by Traci Hall
“Americans. Always in such a rush,” he whispered, teasing her with light kisses along her throat. He inched his hand, his fingers, lower. Lower. Hovering over her before gently pressing down against her.
She moaned and lifted her hips, overcome with desire.
“All right, my love.” He slid her panties down, throwing them to the side, and let her help free himself of his briefs. The golden length of him left her speechless and she reverently caressed his shaft, rubbing her thumb over the tip. Back and forth, getting to know the velvety feel of his flesh in her palm. His breath hitched, his eyes half-closed in pleasure.
“Enough,” he growled, pressing her back against the bed, his hand on her hip, then in one swift motion, his cock between her legs.
Sarah cried out, flooded by sensation. Franco filled her, touched her, invaded her. Wave of pleasure from the inside out made her quiver. And yet she craved more of him. No, not more, all—she wanted all of Franco.
He pumped deeply into her, his motions controlled to keep her coming, to lengthen her pleasure. He leaned on one elbow, his hand buried in her hair as he continued. Stroke. Stroke. “You are so beautiful, Sarah.”
She lifted her hips in rhythm with his. He made her feel like a goddess. One of the sexy ones with all of the power. She kept her eyes closed, swept away by his skill as a lover. The raging fire they built together.
Unbelievable, that she was rising again. The pinion of his hips bringing her higher. Higher still.
One, two three.
Sarah cried out in ecstasy, opening her eyes to memorize the look on Franco’s face, the intensity of his coming as he ground into her welcoming body.
He held her close as they came down in a slow spiral.
Franco, his hand still tangled in her hair, dropped his forehead forward on the pillow, nestled next to her shoulder.
“Thank you,” Sarah said, her heart racing as she ran her finger down his strong back. He lay on his stomach, half on her, half on the mattress.
“For what?” he mumbled.
“For showing me what they’re always talking about in Cosmo. I’ve never had fireworks before.” She kissed his jaw, his mouth. “Not like that.”
Franco lifted himself up, his hand still caught in her hair, as if it anchored him to her and he didn’t want to let go. “What you and I just felt cannot be found in Cosmo.”
*****
She looked like a siren, corn silk hair spread out on the pillow, her eyes at half-mast, dilated with pleasure. With the secret knowledge that made women sexy as hell. Sarah amplified the look, secure and confident in her ability to please.
As she laughed at him, caressing him, Franco fell for her, hard. His heart opened wide, realizing she was genuine. Sincere.
There were no games with Sarah. Just give and take, as equals. She claimed they were in different leagues but he didn’t see that. True, he had more money. What was money but a means to an end?
Franco pulled his hand free of Sarah’s hair, slowly, memorizing the texture. The scent of coconut shampoo. He only had one complication in a relationship with Sarah, and that was his daughter.
He would never put Bella in harm’s way. But Bella saw the goodness in Sarah, too. Probably before he did, since he’d been so angry about the citation. But now? Franco admitted to himself that while he’d been hesitant over opening his heart, it was too late. Sarah was already inside. In his mind, he imagined them together. A perfect fit.
Sitting up, he pulled her with him so they were face to face. He leaned over and kissed her, just because he could, the velvety texture of her mouth addicting. “We should go slow.” If he had his way, Sarah would move up to the Penthouse this afternoon. For Bella’s sake, to let her get used to the idea, they would go out on dates. Separate, but also as a trio.
Sarah blinked, the confidence in her gaze vanishing. “Slow?” She backed up until she hit the bamboo headboard. “I never said I wanted a relationship with you, Franco.”
Hurt, he narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“We can stay friends.” Her voice was brittle.
His gut clenched and he reached for the sheet. Always this talk about being friends. “With benefits?”he ground out. Had she just used him?
Sarah flushed. Because she was naked, he saw that the rose color started between her breasts and moved upward to her cheeks. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this again,” she whispered.
