5 Minutes to Marriage

by Carla Cassidy

  The bedside lamp was on in his room, casting a faint golden light on the king-size bed he hadn’t made that morning.

  He dropped her hand and looked at her. As much as he needed to take what he wanted from her, he gave her one last chance to halt what they were about to do.

  “Marisa, this wasn’t what you offered to me when you agreed to marry me. I don’t want to take advantage of you,” he rasped out. “I want you, but I don’t want you to feel pressured in any way to do this.”

  She didn’t reply. She untied the belt at her waist and allowed the robe to fall to the floor behind her. The red silk nightgown hit her mid-thigh, and the deep V-neck exposed the swell of her upper breasts.

  Jack bit back the moan that tried to escape him as he saw that her nipples were already hard and pressed tauntingly against the silk material.

  “Trust me, Jack. I never do anything I don’t want to do.” She took a step closer to him, her eyes a pool of darkness that he could easily submerge himself in.

  He felt as if he were in a fog as he grabbed her to him once again, his hands sliding down the silky gown to grab her buttocks and pull her as close to him as possible.

  Once again their lips met in a hot, wild kiss that had him hungering for more. He slid his mouth from hers and instead rained kisses across her jaw and down the length of her neck. She gasped in pleasure as he found a sensitive place just behind her ear.

  The sound of her gasp ignited the flames inside him even more, and he stumbled back from her and yanked his T-shirt over his head.

  At one time he might have been smooth, but it had been so long and he felt like a teenager preparing for his very first time. His fingers fumbled with his button fly as she pulled the nightgown over her head and slid in under the sheets.

  He kicked off his shoes and finally got out of his pants, and then he tore off his socks and joined her in the bed. She was clad only in a little pair of red panties and he in a pair of briefs, but as they came together their naked skin warmed with the intimate contact.

  He tangled his hands in her luxurious hair as he kissed her hungrily. She returned his kiss with a fever of her own, her tongue swirling with his as she pressed her naked breasts against his chest.

  It didn’t take long for Jack to want more than kissing. He rolled her over on her back and captured the tip of one of her breasts in his mouth. Gasping with pleasure, she writhed beneath him.

  He laved first one nipple, then the other, fired up by the sounds she made as he cupped her breasts and made love to them.

  She didn’t remain a passive partner. Her hands roamed his body. She clutched his shoulders, then smoothed her palms down the length of his back.

  Jack had forgotten the wonder of human touch, of body heat shared. But that wonder all came rushing back as their foreplay grew more intimate.

  Smoothing his hand down the flat of her stomach, his heart pumped fast and furious. As he reached the waist of her panties, he felt her catch her breath.

  He glanced at her, and her eyes glowed almost feral in the splash of illumination from the lamp. He held her gaze as he pressed his hand against her panties, her heat radiating out from the wispy material.

  Even though he knew she was turned on, he sensed that she was holding back. He wanted her mindless. He wanted that control to shatter, wanted her to go to the place where there was nothing in the world but him and what they were sharing.

  He caressed her through the panties, and a low moan escaped her lips as she thrust her hips upward to meet his touch.

  Jack was quickly reaching the end of his own control. He grabbed hold of the sides of her panties and pulled them down. She aided him by rising up, her eyes filled with urgency.

  He pulled off his own briefs and tossed them to the floor, then gathered her back in his arms for another soul-searing kiss.

  As he kissed her, she reached down and closed her fingers around his arousal. The intimate touch nearly undid him. He grabbed her wrist. “Don’t,” he said in a raw whisper. “If you touch me for another second it will all be over.”

  Her eyes flared slightly, and she pulled her hand away from him as he once again began to caress her intimately. He moved his fingers against her moist heat, wanting her to tumble off the edge of reason, fall into the place where thought wasn’t possible.

  “Let go,” he said softly. “Marisa, just let go.”

  She gasped and closed her eyes, and he felt her relaxing, welcoming his touch without reservation.

