“And then there’s my career.”
Kathryn had been waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I love my work, and I’m good at it. I wouldn’t be happy sitting around living on my money. I have to be doing something I enjoy and feel is important. Any woman who wanted to join my family would have to be a part of that, too.”
Kathryn felt the bottom drop out of her hopes. She couldn’t live with a man who valued his career over his family. And to be a successful negotiator on an international basis, Ron’s family would have to come second.
“I don’t know what I want to do,” Ron said, “but if we managed to salvage the Geneva negotiations, I’ll hand that part of the business over to Ben and Ted. I really can’t do the kind work I expect of myself when I’m no longer willing to stay on the job until it gets done.”
Kathryn tried to keep her hopes from soaring too quickly.
“I want to spend more time in Charlotte,” Ron said. “Or at least close enough I can come home often. I don’t ever again intend to lose sight of the needs of my family.”
“Have you any idea what you’d like to do?”
“Not yet, but I’ve already had a few people asking if I’m going to be in Charlotte more in the future.”
“Are you doing this because of what I said?”
It was stupid to be worried about that, but after telling him he should devote more time to his family, she was feeling guilty something she said could have caused him to make this decision. What if he failed? She didn’t want to feel responsible for Ron’s decision in case it didn’t work out.
“Yes, and no, but mostly no.”
Now she felt slightly irked. Why did being involved with Ron cause her to behave so unlike herself?
“Cynthia’s getting into trouble jolted me out of my old rut, but you jerked the chain that made me stop and think. Without you, I’d probably have ended up shouting and making things even worse. You were a protective barrier between me and Cynthia until I could get over my shock and anger enough to see shock and anger weren’t going to help the situation. You also pointed me in the right direction. I probably would have gone off looking for the boy instead of turning the spotlight on myself. But once I cooled down, once I understood the issues and what was at stake, I knew what I had to do. What I wanted to do.”
She felt better. She was glad she had been able to help, but she was even more pleased Ron had been able to see the problems and make the right decisions on his own.
“Does that answer your question?” he asked.
The plane had leveled off, but the pilot hadn’t yet said they could unstrap themselves from the seats.
“Yes.”
“Does it fit close enough for you to want to see if this relationship can go further?”
“I’d like that.”
Ron unbuckled himself and got out of his seat. He unbuckled Kathryn and pulled her to her feet. He pulled her close to him and put his arms around her. “I don’t have to prepare for a meeting. Want to watch one of those movies you bought?”
She’d bought Emma and Bridget Jones’s Diary. “Are you sure you can stand a chick flick?”
Just then the plane banked and began a turn. Kathryn fell against Ron, who had to grab hold of the seat to keep both of them from falling. She ended up in a tight embrace, not a bad place to be.
“It looks like we should have waited for the pilot to let us know when it was safe to get out of our seats,” she said.
“I was willing to risk some minor bodily harm to get you in my arms.”
“Maybe I’m not.”
“I’ll protect you. I’d like doing that very much.”
Kathryn liked the drift of this conversation but found it hard to concentrate when the angle of the floor under her feet was at variance with the way gravity was acting on her body. “I think we’d better sit down.”
“The couch would be more comfortable.”
“If we can get there without killing ourselves.”
They stumbled across the plane, holding on to each other to keep from falling. By the time they dropped onto the sofa, they were laughing so hard they couldn’t speak.
“I feel like I’ve turned into Lisette,” Kathryn said when she finally stopped laughing enough to catch her breath.
“You’re prettier.”
“Nobody is prettier than Lisette.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Since my eyes are doing the beholding, I have the right to think you’re prettier.”
“I guess I’ll have to agree with you,” Kathryn, smirking like her sister used to do when making fun of somebody important. “My mama always said it was unbecoming for a young lady to argue with an important man.”
“And did you listen to your mama?”
“Of course. I was the perfect daughter.”
A voice from the past suddenly burst into her conscious, shouting that phrase in bitter anger. The memory caused her to flinch.
“Is something wrong?” Ron asked, concern replacing amusement.
“No.” She settled closer to him. “But let’s not talk about perfect daughters. Which movie do you want to watch?”
“Die Hard.”
She punched him. “No sweaty muscles. Emma or Bridget Jones’s Diary.”
“Which would I like better?”
“Probably Emma. It’s got Gwyneth Paltrow and the guy is always telling her she’s doing everything wrong. Men love to tell women they’re doing stuff wrong.”
“Only the bossy ones.”
“I’m bossy.”
“Why says?”
“Everybody.”
“Do you always listen to rumors?”
She laughed. “No rumors. They tell me to my face.”
“You must have been dating some weak sisters.”
“Are you saying you’re so strong you’d have no trouble controlling me?”
Ron must not have flashed that entrancing grin much since his wife died. If he had, any one of a thousand women would have dragged him to a preacher.
“You’re not catching me in that one,” he said. “I want you to do whatever makes you happy.”
“Very well said and politically correct.”
“Hey, that’s why they pay me the big bucks.” He sobered abruptly. “I do want you to do what makes you happy. I have a feeling you haven’t been really happy in a long time.”
