Breakaway (16 page)

“What is it?”

“Did any of the guys question you about me?”

“Nope. Why?”

“I got the third degree from the ladies about you. The only thing they didn’t ask is whether you wear boxers or briefs.”

“Would you have told them if they’d asked?”

“Hell, no. That’s none of their business.”

Gavin laughed as he drove into the driveway of the house. He pushed the button on the remote device and maneuvered into the two-car garage. It was a tight fit with the two SUVs but he didn’t want to leave either vehicle out overnight. “The only thing guys want to know is how long did it take me to get the drawers.”

Celia smiled and landed a punch on his shoulder. “That is so low-down.”

“Whoa, baby. Hitting your husband can be interpreted as domestic abuse.”

“No, it’s not because legally you’re not my husband.”

Gavin shut off the engine and pressed the remote again. The door lowered automatically. A ceiling light illuminated the interior of the garage. “What’s it going to be, baby girl? Do you want to stop lying, or continue the farce?”

“Okay. We’ll do it. But when it comes time for us to split up, I don’t want to have to deal with any histrionics from you.”

“I guess you’re going to want me to sign a prenuptial agreement.”

Celia smothered an expletive. How could she have forgotten she was worth millions? “I’ll call my attorney on Monday and ask him to draw up one. He can overnight it to Nicky’s farm. We can sign it and send it back before we exchange vows.”

“That sounds good. Remember, Monday we pick up Terry.”

I’ve truly lost my mind,
Celia thought as Gavin got out and came around to assist her.

Celia waited for Gavin to disarm the alarm. “I’m going to call my brother to let him know our plans have changed, and then I’m going to take a bath and go to bed. I’ll try and wait up for you.”

Gavin closed the door and reset the alarm. Reaching for Celia, he pulled her to his length. “We’re going to do okay.”

Curving her arms under his shoulders, she buried her face between his neck and shoulder. The lingering scent of his cologne was barely discernible. He smelled of burning wood and cigar smoke. Celia didn’t know
why, but she wanted what she’d shared with Gavin to be real, that when they did marry, it would be for all the right reasons.

But, then she had to ask herself if she’d agreed to marry Yale for all the right reasons when the only thing they had in common was medicine. Other than that, there wasn’t much that they did together. Much to her surprise Gavin helped her inside and outside the house. He was not opposed to doing loads of wash or folding the clothes once they came out of the dryer, and he cooked and cleaned up afterwards, which left her time to clean the house.

Traditionally, when Coles married it was for life. The exception was her cousin Nathaniel. He’d married Kendra Reeves, agreed to a divorce after their daughter drowned in the family pool, but convinced her to give him a second try. They were now expecting another baby.

“Is that wishful thinking, darling?”

Easing back, Gavin stared at her upturned face. “Yes, it is.” He smiled. “I’m going to hang out down here and watch the news and then I’ll be up.”

He’d said yes when he’d wanted to say it was a prayer. There was something about Celia that tugged at his heart the way no other woman had been able to do. He had no inkling what it was about her and hoped he would discover what it was before it came time for her to testify.

Going on tiptoe, Celia kissed his ear. “I’ll see you later.”

Gavin waited for Celia to climb the staircase and disappear from view before he reached for his cell phone. Walking to the back porch, he flipped a wall switch. Soft light from a table lamp and floor lamp illuminated the space. He reached for the remote and
tuned the television to CNN, hoping for an update about the Florida prosecutor’s abduction.

But, first things first. Gavin wanted to know how Isaac Smith came by the information about Dane Jessup’s kidnapping. Was there a leak in the North Carolina field office? Had the loquacious state trooper overheard something he shouldn’t have repeated? Or was he a dirty cop?

The questions nagged at Gavin until he punched the buttons on his BlackBerry that connected him to the Bureau. He identified himself to the analyst that answered the phone. Vera was either off or she was away from her desk. He gave the man Isaac Smith’s name, asking him to get back to him as quickly as possible.

“Do you want to hold, Agent Faulkner, or should I call you back?”

“I’ll hold.”

Gavin stared at the television screen, reading the closed captions while he waited. He didn’t have to wait long. Smitty, as he was known to the locals, had been under surveillance for more than a year.

The man was more than a dirty cop. Isaac Smith was a traitor.

