Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
R eese knew what she had to do.
She’d been putting off the inevitable for days, possibly even months. But everything had changed now, and she could no longer run from the truth: she and Victor were over. So there was only one thing left for her to do. She had to end their relationship.
She’d spent the day rehearsing what she would say to him. But when she called him later that night, she had to settle for leaving him a voicemail message: “Victor, this is Reese. We need to talk. I…I’ve made a decision about us, one that probably won’t come as a surprise to you. I really didn’t want to do this over the phone, but I see no other way. I…I’ve let this go on long enough.” She swallowed tightly and closed her eyes. “Please call me so we can FaceTime.”
When her phone rang an hour later, she assumed it was Victor and instinctively braced herself until she saw the name on the screen.
It was him. The man who’d infiltrated her defenses and stolen her heart, a heart she’d been unable to surrender to Victor. Because she’d been secretly saving it for him .
She pressed the answer button. “Hey,” she said shyly.
“Hey.”
A rush of tingles raced up and down her spine, and she let out a shivery breath. She was such a goner. Done-zo. Wrecked beyond repair .
“I miss you,” Michael said in that deep, intoxicating voice that was impossible to resist. “I want to see you.”
A wave of pleasure crashed over her, a riptide so powerful that all she could do was lean back against the headboard and close her eyes, a soft smile curving her lips before she spoke again.
“You just saw me, what, five hours ago? We had lunch together at the studio, remember?”
“Not good enough,” he growled. “Way too many other people around.”
Her smile spread wider. “Aren’t you greedy?”
“When it comes to you, sweetheart, I want it all.”
Her heart turned over. She wondered if he knew what he was saying. She was so afraid to hope. “I miss you, too,” she whispered.
“So why are we doing all this missing when there’s a simple remedy?”
“I don’t know.” Struck by a sudden suspicion, she asked, “Where are you, Michael?”
“Standing on your doorstep.”
She was already on her feet, her pulse racing with excitement as she rushed through the living room to reach the front door. Hurriedly she unlocked it and yanked it open.
And there he was.
Dressed in a black T-shirt and black jeans with heavy black boots, his midnight eyes glittering in the soft glow of the porch light.
They stared at each other, still holding their phones.
“Hi,” Reese breathed. She felt as giddy as a teenager in the throes of her first major crush.
Michael tucked his phone into his back pocket. Without a word, he scooped an arm around her waist and sealed his mouth over hers in a deep, drugging kiss that left her weak-kneed and breathless.
“Mmm,” he murmured, gently sucking her lower lip. “That’s an excellent cabernet.”
Reese smiled dreamily. “Wow. You’re good.” Before calling Victor, she’d drank a glass of wine to calm her nerves.
Michael pulled away, his mouth twitching as he took her phone from her ear and handed it to her. She laughed, embarrassed because she’d forgotten she was still holding it .
His gaze slid over her, taking in her red tube top and denim skirt. “Good, you’re still dressed.”
“Why?”
“I thought we could grab a bite to eat.”
“ Now ? But it’s after eight o’clock.”
He grinned. “And your point is?”
“Well, it’s kind of late to be eating dinner. And after all that food they served us at the studio luncheon, I’m not even sure I have room for anything else.”
“So we’ll eat something light,” Michael proposed.
Reese was skeptical. “Something light, huh? I don’t even want to think about how much weight I’ve gained since meeting you, Michael.”
He gave her another slow, appreciative once-over. “You definitely won’t hear me complaining.”
She laughed. “That’s because you’re not the one gaining weight!”
But he was already turning her by the shoulders and nudging her in the direction of her bedroom. “Go put some shoes on, woman.”
“Okay, okay. Sheesh, you don’t have to be so boss— Ow! ” she yelped as he smacked her lightly on the butt.
He grinned at her. “There’s more where that came from if you don’t hurry up.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. When he took a threatening step toward her, she scampered off with a squeal.
They went to a gourmet market that specialized in imported meats, cheeses and wines. Holding hands and smiling at each other, they meandered through the aisles adding various items to their basket. A loaf of crusty bread, a thick wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, some prosciutto ham and salami.
It felt so natural, so right to be shopping with Michael that Reese couldn’t help fantasizing that they were already a couple. She imagined them taking weekend trips to the market, then returning home and cooking together, taste-testing each other’s food between slow, lazy kisses. When the meal was ready they’d uncork a bottle of wine and dine by candlelight, then spend the rest of the night making love.
The images were so vivid that an ache of longing flooded Reese’s heart. It shook her to realize how hard she’d fallen for Michael, and how much she wanted a future with him.
