Meagan sighed again, only it was sweeter this time. “Yes, it’s special.” She angled her head, her hair spilling to the side. “If I decide to come clean to Candy and Tanner, does that mean you’re going to admit it to your mom and brothers?”
“Yes, of course, I’d tell them. I don’t think my brothers will say much about it. They don’t poke their noses into my love life. Typically, neither would my mom. She rarely even meets the women I go out with. But since this involves you, she might want to discuss it with me.”
“Do you think it will concern her?”
“She’ll probably just want to be sure that this isn’t some quickie thing that’s going to hurt either one of us. But you already know that isn’t my intention. If I had my way, I’d be taking you out on a proper date for the whole world to see.”
She smiled, her skin flushing in the light. “Then what would you do? Get me naked afterward?”
He put his plate aside. He’d devoured his pie and now he wanted to gobble her up, too. “When you put it that way.” He leaned over her. “Take a shower with me.” He nuzzled her ear. “I want to get warm and sudsy with you.”
She caught her breath. “I can’t.”
Garrett lifted his head. “Why not?”
“Because I can’t go home and pick Ivy up with my hair damp and my makeup all washed off. I said I was going to a work meeting, not a pool party.”
He skimmed her cheek. “See, now this is why you need to tell your family the truth.”
There was another hitch in her breath. “So I can go home all a mess?”
“No. So you can sleep here and let me wash your hair and smear your makeup and do all sorts of sexy things to you.” He kept leaning over her. “You should bring Ivy here to stay the night, too. You have a portable crib for her, don’t you?”
“Yes, but my daughter isn’t even sleeping at my house yet. As much as I want her to move in with me, I’m still new at being her caregiver. Sometimes I think she’s ready, and other times I can’t be sure. So I’m just tucking her into bed at Tanner and Candy’s and waiting until the moment seems right.”
Garrett looked into her eyes and saw her fear. “Why? Because you’re afraid that she’ll reject you if you try it again too soon? Do it this evening. Take her home with you.”
“She might throw a fit and cry like she did before.”
“And she might not.” He placed his hand against Meagan’s chest, stilling the choppiness in her breathing. “Isn’t it worth the risk?”
“Everything seems like such a risk now. But I guess it always did. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to keep Ivy.”
Confused by her statement, he set his plate off to the side. “What do you mean?”
“After she was born and I saw how close she’d become to Tanner and Ivy, I tried to convince them to adopt her. I even tried to push them together before they were ready to become a couple, specifically so they could become her parents. I was terrified that I could never be the kind of parent that my daughter needed. Tanner and Candy were just so good with her—”
“You’re good with her, too, Meagan. You’re amazing, in fact.”
“I wasn’t amazing in the beginning. I was afraid to hold her or touch her. It was awful, being in prison and not being able to see her every day, so I withdrew from her instead.” She pushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes. “I was treated for postpartum depression. It happens to a lot of women, and it’s especially common with new mothers in stressful situations.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“No, but plenty of other things were, like how I landed in prison to begin with. If I hadn’t stolen the money, I wouldn’t have—”
“That’s over now.”
“I’m still on parole.”
Determined to comfort her, to make it better somehow, he kissed her. She moaned beneath him and deepened the kiss, taking what he offered.
Itching for more, he unhooked her bra. It was the kind that clasped in front, making his quest easier.
He rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, making them peak. If only he could lift her up and carry her to the shower. If only they were free to explore each other in every possible way.
“Next time,” he said.
She didn’t ask him what he meant. But she seemed to understand. If she followed his advice, next time would involve the commitment of her staying the night with him, of being honest about their relationship to their families, of bringing her child to his home, of this being more than just a clandestine affair.
“Doesn’t what we’re doing scare you?” she asked.
“No.” He liked the feeling it gave him. “Being this close to you is exhilarating.”
“For me, too, but it’s changing so quickly.”
“Nothing bad is going to happen.”
“That isn’t what you said when we first got together.”
“I was just trying to protect you then.”
Her gaze locked onto his. “And you aren’t now?”
“It’s a different kind of protection now. It’s how a man and a woman should be together. Without lies, without secrets.”
“I’m still scared of going this fast.” Her words vibrated from her throat. “I’ve already had too many romantic notions about you as it is.”
“Then we’ll take it slow.”
She shook her head, but she laughed a little, too. “Says who? The big bad CEO invading my dreams?”
He pushed his hand down her panties, and she swallowed the last of her laughter.
“Is that big and bad enough for you?” he asked, shooting her his best lord-and-boss smile.
“I should have known you’d do something like that.” She pressed against his fingers, encouraging his dastardly foreplay. “You’re making me crazy.”
“Likewise.” Garrett strummed her, this beautiful lover of his.
While he made her warm and slick, she clawed the sheets. He imagined her leaving nail marks on his bedding.
Or, better yet, on his back.
Anxious to have her, he stripped her completely bare. He ditched his underwear, too, and grabbed a condom.
He plunged deep inside, and when she clawed the hell out of his back, her nails biting into his skin, he couldn’t think of anything except the way she came unglued in his arms.
