by Nan Dixon
She clutched a sweater to her. “I think I can keep him in control.”
Control? He barely had his temper in check. If Nathan said one more word, he would plant a fist in his twin’s face.
“Later.” Nathan gave Daniel a salute and headed to the door. “Don’t forget what we talked about.”
By the time the lock clicked on her front door, Daniel had closed the distance between him and Bess. He pulled the sweater from her arms and yanked her into his embrace. His lips crushed hers as he invaded her mouth with his tongue. Kissing and nibbling along her neck and down to her collarbone, his beard rasped against her tender skin. His tongue and lips claimed her body.
Normally, he worried about marking any woman he took to bed. With Bess, he wanted to mark her as his. His.
This wasn’t him. He hated being out of control. But he couldn’t stop touching her.
Her arms circled his back. She groaned and clutched his butt, bringing their bodies into the perfect merger of angles and curves.
“What did my brother want?” he growled.
“My help on something.”
“What?” He stripped off her shirt, craving skin-to-skin contact.
She unbuttoned his shirt. “We can talk later.”
Fine by him. “I want you naked.”
They stumbled to the bed. Clothes dropped to the floor. The nightstand drawer screeched and she handed him a condom. She flipped open her bra and tugged off her thong.
His hands shook as he pushed off the rest of his clothes. This was crazy. What was she doing to him? He wanted to brand her.
He lifted her onto the bed and followed her down. His mouth latched on to her breast and he nuzzled, suckled and nipped.
“Yes,” Bess moaned. She held his head to her breast.
Crazy and wrong. He didn’t behave like a madman.
He started to pull away, but she locked her mouth on his. He was as hard as a pile driver by the time she released him.
“I wanted to kiss you all during dinner,” she murmured. Rolling him onto his back, she straddled his thighs and snatched the condom out of his hand. “I’m in control tonight.”
“But...”
She slithered down and took him in her sweet, wet mouth. Her green eyes sparkled.
His fists clutched at the comforter. Panic bubbled inside like boiling tar, ready to burn anyone who came too close.
His body wasn’t his own; he felt as if he was unglued. Would he ever feel in control again?
“I can’t take this!” He pulled her up, trying to roll her underneath him, trying to take the lead.
“No.” She shoved him back down. “My way.”
She laughed while rolling on the condom.
“Bess.”
She threw a leg over his thigh. “Lie still.”
She guided him just into her body and sank onto him, surrounding him with her heat.
He swore. She was too much. Too good. Too perfect. Too everything.
Flexing, he finished what she’d started, burying himself in her.
Pleasure exploded, centered where they joined. The sensation spread like wildfire through the tinder of his body.
As she rode, he pushed deeper. His fingers dug into her hips. There would be bruises, but he couldn’t let go. If he did, his body would disintegrate.
Bess grabbed his hands, placing them on her breasts.
“Yes. Yes.” She moved faster, but not fast enough for him.
Bess came, her body squeezing around him like a sweet vise. She threw back her head and sank deeper.
He needed more. Even as she came apart, he spun, almost rolling them off the bed. He took back control and pounded into her body.
Her witchy eyes locked on his and he lost himself in the pleasure of his climax.
“Bess.” He collapsed on her warm, damp body.
They lay, breaths heaving in tandem, until his brain kicked in. He was crushing her. Gathering her in his arms, he rolled them to the middle of the bed. He grunted as she lay on top of him, still intimately connected.
Bess let out a big sigh. “Fabulous.”
“Yeah.” He moaned.
She stacked her hands on his chest and raised her head enough to look him in the eye. “What brought that on?”
Her butt was the perfect place to rest his hands. “I just...” Lost it. Lost control.
“That was no just.” Laughter rumbled in her chest. “Talk to me.”
He couldn’t explain the churning inside him. Instead, he slid her off him. “I need to...” He headed to the bathroom.
By the time he returned, she’d stacked the pillows behind her and pulled up the covers.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he traced a finger on her reddened breast. He’d wanted to mark her and he had. Regret ran through him like sand through a sieve. “I’m sorry.”
“Not a problem.” She caught his hand. “The why behind your behavior is what I want to know.”
“Let it go.”
“No.” She tugged on his hand.
He pulled away, wanting to get dressed, wanting to leave. “Carly’s in the car. I need to go. I’ve still got work to do.”
She hung on. Her hands were strong, but he could have broken her grip. Her solemn eyes tried to pull out all his truths.
He shook his head. “What did you and Nathan talk about?”
She dropped his hand and pulled the blanket up higher, covering her roughened breast. “He wants to be a better brother to you. He wants to have what my sisters and I have.”
“We will never have that.” He found his boxers, yanking them on. He shoved his legs in his jeans.
“Can’t you give him a chance?”
“He used up his chances years ago.”
“He’s not like he was in high school.” Her voice had cooled.
“You have no idea what it was like growing up with Nathan. Waiting for his next calamity. Waking up to cops at the door in the middle of the night.” He jerked on his shirt but didn’t button in. “Stay out of this.”
