‘I’m a patient man. I'm willing to wait for the pleasure of seeing you in that lingerie I sent you earlier in the week."
He moved up behind her and his hands clasped her shoulders. She stared at their image in the mirror in front of her.
She could feel the imprint of his body behind her the male heat emanating from him and branding her. She picked up his masculine scent, one she recognized from four years ago and one which predictably awakened her senses.
He bent his head to nuzzle her neck, and her body reacted to remembered passion, as well as the image of the two of them together in the mirror.
His dark good looks were a perfect foil for her red hair and pale creamy skin.
His hands stroked up and down her arms, his mouth caressing the curve of her neck, then the shell of her ear...and the wisps of hair at her temple. Always teasing her.
Her ni**les hardened, thrusting against the fabric of her gown.
She felt herself succumbing to him with mind-numbing ease, pulled under by a seductive undertow.
She turned in his arms, breaking free and intent on telling him off but his mouth claimed hers before she could speak.
His lips moved over hers, taking control of the kiss, slipping past her barriers to touch her tongue with his and invite her to duel with him. Mate with him.
Her defenses came crashing down as the past stormed back to greet them in all its passion and unfettered need.
His mouth moved over hers with greater urgency, and his hands roamed her back, bringing her closer to the flame of his desire.
She felt his erection press against her.
Sexual need ate at her. It was even hotter than before. Even hotter than she remembered.
She felt his hand at her back, tugging the zipper of her gown downward.
With a last desperate effort, she pulled her mouth from his and pushed away from him.
He took deep breaths, his eyes dilated from arousal.
Her breaths matched his and she ached all over. Especially in her heart.
She hugged the sagging bodice of her dress to her.
He reached for her again, and she took a step back.
"You can’t deny we both want it." he said in a quiet voice.
She raised her chin. ‘I’m wise enough to know now that wanting doesn't mean having"
They locked eyes, and she watched his expression shutter.
"One of these days, you're going to realize you're not the only one who's changed in the past four years," he said evenly.
They both stood there for a moment, not moving, before he strode out of the room.
She watched him leave, fighting to slow her pulse. Then she turned toward the vanity table to pick up her brush—and the broken pieces of her shattered four-year-old control.
Stephen arrived home on Monday to relieve the babysitter. He and Megan had decided to try out staggering their workdays as much as possible so that one of them would almost always be with Jade and they'd use their babysitter only to fill in small gaps.
"Hi. Stephen." Tiffany said, giving him a bright smile.
The sitter couldn't be more than twenty-two or twenty-three, he'd concluded when he'd first met her. Today, she wore hip-hugging denim shorts and a sleeveless tee with the words Baby Phat in rhinestones across the chest. Her straight blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
He was familiar with Tiffany's type. Women like her roamed at the periphery of his world—through the Garrison Grand's celebrity-hosted events, and at hot spots like his brother's nightclub Estate.
"Hey." he said in acknowledgment. "Everything go okay today?"
Tiffany nodded, looking a little tongue-tied, and Stephen recognized the reaction. In some ways he was even used to it.
He wasn't a movie star or rock sensation, but with his looks and wealth, he d inspired reactions ranging from no-holds-barred come-ons to stolen glances and coy smiles. As the owner of the Garrison Grand, he was considered the epitome of cool—as much as it amused him sometimes.
Like everyone else. Tiffany had reacted with surprise when he and Megan had announced they were getting married. Still, she seemed to accept the explanation Megan had given—that the two of them had realized when they'd reencountered each other that they wanted to be together.
If Tiffany had caught on that he and Megan had begun their marriage sleeping in separate beds, she hadn't said anything. And frankly Tiffany's presence was another reason he'd put Megan in the room next to his—aside from the obvious one of wanting Megan close by. He didn't want the babysitter to be the source of idle gossip. There'd been enough speculation out there among the public and the press about his lifestyle.
He loosened his tie just as Jade bounded into the room, holding what he'd come to know was her Baby Alive doll.
"Hello, gorgeous." He crouched and opened his arms, and Jade threw herself into them.
He'd recently been instructed by his daughter, in a very important voice, about all the cool characteristics of Baby Alive.
He seemed to recall Brittany and Brooke having a similar doll when they were little—one that, as a prank, he'd put in the pool to see if it could swim—so the toy apparently had staying power. Go figure.
He also decided it was best if he didn't mention that particular prank to Jade—though his sisters might rat him out at some point. Old stunts like that could tarnish his budding reputation as a great dad.
After a moment Jade pulled back from his embrace. "Hi." she said, somewhat shyly.
He noticed that, despite her initial exuberance Jade seemed to be hesitant.
One step forward, two steps back, he thought. But he was in this for the long haul.
After Tiffany left, he and Jade played with some puzzles and simple board games in the den until Megan arrived home.
They went out to greet her in the foyer.
One look at Megan, and his body tightened, the way it always did around her.
A short brown skirt showed off her spectacular legs, which were accentuated by stone-embellished spike-heeled sandals. She was wearing a short-sleeved blouse with a tropical print and gold chandelier earrings.
"Mommy!"
"Hi sweetie." Megan's eyes traveled from Jade to him a question in her eyes. "How are you doing?"
"We were just playing board games." he supplied. Games a lot simpler than the one he and Megan were playing.
He reached out to take her upper arm and swept Megan's lips with a kiss. Jade, he noticed, absorbed it all with interest.
"Come on." he said to both of them. "I grill some mean steaks."
"Hamburger." Jade responded.
He feigned a long-suffering sigh. "All right, hamburger for you." He touched her nose. "But only because I feel like playing short-order cook tonight."