Designing Woman (The Sloan Brothers Book 2) (29 page)

I continued to play with my clothing while I answered his question.

“Baby is a term of endearment.  It’s what you called me when you loved me.  Every time you say it now, it rips another piece of my heart out and quite frankly, I don’t have very many pieces left.”

“I still love you Melody.”

My head jerked up and I burned his baby blues with my own.

“So you say, but it didn’t stop you from walking out, did it?  Pardon me for saying this, but I thought that you’d learned how to love someone from watching your parents.  I can’t imagine either of them walking out on the other for any reason.  Those two are rock solid Anton.”

He swallowed and I saw the hand that was on the back of the sofa move a little closer to me.  If I leaned forward just a bit, he’d be touching me.  We both wanted it and at least one of us needed it.  I held back.

“You’re right.  They are rock solid, and I think they’d die of loneliness if you separated them.”

“I know how that feels.”

He stared at me, but said nothing.  He let my admission float between us for a moment before he remembered something.

“You said that you had a theory about why it wouldn’t have mattered whether or not you’d kept your promise the day you met the asshole for a drink.  I’d like to hear it if you don’t mind.”

“You were never going to marry me Anton.  We both know that.  It’s not your style.  Or maybe it is, but you haven’t met the right girl yet.  I don’t know and it doesn’t matter.  I’m not her and never have been.  You proposed because you felt pressured to do so.  If it hadn’t been my mistake with Tony, it would have been something else.  You’d have found a good reason to leave because I’m not perfect and never will be.  You’re a “bottom line” kind of guy, so here it is: I’ve loved you so long I don’t know how to stop.  And every time you break my heart, you break my spirit just a little bit more.  Ten days ago you walked away from me and I gave up.  You wanna know why I didn’t answer my phone?  I had nothing to say.  I quit working, I quit eating and I quit caring.”

I pulled my hair back over my shoulders and leaned away from the hand that had been creeping closer.  My back was now leaning heavily against the arm of the sofa and I’d pulled my knees up in front of me, almost as if I were using them as a protective barrier between us.  My part of “show and tell” was over and I was ready to curl back up and take another stab at sleep.  The adrenaline rush was over and I was once again, bone tired.

Anton moved so fast I missed it.  Somehow, the creeping hand slid down, grabbed my foot, and pulled.  I felt my body slide towards him and then he was hovering over me.  He was watching my face for clues.  I knew the look, I’d seen him use it on me before.  If I so much as whispered the word “no”, he’d move away and help me up.  I stayed as still as a stone and waited for whatever came next.  I had nothing to lose and that made me a little more likely to take a chance.

We were both fully clothed and under the circumstances, we were as close as we could get.  His legs were between my own and he slowly lowered his body while he watched me closely.  His forearms fell along my body beside my breasts, his hands rested on my shoulders and began a gentle massage that I found distracting and pleasant.  When he settled his hips against mine, both of us felt the jolt.

“Oh my god Anton.”

“I know baby, I know.  Wanna hear my theory?”

I wiggled beneath him and he groaned, pressing down with his pelvis to keep me still.

“Stop that Melody, we’re not done talking yet.”

“Right.  Tell me your theory.”

“I think our problem from the beginning has been communication.”

“Communication?  There’s no communication between us, you tell me what to do and then I do the exact opposite to prove a point.”

He chuffed and rubbed his nose against mine.

“You admit that?”

“Why deny it?  We both know it’s the truth.  You like being bossy and I don’t like being bossed around.  No news flash there stud.  Does your theory have a talking point?  A proposed resolution?”

He reached down with one hand and retrieved something from his pocket.  I wasn’t paying very close attention because I couldn’t get past the feeling of having him so close and it being his idea.

I put my arms around him and started running my hands over the muscles on his back.  His body’s response was immediate and I found myself relieved that at least one thing hadn’t changed between us.

He reached for one of my hands and I wasn’t paying attention which one, my focus was on him pulling my hand away from his body.  I let the other one fall and he wove his fingers through the one I’d pulled away voluntarily.

“What are you doing besides confusing me Anton?”

“Touching you.  It seems that it calms me down.”

“It calms me down too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.  Because I’m going to be touching you a lot.  Every chance I get as a matter of fact.”

I missed something.  That was the only thing I could come up with.  Somewhere along the line I’d dozed off or I was so wrapped up in the feel of him, I missed something important.

“You need to know something Anton.  I can’t go back to how it was before.  I’ve said this before and I mean it.  I’d rather do without than only get a small piece of you when you’re lonely.  I haven’t changed my mind about that.”

His lips grazed mine and I leaned my head back and sighed.

“Good.  It makes this next part that much easier.”

He still held the hand that he’d removed from his back.  He released it long enough to slide my engagement ring back into place.

I began to tremble in earnest and he kissed me until I stopped.

“Anton...”

“Melody, I’m going to tell you how this is going down and I want you to pay close attention.  Ready?”

I nodded quickly and waited.  His eyes twinkled and he kissed me again, quickly but firmly.

“You and I are flying to Vegas this weekend and we’re doing this.  No long engagement or stressful wedding.  That won’t work for us.  Do you agree?”

“I do.”

“Remember that line, it’ll come in handy.  After we tie the knot, we’re flying to Catalina and we’ll be spending a week hammering out the details.  Either that, or we’ll spend the week screwing each other’s brains out.  I vote for number two, but the devil is in the details so I imagine we’ll have to slip in some of number one as well.  Baby, we will make this work.  I went crazy without you Melody and you weren’t doing so well yourself.  I’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t be apart.  We may fuss and fight, but I’d rather fight with you than live without you.”