“He’s not like that now,” she insisted.
“I went through hell because of him. Childhood, high school.”
“Oh, Daniel.” Bess’s frown softened. She laced their fingers together. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
“When we were growing up, life was out of control. Nathan was always acting out and getting into trouble. All I ever wanted was a calm life—an ordered life.”
He never talked about this, but he opened up to Bess. Let the pain out. “Everywhere Nathan went, I tried to clean up his messes. Be better behaved, stay in control. Because he had no...no discipline. No Off button.”
She held his hand and listened, touching his cheek and soothing him. Her comfort softened the jagged edges of the wounds in his soul.
“Nathan makes me crazy,” he confessed.
By the time he’d finished talking, his head was in her lap. Her fingers stroked his hair and he sank into her comfort. “I hate the idea that Nathan might hit on you.”
“Nathan and I don’t have any...spark. We’re just friends.”
Daniel took her hand and kissed it.
“Do you want to tell people we’re...seeing each other?” Bess asked.
Seeing each other. Not dating. Because they hadn’t gone out.
If they dated, the crew would give him grief every time he met or talked to Bess. “Is that what you want?”
Her fingers stopped stroking his hair. She sighed. “Not really. I’d like to keep this quiet.”
“Okay.” Equal measures of relief and panic raced through him. “I should get Carly home.”
“Don’t we need to discuss Carleton House?”
“I needed you.” He kiss
ed her. “Dinner tomorrow?”
She smiled. “Sure.”
Pulling on the rest of his clothes, he locked up behind him. But his bubbling panic didn’t disappear. The more he saw Bess, the more out of control he felt. He hated it. He’d had enough of that feeling his whole life.
He knew his reasons for not letting people know they were sleeping together. What were Bess’s?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
From my experience in life I believe my personal motto should be Beware of Men Bearing Flowers.
Muriel Spark
BESS TAMPED DIRT around the mums—three gold, three maroon. “How’s that?”
“Good,” Molly said. “I need more coffee. Want anything?”
Bess tugged money from her pocket. “Surprise me.”
She pushed the cart with their supplies across the parking lot to the next planter. After ripping out the fading summer flowers, she planted kale surrounded by white and lilac mums.
“I like that combination.” Molly handed her a takeout cup.
“Thanks.” Bess stretched her lower back. “Only one more to go.”
They looked across the parking lot at the planters next to the light poles. “We do good work,” Molly said.
She and Molly had started at six thirty, trying to change out the planters before shoppers arrived.
Waking up early hadn’t been a problem. She hadn’t slept after Daniel left. She wanted to help the brothers get along, but Daniel and Nathan had hurtful history to overcome. If Daniel could just give Nathan the benefit of the doubt, they might make progress in their relationship.
And why hadn’t he told her about Samuel’s cancer? They’d had plenty of opportunity to talk, but he’d chosen to keep the news from her. That hurt.
She held her head, afraid it might explode.
She went through the routine again. Ripping out old plants. Putting in new. Molly watered and gathered all their materials.
“How’s the Tybee excavation going?” Bess hadn’t been out to the project for a couple of days.
“Done.” Molly stacked up the pots on the cart. “The pool people are working now.”
“Can you landscape my house?” a deep voice called from behind her.
“Jamie!” Bess dusted the dirt off her hands. Last summer, she and Molly had landscaped a series of model homes for Jamie. “How much are you willing to pay?”
“Dinner?” Jamie threw his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. His build was slim, not like Daniel’s. He had black hair and sparkling blue eyes. And he didn’t do anything for her.
“We don’t work for food.” She pushed out of his arms. “Shouldn’t you be working?”
He rolled his eyes. “I have to get fitted for a tux for my sister’s wedding. She threatened me with bodily harm if I didn’t get this done.”
They both leaned against the planter.
“Hard to believe Stacy is getting married,” Bess said.
“I know.”
“Hey, Jamie,” Molly called out.
“Looking good, Mol.”
The three of them chatted until Molly checked her watch. “I’ll pack the van.”
Bess stood. “I’ll help.”
Molly waved. “I’ve got it.”
“Thanks.”
“My sister’s reception is at Fitzgerald House,” Jamie said. “Will I see you there?”
“Maybe. I’m doing her flowers.”
“I hear you’re working on the Darius place on Tybee,” Jamie said.
“King’s Gardens got the bid, but I don’t work there anymore. I’m consulting for them.”
Jamie frowned. “You don’t work at King’s Gardens?”
She forced her jaw to relax. “No.”
He pointed at all the planters. “Isn’t mall landscaping Cade’s gig?”
“He asked for my help.” She shrugged tight, stiff shoulders.
“Where are you working now?” he asked.
“I’m overseeing the Carleton House renovations and designing the gardens.” She smiled. “And helping Cade. And doing the interior and exterior work on a River Street warehouse.”
“So you’re hanging up your shingle.”
