The Wife He Needs

by Brenda Jackson

  “Okay.” She just realized how close they were standing. She was tempted to reach out and rub her hands down his wet chest. But she wouldn’t stop there. Then she would lean in and lick the side of his neck, and then...

  “Did I tell you how nice you look in your bathing suit?”

  “Yes, you did. Thanks.”

  “I got an idea of what we can do after we eat, if you aren’t tired.”

  She licked her lips. “What?”

  “Something we haven’t done in a long time.”

  Her thoughts were on making love, but she figured that wasn’t it, since they’d never done that before at all. “What?”

  “Play Scrabble.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. It had been years since she’d played. “Um, why do I get the feeling that I’m about to find out that Charm and Maverick aren’t the only Outlaws with competitive genes?”

  * * *

  “What! You’re challenging me again, Regan?” Garth said, grinning broadly.

  “You bet I am. Lionize is not a word.”

  “Yes, it is.” He didn’t want to argue with her, but darn, she looked so cute when she was angry. Especially the way her lips formed into a pout. He took a sip of his wine, needing something to soothe the sensations rolling around too close to his groin.

  “Then prove it.”

  “You do realize, Regan, that you can’t afford to challenge me again, right?”

  She lifted her chin. “Is that what you’re counting on? That I’ll let you get away with this one?”

  “No.

  “Then I’m challenging you, Garth. Prove it.”

  “Okay.” He picked up his phone.

  “No, this time, we are using mine,” she said, standing to pull her cell phone out of the back pocket of the denim shorts she had changed into after their swim. He thought now what he always thought whenever he saw her legs. She had a gorgeous pair.

  “Are you accusing me of cheating?” he asked, amused when he probably should feel offended.

  “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’d just rather use my phone to look it up this time.”

  He shrugged. “Fine, go right ahead. And just so you know, you’re cute when you’re mad.”

  She frowned. “I’m not mad.”

  “If you aren’t, then you could have fooled me. You know what I think?”

  “No, what do you think?”

  “I think you’ve been hanging around Maverick and Charm too long.”

  “Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes, as she pulled up the dictionary on her cell phone.

  Garth watched her expression and knew the exact moment she saw challenging him had been a mistake. He couldn’t resist adding salt to the wound by saying. “So, what does it say? What’s the definition?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said, placing her phone aside and picking up her wineglass.

  “It matters to me. So, what does it say?”

  Her annoyance was apparent when she picked up her phone and read aloud what it said. “To lionize is to treat someone as a celebrity.” She looked back over at him. “Happy now?”

  He leaned back in his chair and smiled over at her. Yes, he was happy. He had spent all day with her and tomorrow he would be doing the same—as well as the day after, and the day after that. He had twelve more days to be with her and he was looking forward to each of them. Around her, he felt relaxed. At least he did whenever he wasn’t lusting after her.

  “Yes, I’m happy, but I want you to be happy, too, Regan. So, I guess that means I’m going to have to start lionizing you.”

  A smile broke out on her pouty lips. Shaking her head, she said, “You just couldn’t resist, could you?”

  He chuckled, moving the board game aside to put it away. “Enough of Scrabble. The last thing I want is for you to walk around mad with me for the next two weeks.”

  “I couldn’t ever get mad at you, Garth.”

  He glanced over at her. Instead of meeting his gaze, she was taking a sip of her wine while looking at the fireplace he’d lit earlier. Paulo had warned him that this time of year, Santa Cruz had warm days and cool nights. Since the château was right off the ocean, the evening temperature would drop rather quickly. They found his warning to be true. No sooner had they gotten out of the pool and eaten than the temperature fell. They were surprised, since it hadn’t done so last night when they’d taken a walk.

  “Besides,” she said, finally looking at him. “I can’t get mad at you since you’re my boss and I need my job.”

  He took another sip of his wine. For some reason, it was important that while they were there together, their employer-employee relationship didn’t exist. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him.

  “That might be true, but while we’re here together, we don’t have a professional relationship. I invited you to stay here and to share my space not as my pilot, but as a friend. The person I cooked breakfast for this morning, went on a tour with today, went swimming with and beat at Scrabble, is someone I consider a friend.”

  A huge smile touched her lips. “There you go, rubbing salt into the wound again.”

  He laughed. “It’s not intentional.” He became silent for a moment and then said in a more somber tone, “But seriously, you understand what I’m saying, right? I don’t want you to think I would invite other female employees to spend time with me this way. I feel comfortable with you and with being alone here with you. And I hope the same holds true for you.”

  She nodded, a serious expression appearing on her face, as well. “Yes, of course.

  “Good. Do you have any questions or concerns you think we should address?”

  She hesitated but then said, “Yes, there is one thing that’s concerning for me.”

  “And what is it?”

  Garth watched Regan nibble on her bottom lip. He’d known her long enough to know that whatever this concern was, she was nervous about bringing it up.

  “You can talk to me about anything, Regan. That hasn’t changed.”

