by Ella Brooke
“Now stay like that for the next hour or so,” she said with a slight grin. “She needs her sleep.” It was a joke, but James looked determined as he leaned back against the chair. A sort of peace fell over the three of them. Maisey’s calm drifted over her parents, and Celia wondered if something was changing between them again. It felt good to lower her guard around James, at least for a short while. Celia leaned back in her seat as well, observing the pair.
James looked enthralled by his daughter, touching her soft face, her pert little nose, the perfect fingers that were curled next to her round cheek. He reminded Celia of how she had been fascinated with every part of her daughter's body shortly after she was born. Even the stress and fears of being a single mother could not make her stop delighting in her daughter's perfection.“She’s so small,” James murmured, glancing up at Celia. “Were you frightened?”
“Of what?” Celia asked. After all, there had been so much to be frightened of when Maisey was born.
“Of whether you could take care of her. Of whether you might hurt her without knowing.”
Celia thought for a moment, and then she nodded slowly. “I did wonder that,” she admitted. “It is a great honor and privilege to take charge of a little life. But you know? When she was born, I felt the strangest kind of faith. I knew that I might have to be strong for both of us, but that was fine. I would be, and I could be. I would take care of her. That’s love, I suppose.”
She didn't say that she had spent a long time wary of love. After all, she had thought that she loved James. He had awakened her body to the possibility of pleasure in a way she had never been prepared for. Then he had gone. It was not love she felt for him then, she realized. It was intoxication and infatuation. She could look back on the girl she had been with a certain amount of amused sadness, but now, looking at James hold their baby daughter, she wondered what she was feeling. It felt deep and warm and strange.Celia shook her head, knowing that she needed to fight it. She could not afford the idea of falling in love with James, not now when there was so much at stake and she had a daughter to look after. James raised his b eyes to her, and the look of wonder in them cut her straight to the heart.
Oh, he’s trouble, Celia thought to herself, but if she were being entirely fair, she already knew that.
***
The flight from Eastwick to Dublin was only seven hours, but Celia found herself drifting off after only three. When she awakened, she realized that James was still holding Maisey and that he had come to sit next to her. One arm was thrown over Celia’s shoulders, and his other arm cradled a sleeping Maisey close.
“You got her to sleep,” she murmured softly, and James grinned.
“Well, you drifted off, and I kept thinking she was going to do the same. Then I realized that she was watching you and reaching for you, and I finally managed to put two and two together.”
Celia laughed a little, reaching down to touch her daughter’s downy cheek. “That sounds like my little love bug,” she said. “I wasn’t planning on co-sleeping for the first year, but she sort of made that a necessity. She can sleep on her own these days, but if she has her choice, she would much rather be cuddled up with me, no matter what’s going on.”
James made a soft sound of approval. “You are a good mother to her,” he said solemnly, and Celia couldn’t help but smile.
“You don’t know that,” she said. “This is what, the third or maybe fourth time you’ve met us together? I might be saving all my neglect and meanness for when you are not looking. Some people do.”
James shuddered a little at her joke, but he shook his head. “I do not get that sense from you. Not even a little. You love Maisey with all your heart, and you always want the best for her. A blind man could see it.”James paused for a moment, and then those bright blue eyes were turned to her. She had always thought that they could see right through a person, and she wondered what he was seeing when he looked at her now.
“And what do you see when you look at me like that?” she asked. She had to gather up her courage to do so, and he took his time answering.
“I am seeing a beautiful woman who does not trust me.”
Celia raised an eyebrow. “Should I?”
“I would like you to give me a chance.”
“Well, maybe start by not telling me outright lies,” she said, and when he raised an eyebrow at her, she laughed softly.
“You’re a man with a jet, and as far as I can tell all the money in the world.” She had read up on some of his financial achievements on the tablet. The amount of money that James had was truly extraordinary, putting in the top five percent of wealthy men in the world, and certainly even closer to the top of wealthiest men in Ireland.
“Yes, and?”
“And I’m a single mother living on a small paycheck in a little town,” she responded. “I call it a really, really good week when I can buy a new nail polish, or when I have a bit of extra money to get my hair professionally cut instead of doing it myself. I can’t imagine that I’m in the same league as the women you usually get to.”
She wasn't looking at him when she spoke, but she trailed off when he touched her chin, raising her face gently. The kiss was soft, but there was such a torrent of intensity behind it that she gasped. She knew that she should pull away as she had before, but the magnetism between them pulled her in, made her lean in even as she tried to talk herself out of it.Underneath the passion of their kiss, Celia wondered if she could sense something deeper. There was an unspoken longing between them something so sweet and dark that she shied away from it. It was far easier to deal with the physical, the reality of James’s lips on hers, the warmth of him next to her.
It was James who ended the kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes were dark with desire, but he smiled a little.
“There has been no one like you,” he said. “There never could be.
