His large hand took her face and held it gently. “Look at me, darling.” Her lids fluttered before she complied. “I love you.” And he did love her. He’d loved her for so long that he couldn’t remember when he hadn’t. “Tonight it can only be you and I,” he whispered, “because I will not make love to you if I have to share you with someone in your past.”
Rhianna knew to whom he was referring. A part of her would always love Errol. But he was her past and Emery was her present. “You can’t expect me to exorcise him completely from my heart.”
Emery kissed the end of her nose. “I’d never ask you to, Rhia. Errol was my brother and my twin. I’ll love and miss him until the day I die. He came between us when he was alive. But I don’t want it to happen again now that he’s gone.”
She trailed her fingers down the side of his face. “He won’t,” she whispered, “because this time I won’t let him.”
Emery’s hand grazed her hip and a delicious shiver of wanting raced through her. He licked the corners of her mouth as she tried capturing his darting tongue. His tongue was everywhere—her hair, eyes, mouth, and the base of her throat. She arched her back off the mattress when his mouth covered her breasts, his teeth tightening on her nipples until they hardened and swelled to bursting. She felt drugged by his scent, the power in his hard body and the strong pulsing against her mound.
His hand had trailed up between her thighs, his touch leaving her core wet and throbbing. “Emery,” she sobbed, the harsh uneven rhythm of her breathing signaled she was going over the edge.
Emery felt the bite of Rhianna’s fingernails on his shoulders. He shifted her body, reached over and removed a condom from the drawer of a bedside table. He opened the foil packet and slipped the latex sheath over his aroused flesh.
His knees parted hers as he positioned his hardness at the entrance to her femininity. “Do this with me, baby.”
Rhianna opened her legs wider, gasping softly as she felt her flesh stretching until it closed around Emery’s sex. They lay joined, not moving and taking pleasure in their oneness. Tears welled up behind her eyelids as a feeling of indescribable joy filled her heart. She loved Emery. She’d always loved him, but had been too flighty to realize it.
She’d left Shepherd because of Emery, not Errol. She’d been too afraid to show the emotions she had transferred to his brother because she feared he would reject her as he’d done all of the other girls who’d flirted shamelessly with him.
Emery pressed his mouth to the column of Rhianna’s scented neck. “You feel so good,” he crooned in a deep, quiet voice.
Her hands curled into tight fists on his back. “Don’t talk.”
He nuzzled her ear. “What do you want me to do?”
“Love me. Just love me, Emery.”
He smiled. “That, my darling, is the easiest thing anyone has ever asked me to do.”
And he did love her, moving in and out of her hot, wet body in long, powerful thrusts before slowing and rolling his hips until both were mindless with ecstasy that threatened to tear apart their very souls.
Rhianna welcomed Emery into her body, into her heart, and into her life. He did more than just satisfy a physical need. He’d touched a part of her that no man had ever come near. She could feel the heat of his body course down the length of hers, and she couldn’t control the screams of delight rushing from the back of her throat.
“Baby…oh baby…baby,” Emery chanted over and over as eruptions of erotic ecstasy hurtled him beyond the point of no return. Lowering his head, he growled out the last of his passion into the pillow cradling Rhianna’s head.
He floated back to earth and reality; an overwhelming feeling made him want to weep with joy. There had been a time when he’d prayed for things to be as they’d been before that tragic Christmas Eve—before he lost his parents and brother—before Rhianna left Shepherd. But she’d come back when his family couldn’t. For that he whispered a reverent prayer of gratitude.
Rhianna sighed audibly as the tremors inside her heated thighs and groin faded. Wrapping her arms around Emery’s head, she smiled. “It was wonderful.”
He chuckled softly. “You were wonderful.”
“You’re so right, Emery.”
“What about?”
“You are not your brother.”
Emery had no comeback as he rolled off her body and lay on his back. There was no doubt Rhianna had made a comparison as to his and Errol’s lovemaking. He’d never competed with his twin—in or out of bed.
“I believe it would be best if we didn’t mention Errol’s name in bed.”
Rising on an elbow, Rhianna stared at Emery. His expression was a mask of stone. “He’s gone, Emery, and you’re here.”
Emery knew she was right, and he wondered how long would he have to compete with a dead man for a woman they both loved. He cupped the back of her head and brushed a light kiss over her parted lips.
“How would you like to go into the city with me next weekend?”
Settling back on the pillow, Rhianna rested her head on his shoulder. “What do you have planned?”
“Have you seen Phantom of the Opera?”
“No.”
“You would like to see it?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll make a day of it. I’ll get the tickets for a Saturday matinee. Afterwards we can have dinner at Tavern on the Green before going to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. If I can convince you to spend the night with me we can go skating at either Rockefeller Center or at the Wollman Rink before we come back.”
Her fingertips traced the ridges of his pectorals and the muscles defining his abs. “When did you come up with this well thought-out plan?”
Emery caught her hand, stopping it before it moved lower. “I just thought of it. I think it’s pretty clever. Don’t you?”
Moving with the agility of a cat, she straddled him. “I think you have a swelled head.”
