“Harmony… ”
She seemed to act by instinct, mimicking those delicious things he did to her when he had her completely in his power. If she was a little awkward, a little tentative, it didn’t matter. He was hot and hard and she licked every inch of him until he gently pulled her away.
“Not yet, baby.” He brought her face up to his and kissed her. “Not yet.”
He rolled her over and soon he had her naked beneath him, driving them both to an orgasm. Then he was deep inside her, his body showing her what he couldn’t say as he drove into her again and again. She climaxed around him, her moans as sweet as her caresses as she held him close.
He poured into her, hoping the condom he’d put on at the last minute would hold. He’d never come this hard before, turning himself inside out as he shouted to the ceiling. She stared up at him after, her eyes shiny, and he almost lost it. He almost told her he loved her. Did he? Damned if he knew. But she was more than he’d thought a woman could be. She was… his.
“Ah, Harmony.” He pulled out and she gave a delicate shiver. She turned into his shoulder and he held her. “Let me stay here tonight, baby.” He kissed her temple, her ear. “Please?”
She looked him square in the eye then, determination mixing with the haze of passion there. “Stay. I want you here.”
He closed his eyes and wished he could savor this feeling forever. This connection, this affection. It wouldn’t last. But for tonight, he’d pretend he was just like everyone else, able to take love as it came and give it back without hesitation.
They slid under the thick quilt and loved each other again until she fell asleep spooned against him. Sweet and strong, his Harmony. Could this last?
God, he prayed he could find a way.
***
In the morning Rick kissed Harmony and she rubbed against him in her sleep. He stretched and reached for his watch. Damn. He had a meeting with one of the contractors this morning, in less than an hour.
“Harmony.” He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her again. “Baby, I have to go.”
She stirred, nodding as she reached her arms over her head. The sheets skimmed her body and he thought about bagging the meeting. He couldn’t. Bill was in town.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said.
She nodded again and turned into the pillow. He threw on some clothes and drove to his house to get ready. His cell beeped and he clipped on the earpiece as he buckled his belt.
“Yes?” he asked.
It was the tile contractor, making some noise about delays and special orders.
“Look,” Rick said. “I need that floor installed by the end of the week.” He stepped over to the window, looking out over the manicured park and the wildness of the woods behind it. “Hey, bring a few more samples today. Maybe something… different. Stone. Something more natural.”
The guy said something again in apology for the delay and promised to bring several tiles he had on hand. Rick thanked him and broke the connection.
He thought about Harmony’s lake, and how the colors seemed richer out there. He picked up one of the booklets of paint swatches spilled on his counter and thumbed through it. Cool greens, warm golds and calm blues caught his eye.
“It could work,” he said to himself.
The rec café was set in the nature walks, surrounded by Florida wilderness—well, tamed wilderness for residents and visitors to enjoy in small doses before paying big bucks for rain forest coffee and gourmet treats. Hmm.
He nodded to himself and switched on his cell again. If he had to meet Bill this afternoon, he’d better get on it.
For once he’d use Bill’s influence to make some positive changes.
***
When Harmony woke up again Rick was gone. But by the clock on her night table she shouldn’t be surprised. It was after eleven o’clock. The sheets still smelled like him and she turned her face into the pillow. Mmm. Her body still tingled from the memories of what they’d done. Well she couldn’t stay in bed all day, reliving the most passionate night she’d ever known. But it had been more than that. For her, at least. She knew she loved Rick now. There had been no denying it after he’d spilled his story about his childhood, his ambitions. It had seemed different for Rick, too. It seemed he changed there in her bed. Opened up somehow as he gave her more than just his physical passion.
What a horrid man his father was. His stepmother? She wasn’t touching Tiffany. She’d seen plenty of predators in Cypress Corners, and that woman was as vicious as any. She didn’t know how Bill treated Rick’s siblings, the brother who took dangerous risks for the fun of it or the sister who was doing something or other in Europe. Bill must have left his mark on them, too. Yeah, Harmony’s parents were strange. But she never doubted they loved her. They never hesitated to show it, either.
