Married Again to the Millionaire (10 page)

Adam appeared bigger and darker and extremely dangerous. Already every pulse in her body leapt into life. Her heartbeat was loud and irregular, thudding against her ribcage, echoing in her ears, tightening her throat.

This was what it was going to be like. They would settle into happy family life—on the surface at least. Ethan would believe his parents loved each other and loved him. He would be in his element. Yet there would be no love involved.

For all Adam’s money, for all his success, he had denied her the one thing she really wanted.

Nevertheless, Sienna found herself leaning further into him. The scent of his body, his individual male scent that reminded her of when they had first met—when she had fallen in love with this impossibly good-looking man—stung her nostrils, swept a flash-flood of desire through her entire body.

Adam groaned, sensing her acquiescence, and his lips swooped down to claim hers in a mind-blowing kiss that sent every sane thought into outer space. The heat of him, the taste of him, both contrived to spin her senses, to leave her reeling, to want more!

How stupid was that when their marriage was over and the only reason he was being nice to her was because of Ethan? He had let her walk out of his life once before and had not once tried to find her, but now, now that he had a son, he wanted her again.

His coffee forgotten, Adam swung her up into his arms and carried her upstairs, kissing her senseless as he did so, giving her no opportunity to protest. Not that she wanted to. And once in the room they were to share his arms relaxed and she slid slow inch by excruciating slow inch down the length of his body until her feet touched the floor.

There was no disguising the fact that he was ready for her but he seemed in no hurry now. Sienna had thought that he would drop her onto the bed, rip off her clothes, and make love without any preliminaries.

How wrong she was. Instead, he traced the contours of her face with warm fingertips. ‘You’re incredibly beautiful, do you know that, Sienna?’ His eyes were an amazing blue, a deep, dark navy, and Sienna felt herself drowning in them.

They sent dangerous signals through her sensory system. Was it because Adam had looked so tired when he’d come home that she felt sorry for him? Or was it because once he had touched her she couldn’t help herself? Whatever, the feelings were crawling all over her body.

Adam’s arms tightened around her. And his kisses
became more demanding. Sienna felt an explosion burst from the very centre of her, reaching out to fill her entire body. Sensations that exceeded everything she had ever felt before.

She had been young and immature when she had married Adam. Now older and wiser, she knew the power of his kisses, how they could trigger a potent response.

Arching her body into him, Sienna returned his kisses with fire, fire in her body, fire in her mind. Every sane thought had fled. And as soon as he felt her response Adam groaned, a deep, agonised growl low in his throat, and his kisses deepened, their tongues entwining, their hunger spinning them out of control.

For just a second his mouth left hers while he dragged off her T-shirt and unclipped her bra. His eyes were drawn to her softly moulded breasts with their dark pink nipples standing proud and ready, aching for him to touch them.

She felt no shyness, no distress. Everything was forgotten except the power of the moment. Her breasts swelled and seemed to surge towards him of their own accord, and when he lowered his head to take her nipples into his mouth, when his tongue and teeth nipped and teased, Sienna’s head fell back, her eyes closed, her mind taking her into a world where only sensations mattered.

Her fingernails dug into his back as she urged her lower body deeper and harder against him. The heat and power of his erection only added to the hunger sweeping through her. She did not want to wait, she did not want foreplay, she wanted him to take her now, swiftly and fiercely.

Even though she was unaware of it she must have groaned and wriggled even more fervently against him because Adam’s response was to rip off his shirt and let the muscular hardness of his chest with its springy dark hairs take the place of his hands and mouth. His body hair was like a whisper over skin, over her breasts, over her nipples, and yet its very softness created an entirely new sensation.

Hips ground against hips now and with trembling fingers he unfastened her jeans and slid them down-wards. With a quick hop and a skip Sienna was out of them. He wanted to touch her then, he wanted to feel for himself the urgency pounding inside her, but Sienna wanted to free him of all restrictions as well.

