Returning for Valentine's
Page 3
Laughter grew inside her. “Are we splitting the twenty million then?”
“If you want the money for a trust account, you have a month to get pregnant.”
Being silly with Nathan felt nice as she joined in on the joke, “Then you better marry me quick.”
She jabbed him on his arm, causing him to pull her closer into him. Looking up, she lost track of herself when she stared into his dilated pupils. Seeing him like this made her warmer than any fire could. He dropped her arms, and walked to the other end of the room. Her eyes followed him, going to her fireplace, putting it out. The fire must have been making him warm. “Your mom offered to have the wedding at the local pool hall.”
“Don’t you dare. We’re having a proper wedding.”
“Good. Finally, you said yes.”
7
7 Forgetting something
* * *
His hand pulled her closer to him, and desire coursed through her body. Circling her waist, the mood sharpened in anticipation before his lips met hers. Everything was different now, and her body melted into him. Luckily he held her, because her legs couldn’t.
Damn.
His lips pulled back, and she would have fallen if he hadn’t held her. “Bethy, I left the ring at my hotel room.”
She blinked, not understanding Nathan at all. The words slowly formed in her head. “We can get it tomorrow.”
“I want to do this right, on Valentine’s Day.” He pulled her closer. “Can you wait for me?”
“No.” She shook her head, not caring she wore her silk robe and sleeping shorts. She spun out of his arms, grabbed his jacket and her long winter jacket. “I’m going. Call ahead and order us a bottle of red wine for your room.”
His eyes looked her up and down before he smiled, appreciating her. “Undressing you from that jacket will fulfill a rather erotic dream I had of you once.”
Laughing, she smiled. “Well then, let’s get going, Tiger.”
“Tiger?” He put on his jacket before surprising her with a fast kiss. “I like the new nickname.”
“It’s been the nickname I picked out for you in the seventh grade.”
“Angel, speak up next time.” He buttoned her last button, kissing her and leading her to the door. She stopped to lock up while his arms were around her.
Valentine’s Day rocked. The elevator ride with Nathan filled her heart with excitement. When the doors opened, he pulled her outside, in a fast run.
“Why are we running?”
“It’s almost midnight.”
Nathan waved down the cab before she could even ask. He gave directions while she caught her breathe.
* * *
Life had worked out for her. She leaned in to kiss him, when his phone rang. He kissed her anyway, ignoring the phone. His warm lips on the warm night in little more than a jacket sent her body into hot waves. She pulled back to cool down. “Answer the phone.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He reached for the phone then shook his head. Suspicion surfaced fast. She turned the phone, wondering if another woman called him. Instead it was far worse. His mother. She pushed the phone’s speaker while indicating with her hands for him to speak. Nathan nodded, then told his mother, “Hey Mom, I’m busy.”
His mother? It’s almost midnight. She must know he’s with her. Loretta tried to pay her off to leave Nathan alone.
“Are you with Beth Corsini?” His mother asked.
The woman hated her. Beth knew her feelings. She needed to let go of the reigns. Nathan loved her, and Beth would not be scared anymore. She caught his eyes before she answered, “I’m here, Loretta.”
“You’re not marrying my son.” The woman had the gall to say. “My grandmother’s ring should not go to you of all people.”
“It’s father’s grandmothers, not yours.” Nathan kissed Beth’s hand before he said, “Bye, Mother.”
Beth’s temper flamed and she needed to vent. Before she said a word, Nathan pulled her into another kiss. Her heart skipped a few beats. Her body hummed.
How she went from the cab to his hotel room was lost in a sea of sensations. Flashes of following his directions floated in, but she was on a high--never expecting to love him and be loved in return.
She remembered every detail when he unbuttoned her jacket after the door closed on his hotel room. She let him undress her, button by button, while his hands traced her body. She saw Nathan’s smile when he dropped her jacket onto the floor. Her eyes stayed with his when his hands went around her cami to pull off her thin top, offering no protection from her nipples puckering for him. She stopped him, when she circled his body, indicating he take off his light jacket. He laughed, followed directions, then picked her up, carrying her to bed.
She guided his lips to hers before he put her down on his bed with the white comforters. Pulling herself up, she ruffled his hair. Reaching for his shirt, she tore it off. His chest revealed stronger abs than he had before. “You’ve been working out.”
“I tried to burn you from my mind.” He kissed her forehead, while his hands reached for her shirt again. She put her hands up to help him, while his eyes took in her body. “Better than I remember, angel.”