He flicked off the television, plugged his cell into the charger and checked all of the doors and windows. Gavin’s footfalls echoed dully on the staircase. He’d come to the Great Smoky Mountains to provide safe passage for an undercover agent, but had found himself involved with a woman that made him feel things he didn’t want to feel; she’d gotten under his skin when he’d agreed to legalize a charade of a marriage.

Gavin could not have imagined that when he’d walked into FBI headquarters to meet with a Depart
ment of Justice task force he would become a player in a plot that was becoming more and more complex. He was protecting a witness, when it should’ve been someone from the U.S. Marshal Service; the prosecutor in the case where Celia was the key witness had been kidnapped in front of his home and unknowingly he’d made contact with a traitor masquerading as a North Carolina state trooper.

Fitch’s abduction and Isaac Smith’s clandestine activities were on the Bureau’s priority list. Raymond Prentice and Celia Cole-Thomas topped his.

G
avin walked into the bathroom, stripping off his clothes and leaving them in a large wicker hamper. Even though he’d begun sleeping in Celia’s bedroom he hadn’t used her bathroom. Natural flooring materials lent character and subtle coloration to the overall design of the space. The colors of taupe, tan and beige were dominant. There was a vintage-style sink, plank-wood walls and slate floors.

There was the requisite garden tub with a Jacuzzi, but what Gavin had found shocking was the sunken hot tub in a corner of the large room. French doors leading to the second-story wraparound deck provided an unobstructed view of the Great Smoky Mountains. The vistas from the second story were not only spectacular but awe-inspiring.

He’d stood on the deck earlier that morning, watch
ing the sun rise and glorying in the cool mountain air sweeping over his nude body. There were no voyeuristic neighbors to observe his wanton display of flesh, just hawks and other birds soaring high above treetops. Celia had chosen the perfect location for her mountain retreat. It was where one could come to find peace and to heal.

Gavin brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth with a mouthwash, trying to come to grips with the realization that he was to become a married man before next weekend. His rationale was that he was doing it as a part of his undercover; that he hadn’t wanted to compound Celia’s angst because she didn’t like to lie, but knew he couldn’t hide behind any of the reasons that were as transparent as water. He was falling for the woman—hard!

Everything about Celia appealed to his domineering personality. She was feisty, fearless and outspoken. He couldn’t intimidate her, and he’d stopped trying. They’d become a couple—in and out of bed and he looked forward to going to bed and waking up with her beside him. Gavin had told himself it was the sex, but knew he wasn’t being completely honest with himself. He could have sex with any woman and the result would be a physical release.

Making love with Celia had surpassed a simple slaking of sexual frustration. It wasn’t just his body going through the motions of seeking to ejaculate, but his mind wanting to bring her ultimate pleasure before he’d take his own. So far, he’d managed to remain emotionally detached from the act, because it would make it easier for him to walk away at the end of the summer. Falling in love with Dr. Celia Cole-Thomas was not an option. Gavin walked out the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his hips at the same time Celia
walked out of the bedroom with a towel tucked into her breasts. Light from her bedroom spilled out into the narrow hallway.

He smiled. “Where are you going?”

Celia returned the smile. “I was coming to look for you.”

Gavin took a step. “Why were you looking for me?”

“I thought perhaps you’d fallen asleep while watching television.”

Gavin’s gaze swept over her damp hair, flawless face and the soft swell of brown flesh rising above the terrycloth fabric. He made a face. “That was only one time, baby girl.” She’d gone upstairs to bed, leaving him watching a movie that failed to keep his interest. Instead of turning off the television, he’d fallen asleep. It was two in the morning when Celia came down to wake him.

He moved closer, feeling the moist heat of her breath on his jaw. “Are you ever going to let me live that down?”

“I’ll think about it, lover.”

This was a Celia he liked—sexy and teasing. His hands moved up and he undid the towel, holding it open to view her naked body. He smiled. She’d put on weight. Her breasts and hips appeared fuller than when he’d first slept with her.

“Aye,” he drawled in a flawless British accent, “the fair maiden hides her true treasure under a scrap of cloth.”

Celia reached for the towel around Gavin’s slim hips and removed it. “It is said that a man’s strength is in his loins. How strong are you, milord?” The towel fell to the floor, her eyes growing wider when she realized Gavin was more than half-aroused. “What is that between your thighs, milord?”

Placing his hands on Celia’s waist, Gavin lifted her
effortlessly off the floor. “It’s something that gives pleasure, poppet.”

He didn’t give her a chance to react or protest when he pressed her back to the wall and guided his erection inside her hot body like a heat-seeking missile.

