His Challenging Lover (18 page)

Five years later, Autumn waddled out of their bedroom and glared at Xander as he lifted their three year old daughter up into his arms. “Xander, what did you give Leandra for breakfast!” she demanded, but already knew the answer.

“What did we have for breakfast?” he asked Leandra who covered her mouth with her chubby hands to stifle her giggle.

“Nothing,” she said carefully, then looked up at her father for his approval.

“Well, we had something,” he corrected, winking at her.

“Oh!” she said and giggled again. “Milk and an apple, Momma,” she recited just as she’d been prompted a moment ago.

“And chocolate cake?” Autumn asked, dumping sunscreen into their bag.

“Hello?” someone called out from the foyer.

Leandra instantly wiggled down from her father’s arms, eagerly running to greet her cousin Jeremy who was two months older than she was, but still nice about it, she said every time the subject was brought up.

Mia walked in with Abby in her arms, dodging Leandra and Jeremy as they rushed by.

“Don’t go out to the pool until an adult is with you!” she called out with a sigh. “Chocolate cake again for breakfast Xander?”

Xander’s eyes widened. “How…?”

Ash walked in a moment later, shaking his head. “I’d never be able to get away with that,” he said and bent down to kiss Autumn’s cheek. “How are you feeling today? Any better?”

Autumn put one hand to the small of her back while the other covered her eight and a half month pregnant tummy. “I’d be better if my husband would stop feeding our daughter sugar for breakfast.”

“She’s fine,” Xander countered and punched his younger brother on the arm before turning back to argue with his wife. “She needs a bit of chocolate every now and then to counter the tofu sausage you’re always giving her. She needs a bit of fat.” He patted his stomach where the six pack was even more defined than it had been on their wedding day five years ago.

There was more commotion from the side of the house, announcing the arrival of Ryker and Cricket along with their two year old twins, Kayla and Courtney. They constantly wanted to keep up with Jeremy and Leandra, both of whom encouraged the twins to run right alongside them.

As soon as Leandra ran through the kitchen, Cricket shook her head. “Chocolate cake again?”

Xander stared at his sister-in-law, astonished. “How does everyone know about the chocolate cake?” he asked. Unfortunately, he didn’t get an answer since Axel and Kiera showed up with their son, Matthew, who immediately raced through the house in search of Leandra and Jeremy.

“You need to get off your feet,” Axel said as he bent down to kiss Autumn’s cheek, then stole Abby away from Mia, tickling Abby’s tummy until she was laughing hysterically. “Why aren’t you in the pool? Kiera loved the pool when she was pregnant with Matthew. Took all the pressure off of her back.”

“I’m with you,” Autumn said and pushed herself off of the chair. Xander was instantly right beside her, helping her up and holding her hand while they herded all the kids out to the pool area. There was a fence with a locked gate, just to make sure little feet didn’t get near the pool without adult supervision and the little arm floaties already attached.

Autumn didn’t stop in anyway as she lowered her very pregnant body into the pool, instantly feeling relief from the pressure in her back. Mia, Cricket and Kiera joined her, handing her a glass of icy lemonade as well. Xander plunked a wide-brimmed hat on her head, gave her a kiss, then moved off to supervise the kids in the shallow end.

“Goodness, why do men gravitate towards the grill?” Cricket asked as she watched her husband move off to fire up the grill in the corner of the pool area.

The others just smiled and laughed. Xander and Ash were in the pool, tossing kids around, plunking them on their shoulders and making sure they were all having a good time. Ryker was busy cooking their lunch while Axel gave Abby her bottle in the shade.

“Who would have thought,” Kiera said out loud as she looked around at the chaos and happiness.

“Not me,” Mia said with a smile.

“I’m glad it all worked out so well,” Autumn said, sinking lower into the pool and sipping her lemonade.

“I think ‘well’ is putting it pretty mildly,” Cricket said with a sigh of happiness. Ryker must have heard her because he turned in her direction and winked before re-focusing on the burgers and hot dogs.

“Are those tofu dogs?” Mia whispered.

