Hot and Irresistible (19 page)

“I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge, BrieAnn, especially this particular one and especially now here with you.”

Sitting up he snagged her unexpectedly around the waist. She yelped and giggled as she tumbled into his arms, the wonderful sound making him feel more alive than he had in a long time. He brought her down beside him. Kissing her, he leaned her back, her silky legs locking around his waist. Slowly, because he wanted to savor the moment and the look of love in her eyes, he eased himself into her.

His heart soared, the sounds of war fading, replaced by sunlight and ocean and BrieAnn. She was with him now and forever. At last he was home.

At last
, Brie thought as she cuddled up close to Beau, listening to his heart beat slow and steady. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too. We’re going to make this work, I swear it.”

“Especially if I happen to be pregnant. And if the culmination of our lovemaking is any indication of conception we will surely add to the population of Savannah. You are not lacking in the virility department. You do know how to fill a woman right nicely, Beau Cleveland.”

He felt himself blush and she rolled over on top of him. “You do want babies with me, don’t you? I guess this a mighty poor time to be asking.”

“It’s a great time. I can’t imagine anything better than you and me and kids and all this great sex and—”

“Beau?” came Ray’s voice from the kitchen. “Where are you, boy, and I’m hoping you’re here? One of the cooks got sick and we’re shorthanded in the kitchen and whose suitcase is this? Beau, are you heading out? Why in blazes did you buy a pink suitcase and a blouse? Is there something you’re trying to tell me here, boy?”

“Well, dang.” Brie grinned. “I do believe Grandpa’s in the kitchen.”

Brie giggled and Beau jumped up and snagged his jeans. “Don’t go away now, you hear.” He left and Brie pulled on her dress and went downstairs, listening to Beau and Ray talk about her. She went into the kitchen and snuggled up against Beau and said to Ray, “I have only the most proper intentions concerning your son. Fact is I intend to marry him and move in here with you two if you’ll have me.”

“Well I’ll be.” Ray grinned ear to ear and came over to Brie and kissed her on the cheek. “What a fine surprise right here in the middle of the day. You know I love you like a daughter, BrieAnn, and this is mighty good news, least that’s the way I see it, but what do your mama and daddy think of your idea?”

She pushed back her hair. “Don’t rightly care. You see, my daddy, with my mama’s blessing, went out of his way to keep Beau and me apart. Of course you already know about that, since Daddy was here conversing with you last night on that very subject. I don’t take kindly to someone controlling my life in that particular way, even if they do it all in the name of love and they are my parents. If they loved me, they’d love Beau, too. I can’t abide living so close to them right now, so I’m moving out to Thunderbolt with you, where the company is far more pleasant to be around. Beau and I need to be heading off to Vegas tonight to get ourselves hitched, but after that I’m part of the family. And I want you to know I have no intention of being a freeloader and I will pull my weight around here. I’m right good at organizing dinners and serving guests.”

Ray combed back his short hair that didn’t need combing in any way at all and looked from Beau to Brie. “I can’t image a better couple than you two, but you can’t get married the way you said.”

“But—” Beau started.

“Hear me out now, son. It’s not that I don’t want you two hitched but not in this fashion. It would be a big mistake, the kind that can’t be undone once it’s done and you have to live with the consequences forever. First off, BrieAnn has to go back home.”

Brie folded her arms and held her chin high. “I most certainly will not go home.”

Ray took her hand. “I know what it’s like to lose a daughter, honey, and Lord knows there’s no love lost between the judge and myself, but you and Beau can’t build a future on his pain and your mama’s. I can’t be a part of having another man lose his baby girl on my account and deep down you both know that’s no way to start married life. You want happiness, as much as you can possibly get. BrieAnn’s parents will not cotton to this marriage, but if it’s done proper with all the trimmings that will go a long way to smooth things over.”

“I don’t want to talk to either of them, and if they don’t get over me being married to Beau, the man I love, it’s their loss, not mine.”

“You need to go home and live in your house and Beau needs to live here with me and you both need to go to the judge and Aldeen and tell them your intentions, preferably with a nice big diamond so Aldeen Montgomery can brag the size to her card club all the while acting indignant over such a match. And when I was out walking the other day I happened to notice that the Patterson-Wright house on East York is for sale, three or four million I suppose. A mighty fine old Savannah house if there ever was one. Make anyone right proud.”

Beau’s eyes covered half his face and Brie felt her tummy drop to her toes. Beau said, “Ray, I can’t be affording something like that.”

Ray grinned. “But I can, and it would be a proper wedding present and Aldeen would mightily approve even though she’d rather die than admit it. This is Savannah, and if things are done the right way and rather lavishly to boot, she and the judge will come around. They are pillars of Savannah and want their daughter to be that way, too, and money talks, sometimes as loud as pedigree.”