They stood in the dimly lit hallway, Celia’s feet braced against the opposite wall, her arms gripping Gavin’s neck, as they copulated. She was in heat and the only thing she wanted was the rigid flesh moving in and out of her quivering flesh.

The sounds of heavy breathing and the slip-slap of flesh meeting flesh sent her into a sexual frenzy. She couldn’t get close enough. Arching her back, she bucked wildly as Gavin’s hips slammed into her like a jackhammer.

Then it happened. The contractions became stronger and stronger, sweeping over her like a fire racing out of control. It ended when an orgasm seized her, holding her in a grip of ecstasy that singed her mind and body. It released her, only to grip her again, this one stronger, longer than the one preceding it. The muscles in Celia’s neck bulged as she tried vainly not to climax. Making love without the barrier of latex sent her libido into overdrive.

Gavin felt the burning at the base of his spine and the tightening of his scrotum, and knew it wouldn’t be long before the fiery pleasure scorching his mind and body would come to an end.

Did he want it to end?

No.

Did he want to pull out before he ejaculated into Celia?

Yes.

But his mind refused to follow the dictates of his brain when he knew getting her pregnant would com
plicate everything. As an agent working undercover he didn’t want to risk losing his life and leaving his wife and child without protection. He’d remembered the number of times he’d heard his mother crying when she thought he was asleep. And at ten years of age, Gavin knew she’d missed her husband. It’d taken years for Malvina to begin dating again. She’d finally met a confirmed bachelor in their gated seniors-only community.

A primal scream and the rake of fingernails on his back made the hair stand up on the nape of Gavin’s neck. Lifting her higher, his fingers bit into the soft flesh on her buttocks. Pressing his forehead to the wall next to Celia’s thrashing head, he moaned in sweet agony as he released himself into the pulsing flesh pulling him farther and farther inside where he didn’t know who he was. It ended when he slid down to the floor, taking Celia with him. Still joined, she straddled his thighs, their chests rising and falling in a deep, shuddering rhythm. A soft chuckle began in his chest before Gavin threw back his head and roared like a triumphant large cat.

Celia, enjoying the aftermath of a still-throbbing ecstasy, caught Gavin’s earlobe between her teeth. “What’s so funny?”

“You,” he said in her ear. “Methinks the maiden is no maiden, but a she-cat wench. I’m willing to bet you left claw marks on my back.”

Celia trailed her fingertips up and down his back, stopping when he gasped. “Let me up, Gavin.”

“No. I don’t want to move.”

“But, you have to. I need to see if I broke skin.”

“Look at it later.” Cupping a firm breast in his hand, Gavin gently squeezed it, eliciting a gasp of breath from Celia. “Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head. “No, darling. I’m expecting my menses and my breasts are always tender before it comes.”

Pulling back, Gavin tried making out Celia features. “When is it coming?”

“I’ll probably see it tomorrow.”

Cradling her face between his hands, he brushed a kiss over her parted lips. “What if it doesn’t come, Celia?”

“Are you asking about you getting me pregnant?”

“Yes.”

Lowering her gaze, Celia stared at the corded muscles and power in her lover’s upper body. He’d lifted and held her off the floor with the ease of someone lifting a small child. His lovemaking, in various unorthodox positions, had her experiencing pleasure that defied description.

“I doubt if I am. But if you did, then it would complicate our agreement, Gavin.”

“How’s that, baby?”

“If you or I decide to annul the marriage, then there’s the question of custody. Do I assume full custody, giving you liberal visitation, or would we share custody?”

The muscle in Gavin’s jaw twitched when he clamped his teeth tightly together. “
If
I get you pregnant, there won’t be an annulment. We’ll live together as husband and wife and raise our child together.”

“
If
will become a reality if you don’t wrap up your meat.”

A beat passed when Gavin stared at Celia. “No, you didn’t just say that.”

“Yes, I did,” she said sassily. “I can’t tolerate oral contraceptives, so I was fitted for an intrauterine device. If we’re going to make love without using protection, then I’m going to have to find a doctor…”

“I don’t want you to do it,” Gavin interrupted. “I told
you before I’ll assume the responsibility of protecting you. And I will.”

Pressing a kiss along the strong column of his neck, Celia snuggled closer. “You will until we mate again like animals in heat.”

Cupping her hips, Gavin pulled her closer. “You’re the one who’s in heat.”

