"Hold me, Jackson. Hold me," she whispered, allowing him to see a need whose potency he'd barely suspected.
He held her all night and kissed her when she turned to him, warming her with his constant presence. He would never leave her to sink or swim. Never.
Taylordidn't think of herself as a needy woman, but she neededJackson. The wonderful thing was,he was always there. Like now. He hugged her before their dinner party, three days after she'd agreed to have his child.
"You look ravishing, Mrs.Santorini ," he said, planting kisses on her neck. "Do you think our guests will notice if we're late?" Hands moved possessively over her body.
She laughed. "You're looking far too gorgeous, yourself. Make sure the blondes don't touch you." She was only half joking. Around him, she felt positively feral.
His amusement at her possessiveness was overlaid with a hint of approval. "Cross my heart." A glint of mischief lightened his dark eyes.
"What?"
"I want to thank you for last night, bellissima . Your mouth is so..."
She clapped her hand over his mouth. "Behave!" Her attempt to sound stern failed miserably, memories of their loving turning her tone husky. She hadn't yet conquered all her fears, but each night, she became stronger. Strong enough for the man she'd married. "You're a menace." He smiled knowingly against her hand, and licked her palm with his tongue. Giggling, she pulled away. "Jackson!"
"Nick was raring to go when I dropped him off tonight. I think he considers spending the weekend at his friend's house more exciting than hanging around with us."
"I think you're much more fun." She rubbed her body against his in deliberate provocation. Having the power to arouse her sexy husband was an addictive feeling.
Jacksonkissed her, his eyes gleaming with a masculine warning that told her she'd have to pay for her teasing. "Let's go, Mrs.Santorini . I suppose we have to show up at our own dinner party."
Wanting to create an intimate atmosphere,Taylorhad had the dinner party catered but limited the number of serving staff to two. The neatly dressed men had arrived an hour previously and were now standing in readiness for the arrival of the guests. Prior to dinner, one would tend the small bar set up in a corner of the living room, while his partner was to circulate with the hors d'oeuvres.
"Thank you. Everything looks lovely,"Taylorsaid to them both, after sampling one of their offerings.
"Your firm has surpassed my expectations."
They beamed.
Just then the doorbell chimed andJackson's voice sounded in her ear. "Showtime."
Linking her arm with his, she took a deep breath and let him lead her to the door. Their security firm was controlling entry onto the property, so once the guests passed through the gates, they were able to drive right up to the house. When that door opened, some very powerful people were going to walk into her house.
Jacksonpaused in front of the door and turned to say very quietly, "Together."
Startled out of her nervousness, she glanced at him, only then realizing that this had to be hard for him, too. Some of these wary people had once been close friends. A slow smile bloomed inTaylor's heart as she understood that he'd let her know that deliberately, welcoming her support to negotiate what could be a difficult evening and offering her his.
Sliding her hand down his arm, she entangled the fingers of her right hand with those of his left.
"Together."
At first, the guests were on their guard, watching her as if they expectedBonnie's ghost to possess her.
But she noticed that they relaxed within minutes, warming in the glow of her husband's attention. Always charismatic, today, with a smile flirting with his lips, he was devastating.
"I've never seen him smile, I swear,"TempleGivens, one of the hottest scriptwriters around, said. "Have you given him some happy pills?" She laughed and took a sip of an award-winning chardonnay produced inGisborne .
Taylorliked the slender redhead and sinceTemplehad already invited her to lunch in a few days' time, she knew the feeling was mutual. "He doesn't need them. Teasing me is enough." She was aware thatJackson
, standing a foot away, could hear her.
He turned from his conversation to throw her a grin. "What drug could compare to you, Mrs.Santorini ?"
Templegasped, the other guests laughed, and that set the mood for the party. People seemed fascinated by their relationship. She just shrugged and acted like herself. This was her home, no matter who these big shots were. The fact that they were invited to several events by their departing guests was a sure sign that she'd done well.
"A roaring success, sweet little wife,"Jacksonwhispered in her ear, as they got ready for bed. He'd undressed at the speed of light and come to hold her around her middle, chest to her back and chin on her shoulder. He often took that position and she loved the tiny intimacy. Just like she loved everything withJackson. Already nervy because of her decision to try and conceive, she was unwilling to consider what that meant. Instead, she concentrated on the physical fire he could arouse in her.