Brie sighed. “I don’t care a fig about being a pillar and pedigrees, all I care about is Beau.”

“But you do love your mamma and your daddy, no matter how mad you are right now. You don’t want to be getting married out of spite, sweet pea. Enjoy your engagement time together and the parties and the fuss and your big reception at the Telfair Museum or the country club with pictures taken at that gazebo in Whitfield Square like all the other brides do.”

Ray kissed Brie on the forehead and then he kissed Beau the same way. “Everything’s going to be fine.” He turned to Brie. “Now you better be getting on back home. Your mama and daddy will be worrying themselves into a state if you’re not on their doorstep by sundown and you’re both going to need plenty of sleep if you’re planning on showing them an engagement ring tomorrow.”

Ray laughed. “And I best be getting back to work. After you two say your good-byes, I’m still needing you in the kitchen, Beau.” He winked, then his eyes turned serious and a little misty. “I want you both to know this is the best news I’ve had in quite some time. I couldn’t be happier for you and for me.” He laughed out loud. “Because now I get to start thinking about all those grandbabies coming my way. I think Ray Junior is a fine name, don’t you?”

BrieAnn pulled to the curb in front of her parents’ brownstone. The live oaks lining Jones Street extended their long evening shadows. She took off her scarf that protected her hair when she had the top down on her convertible and slid out of the car. After climbing the brick steps, she used her key and let herself into the Montgomery family home. Daddy would be on the back veranda at this time having his martini before cook served dinner.

“BrieAnn,” Daddy said, surprise brightening his eyes as he looked up from his
Wall Street Journal
. “Thank God, you’re home. I thought you might not…It’s mighty good to see you.” He came to her and kissed her cheek. “I’m afraid your mama’s not here right now.”

“It’s the monthly garden club dessert and lecture series and you should be thanking Ray Cleveland that I’m here. You need to know he’s the one who sent me back to you. He said he knew what it was like to lose a daughter and he wouldn’t wish that on anyone. If I had my way, Beau and I would be in Vegas tonight toasting our marriage. Mr. Cleveland made me promise to have a proper wedding in St. John’s Church with all the trimmings. So tomorrow when Beau and I come here for dinner and I have a big ring on my finger and a fine house close to yours and a wonderful man at my side, I expect you and Mama to mind your manners and do the proper thing. And I also expect you to remember who to thank that Beau and I are in this house on Jones Street and not in a hotel room at the Bellagio.” Then she turned and left.

B
ebe glanced over at Donovan all big and hunky, still sleeping beside her. Getting shot had taken more of a toll on the man than he realized. He tired faster and slept more, but it sure didn’t affect his good looks.

“Hi,” he said, smiling up at her with dreamy eyes and looking very cuddly.

She whined and nibbled her bottom lip. “I think I’m a blooming saint. Fact is, they should build altars to me. Last night in the name of helping you heal and get well I refused this.” She slid her hand under the sheet, down his muscular thigh, and cupped his morning erection all nice and hard. “And I want it.”

He leaned over and gave her a deep kiss that reminded her of the deep, deep other thing she had on her mind. “There are many ways to make love, cupcake.”

“And if you get all physical on me and break that wound open, I get to explain it to the ER nurse. I have to live in this town and I’ll never hear the end of it. Things like ‘Ball-busting Bebe’ come to mind, and there are those who’d love to make that one stick. I suppose I’ll have to live with Saint Bebe for a while.”

She put on his shirt and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and suddenly Donovan was behind her, his handsome need-a-shave face next to hers in the mirror. His dick pressed hard and firm and long against her left derriere cheek as his fingers slid between her legs, then beyond. She nearly swallowed her toothbrush. “Donovan.”

“Spread your legs for me, sweetheart.” And his fingers ventured farther still.

“I’ve never played around like this and…ohmygod you feel so good.” Her legs parted more and she leaned back against him as he fondled her breasts through the shirt. She was barely able to stand as his fingers performed more magic.

He withdrew and turned her around and sat on the closed commode, his dick covered and ready.

“You’re a fast worker.”

“And this way there’s no ‘Ball-busting Bebe.’ You get to do all the work. Provided you’re in the mood.”

“Any more in the mood and the mood would be over.”

He unbuttoned his shirt she was wearing and kissed her navel, then took little bites along her waist. “It’s going to be fun learning something new, I promise.”

“Looks kind of big standing straight up there at attention like that, Yank.”

“Boston boys grow ’em bigger.”

“I think you’re right. I’m just not all that sure about Southern girls being able to accommodate.” She straddled him, one leg on each side. “You sure I’m not going to hurt you? Wanna give me some pointers on what to do here?”