“Let me understand you. We had an amazing, explosive encounter and yet you do not want to make love again?”
“I do want to,” she said, her hair soft around her angry face. “But I can’t. I thought I could handle you, and me, without...” She cleared her throat and patted her chest. “Taking it slow?” Sarah blinked quickly.
“I just meant,” he said, wanting to explain. Realizing he’d hurt her. He wanted Sarah in his life, but he was a package deal.
She interrupted him, pulling the comforter up to her breasts. “People in my world don’t just hop on a plane to go check out a restaurant. We don’t decide to buy an entire litter of puppies because we don’t know which one we like the best. We don’t order one of everything on the menu for lunch. We won’t work out, you and I. You’re smart to see it. I thought that maybe...”
“I said go slow, Sarah, not stop!” Franco lifted one finger, on the defense. How in the hell was this going so wrong?
She tightened her mouth and looked away.
“There are benefits to having money. Spending it on what I like is my prerogative. I refuse to apologize for that.” What kind of woman didn’t like nice things? Or want a man who could treat her like a queen? Sarah was different. Independent. Proud.
She would never abandon her family.
“You have Bella, and she is—as she should be—the light of your life. People have needs, and we satisfied those. That doesn’t mean,” Sarah faltered, making Franco wonder how much she believed the crap she was spouting, “That we need to have anything more than a friendship. I mean, I really appreciate your help with the dog treats.”
“I haven’t done anything.” He felt cold, shut out. Mad. “You won’t let me help you.”
“You have helped, Franco.”
“How?” He had the contacts to make her a household name if she would just swallow her pride.
“Your offer to carry them in your store?” Sarah twisted her hair back over her shoulder, her gaze not fogged with lust now, but clear with determination. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
She thought he was the kind of guy to back out of an arrangement just because she wouldn’t have a relationship with him? Angry, he said in harsh tones, “I understand that you need the roof, Sarah.”
She winced, tucking the comforter tight around her body. “If I don’t get that roof taken care of within the next two weeks, then I lose the warehouse. My Pet Rescue business. Everything that I’ve worked so hard for will be gone.”
Was it an American thing to spend an afternoon with a lover, and then talk about business in bed? Franco didn’t like it. And he could fix it. Why didn’t she see that? He reached out and gently traced her arm with his finger.
“I want you in my life, Sarah. I will give you the money to repair your roof. So stop worrying, querida. It will be done tomorrow.”
She sucked in a ragged breath. Her green eyes turned wide, and her face paled. “You can’t buy me, Franco.” She pulled away from him, scooting to the opposite edge of the bed.
What? He read the digital clock next to Sarah’s bed. “Shit. I’ve got to go.” Bella would be out of school in fifteen minutes. He hated leaving on such a note. “I’m already late.” He saw that she was barely holding back tears, and assumed she was not pleased about his offer to pay for her roof.
“I’m sorry.” He apologized, hoping that would give him time to fix this situation—later.
“Don’t be.” She swallowed and slid her gaze to the bedroom door. “Just, go.”
He got out of the bed and slid his briefs and jeans on,
picking up his shirt and clutching it in one fist so that he didn’t actually punch something.
“Sarah.” His heart ached, willing her to see how he really felt. Not the words that came out of his mouth, thoughtless words.
She stayed on the bed without saying anything refusing to even look at him.
“I’ll call you later,” he said.
“Don’t.”
Chapter Seventeen
Franco picked up Bella in the Ferrari, which was a treat since he normally drove her around in the Volvo, or what he thought of as the silver tank.
“Daddy!” Bella climbed in, worry on her face. “You were late.”
“I’m sorry, honey.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’m here now.”
Switching moods, she said excitedly, “We get to drive the sports car. Did you like the puppies? Did you get a black one? Where is Sarah? What is that smell? Pizza?”