God help her if he didn’t feel the same.
When they left the market, he surprised her by heading to his father’s house in Stone Mountain.
“I thought we were eating at your place,” Reese said, puzzled.
“I changed my mind.” He slanted her a glance. “With everyone gone for the next week, we’ll have the place all to ourselves.”
Reese decided not to point out that they would’ve had privacy at his penthouse as well. As long as they were together, it didn’t matter where they ate.
When they arrived at Sterling’s house, she was so engrossed in their conversation about the next taping of Howlin’ Good that she didn’t even notice where they were going until they’d passed under a wooden arbor draped with vines and perennials.
And then they were in the garden, and just as with her first visit, Reese felt as if she were stepping into paradise. The eruption of colorful flowers was breathtaking, while tall oaks, Japanese maple and tulip poplar trees arched overhead in a lush canopy of foliage. As impressive as last night’s decorations had been, nothing compared to the spectacular beauty of the garden in its natural state.
Guided by torchlights, Michael led Reese farther down the winding path until they came upon an arched wooden bridge overlooking a small pond. There, in a nearby patch of green lawn, was a wicker picnic basket resting on a red-and-white checkered blanket.
Reese gasped, her startled gaze swinging around to Michael’s face. “You did this?”
He smiled. “Surprise.”
“Oh my God,” she breathed. A picnic in an enchanted, moonlit garden. Talk about romantic!
“When did you…?” She trailed off, speechless.
Michael chuckled. “I came right over after I dropped you off this afternoon,” he answered, drawing her down onto the blanket.
Reese gaped at him. “ That’s why you told me you had things to do.”
He nodded. “Believe me, sweetheart, I wouldn’t have left you if I didn’t have every intention of seeing you again.”
His words sent a melting warmth rushing through her. She smiled, gazing into his dark eyes and falling harder. “This is...Words can’t even describe how wonderful this is, Michael.”
His expression softened. He brushed his fingers across her face, then began removing items from the basket. An assortment of luscious fruit, cheeses and pasta salads to complement the foods they’d bought at the market.
Reese smiled as he produced an expensive bottle of Chianti, filled two wineglasses and passed one to her.
“To romantic moonlight picnics,” she toasted him.
“And many more,” Michael murmured, holding her gaze as they clinked glasses and sipped.
She told herself not to read too much into his words, but it was hard not to when his eyes were filled with such tender promise.
They sat close together on the blanket and fed each other, sharing kisses between bites, sometimes drinking from the same glass of wine.
It was the most romantic meal Reese had ever had.
And the most stimulating , she added as she fed Michael a big, juicy grape and watched his sexy lips close around her fingertips. Her nipples tightened, and heat pooled between her legs.
There was a sensual gleam in his eyes as he asked silkily, “Are you ready for dessert?”
“Yes.” Her mouth was watering—and that was before she saw the dessert he removed from the basket. A three-layer confection frosted with creamy chocolate ganache and drizzled with fudge and white chocolate.
“Oh my,” Reese breathed, watching as he cut a thick slice for her. “What is that?”
“My triple chocolate cheesecake.” His lips curved. “Or, as I like to call it, chocolate orgasm.”
“ Holy hell .”
As he raised a forkful to her lips, she opened and got a mouthful of molten, decadently rich chocolate. She closed her eyes with a deep moan. “Oh my God, Michael…”
“Good?”
“ Good? This is sinful . I can see why you call it chocolate orgasm.”
He fed her another bite, his gaze intent on her mouth. “I’m glad you like it,” he said, low and husky.
“Like it? I love it, Michael. You are truly a chef extraordinaire. ”
He smiled, sampling a forkful of the gooey delicacy. “Not bad,” he murmured, slowly licking the fork. “Not bad at all.”
“You and your understatements,” Reese whispered, her breasts throbbing as she watched the snakelike motions of his tongue, reliving all the wicked things that tongue had done to her body.
Catching her hungry gaze, Michael forked up another bite of cake and slid it into her mouth, then fed himself a second piece. By the time the plate was empty, their lips were fused in a ravenous, openmouthed kiss, tongues swirling as they shared a delicious kaleidoscope of flavors.
Reese whimpered in protest when he suddenly pulled away.
“Shhh,” he whispered, brushing his thumb across her lips as he reached inside the wicker basket with the other hand. “There’s something I’ve been dying to do since the night I met you.”
“What?” she asked dazedly.
He held up a plastic container of melted chocolate sauce, his eyes glinting wickedly. “I’m going to pour this all over your body and lick it off.”