“Yes,” Autumn said, laughing at their secret. “I put them into the beef hot dog package so the guys wouldn’t know.”

The other women couldn’t contain their laughter. Four men and five kids stopped what they were doing to survey the laughing women, grins on all of their faces before they turned back to what they had been doing.

“Yes, life is pretty good, even with tofu,” Kiera said happily. And the other three nodded their heads in agreement.

Rachel stepped out of her vehicle, surprised that the only irritation she felt was a bird’s mild call in the distance. Where was the oppressive heat? Where was the humidity that caused a body to long for a cold, refreshing drink? Looking around, she took a deep breath and smelled nothing but….was that nature? She almost laughed, thinking of her childhood memories. As an adult, her morning smells were coffee, sometimes suffocating car exhaust and, depending on the day, the irritating scent of the photocopier ink when someone was printing out a large print job. It had been a long, long time since she’d smelled anything so…organic.

And the sounds! She stood absolutely still for a long moment. There was nothing but a bird calling out for her mate in the distance and a few rustling sounds as the wind played tag with the leaves on the trees.

If it weren’t for her urgent, career-changing meeting, she might actually relax.

She suddenly realized what she was doing and shook her head, trying to clear her mind of both the memories as well as the idea that dirt could be a good smell. She hated dirt. She hated the heat of the summer sun pressing down on the top of her head until she felt like sinking to her knees in defeat. It wasn’t that hot at the moment, but she suspected it could be. No, she preferred a nice, air conditioned room where she didn’t feel her silk blouse sticking to her skin or the wall-like impact of the intense humidity of summers in Virginia.

Rachel tugged her black blazer down over her hips, smoothing out the expensive fabric in the hope that she didn’t look as terrified as she felt.

“This is it,” she whispered as she stood outside her little rental car, staring at the rough, gravel road ahead of her. “Why the man had to live out here in the middle of nowhere…” she left the end of the disparaging sentence dangling. Her prey was a recluse; no photos of Emerson Watson could be found and he was notoriously grouchy and mean. An ogre, according to some. So it was probably a good thing that the man lived out here all alone. No one to irritate him, he couldn’t hurt other’s feelings and he probably was able to concentrate better out here in the middle of nowhere…yes, grouchasaurs should be isolated.

She thought of the movie with the huge green man and the plaid, frayed pants. Keeping that silly image in her mind helped abate some of the anxiety over her unannounced interference in the man’s obvious preference for isolation and solitude.

“But that’s not going to stop me!” She started forward, almost tiptoeing down the dirt and gravel road so her three inch heels, her favorite red ones that made her feel strong and confident, wouldn’t get dirty. “First impressions,” she gritted out, wanting to make a good first impression with the man in question.

As she walked down the driveway, she ignored the low-level buzzing that was coming from the bushes, pretending to not be nervous about the possible bee hives that could be hidden in the tall, flowered shrubberies. Instead, she stared straight ahead, refusing to be intimidated by either the length of the driveway or the height of the bushes surrounding her. It almost felt like she was walking out of civilization. It seemed so isolated, almost lonely back here. Rachel wasn’t the kind of person who needed people around at all times, but there was something almost…desolate about this gravel road. Why would anyone want a one lane road leading to their house? How could people easily come and go, socialize and network?

Okay, the man is famous for being a recluse. So he probably doesn’t socialize. He is probably fat and gross and irritating so no one cared that he had a crazy-long, almost inaccessible driveway because they never visited!

She’d been walking for perhaps ten minutes when she heard a different, non-nature produced sound. It was very faint, but definitely a sound other than a bird or un-seen, rustling animal and her shoulders relaxed somewhat. At least there was some form of humanity out here along the rustic, Maine coastline!

She pulled on the bottom of her jacket one more time, assuming the only person who would dare to be out in this crazy nature stuff would be none other than the reclusive Emerson Watson himself. She smoothed the wisps of hair back that had escaped during her precarious trek and straightened her shoulders, trying to appear as tall and confident as possible.