Chapter Six
The house in Dublin wasn’t what Celia was expecting. After reading about the wealth that James commanded as well as some of the extravagant properties he owned, she supposed that she had been thinking of some kind of glass and chrome monstrosity high up on the hills looking over the city.
However, they exited the plane straight to a dark gray car that James drove himself. It was elegant and classical rather than flashy, and he took them to a house on a beautiful tree-lined street. There was a small courtyard in front of the house, bordered by a tall brick wall, and the moment they stepped inside, Celia, Maisey in her arms, looked around in wonder.
“It’s like something out of a children’s book,” she murmured.
Behind her, James chuckled a little. The house was all hardwood floors and furniture slightly worn with age. There was texture and history, and while here and there she could see signs of modern improvements and luxuries, otherwise, it felt like taking a step back into a statelier time.
“You told me once that your favorite books were from the turn of the nineteenth century,” he said with a slight grin, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. “The Little Princess, all that. This property came to me several years ago, and ever since you told me that, it was in the back of my mind to bring you here.”
“Don’t tell me that you live here when you’re seeing the sights and doing your deals,” said Celia, and James laughed.
“You got me there. No, there’s a penthouse I usually stay at a little closer to the business district, and if I’m working terribly long hours, there’s a small apartment above my office I use. I’ve not been here since I acquired the property. I had my staff air it out for us, though, so it should be comfortable.”
There was something touching about that to Celia. She wasn’t sure if she believed him when he said that he had this place in mind for her, but it was so beautiful, it was hard not to get distracted.
A now drowsy Maisey in her arms, she followed James as they explored it together. When he casually pointed out the master bedroom where he would be sleeping, she blinked.
“Of course. I want to be close to get to know Maisey. And, it has been too long for us as well.”
Celia wondered at that. She felt as if she should argue. After all, a part of her knew that she should be wary of James, who she hadn’t had any contact with until just recently. On the other hand, there was already a part of her that was convinced she had known him for ages, that of course this was right and proper.
She put it out of her mind, instead concentrating on the history of the house, the beautiful nursery that had been created for Maisey and of course the baby-proofing touches that would make it easy for Maisey to stay happy and content while Celia did the job that James had signed her up for.It wasn’t until Maisey started fussing that Celia realized that her little girl was hungry, and to her surprise, James offered to feed her.
“You know how to feed a baby?”
“I’m sure I can be coached through it.”
Celia sat at the modern kitchen island, watching in fascination as Maisey and James worked with the baby food and formula combination. Maisey had recovered from the crankiness of her flight, and was now trying to show James that food was as much for playing as it was for eating. James, for his part, was battling on with a cheerful determination that meant that at least as much food got into Maisey as onto her, though Celia did find herself laughing when some of it ended up on him as well.
James followed them to the bathroom when Celia declared it bath time, and he hovered at the door watching until Celia called him to bring them a towel. Together, they dried the squirming and now sleepy child, and James ended up with Maisey in his arms again as Celia went to find her sleeping clothes in their newly -delivered luggage.“She’s a wonder,” James said. “Such a good, easy child.”
“She is,” Celia said. “We got lucky.”
She didn’t realize what she had said until James looked at her in surprise, but he didn’t deny it.
Celia had to admit that there was something terribly right about seeing Maisey in her father’s arms, the two utterly fascinated by each other. Celia always thought that if she saw someone bonding with her baby like that, that she would be jealous. But with James, it only felt right.
“Come here, I think it’s time to put her to bed,” said Celia, and James only let her go with a soft sigh. As Celia tucked Maisey into the state-of-the-art crib in her small bedroom, she was aware of James watching her from the doorway.
“Now it’s time for you to have sweet dreams until you wake up bright and fresh in the morning,” Celia murmured. “And tomorrow there will be new things to see, and I will only love you more.”Maisey gurgled as if she could understand her mother, and Celia tucked her in. Celia remembered the early days, when she had been so afraid of how fragile a new baby could be that she stayed to watch her sleep for hours. Now, however, she only stroked her daughter’s curls once, and closed the door behind her.
When the door was shut, however, Celia realized that she was alone with James, something that had not happened yet in this beautiful antique home. He watched her with those beautiful bright blue eyes, and Celia sternly told herself that she was not allowed to fumble like a teenager, feeling as if her heart was beating faster with every moment she spent with him.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I’m not sure you had enough on the flight.”
“A little,” she said. “I suppose there’s a grocery store around here somewhere.”
“I’ve got that handled. Come with me.”
The kitchen turned out to be fully stocked, and she sat at the kitchen island again as James assembled turkey sandwiches for both of them. At the first bite, Celia could tell how hungry she was, and she ate it gratefully.
“First you feed Maisey, and then you feed me,” she said with a grin. “You really are a full service employer.” She realized that he was looking at her, and she wiped her mouth, a little self-consciously. “What is it?”