  It didn’t take long before her body began to tense and her breathing grew ragged. She arched her hips, and he felt the wave of release that shuddered through her.

  Before she had a chance to recover he moved between her thighs. Her eyes opened and she looked up at him, but by the wild glaze there he knew she wasn’t seeing him. She was lost in the sensual pleasure, and as he entered her, he let go of the last of his own control.

  Chapter 10

  Marisa awoke first. The faint glow of dawn crept into the window as she lay spooned against Jack. One of his arms was flung across her waist, and for just one sleepy moment she felt at peace and she felt loved.

  Illusion, she told herself. Still, she didn’t move, unwilling to break this magical spell until it was absolutely necessary.

  Making love with Jack had been beyond anything she’d imagined. She’d expected passion. She’d anticipated fast and hot and wild. What she hadn’t expected was his tenderness.

  And there had been a wealth of tenderness. She closed her eyes, her head still filled with thoughts of Jack.

  She recognized that the hard-rocking, headbanging drummer that he’d once been had been a facade. The real Jack Cortland was a sensitive man who cared deeply about family and friends and perhaps maybe a little bit about her.

  But she had no illusions about what had occurred between them the night before. It had been sex. Nothing more, nothing less. It had been an explosion of the sexual tension that had existed between them from the moment they’d met.

  Jack wasn’t in love with her. He might love her for what she was doing for him—and for the boys. But there was a difference between loving somebody and being in love with somebody.

  She was in love with Jack, in a way she’d never been with Tom in college, but she had a terrible feeling that ultimately this all would eventually end in her heartbreak.

  One day at a time, she told herself. Her days would be filled with taking care of Mick and David and building the business she’d dreamed of owning. And her nights—she wasn’t sure where she’d be spending them, although she knew where she wanted to be…right here beside Jack.

  His hands smoothed down the outside of her thigh, letting her know he was awake. “Good morning,” he whispered against the back of her neck, his warm breath sending a shiver of pleasure through her.

  She told herself she should get up and get out of his arms, but she remained where she was as she murmured a good-morning back to him.

  She’d never had a morning with Tom. She’d never awakened in his arms after a night of lovemaking. She’d been nothing more to him than a quick convenience, and she had a feeling that’s what she had become with Jack.

  This thought drove her out of his arms and out of the bed. She grabbed her robe from the floor and pulled it around her nakedness.

  “Gee, I was kind of looking forward to an encore,” he said as he sat up.

  He looked roguishly appealing with his hair tousled from sleep and a lazy, sexy smile curving his lips. His smile fell as he studied her features in the semidarkness of the room. “Please don’t tell me you have morning-after regrets.”

  “No, no regrets,” she replied. It was true; there was no way she could regret making love with him. “I just have a lot of things I want to get done today, and I thought I’d get a head start before the boys got up.”

  “You going to work on your business venture?” he asked curiously. She nodded and belted her robe more firmly around her waist. His smile fell. “We haven’t talke
d about what you intend to do with your house. Are you planning on selling it?”

  She thought of the little bungalow her parents had bought her as a college graduation present. She loved the little house, but if this had been a real marriage she would have sold it in a minute and completely melded her life with that of her husband’s.

  But this wasn’t a real marriage, and she wasn’t comfortable giving up everything without a crystal ball to see into the future.

  “I don’t plan on doing anything with it for a while,” she replied. “I’m going to go shower. I’ll see you in the kitchen in a few minutes.” She left the room and went down the hallway to her own bedroom.

  Eventually if she remained here with Jack and the boys she’d want some of the things from her house. But even though she’d made a commitment to remain here, in the back of her mind she couldn’t help but feel that this whole arrangement was temporary. Keeping her house was a safety net in case everything fell apart.

  The morning passed as always with Jack out on the ranch with his men and Marisa entertaining the boys and taking care of some of the housework. It was Saturday so they were on their own for meals. Breakfast was cereal, lunch was sandwiches and Marisa had ambitious plans to make spaghetti sauce for dinner.

