Chapter 6 #2
It rained the entire afternoon, which suited them well.
Aside from getting up to go to the kitchen to grab something to eat, they stayed right there on that sofa.
He could not get enough of her and when she would have put her clothes back on, he stopped her.
They ate naked, the comfortable blanket wrapped around them.
They dozed for a few minutes until he woke her with his mouth on her body. The man was insatiable, but then so was she.
They spent the entire day together and the episodes of last night and this morning were forgotten.
It was getting dark, and they had eaten canned soup and toast with freshly churned butter when he told her about his work. As she listened to him talk glowingly about the strides they had made with regards to farming, she felt the ache spreading inside her chest.
She missed her job. Here she was, hiding out and not able to practice law. She missed the cutthroat and frenzied pace she had become so accustomed to.
Poring over contracts, meeting with clients, listening to their issues and filing briefs. It was the one thing she had been damned good at and now it was taken from her. She had no idea what to do next.
"Lydia?" His quizzical expression made her realize she had zoned out.
"Am I boring you?"
"No." Shaking her head, she offered a smile. "Just thinking."
He waited for her to elaborate and when she didn't, he had to tamp down his disappointment. He knew he had promised himself he would give her time, but he had been hoping she would give him something. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he spoke casually.
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Here I have been monopolizing the entire conversation and not giving you a chance to have an input."
"I like listening to you."
Cupping her cheek, he forced her to look at him. "What did you do back where you're from?"
"I don't want to talk about it. And having sex does not give you the right to dip into my personal life."
The anger bloomed and was carefully banked.
"I'm just asking you a simple question. Not your social or your bank account number."
"I can't talk about this." She tried to struggle away from him, but he was not letting go.
"All right." It hurt like hell that despite what they had just shared, she was still keeping secrets. "Shall we talk about something else?"
"We don't have to talk at all."
His smile turned grim. "You're absolutely right." Shifting so that he covered her body with his, he glided into her, gratified when her eyes went dim.
"I didn't mean. Oh Lord." She whispered as he started to move.
*****
They had moved into the bedroom at some point and now she was fast asleep.
But he could not shut his eyes. She was curled on her side, her head resting on his chest, breath fanning his skin.
He could look her up. Everything was on the internet these days.
And it was suspicious that she did not even want to tell him what she did for a living.
What if she was wanted? The idea came back to haunt him again. What reason could a person have for not revealing what they did for a living? It had to be bad. Was it something of which she was ashamed? Was she a criminal running from justice?
His heart did a slow turn.
He was in deep. His heart was involved and there was no way he could leave her alone. Not now. He wanted her, God so much, he could barely stand it. But the truth was, he did not know anything about her and a man in his position had to be cautious.
But he was past that, wasn't he? He thought bitterly. He had taken one look at her and was a goner. Making love to her had sealed it. Cemented it.
Was she running away from an abusive relationship?
One thing was for sure. She was not experienced in the lovemaking department, and he wondered about that. She was beautiful and passionate and brought him so much pleasure, he felt like dying from it.
Shifting slightly so as not to wake her, he gazed down at her face. The room was in shadows, but he could make out every feature. She was lovely. She had excellent bone structure, and her skin was as smooth as silk.
"What are you hiding Lydia?" he whispered. "What could be so damn bad, that you cannot talk about it?" Kissing her forehead lightly, he held her against him and drifted off to sleep.
*****
She woke to the scent of coffee streaming through the open doorway of the bedroom.
A glance at the clock showed her that it was almost seven.
Sitting up in bed, she drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them.
She had sensed his anger and disappointment when she did not answer his question and knew he was wondering what she was hiding.
This was exactly what she was running from. All she had wanted to do was lay low and clear her head. Then decide what to do with the rest of her life. But now she had to get involved with the resident billionaire. Not some local Joe, but a man who was highly visible.
And she was involved. There was no question of that. He had her feeling things she never knew she could feel and yearning.
She looked up when he came walking in, a smile on his face. He was dressed, his hair still damp from a shower and curling around his very attractive face. She should tell him to leave her alone. She should go someplace else.
"I made coffee." He brought it to her and sat on the edge, eyes scanning her face. "You slept like a log."
"Thanks." Taking the cup with both hands, she inhaled the caffeine. "You're leaving."
"Yes. I have several meetings and there are reports of flooding at several of our properties." He lifted a hand to brush wisps of her hair from her forehead.
"We could go for a drive later. Or take in a show at the local cinema."
"I don't know."
He saw the uncertainty on her face and did not want to push. "You don't have to decide now." Leaning over, he kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be in touch. What do you plan on doing today?"
"Sleep some more." A smile touched her lips. "Someone tuckered me out last night."
"Want me to apologize?" he asked lightly.
"No." This time it was she who lifted a hand to touch his face. "I enjoyed every minute of it."
"Good." He kissed her again, hard and let it linger. "See you later."
He strode from the room and closed the door behind him, leaving her staring after him. What the hell was she doing? She certainly could not be in a relationship with him. She was a mess and had too much baggage to count. A whole damn carousel of them.
Perhaps this was her looking for love. She certainly had never experienced it before. Her parents had tolerated her. Had plainly told her that she was an inconvenience. The two relationships she had been involved in had ended badly.
Taking a sip of the coffee, she closed her eyes in defeat. She had to tell him it wasn't going to work. She had sex with him and should never have allowed it to go that far. She would tell him later. Maybe call him and say it was over.
No, she shook her head. He deserved better. She would tell him when he came over later. A clean break, that's best.
*****
Kenneth did not leave right away. He sat in the car and stared out at the water-soaked trees, moisture dripping from the leaves. He was in trouble.
His instinct was telling him to go on about his way and leave her alone. There were warning signs, and he should listen to them. She was hiding something, and it was big.
Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes wearily. He had risen early and just laid there staring at her. It had taken him a while to leave her side. Rubbing his hands over his face, he jolted when his phone started ringing.
"Yeah?"
"Is that any way to talk to your father? Where the hell are you? We have a meeting and have been waiting for ten minutes."
"I'm on my way."
"Good, because we need your input."
His father hung up before he could say anything else.
Pushing the start button, he made his way carefully along the dirt road that had turned into a muddy path.
He should warn her that if she was planning on going anywhere today, she should be careful of being stuck.
He started to dial her number and thought better of it. He was not going to disturb her.
She was right. He had kept them up half the night and she needed her sleep.
Touching the turn signal, he made his way home.
*****
She did not go back to sleep of course. She blamed it on the coffee and the thoughts rioting inside her head. He was gone, but his scent was on her pillows and sheets. His essence was very strong and what he had done to her, the way he touched her, made her feel was uppermost in her mind.
The man had a distinct talent. Climbing out of bed, she decided against taking a shower and went straight to the kitchen. She wasn't hungry and he had fed her late last night.
After the amount of energy they had expended, she figured she needed the nourishment. Making herself an egg sandwich, she took it with her and sat at the table. And just stared out at the rain-soaked yard.