Reese shivered with arousal, already shimmying out of her denim skirt and panties.
Michael yanked off her tube top, swearing hoarsely when her breasts bounced free. “No bra?”
“Didn’t need one,” she panted.
He made a guttural sound in his throat. “Lie down,” he commanded.
She did as he told her, trembling with desire and anticipation as he swirled his finger in the container. Then, holding her gaze, he smeared both of her areolas with warm chocolate.
She groaned, watching as he bent his head and slowly, seductively, licked her nipples clean. Spasms of pleasure speared through her core and pinched her clit.
“Mmm,” he murmured against her, the vibration of his deep, rumbling voice ratcheting up her need. “You taste better than anything I’ve ever tasted in my life.”
Her belly quivered. She reached for his hand and drew his finger into her mouth, sucking off the last traces of chocolate. “So do you.”
He shuddered, his eyes blazing with fierce arousal. Like an artist creating a masterpiece, he poured several lines of chocolate up and down her trembling stomach. It took Reese a dazed moment to realize that he’d painted a letter on her .
“ M is for Michael,” he said in that dark, mesmerizing voice, “because you’re mine. Now be a good girl and spread your legs for me, sweetheart.”
When Reese obeyed, he dribbled chocolate between her thighs, coating her swollen folds. The sensation was like nothing she’d ever felt before and she moaned, loud and long.
“This,” Michael murmured, dipping two fingers into her soaked pussy, “is definitely mine.”
Reese couldn’t have argued even if she’d wanted to. When he withdrew his possessive fingers and slid them into his mouth, she nearly lost her damn mind.
“Michael,” she whimpered helplessly, “I’m about to?—”
Lowering his head, he took her mouth in a deep, carnal kiss flavored with chocolate and her own nectar. “Don’t come yet,” he ordered huskily. “I’m just getting started.”
Reese groaned. God help me!
Michael drew away and began moving down her body, his tongue tracing the path of the chocolate M he’d painted on her. She shook from the inside out, belly quivering, toes curling. Feeling wanton and needy, she cupped her breasts and tugged at her aching nipples, her breath coming in panting whimpers.
And then Michael’s mouth was on her pussy, sucking, lapping at the melted chocolate sauce. She mewled and clamped her thighs around his head, writhing against him in pure mindless ecstasy. The slow stroking motions of his hot tongue were simply out of this world. She’d never experienced anything like this with Victor or anyone before him. It seemed only fitting that Michael, her fantasy lover, would be the first man ever to find her G-spot and give her a chocolate orgasm.
He devoured her like she was his last meal, ravenously licking her folds and sucking her clit as anticipation built, her core clenching with vicious spasms. When his tongue plunged inside her and swirled around, she bucked against his mouth, pleasure sweeping over her in a sun-hot tidal wave.
She screamed as she came, and he drew out her orgasm by gently pulling at her clit with his teeth.
She was still gasping and trembling, back arched and eyes closed, when she heard a tear of foil—a sound that was pure music to her ears. There was a rustling of fabric as Michael quickly undressed. In less than a heartbeat he was embedded deep inside her, stretching her wide open, his muscled arms braced on either side of her head as he began thrusting.
She wailed his name, tightening her legs around his hips and crossing her ankles behind his back to take him even deeper, as deep as he could possibly go without splitting her apart.
“Ahh, Reese…baby…” His beautiful, godlike body glowed in the silvery moonlight as he stared down at her, a range of raw emotions playing across his gorgeous face. Searing passion. Tenderness. A focused determination to satisfy her every last need.
She clung tightly to him, her nails raking the skin on his back as she tried to match the relentless pumping of his hips. Her second orgasm hovered just beyond reach. A few more strokes were all she needed.
But suddenly Michael pulled out of her and growled, “Turn over. I wanna take you from behind.”
Reese eagerly complied, kneeling on all fours. He loomed behind her, his thick, steely cock pressed against her bottom. She gasped and arched in surprise as he drizzled chocolate along the length of her spine, then bent forward and slowly licked his way down to her ass.
She shivered and groaned, every single muscle clenching in sweet agony. Closing her eyes, she reached between her thighs and rubbed her throbbing clit, on the verge of climaxing. Hard .
His rough hands gripped her ass, tilting her hips back and positioning her right where he wanted her. Then he thrust high and deep, his heavy body slapping against her backside and jerking a sharp cry out of her throat.
She twisted to glance over her shoulder, aroused by the sight of him watching his cock slide out and then in again. The look of feral hunger on his face was another erotic image that’d be indelibly etched into her brain.