Laughing eased his tension and he allowed his daughter’s rambling to distract him from Sarah, and Sarah’s rejection of anything besides friendship. He would not be friends with her. Only friends. He wanted more. He wanted it all. How to get past her pride?
“Sarah and I had Italian food for lunch.” He waved at the principal and left the parking lot. “Take a big sniff. Know what it is?”
Bella inhaled deeply. “Garlic?”
“Good job.” She was likely to have the discerning palate his mother handed down to him. “I have some leftovers that I think you might like.”
“Where is Sarah?”
“She had work to do. She can’t just play all the time with you.” Or me.
“I hope you at least found a black puppy.” Bella’s lower lip jutted out.
“We did find one that we liked, but remember, they are for sale at the store.”
“I know. I just get to pet them until they find their new home. Like Sarah’s shelter.”
God, was every conversation going to lead back to his elusive temptress? “Paisley will need to be walked as soon as we get home. Do you have homework?”
“I do. Spelling. But I got a hundred percent on my math test!”
“Well done, princess. That might deserve a small ice cream cone. Or would you rather have a caramel apple?”
Bella rubbed her stomach. “Mmmm. I don’t know yet what my stomach wants.”
“All right.” He tugged on one of her long, dark braids and pulled into the underground parking of their condo. “We can walk Paisley downtown and stop in at the store to tell Myra about the new puppies.”
“Yes!” She shouted, pumping her small fist in the air. “New puppies.”
They parked and Franco wondered if Sarah was right that they were better off ending an affair now. Adding her into his life would change things. Maybe Bella was better off getting his one on one attention. He’d never been late to pick up his daughter before.
He’d never left a woman in tears in bed before.
Uncertainty rattled him and he strode into the elevator, stepping back to let Bella push the button to go up. “When do we get to pick up the new puppy? I want to go. In the sports car, vroom, vroom.” She spun around inside the elevator like a brunette top.
“Next week. But we have to get the okay from Dr. Wilton first. Just to make sure.” He’d been impressed with the Brownings set up and liked their policies regarding the puppies. They’d even passed Sarah’s eagle eye, so he anticipated no problems from his own vet.
“Can we name her Blackie?”
“We are not keeping her, Bella. Paisley is enough.”
“I know, Daddy,” his daughter said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. She was plotting something, he was pretty sure.
They got off on their floor and Bella raced to the door. He unlocked it, and his daughter zoomed to Paisley’s crate. Had he ever had so much energy?
Could be the wine, food and sex this afternoon had zapped his strength.
No regrets. But he could sure use a cup of coffee.
“Come on, Bella. Do you have Paisley’s leash?”
*****
Sarah searched for her phone as it rang, hoping it wasn’t Franco. She’d hated that wounded look in his eyes as he’d apologized. Wanting to go slow, sure, maybe she could have gotten past his off-the-cuff remark. She understood he had a daughter, for heaven’s sake.
But telling her not to worry, he wanted her in his life? For how long? A week? A month?
And don’t worry, baby, I’m paying for your roof? Sarah scrubbed tears from her eyes.
I can’t be bought.
It was painfully clear that they were worlds apart, despite the incredible pleasure they’d shared. Sniffling, she found her phone on the floor by the front door where it must have fallen when she’d dragged Franco inside.
She picked it up and saw Martin’s smiling face. “Hey,” she answered, trying for cheerful and hoping to hide her tears.
“What’s wrong?” Martin asked, honing in on her mood. He was good that way.
“Nothing. How’s it going? Did you get the cat out of the pool?”
“Of course.” He snorted. “Can I drop the truck off? I still don’t understand why Franco didn’t bring you to the office.”
“He was running late and I had a head ache.” I made a mistake.
Martin paused, as if pondering her words and weighing them for truth.
“I can jog over, if it’s out of the way,” Sarah said to distract him. Another plus in the small town column was nothing was ever too far.
“It’s hot as Hades, so don’t you dare.” He sighed. “I’ll bring the fur-babies over too. It’s been quiet, so your mom went home an hour ago.”