  She met his gaze. “What about her? The woman you were supposed to spend time with here, who didn’t come? There are some women who wouldn’t appreciate their man spending two weeks with another woman, no matter how innocent the relationship. What if she doesn’t understand the kind of friendship we share and thinks us being here means more than it does? Will she understand our unique relationship?”

  Their unique relationship...

  He’d never thought of their relationship as such, but that was definitely one way to define it. For her to ask such a question showed the depth of her concern. And from her standpoint he understood why she would be concerned. But that was only because she didn’t know the truth.

  Although he wouldn’t share any details about the dating service or his plans to settle down, he could certainly address her concerns. “Don’t worry about her, Regan.”

  He could tell from the look on her face that those words hadn’t waylaid her concerns. “Why not?”

  He met her gaze and held it. “Because you don’t have to. You’re going to have to trust me on this.”

  * * *

  Regan looked into his eyes, considering his words. Maybe the relationship with the woman who hadn’t arrived wasn’t as serious as she’d assumed. Even then, it wasn’t like Garth to spend two weeks anywhere with a woman if it wasn’t serious. Other men might do such a thing, but not Garth.

  Knowing he was waiting for some kind of response, she said, “Then I guess that settles it, because I do trust you.”

  Looking at her watch, she decided it was time to retire for the night. “I need to call Simone to tell her about my change in plans.” Simone already knew, but Garth didn’t have to know that. At the moment Regan just needed to escape from his presence. There was only so much of him she could take. His entire aura was overpowe
ring.

  “Okay. Paulo will be back tomorrow. If you want breakfast, he will be here by nine. I plan to go sailing. You can join me if you like.”

  She would definitely like, but she didn’t want to crowd him. They had spent today together, and it might be a good idea to have space for both of them tomorrow. “Thanks, but I brought a book to read. One written by your cousin Rock Mason. It’s good.” Rock Mason was the pen name of his cousin Stone Westmoreland.

  “I heard his books are good. I haven’t had time to read one. By the way, according to our agenda, we’re to attend the opera tomorrow night. It’s a dressy affair.”

  She’d forgotten all about that. When he’d shown her the itinerary a couple of days ago, she’d been excited at the idea of going. She’d brought a gown that would be perfect. At the time, she’d packed it just in case she and Simone decided to do something fancy while she was in Los Angeles.

  “I’m good with dressy and would love to go. It doesn’t start until eight, so I’ll be well rested by then, but the question of the hour is whether or not you’ll be rested, since you’re going sailing tomorrow, Garth.”

  “I should be fine, so let’s plan to go.”

  “Okay. Good night, Garth.”

  “Good night, Regan. Sleep well.”

  Later that night, when Regan slid between the sheets with her e-reader in her hand, she couldn’t help but think about how much she had enjoyed today. She and Garth had done things together they hadn’t done in years.

  She could still hear music, which meant he hadn’t gone to bed yet. Turning on her side, she opened the e-reader, while thinking about how he’d defined their relationship while they were here. They were not sharing space as employer and employee, but as friends.

  Was there a reason he’d wanted to make that distinction?

  She’d been serious when she brought up the issue of the woman who was to have met him here. Not all women, or men, would be so understanding. Regan couldn’t claim that she would be. But she would let him handle his business.

  Tomorrow they would have their space and maybe that was a good thing. Time would tell.

  * * *

  Garth stood and moved across the room to turn off the music. It was past midnight already. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he threw his head back and inhaled deeply, drawing in Regan’s lingering scent. She’d gone to bed hours ago, yet her scent was still here, and had stayed while the music played.

  He had closed his eyes so his mind could absorb the music and his entire body could soak up her fragrance. He yearned for things he hadn’t had in months and only wanted them with her.

  That was the crux of his problem. He couldn’t have them with her. This insane craving for her couldn’t be normal, could it?

  Why not? his mind countered. She’s beautiful and she’s single. She told you she was not involved with that military guy any longer, so what’s the problem? And tonight you defined your relationship as personal.

  He had enjoyed playing Scrabble with her and loved it whenever she had challenged him. Not because he’d known his word would stand, but because she was so intense about winning. It seemed his Regan had a few competitive genes, as well.

  His Regan?

  He frowned. She was not his, although tonight there had been a couple of times he’d thought of her as such.

  Grabbing his wineglass, he stood and headed for the kitchen. Tomorrow they would do separate activities during the day. However, he had a feeling tomorrow night, attending the opera with her, would definitely be a test of his endurance.

  Nine

  Regan stood at the window and then looked down at her watch. It was almost six o’clock, and if she and Garth planned to attend the opera, they would need time to get dressed and leave at least by seven-thirty, since it began at eight.

  “We’re still going to the opera tonight, right?”

  Regan jumped, startled. Turning, she saw Garth leaning against a pillar. She fought to keep her heart from racing. He was shirtless, with his jeans riding low on his hips. She’d seen him without a shirt before. Like yesterday, when they’d gone swimming, and at other times over the years. But that didn’t mean a thing to her pulse rate.