“I can’t figure you out,” James said, pushing his sandwich aside and hitching his hip up on the side of the kitchen island. “Sometimes I think you are precisely the girl I knew in Eastwick, and other times, I feel as if that girl has grown into a siren, a witch capable of luring me into her arms with only a word.”
Celia had to laugh at that. “First, I’m pretty sure that the only thing that I can lure men into is setting up interesting exhibits at museums, and second—I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday I met you. Other times, it feels as if there’s been far more years between us than there really have been.”
“You were always a beautiful girl,” James observed. “Now you’re a beautiful woman, and I find that I want you all the more.”
Celia knew that there was something to be said for keeping her cool, putting a little distance between herself and this man that she had not known for quite some time. However, at his confession, she couldn’t stop her own from spilling past her lips.
“I’ve never wanted a man like I’ve wanted you,” she said.
Desire shot through James’s eyes like forked lightning, and she saw him cover it up with a soft laugh.
“Now that is a hard one for me to believe,” he said, and there was a slight strain in his tone even as he tried to keep it light. “As beautiful as you are?”
“Not after you. And not before, either.”
Her shy confession made James's eyes widen, and it would have been funny if she hadn't felt as if her heart was beating out of her chest.“You... you’re joking, right? You mean when we were together that first time...”
“That it was my first time, yes.”
James was utterly still. Celia was just beginning to wonder whether she had said something wrong when he put down his sandwich remains and came to her. She felt as if she were frozen as James stepped close, both hands cradling her face. This close, she could feel how warm he was, how very powerful his body was. Something inside her curled and stretched at the idea of being so very close to him, pleasure and sweetness and something far deeper than either.
“God, the things you do to me,” James murmured. “I could never forget you. I have been a fool, Celia, and perhaps someday... someday you will forgive me.”It felt as if there were dozens of emotions boiling and rolling through Celia just then. She wanted to tell him that there was nothing to forgive. She wanted him to feel for her the way she felt for him. She wanted to lie next to him and simply be quiet; to sink into the history they shared and to look at the future that they might have together. It was all too much, all too raw, and she knew that if she let even a little bit of it out, it would come rolling forward whether she liked it or not.
The only thing that she could do to halt it was to lean forward even as he leaned down, reaching for the kiss that they had both been aching for for hours. Instinctively, they both knew that there would be no stopping this time, no pause and no interruptions. When they came together in a kiss that seemed to blend their souls while reuniting their bodies, Celia didn’t know if she was ever going to let go. She found that her hands were fisted in his shirt, clinging to him with a kind of desperation that felt almost fatal.
“I need you,” she heard herself say, and James laughed. There was no malice in it, however. There was only a deep need that seemed to course through both of them, and without a word, he swept her into his arms.
Chapter Seven
Celia felt as light as a feather as James swept her up, carrying her up to his room like a bride. She marveled at his strength as he took her into his chambers. She knew that she was an independent woman who had been on her own for years, but right now, there seemed to be no harm in feeling small and safe and oh so treasured.
“Why did you never tell me that it was your first time?” he murmured, dropping soft kisses on her neck. “And after all these years, I never suspected—”
“I thought you knew,” she said, “at least at first, and when I realized that you didn’t... Well, I guess I was embarrassed. I was afraid that you
thought that I was naive or bad at it, any number of things. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”
“I never could,” James promised. “Not if you had no men before me, not if you had a dozen.” He lay her down on the expanse of his bed. Underneath her, the silk coverlet was smooth and cool, but it warmed to her quickly. He stood over her like a conquering hero, and she laughed.
“You make me feel like some kind of war prize,” she murmured, and James purred in pleasure.
“I would defeat armies for you,” he said. “And if I have done so, beautiful girl, believe me when I say that I would not allow you to be dressed. At all.”
She barely registered the words he was saying before he reached for her clothes. She had always known how very strong James was, but she was unprepared for the rough ripping sound as he tore her dress from her body. For a moment, she lie stunned in the shreds of her clothes, and then she felt a hot rush of pleasure pulse through her. She fumbled with her own bra as he tore her panties away as well, and then he was coming over her, his clothed weight baring down on her nakedness.
She was certain that she had never felt so vulnerable before. She could feel how rough his trousers were against the baby-soft skin of her inner thighs, and his mouth roved hungrily over her throat and her collarbones before descending down to her chest. There was nothing to stop him from suckling first at one breast, and then the other, bringing her nipples up to aching points. Then he simply sat back on his heels, looking at her naked body with that same fierce intensity.Suddenly, Celia thought of all the changes that had happened to her since they had met. She knew that she looked well enough in her clothes, but the marks left by bearing a child were mostly hidden by her clothing. She suddenly felt aware of every stretch mark, of the softness of her belly and the roundness of her breasts. Her hands moved to cover her body, but James pinned them down by her sides.
“Never do that,” he rumbled, his eyes fierce. “Never cover yourself from me. You are too beautiful for that.”