Throwing back the quilt, she stretched and rose. She didn’t have to go into the village until later today, and was surprised by the touch of disappointment she felt. She’d come to crave the connection to the people there, to Lettie and Dr. Robbins. Solitude wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Maybe next year, when her tent-cabin was a memory and her spot on the lake teemed with vacationers and residents, she’d find a house like Rick’s in the village. She wouldn’t need anything as large, of course. Maybe a little bungalow.
So today she’d review her notes until she had to go to the Institute, and work on the finishing touches to an upcoming presentation of the effects of birds’ migratory patterns on seed distribution on property. As she tied her robe and gathered her things for her shower, she thought about that for a moment. It still surprised her that Florida birds flew further south to winter. The northern birds repopulated the area for just a short time. A thought struck her. Just like Rick.
He was here for only a few weeks, and eager to get back to Boston. Or even further away, as Chapman holdings spanned the globe. She wouldn’t think about it, not today. His ambition would take him all over the world if he wanted it to. He made no promises and she wouldn’t press him for any. Again she thought of the tenderness she’d seen last night. With a family like his, he was lucky he could feel anything at all.
That afternoon, she nibbled on a piece of tofu cheesecake. It was part of the care package Ariel had pressed on her after their Thanksgiving dinner, along with soy brownies and organic coconut chewies. She closed her eyes as she swallowed. Man, her mother could cook. Who needed those fancy desserts she’d tried in Orlando with Rick? She certainly didn’t. He probably preferred them. He liked everything the Chapman money could buy. Again Bill’s cold treatment struck her.
“Stop thinking about it, Harmony,” she told herself. “Rick’s a big boy. He’ll probably never talk about his parents again.” Or anything remotely related to his heart.
She wiped her fingers and opened a bottle of water. As she drank she heard a car skidding on the gravel road. Rick? She looked at her watch. No. He was probably still tied up with his father and Chapman business. She put the bottle back in her little fridge and peeked out the window. Her heart sank as she recognized the flashy convertible with the flashier woman behind the wheel. Tiffany Chapman.
Terrific.
Chapter 15
Harmony stepped out of the cabin and waited for Rick’s stepmother to approach. Tiffany didn’t hide her obvious distaste for the camp as she picked her way through the brush on high heels, tottering dangerously as one got caught on a root. For a secret moment Harmony wondered what Tiffany’s reaction would be if she stumbled onto a fire ant mound. She swallowed a laugh.
“Hello, Mrs. Chapman.” She closed the door and waited. “What can I do for you?”
Tiffany brushed her hair back from her face and adjusted oversized sunglasses on her tiny nose. “Harmony.” She stepped over a log and ran her hands over her short blue skirt. “It’s primitive out here. Backward.”
“Yep,” Harmony said. “Just me and the plants and birds. The wild animals.”
Tiffany craned h
er neck and looked around at the woods. Then she shrugged and adjusted the jacket of her expensive-looking suit. “I don’t know how you stand it. Rick told me it’s got its perks, though.”
That put Harmony on her guard. Had Rick talked to Tiffany this morning? After he’d left her bed? No. He hates Tiffany. Even if she hadn’t seen it for herself last night over dinner she’d have known it from the way Rick spoke of his father and stepmother.
“I like it,” she said.
Tiffany stepped closer and smiled as she removed her sunglasses. She ran her eyes over Harmony and sniffed. “You would.”
Ouch. “What can I do for you, Mrs. Chapman?”
“I was just curious to see where Rick’s little tree-hugger lived.”
“I’m not—”
“He told Bill all about you when he first got here,” Tiffany cut in. “About how you and your stupid plant were going to ruin Bill’s deal.”
This was interesting. Harmony crossed her arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “And?”
Tiffany ran her painted fingers through her hair. “Bill told him to take care of you, that’s all.”
Her heart began to pound and she straightened away from the door. “What?”