  It was when the boys went down for a nap that Jack told her he was going over to Kent’s to have a talk.

  “Good, I’m glad,” she replied as she sank down onto the sofa.

  He frowned thoughtfully. “I keep thinking about how it was when I moved back here after the divorce. I was in bad shape, and if it wasn’t for Kent I’m not sure I would have survived.” He leaned against the chair, and his gray eyes gazed at her thoughtfully. “What about your friends, Marisa? I don’t ever hear you talking on the phone with anyone except your aunt and occasionally your parents.”

  “After I lost the baby, I pretty much withdrew from everyone.” Emotion swelled in her chest as she remembered those dark days after the miscarriage. “I went through a period of mourning followed by a depression.”

  She pulled her legs up beneath her and leaned her head back against the cushion. “My friends didn’t seem to understand that this wasn’t something I could just put behind me, and they weren’t comfortable with my grief. By the time I graduated from college I’d pretty well isolated myself, then I immediately began to work as a nanny. That kept me too busy to miss any of my friends.”

  She smiled at him, wanting to take away the frown that tugged his eyebrows low. “Don’t look so worried, Jack. I’m relatively well-adjusted, and I’m open to the possibility of making new friends. Go on, get out of here and make peace with your friend.”

  “I shouldn’t be too long,” he said as he headed for the front door.

  “Take whatever time you need. I’m going to do a little work on the computer, then see about making a pot of the best spaghetti you’ve ever eaten.”

  He grinned at her. “Sounds great. I’ll see you later. Don’t forget to set the alarm after I leave.”

  The minute he went out the door she pulled herself off the sofa and reset the alarm, then returned to her bedroom, where her laptop was plugged in.

  She’d just started working on a Web site for her nanny agency when Jack had first hired her, and she eagerly dove back into it now. She tinkered with it for a half hour before the boys awakened from their naps.

  As they played in the living room she made a call to the newspaper to place an ad for young women interested in becoming nannies, then joined the boys in the middle of the floor for playtime.

  They were in the process of building a fort from several empty cardboard boxes when there was a knock on the door.

  She looked out to see Patrick standing on the porch. What was he doing here? As she reached for the doorknob the ring that Jack had placed on her finger sparkled in the sunlight.

  “Patrick.” She greeted him with a cautious smile. “What a surprise.”

  “Hi, Marisa. I just thought I’d stop by and see how you were getting along.” He hesitated a moment, then offered her a smile. “Can I come in?”

  She opened the door wider to allow him inside. “Come on into the living room. We were just in the process of building a fort.”

  Mick and David barely paid attention to Patrick as they colored the boxes in shades of brown and black.

  “I miss you, Marisa,” Patrick said. “I’ve given you a little time, and I was hoping that maybe you changed your mind about me…about us.”

  Marisa drew a deep breath. She had to tell him about marrying Jack, but she had to make a fast decision about what, exactly, she intended to tell him.

  For some reason her pride wouldn’t allow her to tell him the truth, that she and Jack had made a business arrangement for the sake of the two little boys who were now coloring their fort with purple and red crayons.

  “Patrick, I’m sorry. I haven’t changed my mind. In fact, as crazy as it sounds, I’ve fallen in love with Jack, and he’s fallen in love with me. Last week we got married.”

  For a moment he looked stunned. “Wow, that was really fast. Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?”

  “Positive,” she replied without hesitation. “I’ve never been happier.” The minute the words left her mouth she knew they were true. She had no idea how long this happiness would last, but she intended to embrace it for as long as it existed.

  “Then I guess I’m happy for you,” he said with a tight smile.

  She relaxed. “Thanks.”

  “Well, then I guess I should get out of here.” He headed for the door then paused and turned back to her. “I’ve heard Jack has a whole bunch of Creation memorabilia in the barn. Do you think I could take a peek at it?”