“What feels good to you.”

She eased herself down till the tip of his penis touched her intimately and suddenly hunger for the rest of him bolted through her like lightning. She could feel herself getting wet, her muscles relaxing and opening, her insides pulsing as she thought about what was to come.

Slowly, so as not to put any strain on him and because she wasn’t exactly sure of what the heck she was doing, she inched herself down over him, her body yielding to his. As her breasts came level with his mouth, he kissed one nipple, then the other, making her insides hot and wild, her legs tremble. Then his mouth consumed hers as she straddled him, making him a complete part of her.

“Oh, Donovan.” Her chest pressed tight to his and she twined her arms around his broad shoulders. Her eyes wouldn’t focus, her heart beating faster than she could count.

“Do you like this?”

“I can feel you so deep inside, every inch of you. It’s different this way than in bed.” She swallowed. “I like it.” Slowly she rose up, only to settle back down again, stroking his erection, stroking herself, his penis against her clit driving her insane.

“That’s just right.” His eyes glazed. “You sure you’ve never done this before?” His breaths came faster, his skin hot and damp next to hers. As terrific as this lovemaking was, the best part was pleasing Donovan. She made sex good for him just as he made sex incredibly good for her always.

Legs wider, one last time she took his length again. Her mouth mated to his and when she climaxed it was more than physical but a bonding of souls, one caring for the other, one wanting to please the other. She could give to him as much and as good as he gave to her and in that way they were truly one together.

She rested her head on his shoulder, the pulse in his neck keeping time with hers, both ebbing out of the heart attack zone. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“What a way to go, sweetheart.”

“That isn’t funny.” Her forehead touched against his and she looked him in the eyes and grinned. “Well, maybe a little funny, especially if we both croaked right now and this is how they found us. The gossips would love us forever. But right now I’m starved, are you starved? You get a shower and I’ll get food.”

“No way, I’m coming with you. You’ll get me some sissy latté with mocha and extra whipped cream with cinnamon concoction and call it coffee.”

“Mocha’s good and who doesn’t like whipped cream, but I was thinking more like a caffeine-free South African botanical carefully blended with vanilla and spices.”

“Never ever mess with a man’s coffee, especially if it includes the word botanical. Besides you have to help me shower; I’m too weak to do it alone.”

“Are you going to milk this injury?”

“If it gets you into my shower, hell yes.”

She laughed then kissed him. “I’ve never been happier in my life, Donovan McCabe, than I am right now.” She kissed him again from the sheer joy of him being here with her. “You’re Christmas and Halloween and the Fourth of July all rolled into one. You are amazing and I don’t know how I got this lucky, but for once in my life, I did. God didn’t forget my address, after all, it just took him a while to remember it, and then he sent me Donovan from Boston.”

His eyes danced. “That’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. You make me happy, too, Bebe from Savannah.” He stilled for a moment. “And after losing Sly I didn’t think I’d ever feel that way again. I was just doing the next thing out there and trying to move on and not doing it very well. And then I came here.”

“Do you think it’ll last, that
we’ll
last, in spite of all our problems?”

He kissed the tip of her nose, his brown eyes dark and sincere. “I do.”

Those two words filled Bebe’s head as she ran the shower. It wasn’t a wedding or marriage
I do
, but it was a commitment all the same. He liked her. He really, really liked her with her ugly suits and frumpy shoes and baggy jeans. It didn’t matter, because he thought she was beautiful just the way she was. She pulled her hair on top of her head and looked down at her body. She really looked. Maybe she wasn’t a size twelve. Maybe a little smaller and then she wouldn’t have to safety pin the waist. That made sense. And if she didn’t have all that material hanging off her she wouldn’t be so hot in the summer.

He climbed in beside her, water plastering his hair to his head and dripping off his nose. She handed him a loofah and a bottle of body wash.

“How about Dial soap and a washcloth?”

“I have that, but Brie gave these to me for Christmas. They look kind of fun.” She squirted the apricot wash on her shoulders and across her breasts. “Feels kind of fun.”

“Thank you, Santa.” He made little round strokes across her breasts and over her navel, her front covered in bubbles floating into the tub. He turned her around.

“What about the rest of me in front, huh? There are some very interesting places up here, pal.”

“Patience, Grasshopper.” He stroked the loofah seductively over her shoulder, and then all the way down her spine to the small of her back, then he stopped.

“I’m not going to get clean this way, though I am getting really turned on.”

“Did you know you have a birthmark?” He touched the indent of her backbone.

“I can’t see it all that well. Is it looking weird?”

“Didn’t anyone ever say anything when you wore your bathing suit?”

