by Sara Orwig
By the third book, Scotty’s eyes were beginning to close. Mike watched Scotty fight going to sleep. Even so, before she reached the last page, Scotty fell asleep.
“I can put him in bed,” she said, starting to gather up Scotty. Mike stepped to her quickly to take Scotty.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” he said softly. “Don’t pick him up. Asleep, he’s a dead weight and much heavier. Let me carry him always.”
“You’re babying me.”
“And you should let me,” he said, leaning down and looking into her wide blue eyes.
“Is the story over?” Scotty asked, his eyes fluttering open.
“Yes, Scotty,” Savannah said. “You fell asleep on the last page.”
Scotty smiled at her. “Kiss me good-night, Miss Savannah.”
She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. Scotty wrapped thin arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. “Night, Miss Savannah. I love you.”
As her eyes widened, she brushed curls off his forehead. “I love you, too, Scotty,” she said softly. As if punched in the chest, Mike ached. There was still a void in Scotty’s life that he couldn’t totally fill and it hurt each time he was reminded.
“Good night, Scotty,” she said as Mike took him from her arms and placed him in bed, tucking him in.
“Night, Scotty. It’s been a fun day,” Mike said, sitting on the side of the bed and holding Scotty’s hand. “Let’s say bedtime prayers. You say them tonight.”
He listened to Scotty’s childish voice in the prayer that he himself had said as a small boy. “Night, Daddy,” Scotty said, putting his arms around Mike’s neck to hug him and kiss his cheek. “Daddy, tell me one quick story.”
Mike held Scotty’s hand and spoke softly, telling the story of three billy goats. He was only halfway through when Scotty was breathing deeply and evenly, his lashes dark above his cheeks as he slept. Mike brushed another kiss on his cheek, pulled the covers up and tiptoed out, checking the monitor and switching off the light, leaving night-lights burning.
He went downstairs and found Savannah standing at the glass wall, gazing out at the snow-covered yard where yard lights cast long shadows on the glistening snow.
“Scotty loves you, Savannah,” Mike said as pain again squeezed his heart.
“He’s precious, Mike. You’re so fortunate to have him.”
“I think so, too. You’re good with him and I’ll bet you’re very good at the job you do.”
“I hope so. I like it and the challenges, the precious little babies.”
“Since you won’t have even worked a year when you have your baby, can you get off for maternity leave?”
“Different systems have different policies and rules, but Mom said to just quit and come home if I want and let them handle the bills the first year so I can stay home. I’ll take them up on their offer if Dad is agreeable and I imagine he will be. When I go back to work, I think Mom will watch my baby during the hours I work.”
Mike nodded, thinking about what she said. There was only the light from the fire and one small lamp on in the room and he had soft music in the background. The dim light highlighted her prominent cheekbones, showed her wide blue eyes and gave a rosy cast to her cheeks. Her blond hair fell over her shoulders and she looked gorgeous.
Desire stole his thoughts and held him focused on her. Forgetting their conversation, he wanted her softness pressed against him. He longed to feel her warmth, smell her enticing perfume, see her lips part for his kiss. Just thinking about kissing her made him want to more than ever.
Was he vulnerable just because he hadn’t made love in a long time? Or was it Savannah who sent his pulse flying and was pure temptation, stirring desire with just a glance? He couldn’t answer his own questions. All he knew was he wanted her when he shouldn’t. And he should exercise self-control and leave her alone.
* * *
Savannah turned to walk away. The way Mike looked at her stirred longing. Did she want to risk trusting her judgment about him? There was no way to keep from being shaken by her blindness with Kirk. Before she had been incredibly blind, seeing only what she wanted to see. Mike had urged her to trust herself, but that was easy advice from him because he radiated self-confidence.
In some ways she felt as if she had known him a long time. Could she make love and then tell him goodbye and never look back?
“You look deep in thought,” he said, sitting close. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’m thinking what I want to do between now and the time I leave here,” she said, looking into brown eyes that could captivate and hold her. Her heart drummed and she wanted to be in his arms.
Mike pulled off his boots and set them beside his chair. He stood and left, changing the music to ballads and coming back to stop in front of her.
“Take off your boots and dance with me,” he said. “Give me your foot,” he instructed and she raised her foot for Mike to tug off her boot. He did the next one and then held out his hand to take hers.
They walked off the rug to where the hardwood floor was bare and there was room to dance. Mike switched off the lamp, leaving only the light from the fire and light from outdoors that spilled through the glass walls. Outside, everything was blanketed with snow while overhead the sky was a solid black.
Mike drew her into his arms to dance. His gaze was on her and her heart drummed. As she looked into Mike’s eyes, she thought about kisses. Her heart beat faster and her gaze lowered to his lips.
“Savannah,” he whispered while he wrapped his arms around her to kiss her. In seconds, he picked her up to carry her to the sofa where he sat with her on his lap.
At that moment she felt as if she never wanted to leave his embrace. Mike had grown important to her, which scared her because soon she would have to leave, but tonight she was in his arms, holding him and returning his kisses and she no longer wanted to think about tomorrow.
