One way or another. And then he’d decide what to do about Celia. And his account.When the game ended after the visiting team failed to score the necessary runs to overtake the Tide in the ninth inning, Celia stood, her cheeks flush with excitement.“We’re going to have an awesome season. I just know it!”He stood beside her unsure of what would happen now. Nothing had gone the way he’d anticipated.Sure enough, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward the exit. “Come on,” she said.But they didn’t leave the stadium. Instead they went down to a restricted area, where Celia flashed a pass he hadn’t seen up to this point. He shouldn’t be surprised. But when they stopped outside the players’ locker room, he was.They waited a good while. Several members of the press came and went. Finally one of the players stuck his head out the door, looked up and down and then his eyes brightened when he saw Celia. Evan was a little starstruck. It was the Tide’s catcher, Chris Davies. He was
Celia paced the Maddox conference room. Her nerves were wound tight, and she’d meticulously gone over every little detail of her presentation. The televisions out front had mock-ups created by the media folks. An endless stream of Reese Enterprise promotion ran on the video monitors and the art department had framed several print-ad options and displayed them in the conference room. With fifteen minutes to go time, the other members of her team had assembled. Tension was high but so was excitement. Ash had congratulated her on landing the biggest client for Maddox thus far, but he’d acted distracted and distant. Celia wondered if he was indeed having issues with the rumored girlfriend.The others had all been quick to add their congratulations. No contract had been signed, but they all seemed convinced that after this morning, Reese Enterprises would be in the bag. She hoped they were right.Noah had called last night after an extended dinner with Evan. Apparently after barbeque the
After a Sunday of fielding curious questions from her brothers about Evan, Celia was relieved to go into work on Monday. She wasn’t ready to admit to even her family that she and Evan were anything more than business associates. They knew what had happened in New York and that it was complete nonsense. She loved them for their undying loyalty and their absolute faith in her. Which was why she was reluctant to confess to a relationship with Evan. It would only muddy the waters even though she and Evan both knew the truth. She was late, thanks to a traffic snarl that lasted an entire hour and an already late start from her apartment. By the time she made it off the elevator, it was closing in on noon, and her mood was in the toilet.When she saw Shelby, she knew something was wrong. The usually cheerful receptionist eyed Celia with something that looked suspiciously like pity, and she refused to hold Celia’s gaze for long.Not even wanting to know what that was all about, Celia bypasse
Tuesday morning, Celia took the coward’s way out and called Brock to schedule vacation time for the rest of the week. He didn’t like that she was hiding. It was no way to face the issue, but after hearing how horrible she sounded, he didn’t argue the matter further. The rest of the day she spent moping around her apartment, alternating between anger and fits of upset.Wednesday, she packed a bag and headed for the one place she knew she could lick her wounds in safety. Her dad’s house.He took one look at her and held out his arms for a giant bear hug. She needed it. Never had the comfort of home felt so good to her than now.He sat her down and cooked her a huge breakfast, because in his book, there wasn’t anything that couldn’t be cured by a big, home-cooked breakfast.All the time she ate, he sat beside her, eating his own food in silence. He didn’t pry or demand answers. It was what she loved most about him. He never intruded into his children’s lives. No, he didn’t have to. He
He wanted to go kill someone. Preferably whoever had started this smear campaign. No one messed with the woman he loved and got away with it.All the air left his lungs in a painful jolt.Loved?He liked Celia. Liked her a damn lot. She was beautiful, vibrant, sexy as hell. She was a great lover and partner. He had fun with her. He loved her company. But did he love her?The knot in his stomach grew. How could he be so stupid about his own personal life? Surely it would have occurred to him before now if he was in love with someone.He stopped and let his thoughts catch up with the breathless, panicky feeling in his chest.How had he gone thirty-eight years with never having fallen in love? He’d never even contemplated the idea until now. He wasn’t at all sure he liked it, either.Love was such a messy emotion. It was bound to be inconvenient. You sure couldn’t put it on a schedule and love never played by the rules. He liked rules. And schedules.Ah, hell, he was absolutely in love
She let him pull her down beside him on the couch, even if she was still horrified by the fact she was wearing a robe, with nothing on underneath, and she was wearing a wet towel on her head, for God’s sake.But when she looked at him, she promptly forgot all that. All she knew was that she loved this man, and she’d do anything to make things right between them.“I’m sorry,” she said in a low, shaky voice.He pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh. I don’t want to hear that word cross your lips. It’s me who is sorry. I was an ass. I said despicable things to you.”Her eyes widened, and she felt the ridiculous urge to cry again, as if she hadn’t done enough of that in the last few days.“First, I want to talk about this,” he said as he drew out the dreaded newspaper clipping from his pocket.She froze, her stomach seizing with dread.“Don’t look like that. I don’t believe a word of it. But it’s obviously an important part of your past. It hurt you and it’s affected a good portion of our re
