She had taken her time in selecting the oil, glad Garth hadn’t been with her at the time. She had talked him into going into a wine shop to select a bottle for their last night together. That was when she had doubled back to a shop that sold everything she needed for tonight. According to the salesclerk, who’d been very knowledgeable, the best scented oil would be lavender. It was relaxing, but also had an arousing effect on a person’s mind. She even claimed it stimulated the brain like an aphrodisiac.
Regan looked down at herself. If her outfit didn’t get his blood stirring, then nothing would. Garth had no idea what she’d set up for tonight, what her prize would be for winning the kissing contest. What she planned to do to him.
She intended to make it a night he would always remember.
Regan heard the knock on the bedroom door and moved in that direction. He had to be wondering what she’d been doing in here all this time. Maybe he assumed she was packing, since they would be leaving tomorrow.
When she opened the door, he stood there, looking sexier than any man had a right to look. She’d seen him in jeans so much over the past two weeks that it would be hard getting used to him wearing suits again.
“You need me for something?”
Boy, did she ever, she thought, roaming her gaze up and down his masculine form. They hadn’t gone out today other than to take a walk around the shore after lunch. Then later, after dinner they had made love, showered and made love again. It was as if they’d wanted to get as much of each other as possible.
And she still wasn’t ready to let go, which was why she’d decided to play her last card tonight.
“Yes, come in,” she said, stepping aside.
He entered, stopped and did a full circle. Then he looked back at her. “What’s going on?” he asked in a husky voice.
“Time for me to collect my kissing game winnings, Garth. I get to do whatever I want with you. And do you know what I plan to do?”
Regan watched his throat move in a deep swallow before he asked, “And just what do you plan to do?”
She moved close to him and rubbed his chest, wishing her fingers could touch his bare skin and not a shirt. “What I want to do to you, Garth Outlaw, is to touch you all over. Tonight, I will be giving you a hot oil massage.”
A smile touched his lips. “Bring it on.”
Regan returned his smile. “I’m glad you’re a willing participant.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t know a man alive who wouldn’t be.”
She chuckled. “I need you to undress, Garth. Completely.”
Regan stepped back to watch him unbutton his shirt and kick off his shoes. Blood rushed through her veins when her gaze drifted over his open shirt, bare chest and shoeless feet. Then he began shoving his pants and briefs down a pair of masculine legs.
When he was completely nude, she studied every inch of him. He had a body to die for, and she felt she was slowly drawing her last breath. It didn’t go unnoticed that while she was ogling him, he was studying her just as intently. Probably wondering what, if anything, she had on under her robe. To appease his curiosity, she wiggled her shoulders to ease out of it and reveal a very sexy negligee.
“Damn, that’s nice, Regan. Real nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
And it was so obvious he liked it. There were some things a man couldn’t hide. A huge erection was one of them. Knowing she’d caused it was getting to her. “Now I need you to get in the bed and lie facedown, Garth.”
She watched him walk over and stretch out on the bed, facedown. At that moment, an intense jolt of sexual need rocked her to the core. She had to get through this. She just had to. She would need the memories of being here with him, freely touching him, long after they’d returned home. She had to accept the reality that no matter what all she’d done here to make him want her, there was a chance he might never think she was wife material because he would never be able to love her. She forced that thought from her mind.
Once he had settled into position, he said, “I can’t see you in that short thing you’re wearing.”
“You will soon enough, Garth.”
She studied the contours of his back, which was military straight even while lying down. Coming to stand beside him, she poured heated oil into her hands and began to slowly massage the oil into his skin. There was something about the music playing, the scent of lavender flowing through the room, the low lighting and the gentle flames of the candles. She covered his back from top to bottom, gently rubbing her hands over his buttocks, down his inner and outer thighs, down his legs and all those areas in between.
“That feels so good, baby.”
She smiled at that term of endearment. “Trust me, I’m probably getting more out of this than you.”
“I doubt it.”
What she’d said was true. The feel of her hands gliding across his skin pushed her to succumb to desire that felt like a living creature seeping into her pores, nervous system, the very essence of her mind. It caused an ache in the juncture of her thighs. Her nipples hardened and her heart skipped several beats.
“Now flip over on your back, Garth.”
He complied and all she could do was stare at him, letting her gaze roam from the top of his head to the bottoms of his feet. He had beautiful feet for a man. But nothing was more impressive than the huge, engorged erection standing straight up for her. She licked her lips just looking at it.
“Don’t do that, sweetheart.”
She swallowed and moved her gaze from his midsection to his face. She saw longing so intense in his features that a ball of need burst to life inside her womanly core. Reaching again for the bottle of oil that had been kept in a warmer, she poured an ample amount in her hands.
She gently glided her hands all over his chest, working the oil into his skin, soothing any tense muscles she felt along his shoulders. Then she moved lower, tracing a path down his sculpted abdomen, loving the texture of his skin beneath her fingers.