“I love you.” Her eyes burned with the truth. “I never loved anyone else.”
His hands grazed her breasts and sensations took over.
Wow. Every impulse in her body focused on him. He kissed her neck. “I love you, too. Last time went too fast, Beth. This time, I want to enjoy every morsel.”
He stopped kissing her and jumped off the bed. She turned to follow him, but he ran back to her before she could sit up. Pulling her towards him on the bed, he took her hand in his, handing her the ring.
The diamond was surrounded with more diamond. The thing might blind her. Looking up, she let Nathan place it on her finger. She’d get used to the brilliance later. She opened her mouth to thank him, but he kissed her.
She needed him. She forgot everything else, pulled him backwards on the bed, and fell apart when he took her.
8
8 Happy Ever after
* * *
The next morning Beth woke up in a lavish hotel room to the smell of brewed coffee. How? She sat up and found the coffee timer had been set. Nathan was detail oriented. She smiled and stared at her ring. She’d have married him with a cracker jack paper ring. Going to Nathan’s suite made sense last night when he stopped kissing her, saying he forgot something.
He slept soundly in bed next to her. But she had a call to make. She pulled a robe on, poured coffee, and walked out onto his private patio with her phone. On the second ring her mother answered, “This is awfully early, Elizabeth. Is something wrong?”
“Mom, how did you know where I went on Valentine’s Day?”
“Can’t a mother keep abreast of her daughter’s activities?”
On the phone she heard her mother’s denials. Lies and more lies. Growing up in this family made her want to scream sometimes. “Mom I’m thirty, and I didn’t tell you.”
“You posted it online, Elizabeth.”
“I did not.”
“You did.”
Her mother manipulated her all the time. She loved her, but denial wasn’t a river in Egypt. “I didn’t. Mom how did you know?”
“All right, honey. You’re right. I hacked your email.”
She would. Her mother wouldn’t think twice about the morals. “Mom’s aren’t supposed to hack their adult children. Did you delete Nathan’s emails?”
“Yes and no. Loretta, his mom, ordered most of what we did.”
Beth relaxed. “She hates me.”
“Her heart has no love.” Her mom told her. “I knew if I deleted the emails he’d come for you.”
She didn’t know what to say, “Mom…”
“Was I wrong to send Nathan? He’s a nice boy and still in love with you.”
She looked through the patio door. Nathan turned and sat up half-naked on the hotel sheets. He had her hea
rt. “No Mom, you were right. He asked me to marry him last night and I said yes.”
The happiness in the conversation changed. “Bring him for dinner tonight. I want to see the ring.”
She looked down at her hand. “You need to stop interfering with my life, , Mom.”
The patio door slid open. “Morning, angel.” He hugged her before he finished yawning. He kissed her cheek and said, “I’ll order us breakfast for our room.”
Her mom laughed. “I heard him. I’ll make breaded chicken, and invite his mom. I can’t wait to see Loretta’s face at my doorstep.”
She hung up the phone a few minutes later. Nathan’s arms around her felt warm, even in the crisp winter air. A serious question remained. “What if your mom never warms up to me?”
“I choose you, angel. If she can’t deal with you, then she doesn’t get to go to our wedding.”
“That’s wrong.” Defending Loretta came out naturally for Beth, though the woman had played on her fears, keeping her on the defenses about her love for Nathan.
“I hope she gets over her pride. Mom was born poorer than anyone I’ve ever met.” He kissed Beth cheek. “If she doesn’t, she won’t see our children.”
“She doesn’t see me as your equal.”
“Doesn’t matter. We love each other. End of story.”
Believing him felt strangely easy. “Tell me why you want to get married now, besides the realization that I’m the best. There is something missing.”
“Can we go inside out of the winter air?”
“It’s sixty this morning and you lived in colder places this year.” She nodded and followed him in.
He slid the door closed behind her and leaned into her to tell her, “I was tired of people using me and I missed you. No woman could ever be you. You are the reason I want to succeed in life. You’re who I seek to impress. It’s always been you. It took time and space for me to realize how much I loved you.”
Loneliness can suck the life out of a person. But no one used her like women might use him for his money. She couldn’t imagine it. She remembered a little boy in the park and her heart beat for the man in front of her. “I loved you since the day you burned my skin with the magnifier glass.”
Laughter filled the air. “You beat me up that day.”