Taking the last few steps around the latest bend in the driveway, she looked around with what she hoped was a gracious smile on her face. But as soon as she took in the sight, she slumped in frustration. This couldn’t be Emerson Watson’s house. The one bedroom cottage had all the windows open, a comfortable looking rocking chair on the front porch where several new boards needed to be replaced and weeds growing all over the cracked, concrete sidewalk. She could see the potential of the cottage. With some work, this tiny house could be very quaint and comfortable. She didn’t know what it looked like inside, but the outside looked rundown and almost sad.

Nope, the shockingly wealthy Emerson Watson wouldn’t be caught dead in this abode, she thought with disappointment. She looked to the left and the road continued further through even more bushes so this tiny little cottage must be someone else’s home.

It was cute enough, she thought. Maybe some bright curtains on the windows, a few pillows and comfortable chairs on the front porch…some shrubs and flowers to soften the outside. Well, and a good coat of paint…yes, this house could be perfect!

But Emerson Watson was one of the ten wealthiest men in the world. He was a legend in the investment community with a reputation for being ruthless in business. The man had built up his investment corporation, luring the wealthiest clients from all over the world, and compounding their wealth several times over with his secretive investment strategies. The Securities and Exchange Commission investigated him five years ago as a possible Ponzi scheme because his investments almost never lost money and earned significantly higher than the average funds could even dream of achieving. He’d been completely exonerated and the investigation, which would leave some investors doubtful, had instead only added to the Watson legend.

Now Rachel wanted in. Emerson Watson chose one stock broker every year as an intern, teaching that person his secrets. Rachel wanted to be that person this year. She was sick of being one in a large ocean of stock brokers. Every intern Mr. Watson selected went on to gather even more clients. No one ever left his employ, simply moving from being an intern to an employee who worked out of whatever office in the world they chose.

She was determined to do everything in her power to become his next intern. She’d psyched herself up to not allow any of his reputed grouchiness to hurt her feelings. She was tough and impervious to insults. Well, in truth, Rachel admitted to herself that she might be a tad bit too sensitive, but she could learn to be hard and tough. She could learn anything. And Emerson Watson was the man who was going to teach her!

She was no longer playing it safe. She was going to get out into the world and push herself out of her comfort zone. Even this little weekend adventure to speak with the elusive Emerson Watson was hugely out of her comfort zone! She pretended that her knees weren’t shaking with fear and her hands weren’t trembling. This was how successful people became more successful!

She was intrepid!

Okay, so she wanted to be fearless. Just “fake it till you make it” was her new motto.

Turning around, she looked down the driveway, gearing herself up for another long hike, biting her lip in indecision. She looked down the gravel road, trying to calculate in her mind how far she’d walked already and how much further the main house might be. So she didn’t see the movement to the left of her until it was almost too late.

Emerson Jackson Watson almost fell off of the ladder on which he was working when the woman emerged from the around the corner. Where the hell had she come from? He hadn’t heard anything a moment ago and she’d just appeared with her sexy red shoes and full, luscious lips that she was nervously mauling with her pretty, white teeth.

He steadied himself and leaned his arm against the low roof of the cottage, his eyes taking in the strikingly beautiful mystery woman with the incredible legs and impossibly high heels teetering on her toes as she walked down the driveway. Her black suit cinched in at the waist, giving him a perfect view of her sexy figure. Did she have any idea how feminine she appeared? He suspected she’d chosen that black suit and those smoking hot, red shoes as a power play, but it had backfired because her breasts were too full, pressing against the black fabric of her suit jacket and her waist seemed tiny in comparison. Those heels only made her legs look like a stripper’s although he suspected she’d paid four or five hundred dollars for those killer shoes.

His eyes traveled back up her figure, appreciating all the delicious, appealing details until his eyes reached her face and he couldn’t stop the punch to his gut when he took in her full lips and almond shaped eyes surrounded by thick, black lashes. There was barely any gloss left to shine on those lips which only allowed her natural color to come through. And those pink, luscious lips were enticing enough but her eyes! Those green eyes were startling!

He wanted to stare into those eyes with the lengthy, thick lashes while he filled her up. He wanted to see what those eyes looked like when she was smiling or sad or, even better, when she was….