And when her hands moved lower, their eyes met. She saw desire, more than she’d ever seen before, flare into his eyes. As she took him into her hand, his breathing became choppy.
Not removing her hands, she leaned in close to his mouth and whispered, “Breathe.”
When he lifted his hand toward her, she said, “No touching. If you’re good, I’ll let you touch all you want later. I just want you to lie still and relax.”
“You’re killing me.”
A smile touched her lips. “We are killing each other, and I promise to take us out of our pain real soon.”
She moved lower, to his thighs, and began stroking featherlight touches down to his calves. From there she moved to his ankles and the soles of his feet.
After putting more oil in the palms of her hands, she slowly retraced the path up to his shoulders. Once again, she paid a lot of attention to his midsection, letting him know how much she enjoyed touching him there. All kinds of sexual vibes poured off his body.
“Regan...”
She heard the burning sensuality in his voice and saw it in his eyes. The sound and sight made her tremble. “Yes?”
“I need you.”
He’d just said he needed her, and not just that he wanted her. Regan tried not to let his words get to her, but the force of them came crashing down on her when she realized how much she had to gain—and how much she could lose. She refused to think of losing. She had to believe this night and all those other nights meant something to him.
“Regan.”
When he said her name again, she leaned close to him and whispered, “You can touch me now.”
As if those were the words he’d been waiting for, he quickly sat up and pulled her down on the bed with him. In seconds he had stripped her of her negligee and had her beneath him. He captured her mouth in his at the same time he entered her body in one
hard thrust.
She let out a joyous scream and immediately climaxed. The intensity had hot blood rushing through her veins and sexual sensations flooding her stomach. When he threw his head back and let out a guttural moan while pounding hard into her, she screamed again. Another orgasm struck her, more powerful than the one before. He released her mouth and she looked up at him, saw deep-seated pleasure in his eyes. She would always remember putting it there. The questions she forced to the back of her mind were whether or not he would remember. Whether or not she’d done enough to engrave herself into his mind, if not his heart.
“I’m ready to leave, Garth.”
Garth tossed aside the magazine he’d been reading and stood. When he glanced over at Regan, he went still. Gone was the sexy temptress who’d been rocking his world for the past two weeks. The woman who’d been his constant companion during the day and shared his bed every night. In her place was Regan, his pilot. Forever the professional. She’d dressed in her uniform to remind him of it. Even her hair was back to being hidden under her pilot’s cap. Did she expect him to suddenly stop wanting her just because that uniform was a reminder that he was her boss? Was this her way of letting him know their Santa Cruz fling was officially over?
If that was the way she wanted things to end, then he would give her that wish.
But not until after he’d held her in his arms and tasted her lips one last time.
Crossing the room, he came to a stop in front of her. “I know what happens when we return to Fairbanks, Regan. But we aren’t there yet.”
He then pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth with his.
Nineteen
Regan dropped down on her sofa as she shifted her cell phone to the other ear. “I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise, Dad. It sounds like you had a great time.”
“I did. What about you? That was nice of Garth to invite you to hang out with him in Santa Cruz. Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Yes, I enjoyed myself,” she said, easing up from the sofa to cross the room and look out at the lake. Snow was falling. The usual for this time of year. In a week or so, they would be buried in it.
She drew in a deep breath, finding it hard to believe that she and Garth had returned to Fairbanks nearly two weeks ago. She wondered if he’d conveniently forgotten to give her the information about the dating agency that he’d promised her. She had reminded him before they’d left Santa Cruz and again when they’d landed in Fairbanks. He hadn’t seemed to like the reminders, but she’d hoped they would light a fire under him.
They had parted at the airport like they usually did, with a “goodbye” and not an “I will see your later.” She had checked her calendar, and the next scheduled flight, weather permitting, wasn’t until December, when she would fly him to Denver to attend his cousins’ charity ball.
Thanksgiving was in a couple of weeks and she’d thought about joining her father then, as well as for Christmas. There was no need to hang around here for the holidays. If Garth had any intention of suggesting they continue to see each other, he would have contacted her by now. Evidently, he had gotten back into his regular routine. For all she knew, he could have started dating again. The thought of that broke her heart, although she shouldn’t let it. She had tried to make him see her importance, but obviously her risk hadn’t paid off.
Suddenly, she realized she’d been distracted by thoughts of Garth and she’d missed what her father had been saying. She caught the tail end of it. “Excuse me, Dad, but what did you say?”
He gave a soft chuckle. “I said that I met someone. A real nice young lady.”
That was what she’d thought he said. Quickly moving away from the window, she returned to the sofa and sat back down. “Young lady? How young, Dad?”
He chuckled again. “She’s three years younger than I am, Regan.”
Regan was glad to hear that. “You met her on the cruise?”
“No, I met her five months ago and invited her to join me on the cruise.”
Regan didn’t say anything because she was completely stunned. When she recovered, she said, “You’ve been seeing someone for five months and didn’t tell me? I saw you this summer and you didn’t say anything about it.”