His flesh stirred under the softness of her buttocks. “That’s not the only thing swelling right now.”
Rhianna sprang off him, her face burning in shame. She had no idea sitting on Emery would arouse him so quickly. “No…I mean yes, I’d love to go into the city with you.”
Throwing back his head, Emery laughed until Rhianna covered his mouth with her hand. They rolled from one side of the large bed to the other, their impromptu wrestling ending with Emery slipping on another condom and entering her in a raw act of possession that shattered them into tiny fragments of unspoken passion.
CHAPTER 9
Rhianna walked into Campy’s Sunday afternoon and stopped short. Her father sat at the counter with a pad and pencil, attempting to write with his left hand. The early morning crowd was gone, and only two diners lingered in booths reading newspapers.
She closed the distance between her and Reid, looping an arm around his neck and kissing his cheek. “The cast is coming off in three weeks, Dad.”
He turned and smiled at her. Reid Campbell was as handsome at fifty-nine as he’d been at nineteen. Tall and slender, the chef had gained ten pounds since graduating from high school, and he had lost some hair on the crown of his head, but his open and friendly disposition had remained the same.
“I wanted to see if I could sign my name using my left hand.”
Rhianna sat down next to Reid. “There’s no need for you to sign your name because I can sign checks if Mom isn’t around.”
Reid’s smile faded as his dark slanting eyes narrowed. “For how long, baby girl?”
“How long what?”
“Are you going to stay around?”
“Dad, I’m home.”
“For how long?” Reid repeated.
“Daddy don’t—”
“Dammit! Don’t daddy me, Rhianna!”
She noticed the customers were staring at them. “Daddy, please. There’s no need to tell everyone our business,” she chided softly.
Reid gave his daughter a long, penetrating stare. “I though
t maybe with you taking up with Emery you’d change your mind and come back home.”
Her eyes widened like silver dollars. “Who told you that?”
“You did, baby girl.” Reid’s voice had softened considerably. “The word is that you and Emery left the fundraiser before the cocktail hour ended. And when you didn’t come home last night I figured you’d spent the night with him.”
Rhianna struggled to control her rising temper. “I’m a grown woman. I didn’t think I had to answer to anyone as to my whereabouts.”
“You don’t have to tell me you’re grown, but let me remind you where you are. This is a small town and folks tend to gossip.”
“What about you, Daddy? How do you feel about me and Emery?”
Reid’s expression softened, attractive lines fanning out around his eyes. “I think he’s one of the finest young men Shepherd has ever produced.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m not going to answer it. Whatever it is you feel for him you will have to figure out on your own.”
Rhianna stomped her foot as she had when she was a child. Her father could be the most exasperatingly stubborn man on the face of the earth. “Where’s my mother?”
Reid lifted his dark eyebrows. “My wife happens to be in the kitchen.”
Turning on her heels, she stalked out of the restaurant’s dining room and into the kitchen, running into Anna. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
Anna held on to her arm. “Slow down. What’s the matter?”
“Your husband knows exactly what buttons to push to make me lose it.”
“My husband or your father?”
“Both!”
Anna pulled her over to a tall stool. “Sit down and talk to me.”
Rhianna told her mother everything. About leaving the fundraiser, spending the night with Emery, how she cooked breakfast for him, and Reid’s comments about town gossip and her staying in Shepherd.
Anna hugged and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I’m glad you found someone you like being with. But, I have to agree with your father about the gossip. I want you to remember that not only are people talking about you, but also Emery. Even after you leave and go back to Los Angeles, he still has to live here. And since he ended his engagement with that girl he met in veterinary school, no one has ever seen him with another woman. That means he’s managed to keep his private life very private.”
Rhianna nodded. Emery had admitted to her that he’d never date a woman who lived in Shepherd because he hadn’t wanted to invite gossip. But he was dating a woman who was living in Shepherd—even if it was for a short time.
“Why me, Mom? Why has he elected to advertise our…” Her words trailed off. What were they having—an affair, relationship or a liaison?
“I’m surprised you have to ask that question. He loves you, Rhianna. And he wants everyone to know that he loves you.”
She met her mother’s gaze, holding it. “He’s admitted to loving me.”
“Do you love him?”
“I think I do.”
“Think?”
Rhianna worried her lower lip between her teeth, knowing she couldn’t deny the evidence any longer. She had fallen in love with Emery Sutherland as a shy teenager and only accepted Errol because he was as close as she would ever get to the boy who’d captured her heart and never let it go.
“I know I love him. I’ve always loved him.”
Anna smiled that all-knowing smile parents affected. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to wait for him to make the first move.”
“I hope you don’t wait too long,” Anna mumbled to herself.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Grab an apron and help me put up a few pies.”
Rhianna knew no amount of coaxing could get Anna to open up once she decided a subject was moot. She washed her hands and reached for an apron. “What if I make a few sweet potato pies?”
Anna smiled and folded her hands on her hips. “I believe that would make a lot of folks happy.” Rhianna had earned the reputation of making the best sweet potato pies in the Hudson River Valley.