“And you’re not?”

“I’m always in heat when I’m around you. It wasn’t always that way with me and other women.”

Celia felt his flesh stir inside her, and she feared if she didn’t get up then they would have a repeat of their unbridled coupling. “Please let me get up so I can look at your back.” Gavin stood in one continuous motion, bringing her up with him. He carried her into the bedroom to the bath, bending slightly until her feet touched the slate floor. The votives lined along a counter and around the tub flickered like stars.

Flipping a wall switch and flooding the bathroom with light, Celia stared at the raised welts on Gavin’s back. Thankfully, she hadn’t broken the skin.

“Wait here while I get my bag. I need to clean the scratches.”

Shifting so he could see his back in the mirrored wall, Gavin snorted. “It’s nothing, Celia.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Scratches can be ugly if they become infected.” She walked out of the bathroom, returning with her medical bag. After washing her hands, she ripped open a packet with sterilized gauze, covering it with an antiseptic and dabbing it on the scratches. “I know it stings a little bit.”

Gavin bit back an explosive curse. “It stings more than a little bit, Doc.”

She blew on the four welts that looked like tracks. “Don’t be such a baby, Gavin.”

He glared at her. “Let me scratch you, then dab some of that liquid fire on you.”

“I’d gladly agree but only if I can give you my menstrual cramps.”

“No, no, no. I want no part of that business.”

Celia closed her bag, leaving it on a side table in the bathroom. “I thought not. Are you ready to go to bed?”

Bending slightly, Gavin swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. “I’ll be back as soon as I put out the candles.” Returning to the bathroom, he blew out the many candles and then turned off the lights. He knew making love to Celia without using a condom was risky. What had surprised him was that she hadn’t become hysterical. Did she want a child? Or did she know her body so well that she knew it was impossible for her to conceive at this time in her cycle?

He got into bed, pulling Celia until her hips were flush against his groin. “Good night, baby.”

“Good night, love,” Celia slurred.

Gavin lay in the darkness wondering if Celia did love him or if it was just a casual term of endearment. He wanted to tell her that he not only loved her, but that he was also falling in love with her. It was the only plausible reason why he’d elected to have unprotected sex with a woman he’d known and would marry within a span of two weeks.

Celia sat on the window seat in the alcove of the kitchen, holding the cordless phone between her chin and shoulder as Terry turned around on her lap until he found a comfortable spot to sleep.

“
¿Cómo estás,
Cee Cee?”

She smiled. “I’m good, Nicky.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re not coming.”

“Gavin and I are still coming, but we’ve decided to come down a couple of days early.”

“That’s good news.”

Celia stared at Terry, exhaling a breath. She and Gavin had gotten up early to drive to Asheville to pick up the puppy. His wound was completely healed and he couldn’t stop trying to lick her when she picked him up. Gavin had settled the bill while she bonded with her new pet.

“The good news is that Gavin and I are getting married.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Nicholas asked.

Celia knew whenever her younger brother deliberately softened his tone it signaled the calm before a storm. “Yes, we do.” Her gaze darted around the kitchen, praying Gavin wasn’t within earshot. “I’m in love with him, Nicholas. And, what I feel for Gavin is so different from what I felt with Yale.”

“Is it love or is it lust, Cee Cee?”

“Both!” She didn’t care if Nicholas didn’t like her tone.

“When and where are you tying the knot?”

“We decided to marry in Virginia, and I’d like you to be our witness.”

There was another pause. “I’d be honored to stand in as your witness. Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”

“Not right away. And I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell them until I do.”

“Okay. But what’s the rush, Celia? Are you pregnant?”

Celia shook her head although her brother couldn’t see her. “Why did I know you would ask me that?”

“I asked because it’s the most obvious question,
chica.
And don’t get me wrong. I like being an uncle. As soon as Samuel’s old enough I’m going to put him on a horse.”

“Don’t you think Diego and Vivienne may have something to say about that?”

“Both of them are all right with it. Now, am I to become an uncle for the second time?”

“No, you’re not.”

“Are you planning on starting a family? I’m only asking because you seemed vague about the subject of kids when you were with Yale.”

Celia wanted to tell Nicholas she was vague when it came to setting a wedding date, so having a baby hadn’t figured into the equation at that time. “I suppose we eventually would like to have at least one child.” She knew for certain it wouldn’t happen within the next nine months because her menses had come that morning. She and Gavin were given a reprieve.