“I had to be sure, Regan.”
She swallowed. “Be sure of what?”
“That Deena was someone I could fall in love with.”
Regan swallowed again. “Is she? Have you?”
“Yes. I’ve fallen in love with her.”
She didn’t reply. Honestly, she should be happy for her father. She’d been trying to push him into serious relationships for years. She’d given up and thought he would never meet a woman he’d want to give his heart to again. “Tell me about her, Dad.”
“Deena is a widow. Her husband died of cancer twelve years ago. She has two sons, both doctors, and a daughter who’s a college professor. She’s a retired nurse who moved to Florida from Wisconsin. Like me, she wanted to escape cold winters. She moved into the neighborhood around the same time I did, but we met at one of our homeowners’ association meetings a year ago. We started out as friends, meeting for coffee and taking walks, and then it moved to something more serious.”
Regan nibbled her bottom lip. “I see.”
“Well, you don’t sound happy for your old man.”
“I am happy for you, Dad. Just surprised.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet her. I told her you were coming here for Christmas.”
Regan was about to tell him she might be seeing him sooner than that, when his next words stopped her. “I’m meeting Deena’s kids for Thanksgiving. We’re flying to Wisconsin, where they live.”
Regan didn’t respond at first. Then, because she knew how she felt was important to her father, she said, “I am truly happy for you, Dad, and I can’t wait to meet Deena when I come visit you for Christmas.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. I need to go now. Deena and I have a date later. We’re doing dinner and then a movie.”
She nodded, hearing the excitement in his voice. “Enjoy yourselves.”
“We will. You take care, sweetheart.”
“I will, and you do the same, Dad.”
After ending the call, Regan stood and walked back over to the window. At least her father had proved that one could love again—although it had taken him nearly twenty years to reach that conclusion. Better late than never. And he honestly sounded happy. She couldn’t wait to meet Deena.
Should she take that as hope for herself? She would if Garth had given her any reason for hope when they’d parted at the airport. He hadn’t. It was as if once he’d returned to his home turf, she was out of sight and out of mind. She had honestly thought he would have called her by now, if for nothing more than to see how she was doing.
She stood and was about to go into the kitchen when her phone rang. She quickly picked it up, hoping it was Garth, and then sighed in disappointment when she saw the caller was Charm. “Hey, Charm.”
“Hello. I just got back from visiting Walker, Bailey and the twins in Kodiak. The babies are adorable.”
“I bet they are, and I bet they are growing like weeds.”
Charm chuckled. “Yes, they are. The reason I was calling was to see if you wanted to do dinner tonight at the Riverview? It seems like I haven’t seen you in ages, and you need to tell me about Santa Cruz. I’m thinking of taking a trip there myself next summer.”
Regan didn’t have anything planned for later and getting out of the house to meet Charm was a good idea. “Yes, I’d love to have dinner with you.”
Garth stood at the window in his office and looked out. It was hard to believe it had been fourteen days since he’d seen or talked to Regan, and a part of him missed her like crazy. For the past thirteen nights he’d gone to bed remembering how they would shower together, make love, share a bed, and how he woul
d hold her in his arms while she slept and then wake up making love to her every morning.
Those had been the times when he had felt a degree of peace he hadn’t felt in ten years. During those two weeks in Santa Cruz, he’d gotten used to being happy, satisfied, at ease with life and comfortable with having Regan around. He’d known her for years, all of her life, and she’d been his pilot for nearly five years, but he could honestly say that during those two weeks, he’d gotten to know her in ways he hadn’t thought possible. Not all of it had been spent in the bedroom. However, he would be the first to admit the times in the bedroom had been special.
He’d even opened up and told her about Karen, not knowing how much he’d needed to talk about his past with someone other than Walker. Doing so had placed a lot of things in perspective.
Regan had captured his heart.
He had fallen in love with her.
Garth shook his head, not believing how things had turned out. Maybe he’d fallen in love with her last year when his blinders came off, but he’d been fighting it. He’d been convinced he would be dishonoring Karen’s memory to give someone else his heart. It had taken ten years to discover he’d been wrong.
It had taken ten years to accept that losing the person he loved didn’t mean losing their memory, as well. To love someone and then grieve for them—that was a transition in life that a number of people went through. Just because he felt emotions for another person didn’t diminish what he’d once felt for the woman he’d loved and lost. It was about accepting that it was time to move on.
The relationship he’d shared with Karen had been unique, what he’d needed at the time. Now he was ten years older, and a different type of woman appealed to him. A woman like Regan. He admired everything about her. Her sexiness, her overall view on life and her ability to have fun and encourage him to have fun, as well.
Walker was right about a person’s heart expanding to include others, if one was willing to let them in. Garth was willing to let Regan in. He needed her in.
The Wife He Needs (Mills & Boon Desire) (Westmoreland Legacy: The Outlaws, Book 1) Page 14