Chapter 2
“Are we going to talk about it?” he asked quietly after waiting several minutes for them to catch their breaths. She was snuggled against him, her face settled on his chest, inhaling the unique male mixture of sweat and expensive cologne.
And she should have known he was not going to let it go.
“Do we have to?” she asked plaintively.
“Yes.” His tone was implacable, and she knew what that meant.
Sighing softly, she lifted her head to study the handsome face. A lock of honey-blonde hair had fallen onto his forehead, giving him an endearingly boyish look that she found highly appealing.
“There were so many of your exes at the function tonight. Good thing I am not a jealous woman.”
His thick brows merely lifted at that untrue statement and reminded them of the first time she had come face to face with a woman from his past.
They had just started going out. He had chosen an intimate restaurant so that they would not be disturbed and harassed by the press. Unfortunately, Madeline Greene had also chosen that restaurant to have a business dinner.
The former prosecutor-turned-TV personality had stopped at their table, blatantly ignoring Georgie. It kept up an intimate conversation with Beau, touching him on his arm, chest, and even his face.
Georgie had endured it for a few minutes and then her anger had boiled over. Getting to her feet, she sweetly introduced herself and reminded Beau that she was at the table. She had then proceeded to tell the “bitch” to get lost.
“And if you don’t stop touching him, you are going to end up wearing this glass of red wine.” The woman had on a cream wool knit outfit.
Madeline left immediately and Georgie soon after. Beau had caught up with her in the parking lot, waiting for the Uber she had called to pick her up.
“You are overeating.”
“Go to hell.”
“Please come back to the restaurant and stop this nonsense.”
Her ride had pulled up just then and she had left him standing there. It had taken him a week to get through to her.
“I should have doused her with the wine.”
“And you are avoiding the subject.” His fingers trailed their way over her left cheek. He was sated for the moment, but from past experiences, he knew it would not be that way for very long. “Darling, I am worried about you.”
“There is no need.” Her tone was unreasonably sharp, and she realized how defensive she sounded. “I am sorry.”
He nodded, green eyes probing her face.
“Stop looking at me like that," she muttered.
“Like what?” he asked gently.
“Like you want to delve into my soul.”
“I want to know what’s going on with you and try to ease your concerns.” His hands cupped her face. “That’s what I am here for.”
Tears blurred her vision, and she had to blink him into focus. “You know what I want.”
He stroked the tears away, his touch gentle. “It’s been barely a year. Darling, what is this about? Is living with me alone such a chore? We got married in a rush. I dragged you to the altar for fear of you changing your mind, and we decided that we would take the chance to get to know each other.
We have been doing so. I am just finding my way around the company, learning the intricacies, and it’s all because of you.” He traced her full bottom lip, eyes glazed with desire. She had such kissable lips and his many tastes of her would never be enough.
The first time he had kissed her, it had taken him by surprise. He had mastered the technique of kissing as he did everything else when it has to do with women.
And was generally the conqueror. But when he tasted her, it was like a narcotic coursing through his veins. He became addicted and just like that, his interest in other women had waned and then faded completely.
He almost went mad trying to find her, to discover if it was just a fluke. When he did find her and tasted it again, he wanted more. He craved more. It had angered him to realize that someone had such power over him, and he had fought it blindly, without success.
“I love you. Unequivocally, more than I have ever loved anyone before. But I want our children, Beau. I want to be a mother. I want more than anything else to feel your baby growing inside my womb. I want you to understand why I do.
It’s the culmination of our love. I know you; we are still getting to discover things about each other every single day and no doubt, that will be happening as long as we both live. But I want this.” Her eyes turned pleading.
“I would like you to understand.” He tamped down the impatience. “And we are still newly-weds. I love the fact that you accompany me wherever I go. I love the trips we take, the adventure you make out of them. You quit your job, which I am beginning to wonder if that was such a good idea–”
“I don’t regret quitting my job," she said swiftly, shaking her head. “I love the charities I am involved with. Working with the disabled children gives me a sense of purpose. Whenever I go to the various group homes, I feel as if I am accomplishing something meaningful. I just want…” her voice petered off and he filled in the blanks.
“You want to be a mother.”
“Is that so unreasonable?”
“Because your sisters are mothers.”
She wanted to lash out at him for being such a damn man. “No Beau. I want to be a mother because I want our children. I want to see them being reared and brought up by us. I want a family with you. Why can’t you understand?”
“You are upset," he deduced. “And so am I. We have time–”
“I am going to be thirty-one next June and by my estimation, my biological clock has started ticking.” She waved an impatient hand. “I never thought about children—yes, I love them. I adore my nieces and nephews and spoil them rotten.
But before I met you, I took pleasure in my career. That has changed. I want something tangible. I have fallen in love with you despite my better judgment. Even though I fought it tooth and nail and I want this for us.”
He stared at her for a few seconds, before releasing her and rolling off the bed. She watched him furtively, her heart skipping a beat as he walked with that panther-like grace to the recessed cabinet. His bedroom had been a purely masculine one before she came into his life.
