A HIGH STAKES SEDUCTION (21 page)

He lifted a brow. “I think you’ll have to pinch me to find out.”

She inhaled slowly, then reached around for his backside. It wasn’t easy to pinch that much hard muscle, but she managed, at the cost of heating her blood a few more degrees.

“Yep. I’m awake.” His eyes had darkened with desire. “Now for you.” He slid his hands around her hips until he was cupping her rear. Then he squeezed and lifted her up so fast that she gasped as adrenaline rushed through her. “Uh-huh. You are, too.” Still holding her off the ground, he let her rest against his big body and slowly slide down. She felt the hard jut of his erection through his dark pants, and it made her breath catch. “Awake, and if I’m not mistaken, every bit as aroused as I am.”

She bit her lip and nodded. Heat pooled deep inside her and clouded her thinking. When her toes touched the floor, her fingers reached for the buttons on his shirt. She could hear her breathing quicken as she pulled each button from its hole and exposed his broad, muscled chest. His big fingers struggled with the tiny buttons on her blouse, and his expression of intense concentration made her chuckle.

She kissed his chest and inhaled the rich, masculine scent of him, then let her mouth trail down to where his pants sat low on his hips. It excited her to see how aroused he was. She heard his breath hitch and saw his stomach contract as she kissed his hard flesh through the expensive fabric of his pants. Then she undid the catch and the zipper with trembling fingers and slid the pants down over his powerful thighs.

It drove her crazy that this man was so intensely excited by her, ordinary little Constance Allen, who spent her days surrounded by file cabinets and calculators. But his passion-filled gaze and fierce erection left no doubt.

He slid her skirt and stockings off and pulled her onto the bed. For a moment they lay side by side, enjoying the vision of each other naked.

Seeing their surroundings made her remember that they were in a busy hotel with paper-thin walls and middle managers making phone calls in the rooms around them. “Maybe we should put the radio on.”

He winked. “You’re so practical. I love that about you. And you’re right. We don’t need everyone in the Inn and Suites to hear your cries of passion.” He reached for the radio next to the bed and turned the dial until he found a slow song. “And speaking of practical, I still have enough sense left to remember to use a condom.” He fished in his bag and pulled out the packet, then opened it and settled back on the bed with her.

The soft sounds of sexy music filled the room as he rested his broad hand on her hip and slid it slowly up her waist to her breast. She watched his chest rise as he ran his fingers over her breast, stimulating her nipple. She was already so aroused that she let out a gasp. “I want you inside me,” she pleaded, hardly able to believe it was her talking. She’d had no idea until she met John that she was capable of this kind of desire.

“With no foreplay?” He looked surprised.

“I don’t need foreplay right now.” She pressed her mouth to his for one breathless instant. “And I can see you don’t either.”

“True.” He groaned as she wrapped her hand around him, then took the condom from him and rolled it on. With confidence and conviction that surprised her, she slid underneath him and guided him inside her. Her hips rose as he entered her and the sense of relief and exhilaration took her breath away. It felt so right. She lifted her hips to meet his and they moved together, both already on the brink of explosion, so much pent-up need and desire ready to burst over them.

“I love you.” Her confession sprang from her lips—she couldn’t hold back the words. Her feelings for him had been growing inside her from the first moment they kissed—maybe even the first moment they met—and she could now acknowledge what they meant. As she came to this realization, she felt the first waves of her orgasm spread through her like a tornado unwinding.

“I love you, too, sweetheart.” He moved over her with a slow intensity that unraveled her completely. “I love you so, so...” His words were lost as he climaxed and she gripped him as hard as she could, fingers pressing into the hard muscle of his back.

She felt him pulsing inside her, and her heart filled until she thought it would burst. She didn’t care if everyone at work knew she’d had an affair with the man she was sent to investigate. She didn’t care if they fired her from her job. She didn’t care if she never worked in accounting again. She didn’t care about anything except being here, with John, right now.

And for the rest of her life.