As she pulsed her hips against him, he groaned like a man in pain. “I’m so fucking addicted to you, Reese. Can’t get enough of you.”
Her heart swelled at the unexpected vulnerability in his voice. It was low and hoarse, ragged with fierce longing.
“Tell me what you want, baby,” he entreated her. “I’ll give you anything. Anything .”
Reese couldn’t get her throat to work. But it didn’t matter. He was already giving her exactly what she needed, a powerful, surging rhythm that stroked every part of her aching pussy. Drowning in pleasure, she moaned and rocked back against him, clutching fistfuls of the picnic blanket .
He cupped her swaying tits and fondled them, his thumbs circling her engorged nipples in a caress that nearly undid her. He had such command of her body, her mind, her soul. No matter what happened between them after tonight, she would always, always belong to this man.
Soon his slow, controlled pace changed, and Reese’s breath gasped out of her with the force of his deep, pounding thrusts, his thighs slapping against her ass. She arched her back and frantically worked herself against him, reaching behind with one hand to grip his flexing butt as he bottomed out with every stroke.
Groaning with satisfaction, he grabbed a handful of her hair and wound it around his fingers. Then he pulled her up against him, every ripped inch of his body aligning with hers as he forced her to meet the burning intensity of his gaze.
“I’m never letting you go,” he growled fiercely, biting the side of her neck as if to brand her. “You belong to me, and nothing or no one is gonna stop me from claiming what’s rightfully mine. So you better tell your boyfriend to get ready for the fight of his damn life.”
Reese’s heart soared, and she breathlessly confessed, “You don’t have to fight. I’m breaking up with him.”
Michael’s grip gentled on her hair. And then he laughed, a sound of exultant male triumph mingled with unmistakable relief.
His hips pumped against her, moving faster and faster until he exploded, shouting her name with hoarse reverence. His rapid, pulsing contractions triggered her own orgasm, and she threw back her head against his shoulder as spasms of white-hot rapture tore through her.
“ Michael … Michael …” His name poured out of her in a succession of desperate wails as she came apart, her body shaking uncontrollably against his. As tears of joyous wonder spilled down her cheeks, his big palm rasped over her sensitive breast and skimmed down to her belly, soothing her tremoring muscles as his cock throbbed inside her.
Whispering something she couldn’t decipher, he brushed his lips over her shoulder, then curved his arms around her and pulled her down to the blanket. Enveloped in his delicious heat, she closed her eyes with a deep, satiated sigh and wondered if it was possible to die from sheer bliss.
They lay spooned together, sweat drying on their skin, listening to the gurgling pond and the lazy drone of crickets as the sultry night wrapped around them .
“It’s so peaceful out here,” Reese whispered, as if she were afraid to shatter the garden’s tranquility. “I could stay right here all night.”
“Who says you were going anywhere, anyway?” Michael murmured, nuzzling the sweat-damp hair at her nape.
Warmth tingled through her veins. She sighed. “Sleeping under the stars. How utterly romantic.”
“Well, now, I never said anything about sleeping .”
She gave a breathy laugh. “You can’t keep me up another night, Michael, or I won’t be able to function on the set tomorrow.”
“You did just fine today,” he drawled, his warm breath tickling her as he nibbled her earlobe.
She shivered. “Be that as it may, I still need to get some rest. Back home, I had a nine o’clock bedtime.”
He snorted softly. “You might as well forget about that. I usually don’t get home from the restaurant until after eleven, and there’s no way in hell I’d be able to crawl into bed with you and keep my hands to myself.”
A foolish smile spread helplessly across Reese’s face. He was talking as if they were already a couple, the very thing she’d been fantasizing about all night. “Then I suggest you start bringing your butt home earlier, Mr. Executive Chef,” she sassed.
“Yes, ma’am.” But his voice had grown quieter, and the lips that had been nuzzling her suddenly went still.
Silence lapsed between them, punctuated by the crickets’ noisy chirping.
As Reese’s euphoria faded, she drew a shallow breath. “So…when does your family return?”
“Saturday.”
She nodded slowly. “And Asha went with them?”
“Yeah. You sound surprised.”
“I guess I am. Once the party was over, I just assumed she’d hop on her private plane and head back to New York. I know how busy she is. Her assistant, Pierre, must have called her a hundred times the day we went shopping together.”
“Hmm.” Michael paused. “Samara thinks something may be going on between Asha and my father.”
“Really?” Reese turned in the cradle of his arms to stare at him. “But they’re always bickering. ”
His amused gaze met hers. “Maybe that’s because they’re fighting an attraction. You and I know something about that.”