As he tightened his arms, he leaned over her, kissing her passionately. While one arm banded her waist to hold her close, his other hand caressed her nape lightly, making feathery strokes that built the blaze she felt.
“Mike,” she whispered while she showered kisses on his face, feeling the faint stubble, still detecting his aftershave, wanting to make him feel what she felt, want what she wanted, while at the same time caution urged her to stop. She slipped her hand down to unfasten buttons and then tugged his shirt free and tossed it aside.
The excitement of just touching him shook her. As lightly as possible, she ran her hands over his strong chest that was sculpted, solid muscle. As she spread her palm against his chest, she felt his heart beating. Was the beat faster because of her hands on him? Her fingers drifted lower to unbuckle his belt and pull it free. She heard the clatter when she dropped it out of the way.
“Mike, tonight I need you,” she whispered. She opened her eyes to look into his as he raised his head a fraction.
Winding his fingers in her hair, he continued to gaze into her eyes.
“I want you, Savannah. Desire has not been part of my life for a long, long time, but suddenly I’m fully alive again. I want you and you can’t imagine how much. At the same time, I don’t want to hurt you. I can’t give you any kind of commitment.”
She looked into his brown eyes. His honest and up-front words hurt in a way, yet she understood because she wasn’t looking for commitment, either.
At the same time, she knew her own feelings and views and she couldn’t take intimacy lightly. It would be binding to her heart—she just didn’t know to what extent.
As they gazed into each other’s eyes, desire heightened, filling her, making her want his vitality, his loving, his kisses. If she wanted to stop, now was the time.
She couldn’t be in the same room with him without a tingling awareness of him tugging at her. Longing for him had built
steadily from that first encounter, growing with each hour together. She wanted to kiss, to touch and to hold him—for just a little while to forget all the problems she and Mike faced. She understood the physical hunger he felt. Passion was a confirmation of part of the best of life, the hope and exuberance, the energy and rapture.
Aware of his need and understanding what tonight meant to each of them, she thought about the risks to her heart. At the moment, she needed him totally and she was willing to accept the risks. His mouth covered hers and her thoughts fled again, driven away. His breath was hot, damp and sensual on her sensitive skin.
He drew off her sweater and her bra, tossing them aside. He cupped her breasts in his callous hands, caressing her with his thumbs, showering kisses on her while her hands roamed over his shoulders and back.
Pleasure streaked from her head to her toes as she gave herself to loving, her hands moving lightly over him, her lips following. Showering kisses across his chest, she slipped off his lap to stand and tug on him so he came to his feet. He framed her face with his hands, his dark gaze enveloping her.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said in a deep, hoarse tone. “I want you to be sure about what you want to do.” She shook with longing. Mike was special. Would she fall in love if they made love tonight? Could she take physical intimacy as lightly as he would? He swung her up into his arms.
“Let’s find a bedroom,” he said, carrying her across the hall to a guest suite. As he walked along, he kissed her. Savannah had her arm around his neck and she clung to him. He set her on her feet beside a bed and wrapped her in his embrace as he continued kissing her possessively.
She lost all sense of time. They had been together seconds; they had been together for a long time. She felt his fingers at her waist and then her jeans fell around her ankles and she stepped out of them.
She heard his deep intake of breath. His hands were on her hips as he looked at her. He peeled away her lacy bikini and tossed it away. Mike leaned away slightly to look at her in a slow, lingering perusal that made her blush and tremble beneath his touch and gaze.
“Oh, Mike,” she whispered as he showered kisses on her throat, moving lower. Her hands fluttered over him. “This is so foolish and so wonderful,” she whispered without thinking. “I want to make love all night.”
He kissed her passionately, leaning over her so she was pressed against him. One arm held her close while his other hand roamed down her back and over her bottom, caressing and stroking her, building more fires, making her gasp with pleasure and thrust against him.
She kissed him back, wanting to melt him, to drive all the hurts away for a few hours and to take all of Mike’s attention for tonight.
He picked her up and laid her down on the bed, his hands and mouth erasing all rational thought, making her want him desperately.
She was astounded by his boundless energy, his control as he continued to kiss and caress her even when she was more than eager and ready for him.
She showered kisses on him, caressing him, rubbing against him, using her hands and mouth to drive him over the edge and make him lose the iron will that held him in check.
Finally, he moved between her legs and entered her, slowly filling her. As she arched to meet him, his dark gaze was as binding as their physical union.
“Mike,” she whispered, pulling him to her, moving with him and crying out because she wanted him, all of him. He kissed her, his control still holding while she clung to his damp shoulders and held him tightly until finally he let go to pump hard and fast, building her need.
“Mike!” she cried his name again as she sought release until her own control shattered. Satisfaction burst over her and ecstasy enveloped her. She felt Mike’s shuddering climax, his wild thrusts heightening her pleasure. Her heart pounded and her pulse roared in her ears, while she gasped for breath.
Gradually, they slowed, still moving together, hearts beating in unison. She held him tightly, wanting to make the moment last as long as possible, wishing she could make the night last for hours and hours.