Her fingers were equally as shaky as she undid his trousers and he was out of them so swiftly that it was a miracle he didn’t fall over. Underpants were disposed of, thrown across the room, haste was the word. And now their liberated bodies came together.

It was all heat and passion, fingers exploring, mouths tasting, tongues teasing. Sienna felt as if her world was being blown apart. She could feel her heart thudding against her breastbone, feel the strength going out of her legs, and as if aware that any moment she would collapse Adam lifted her up and laid her down on the bed.

‘You’re beautiful, Sienna. You always were, but you’re different now. You’re a woman who wants to be made love to. I’ve never seen you more lovely, more exciting, more…’ His words faded as he lowered himself over her.

‘I need you, Sienna,’ he groaned. ‘I need you
now
!’

As she needed him.

Their coming together was powerful and instant, like thunder and lightning. Like a firework exploding. Like a rocket soaring.

A sheen of sweat covered Sienna’s body as she lay exhausted by Adam’s side afterwards. He was on his stomach, one arm draped over her, and she felt the heat of his body too. It was several minutes before their breathing returned to normal, before she felt able to move.

Then she shivered and Adam was instantly alert. ‘You’re cold?’ He pulled her into his arms, his hands massaging her back.

‘You’re really something, Sienna, do you know that?’ he questioned softly, his mouth against her cheek, caressing her skin with more kisses. ‘Why did I ever let you go?’

His touch evoked fresh emotions, renewed hunger, and before Sienna could answer, before she could even think of an answer, he was making love to her again. More slowly this time, more eloquently. Except that the slowness became torture and Sienna gripped his shoulders hard, moving with him, driving them swiftly into a further climax that shattered her body and left her gasping for breath.

For several minutes she was too sensitised to move, she lay there in a haze of pleasure, marvelling at such exquisite feelings. She hated to admit it but it got better every time. There was no going back. Not now that she had tasted heaven.

S
IENNA
felt amazingly lonely when she discovered the bed beside her empty. It was almost as though she had dreamt what had happened. And yet how could she have dreamt such magic? It had been real all right. They had woken in the middle of the night and made love again. It was as if the years she and Adam had spent apart had never taken place. Their love life had suddenly blossomed and deepened again—and her body hungered for him.

Except—that all it had really been was sex. What was she thinking? There had been no emotions involved. She and Adam were no closer together. She would be as well to remember that and not let herself get carried away.

The house was quiet, too quiet. Ethan! Where was he? He always woke early and jumped on her bed. She looked at the clock and saw to her dismay that it was almost half past nine. Adam would have left for work so where was Ethan? With a groan she leapt out of bed. The first thing she thought about was his injury. He’d been extraordinarily brave about the whole thing but perhaps the excitement of moving had been too much and he—

She skidded to a halt when she saw his room empty. Her stomach felt hollow. Then she heard voices in the
garden. When she looked through the window she could not quite believe her eyes. Adam and Ethan—in the swimming pool.

So Adam had not gone to work!

Wonders would never cease.

She swiftly showered and dressed and ran downstairs. Adam grinned when he saw her. ‘Come and join us.’

In the brief second she looked at him Sienna saw Adam as she had never seen him before. A man in his element, relaxed, his normally unruly hair plastered to his well-shaped head. He looked happy, and she hated to use the word, but he looked human. He was not a machine who went to work and came home late every day. He was a family man. A man who cared for his son.

Amazing. Totally amazing. She actually felt the prick of tears in her eyes. This was something she had thought never to see.

‘Mummy,’ called Ethan. ‘Look at me, I can swim on my back. Daddy showed me.’

‘Why don’t you join us?’ suggested Adam. ‘Work up an appetite for your breakfast.’

‘No, thanks,’ she said. She did not want to spoil their time spent together. Ethan looked so very happy swimming with his father. It was easy to see that he idolised Adam. ‘I’ll get breakfast ready instead while you two continue your swim.’