Making him want her more than ever.
Ten
Meagan read a bedtime story to Ivy, just as she’d been doing for the past month. But the difference was that she’d brought Ivy to her house and put her to bed there, as Garrett had encouraged her to do.
And it was working! Ivy was in her crib with a boatload of cuddly toys, her eyelids getting heavy.
No tears. No fits.
Meagan felt like a real-life mom, and it was the most beautiful feeling in the world. Ivy looked so cute, too, in her pink pajamas and fluffy nighttime hair. She shifted onto her side and pulled one of her stuffed animals closer, as content as a two-year-old could be.
Once Ivy was asleep, Meagan put down the book and came to her feet. She turned off the main light, but she left a nightlight burning. Ivy was afraid of the dark. Meagan had been, too, when she was little. She liked the darkness now, the stars and the moon and the beauty of it.
She exited Ivy’s nursery and partially closed the door. Once she was in her own room, she listened for any sounds coming from the baby monitor in case her daughter woke up and needed her. She stayed that way for hours, even though Ivy was in deep repose.
Finally, she gathered her robe and headed for the bathroom, letting her little girl sleep like the princess she was.
Needing to unwind, Meagan filled the tub and added lavender-scented Epsom salts. Then, standing in front of the mirror, she removed her clothes and twined her hair around her he
ad, securing the thick mass with large clips.
While she soaked in the tub, she thought about her dilemma with Garrett. She’d been prepared to keep their tryst a secret. But, for all of the reasons Garrett had pointed out, it made sense to reveal the truth. Still, it was going to be tough for her to admit to her family that she was intimately involved with him. She knew darned well that Tanner wasn’t going to approve. What brother would feel good about his jailbird sister sleeping with one of the men she’d ripped off? It just sounded so...
...wrong.
Only it wasn’t, Meagan concluded. The affair had been her idea, and she still wanted to be Garrett’s lover, as much as ever. It was the speed with which their romance was unfolding that scared her. But she’d already explained that to Garrett, and he’d already told her not to worry about it.
So how wrong could it be?
She stayed in the tub until the water cooled and then slipped on her robe and returned to her room. She had a sudden urge to converse with Garrett, but since there was too much to tell him to put it in a text, she called him. She just hoped that he was available to talk.
When he answered, her heart jumped on the spot.
“What’s up?” he asked.
She replied, “All sorts of things.”
“Like what?”
She glanced at the baby monitor and smiled. Her child was making soft sounds in her sleep. “Ivy is with me tonight, snuggled up in her crib.”
“That’s awesome, Meagan. Was it easier than you thought?”
“Yes. She just dozed off, listening to a story I was reading to her, like she does when she’s at Tanner and Candy’s.”
“Congratulations, Mama.”
“Thank you.” She got into bed and put the phone on speaker. “Know what else? I decided that I’m going tell Tanner and Candy about us.” She wasn’t going to drag it out, either. “I’m going to do it tomorrow after work.”
Garrett’s voice wrapped itself around her. “If you do it tomorrow, so will I. I’ll talk to my mom and mention it to my brothers, too.”
She touched the phone, tracing the shape of it, imagining him on the other end of the line. “We’ll have to plan our next get-together at your house soon.”
“For sure. I can’t wait to be with you again.”
She wanted that, too, more than anything. “Are you going riding tomorrow? Will I get to see you at the stables?”
“Unfortunately, I’m going to be tied up in meetings all day. But you can call me tomorrow night, and we can discuss what our families said and how they reacted to our news.”
“Okay. Then I guess we should go now.” It was getting late, and they both had to work in the morning.
“Night, Meagan. I’ll be thinking about you.”
“Me, too. About you.” In her sleep, in her dreams.
When they ended the call, she removed her robe and got under the covers, with Garrett deep in her mind.
* * *
Meagan’s talk with Tanner wasn’t going well. Her brother was treating her like a child. She wanted to tell him that he wasn’t her keeper, but after everything he’d done for her, she couldn’t criticize him for reacting the way he was. Still, she wished that he would stop scolding her.
Meagan glanced at Candy in silence. Thankfully, her future sister-in-law was being supportive. Ivy didn’t have a clue what was going on. Not only was she too young to comprehend the gravity of the conversation, she was out of earshot, throwing a bouncy red ball down the hallway for the dog to fetch.
“I’m not going to let you keep seeing him,” Tanner said.
Before Meagan could respond, Candy came to her defense. “If she wants to be with him, it’s not your place to stop her.”
“The hell it isn’t.” He turned his cloudy gray eyes on Meagan. “Just because he gave you a job doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants with you. You’ve been through enough with Neil and how he controlled you. You don’t need Garrett taking hold of you, too.”
“He isn’t taking hold of me.” Except for her dizzying feelings for him, but that wasn’t something she was going to elaborate on to her disapproving brother.
“Are you sure he’s not using you?” Tanner asked.
“Yes, I’m sure. I made the first move to become more than friends.”
“Dang, Meagan.” He frowned. “Why would you do something like that?”