“Bill told Rick to take care of the little tree-hugger. To keep you busy until the Institute picked a new spot.”
No. Rick didn’t sleep with her to get her on his side. No!
Tiffany bent down and peered through the window. “How cozy.” She straightened and winked. “I guess he did his job.” She waved her hand. “And now he can finish Chapman’s.”
She couldn’t speak. Could what this woman said be true?
“With a closer look I guess your place isn’t so bad,” Tiffany said. “Looks like you have a shower out back. Hmm.” She slid an ugly grin at Harmony. “No wonder Rick said roughing it wasn’t a hardship.”
“But he never… ,” Harmony said to herself. “He—”
“He wants the top position at Chapman, honey,” Tiffany said. “And he’s willing to do anything for it.”
Cold settled in her belly. No. Rick couldn’t be like that!
“I don’t believe you,” Harmony said on a breath.
Tiffany began to pick her way back toward the car. “Believe what you want. Rick is Bill Chapman’s son. Believe me, he has Bill’s ambition.”
She vaguely heard Tiffany start the car and drive away. Her stomach began to churn. No. Rick hadn’t used her that way. They had a connection. She’d felt it in his touch. Seen it in his eyes. The truth smacked her square in the face. She’d fallen for it all over again.
“Stupid, stupid girl,” she told herself. “You saw what you wanted to see.”
Rick was just like Adam. Just using her to further his own agenda. She shouldn’t be surprised. She’d known about Rick’s ambition before Tiffany made it even clearer. It was why he worked at Chapman, why he took Bill’s coldness and indifference for a chance to climb the corporate ladder and prove himself.
She sank down on the step, curling into herself as tears burned her eyes. She’d given Rick her body. That had been ridiculously easy. She’d given Rick her heart. Now that had taken some doing. He took all she gave as a corporate perk?
How could she be so stupid?
***
That evening, after a long day of work at the Institute, she packed up her things and headed out. She and Dr. Robbins were finished for the day, a little later than usual but it had been a relief to lose herself in work. After Mrs. Chapman’s lovely disclosure, it had taken some time to collect herself before riding into the village. But she’d given Dr. Robbins her full attention as they wrapped up the presentation. Thankfully the man only asked her what was wrong once before poring over their work again.
Rick had called a few times during the day, but she’d let Becky know from the first phone call that she didn’t want to speak to him. She couldn’t think of an excuse to tell the girl. She just wasn’t good at lying. Her lip curled at that realization. That was her fatal flaw. Especially when she seemed to attract liars. Apparently it took one to know one, and she was woefully clueless in that regard.
She expected Rick wanted see her tonight. Why should she be surprised? Why shouldn’t he want to take what she gave him until he left for Boston, right? There was no way she could see him and not think about everything Tiffany had said. His career. His screwed-up family. His ambition. Her stomach couldn’t take it. As for her heart? Her heart ached. She shoved her notes into her pack and opened the trunk of her scooter.
“Harmony!”
She turned in response to the familiar voice despite her resolve. Her shoulders slumped. Oh, great. Rick walked toward her, a smile on his face. Oh, he was beautiful. So big and capable. His smile did things to her insides as easily as those lips did stuff to her outsides.
“Hi, Rick.”
He stopped in front of her, slowly losing his smile. “What’s wrong?”
He saw too much, that was one thing. She wouldn’t wear her foolish heart on her sleeve, that was for darn sure.
She shrugged one shoulder. “I’m just really busy.”
“Yeah, I called you at the Institute but they said you were tied up.” He eyed her pack as she stashed it into the trunk. “Finished for the day?”
Yes, but she wouldn’t let him know that. “No. There’s this report… ”
As excuses went, that was lame. She couldn’t think of a lie fast enough before he touched her. Just one hand on her arm and she wanted to melt. No! She straightened and leaned away from him.
He looked confused but soon smiled again. “Join me for dinner? I’m just heading over to The Clubhouse now.”