Peter Ramsey saw the traffic controller step out onto the pedestrian crossing, brandishing her stop sign, and slowed his car to a halt. A tribe of preschool children, kept in check by a couple of adults, were lined up on the sidewalk, waiting for it to be safe before heading over to the park on the other side of the road. They were all carrying lunch boxes.Nice day for a picnic in the park, Peter thought, smiling at the happy little faces.“Nice car!”The appreciative comment from the traffic controller snapped his attention back to her. She had a wide infectious smile on her face, bright eyes dancing teasingly at him. Macho male in his BMW Z4 sports convertible being stopped for a pack of kids. She was enjoying her moment of power. Peter grinned back. I don’t mind, babe.She turned aside to help shepherd her flock across the road just as Peter registered a buzz of interest in his mind. He liked the look of her. Her jeans hugged a very pertly rounded backside and long shapely legs. S
“I’m his father. I’ve got every right to take Thomas with me.”“We’re responsible for him, Mr.. Harper. His mother left him with us for the day and…”“His mother took him from me. He’s my son!” “You need to sort this out with your wife.”“She won’t let me have him but she dumps him with you people who are nothing to him. Nothing! I’m his father!”“We’ll have to call the police if you take Thomas.”“Mr.. Harper, this is not a good move. If you end up in jail, you’ll never see your son.” That was Erin’s voice, gently pleading reason.A high crazed laugh derided any reasonableness.”There’s justice for you. I do nothing wrong but I lose my son and my cheating bitch of a wife just gets him given to her.”“You have to take this to the family court,” Erin pressed.”You’ll get a fair hearing.”“Nothing’s fair!” The exploding anger cracked into spurts of tears as grief and despair poured from him.”She’s told a stack of lies about me to her big-shot lawyer. I’ve got no chance except this. No cha
Something about him looked so tortured in that moment that Aneesa had to fight back the urge to put out her hand to touch him in comfort.His head came up and his eyes speared hers. ‘But I’ve also been feeling alive, and connected, for the first time in my life.’He stood tall again and Aneesa felt curiously weightless. He reached out a hand and curled it around her jaw, fingers around her neck under the heavy fall of her hair. She could feel a slight tremor in his hand and her heart tripped.‘I never … wanted to create a family. I never wanted to marry. I never wanted to fall in love. I had no frame of reference for all of those things that most people aspire to, and take for granted. I’ve always been terrified that something of my father’s twisted genes was lying dormant in me and that basic happiness was something I could never have, as if I was jinxed in some way.‘But seeing Nathaniel get married, and Jacob come home to try and make amends … seeing him come to terms with the past
He palmed her breasts, making the peaks tighten into sharppoints, and she drew his head down so that he could take a nipple into his mouth. Her belly tightened with pleasure as he suckled her roughly. She met him head-on, biting the skin on his shoulder, and then licking where she’d bitten, revelling in his unique musky taste.Neither of them could wait, desperation fuelling their movements as Sebastian pushed her legs apart and settled between them. Just before he thrust, with Aneesa’s hands on his hips, her legs drawn back, he said with a guttural moan that seemed to be pulled out of him, ‘I need this … I need you.’An ache lodged in her throat and emotion surged as he thrust deep inside her. And then they were caught up in the familiar dance, which took them higher and higher until every sinew was pulled taut, and when an explosion of intense pleasure gripped her and went on and on, Aneesa wondered how she’d ever be able to cope knowing she’d never have this again.Long languorous m
THREE days later, sitting at the dinner table, Sebastian couldn’t quite believe that he was still there, amidst the organised chaos of Adani family life. As soon as he’d been pulled into the house, it had been taken for granted that he had to stay. And not only that, but Aneesa’s parents had clearly gone out on a limb and challenged their conservative beliefs to put him and Aneesa in a room together.She’d looked at him miserably once they’d been alone in the bedroom. ‘I had no idea they would do this. I’m as shocked as you, believe me. But if I cause a fuss they’ll get embarrassed—’He’d waved a hand. ‘It’s fine. It’s not like we’ve not shared a room before.’‘No,’ Aneesa had said, avoiding his eye. Evidently she hated this as much as he did and just wanted him to return to England so that she could get on with her own life and having the baby.Something in her demeanour had made his voice sharp. ‘Look, I’ll stay a couple of days and then I’ll have to return anyway, so we can put up
