by Unknown
Paige’s and Trent’s first meeting a week ago had been brief and a bit awkward, but it was a start. Her inviting him went a long way toward Mrs. Albright’s dream that one day all of her children would be together.
Straightening, Paige allowed Zachary to lead her to the bottom of the raised, curved platform. The minister stepped forward and said, “If there is anyone here who has reason that this man and this woman should not marry, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”
Rio, one of Shane’s two best men, cleared his throat. Shane cut him a look, saw Blade, his other best man, elbow Rio. Paige glared at Rio. So did her matron and maid of honor, Jackie and Gayle. Shane almost laughed. During the rehearsal, Paige had overheard Rio ask Shane if he was sure he wanted to get married. She’d marched up to a man who made grown men run and told him to mind his own business. The two had stared at each other until Rio had dipped his head slightly.
“Who gives this woman?”
“I do,” Zachary answered. Kissing Paige on the cheek, he took his seat with his mother.
Shane descended the steps to Paige. “I love you,” he whispered softly, then took her arm to face the minister. He couldn’t wait to marry the woman he loved more than life.
The double-ring ceremony was beautiful and everything Paige dreamed. Her hand trembled slightly as Shane slid on the platinum wedding band next to the flawless pearl-and-diamond engagement ring he had given her the day after he asked her to marry him. His wedding band was platinum as well. Both bands had their initials and wedding date engraved.
The elegant reception was absolutely perfect, with cobalt-and-white flower arrangements on each table, tulle-covered chairs, Waterford crystal and flatware, and hand-engraved table assignments. The wedding invitations had been hand-engraved as well.
For the reception she’d changed into a cobalt-sequined tulle knee-length dress with ivory grosgrain trim so she could move more freely. The tears didn’t start to fall until she and Shane danced for the first time as man and wife.
Occasionally it remained difficult to believe that she had somehow captured the heart of her very own Black Knight. He was everything she had dreamed of—intelligent, loyal, courageous. He made her feel safe and cherished. He always thought of her needs first. Aware of her pending inheritance, he’d insisted on a prenup for her benefit. She’d refused and kissed him into a good mood.
Knowing that she didn’t want to move and leave her mother, Shane resigned as head of security and communications for Blade and opened his own computer security firm near her office building downtown. His business was thriving, but they’d promised each other that, no matter what, they would be home by nine and never sleep apart.
They’d purchased a house—French in style with lots of rustic beams and weathered stucco on a wooded hill not far from her mother. Her life was absolutely perfect.
Shane kissed the tears away. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
She smiled up at him. “Every time you look at me.”
His eyes darkened. “How much longer?”
Paige didn’t flush or look away. She wanted to be alone with him just as much. “Probably an hour or two at the least.”
“I thought so.” He kissed her on the lips. “You’re worth waiting for.”
Paige laid her head on his chest. What if she wasn’t? What if she was a dud in the lovemaking department?
“Paige?”
She forced a smile and lifted her head. “Yes?”
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
He was too perceptive, but they were surrounded by over three hundred people. She bit her lip.
His head dipped, he whispered in her ear. “You belong to me. Trust me on this. It’s going to be a night to remember.”
She shivered, not from fear, but from anticipation. She kissed his chin. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Why do you think we’re staying at the Carrington Estate for two days before we take off to Monte Carlo?”
Paige’s body heated. “Maybe we can leave in an hour.”
Shane laughed and swung her around in a circle. She laughed back. With Shane, she never had to be afraid of anything. She wouldn’t forget again.
Shane carried Paige into the elaborate wedding suite, kicking the door shut with his foot. Before the sound died, his hungry mouth was on hers. When he lifted his head, they were both breathing hard.
“I guess I should go change,” Paige said.
“I guess.” He set her to her feet.
Smiling up at him, she turned her back. “Could you unzip me please?”
Shane caught the tab and slowly inched it down to reveal fragrant, flawless skin. His breath hitched. He pressed a kiss against the elegant curve of her back, felt her shiver. “You’re so perfect.”
“I won’t be but a minute,” she said, slipping through the connecting door to the bedroom.
Shane removed his tie, shrugged off his coat, and saw the serving cart. On it was a note from Rio in what amounted to a monumental event. “Just in case.”
Shane lifted the three domes to find an assortment of fruits, meats, and cheeses. A bottle of champagne was nearby. Rio was putting his stamp of approval on Paige. Just before the wedding he’d whispered to Shane that Alisha had decided she no longer liked living in Atlanta.
Russell no longer lived in Atlanta, either. He had been demoted and reassigned to his company’s St. Louis office. The Beijing delegation hadn’t liked his high-handed, pompous attitude. He’d cost his firm millions of dollars and was paying the price.
The bedroom door opened and Shane’s breath caught again. Paige stood framed in a white gossamer negligee. His body stirred, hardened. He hoped he could take it as slow as he needed to for her first time.
“You ordered food?”
“Rio,” he answered, going to her.
She smiled up at him as he pulled her into his arms. “That was nice of him. I think we’re going to be fine. We have something in common. We both love you.”
“Rio is a good man, but he’s not into love,” Shane said. “At least not yet.”
