Wise Folly (9 page)

“
You
really did see her last night?
”

“Yes
.
And I might add that the rest of your family doesn’t seem to regard me as a
fire-breathing
dragon.” His husky voice was dry with sarcasm. “
You'd
think I was asking you to
go to the moon
when all
I'm
doing is insuring
that
Tabby
has a
future.
After all, it's one of the reasons you wanted to work for Wescomp, wasn't it? For our health insurance
,
which, by the way, won't cover her pre-existing condition?
But I can.
”

Pre-existing. She hadn't seen anything on the paperwork that would have said that, but she did know that some policies did eliminate that.  Wescomp could be one of those companies. She should have looked deeper, should have looked it up.
Afraid to find relief in his answer, she
asked, "And
you
won’t
attempt to
take her away from me?”
Her voice sounded like a hush and she wished she had more strength to insure her daughter's health wasn't being used as blackmail.

“On the contrary. I want to share her with you.”
He
rose and calmly
held out his hand.  Reluctantly, she placed her palm in his and stood.  He led her back to the
privacy of the bedroom.

“I called my lawyer, Philip Young, this morning. He’s starting adoption proceedings at once. Then I’ll be able to help Tabby legally without uncovering private skeletons or scandal. It’s the easiest way.”

Her body stiffened as if she was hit by a car. His words echoed in her head and an inner scream kept her from hearing the
sincerity in his tone.
“I’ll fight this, Noah! If it takes everything I’ve got, I’ll fight this. You have no right, now or ever, to come into our lives and tear everything apart on a whim.”

“Stop whistling in the dark, Di
anne
.
There isn't
enough money in the world to stop me from
this. I've made
up my mind to it
. I’m willing to take responsibility for all of Tabby's bills and
expenses, but
in exchange, I need to be part of the parenting package.
” he stated calmly. “It’s the only way.”

“It is not!” she stormed, her mind rushing ahead toward another solution. “All right, pay for Tabby’s surgery if you want, and visit her when
your
need to play parent
or uncle
becomes overwhelming. Eventually, perhaps, you’ll marry and have children of your own to lavish your money upon. You certainly don’t need Tabby for that!”

Frustration etched his face.
“
Y
ou
don't
understand what I’m proposing
, dammit!
I want to marry you
!
I want to care for you as I
wanted
to do seven years ago. I want to take care of Tabby, grow to know her.
She needs to
have her mother at home, helping her
to recuperate from heart surgery, learn and keep up in school,
grow into the young woman I know she'll be with your full guidance.
And she needs you at home
now,
especially
after the surgery and
recuperation
period.
" He took a breath and smiled
with a wicked twinkle in his gaze.
"
And i
f you want her to have brothers and sisters, fine, I don’t mind obliging.” His smile deepened. “In return I have a hostess,
a
daughter, and peace of mind.”

Children!  She could barely speak the words that tumbled through her brain to make it out of her mouth.
“I don’t
want
to marry! I don’t want to have anything to do with you, including having your children!” she cried. “And I don’t give a damn about
your
peace of mind!”

He
sighed, but a smile played around his lips
. "Still fight
ing
the wind.
"

"Not the wind. I'm fighting you!"

His smile disappeared.
"
You're not getting a choice in this, Dianna.
This isn't
an option
you can either chose or deny. I
t's the way it's going to be or I'll take you to court and we'll have joint custody.  Tabitha needs this operation immediately
. Yesterday wasn't soon enough. An
d in order to have it, my price is marriage. You can fight it all you w
ant, but those are the rules. And it should be done within the week, not at the end of another month. I spoke with her doctor, Dr. Stom, and he said the tests she had yesterday shows she needs it even sooner, or in his words, 'as soon as possible'. Not a month from now, but less than a week from now.
It's the only thing that will
make her the active and
happy
little girl
with a good future that
she should be
."

Her gaze never left
his face as she s
tared up at him, her
thoughts
scurrying like a mouse in a maze, frenzied
to find a way out of his solution.

Noah sighed.
“You know you have no choice in the matter, so why don’t you just give in gracefully?” His smile was warm,
and she forced her muscles to relax so she could think better.
Noah was rich
,
p
ow
erful and had connections throughout
Texas
. H
e knew everyone and they knew him
or his company
.
W
hat was worse was h
e had always had this strange power over her. Whenever he came too close, her calm,
normally-
sane mind was thrown into turmoil.
He smiled.  "Please, Dianna? For us?"