"Thank you, honey." She smiled in delight. "I think we're going to be hot together."
He cuddled her closer. " Cara, we burn up together." And then he proceeded to ignite the passion between them.
The next day, she received several thank-you calls regarding the dinner party. Gifts started arriving, too
- belated wedding presents.
"We made some friends," she toldJacksonthat night. Clad only in a pair of black sports shorts with stripes of white on the sides, he was prowling around their bedroom, while she sat in bed. Needless to say, with her husband's body on display, the book in her hand was going unread.
"It's allyour doing." He bowed to her like some old-world courtier. "You are solovely, they couldn't resist your charm, mia moglie e bellissima ."
She threw a pillow at him. "I'm already your wife, you big Italian stud. You don't need to seduce me."
Her susceptibility to him should've worried her but she reveled in the intensity of their passion. In her ability to match him. Each time they made love, he lost a little more control and she conquered another piece of fear.
Catching the pillow, he grinned. The naughty light in his eyes warned her that he had something up his sleeve. "In that case, I'm going to do weights."
Taylor's head jerked up. Against her short and barely decent white nightie, her nipples peaked.
He chucked the pillow back onto the bed, saying, "You can watch," before he left the room.
She swallowed.
ToJackson's surprise,Taylordidn't come after him. Maybe, he thought, she was getting over her delight in his body. Scowling, he began to exercise. Some time later, he heard the door to the workout room being shut. Turning, he foundTaylorsitting on the last step leading down into the converted basement, a jug of ice water beside her and a full glass in her hand.
His whole body went taut. "Is that for me?" he said, watching her roll the glass against her cheek.
"No. It's all for me. Now, exercise."
He'd never performed like this for any woman. But, then again, no woman had ever needed to cool herself down in his presence. Damn, but he enjoyed her reaction to him. Pleased with his little wife, he indulged her, doing arm curls with weights that made his biceps bulge.
Taylormoaned.
"Want to come over?" he invited.
She shook her head and lifted the glass to her lips. Her short nightie rode up as she spread her thighs without noticing. After draining the glass, she said, "Will you do some push-ups?"
"For you, bellissima , anything." He put down the weights and with his body right in front of her, began to do as she'd asked, keeping his spine and legs in perfect alignment. He wondered if he could persuade her to kiss him all over, as she'd done last night. Though he'd never admit it, he had a weakness for the gentleness of his wife's caresses. After fifty repetitions, he got up. "Enough?"
"Not hardly." She'd opened all three buttons at the top of her nightie and one hand rested in the opening.
"But I think I'm getting heatstroke."
He walked over to the bottom of the steps. "Maybe we should start slow. We can work up to chin-ups," he teased.
She put down the glass and stood up, blue eyes hazy with passion. Her small hands ran up his chest in a gesture that was as proprietary as itwas adoring . "Maybe I could ... assist you to work out."
He wanted to groan at the images that inspired. "You're not dressed for it. Here, let me help." Moving her hands aside, he pulled the nightie over her head and threw it to the floor. "Now, you're dressed right."
"I'm naked," she whispered, a sexy sparkle in her eye. Before his eyes, she'd blossomed into her sultry sensuality, until tonight, he could read no hint of reticence or fear in her. "Don't I need a sports bra?"
"You're right. Come here." He pulled her along until she was standing in front of the machine he used for hislats . It had a black leather bench that he could sit on while pulling down on the T-shaped handle, which was connected to weights at the back of the machine.
First, he removed all the weights but one. Then, moving around, he sat down on the bench ... after taking off his shorts. "Now, straddle me. Face away from me."
Eyes wide, she did as he bid. He held her up by the waist when she realized that the bench and his body were too wide for her feet to touch the floor. "I don't think this'll work," she complained, clearly disappointed.
"Sure it will." Grinning, he lowered her onto his thrusting erection. Starved as he was, the sight of her heart-shaped bottom coming down on him made him want to savage her. But he'd been saving up this particular fantasy since his wedding night. Because she looked so goddamn sexy taking him in, he brought her halfway and then lifted her up, only to slide her down again.
"Oh,Jackson..." Her words faded off into a groan as he oh, so slowly lowered her onto him a third time.