Dinner? Candlelight and wine and Rick, smiling and charming her out of her panties again? No way. Ariel and Max may have raised a flake but they hadn’t raised a fool.
“I can’t,” she said. “I have this report to finish. I’m going to be up all night.”
She flinched inwardly at her slip. That wasn’t a good thing to say when all she wanted was to be up with him all night. Like last night. Nestled in his arms, hearing him finally open up about his family, the drive behind his ambition. But he must have missed her slip, because he just gave a quick nod.
“Okay,” he said. “I won’t bother you.”
Whew. But then he kissed her. He tasted so good she wanted to keep kissing him forever. That treacherous thought brought her back to reality. Rick wasn’t a forever kind of guy. He was all about right now, and she wasn’t that kind of girl. She couldn’t be. Her stupid heart was involved.
He ended the kiss too soon, darn her lack of control. He brushed his lips on her temple and straightened. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then.”
She couldn’t watch him walk away without telling herself that soon he’d keep on walking. She hadn’t really lost anything, right? Rick never made any promises. But she ached for what she’d thought they’d had. What she wished for, actually. A future together. A chance to make him realize that he was worth so much more that Bill Chapman thought. Maybe she was a fool.
She waited until he entered The Clubhouse before driving back to her camp. It must have been the wind in her face that made her eyes tear.
She couldn’t be crying over Rick.
***
Rick sat in the lounge of The Clubhouse, marking time until his take-out order was ready. He nursed his beer and peeled at the label’s corner. He’d asked Harmony to join him for dinner, but she’d said she was busy. He blew out a breath. Busy? Since when did her work spill over into the evening? She’d seemed different there on the walk. They had loved each other late into the night. Maybe she was just tired. He’d seen her tired before. He’d seen her angry. He’d seen her happy. But he’d never seen her so… Un-Harmony, maybe. There was no fire in those hazel eyes.
At least Bill and Tiffany were the hell out of Cypress Corners. He could make the changes he’d decided on without the old man’s interference. If he had to swallow one more comeback to his father’
s endless put-downs he’d burst. Tiffany hadn’t hidden her continued interest, either. What a pair. He drank some more beer. But the project was on target, the money would come in on time, so Rick didn’t have any worries there.
He thought for a moment. Maybe it was Harmony’s work. God knew he could lose himself and his good mood if a job or contract didn’t go just right.
He looked through the archway into the restaurant and rethought his conclusion. He spied Dr. Robbins sitting with a few people from the Institute, laughing and talking as they shared a meal. The Institute’s director certainly didn’t seem concerned about anything.
Rick put his bottle on the bar and stood, then made his way through the tables toward Dr. Robbins. He nodded greetings to the director’s companions, a young man he’d seen around and the red-haired receptionist, and faced the doctor.
“Good evening, Dr. Robbins,” he said.
“Rick, hello,” Dr. Robbins said. He waved a hand at an empty chair at their table. “Join us?”
He shook his head. “No, thank you. I’m just picking up dinner. Have you spoken to Harmony?”
He ignored the speculative looks the other two exchanged, growing curious as Dr. Robbins’ brow furrowed.
“Today? Why, yes. This afternoon we discussed her presentation on migration.”
He knew nothing about that and didn’t pretend to. “So she’s still busy with it, I suppose.”
Dr. Robbins blinked. “Not at all. We handed it over to the developers in a nice neat package this afternoon.” He looked behind Rick and frowned. “Actually, I thought Harmony would be out with you tonight.”
A server touched Rick on his elbow and he jerked. “Yeah?”
“Your order, Mr. Chapman,” the skinny kid said. “It’s on the bar.”
“Thanks.” He turned to Dr. Robbins. “That’s my dinner. Have a good night.”
He picked up his meal and headed to his house. A big juicy burger and a couple of beers later he sat on the couch, reliving the passion he’d shared with her on this spot. Where the hell was she tonight? Tucked into that cozy cabin of hers, poring over her notes. Too busy for dinner? Too busy for him, was more like it. But what had he done?
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