Kathryn refused to go where Ron’s statement led. She didn’t want to lose her buoyant mood. “Then let’s not think about anything but the present.”
“And the future.”
“Let’s take care of the present first.”
Ron pulled her close and kissed her. “Like that?”
“Is that the best you can do?”
“Is that a challenge?”
“Could be.”
Ron’s grin turned truly wicked. “Lady, get ready to be thoroughly kissed.”
She grinned back. “I’m willing to let you try.”
With a ferocious growl, he pounced on her, covering every available part of her face and head with loud, smacking kisses.
“Has anybody ever talked to you about your technique?” She was laughing so hard she could hardly talk.
He growled louder and redoubled his efforts.
“Why don’t you go fly the plane and let me see if the pilot can do better? I remember thinking he was kinda cute.”
“Faithless hussy,” Ron growled. “I’ll make you regret you ever looked at another man.”
By now she was backed up in the corner of the sofa with Ron practically on top of her. “Whatcha gonna do, big boy?” she teased.
“I’m gonna kiss you till you’re breathless,” he said, imitating her. “Then I’m gonna kiss you some more.”
“Oh well,” she said, trying to sound bored and blasé, “if ya feel like ya gotta.”
Ron changed tactics. He kissed her on the mouth. What had begun in fun as a challenge quickly changed to a kiss charged with so much heat all thoughts of humor evapor
ated. Kathryn felt practically absorbed by Ron’s energy, his intensity, the sheer force of his feeling for her. She was so overwhelmed she hadn’t regained her equilibrium by the time he broke the kiss.
“How’s that?” he said. He was grinning, but it wasn’t devilish any longer. It was pure hunger. “Breath coming a little harder now?”
“Definitely,” Kathryn said, truly breathless. “So much so I think we ought to move this into the bedroom.”
“Are you sure?” Ron asked.
“Very sure,” Kathryn replied. “I think I knew when I agreed to come on this trip. I just hadn’t admitted it to myself. I was probably afraid it would make me too vulnerable to a man I was certain couldn’t be part of my future.”
“And now?”
“I’m still not certain you’ll be part of my future, but if that’s what both of us really want, I think we have a chance.”
Ron stood and extended his hand. Kathryn took it and let him help her up from the couch. They walked to the bedroom together. Kathryn kicked off her shoes and climbed on the bed. She patted the spot next to her. “Lie next to me and tell me why you’re certain I’ll make some man a wonderful wife.” Ron removed his shoes before getting on the bed.
“Do I get equal time?”
“Only if you do a bad job. Otherwise, I’ll be too besotted with you to care.”
“What a choice, to bewitch you or have you tell me how wonderful I am.”
Kathryn leaned back against a mound of pillows. “I vote for bewitched.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Ron lay down next to her and took her hands into his. “Do you know that I’ve been dreaming of doing this for at least two weeks?”
“How could I? You didn’t tell me.”
“I didn’t want to scare you off.”
“You might have. You’re a famous man.”
Ron made a semirude noise. “I’m a man like any other man. The fact that a few people know my name doesn’t affect that.”
“Well, I think you’re special.”
He kissed her fingertips. “I hoped you would. Do you mind if we skip the compliments and get right to the kissing part? I really like kissing you.”
“It’s a great sacrifice, but if you really want—”
Ron leaned over, scooped her up in his arms, and gave her a kiss that was a twin of the one they’d shared moments earlier. By the time he released her, Kathryn was certain she wouldn’t have a coherent thought for at least a week.
“I really like the kissing part, too,” she managed to say.
“Then let’s not waste time with compliments.”
Proving that he was a man of action rather than words, Ron readjusted his hold on her, and set to work once more reducing her brain to mush.
None of the men Kathryn had dated had been as forceful as Ron. She had screened them carefully to make certain of that, so she was surprised when she found she didn’t mind being overwhelmed by his physical strength as well as the intensity of his lovemaking. For the first time in years she wasn’t in control, and she was pleased to find she wasn’t the least bit frightened. Whatever happened, she trusted Ron. She felt he would be as concerned about her feelings and emotions as he was about her body.
Deciding she enjoyed her newfound feeling too much to waste time thinking about it, Kathryn threw herself into the kiss determined to equal Ron’s in every way. It had been years since she had truly enjoyed kissing a man. It seemed she had become less enchanted with them as the years went by, but Ron made up for all the uninspired kisses she’d endured.
Kathryn couldn’t recall that she’d ever felt quite so alive, couldn’t recall when her body had been so sensitive to the feel of her clothes they almost irritated her. The day spent with Ron had heightened all her senses. Each time he had touched her, whether helping her into a car or up steps or simply holding her hand as they walked together, seemed to increase the sensitivity of her nerve endings. Her awareness of his physical presence had increased so much she didn’t have to see him to know he was near. Each hour, each minute, built on an invisible connection between them.
She had become part of him, he part of her.
That feeling frightened her and excited her at the same time. She was losing some of herself while she gained some of him. This had never happened and she didn’t really understand or trust it, but it seemed to be happening on its own without any permission from her.