T
oo much had happened in the past two days for her to recover her sense
of equilibrium
now. When his
li
ps hesitated above hers for a second, she didn’t move or pull away.
E
motions she had
kept well
hidden for seven years surfaced once more, crumbling her carefully built facade of composure and leaving her oddly
vulnerable
.

Noah's
mouth
finally claimed hers and she was stunned by the impact as her body treacherously reacted, ignoring the feeble signals from her frozen mind
.
She
clung to his waist,
accidently
raising his knit sweater
. She felt warm skin
beneath her palms. She was caught up in her response to him and strangely exhilarated by the feel of his heart beating in quickened unison with her own.
 
When they pulled apart she thought her heart would thump right out of her chest.

“
See, darling?
Give us a try.
It won’t be as bad as you believe
. We can work this through
.” He nuzzled against the softness of her cheek, breathing in
the
scent of her skin. “We already know
we
respond to
each other
, to
each other's
touch.” His hands traveled from her waist to
the
full
curve of her breasts,
slowing to
gently caress her already tingling nipples. “See?” He nibbled her earlobe. “In another five minutes you
might
want me
almost
as much as I
've always wanted
you.” His voice was lost in the night-colored silk of her hair as he pressed his thighs to hers, letting her feel his awakened desire.

She couldn’t
pull away - it felt much too good. She hadn't been in a man's arms since Tabby was conceived and didn't think she ever would, again. But t
he warm, hungry feeling that rushed through her veins
wanted
to be satisfied and he held the power to release her
from her own self-imposed chastity
.
H
is hands
, his touch, made
her hot and cold at the same time.
His
body awaken
ed
long hidden
desire
s
for
intimacy with this man. C
ompleteness.
Being
e
n
folded in
his arms made her feel alive
again. A
wakened.
She should have known.
They had been so wonderful together all those years ago.

Nimble fingers un
z
ipped her dress and pushed it off her slim shoulders, letting it fall with a swish to the carpet.
Her
bra was unhooked, freeing her breasts for his questing hands.
His fingers
found
her nipples and they hardened instantly, just
his
touch sending shock waves through her body and numbing her brain.
She held
his shoulders to keep from falling. Instead, she s
train
ed
herself to him with a crazy abandon. All thoughts were gone, replaced with one single emotion.

She wanted more
.

S
he wanted him.

His mouth demanded a response she
willingly gave. One hand played with her
breast while the other slid down her flat, taut stomach to the
flowing
swell of her hips, then
pushed
away
the lacy black
material
, finding what he had been seeking, and receiving a muffled sigh of ecstasy for his persistence in gaining the
moist
prize.

His gaze almost saw through her, yet she couldn't respond to more than his touch. She felt as if she was drifting, floating, feeling
there was
nothing
more important than
his touch
. It was igniting
her from within.

“My God, Di
anne
. You’re
so
beautiful. Who would have thought there was still a wonderful
,
warm
,
woman beneath
your
beautiful,
nun
-
like exterior?” His
voice was low
,
rasping against her ears, soothing yet sandpaper to her
heightened
nerves.
He
softly nipp
ed
her earlobe then sooth
ed
it with his tongue.
His palms
traced a
smooth
, heated
path over her skin, leaving
sensitive skin
wherever he touched
. He was d
rawing her closer to the brink ... of what?
She couldn't think.

His mouth
went from
her
earlobe to her
collarbone.
"
Hold me, Dianna. Hold me and touch me like I’m touching you,” he breathed
,
and she obeyed, her hands reaching to eliminate the fabric between
her exposed breasts and his strong chest. Her heart pounded harder in anticipation of her own
needs being fulfilled
as she pulled his
sweater-s
hirt
above
his
waistband.
Without thought she pulled his chest to hers, flattening her breasts and rubbing against him, feeling his hairy chest ruffle her nipples, making them even more sensitive and erotic than before.

His hoarse groan confirmed
his need for contact was as strong as hers.
Her heart raced with the anticipation of the next step...and the next, and the....

Two quick knocks on the bedroom door jarred them both into the present. Mrs. Frank's voice came in muffled tone from outside the door, halting all motion.
“You’ve got company, Mr. Weston. Kitty Sinclair is waiting to see you in the
entry
way.”

Dianna’s breath
caught in her throat
. H
er senses
acted as if she was
drugged.
But Noah's body
had
stiffened, his
attention quickly diverted
. S
he tried to gather her jumbled thoughts
and emotions
together
. Blood rushed to her face as she realized they had almost gotten caught.