His big body rested so comfortably on hers. “...So much.”

She wanted to laugh, but couldn’t find the energy. All the anxiety and worry and tension of the last few days had been wrung out of her by their lovemaking. The aftershocks of her orgasm trickled through her, sending a silly giggle to her chest. “What have you done to me? I feel like a completely different person when I’m with you.”

“With me you’re exactly the person you’re supposed to be. Me, too. I was so caught up in trying to make money and avoid any romantic entanglements that I was running every minute. You were so caught up in trying to be Little Miss Perfect that you needed someone to trip you right up and stop you in your tracks.”

“And catch me as I fell.”

She felt his chuckle vibrate through both of them. Then he rolled gently off her until they were side by side, hugging each other. “To catch you and hold you tight so you couldn’t slip away.” His soft kiss sent yet another smile spreading across her lips.

She remembered the ring on her finger and pulled her hand up to stare at it. One stunning diamond in a minimalist platinum setting.

“I wanted something classic and perfect, with no unnecessary embellishment. Like you.”

“It’s so gorgeous. It must have cost a fortune.” The diamond itself was set so that it didn’t stick out or look ostentatious, but on close inspection she could see it was very large.

“What’s the point of having a fortune if you can’t spend it on the really important things? And you’re the most important thing that has ever happened to me.” His voice had a raw, honest edge to it that made tears spring to her eyes.

“I feel like I should give you something, too.” What did you give the man who had everything? And if he didn’t have it yet, he could buy it tomorrow.

“You are. You.” He pulled her fingers gently to his lips and kissed them.

The truth of his words shocked her little. In agreeing to marry him she had given herself to him, which, she knew, meant giving up her life in Ohio and moving to Massachusetts, away from all her friends and family. She’d have to quit her job even if they didn’t fire her.

“What’s the matter?” He stroked her cheek.

“I’m thinking about all the changes ahead. Where will I work?”

“Well, the New Dawn has been accused of nepotism, and with good reason.” He winked. “We do like to employ family members.”

She frowned. “What would I do there?”

He pulled back and looked at her with a serious expression. “Whatever you think is important and interesting. Your financial expertise could certainly be put to good use. You could even take over that part of the daily operations from me so I can focus on booking celebrities and hustling some good PR. I suspect I’ll be better at that than Uncle Don was.”

She inhaled sharply. “I still can’t believe that he went to the press about us.”

“He can be a real ass sometimes. Especially since he didn’t even know we actually were involved.” He ran his thumb over her lips. “I’m providing him with the best legal counsel so hopefully he won’t spend the next few decades in jail, but he might wish he was safely behind bars by the time I’m done letting him know what I think about his behavior.”

“You’d be surprised by how many people don’t pay taxes.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “They think that they earned the money, and it should be theirs to keep. Even people who have millions just think they can keep silent about it on their returns and nothing will happen. Yet they’re still driving on roads and sending their kids to schools paid for by our taxes.”

“Human nature. It’s a constant battle for some of us to pretend to be civilized.” He winked. “And trust me, I don’t pay any more taxes than I have to myself. It’d probably be part of your job to finesse that, as well.”

“I’ve been doing that for much bigger corporations for years. Maybe I’d like to do something else.”

“Like what?”

She bit her lip and thought for a minute. The idea was outrageous, but then so was everything else about being here. “I always wanted to teach. My parents told me that the schools are full of unteachable, rowdy hoodlums and that I’d be miserable, which is why I pursued a career with numbers, but sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong choice.”

“Interesting.” He peered at her. “Now that we are gathering tribal members from far and wide, we have a lot to teach them about the business. Maybe you could start there, then get your teaching credentials and branch out to teaching in the schools.”

“I like that idea.” Her mind was racing, which was funny since her body still hummed with the aftereffects of their lovemaking. “It would be nice to work with people instead of numbers for a change.”

“I think you’ll be great at it.” He kissed her softly on her mouth.

