Embraced (10 page)

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Embraced

“I-I’m s-s-so s-sorry!” she wailed.

“Oh, Baby, I know you are,” he hugged her tightly. “But you have to let go of it. Once you’re punished, it’s over. Don’t dwell; I don’t. And I won’t allow you to leave me.”

The truth of his words shone in Barrett’s eyes – he had forgiven her, totally and without reservation or recrimination. But she didn’t know if she could forgive herself. “You should be shoving me out the door, Barrett.”

He rolled her gently onto her back beneath him. “No, Angel. There’s nothing you could do that would make me not – “

Love you, he finished in his own mind, but not aloud. “ – want you around.”

Stunned by his prior thought, he gazed down into Meg’s beautiful, blotchy red face, realizing the truth of his impulse. He did love her. His plans had been made on the basis of a very fiery mutual lust, but having spent the past month and a half with her, he had come to like her, too. The combination created a very powerful, overwhelming love. There was no way she could leave him now without taking his heart with her.

Meg was too concerned about her own struggle to notice the catch in Barrett’s voice. “Thank you, Bear,” she said quietly, finally allowing the tears to stop.

Barrett pressed his lips to her forehead. “You’re very welcome, Sweetheart. Besides,” he rolled off the bed and stretched. “If you leave, who’s going to feed me?” he baited deliberately, waiting for her to smack him, or throw a pillow or something.

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BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

Instead, she rose to her knees, meeting him at the edge of the bed where she still only came up to his shoulder, and pressed her body to his. Meg linked the fingers of both of her hands with his and kissed him, a very deep, soulful kiss that whetted his appetite for other things. In the middle of this passionate, lusty kiss, Barrett began to feel something small and furry wiggling against his leg. He knew it wasn’t Meg, and it wasn’t him. They both looked down and laughed at the anxious little dog at the same time, who was desperately trying to weasel his way between the two of them. Butch had always felt that if there was affection to be doled out, he should be the one on the receiving end, not some undeserving humans.

~ ~ ~

Meg sat at Barrett’s desk, making out her monthly bills. It was getting a lot easier, with the exorbitant amount he paid her every week. That and the fact that her car seemed to have developed some sort of special regenerative powers – the gas tank was always full. Apparently, the gas fairy was visiting her nightly, and she figured she could give the police a pretty good description of him. Hard to believe that she was only going to be here another three weeks before she had to head back. It was going to be extremely hard to leave – she felt more at home here than she had anywhere in a very long time. Barrett had seen to that. Some of the townspeople had known her from her previous visits, but now, since she had been seen with him, it seemed that everyone in the county new her by name or in association with Barrett Costas.

She’d accomplished everything she’d wanted to do this summer, and then some, mainly because of him. Riding was a joy that she couldn’t wait to begin doing again next summer. They’d visited all sorts of museums and gone to the amusement parks in the area; Mandy had confided one night that Barrett had a terrible weakness for them, probably because he hadn’t gotten to many as a

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Embraced

child. Barb had come over with her new baby girl, and Meg had caught him watching her intently as she held the infant. The baby had fussed after a while of being passed around, but Barrett scooped her up into the crook of his arm and she quieted immediately as he jiggled his forearm beneath her butt and pressed his lips to her warm little head.

“Barrett, you’re so good with babies, you need to get yourself one,” Barb agitated, with a wide grin, knowing like rest of the population of Texas, it seemed, that he was seeing Meg.

As he handed little Sarah back to her mother, he stared straight at Meagan. “Eventually, I’d like to have several, Barb.”

Meg had looked away, blushing a furious red.

When she was finished with the bills, Meg took to the glider on the front porch, which was one of her favorite haunts, with a Diet Coke in one hand and a vampire novel in the other, she was close to heaven. The only thing better would be if Barrett were there, but then she’d never get any reading done, she mused wryly.