“Did anybody ever tell you that you have very kissable lips?” Ron asked.
“Nobody has ever made me enjoy being kissed as much as you,” she replied.
“Not what I asked, but it’ll do,” Ron said as he nuzzled her neck. “I don’t know what it is about a woman’s skin that makes it feel like velvet.”
“Very expensive creams, a careful diet and a good masseuse. I can give you her name if you’d like.”
He chuckled. “How about a pot of the very expensive cream?”
She hit him playfully.
“You can rub it on me,” he said, “all over, anywhere you want.”
“Men don’t want velvety skin.”
“I’ll bet you could convince me if you tried.”
“You’re impossible.”
“I’m easy. You just have to know how to tickle me.”
She tried, but he obviously wasn’t ticklish.
“That’s just a euphemism,” he said. “You know, tickle my—”
“I get it, you wretched man,” she said, laughing despite herself. “I should tell you to leave this very moment.”
“It’s my bedroom.”
“Then I should leave.”
She started to get up. He put his hand out to restrain her. “I’d rather you stay.”
“So would I.” She leaned back and smiled at him. “You’d have to throw me out to get me to leave.”
“You’re out of luck, babe. The only thing I’m throwing out is my self-control.”
If any other man had called her babe, she’d have been furious. When Ron said it, it sounded like an endearment. “You’d have a hard time convincing me of that. We both have too many clothes on.”
Ron wasn’t a man who needed a lot of hints. Her blouse closed in the back, but he had it undone in seconds.
“Hmmm,” he murmured as he placed kisses along her shoulder. “I always knew your shoulders would be even more fun to kiss than your neck.”
Kathryn didn’t understand why men liked kissing her shoulders. She guessed it was just one of those differences that defied explanation. She enjoyed it, so she didn’t intend to complain. Ron liked kissing her, she liked holding him close. She put her arms around his neck and drew his head down to her breasts. When he started to knead them, she put her hand over his.
“Let’s be still for a moment,” she said.
He allowed her to slide her hands over his shoulders as she held him close. Just the feel of his body next to hers was comforting. It was a shame men didn’t know how to appreciate the nearness of a woman without frenetic activity. They all seemed to think that unless they were doing something they weren’t doing anything. For a woman, being there was one of the best things a man could do.
Ron allowed himself to be held quietly. She could feel the tension building in him, but she was enjoying holding him too much to let go just yet. She didn’t think of Ron as being a big man—she’d once dated a man who played football for the Carolina Panthers—but she could barely get her arms around his shoulders. Apparently his exquisitely tailored suits hid more than she’d expected.
That wasn’t a bad thing.
While he rested his head against her breasts, Ron’s hand had been moving up and down her arm. Then it slipped behind her back to unsnap her bra. He couldn’t remain still any longer. His hand cupped one breast while he nuzzled the other.
“Take off your shirt,” Kathryn said. While he did, she removed her bra and tossed it and her blouse from the bed.
“Did anybody ever tell you you have beautiful breasts?” Ron asked.
> “Not lately.”
“What’s wrong with the men in North Carolina?”
“They never tried to make love to me on a plane thirty thousand feet above France.”
Ron chuckled. “Then it’s a good thing I have my own plane.”
Kathryn didn’t like kissing a man’s chest and shoulders, but she certainly liked running her hands over them. There was something about the size, the hardness and all those muscles that excited her. Kathryn was glad Ron was concerned enough about his health to keep himself in good condition. No fat or flab, just firm, muscled flesh. Lisette often said she liked Kerry because he was big, handsome and had muscles. Kathryn decided Lisette wasn’t as silly as she seemed.
But Ron had begun to make love to her breasts, and that made it hard for her to think of Lisette or how much she enjoyed exploring Ron’s body. She became increasingly focused on her own body and what was happening to it. When Ron’s attention to her breasts intensified, her hands began to move over his back and shoulders with increasing speed, stopping to squeeze when Ron’s tongue or teeth caused a particularly strong reaction that caused her body to shudder. She ran her hands through his hair and pressed his head against her breast until he warned her she was about to suffocate him.
She slipped down in the bed until she could kiss him on the mouth. She liked having his mouth on her breasts, but she still liked kissing him the best. She could participate equally in a kiss, feeling she was giving as much pleasure as she was getting. She could even be the aggressor if she wanted. And right now she did want to.
She pushed Ron over on his back.
“A liberated woman,” Ron chuckled.
“Just greedy,” she said, kissing him as if he wanted to swallow him whole.
“Take me, I’m yours,” Ron said, when he got his breath.
“I plan to,” she growled. She wondered if his nipples were as sensitive as hers. Her wandering fingers had found his nipple. On impulse she gave it a tiny tweak.
The rumbling sound in Ron’s throat turned into a muted roar. In a flash she was on her back.
“What did you do to me?” he asked a moment later.
“Nothing you haven’t done to me,” she replied.
“Did you like it as much as I did?”
She smiled what she was certain was a goofy, brainless smile. “Yeah, I did.”
Family Merger Page 18