by Marie Force
He shrugged. “I guess. My office handled it.”
“This one has a lot more stuff than the other one did,” she said, gesturing to the elaborate navigation and stereo systems.
“Uh-huh.”
“What’s on your mind, Ry? You’re a million miles away over there.
“A lot of things.”
“Care to share any of them?”
“I’m just thinking about the next few days and everything that’s about to happen.”
“You know, nothing says you have to do this now.”
“Actually, I do. My contract expires on Sunday. I haven’t signed the new one yet, so everyone’s on edge. I can’t drag it out any more. That wouldn’t be fair. They need to start making their plans for next year now that this season is finally over.”
“I meant if you’re not ready to retire, there’s always next year.”
“No. I’m ready. I’ve thought a lot about it, and it feels like the right time.”
“So how’s it going to go? The next few days, I mean.”
“When we get home, I’m going to call Aaron,” he said, referring to his agent. “I owe him the courtesy of a head’s up before I meet with the team. He’s spent a lot of time hammering out my new contract, so he’s not going to be very happy to hear my news.”
“It’s not his life,” Susannah said hotly, reflecting her longtime dislike for “The Shark” who ran Ryan’s career.
“There’s also my endorsements to consider. I’m not sure what impact my retirement will have on them. I’ve got to call Chuck about that,” he said, meaning one of his attorneys.
“What else has to happen?”
“After I meet with Chet and Duke this afternoon, I’d like to invite the team over to the house so I can tell as many of them as possible in person. Do you mind?”
“No,” she said, even though she was worried about giving his friends the impression they were back together when nothing had been decided yet.
He tuned into her hesitation. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s fine. I’ll call Carol when we get home and order some food.”
Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips. “Thank you, baby.” He dropped their joined hands to his lap as he continued. “Sometime tomorrow there’ll probably be a press conference to announce it to the world. Maybe you can help me come up with the statement I’ll have to make. You’re so good at that kind of thing.”
“Um, okay, if you think it’ll help,” she said, feeling an awful lot like a wife again.
He turned in his seat so he could see her. “It’s going to be crazy for a day or two, but I want you to remember it’s not the most important thing I’m dealing with right now.” Squeezing her hand, he added, “Patching things up with you is my top priority, and the only reason I’m letting this other stuff in is because my contract is set to expire right around the same time our marriage ticket comes due.”
“Ironic coincidence.”
“Yes. Ironic is the word. In five days, I’m either going to have everything or nothing.”
She glanced at him. “No pressure, though, right?”
His dimples were on full display when his face twisted into a lazy grin. “None at all.” Sweeping his thumb over the palm of her hand, he asked, “How’s my mug looking?” He stuck out his jaw in a dramatic pose.
She rolled her eyes. “Much better.”
“So I’m not going to look hideous in all the pictures that’ll be plastered on the front pages of every newspaper in the country?”
She snorted with laughter. “There’s that legendary Sanderson ego on full display.”
“What ego? It’s an honest question.” He flipped down the visor and opened the mirror to study his reflection. “Looking good, my man.”
“Puleeze. Listen to yourself. 'Looking good, my man,'” she mocked.
“I love giving you the opportunity to burst my bubble,” he said with a chuckle.
“You do it often enough.”
“I need to keep you sharp.”
“Keeping you humble was my greatest challenge as your wife.”
“Is your greatest challenge.”
“Was.”
“Is.”
“Was.”
“Is.”
“Shut up.”
“Shut me up.”
“I’m driving.”
“So?” He slid his hand up her thigh.
When he reached his destination, she inhaled sharply and grabbed his hand.
Not to be deterred, he kissed her neck, whispering in her ear, “Is.”
“Shut up.”
He laughed and sat back in his seat but kept a firm hold on her hand.
They weren’t home twenty minutes and already Susannah was yearning for the peace of the cabin. Ryan was in the den engaged in a heated telephone conversation with The Shark, who was apparently none too pleased by his client’s news.
Susannah went to the doorway to listen.
Ryan held the phone away from his ear as Aaron yelled at him.
She made a face of distaste and signaled for Ryan to cut off his irate agent.
Ryan smiled at her before he barked into the phone. “That’s enough, Aaron. I’m sorry you’re so upset, but this is my life and my decision. Now, I’ve given you the courtesy of advance notice. Don’t you dare breathe a word of this before the press conference tomorrow. Am I clear?” He paused to listen. “Fine. I’ll talk to you then.” Slamming the phone down, he looked up at Susannah. “He’s thoroughly pissed.”
“So I gathered. You were very firm with him, though. Authoritative.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her, the tension of the last few minutes forgotten as he got up from the desk and went over to her. “And does that turn on my little debutante?”
She reached up to fix the collar of his shirt. “Maybe.”
“It does,” he said with a delighted grin. Gathering her in his arms, he brushed a light kiss over her lips. “I’ll have to remember that. She likes authoritative. Maybe I should try it on her. Hmm, let’s see if it works: kiss me.”
“No.”