He had to be somewhere in the house or barn, his car was still in the driveway. Mandy had taken off into town for something; her excuse had sounded rather vague to Meg’s ears, but then, whatever.

She was well into the involving plot of the book when she heard Barrett’s deep voice at the screen door. “Put down your book and close your eyes,” he commanded through the door.

Meg eyed him dubiously. “Not likely, Buddy.”

“I have a surprise for you, Meg. Do as I ask.”

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BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

Her tone was extremely skeptical. “I can well imagine what your surprise might involve, Barrett, and I don’t trust you as far as I could throw you.”

“Meg,” he growled in warning. “Just do as I ask. I promise it’s nothing vulgar or painful.”

She had to consider this carefully for a moment. “Oh, all right,” Meg agreed, ungraciously, putting her book down to fold her arms over her chest, and closing her eyes.

Meagan could hear his booted feet as he walked across the veranda, then she felt a warm weight being put into her lap, and was treated to a big, wet tongue kiss over her lips – and it wasn’t Barrett’s tongue!!

She opened her eyes and on her lap was a gorgeous black Great Dane puppy, with a big red bow around his neck. “Oh, Barrett!!” It was truly love at first sight as she threw her arms around the dog and was rewarded by more and more enthusiastic licks.

He sank down on one knee next to the swing to pat the pup himself. “Do you like him?”

“He’s beautiful! But there’s not room enough in my condo for him, Bear,” she looked crestfallen. “I can’t take him home with me.”

Barrett said, “Look at the card that’s around his neck with the bow.”

Meg searched the squiggling puppy for the card, which was hidden behind the bow. It read:

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Embraced

My name is Tiny.

I

am

your

engagement

puppy.

Ring

to

follow.

Love,

Barrett

Every nerve she owned was on red-alert. Engagement puppy?
He was proposing to her?

“I love you, Meagan. Will you marry me?” he asked softly, taking her hand in his.

She sat up suddenly, dumping the puppy abruptly onto the floor, tears filling her eyes. “I – I, uh, don’t know what to say.”

Barrett hated the wait for her response, and growled, “Say

‘yes, Barrett, I’d love to become your wife’, like a good little girl so I can sweep you into my arms and kiss the breath out of you.”

“At least you’re not promising me you’ll be a patient husband . . .” Meg lifted her arms up to him and said, “Yes, yes, yes.” He did exactly as he said he would and swung her around several times while kissing her passionately.

When Mandy came back, she arrived with the rest of the clan and they celebrated the engagement with an impromptu party.

Barrett raided the wine cellar, which was kept stocked but rarely used, to find some champagne, which then flowed liberally all evening. Neither Mandy nor Meg had any head for spirits, and they quickly became mildly tipsy. As Meg was holding up her glass to Hayden for the forth time, Barrett stepped in and took it from her hand. “That’s enough for you, Meggie.”

“Oh, cripes, I hate that nickname, Barrett, and you know it.”

“Yes,” he grinned unrepentantly, “I do.”

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BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

Hayden and David were staying in their old rooms, so there was no need for the party to end early as no one had to drive home.

But Meg found herself getting a little claustrophobic, partly from the wine, partly from the decision she had just made.

On impulse, she sprinted up to her room and threw on a pair of old jeans and a disreputable t-shirt, then snuck out the back door and into the horse barn. Sugar was where he’d always been, and nickered at her softly when she appeared in his stall with grooming equipment. Learning how to groom a horse had been a benefit in more ways than one. She was getting upper body strength from the repetitive brushing movements, and the physicality of the pursuit let her mind wander and worry over whatever it was that was bothering her for the moment.

“Our engagement party is going on without us,” Barrett intoned as he leaned against the stall door, watching her. He’d noticed her escape upstairs, and gone to find her, only to see her favorite dress crumpled on her bed, and her boots missing. He knew poor Sugar was going to be paying for Meg’s inner turmoil.

He was worried that she’d felt pressured somehow into saying yes; when he’d told her that he loved her he’d noticed that she had not offered the same sentiment back to him.