  Marisa remembered him telling her that he’d once been a fan. “I guess it would be all right. I don’t think Jack would mind. Boys, you want to go to the barn for a few minutes?” Just as she expected, the two raced to her side.

  “Mick and David, you remember Patrick,” Marisa said.

  The boys murmured hellos, and Patrick raised a dark eyebrow. “Mick and David, as in Jagger and Bowie?”

  She smiled. “That’s right. Apparently Candace was a big fan of the legendary rock idols. Come on, let’s take a walk.”

  The four of them left the house, the boys jumping and skipping with boyish energy. “I don’t know how you keep up with them,” Patrick exclaimed. There was a suppressed impatience to his tone that made her think perhaps Patrick wasn’t so fond of children.

  They would have never had a chance for a future together, she thought. One way or another children would have always been a big part of her life.

  Neither Sam nor Max were in sight as they reached the barn. She figured the two were out someplace on the acreage. Jack had told her they were mending a section of fence almost two miles from the house.

  The barn door creaked open, and the four of them entered. Patrick gasped in amazement. “My God, I’d heard rumors that he had a bunch of stuff in here, but this is amazing.”

  Marisa smiled as she watched him move around the room. David headed directly to the drums, and Mick found the dolls that he’d played with the last time they had been inside the building.

  As he began to bang on the cymbal, Patrick winced. “Can you make him stop that?” he said, a touch of irritation in his voice.

  Marisa looked at Patrick in surprise. She was definitely seeing a side of him she didn’t find attractive. “David, come here, honey,” she said, but he ignored her.

  “Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Patrick said. He pulled a chair in front of him and smiled at Marisa. “Why don’t we play a game of cops and robbers?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small revolver. “Sit down, Marisa,” he said, all attempt at levity gone.

  She stared at him in incomprehension. “What are you doing? Patrick, what’s going on?” Her heart thumped painfully hard in her chest.

  “I said sit down,” he replied. “You don’t want me to get angry and upset the kids.” />
  She sank down on the chair, almost hypnotized by the weapon in his hand. “Is this about me breaking up with you?” she asked.

  “Don’t be stupid,” he exclaimed as he pulled a length of rope from his pocket. “Hey, boys, let’s play a game and tie up Marisa.” He leaned closer to her ear. “If you don’t cooperate I’ll kill them both.”

  The low menace in his voice coupled with the hard glaze of his eyes made her believe him and her blood ran cold. “Patrick, please. Jack is going to be home at any moment. I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”

  As he began to bind her hands behind her, the boys came to stand nearby, watching as Patrick tied her to the chair.

  “Jack won’t be home anytime soon,” he said. “My partner will make sure he doesn’t arrive here until it’s too late.”

  He didn’t speak again until both her hands and feet were bound to the chair. As he stepped back from her she tried to pull her hands free, but there was no give in the rope.

  “Patrick, why are you doing this?” She tried to keep her voice as calm as possible, not wanting to frighten Mick and David, who were watching the two of them with widened eyes.

  He drew himself up straight and proud. “My name isn’t Patrick. Over the years I’ve had lots of names and lots of identities, but my real name is Paz Marquez. It was my father who found the diamond, The Tears of the Quetzal. It should have belonged to him, but Joseph Rothchild, Harold’s father, found out about it.”

  Paz’s handsome face twisted into a mask of hatred so intense it nearly stole Marisa’s breath away. “Joseph killed my father. He buried him alive in a cave and walked away with the diamond. I got it back from Candace the night I murdered her, but it slipped through my fingers once again…and I’ve been targeting the Rothchilds ever since.”

  Marisa gasped. He’d killed before. He’d killed Candace. And clearly he was responsible for those other mysterious acts against the family that had been splashed all over the tabloids. Her sense of danger rose dramatically as fear lodged in her throat.

  “I finally got it back.” He smiled, and it was a cruel, hard gesture. “It’s back where it belongs in my possession.”