Her head tilted to one side. “No offense, but it will take a very special and fearless woman to get him.”
Shane smiled at her. “Blade and I were lucky. Rio will be as well. You didn’t eat much at the reception. You hungry?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.” Her hands began unbuttoning his pleated white shirt.
“You’re sure you don’t want to eat or have a glass of champagne first?” Shane asked, although food was the farthest thing from his mind.
She jerked his shirt out of his pants, ran her hands lightly over his chest, then pressed a kiss to his bare skin, swept her tongue over his nipple.
He sucked in his breath so hard he felt dizzy. “Guess not.”
She looked at him with love and trust shining in her gray eyes. “You said I’d know when it was time. I don’t want to wait another moment, another second to truly be yours.”
“Good, because I’m holding on by a thread here.” His mouth captured hers. His tongue probed and searched the sweet interior of her mouth, then moved to the tempting curve of her cheek, her shoulder, finding the lace of her robe.
Slowly, he slid the material off one shoulder, dropping kisses on her smooth bare skin, then repeated the process on the other shoulder. Her skin was like silk velvet, soft and beckoning.
He stared down at her looking so trustingly up at him, her breathing growing more labored, and hoped he could hold it together long enough to make this special for her. But she tempted him as no woman ever had. The long lace gown cupped her high rounded breasts. He almost groaned on seeing the outline of her nipple, the dark shadow between her legs.
His breathing unsteady, he picked her up and headed for the bedroom. He didn’t stop until he was by the bed. The need to touch her, to taste, to be inside her body was overwhelming. He took one, then another slow breath until he was sure he had his emotions under control. He placed he
r gently on the wide bed.
For a long moment, he just stared at the woman he would love for a lifetime. Tossing his shirt aside, he toed off his shoes, unfastened and unzipped his pants.
All the time she watched him with unblinking eyes. “You’re so beautiful.” Leaning up, she ran her hand lightly over his chest. Air hissed out of his lungs. “I’m glad your head finally listened to your heart.”
“No more than I am.” He went down on the bed, drawing her under him. “Thank you for loving me, for trusting me.” The words were barely out of his mouth before one hand palmed her breast, molding it, and his mouth took hers again. Then he moved purposefully downward. He wanted to touch and taste every inch of her.
He pulled the gown over her full, firm breasts. His eyes narrowed at the tempting sight. Dipping his head, his teeth and tongue stroked the nipple to hardness.
Paige twisted restlessly under him, feeling the sucking sensation in the core of her body. She burned. Caught between passion and need, she ached helplessly against him. His hand palmed the other breast, rubbing the sensitive peak between his fingers, then moved to the junction of her thighs to cup her woman’s softness.
It wasn’t enough. She whimpered, twisted, trying to increase the contact.
“Lift your hips.”
She quickly complied. He pulled the gown off with one smooth motion. With her body clamoring for release, she never thought to be embarrassed. She stared up at Shane to gauge his reaction to seeing her naked for the first time. His eyes were dark, intense with passion. And she was the reason.
His breathing quickened. She was as perfect as he had imagined. He couldn’t wait to taste all of her. Quickly he finished undressing and came back to her. He kissed his way down her elegant torso, the smooth dip of her navel, the inside of her taut thigh, the dimple behind her knee, the arch of her foot.
“Sh-Shane.” Paige whimpered his name, wanting more, but not knowing how to ask for it.
He came back up, taking her hips in his hands, positioning her. He kissed the most intimate part of her. Her hands shoved at his head, then she clutched him, opening for him.
Her cries of pleasure urged him on. He felt her stiffen, her hands clasping his head. Coming to his knees, his hands cupping her hips, he thrust into her wet, waiting heat. The fit was tight and perfect. She clenched around him.
“Shane!” She cried out his name as her body spasmed in an orgasm that went on and on.
He thrust again and again until she was with him once more, her body hungry and needy again. Her legs wrapped around his waist; her head thrashed on the pillow. His mouth found hers, his tongue imitating the motion of his hips. Clinging to him, she matched him thrust for thrust.
She moaned with mindless pleasure. Each time he moved, he rubbed against her sensitive breasts, arousing her even more. Feeling him inside her, filling her, loving her was almost too much, too good.
He loved her. It was deep and hot and immensely pleasurable. Soon she felt the tightening of her body. She grasped him to her, felt him surge into her, the tempo increasing until she was spinning, reaching for completion again. She cried out his name. They went over together.
His breathing labored, his body spent and immensely satisfied, Shane rolled to one side, pulled Paige against him, then he tilted her chin up. Her eyes were closed but the blissful expression on her face made him want her all over again. “Are you all right?”
Her eyes opened. Love and happiness and a little devilment stared back at him. “The way you love me, I’m more than all right. You said this would be a night to remember and I’d say we’re off to a good start.”
Shane laughed and hugged her. He was the luckiest man alive. “And I’d never break my word to my woman, my wife.”
“Good.” Paige climbed on top of him. “I’ll hold you to that.”