She frowned. “Just picking up extra work.”
Molly came back and stood next to Bess.
Jamie raised a dark eyebrow. “Sounds like you’ve gone independent.”
“I think she should start her own company.” Molly nodded. “I’d work for her.”
“You two are crazy. I...” Starting her own company would be a ton of work. She had Carleton House and finding a new home on her to-do list. “I’ll freelance until next season and then find another job.”
“Don’t sell yourself short.” Jamie tipped his head. “Being your own boss is rewarding.”
“It’s crazy.” Wasn’t it? What would Daniel think about the idea?
“It’s the right thing to do,” Molly added.
“I have to get fitted for this tux, but I have a development on Hilton Head. Do you want to bid on the landscaping? We won’t be ready until early next year, but I trust your work.”
Bess’s heart beat faster. Having another freelance job in her pocket would keep her bank account happy. “I’d love to put in a bid.”
Molly grinned like a kid who’d gotten a pony for her birthday.
“We can run up there this afternoon,” Jamie suggested.
“We have two more malls to finish today.” Plus, it seemed she had another commitment.
“When will you be done?” he asked.
“Around two thirty,” Molly said.
“Perfect.” Jamie nodded. “I’ll drive. We’ll get there before four.”
“Okay.” She and Jamie settled on where to meet, but she frowned. There was somewhere she was supposed to be. It wasn’t Fitzgerald House and no flower arrangements were due.
Maybe she needed one of Daniel’s organizational apps. Nah. Too much like Abby and Daniel. Her memory hadn’t failed her yet.
* * *
WHERE WAS BESS? Daniel checked the time on his phone. Seven o’clock.
They’d had dinner plans. Plus, he needed to know which second-floor light fixtures the sisters planned to keep.
He pushed Redial. Bess’s phone rolled to voice mail. Again. Maybe she was on Tybee and stuck in a dead zone.
There weren’t any more excuses to stay at Carleton House. He headed down the stairs.
“Hey, Carly.” The puppy’s head snapped up at her name. She ambled over and he crouched to rub her ears. “You’re a good dog, aren’t you?”
She licked his hand and shoved her head on his knee. Over the past couple of weeks her ribs no longer showed and her coat had taken on a healthy sheen, the exact color of Bess’s hair.
Where was she? He clipped on Carly’s leash. “Maybe Abby knows.”
He locked the house and headed through the gardens. At the kitchen he knocked and stuck his head in through the screen door.
Dolley waved from the sitting area. “Are you still working?”
“I was checking on Carleton House.” And waiting for Bess. He pointed behind him. “Can my dog come in?”
Dolley rocked to her feet. “Sure.”
Carly stumbled up the stairs, her belly dragging.
“Dolley, meet Carly.”
Dolley knelt next to her, roughing up her floppy ears. “Aren’t you sweet?”
“Until she pulls the garbage out of the can.”
“You wouldn’t do that, would you?” Dolley picked up her paw. “She’s going to be big.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.” Daniel settled into an armchair. “Have you seen Bess?”
“No.” Dolley gathered the puppy in he
r arms and took her back to the sofa. “You’d think with Bess working at Carleton House, I’d see more of her. But I swear she’s doing more work for Cade than she did when she worked there.”
Daniel sat forward. “What do you think about her working for King’s Gardens?”
Dolley let Carly lick her face. “She’s stoked about the Tybee project.”
“I mean what she worked on today.”
Dolley shook her head, making Carly bark. “Shush, now. Do you want Abby to know you’re in her kitchen?”
“Bess was doing mall landscaping.” Derision filled his voice.
Dolley shrugged. “She wouldn’t have taken the work without getting a fair price.”
“But the guy fired her.” Daniel tossed up a hand.
“He laid her off.” Dolley pointed a finger at him. “You do that sometimes.”
Now he shrugged. Why did Bess and her sisters use the same arguments?
“Did you need Bess for something?” Dolley asked.
“Questions on Carleton House.” And an explanation on why she wasn’t answering her phone.
“Anything I can answer?” she asked.
“It’ll wait.”
“Did I hear barking?” Abby pushed through the swinging kitchen door.
“Have you met Carly?” Dolley asked.
Abby cooed over the dog. “Aren’t you the sweetest thing?” She sent Daniel a pointed look. “This is as far into my kitchen as this dog gets.”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“What are you both doing hanging around Fitzgerald House?” Abby asked.
“I just met with one of the sister groups.” Dolley rubbed Carly’s belly. “Daniel’s looking for Bess.”
“I called her around four,” Abby said. “She’s was heading to Hilton Head.”
“What for?” he snapped out.
Dolley frowned at him.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask. Her phone cut off.” Abby gave Carly another scratch.
“Well, I guess I’ll...head home.” He’d planned to pick up takeout tonight. Now with Bess AWOL, he didn’t know what to do.
In his truck, he hit Redial. Bess’s message came on immediately.
“Where the hell are you?” He jammed the terminate button and tossed the phone in his cup holder.