Rhett gave Denise’s hand a gentle squeeze. He smiled, meeting her questioning gaze. “Thank you for asking me to come with you today. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt a part of a family unit.”
“That’s because the Eatons have always thought of you as family, Rhett.”
“What about you, Denise? Can you think of me as family?”
A beat passed. “Where are you going with this, Rhett?”
“I want you to forget everything we talked about at the hotel.”
“Come with me,” Denise ordered, pulling away from the others to a corner of the patio where they wouldn’t be overheard. “Talk to me, Rhett.”
Releasing her hand, he cradled her face gently between his palms. “I’m releasing you from our agreement. I won’t double your rent, and when your lease renewal comes due it will be no more than five percent. And…and you don’t have to stand in as my hostess if you don’t want to.”
Denise blinked. “I don’t understand. What brought on this change of heart?”
Rhett wanted to tell Denise he wanted what Belinda had with Griffin, what Myles had with Zabrina and what Chandra had with Preston. He wanted to marry the woman with whom he’d fallen in love with years ago, and still loved.
“The day care center,” he said cryptically.
“What about New Visions?”
“It’s about you providing quality child care for the people who need it most. It’s about you making sacrifices in your personal life to make a difference for those less fortunate. I realized that last night when I tried to lure you away from your work to have dinner with me. Unfortunately, I let my ego get in the way of common sense.”
Denise covered his hands with hers. She’d never known Rhett to be self-deprecating, and she felt no joy in seeing him humbled. “Thank you for not increasing the rent where it would become fiscally impossible to keep the doors open.” Going on tiptoe, she pressed her mouth to his. “I’ve heard that all work and no play can make one quite dull. If you can assure me that we’ll have fun this summer then I’m more than willing to stand in as your date and hostess.”
Rhett’s smile reached his eyes, making them dance with delight. “I promise that you’ll have the time of your life.”
Chapter 7
A bartender had arrived and was busy mixing drinks for the assembly, while the caterer and his staff had set up trays of prepared foods at the far end of the patio. Twin grills were fired up to offer grill-to-order steaks, burgers and the perennial hot dogs.
Adam and his twin cousins, Sabrina and Layla, had changed into swimwear and preferred playing in the pool to eating. Chandra, who’d taken the responsibility for coordinating her sister’s baby shower, wanted everyone to eat and drink before Belinda opened her gifts.
It was as if a permanent smile was pasted on Griffin Rice’s incredibly handsome face. He’d become the consummate host, seeing to the needs of the respective grandparents Dr. Dwight and Roberta Eaton and Lucas and Gloria Rice.
Denise sat at the table between Rhett and Preston Tucker. She saw her mother’s gaze on her whenever she leaned closer to Rhett to hear what he was saying to her. Each time their shoulders touched she felt a jolt of awareness race through her to settle in the region between her legs.
He’d offered her an out but instead of running as fast as she could in the opposite direction, she’d elected to spend the summer with him to see if she could recapture some of the magic from their past. If they continued to see each other beyond the summer then she would enjoy it, but if they didn’t then she would know it wasn’t meant to be.
Her life had become so predictable that if anyone wanted to stalk her it would be very easy for them to monitor her whereabouts. Denise went from her apartment to the center, then back again. The only time her day deviated was when she attended board meetings on the two organizations where she’d become a member.
She’d made it a practice not to socialize with her staff except when it was necessary. At twenty-eight she was younger than most of the staff, and Denise didn’t want to compromise her authority by becoming too familiar with them. Age aside, it had been her hard work and a business loan that provided them with the means of collecting a biweekly paycheck.
She swallowed the last of a delicious concoction filled with fruit slices and liberally laced with rum. It tasted like Hi-C, but the effects were lethal. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on Rhett’s shoulder.
“I feel as if I’m swimming in the Bermuda Triangle.”