He had surprised her the first time she came here. Expecting a traditional loft, she had been pleasantly shocked to see that he resides in a house. He had confessed that the place belonged to his mother, and he had formed an attachment to it. He also had a townhouse for the obvious reasons and had never brought a woman here before.
“You are the first." he had told her solemnly and she believed him.
She had been reluctant to make changes, but he had insisted. “It’s going to be your home too; I want you to be comfortable.” The changes had been minimal, because the place was lovely as it was.
Pushing herself up, she drew her knees to her chin and stared at him as he poured a half a glass of scotch. He was naked and immodest with it.
But then again, Beau Anderson never has to cover up his body. The long, lean magnificent frame was a work of art. He was muscular without being overtly so. He worked out religiously, they both did.
Their home gym was a state of art. He was a morning person, she was not. He would make fun of her whenever he awakened her so that they could work out together. She was useless and a regular grouch without her first taste of caffeine and knowing that much, he would have it ready for her.
Instead of taking the drink and coming back to her on the bed, he walked over to the floor to ceiling window and stood looking out. It had started raining, the water sliding down the glass in rivulets.
“Darling?”
He could see her through the one-way glass, and he had to admire the allure of her naked body. She had him wrapped around her little finger and could get him to do anything.
He had been the master of his own destiny for years and now he was controlled by a woman who barely weighs a hundred and fifteen pounds. Payback is a bitch, he thought ironically.
“I don’t want to fight.”
“Neither do I," she averred. “We are just talking.”
“We are not just talking, Georgiana," he bit out. “You have already made your mind up.”
Her chin lifted. “So, I have. I need you to get on board.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I would be very disappointed.”
He turned to face her then and she could see the icy look on his face. She had discovered his iron will soon after they started seeing each other.
Beau had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had been spoiled all his life. Everything had come easy to him. Being an only child of affluent parents, he had received everything he asked for.
A Porsche when he was sixteen, which he crashed six months after. He had not been punished but had simply received another expensive European car. Women adored him, because of his looks and wealth. He never did any form of chasing; they chased him instead.
When she met him, he was confused that she would turn him down. For the first time in his life, he was up against a resistance that he could not charm his way through. Their arguments were passionate, their lovemaking right after, so flammable, they were practically singed. Practically consumed by it.
“Then I guess you have said your piece. What the hell do you need me for?”
“Don’t!” She knew what he was doing, and she was not going to allow it. “I am doing this for us.”
“Tell yourself that.” Tossing back the liquor, he strode over to the cabinet and slammed the glass down. “But don’t try and convince me that you are being selfless. I am not buying it.”
“Beau–”
“No, damn you!” he shouted, his temper breaking free. “I have read up on the damn procedure. IVF. It’s risky as hell and I will not lose you. Do you get that? I don’t care if we never have a kid. I can live with that.”
Marching over to the closet, he jerked out a robe and shoved his hands into the sleeves. “What I won’t live without, is you. Am I clear?”
“Please–”
“I am in love for the first time in my goddamned life. Sometimes it’s difficult as hell, because I am not accustomed to someone dictating my every mood, my every move. When you are sad, I want to move heaven and earth to take it away. I want to give you the bloody moon and stars and the heavens.
You make me vulnerable and I–”He blew out a breath as he dragged restless fingers through his tousled hair. “I cannot lose you.”
She was shaken by his admission. But as much as she understood what he was saying, she had to try.
She wanted children. Wanted to see his sons feeding at her breasts, wanted to watch them growing up and knowing that it was the culmination of their love that brought them into this world. And she wanted him on board. She could not bear the wedge between them.
“Come back to bed.”
“I have some things I need to sort out. Go to sleep.”
“Beau–”
“I need time to cool down and so do you.” Without waiting for her response, he turned and left the room.
Georgie covered her face with her hands and felt the tears pricking the back of her eyes. Her sisters had warned her about pushing too far.
“Honey, you are still young. Give it time. ” But she wanted this so much, she could taste it. Why couldn’t he understand? It was not just for her; she also wanted it for him. Was she wrong?
She knew of women—of couples who remained childless for years and went to great lengths to get pregnant and then lose the child in the middle of it. There was one woman who had tried everything and when it finally happened, the baby had a heart disease.
What if she was going against God’s will, stepping up his timeline and not waiting for it to happen naturally? What if she forced the issue and something awful happened? Would she be able to forgive herself? Would her husband be able to forgive her?
She had fought the fierce and instantaneous attraction she felt for him, one that had been there from the very moment they laid eyes on each other, and it had only gotten worse.
She wasn’t even looking for romance, having not too long got out of a painful relationship. And then he was there. Handsome, charming and sexy. As well as rich, entitled and used to getting any woman he wanted. She was not going to play the fool and fall into his arms like a ripe plum.
So, she had fought valiantly. She had insulted him at every turn, but he had persisted. When they made love for the first time, she had been dismayed at her reaction. She had practically begged him to take her. He had spent time using his mouth and those clever fingers to bring her so much pleasure that she had wanted to die.