“Thank you for taking on today for me.”
“You should let me do it more often.”
Why didn’t she? Oh yeah. Money. If things were short, she ate peanut butter and crackers. She couldn’t stiff her employee. “Thank you, Martin. As we get busier, you know that I will.”If the whole thing didn’t come crashing around her.
“Courtney called. About the fundraiser? She said we can do a carwash and barbecue in our parking lot. She asked that you call her, about the roof. I swear I didn’t bring it up.”
A bad feeling rumbled in her stomach. “All right. I’ll do it now.”
“See you soon.” Martin hung up.
Sarah stared at the phone, knowing she had to call Courtney. Knowing it wouldn’t be good news regarding the extension.
If she had the kind of money Franco tossed around on a whim, she wouldn’t have any worries about keeping her business running. Getting a roof. Protecting the unwanted pets in the world. She shook her head, knowing she would rather fold Pet Rescue than take his cash. She would find another way.
If her life was centered around making money, she would’ve stayed in school to be a vet. Married. Sarah had chosen her path, and she just had to stick with it. Sometimes it was damn hard.
She dialed Courtney’s number and let it ring.
“Hey!” Courtney said, out of breath. “I called you earlier.”
“Yeah, I just spoke to Martin. He said something about the roof?”
There was a long moment where Sarah could hear her heart beat in her eardrums before Courtney said, “I talked to Randall Wallace. He told me that we have a PetGiant that wants to move in. Your warehouse is the perfect size.”
A PetGiant? A big chain, in their little town by the sea? “I thought that was against the community feel.”
“They’ve agreed to follow the standard design, and blend in with the other buildings.” She coughed and then cleared her throat. “It’s a lot of money for the city.”
“But the building is mine. My business provides a service.”
“That’s true. Sort of. The building was sold to you very inexpensively, with the caveat that you would get the roof fixed within six months. We extended that to one year, which is up in two weeks. The council can’t extend it again. I’m sorry, Sarah. You know I voted against it.”
Sara
h bowed her head. Could today get any worse? “I’ll figure it out.”
“There is a lot of money at stake for the city,” Courtney explained. “Randall is pressuring all of the businesses to up their bottom line.”
Not one to stay down for long, Sarah’s mind raced ahead. “I need to make this fundraiser rock.”
“I’ll help where I can.”
“That won’t piss off the powers that be?” Randall Wallace had inherited the town a while back, and wasn’t as savvy a manager as his father had been. He didn’t hold with the same vision, either, being more concerned with money.
“We are all about hometown community,” Courtney said. “Just read the city brochure. I can’t tell anybody about the proposed PetGiant, and neither can you. But I want you to get that new roof. Come on down and pick up the paperwork you need for the fundraiser. A car wash will rally the community.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Sarah hung up. She’d ridden an endorphin high, safe in Franco’s arms. Now, she’d crashed and it took all she had to crawl into the shower.
Her sensitive skin was too tender, her heart bruised by what couldn’t be. Ignoring feelings that left her vulnerable, Sarah focused on what she could physically change. Car wash? Yuck, but she’d spread the word and get donors for raffle prizes. Martin would have to run the barbecue. There was no way she would let Franco help her now. She didn’t even want him to carry the treats in his store.
She would sell those dog treats door to door if she had to.
Dressing in black shorts and a fitted t-shirt, Sarah was ready to go by the time Martin arrived.
She gave the dogs bacon treats, pet them, and turned to Martin. “Want some water or iced tea?”
“No, ma’am.” He scrutinized her from head to toe. “There is something different about you,” he said, tapping his lower lip.
“My hair is down,” Sarah said, trying to throw him off track. “I talked to Courtney. We’re going to need every woman we know who looks good in a bikini to come help at the car wash. Next Saturday. If we don’t get the money, I lose my business.” Sarah blinked before she cried. No crying. Just do it.