At this moment she was in paradise with him. Loving made her world marvelous. Another fantasy, but briefly she basked in it and relished what she had found with him.
When she showered kisses on his jaw and cheek, he turned his head to kiss her on her mouth. It was a kiss of happiness, a kiss that made her feel cherished and she clung to him tightly. He raised his head to smile at her and then kissed her again.
He rolled on his side, keeping her with him, their legs entwined. She still held him tightly and they were silent. She didn’t want to talk, to say anything to destroy the moment that bound her to Mike in a union that made everything seem right.
For a while they stayed enveloped in the cocoon of silence, hearts beating together while they held each other close.
“Saturday night when you rescued me, I thought that other than being home in Arkansas, I was in the best place in the whole world that I could have been for that night, but this is better.”
“Damn straight it’s better,” he whispered, stroking her long hair away from her cheek. “I want you right here the rest of the night.”
“We don’t have to worry about that now,” she answered, trailing her fingers over his chest as she snuggled against him.
“You take my breath,” he said, kissing her lightly.
“I hope so,” she said, smiling at him. “I want to dazzle you, make you forget everything else and I want you to do that to me—as you did tonight. All the problems, the hurts, everything for a few moments are forgotten and cease to exist. I know they’ll come back, but, hey, for right now, they’re banished from my life and that’s fantastic.”
He smiled at her. “Living in fantasy?”
“A sexual fantasy—that’s not so bad.”
“No. How about heading up to my bathroom, soaking in a hot tub and then seeing if you like my bed?”
Relaxed, she was in a state of euphoria, happy in his arms, barely thinking about what she said to him. For this night, everything was right and she wanted to enjoy the moment fully. Tomorrow would come all too soon.
“Good idea, Mike. In a little while. For now, let’s stay the way we are.”
“Whatever pleases you pleases me just fine,” he replied, still toying with her hair.
They stayed locked in each other’s embrace for the next half hour and then she slipped out of bed, tugging the sheet around her.
“I’ll get my clothes and head upstairs.”
“I can carry you.”
“So you have that much energy left. I’ll have to do better next time to really wear you out,” she teased.
“Just give it a try,” he countered, pulling on his jeans. “I welcome that challenge.”
“I’ll bet you do,” she replied, laughing as they left the room to gather her clothes.
As they headed upstairs, Savannah said, “I’ve never seen your bedroom or bathroom.”
“I’ll give you the grand tour.”
They entered the sitting room of the master suite, a glass wall on one side offering a panoramic view of the front of the ranch. Bookshelves lined another wall and the room held a huge television, a large wooden desk, leather chairs and two sofas. She went with him into a bedroom with a king-size bed that had a high antique headboard. A box filled with Scotty’s toys was in the corner. Nearby, a door opened into a closet that was large enough to have held her bedroom. His bedroom had a glass wall that overlooked the east side of the ranch and opened out onto a wide balcony filled with wrought-iron furniture. Mike pressed a button and shutters slid down to block the transparency of the glass wall.
“That’s better. I’d prefer some privacy here. I have plans,” she said and he smiled.
“We’ll see if they match my plans.” Mike picked her up and carried her into a bath that was e
ven bigger than she had guessed it would be. It had potted palms, mirrors, a large shower and a sunken tub. Mike set her on her feet and turned on faucets.
She spent the next half hour in the tub with him, listening to him talk about growing up in Texas, telling him about her life in Arkansas.
They made love again several times before dawn and as the room grew a degree lighter, Mike fell asleep in her arms.
She held him, lightly combing his black curls off his forehead. Had she filled her life this night with a temporary joy that would help her get over the pain of her broken engagement? Or was she falling in love with Mike and increasing her loss a hundred times over?
Seven
Savannah stirred and Mike’s arm tightened around her. She smiled at him. “I’m really getting up and out of this bed. I want to go to my own room.”
“Stay in here with me,” he whispered.
“Sorry. We can discuss that later. Right now, I’m headed to my room and I’ll see you when you get back from work this afternoon.”
“Rats. This isn’t what I’d planned,” he teased.
“Look the other way,” she said, stepping out of bed and yanking up her clothes.
“Not for anything will I look the other way,” he replied.
Hiding her grin, she hurried out of the room without looking back. She yanked on her jeans and sweater in the sitting room before grabbing the rest of her things and rushing down the hall to her room.
Almost an hour later after she had showered and dressed for the day, she went downstairs. When she entered the kitchen Mike stood near the sink talking to a short, gray-haired woman with an apron over black slacks and a white blouse. She couldn’t take her eyes off Mike, though. Dressed in a long-sleeved navy denim shirt, jeans and boots, he looked gorgeous.
Scotty sat at the table with a bowl of oatmeal in front of him. “Good morning,” she said, giving him a light hug.
“Savannah, meet Millie Anders who cooks for me. Millie, this is Savannah Grayson.”
“So glad to meet you,” Millie said. “What can I get you for breakfast? We have bagels, orange juice—”