By the time breakfast was cooked Adam and Ethan had showered and dressed. She had heard Ethan giggling as his father tried to dry him. Ethan was like an eel, especially when his ticklish bits were touched. It did her heart good to hear them laughing together.

She had cooked Ethan a sausage sandwich, which was
his favourite food, and when Adam saw it he said that that was what he wanted too. So the two of them munched on their sandwiches while she ate a bowl of cereal.

Afterwards, when the dishwasher was loaded, Adam opting to do it, he suggested they take a ride out to Hampstead Heath where Ethan could run around to his heart’s content. ‘Have you ever taken him there before?’ he asked Sienna.

‘Actually, no. I’ve never had a car, for one thing.’

‘Then that’s something I must see to,’ he declared. ‘There’s always my driver at your disposal but sometimes you’ll want to be able to drive yourself.’

He was being too understanding for Sienna’s peace of mind. But she quickly forgot it as she packed a picnic and it turned out to be a day that she would never forget. Adam was like a boy let out of school. He and Ethan kicked a ball, they all played hide and seek; they even caught a butterfly. And Ethan spent the whole day giggling.

She felt totally relaxed. She had never seen Adam play like this before. He had always been such a serious man that she had thought he must have been born that way. But with Ethan he let his hair down and did everything on his son’s level, as though he was trying to make up for all his missed years.

A streak of guilt ran through her. When she had discovered that she was pregnant she should have gone back to him. Or at least let him know so that he could have been a part of his son’s early life.

‘Look,’ said Adam suddenly and quietly. They were standing by one of the ponds, looking for fish, when a kingfisher landed on the far side.

Even Ethan held his breath. ‘Daddy, he’s beautiful,’ he whispered.

‘And you’re very lucky to see him.’

‘And I’m lucky, Daddy, that you brought me here.’

It was a special moment between them. Sienna felt a lump in her throat as father and son hugged, and she felt certain that Adam too was welling up inside. He kept his face turned carefully away from her.

Afterwards they ate their picnic. They had sausage rolls and egg sandwiches, crisps and pork pie, even tiny individual trifles that Sienna had found in the freezer and were by now perfect to eat.

‘My parents used to bring me here when I was a child,’ she told Adam. ‘That was before they separated. I had such an idyllic childhood, it’s a shame it all—’ And then she stopped, suddenly realising what she was saying.

‘It’s not too late,’ Adam said softly. ‘Ethan has his best years in front of him. I bet you can’t remember what you did before you were four?’

‘I can’t remember much,’ she agreed. I do remember a tricycle I had and I got lost. My mother panicked. My father was at work. But I hadn’t gone far, I was soon found.’

Adam smiled and stroked the back of her hand. It was the lightest touch yet it sent tremors down her spine. ‘I did a similar thing. I loved my little trike. It became whatever I wanted it to be. A racing car. A train. A tractor even.’

Sienna conjured up an image of Adam as a little boy. He would look just like Ethan did now, with dark springy hair and a wicked grin. She’d like to bet that he had lived life dangerously and always worried his parents.

‘Does Ethan have a bike?’

‘No.’ She shook her head, her eyes vaguely sad. ‘There was never anywhere for him to ride safely. He can ride a bike, of course, they have them at nursery, but Ethan’s never actually had one.’

‘So we’ll have to see about getting him one, won’t we?’

It was the way he said ‘we’ that got to her. She had expected him to state that
he
would buy Ethan a bike. That he would do it without consulting her. This was turning into a day that she would always remember. A surprisingly happy day.

After another energetic game of football Ethan grew tired and Sienna suggested they go home. He was asleep almost before they set off and she sat quietly too.

Inside her, hope began to grow that their relationship could be turned around. She was forced to admit that she was still very much in love with Adam, that she had actually never truly fallen out of love, despite everything. And Adam—well, he needed to learn that just because his father had gone to pieces after his mother’s death, it didn’t mean that every man was the same. Besides, she didn’t intend leaving this mortal earth for many years yet. She wanted to live into blissful old age with Adam at her side.