Turn the page for a sneak peek at
Francis Ray’s next Grayson Friends novel
Nobody But You
Winter 2009
Cameron prayed for the right words. How did he explain to a four-and-a-half-year-old that his father had “found” him? At least Caitlin hadn’t claimed he was dead. “Your mother and I wanted to talk to you about something very important.”
Joshua looked from one to the other. “I won’t play in the fountain or go down to the lake unless an adult is with me. I remember.”
“I know you won’t,” Caitlin said. “This is about—” She paused, bit her lip.
“Your father,” Cameron finished for her. Dragging it out certainly wasn’t helping anyone.
“You know my daddy?” Joshua asked, his small voice filled with wonder.
“Yes,” Cameron answered.
Joshua, his eyes round with excitement, jumped up from his chair and went to stand in front of Cameron. “Where is he? Can you take me to him?”
Things were moving too fast for Caitlin. “You remember I said that your father loved you, but we decided we didn’t love each other and we went to live separate lives, that we didn’t know how to find each other?”
“Did he find us?” he asked his mother. Her mouth trembled, but she didn’t say a word.
“I’m your father, Joshua,” Cameron answered quietly, his voice unsteady.
Joshua looked at him as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what he’d just been told.
Caitlin knew it was time. “He’s your father, Joshua. He’s found you.”
“You’re my father?” Joshua asked, his voice as unsteady as his father’s had been earlier.
Cameron swallowed, and swallowed again. “Yes, son. I’m sorry it took me so long to find you, but I’m here now and I plan to stay.”
“Daddy!” the boy launched himself at Cameron, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck. “I knew you’d come! I knew it! I told Mommie you’d find us one day, and you did.”
Over Joshua’s head, Cameron caught Caitlin’s strained features. If he didn’t miss his guess, she was just beginning to realize how much she’d deprived Joshua. Knowing Caitlin’s tender heart, it wouldn’t be easy for her to accept.
Hefting Joshua up with one arm, Cameron stood and asked, “You about ready to see my race car?”
“Wow.”
Cameron smiled. He was fast learning that “Wow” was Joshua’s favorite word when he was excited. “Caitlin, do you need to get anything before we leave?”
“Maybe he should go another day.” She stood as well, her hands curled into tight fists.
Cameron thought he knew why she was apprehensive. “I’ve already alerted the crew we were coming. No practice race is scheduled for today. We’ll have lunch afterwards.”
She was living her greatest fear. How could she save her baby? “He’s probably tired from the trip. Maybe tomorrow.”
Cameron set Joshua on his feet. “I left my cap on the dresser in my room. Could you please go get it for me?”
“I’ll get it, Daddy.” Joshua took off running.
Cameron had to swallow. Daddy. He’d never in his wildest imagination thought Caitlin might be carrying their child. They’d always used protection. As soon as Cameron heard his son’s footsteps pounding on the stairs, he stepped closer to Caitlin. “Today, Caitlin. Putting it off won’t change anything. I want to show Joshua the stock car, introduce him to my crew.”
“I—”
“I’m leaving in ten minutes, and when I do, Joshua is going to be with me.”
“I don’t want that life for him,” she said, her voice trembling.
“That’s not for you to decide.”
Joshua came running back into the room with the cap. “Here it is, Daddy.”
Daddy. Emotions clogged his throat again, then laughter escaped. Cameron scooped Joshua up in his arms, took the cap, and put it on his son’s head. “That way I won’t lose it again.”
“You coming?” Cameron asked. “I need to work on the script.” She tried to smile and failed miserably.
“Thank you.” He knew what it cost her to let her son go with
out her. She’d walk through hell for Joshua. He didn’t agree with her decision to keep Joshua’s birth a secret, but he knew she had done it out of fear, not malice.
To let him go without her to a place she feared said a great deal about her love for Joshua. She was putting his needs above her own. She wanted them to have this time together.
“We’ll be back for lunch and go out to dinner,” Cameron promised. Walking over to Caitlin, he leaned Joshua toward her. “Kiss your mother good-bye, and tell her you love her so we can go.”
Joshua dutifully leaned over, put his arms around his mother’s neck, and kissed her on the cheek. “Good-bye, Mommie. I love you.”
Her arms clung to Joshua for a moment before she stepped back. “You mind, Ca—your father.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Cameron wished he could get his own hug. Heck, he wanted the kiss as well. “He’s safe with me. He’ll never be out of my sight.”
“I know,” she said. Her voice trembled, and she blinked rapidly.
He started from the room, then pivoted and came back to her. He didn’t ask, didn’t pause. He simply curved his hand around her neck and brought her lips to his. She gasped in shock, allowing his tongue to thrust inside her, swirl, taste the heady sweetness that was uniquely hers, and maple syrup.
Joshua’s giggles brought him back to his senses. The kiss had been an impulse, but no less enjoyable. From the flare of desire in her dark eyes, she had enjoyed it as much as he had.
“You looked as if you needed that.” His gaze narrowed on her moist lips again. “I’d forgotten how—”
He abruptly stopped. Caitlin’s wide eyes were now fastened on Joshua, who was studying his parents with interest. “We’ll be back by lunch.” This time when he started from the room, he never paused.
Don’t miss the first novel in
the Grayson series