Cradling her hand under the table, Rhett dropped a kiss on her hair. “Poor baby can’t hang out with the grown folks,” he teased.
“You know I can’t drink.”
“That’s okay, baby. I’ll be your designated driver.”
She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “I think I like you, Rhett Fennell.”
“You think?”
“Okay. I know I like you.”
Rhett wanted to tell Denise that he more than liked her. He was in love with her. “Do you want to go inside and lie down?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m good. It’s just that I have to wait until my head stops spinning.”
Rhett looked at her plate. She’d barely touched her food. Releasing her hand, he picked up her fork and speared a forkful of potato salad. “Open your mouth, darling.”
Denise complied and over the next ten minutes she permitted Rhett to feed her, unaware of those at the table throwing surreptitious glances their way. The fuzziness in her head subsided and she took the fork from Rhett and cleaned her plate.
There was another flurry of activity when chairs were adjusted to accommodate another one of Daniel’s sons, who’d come in from Texas with his daughter instead of his wife, who was recovering from eye surgery and had been cautioned not to fly. Dr. Hyman Eaton went around the table kissing everyone while his daughter, Mia, a fourth-year medical student, hugged and kissed Belinda before resting a hand over her distended belly.
“It’s incredible that your father and his brothers all look alike,” Rhett said in Denise’s ear.
The fourth Eaton brother, Solomon, a Dade County federal prosecutor, had flown up for the day, but was scheduled to take a red-eye back to Florida later that night because he was awaiting the decision on an extortion and racketeering case that had become front-page news.
“They look like their father. The exception is Raleigh, who’s laid up with a broken foot. He looks like my grandmother. My dad and his brothers used to tease him, saying they found him on the doorstep and decided to keep him. His comeback is that he’s the only good-looking one among the bunch, so he knows he’s special. Uncle Raleigh happens to be the only one who can’t seem to make a go of his marriages. I think he’s now on his fourth wife.”
“Damn!” Rhett whispered.
“Ditto,” Denise said, laughing softly.
The sun had passed its zenith when Griffin Rice, sitting beside his pregnant wife, handed her gaily-wrapped gifts as she read the attached cards aloud before carefully and methodically removing the paper. The gifts ranged from a changing table, crib mobiles, cartons of disposable diapers, wipes, several bottle sterilizers, countless packages of socks, undershirts in varying sizes, bibs, sweaters, hats, baby monitors, crib sheets and blankets, towels and grooming supplies and a table lamp. The grandparents had shared the cost of purchasing the nursery furniture.
Denise had paid the grandmother of one of the center’s children to hand-quilt a blanket in differing shades of green and brown—the colors Belinda had chosen for the nursery. The result was a stunning piece of art. She also gave Belinda the complete set of the Little Golden Books for her to read to her son.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she chided Rhett when Griffin thanked him for the savings bond for the baby’s college fund.
Rhett glared at Denise for a full minute. “Don’t ever tell me what I can or cannot do with my money,” he said between clenched teeth.
She recoiled as if he’d struck her across
the face. “Well, excuse me.”
“You are excused, Miss Eaton.” He pressed the pad of his thumb to her lips, before he angled his head and kissed her. “Sometime that mouth of yours is going to get you into a world of hurt.”
Denise saw her brother out of the corner of her eye as he came closer. He was limping, which meant he was either in pain or tired. She touched his shoulder. “Are you all right, Xavier?”
Silky black eyes flickered slightly. “I’m good. I just came to tell you two to take that face-sucking inside. After all, there are kids here.”
“FYI—the kids are in the house playing video games. Don’t tell me you’re jealous, my favorite brother.”
Xavier smiled, revealing beautiful straight white teeth. “A little. I’m glad you guys are back together.” He slapped Rhett on the back. “Take care of my sister.”
Rhett gave Xavier a level stare. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Just don’t make me have to worry,” Xavier countered, walking away and leaving them staring at his back.