She laughed at the painful memory. “Fighting back shows a man she cannot be bullied.”
“We were six, and it was an accident.”
She laughed but then focused back on Loretta and the wedding. “You’re mom’s fury scared me when you wanted me to spend the night in your bedroom that summer.”
“I want that now for the rest of our lives.”
Laughter felt good. His hands untying her warm bathrobe felt better.
When he pulled the white cotton off her body and kissed her shoulder, she let him. “Bethy, you forgave me. I’m happy. The virginity thing always sounded great in movies, but I’m settling for the last man standing option.”
She laughed. Relating sex to a western felt like typical Nathan. “We have the rest of our lives now.” She had found her true love, or he had found her…
* * *
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A Note from the Author
I wrote this novella years ago, long before I met my husband or had my baby. I was once endlessly dating and gave up on the whole thing. I never had a love to pine for back in the day, like Beth did. However I have always loved reading romances and now writing romances. My goals for the near future are a lot more books. I read and write romance because it always gave me hope that something new and better was coming if I just had the patience. (Patience and I are often at war personally. I wish I had more of it.)
Anyhow I hope you enjoyed this novella, leave a review and check out my other works.
Have an amazing day.
Victoria Pinder
Teaser Chapter from Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush
Jay Marshall pressed his lips together as he held the phone. His hands curled into a ball then straightened. He stared out his bay windows overlooking the ocean. Another beautiful day on the beaches of South Florida—not that he cared. Sunshine never filled him with joy. The humidity outside suffocated the spirit, but somehow, with this deal, he’d break free.
“Yes, you’ll see I mean business, Mr. Danvers. My business plans are long-term.”
Danvers sucked in his breath, as if he doubted the sincerity of Jay’s words, then told Jay, “And I’ll meet your girlfriend. It’s always telling with people from Miami. Flashy women and cars do not make good investments on my end.”
Jay gritted his teeth and tugged at his free ear, but kept the phone on the other. Miami advertised plastic women on the highway as a special brand. Flashy came with the area code. Instead he nodded and told the potential investor, “I understand. See you next week.”
He hung up the phone and stared out the window. The brightness showed his reflection and his grim frown. Jay needed to win. His eyebrows squished together. He’d pay the price for success. He had no other choice.
Jay’s mind raced to his technical girlfriend. Eva was the epitome of flashy, beautiful, and fake. She’d been a friend since high school, and two months ago, they ended up dating. On paper the award-winning dramatic actress, his money, and their history should be a match. Yet he couldn’t imagine his entire life videotaped.
If he walked away from her, there would be no regrets. His investors hoped he had a nice, sweet woman on the side. His cousin, Sandra, and her friend, Penelope, flashed in his head before he dropped the thought.
He pushed his hand on the glass window before he stepped back into the shadows of his office.
Darkness didn’t suit him either. Nothing stirred inside him anymore, though he craved something. Anything other than boredom from the sticky heat of his life.
He shook his head and poked his head out of his office. His secretary sat there typing. “Call Eva. Set up an appointment for us to talk today.”
With the click of the doorknob, he rolled up his sleeves. He needed the deal to put his goals in line with his investment portfolio.
His eyes narrowed in on the first words: long-term growth.
“Long-term” read to his eyes like a rescue rope. He blinked. Life should be lived with long-term goals to reach. Freedom meant change.
Today, he’d break up with Eva. He’d always hoped for a woman that tugged at his heartstrings. But hopes didn’t earn freedom. He’d prove to himself, and the others, that John Jay Marshall came out of the game of life on top.
If you want to read the full, check out,
Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush
Also by Victoria Pinder
Returning for Valentine’s (FREE if you go to my website)
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Secret Baby
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Secret Wish
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Winter Peril
Stormy Peril
The Collins Brothers
Chaperoning Paris
Borrowing the Doctor
Electing Love
Keeping the Spy
Keeping the Captain
The Marshall Family Saga
Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush
Favorite Coffee, Favorite Mistake
Favorite Coffee, Favorite Sin
Favorite Coffee, Favorite Scandal
The Hawke Fortune
Tempting Gabe
Tempting James
Tempting Conner
Tempting Harry
Tempting Navid
Royals of Avce
Forbidden Crown
Forbidden Royal
Forbidden Prince
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Then if you also like Science Fiction/Fantasy Romance
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion. She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.
Visit my website and download a free novel
www.victoriapinder.com
victoria@victoriapinder.com