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Marj was completely vulnerable to him in that kiss, and his tender, questing response met her in kind. She felt like she was soaring, united with him completely. He rolled onto his side and pulled her into his arms insistently, crushing her to his chest and raining kisses on her face and hair. She laughed from a surfeit of emotion and because it was the only alternative to bursting into tears.
Never, not once, had she felt her eyes sting and well up after sleeping with some guy.
Maybe because you never slept with your husband before.
He felt like her husband, like the entire landscape of his body belonged to her alone. She trailed her fingers down his arm and caught his hand in hers with easy fondness.
Brandon kissed the tip of her nose and grinned.
“You look relaxed,” she said lazily.
“That’s because I am relaxed. You look gorgeous.”
“Now that’s the way to win me over, Cates,” she said with a grin.
He laced his fingers with hers and lay there holding her. She drifted off to sleep and when she woke on a few minutes later, he was still there beside her, still wrapped up in her and holding her in his arms as if there were no hurry at all. At last, Marj relaxed and let herself enjoy it instead of tensing for him to get up and leave any second. She let her eyes drop shut and he kissed her forehead.
“I’m staying married to you, I guess,” she said with a smirk.
“You guess? I’m insulted that you’re not completely convinced after that.”
“Maybe I could use a little more persuasion. I need a few minutes to recover, but I have it on good authority that you’re tireless when it comes to getting what you want. So if you want to secure my unreserved cooperation, you’ll have to put some work into it.”
“Oh, darling, I don’t consider this work.”
Brandon dropped a kiss on her shoulder and raised up on his knees. She sighed, knowing it was too good to be true—he couldn’t stay still long enough to just hold her and be with her. He was off to Skype someone or answer emails no doubt. She tugged her dress down self-consciously and leaned up on one hip to look for her panties. She squealed as he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Kicking her feet, she giggled, looping her arms around his neck and thinking how wonderful it all was.
Chapter 15
Brandon had Marj exactly where he wanted her. Whatever that meant. He’d gotten her to agree to remain his wife. He’d also gotten himself in way too deep. At some point last night, he’d lost track of the main objective. He’d stopped acting, stopped persuading. He had just been himself, been open with her and let her be with him. It was strange and intoxicating and scary as hell, and he hoped never to do anything like that again.
He felt laid bare before her, like she could see everything he’d ever done wrong, every secret he was trying to keep. She saw it all and made love to him anyway. And there was that problem as well. It wasn’t just sex. If it had been, everything would’ve been too close to perfect. Now it was sex with feelings, which wasn’t something he wanted to get better acquainted with. Not since that one sorority girl in college had Brandon been emotionally involved with someone he slept with. It was so much simpler to be nice, have fun, and keep everything clear cut and no strings attached. Now there were strings everywhere.
It had happened when she set the table on fire, he knew. It was that completely unpredictable, unscriptable moment that threw him off. Instead of swearing and calling the waiter to take care of the blaze, his first instinct had been to yank Marj away from the flames. Then he threw water on it like he was some sort of outdoorsman who knew how to deal with shit like that.
He had felt protective, masterful, like there was a danger to his woman. It was embarrassing just to remember how he’d reacted. Then she’d snuggled up against him by the fire and nuzzled his neck and he was gone. There was nothing that could’ve kept him from her then, not after she’d molded against his side, all soft and pliant and wanting. He could feel the hum of her desire, and his own had mounted in response.
Speaking of mounted, he had been on top of her in record time, right there on the floor with an urgency that he didn’t care to think about. He could think of nothing but getting between her long creamy thighs, of pinning her to the floor and taking her. And he had. His body hardened at the recollection.
She was passionate, teasing, a total minx. He knew she was afraid of having her heart broken, that she was more soft-hearted than she let on. For a brash, sexy woman, Marj thought everything out—her budget, her career, her relationships or lack thereof. She liked to keep things light, just as he did. Clubs and dancing and sex were fine, feelings were off limits. He understood that all too well. The fact was, she had said something that got under his skin last night.