I pushed my fingers through his hair and pulled him in for a kiss guaranteed to drive that point home.  When we came up for air, our clothes were half off and his hands were in interesting places.

“Anton, are you tired?”

“Tired?  Fuck no, I’m not tired.  Not yet anyway.  Give me an hour or two and ask me again.”

“You look tired.  You look like you could use a hot shower and a nap.  In our bed.  With me.  For the rest of the night.”

His face changed and I got the rogue grin with the dimples that made the cleft in his chin pop, and his eyes sparkle.

“Will you make me a sandwich later?  I’ll need to keep up my strength, you’re insatiable.”

“I’m a woman.  Sandwich making is a skill we’re born with.  If you tell anyone I said that, you’ll be making your own sandwiches for the next ten years.  Got it?”

“Your secret is safe with me baby.”

He stood, bringing me up with him.  We started climbing the stairs hand in hand.

“Think you can plan a wedding in three days?  We’ll fly out Friday night and be married on Saturday.  We’ll ask Deke and Dor’ to go, but she’s been complaining of swollen feet lately so I think it’s a coin toss on whether or not they’ll accept.  Pierce and Ayla will come with us regardless.  Ask Sean and his partner if you want, the more the merrier.  We’ll take the corporate jet so everyone will be comfortable.”

I was blinking rapidly and practically hyperventilating.  We’d reached our bedroom and he was removing my clothing while kissing the skin he was slowly exposing.

“Mel’?  You okay baby?”

“I’m gonna be a Sloan.”

He grinned and grabbed my hips, rubbing his against them suggestively.

“You sure are.  Know what else?”

“No.  What else?”

“You’re gonna promise to love, honor, and obey.  It’s that last one that’s the clincher Mel’.  No more sneaking out to do stupid shit without talking to me first.  No more flirting with Austin to make me crazy.  You’ll be mine and only mine.  It’s in the vows.  I read ‘em.”

I screwed up my face because I could not believe what he’d chosen to focus on.

“You want me to do what with who behind what barn?”

“Love.  Honor.  Obey.  Remember those words along with, ‘I do’, and we’ll ace the test on Saturday.”

“What do your vows consist of exactly?”

“Love, honor and cherish.  I checked into that too.”

“I see.  Can this cherishing be done naked?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s a perk of the cherish vow, yes.”

“Then get naked cause I could definitely use some cherishing Anton.”

He pulled his shirt over his head and with a flick of his wrist, his pants and boxers hit the floor.  Two seconds later I was tossed on the bed and the cherishing commenced.

Pierce, Ayla, Dorothy, and Deacon sat in an exclusive restaurant at a table in front of a low burning fireplace.

They discussed their reservations at a well appointed hotel on Catalina Island and the magnitude of things that would have to do be done before they left on Friday evening.  Deacon was assigned the task of convincing Grant and Bree that they needed to at least attend the ceremony in Vegas.  The Lincolns were trying to change commitments to clear their calendar for the wedding day.

All of this was being done without anyone having heard from either Anton or Melody.  Pierce looked at Deacon.

“How do you know that Mel’ took him back?”

Deacon winked and sipped his wine.

“I’ve got a monitor for that ankle bracelet too.  Remember?  She hasn’t left all week.  She’s been waiting for him.  He finally wised up and realized that she was his once in a lifetime.  He’s got her now and he won’t let her go.”

Pierce rolled his eyes.

“And how do you know that Deacon?”

“Because he’s a Sloan and she’s a Lincoln.  I happen to have a Lincoln of my own.  I know how this works.”

Dorothy leaned over and placed her hand on his thigh while she kissed him in a way that was entirely improper for their surroundings.  He loved it so much, he kissed her back.  Pierce cleared his throat and they both smiled at him.

“Is this where I say, ‘Thank god there are no more Lincoln women out there’?”

Deke shrugged.

“You’ve got your hands full with Ayla.  The clock is ticking Pierce.  You’re the only one that can’t hear it yet.”

“I’ve got perfect hearing.”

Pierce looked over at his companion who was watching him and wondering what he’d say next.  He’d stopped just short of insulting her on several occasions this evening and she wondered when he’d cross the line.  He was a Sloan and it was coming, she could feel it.

“Tell them Ayla.  Tell them how things are between us.  They obviously don’t believe me.”

God only knows what possessed her.

She bowed in deference to Pierce and then smiled serenely at Deacon and Dorothy.

“Gladly Pierce.”

She winked at Dorothy before saying, “I wouldn’t marry a Sloan if every other man on the planet had the last name of Marconi.”

Dorothy erupted in a giggling fit and Deacon fought to stay in control of his own laughter.

Pierce was the only one at the table that found no humor in her remark.  His eyes darkened to a violet shade of blue and he tilted his head slightly towards her.  Ayla knew that look and knew it well.  Her skin grew hot and her hands itched to touch him.  She wouldn’t though.  Not unless he gave her permission.  Even though he’d never caused her one second of pain, he was still Dominant to her Submissive.  He might be her big Teddy Bear, but she still called him Sir.

Movement distracted him for a second and Pierce broke eye contact with Ayla.  Someone large, dark, and moving quickly had brushed by him, leaving in a hurry.  There was something familiar about the man, but not in a personal way.  More like he’d seen a photograph of him before but he couldn’t quite place him.

That was a shame.  Because if it had been Ayla that had seen him, she would’ve recognized him immediately.  Why was he in such a hurry?  Because Tony had two days to organize his trip to Vegas and he didn’t own a corporate jet.

The End.