“Oh, she’s feisty. I like that.” The phone rang, but he didn’t let her go. “I said to kiss me.”
“And I say answer the phone.”
“Not until you kiss me.”
“Fine.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, pulled free of his embrace, and darted from the room, squealing when he chased her.
He caught her in the kitchen and maneuvered her against the center island. “I said to kiss me.”
The phone rang again.
“And I said no.”
His smile was sexy and lascivious. “I can see I’ll have to try a different tack.” With his erection pushed snug against her, he said, “Will you please, please kiss me?”
Her arms encircled his neck. “Just for the record, one ‘please’ would’ve done the trick.” She brought him down for a soulful kiss that quickly blazed out of control. Somehow she ended up flat on her back on the counter with half of him pinning her down. Her hands had slipped inside his jeans and clutched his ass.
She gasped when he squeezed her breast under her sweater. Through her lacy bra, he grazed a fingernail over her nipple as his tongue explored every corner of her mouth.
“What the hell is going on here?” Henry roared from the doorway.
As he continued to kiss her like nothing had happened, Susannah swore Ryan flexed his ass to keep her hands from escaping.
“Get off of her, you brute.” Henry pushed Ryan. “And get your hand out of her shirt.”
She tugged her hands free as her face burned with embarrassment.
Ryan finally lifted his head and locked eyes with Susannah for one long moment. “Don’t you knock?” he asked Henry without breaking the intense eye contact with her.
“I don’t have to. I have a key. Now get off of her. Right now.”
“Henry, please,” Susannah said, still breathless from passion and the shock
of being caught. “Wait for me in the den. I’ll be right there.”
“I’m not leaving you here with him. I’ve had just about enough, Susannah. To come in here and find you doing...well, doing that, with him...What am I supposed to make of this?”
“Maybe you should make like a tree and leave,” Ryan said, slowly lifting himself off Susannah and helping her up. “This is our home, and you have no business just walking in here.”
“My fiancée invited me to come and go as I please,” Henry retorted, reaching for Susannah’s hand. “You’re the one who doesn’t belong here.”
“You think so, huh?” Ryan asked with steel in his brown eyes.
Susannah ignored Henry’s outstretched hand as she ran her fingers through her hair and tried to calm her racing heart. Being caught in a passionate embrace with her ex-husband—on the kitchen counter in broad daylight, no less—was not how she’d planned to tell Henry that their engagement was off.
With his hands on her hips and a pleading look in his eyes, Ryan helped her down from the counter. He brushed a finger over her swollen lips.
She found it hard to look away from him until Henry grabbed her hand and pulled her from the room.
“Hey!” Ryan called. “Don’t you dare drag her like that. Susie, if you’re not up to talking to him right now, just say the word, and I’ll show him the door.”
“You’ll show me the door,” Henry snorted. “Listen to the big man.”
Ryan moved so fast Henry had no time to react before the big man was staring him down. “You’re just begging me to kick your ass.”
Henry swallowed hard but didn’t look away from Ryan. “You’re such a cliché, Sanderson.”
Ryan’s eyes went from steely to furious.
“That’s enough,” Susannah said with a hand on Ryan’s chest. “Just give us a few minutes. Please?”
Ryan kept his eyes fixed firmly on Henry, but he took a step back. “Don’t be rough with her, or I’ll be rough with you. You got me?”
Susannah hustled Henry from the room before he could throw more gas on Ryan’s fire.
The moment they were alone in the den, Henry enveloped her in a tight embrace. “Are you all right, honey? Did he hurt you?”
She pushed him away. “Hurt me? What the heck are you talking about?”
“He was attacking you. Right there in the kitchen. I saw it with my own eyes. That’s the only possible explanation for what I just witnessed.”
“Oh, for God’s sakes, Henry. Maybe you didn’t notice I was wrapped around him. I was hardly being attacked. I was being ravished.”
Henry blanched. “Are you telling me you were letting him molest you?”
“He was not molesting me! If anything, I was molesting him!”
“You disappoint me, Susannah.”
She ran a weary hand through her mussed hair. “Yes, I know. I would think you’d be used to it by now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We need to talk, Henry,” she said with a deep sigh.
He shook his head. “Not while you’re cohabitating with him. I won’t ‘talk’ to you when he’s waiting in the next room, probably listening to every word we’re saying.”
“But—”
“On Sunday, we’ve got the ball. On Monday, we’re going to court to get you a divorce, and in twenty-five days, we’re getting married.”
“Um, about the divorce—”
“Five days. Then you’ll finally be divorced.”
“There were clauses, in the agreement—”
“I don’t care about clauses. I don’t care about anything but you and our wedding. Unless you want to talk about that, I don’t have anything else to say to you until he’s gone.”
“I was kissing him back.”
“You’re weak where he’s concerned. Do you think I don’t know that after all these years of watching you put up with his crap?”
Stung, Susannah took a step back from him. “I want you to leave.” He was too proud to let her call off their engagement when Ryan was in the next room. She got that. But she also now knew for sure that whatever feelings she’d thought she had for this man were gone. Love had just turned to contempt.