“Because I really like him.” And because getting naked with Garrett was like orbiting the moon. It was that special. “You thought he sounded like a nice guy before I told you any of this. You were even interested in meeting him.”
“And I want to meet him even more now. If you’re determined to keep seeing him, then I think it’s important for me to get to know him, too.”
“He’s a good man, like you are. Ivy certainly adores him.” Meagan paused to glance back at her daughter. She was still playing with the dog. “He’s going to tell his family about us. He’s supposed to talk to his mother this evening, like I’m doing with you. It was his idea for us to tell our families and for me to stop sneaking off to see him and having to lie to you.”
“That’s good.” Tanner calmed down. “That makes me feel better. Why don’t you invite him for dinner here tomorrow night, if he’s available to come by then?”
Candy chimed in, “I also think we should invite his mom. After all, she was instrumental in getting Meagan the job.”
“That sounds good to me.” Tanner looked at Meagan. “Does that work for you, sis?”
“Absolutely.” She relaxed, grateful that it was getting resolved. “I’ll talk to Garrett about it tonight. I’d planned to call him later, anyway.”
Her brother blew out a breath. “I’m sorry if I overreacted. I just want the best for you.”
“I know.” She reached out to embrace him. “But everything is going to be fine. I’ll let you know what Garrett says about dinner. I’ll text you after I talk to him.”
“Okay.” Tanner held her in a big old bear hug, the way he used to do when she was a kid. “And just so you know, I’m proud of the mother you’ve become.”
“Thank you.” She hugged him tighter. Without him and Candy, she never could have come this far. “I should probably go home now. It’s getting close to Ivy’s bedtime, and I need to get her settled in.”
Once Meagan was in her own little house, she gave Ivy a bath and got her ready for bed. Like the previous night, her daughter conked out without a hitch, listening to a story. For Meagan, it was a wonderful feeling of déjà vu.
And so was her phone call to Garrett.
“How did it go?” he asked her.
“It was difficult at first, but everything is fine now.” She relayed her experience, explaining how Tanner had come around. She also extended the dinner invitation.
“I’ll be there for sure. No doubt Mom will come, too, if she’s feeling strong enough to go out. She was doing well this evening when I saw her.”
“How did she react to you being with me?”
“She was surprised. She had no idea that you and I were attracted to each other. She was concerned about the outcome, the way I assumed she would be. But I assured her that everything was going to work out fine.”
“That’s what I told Tanner.”
“Then we’re on point.”
“I’m glad that we don’t have to pretend around our families anymore. You were right about coming clean to them.”
“And now we can focus on spending time together. Could it get any better than that?”
Her thoughts soared, with visions of romantic days and sensual nights, of touching and holding and kissing. “It’s making my heart pound.”
“Mine is pounding, too. You’re my come-to-life fantasy, Meagan.”
“You’re mine, too. My
dream man.”
“Then it’s only fitting that I wish you sweet dreams.”
“While I wish you sweet fantasies?”
“Definitely.”
He cleared the huskiness from his throat. Or he tried to. She could still hear it.
Then, for a stilling moment, he went quiet and so did she, steeped in the heat of each other.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at dinner,” he finally said.
“You, too,” she replied, still lost in the feeling of him.
* * *
Garrett’s mother accompanied him to Tanner and Candy’s house, but she kept stealing glances at him whenever he looked at Meagan. Clearly, Mom was trying to figure out just how serious he was about Meagan. She seemed interested in how close he was to Ivy, too. Garrett did his best to relax and not make too much of Mom’s curiosity.
Everyone was gathered around a patio table, drinking coffee or sipping tea, depending on their preferences. They’d eaten indoors and had come out here to enjoy the night air.
Tanner and Candy were kind and caring people, and Garrett found them much to his liking. He sensed that they liked him, too. He and Tanner talked easily. They had a lot in common, with their Cheyenne roots and love of horses.
He’d brought Tanner a bundle of sage as a gift offering, and his mom had given Candy, the future bride, a tall white candle. She’d given Meagan a candle, too, only hers was red and smelled like strawberries. For Ivy, she’d brought a little rag doll dressed in early American Indian garb. Mom was handy with crafts. She’d made the doll specifically for Ivy, just that very morning.
“How are the wedding plans going?” Mom asked Candy. “Are you getting everything done?”
“We’re trying, that’s for sure. It’s been hectic but fun, too.” Candy glanced at her fiancé. “We’re having the ceremony at Tanner’s stables and riding academy. The land is so beautiful there, with a view of Griffith Park.”
“So it’s going to be an outdoor wedding?” Mom asked.
Candy replied, “Yes, but since it’ll be winter by then, we’re going to rent a tent to cover the altar and the aisle, in case it’s rainy or cold that day. They make some really pretty ones, so it will add to the ambience, rather than take away from it. We don’t need to worry about the reception. It’ll be inside.” She smiled at Garrett’s mom. “I’d love for you to come.” Then she turned to Garrett. “And you, too, of course. I’ll send invitations to both of you.”
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