, she resisted reaching down and finishing what Jack had so expertly started. Her patience was rewarded. The bed dipped, and then his lips were on hers again as he moved over her. The heat of his skin against hers sent an electric shock of wanting straight into her heart.

  A rush of panic likewise battered around inside her, but Sienna repressed it. She and Jack had the potential to be something big—something good. She wasn’t about to let her recent years of reservation take over and ruin it. With her hands gripping Jack’s biceps, she pulled him closer. His erection nudged at her opening, and she slid her legs wider, wanting him all.

  He slid deep inside like he belonged there, natural acceptance thriving between them. They were meant to be, and now they finally were together. Nothing else mattered.

  “Jesus, Sienna.”

  She smiled, and his baby blues shone with adoration as he stared down at her, his body moving in a slow, perfect rhythm. Scorching sensations blazed at Sienna’s core, and impatience soon overtook the peace of the moment. Without a word passing between them, the measured, easy pace heightened quickly, and passion sent every fiber in her body into overdrive.

  Sienna lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips. Bolted them at the ankles. Digging her heels into his firm buttocks, she urged him deeper, faster, fiercer. Their harried breathing filled the silent room as Jack thrust harder and harder, sending her higher and higher. Sienna watched him chase his climax as hers grew with an intensity she swore would send her over the edge and into oblivion.

  “Oh, God.” The words left her mouth on a whisper.

  Her orgasm crashed into her as Jack picked up speed. Her mind went blank as sensation after sensation spread over her body. She convulsed and held him tight. He shuddered in her arms, and Sienna watched him come, knowing it was an image she wanted to see again and again.

  As her orgasm faded, she held his face in her hands. They kissed, his body weight coming down on hers, solid and strong.

  Chapter Fifteen

  WIDE AWAKE AND WITH HIS MIND BUZZING, Jack went into work the next day regardless of it being eight a.m. on a Sunday morning. He stared blindly at the open laptop in front of him. Thoughts of how Sienna had felt in his arms the night before and waking with her still there filled him with resolution to get things sorted with Martina once and for all.

  When their passion had settled into peace, Sienna had remarked on the time it had taken him to come over after her phone call beckoned him. But he’d played it off casually, blaming his vanity and wanting to be fresh and primed for her. Little would she know that only twenty minutes before their intimacy, he’d been speaking to Martina.

  He rubbed his hands over his face as the feel of Sienna’s skin under his palms came rocketing back. He inhaled as though the scent of her perfume still lingered beneath his nostrils. He’d made love to her. Twice. Three times before he’d left her bed and stumbled next door to get into work mode. She’d crawled under his skin and settled there, warm and invited.

  He didn’t want to regret last night. Making love to Sienna had at least temporarily banished the threat of his ex-wife, and he wanted to do it all over again. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d exposed her to Martina’s venom and worse.

  Tapping his pen on the desk, Jack looked from his cell phone to his computer and back again until, finally, he pulled in his chair. His fingers hovered above the keypad of his laptop, and he tried to focus on typing the story his editor was expecting early Monday morning. The words leapt and jumped on the screen as his mind filled with nothing but how to deal with the vile showdown ahead of him.

  He wanted Sienna as a part of his family. Holly and Katy were falling in love with her more and more each day, as was he. He owed it to them to combat the fears threatening to take over every sane thought in his head. All too aware, however, that he’d been distracted by work the first time he’d left his children open to danger, Jack worried if he became so caught up in Sienna the second time around, he’d miss the danger again.

  He curled his hand into a fist. No. It wouldn’t happen. He could have it all, and so could Holly and Katy. Never would he give up on the prospect of a happy future.

  As his heartbeat slowed, Jack relaxed his hand. Sienna could make him happy. She could make them all happy. He didn’t want to wage war on Martina for the rest of their lives, but if she made it that way, so be it.

  He looked at his watch. Nine thirty. Snatching up his cell phone, he headed outside. It was time to make the phone call he’d been dreading. Thoughts chased through his head as he crossed the street. Rain came down in a thin sheet of drizzle, and slate-gray clouds gathered above him. Neither did anything to lighten the barrage of ugly emotions he still harbored inside.

  Ducking under the overhang of a disused shop, Jack punched in Martina’s number.

  She answered on the fourth ring. “Hi, Jack.” Her pleasure swept down the line in a breathy exhale. “I’m so glad you rang…I was afraid you might not.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “When can we meet? Today? Tomorrow? I’m really desperate for you to see I’ve changed.”

  He shook his head. “This isn’t just about me, Martina.”

  “Fine, but if you don’t see me, you’ll never believe I’m serious about staying sober and getting my life back the way it was.”

  “The way it was? How can anything be the way it was?”

  “Why are you making this so difficult? You know what I mean. I
was a good mum to the twins before I couldn’t handle it anymore and my life fell apart. And you were gone. A lot.”

  Jack clenched his jaw. “I know, but I didn’t leave the girls alone so that anything might happen to them. You did that.”

  “How could you leave them alone when you were never even…” She sucked in a breath. “Let’s not do this. I’ve moved on. I want to start again.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. The momentary hardness in her voice reminded him of Martina’s potential for explosive tantrums and drew ice into his blood. It was going to take something big to thaw his distrust. “So how do you want to do this?”

  “Can I come to Potterford? See where you live?”

  Her excitable enthusiasm sent shivers up Jack’s spine. “No, not yet.”

  “Jack—”

  “Not yet. I’m not saying never, just not yet. I want to see you on neutral territory, and we’ll take it from there.”

  “But—”

  “Yes or no?”

  Silence.

  Jack gripped the phone. Call it off. Shout, rant, and rave. Show me who you really are.

  Almost to his disappointment, she replied, “Look, I don’t want us to end up hating each other again. The girls are ours. We made them, you and me. I think we should at least try to let them see that neither of us wishes it any different, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Of course,” Jack conceded. “So how about we meet in Potterford town center? You can have a feel for the place without actually coming to the house. I don’t want the girls to know about us talking until we’ve worked out how we’re going to do this. And, if we can, I’d rather we settle it without lawyers.”

  “Absolutely. I want nothing more than for you and I to work through this ourselves.” Her voice cracked. “I want a second chance, Jack.”

  The sudden emotion in her tone twisted his heart unexpectedly, and some of the tension left his body. He owed it to Martina to hear her out. If covering news stories had taught him anything, it was that people made mistakes. He certainly had, by not seeing what had been happening sooner—by not helping her when the depression had set in. Maybe this was a second chance for both of them to make things right. At least to make amends to their kids.