“I’ll resign tomorrow. I wonder if they’ll make me work for a final two weeks, or if they’ll escort me out the door with my possessions in a cardboard box.”

His eyes twinkled. “Once they know you’re marrying me, probably the latter.”

She felt a grin spread across her face. “I guess that’s a good thing, under the circumstances.”

“It most certainly is.”

Epilogue

Thanksgiving

“S
ome people say that Native Americans shouldn’t celebrate Thanksgiving.” John stood at the head of the crowded table in the dining room of their meticulously renovated farmhouse. The fine cherry table was laden with fresh local turkey, roasted corn, chestnuts, maple-glazed squash with walnuts and glistening cranberry sauce. “They say that it was a foolish mistake of our ancestors to show the Pilgrims how to eat and survive in our land. They think it would have been better to let them starve to death.”

He paused and looked around at the gathered guests. His grandparents beamed proudly and Constance wondered if they’d heard this speech before. “I disagree. Every choice we make in life shapes who we become and I’m proud to be a descendant of those who chose to offer the hand of friendship. I prefer to hope for the best and that’s how I live my life. Our people have certainly been through many trials and tribulations since then, but we’re still here and we’re looking forward to a vibrant future.”

He raised his champagne flute, and Constance lifted hers. She still couldn’t believe this tall, handsome man was her husband. “And that future has just grown a little bit brighter...” He glanced at her and she smiled back. They’d talked about when to make their announcement and decided this was the perfect time. She felt butterflies in her stomach, fluttering around the tiny baby growing there. “Because we’re expecting a new member of the Nissequot tribe, who should be joining us sometime in June.”

His grandmother gasped and turned to her husband. “A baby? Oh, John, did you hear that?”

“I heard it.” He beamed and patted her hand. “That’s wonderful.”

The round of congratulations made Constance blush, and a sudden rush of emotion propelled her to her feet. A hush fell over the room as she looked around, feeling such a strong connection to the people gathered there. “These last few months have been a whirlwind. In May I was still living quietly in my childhood bedroom in Ohio, in June I got the assignment that would bring me here for the first time and now, in November, I’m an expectant mother, married to an amazing man, living in a lovely farmhouse in Massachusetts and pursuing a teaching license. I’m still a bit shell-shocked by it all, but I’m so grateful for the way you’ve all welcomed me into your midst and made my transition to my new life so easy and enjoyable.”

Even her parents were smiling. They’d driven up here for the wedding, and now for Thanksgiving, and John’s relentlessly charming grandfather had taken over the task of winning their hearts for the Nissequot tribe and casino. Although he still had a way to go, he’d made impressive progress.

John raised his glass. “I already find it hard to remember what life was like before you came here. Every day I’m grateful for the BIA investigation that brought you into our lives.” A chuckle rumbled around the room. “Even Don says he’s glad Constance caught up with him before he dug himself into an even deeper hole. He’s lucky to have got off with only a six-week sentence.”

The casino had shrugged off the scandal and the publicity from it brought in more people than ever, so New Dawn was growing from strength to strength. “Next year we should be able to complete the purchase of seven hundred acres along our eastern border and break ground on the water park.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes as he looked at Constance. The water park had been her idea. She liked the idea of expanding in a family-friendly direction and offering summer camps there for kids from all over the region. “Every day around here is a new adventure and I’m glad to be sharing them with my soul mate.”

“I love you,” she said softly.

“I love you, too, sweetheart.” He spoke the words just to her, and emotion flowed directly between them despite all the people gathered around them. “And I’m thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

She felt tears well in her eyes and was about to blame the pregnancy hormones when she noticed that she wasn’t the only one having that reaction. “Sometimes there’s so much to be thankful for that it’s hard to know where to start, so I suggest we all enjoy this delicious meal before it gets cold,” she said.

John’s grandfather chimed in. “I like the way you think. We give thanks to the Creator for this fine meal and the pleasure of sharing it together. Let’s eat!”

* * * * *

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