That night their love-making was better than ever, as though the day they had spent together had somehow intensified their feelings. And in the days that followed she let him see in every way possible that she loved him.

And yet no words of love ever passed his lips. He wanted her, he enjoyed her, and he adored his son. He played with Ethan endlessly. He never worked late, he honoured her wishes, but she was forced to the sad realisation that everything he did was for Ethan’s sake.

His grandfather remained in hospital but Adam rarely visited him, which Sienna found sad. ‘Perhaps I should go to see him?’ she suggested. They were sitting outside after dinner. The air was still, it was one of those warm, balmy summer evenings when the scent of roses filled the air and the birds sang their evensong. ‘It can’t be any fun lying in a hospital bed with no visitors to relieve the monotony.’ Although Sienna had never had anything to do with Adam’s grandparent, she did feel sorry for him.

But Adam shook his head. ‘He wouldn’t appreciate it.’

‘Why not?’ Her fine brows drew together in a frown. ‘How do you know?’

Adam sucked in a lungful of air and seemed to be having difficulty in finding the right words. Eventually, though, he spoke. ‘Because—because he’s never liked you, Sienna. He never approved of you. It’s the reason why he and I fell out.’

Sienna felt her heart stop and then race. ‘He doesn’t like me? What have I ever done to him?’ It didn’t make sense. All these years he and Adam hadn’t spoken and she was the reason! She racked her brains, trying to recall whether she had ever said anything to cause offence. And came up with nothing.

Adam did not answer her question. ‘It’s all water under the bridge, Sienna,’ he said instead. ‘Grandfather and I will never see eye to eye. We’re too much alike.’

Too pig-headed. Too proud. Too busy making money. His grandfather was a rich man. He’d made his money in advertising. Sienna had often wondered why Adam had not followed him into the business, the same as his father had done, why he had started up for himself in developing properties.

‘Nevertheless, I don’t like being the reason you and he fell out,’ she declared strongly. ‘I think I should go to see him after all and try to put matters right.’

‘The hell you will, Sienna. It’s too late, I tell you.’ Adam’s eyes grew starkly cold, filled with a sudden anger that she didn’t understand.

That night they did not make love. Adam lay with his back to her, still and silent, and although Sienna wanted to put her arms around him and tell him that she understood and was sorry for him, sorry for his grandfather, too, she did not dare.

He had erected a barrier around himself and she knew that only he could take it down. It was a pity because they had been getting on so well. Adam had shown a warmth towards her that had been absent even in the early years of their marriage. It was as though being a father had made a world of difference to him.

Now all that had gone again. Simply because she had suggested going to see his grandfather. Why on earth hadn’t he told her all those years ago that the old man didn’t like her? Surely they could have sorted it out.

Adam slept little, knowing that he ought to try to make amends with his grandfather. When Ethan grew up and hopefully had children of his own he would be heart-broken if they hated him as much as he had hated his grandfather all these years. Admittedly the old man had brought it all on himself. But Adam felt differently now that he was a father and he actually did not want his grandfather going to his grave believing that no one loved him.

A few weeks ago he would never have dreamed that his feelings would change so dramatically. And he had Sienna and Ethan to thank. Sienna was teaching him that
relationships had to be worked at. Nothing came easily. Not love or hate. They were each born of communication and honesty. And when that was lacking…

For all these years he had worked towards one goal, he had let no one stand in his way. A selfish attitude and it had cost him his wife and the first years of his son’s life, but changing was hard, especially since his visit to his grandfather had dragged up old memories, old hatreds.

It really was not that simple to let go. Only in bed with Sienna could he lose himself. Then the world was a perfect place. He was never happier. Everything was forgotten except that moment in time.

Last night had felt like hell.