She could not believe it was the same for him. But surprisingly, it had been. They had both been shaken by the intensity of the passion that swamped them. He had been at a loss for words.
The seducer had become the seduced and he had not known what to do about it. He had left her place without making a commitment to see her again or to even call.
She had not heard from him for a week, until he showed up at her doorstep, looking gaunt and haunted.
“We need to talk,” he said quietly.
“We have nothing to talk about.” She had spent that week, alternatively crying and berating herself.
“Please.”
She had let him in, and he just stood there as if undecided how to proceed. “I am in love with you.” It was as if the words had been torn from his chest. “I cannot live without you. I have tried and it’s too painful. It hurts too much. Marry me.”
She had stared at him in shock and said no initially. He was out of her league. Yes, she had become somewhat of a household name because of her online career. Her love for fashion had given her the idea.
She had been working in a department store as a buyer, when she got disillusioned with her life. There was nowhere else to go and the changes she had suggested had been shelved.
Deciding to quit, she had weighed the pros and cons. The decision had been made and she had carried through with it. She had been on YouTube watching some videos, when the idea struck her.
She had the looks and certainly had the fashion sense. She had a knack of pairing the right clothes with the appropriate accessories. She could build her own social media platform and get stores to endorse her.
As soon as the epiphany had hit her, she had acted. Her sisters: Marla, the eldest, was a grade school teacher, Elaine, was an accountant for a very lucrative company and Sandra was a nurse in the local hospital. All three had been horrified at her plan and tried to talk her out of it.
“You are not thinking.” Marla reasoned. “An influencer? You had a very good job at the store. Why would you up and leave with such an iffy move? It’s not going to work.”
“Then I would have failed trying. But it’s something I must do.”
It had taken her three months to get noticed. She had an online presence, and the cameras loved her. She had invested in quality items and had started going around the stores and trying on different outfits, pairing them with a pair of burnished bangles, an eye-catching pair of earrings.
A cute risqué looking purse, a tie draped around the waist—things like that and her channel had started to get a great number of likes.
Her success had exploded and very soon, stores were offering her insane commission to showcase their products.
She had started to become very popular and recognizable. Romano’s had offered her an outstanding deal, which had set her up for life. She loved what she did and liked the idea of being self-employed. Her sister, Elaine, handled her accounts and she hired an assistant.
Her face had become well-known, and she was invited to parties where she met the cream of society. Her vivacious beauty gained her several admirers, but she was cautious, until she met Kevin who had expressed his interest in her.
She had broken her own steadfast rule of never getting involved with one of the actors she had met during the rounds of functions and had lived to regret it.
After the bad breakup, she had stayed away from men with the intention of concentrating on her career, but then Beau had happened, and she had fallen headlong in love with him. And was still falling.
Lifting her chin and wiping away the tears, she slid off the bed and shrugged into her robe.
She found him in his office, but he was not working. He was standing at the window, staring out at the encroaching darkness.
There were piles of documents on his desk, but it did not look like he had been accomplishing anything.
“I told you to go to sleep.”
“When since have I ever listened to you?”
When his shoulders tensed, she realized she had said the wrong thing. Biting off a sigh, she did something she knew would get a reaction. Walking behind him, she wrapped her hands around his trim waist, her fingers untying the knot of his robe.
“What are you doing?” he rasped.
“Trying to get my husband to stop being mad at me.” She had untied the sash and the robe sprang open. Her fingers glide over the taut flesh of his stomach and tangle with the light dusting of hairs that arrowed down to his sex. He inhaled sharply and she felt when he went rigid as if he was trying to fight the familiar desire.
“Georgiana–”
“You only call me that when you are pissed.” Her hands dropped to his sex and found it hard and hot. “We cannot go to bed with anger in our hearts. I refuse to allow that.” “Christ! Goddamn you! Stop.”
“No.” Her finger found the moisture at the tip of him. Rubbing it over his glans, she used her other hand to fondle his testicles, squeezing lightly. She knew his body intimately, had learned what made him tick, what set him off.
She also knew the power of her touch and was unapologetically using it now. A groan was torn from his chest. His head dropped forward to mash against the cool glass. His teeth were gritted, his chest congested.
“Turn around," she ordered softly.
“You are not going to use your wiles on me.”
“Aren’t I? Turn around, darling. You taught me to please you and right now I am in the mood to do just that.”
He turned automatically and stared at her with eyes blazing with liquid green fire. His shaft was throbbing and fully aroused.
Lifting her hands, she pushed the robe off his wide shoulders. Standing on her toes, she started with his throat where his throat was working madly. He just stood there while she tortured him with her lips.
“No," he rasped weakly as she went on her knees. But he was powerless to stop her. He swore viciously, fingers curling into the thick strands of her hair when she used her tongue to toy with the reddened tip of his sex. Flames danced and then blazed through his body with lightning speed. His body shuddered and he felt the roaring in his ears.
“Georgie, baby.” He hauled her up against him, his finger biting into her back. “Enough, I cannot stand it.” His head descended as he crushed her lips in a kiss that sent them over the edge.