She looked at him over her shoulder. “That would be me in a two-piece suit. I barely have two-piece underwear. Besides, my skin in the sun gives a whole new meaning to lobster red. What’s wrong? Is the birthmark getting all puffy?” She twisted her neck for a better view, but it didn’t help. “Should I have a doctor look at it? Is it still the shape of two petals together?”

“Or the shape of a seagull in flight. Where else is there a seagull?”

She turned around and kissed his chin. “Honey, this is Savannah. The little darlings are everywhere you go, pooping their brains out on the cars and statues and sidewalks. If we could just potty train them this town would be a lot better off.”

He took her hand and led her out of the shower. “You should take a look. Do you have a little mirror?” She got one from the vanity and he swiped a towel across the bathroom mirror to remove the steam.

She focused the mirror and touched the birthmark. “I think it’s okay, Donovan. It doesn’t feel swollen and pretty much the way it’s always looked to me, though I don’t pay much attention. It’s kind of out of the way there. I don’t think I’ve got a problem.”

“Think again, cupcake.” He took her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “There’s a sign with a gull that looks exactly like this one. Exactly. We’ve both seen it many times. A trademark.”

Bebe’s gaze met Donovan’s and suddenly all the air got sucked right out of the little bathroom. She couldn’t breathe or move and she dropped the mirror, watching it shatter into a million silvery pieces on the tile floor and then everything went black.

Bebe gulped deep breaths as she stood on the wood dock in front of the screen door. Donovan had wanted to come with her, even insisted, but she needed to do this alone. This was about a father and a daughter and no one else…maybe. She’d gotten it wrong with BrieAnn and Ray, Bebe could be dead wrong this time, too, but this time there was more than a fistfight and a wayward bullet involved.

She could see through to Ray’s kitchen, all neat with Windsor chairs around the big maple table the way it had been as long as she could remember. The lazy Susan in the middle was the one Beau made in shop in high school. It always held a jar of honey, salt and pepper, sugar bowl, and stack of napkins waiting to be rotated around at mealtime. All so…homey. Home. All this time. Home. Her home.

She knocked. “Mr. Cleveland? Are you there?” She knocked again out of sheer nerves. Her hand was shaking so bad it knocked all by itself.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. Just hold your britches on now, you hear, I’m getting dolled up in my work clothes.” She heard his footsteps, then he hustled into the kitchen while tying his tie. He smiled when he spied her. “Well, now. Miss Bebe. To what do I owe the pleasure of you gracing my doorstep this fine Savannah morning?”

He held the door open, and she wished she’d brought Donovan. Suddenly she didn’t know what to say, even though she planned it in her head for as long as she could remember. She swore she didn’t want any part of parents who didn’t want any part of her, yet, in the quiet of night when she was all alone, she wanted them more than air. “I…” She stood there, not knowing what to do.

“Why don’t you come on in now that you made the trip all the way out here. You’re looking kind of wan and puny, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

She felt her eyes tear and he said, “Honey, whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.” She stepped in, the door slapping closed. Then all was quiet except for her heart beating so loud Ray had to hear it, too.

“You know,” she blurted to drown out the drumming. “That year we tied for the marksmanship trophy out at Wilson’s Park at that tournament. Did you ever think that was strange?”

“That I got my fanny kicked by a gorgeous blonde half my age?” He laughed. “I thought it was mighty embarrassing. You are some shot and everyone in Savannah knows it. I bet when those bad guys see you coming they just throw down their weapons. Did you come to rub it in?” He laughed again.

“Remember that Monte Carlo night last year at the Policeman’s ball?”

“And you walked off with the grand prize of five hundred dollars? You bet I remember. I kept thinking I’m plum tickled you’re a cop and not into frequenting my establishment. You could cost me a pretty penny if you had a mind to. You sure got a touch for blackjack.”

“And you quit playing an hour before I did to let me win. We were neck and neck till you did that.”

“Well now, I had some business calls to make is all.”

“You’ve always been nice to me.”

“You’re easy to be nice to. Are you in trouble, sweetheart? What can I do to help? I’m pretty good at fixing things. You can count on me.”

Count on him.
Her eyes filled with more tears and her throat burned. “You…you could have looked for me harder. You could have tried harder. You shouldn’t have given up so fast. I was here. Oh my God, I was here. All along I was right in front of you and I didn’t know and you didn’t know. You shouldn’t have given up so fast. Why did you give up?”

“Give up what?”

“Give up on me and piggyback rides and good-night stories and being there when I won that spelling bee and on father-daughter dances. Things could have been so much better. There’s all this.” She waved her hand over the table. “And there’s Beau and you.” Her voice cracked. She turned around and lifted her blouse. Then she turned back slowly, because maybe she had this all wrong for the second time. “And there’s…me?”