It didn’t take an IQ of genius for Rhett to realize he’d been warned and threatened. He wanted to tell the ex-soldier that he hadn’t been the one to walk out on his sister. It had been her decision to end their relationship. Denise calling his name recaptured his attention.
“What is it, baby?”
“I said I’m going into the kitchen to help my mother bring out dessert. After that we can leave whenever you want.”
Rhett nodded. “Okay.
The waitstaff had begun putting food away and cleaning up. Meanwhile Belinda had retreated into the house to lie down. Over slices of cake, pie and cupcakes, Preston and Chandra announced they were expecting and the baby was due two months after celebrating their first wedding anniversary. Myles and Zabrina added to the excitement when they revealed they were expecting their second child, a girl, at the end of September. They hadn’t said anything earlier because Zabrina had been on bed rest during her first trimester.
Denise refused to look at her mother, who was shooting daggers at Roberta, who wept openly when she realized she would celebrate the birth of three grandchildren in one calendar year.
She leaned in closer to Rhett. “As soon as I say my goodbyes, we can leave.” She wasn’t going to hang around and be forced to deal with Paulette Eaton’s histrionics.
It seemed like an eternity when she hugged and kissed her relatives. After promising Chandra she would call her, she and Rhett were able to make their escape.
Seated and belted-in with the engine running, Rhett stared at the woman seated beside him. “Give me the address of your place.” She gave it to him and he programmed it into the navigational system.
They didn’t talk during the ride from Paoli to Philadelphia. There was only the sound of music coming from the automobile’s powerful speakers to break the comfortable silence.
Denise stepped out of the elevator, Rhett following and carrying their bags, as she led him down the carpeted hallway to her apartment. She was counting down the weeks until she would be free of the responsibility of maintaining the space.
She’d continued to pay the maintenance on the co-op and rent on her D.C. apartment, because she hadn’t been able to find someone willing to buy it, until Chandra returned from a stint in the Peace Corps and offered to sublet it. Her cousin had barely moved in when a month later she vacated the co-op to live with her husband.
Denise unlocked the door and pushed it open. The scent of pine and lemon wafted in her nostrils. It was obvious the cleaning service had come by to dust and air out rooms that hadn’t been occupied in weeks. Whenever she drove to Philly to visit her parents she’d made it a practice to stay in the apartment rather than in the bedroom in the large house where she’d grown up.
Stepping aside, she smiled at Rhett. “Welcome to my humble abode,” she drawled, flipping the switch and turning on an overhead Tiffany-style hanging fixture.
Rhett entered the immaculate apartment. The light from the fixture was reflected in the high gloss of the wood floor. He set down the bags in the entryway as Denise closed and locked the door.
He didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t oyster-white walls and a living room with a white seating grouping with differing blue accessories. The living room flowed into a dining area with an oak oval pedestal table with seating for six. To the right of the dining area was a set of four steps that led directly into the kitchen.
Walking across the open space, he peered through wall-to-wall pale silk drapes to look out on the water. The Benjamin Franklin Bridge spanning the Delaware River was clearly visible from the sixth-floor apartment.
Denise joined Rhett at the window, drawing back the drapes. “I love this view, especially at sunset or after a snowfall.”
Rhett reached for her hand. “I don’t know what your D.C. apartment looks like, but this one is fabulous.”
“The one in D.C. is nice, too.”
“Why do you have two apartments?” He’d asked the question even though he knew the answer. Eli Oakes’s investigative report on Denise Eaton was very comprehensive. What he hadn’t uncovered was her relationship with the man Judge Eaton had spoken of. It was apparent her father hadn’t approved of the man.
“I own this one, but hopefully not for much longer. I have a June tenth closing date.”
“What if you don’t close?” he asked.
Denise blew out her cheeks. “Bite your tongue, Rhett. I’ve been trying to sell this place for nearly two years. Thankfully I don’t have a mortgage, so there’s just the maintenance fee. When the bottom fell out of the real estate market, banks weren’t willing to write mortgages. Some of them were asking for a third down, and for most people that’s an impossibility.