She rolled out four graham cracker and pecan crusts, filling them with whipped sweet potatoes blended with the traditional ingredients, as well as ground nutmeg, lemon zest, and ginger. She baked the pies for thirty minutes before adding a praline topping. Then they went back into the oven for an additional twenty minutes.
She baked, sautéed, and stir-fried, while Emery hammered, drilled, and tightened nuts, bolts, and installed windows. She didn’t get to see him until hours after the restaurant’s closing.
* * *
Emery shook Rhianna gently. She sat in a booth, her head resting on folded arms. “Wake up, baby.”
Her head came up, and she stared at him as if he were a stranger. “What?”
“I’m leaving. You need to set the alarm.”
Massaging her eyes with her fingertips, she moaned softly. “I must have fallen asleep.”
Cupping her elbow, Emery pulled her to her feet. “I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
All remnants of sleep vanished. “Where are you going?”
“I’m flying up to Ithaca early tomorrow morning to meet with the breeding study committee. I also have to arrange for the exchange of two ewes that haven’t come into heat.”
“Maybe they’re rams, not ewes.”
Smiling, he cradled her face. “I’m certain they’re ewes.”
“Have you thought of going back to veterinary school?”
“Yes, but I’ll have to wait until I complete the breeding study.” Lowering his head, he kissed the pulse at the hollow of her throat. “I have to go.”
Her arms circled his neck. “I’m going to miss you.”
Emery moved his mouth over hers, devouring its softness. “Me, too.”
He was there, then he was gone, leaving Rhianna staring at the space where he’d been. She told him that she’d miss him when she wanted to tell him that she loved him.
She knew it was only a matter of time before she would be forced to tell Emery what lay in her heart.
* * *
Emery sat forward on the leather seat and closed the partition between him and the limo driver. “Now, let’s see what you’re hiding under this coat,” he whispered to Rhianna.
“No.” She clutched the fur-lined silk raincoat tighter. “You’ll just have to wait until we get to the theater.”
“No,” he repeated. “Then I’m not going to be responsible for body slamming some pervert for ogling my woman.”
A slight frown appeared between her eyes, eyes accentuated with smoky gray and muted gold shadows. “When did you become a badass?”
Emery traced the delicate curve of her jaw with his finger. “The day I used brawn instead of brains to earn a living.”
Within a year of running Sutherland and Sons Contracting he doubled the small company’s projects. He satisfied all business loans, invested a portion of the profits—something his father refused to do—and, when each of his siblings graduated high school, saved enough money to cover their college expenses.
She blinked once. “You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t do what?”
“Fight.”
He angled his head, struggling to keep straight face. “Hell yeah. I don’t think you want to see me throw down.”
Rhianna stared at Emery, trying to decide whether he was serious or joking. At six-two and weighing about two-twenty, she had no doubt that he would be able to handle himself in a physical altercation. Releasing the front of her coat, she shifted, shrugging off the coat and baring her back.
Emery’s eyes bulged from their sockets. “Oh…” He swallowed the expletive poised on the tip of his tongue. An expanse of smooth dark brown skin, from the nape of her neck to the small of her back, was laid bare for anyone’s gaze.
Biting back a smile, Rhianna pulled the coat up and over her shoulders. She hadn�
�t been able to resist the garment when she went shopping with her mother. The black crepe de chine sheath dress had a squared neckline with capped sleeves and a hemline that ended midway at her calves. A front slit displayed a generous amount of leg with each step.
She peered at him over one shoulder. “Do you like it?”
Placing a hand on her stocking-covered knee, Emery leered at her. “Very much.” His hand moved up between her legs. “If your intent was to seduce me, then you succeeded.” Without warning, he cupped the back of her knees, turning her around to face him.
She let out a small yelp when he anchored her feet on his shoulders and lowered his head. “No, please no,” she gasped, as he raised her hips at the same time he lowered his head. She couldn’t believe he was going to make love to her in the back seat of a moving limousine.
The very air inside the car seemed electrified, and her whole being seemed filled with waiting for Emery to finish what she’d begun. There was no doubt the dress was made for seduction, but she’d found herself the victim of her own scheme.
Emery cradled Rhianna’s hips in his hands and pressed a kiss on the lace thong. Her legs were trembling. He inhaled her perfume and the sweet musky essence of her femininity. He kissed her again, committing her fragrance to memory.
He released her hips, pulling down the hem of her dress, and raised his head. Her eyes wide, glittered with a passion that sucked him in and would not let him go.
She wanted him!
She wanted to make love to him as much as he wanted her.
He moved to the opposite end of the wide seat and stared out the window. Rhianna Campbell was dangerous—as dangerous and potent as a narcotic. And now that he’d sampled her addictive properties he knew he could not let her go. He would do any and everything short of deliberately getting her pregnant to force her to stay in Shepherd.
* * *
Rhianna stood in the elevator, holding hands with Emery as he sung the words to “Music of the Night,” in her ear. Within minutes of the first note she knew it wasn’t the first time Emery had seen the musical.
The costumes, set decorations, and the music held sway over her from the first note until the final curtain. She barely had time to recover from the magnificence of the performance when they were back in the limo for the ride to Central Park and Tavern on the Green.
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