Meg said nothing.

Not sure whether he wanted to know the answer, Barrett questioned, “Second thoughts already?”

Her reply was quick, and it soothed his ego. “No. Not that.

Just thinking.”

“’Bout

what?”

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Embraced

Meg drew an exasperated breath, and he eased his way toward her, grabbing the currycomb away from her.

“Honey, that horse is going to be bald before you get things worked out.” He deliberately backed her into a corner, placing a hand on either wall so there was no escape. “What are you thinking?”

She squirmed and avoided his eyes, as he slowly closed in on her, trapping her against his body. “Tell me, Sweetheart, or I’m going to kiss it out of you,” his lips hovered millimeters from hers.

Meg felt had never felt more caged, pushed, railroaded, overridden –
dominated
by anyone or anything in her life. This man saw what he wanted – her – and got it. He said what he meant and meant what he said. His word was law, and he expected to be obeyed. He called the shots. All of them, without an ounce of hesitation in word or deed. She didn’t know how to handle him –

marrying him was just playing into his hands, and would give him that much more control over her.

She whimpered when he leaned his lower body into hers, and her voice broke when she said, “How could I have fallen in love with a man who drives me crazy?”

A slow, sexy grin spread over his face when he heard her say she had fallen in love with him. “Who, little ole’ me?”

Meg pushed against his chest, and to her surprise, he let her up. She exited Sugar’s stall and began to pace and talk at the same time. “You’re exactly what I DON’T want in a man. You’re pushy, arrogant, obnoxious, controlling, dominating . . .” She stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

“Stop me when I say something you disagree with.”

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Carolyn Faulkner

Barrett was leaning against the other side of the stall door while Sugar was contentedly munching hay behind him. “I wouldn’t think of being controlling or dominating enough to interrupt you, Darlin’.” He parroted back innocently.

If she didn’t think it would earn her bottom a paddling, she’d’ve given him the one-fingered salute. He was being all too cavalier about what she was saying. “I mean, I know when I’ve had too much to drink. Hell, I’m not 18!! I’m 27, and if I want to drink the whole freaking bottle of champagne, who the hell cares?!”

“I do,” he said seriously.

“Why?”

“I know that if you drank that whole bottle of champagne, you’d be sicker ‘n a dog, and I’d end up being up with you all night, holding your head while you ra –“

She held up her hand to stop his graphic description of what a whole bottle of champagne would do to her innards. “Fine. Fine.

You’re right. You’re always freaking right. I hate it. I want to control my own life.”

“Ok, I’ll take the dog back to the Great Dane Rescue and you can ask
me
to marry
you
. Better?”

He wasn’t taking her seriously, and Meg had had enough.

She was half a second away from telling him to do a physically impossible act so she stomped off toward the house, intent only on getting a hot shower and climbing into her own bed to mull things over.

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Embraced

Barrett closed the stall behind him and trotted after her.

Apparently the party had broken up without the guests of honor, and the house was dark when they entered it. “I’m going to bed,”

Meg announced, not bothering to turn back and look at him. He followed her all the way to her room, then bulldozed her down the hall and into his own room, knowing she wouldn’t put up too much of a fuss and wake the others.

He leaned back against the door as she walked to the big window and stared out at the darkness. All of a sudden, he said what the hell, to himself, and started to get undressed. Meg’s back was to him, so she had no idea what he was doing until she heard the thud of his dress boots hitting the floor. By the time she turned around, he was standing unselfconsciously in just his black briefs.

“Will you put some clothes on?” she asked, sounding like a prude even to herself.

Barrett snorted. “No. You’re my fiancée,” at least for the moment, he thought to himself. “And you’ve seen me in swimming trunks. That’s not much different from underwear, really.”

Meg turned back to the window as he walked up behind her, pulling her back against his long, hard body, and she knew instantly that he was naked. “Barrett!!”