“Chandra, who’d spent two years in Belize as a Peace Corps volunteer, returned home last fall, asking to move in. I told her she could stay as long as she wanted. All she had to do was pay the maintenance. However, that lasted about a month. She’d met P.J. Tucker and hadn’t planned to marry him until this June, but he didn’t want to wait, so they had a Thanksgiving wedding.”
“Where do they live?”
“Preston has a condo in a beautiful historic neighborhood known as Rittenhouse and a country house in the Brandywine Valley.”
“If you only have to pay the maintenance, why get rid of it, Denise?”
“I can’t afford to maintain two residences on my salary.”
Rhett squeezed her fingers. “If the deal falls through, I’ll buy it from you.”
“Do you need another place to live?”
Releasing her hand, he pulled Denise close until she stood between his legs. “No. I’d used it for rental income.”
“How are you going to monitor a tenant when you live—”
Rhett kissed Denise, stopping her words and her breath. It was what he’d wanted to do the moment he saw her enter the hotel lobby. In that instant everything he’d felt and believed about her since their separation vanished, replaced by a rushing desire for a woman who’d touched him in a way no other had or probably would.
His mouth caressed hers, as he left nibbling kisses at the corners of her mouth, biting gently on her lower lip before giving the upper one equal attention. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to taste your mouth?” The admission was drawn from someplace Rhett hadn’t known existed.
Curving her arms under his shoulders, Denise pressed closer, the curves of her body fitting into the hard contours of Rhett’s body. He’d confessed that he’d wanted to kiss her when she’d wanted the same.
She’d picked at her food when they’d had dinner in The Lafayette, because whenever she’d stared at Rhett’s mouth the images of how he’d used his mouth and tongue to bring her maximum pleasure wouldn’t permit her to chew and swallow a morsel without choking.
Denise gasped when she felt Rhett’s hardening penis against her thigh. His arousal had happened so quickly that it’d shocked her. Desire brought a rush of moisture betwe
en her legs and she pressed her thighs together in an attempt to control the wet, pulsing flesh that made her feel as if she was coming out of her skin.
“Rh-ett!” His name had slipped from between trembling lips. She gasped again. One minute her feet were on the floor, then without warning Rhett had lifted her as effortlessly as if she were a small child, his arms tightening around her waist.
Denise looped her arms around his neck, holding him as if he were her lifeline. But Rhett Fennell wasn’t her lifeline but the portal to where she could revisit her past—and hopefully get it right this time.
“Where are you going?” Rhett was striding across the living room.
“Where’s your bedroom?”
“Why?”
Rhett stopped, meeting her eyes. “You’re going to have to trust me, Denise. We lost six years because you didn’t trust me, so tell me now what it is you want.”
Denise buried her face between his neck and shoulder rather than gaze into the eyes that were able to see things she didn’t want him to see. Rhett had known she’d fallen in love with him before she’d gotten up the nerve to tell him. His “I’ve known for a long time” had left her flustered and embarrassed, wondering if she’d been that transparent.
“I want us to start from the beginning, to pretend we just met and need to get to know each other better.”
Rhett smiled. “That’s not going to be easy, especially since I know what it’s like to make love to you.”
Her smile matched his. “Can’t you pretend?”
“No, Denise. That’s something I don’t want to pretend about. Where’s your bedroom?”
“It’s down the hall and on your right.”
Denise needed Rhett to make love to her, but she didn’t want him to believe that she was desperate, that she’d been sitting around waiting for him to come back into her life. He’d had the distinct advantage when he’d blackmailed her into posing as his date and hostess and she’d been ready to trade her body to save her business, but not her heart. If they were to start over it would have to be the way it’d been when they’d met as college freshmen—as equals.
Twice the Temptation Page 8