Her eyes narrowed. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’He looked away and shrugged, cursing himself for showing that it bothered him on any level. ‘You always said you would want to go home.’He could feel her penetrating look and tensed. She sighed. ‘Yes, I did. And I think the time to go is before I turn into a total caricature of some kind of jealous lover.’Her honesty surprised him. He was so used to women being vague, indirect.Before he could dwell on the significance of that, she stood and said breezily, ‘You made it very clear what would happen here. What you wanted. So I really don’t see the point in prolonging my stay. Things should have died down at home, and I need to get prepared for the baby coming.‘That is—’ her voice suddenly became more hesitant ‘— unless things have changed for you …?’Sebastian looked up at her. The sun was behind her and all he could see was her narrow framed silhouette. She had to be referring to the fact that he seemed to turn into a walking human e
A house, a country house; it had to be. Where his mistress lived. Feeling nauseous, Aneesa instructed the driver to stop in a lay-by where she was just out of sight of Sebastian’s car. She paid him and got out and watched him drive away. Feeling utterly ridiculous now, on wobbly legs she walked around the corner of the hedge fully prepared to meet a locked gate when she walked slap-bang into a solid wall of muscle.Hard hands held her, blue eyes as cold as ice blistered down into her shocked ones. ‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at following me in that cab like some character in a bad movie?’Too shocked to do anything but blurt out the truth, Aneesa just said, ‘I thought you were going to meet a mistress or a lover so I followed you.’Aneesa could see the play of emotions cross his face and even a glint of humour. She could deal with his anger better than pity. ‘Don’t laugh at me.’Sebastian’s face sobered and his hands became gentle on her arms. ‘And what exactly were you
ANEESA was sitting beside Annabelle at one of the round tables where they’d just finished coffees. She didn’t need to look around to know that Sebastian hadn’t reappeared. She was trying to concentrate on the conversation but was still smarting from his cruel words.She was also reeling with the knowledge that this beautiful, immaculately turned-out woman had been so horrifically beaten. Annabelle was being very sweet and explaining that her twin brother, Alex, was a racing car driver based in Australia, and couldn’t be there.Aneesa put a hand to her bump, only realising what she’d done when she noticed Annabelle follow the movement. She grimaced. ‘It’s still small, but it seems to be getting bigger by the day now.’Annabelle smiled politely but then looked away with a small frown forming between her grey eyes. ‘Jack should be here too, our elder brother, but I haven’t seen him yet. I know Jacob wants to talk to him….’Annabelle’s eyes snagged and widened on something or someone else
An enigmatic look had passed between Sebastian andLucas.Through it all Sebastian had his arm clamped aroundAneesa’s waist and her face was starting to hurt from smiling so much. And then she felt him tense rigidly. She followed his gaze to see a man approach them, the man she’d guessed was Jacob in the church. Tall with thick black hair, dark eyes like Rafael. And a grimly determined look on his face. Aneesa could feel Sebastian’s urge to turn and walk away and she silently willed him to stay. He did.But as the two tall men squared up to each other the lengthening silence became unbearable. Aneesa might have been invisible for all the attention either man gave her, and then abruptly Sebastian issued a tortured sounding, ‘I can’t do this.’ And letting Aneesa go, he strode away and out of the reception room.Jacob’s black eyes followed his brother and Aneesa could see the sorrow in them. She tentatively touched his sleeve and he looked down at her, finally focusing on her. Apologisi
He’d grown up learning to duck from his father’s loose fists. He’d invariably been protected by one of his brothers and witnessed them getting a dose of physical violence, but none more so shocking than his beautiful older sister, Annabelle, the day their father had whipped her mercilessly, leaving her with permanent scars. He’d been too small to step in and help her and that sense of ineffectualness had stuck with him, heightening his sense of isolation. And his sense of fear that perhaps he couldn’t protect his own child.When they’d bought his suit for the wedding, he’d led Aneesa to a well-known designer shop on Bond Street, but on the threshold she’d pulled back and he’d looked down to see her face, puce with embarrassment. He’d frowned. He would have thought she’d have been running in, eager to indulge. But when she’d refused to budge she’d finally admitted, ‘I don’t have enough money to pay for a dress here. Let’s go somewhere else. Please.’And gruffly, he’d assured her that h
INARTICULATE rage boiled upwards within Sebastian. ‘How dare you go through my personal things!’Aneesa stood before him, pale and intensely vulnerable- looking but with an unmistakably determined glint in her eyes. Her chin came up. ‘I dare because as your own brother just told me, I’m a part of your family now and will be for a long time to come, thanks to our baby.‘Tell me,’ she asked conversationally, colour returning to her cheeks, ‘was last night just a quickie before you asked me to move out, or were you planning on taking your fill before my body becomes too rounded and repulsive to you?’‘Stop it,’ Sebastian said curtly, the thought of her body growing more rounded having the complete opposite effect on his body. And before she could say anything else he asked, ‘What did you mean about my brother?’Aneesa leaned back against the desk, still holding the wedding invitation and the brochures. ‘Jacob just called. He wants to know why he hasn’t been able to get in touch with you