He shook his head and tried to remove those images from his mind. Women were a distraction he didn’t need. When he needed a woman’s touch, he had several lady friends in town who were more than accommodating. He definitely didn’t need a wannabe power woman.

“Can I help you?” he asked, enjoying her surprise when she saw him.

Rachel’s eyes snapped to the right and she couldn’t stop the gasp that blew from her lungs when she looked over at the man standing on the ladder by the house. As an avid gym-goer, Rachel knew what a buff, male body looked like. And this man’s physique was beyond anything she’d ever seen. She wasn’t sure how tall he was since he was standing on a ladder, but she suspected that he was taller than the average man. But the extraordinary things were the rippling, amazing muscles that covered his body. It wasn’t like he was a body builder with bulging muscles all over, but there were plenty of those. It was more that there were just muscles….everywhere! He was tall and lithe with those sumptuous, extraordinary muscles covering every part of his body. Her eyes did an inventory of all those muscles, irritated when she couldn’t see past the low riding, well-worn jeans that were loose around his hips.

She swallowed painfully when those muscles flexed and she looked up, suddenly realizing that he was moving. Towards her! All those lovely, sweat-covered muscles were descending that ladder, his strong hands flexing as he grasped and un-grasped the ladder as he climbed down and her eyes were drawn to the appearing and disappearing muscles along his arms and back. Everything glistened in the sunshine and she felt like she was going to pass out from the blood rushing through her body at a crazy, pulse pounding rate.

That was when she realized that she’d stopped breathing and she took a gasping breath, trying to quickly regain her equilibrium. She was just starting to find her balance when she realized how tall he was. As he approached, she had to lean her head back farther and farther until he was standing about a foot away from her, towering over her with crystal blue eyes that were so startling, she thought she might just melt into a pool of lust right there on the gravel driveway.

When she realized she was just staring at that gorgeous expanse of tanned, muscled chest with her fingers and palms itching to touch all that glorious skin, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her embarrassment painful.

“What are you sorry for?” he asked softly, feeling cold now that her heated eyes weren’t traveling up and down his body.

She didn’t like the breathy sound of her voice, but she didn’t like the way she’d objectified this stranger. She’d treated him abominably and she was ashamed. “I was looking at you inappropriately,” she admitted, stiffening her shoulders and trying to look anywhere but at his chest. Didn’t the man have a shirt?

His soft laughter melted over her tense shoulders until he said, “Don’t worry about it. I was doing the same to you before you realized I was here.”

She hmphed at that and looked at the house, at the beaten up old truck with all the painting equipment and tools piled in the back. She wasn’t exactly sure how to react to that, but wished she hadn’t blushed so brightly. “Well, still….”

“What brings you out to Cape Elizabeth?” he asked gently.

Rachel stared at her hands, then back at the cottage again. “I’m…um…” it took her several seconds to remember why she’d actually come here. She looked around…the bushes, the gravel drive, the cottage…none of it made sense with this gorgeous, muscled stranger standing in front of her. All her mind could think about, wonder about was how much she wanted to touch his skin, to taste him and bury her nose….

Good grief! She’d never reacted to a man like this before and she was horrified at her undisciplined behavior!

Focus! She wasn’t here to gawk!

What was she doing here? And where was the man’s shirt?! “Oh…I’m looking for someone,” she answered, relieved when her memory returned. Was that piece of fabric draped over the bannister of the front porch his shirt?

She stepped around the extremely large male and walked over to the piece of fabric and picked it up, refusing to lift it to her nose to smell it. Surely it smelled awful, wouldn’t it? But the man didn’t smell. At least not bad. There was something….just right about the way he smelled despite the sweat covering all those fabulous, taut muscles.

She handed the shirt to him delicately, silently indicating he should put the shirt on and cover himself in front of her.

Unfortunately, the subtle hint didn’t really work though because the obnoxious man just tossed that shirt over his shoulder. Rachel wasn’t sure if she was irritated that he hadn’t covered up some of those muscles or if she was relieved that he hadn’t put the shirt on and covered all of them so she could speak with him intelligently. His exposed chest was making her stupid!