  “Where did you come from?” she asked him.

  “My bedroom. I just woke up from my nap.”

  She could see that now. He still seemed drowsy around his eyes. The sleepy look was sexy on him. Way too sexy. “I didn’t know you had returned from sailing.”

  “I came back three hours ago.”

  “Oh.” That had to have been when she’d been in her bedroom talking on the phone to Simone...or rather listening to Simone, since her best friend had done all the talking.

  Simone figured yesterday would have been a great day to seduce Garth. It had taken Regan a good half hour to reiterate to Simone she intended to do no such thing.

  “So, are we still going to the opera?” he asked her.

  “Yes, I still want to go.”

  “Then we will.”

  “Paulo left food for you if you’re hungry.”

  “I’m not. I still feel full from those sandwiches he fixed me for lunch.”

  “How was sailing?”

  “Great. I loved being out on the water. I had my music with me. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

  She nodded. “Well, I’m glad you’re getting rest, Garth.”

  He smiled. “You and Charm both. She called earlier and threatened to disown me if she finds out I’m working on files while I’m here.”

  Regan lifted a brow. She’d heard the music playing last night from her bedroom. Jazz. What he usually listened to while working. “Are you working on files from here, Garth?”

  “Nope. This has been a relaxing trip so far. Besides, I wouldn’t undermine Cash like that.”

  No, he wouldn’t. “I’m sure Cash is doing just fine running things.”

  “I’m sure of that, too. If something comes up that needs my attention, he knows how to reach me.” Garth glanced at his watch. “I guess it’s time for us to get dressed. You want to meet back in this same spot in about an hour?”

  “That sounds good,” she said.

  “The opera lasts three hours, followed by a reception with dancing.”

  “I saw that. Do you think you’ll want to stay up that late?”

  He chuckled. “Need I remind you that you’re the one who goes to bed with the chickens. I should be the one asking you if you’re okay with the late hour.”

  “I think dancing would be nice.”

  “So do I. Then let’s do it,” he said.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “Let’s do it.”

  * * *

  Regan looked radiant, Garth thought, watching her enter the room. She was so beautiful he was rendered speechless. He was grateful he had the pillar to lean on. Otherwise he would have gotten weak in the knees. With each graceful step she took, he was aware of her in every pore of his body. He could even feel blood rushing through his veins.

  The gown she’d worn to the Westmoreland Charity Ball had knocked the breath out of his lungs. The one she had on tonight was having the same effect, tenfold. On top of that, the way it draped over her curves stirred sexual hunger to life in his midsection.

  Even her hair was different. The curls were piled high, nearly forming a halo around her head. Regan was incredibly feminine from top to bottom, and the areas in between, he was certain. Her soft-as-sin curves were captivating his mind, making him appreciate being a man.

  “I’m ready, Garth.”

  She might be ready, but he sure wasn’t. Sharing space with her tonight would definitely be a distraction. A distraction he couldn’t handle. “You look beautiful, Regan.”

  A smile spread across her face. “Just a little something I threw together.”

  If that was the case, and
he figured it wasn’t, she’d thrown it together rather nicely. “Well, no matter how you managed it, you look beautiful.”

  “Thanks, Garth.”

  Even her makeup looked good on her. She hadn’t been heavy-handed with it. It was light and blended perfectly with her skin tone.

  And speaking of skin...

  Was that a split up the side of that gown? One that went up past her knee and over her thigh whenever she walked? One that flashed skin? A lot of skin? When she came to a stop in front of him, he stared down at her generous cleavage that revealed even more skin.

  He inhaled deeply, then wished he hadn’t. Her scent was even more of an attention-grabber tonight. It was getting to him in ways a female perfume never had before. Tonight, he’d been bitten.

  “Ready for an enjoyable night?” he asked her, leading her to the door.

  “Yes. I’m more than ready.”

  Three hours later, Garth glanced over at Regan, who was sitting beside him in the huge opera theater. The theater lights were turned down, which afforded him an opportunity to study her. It was obvious from the look on her face and the focus of her gaze that she was enjoying the opera.

  And he was enjoying her.

  He shifted to sit more comfortably in his seat. If he continued to stare at her, she would eventually notice. Though maybe not, since her attention was clearly on the singer who was performing on stage. Pretty soon it would be time for intermission. No sooner did that thought pop into his mind than the lights came on.

  He used that time to walk around and stretch his legs while Regan visited the ladies’ room. Moments later, they met back up and he suggested they stop by the concession area for coffee.

  Garth tried not to notice the men admiring Regan in that beautiful gown she was wearing. The same gown that draped across her curves, her breasts, and clinched at the waist, showing a perfect hourglass figure. While he was in one line getting their coffee, she was in another grabbing snacks. He overheard the two men in line in front of him remark to each other about what a gorgeous woman she was and that they envied the lucky man she was with tonight.