“Honey, don’t be offended,” he said in a softer tone as he ran his hands up and down her arms. “You know you have a blind spot a mile wide for him. How else could you have stayed with him for as long as you did?”
“Yes, Henry, you’re right.” She tugged her arms free. “I’m weak and spineless. It’s a good thing I had you to remind me of that every chance you got when I was married to him.”
He kissed her cheek and was unfazed when she turned her face away. “I never said you were weak or spineless. I never said that, Susannah. Everything will be fine after Monday. You’ll see. Once you get rid of him you’ll get your perspective back. I’ll pick you up at seven on Sunday for the ball.” With a quick kiss to her forehead, he was gone.
Susannah trembled and wrapped her arms around herself as protection against a sudden chill.
Ryan came into the room, led her to the sofa, and brought her down to his lap. He held her until the trembling had passed.
Chapter 15
“I’m not weak,” Susannah said.
“Of course you aren’t. You’re the strongest person I know.”
She rested her head on Ryan’s shoulder. “He thinks I’m spineless when it comes to you.”
He chuckled softly and touched his lips to her forehead. “We know better, don’t we?”
“Yes, we do. Why was it so hard for him and everyone else in my life to believe we genuinely love each other?”
“I don’t know, but they did their best to fill you with enough doubts to sink the Titanic.”
“I was weak because I let them. I should’ve put you and our relationship off limits with them.”
“You live and learn, baby. The next time around we’ll put up a wall around us so none of that crap can get in.”
She raised an amused eyebrow. “You’re awfully certain there’ll be a next time.”
He kissed her cheek. “I think there already is.”
“I didn’t get a chance to tell Henry the engagement is off. He wouldn’t let me.”
“So I gathered.”
“You were listening.”
“Hell, yes, I was listening. I don’t trust that guy as far as I can spit him. I wouldn’t put it past him to get physical with you when you tell him it’s over.”
She scoffed. “Henry would never lay a hand on me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Susie. He’s obsessed with you. He always has been, only now he sees everything he’s waited years for about to slip through his fingers. He’s getting desperate. I wouldn’t put it past him to do whatever it takes to keep you.”
“You’re overreacting, Ry. He’s harmless.”
“No, he isn’t. He’s manipulative and vindictive.”
“And you’re very sexy when you’re jealous,” she said with a teasing smile.
He cupped her cheek. “I’m serious, Susannah. I want you to be careful.”
“I will be.” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “You don’t have to worry.”
“I am worried.” He turned her face and kissed her so softly, so gently, that the effect was devastating. “I’m worried about so many things, and all of them involve you.”
She reached for him, wanting more of those kisses he was handing out. But there was nothing soft or gentle about the possessive burst of passion he responded with. She met his ardor with an equal dose of her own, and when he finally pulled back from her he looked stunned.
“That’s one way to change the subject.”
“Did it work?”
He shook his head. “Promise me you’ll be careful, Susie. If anything ever happened to you...”
The phone rang again, but neither of them moved.
“Hey,” she said, shaken by his concern. “Nothing’s going to happen to me. I can take care of mysel
f, remember?”
“How could I forget? I can still feel your shoulder in my ribs.” Twirling a lock of her hair around his finger, he added, “You haven’t promised me.”
“I promise. I’ll be careful, but you don’t need to worry.”
“I don’t want you to be alone with him again.” When she began to protest, he silenced her with another gentle kiss. “This isn’t me being jealous, Susie. I swear it isn’t. I just have this feeling there’s going to be trouble when he finds out you’re not going to marry him.”
Taken in by the sincere concern reflected in his brown eyes, she leaned her forehead against his. “I won’t be alone with him. Does that make you feel better?”
“Yes,” he said with a deep sigh of relief. He hugged her tightly. “Yes, it does.”
The phone rang again, and this time Susannah got up from his lap to answer it. “Hi, Bernie. Yes, he’s here. Hang on a minute.” She handed the phone to Ryan and left him to take the call.
She went into the kitchen and listened to the messages on her answering machine. Several were from members of her committee about last-minute issues with the Black & White Ball, as well as two from Henry’s mother inquiring about wedding invitations and seating plans. Susannah leaned against the counter and hung her head as she listened to Henrietta’s excited messages. She’d been so sure she was doing the right thing by marrying Henry. That she could have been so wrong left her shaken. Erasing the messages, she reached for her cell phone to return the calls from her committee and to order the food for later.
Ryan came into the kitchen holding the portable phone to his chest. “Wives and kids?” he whispered, raising a questioning eyebrow.
“Of course.” She recalculated her numbers for the caterer. “Why not?”
He smiled and turned back toward the den, talking to Bernie with animated gestures.
Susannah was relieved to see his spirits were high on the day he planned to end a career that had taken them both—but him in particular—on an extraordinary journey.
He spent most of the day on the phone tracking down his teammates while she attended to the party preparations and fielded calls from her ball committee colleagues, who were relieved to hear she was back in town and back in charge.