She grinned wryly. “Good point.”
“Anyway, they haven’t been arguing as much as they used to. So maybe Samara’s on to something. She and Marcus are keeping a close eye on them during the trip.”
Reese shook her head, marveling, “Your father and Asha. Now that would be the ultimate example of opposites attracting.” She searched Michael’s face. “How would you feel about them hooking up?”
“It’d be a little weird at first,” he admitted, smiling. “I can’t see my father with a high-maintenance woman like Asha. But if they make each other happy, then I’m all for it. God knows the old man deserves to be happy.”
Reese hesitated, then ventured cautiously, “Because of the way things turned out between him and your mother?”
Michael nodded.
Reese held her breath, waiting to see if he would confide in her, as Quentin had so confidently predicted.
Just when she’d started to lose hope, Michael said in a low voice, “When I was sixteen, my mother cheated on Dad with Grant. They worked at the same hospital. She was a nurse, and Grant was a big-shot neurosurgeon. Marcus came home early from school one day and caught them kissing in the kitchen.”
Suppressing a horrified gasp, Reese said, “Poor Marcus. He was only?—”
“Ten. And to give you an idea of how traumatized he was, it took him twenty-five years to forgive her.”
“And you?” Reese gently probed. “How long did it take you?”
“A while.” Michael’s expression was grim. “After the divorce, she disappeared from our lives for a long time, missed a lot of important things. I think she felt guilty, and that’s why she and Grant waited several years to get married. Anyway, when I agreed to give her away at her wedding, we had a long heart-to-heart, and I got to hear her side of the story for the first time.”
He blew out a deep breath. “To make a long story short, she’d turned to Dad for consolation one night after her high school sweetheart was killed in a car accident. They slept together, and she wound up getting pregnant. They were both scared and devastated, but being the honorable man he’s always been, Dad offered to marry her and raise her child as his own, whether or not I was.”
Incredulous, Reese stared at him. “There was a possibility you weren’t Sterling’s son?”
Michael nodded. “Mom had slept with her boyfriend two nights before he was killed. So, yeah, there was a question about my paternity.”
“That seems impossible. You’re the spitting image of Sterling. Anyone can see that you’re his son.”
His mouth curved in a half smile. “And a paternity test proved that I was.”
“So you’re the reason your parents got married.”
He nodded. “And Marcus is the reason they stayed together for as long as they did. As I learned, their marriage was doomed long before Grant entered the picture.”
“Because she was still in love with her high school sweetheart,” Reese surmised.
“That, and they both felt trapped by their circumstances, forced into a marriage of convenience.” Michael paused, bitterness edging his voice as he added, “Though Mom would never admit it to me or Marcus, we both know she resented Dad being a cop. We were poor, and Grant was able to give her the life Dad never could.”
“Your father doesn’t seem at all resentful,” Reese said quietly. “To look at him and your mother, you’d never suspect that she betrayed him.”
“Dad has a very big, forgiving heart,” Michael said, unmistakable pride in his voice. “As much as he was hurting, he never spoke ill of Mom. He made excuses for her whenever she missed a birthday or an important event in our lives, and he spent years playing peacemaker. In the end I decided that if he could forgive her, so could I.”
Reese gazed tenderly at him. “I’m glad you did. I don’t think anyone should ever underestimate the power of forgiveness.”
Michael nodded. His arm had been resting across her waist. Now his thumb traced an idle pattern on her hip.
Reese hesitated, biting her lower lip. “Can I tell you about a crazy suspicion I’ve had since meeting your parents?”
His thumb stilled. A new guardedness entered his expression. “What?”
“I think it’s possible that, uh, your mother might still have feelings for your father. And I think that’s why she perceives Asha as a threat. ”
Michael stared at Reese in a way that made her wish she’d kept her theory to herself. “You’re wrong,” he said with implacable calm.
“What if I’m not?”
“You are. Mom gave up everything to be with Grant. She’s not going to decide, almost thirty years later, that she made a mistake and wants Dad back.”
Reese didn’t know whether he was trying to convince her or himself. Either way, God help Celeste Rutherford if Reese’s suspicions about her were true.
“Anyway,” Michael drawled, his teeth sinking delicately into Reese’s shoulder, “this is supposed to be a romantic moonlight picnic. Enough about my parents.”
Reese cuddled closer, smiling when she felt his cock hardening against her belly. As he began sliding down the length of her body, she purred, “I want another piece of that cake. What’d you call it again?”
“Sweetheart,” Michael murmured, sucking her toe into his mouth, “I got your chocolate orgasm right here.”