Pillow Talk (21 page)

He kissed her shoulder. "Mmm, delicious," he said. He cup
ped her breasts gently. "Perfec
t," he said.

Meg wriggled against him, the touch of his hands on her breasts loosing an explosive desire within her. She started to turn, instinctively seeking his embrace.

Parker held her gently enough, but she could tell he wasn't letting her move from her position in front of the mirror.

One hand moved lower, the other remained on her breast, heating it through the lace of her bra. "My hips are too wide," she said though her heart wasn't in her objections anymore. "And my breasts sag."

"Let me be the judge of that," he murmured. He dipped a finger beneath the line of her panty. His hips pushed forward and she felt his arousal pressing against her buttocks as he circled his fingers around her pubic mound.

She thought she'd scream from his teasing touch. Instead, she answered his need with a slow circular motion of her hips against his. He withdrew his hand from her panties and moved it behind her back.

She felt her bra loosen as he slipped the clasp in the back. Meg nuzzled her head back on his
chest, unconsciously rubbing herself up and down against his body. Her eyes must have closed because she heard him whisper, "Open your eyes, Meg."

When she did, she found herself watching Parker ease the straps of her
bra over her s
houlders. He had one arm around her waist. The tops of her breasts were revealed, then as he slipped the bra lower and let it fall off her arms to the floor, she heard him catch his breath.

"Tell me that's not a beautiful sight," he said, his voice almost a growl.

Meg ran her tongue over her lips. They felt full and pouty, and she experienced a sexual power she'd never known possible.

She'd never once looked at herself full-length naked in the presence of a man. Plenty of times she'd done so alone, always critically, inspecting for flaws, for stretchmarks that never disappeared, for a belly that wouldn't quite flatten.

When he gathered her breasts in his hands, the heat of his touch was almost more than she could bear. He leaned over her shoulder and circled one swollen nipple with his tongue. As he did, she reached up and filled her hands with his hair, drawing him down to her. His tongue flicked and danced and teased and she cried out.

He freed one hand and yanked at his belt buckle. This time when Meg turned to face him
he didn't try to stop her. She unfastened the buttons of his shirt as he kicked off his shoes and stripped his pants and briefs from his legs.

She tried to keep her eyes on his broad chest and strong arms, or at least on the narrow hips and long legs that belied that this man spent so many hours behind a desk. He had to spend just as many working out.

But try as she would, her gaze drifted lower. Oh, he wanted her, all right. Feeling suddenly shy, Meg whispered, “Did I do that to you?"

Parker smiled and opened his arms. She mewed into them and they stood. He turned them slightly towards the mirror. "Oh, yes," he said, his body burning as he pressed her closer. "You did that to me."

"Good," she said, and kissed first one nipple, then the other.

Parker groaned and took care of the only garment she still wore by dropping to his knees and skimming her panties down her legs. She stepped free of them and he said, "You know how you said make-believe comes from using parts of reality?"

"Mm mm."

"Well, I think I
felt some rain drops just a minute ago."

“You did? Where?" Meg seemed unwilling to tear her attention from the sweet torture she was inflicting on his chest.

He laughed softly. "Make-believe, remember?"

"Oh, right." She glanced around. "If we're going to be caught in a rainstorm, maybe we'd better find shelter."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Parker said. He pointed to the children's tent. "I think I see
a
nice warm, dry place right over there."

He
took her hand and naked, they crossed
the
room toward the tent. Meg looked so alive
and
so young Parker's heart twisted. Moving as one, they dropped to their hands and knees
and
crawled ins
ide the tent and onto the loves
eat cushions.

"What a lovely shelter," Meg said.

"And there's some light, too," Parker said,
his
hand closing around the flashlight and flicking it on. Its beam danced against the low overhang of one of Teensy's cashmere blankets, filling the tent with flickering shadows. "The better to see you with," he said, lowering himself beside her on the cushions.

Outside the storm gathered strength, rattling the windows with gusts of wind and water. Safe and warm inside their shelter, Meg in his
arms,
Parker could have cared less if it rained
for
forty days and forty nights.

He
kissed her breasts. She sighed and lifted
her
arms over her head. While he tasted her,
he
eased one hand up to touch her between her legs. She was wet and hot and, unable to restrain himself, he slipped one finger inside. She gasped and arched against his touch.

"It's been so long," she murmured.

That statement didn't make too much sense to Parker, but he was beyond reason. His mind had given up control to his body. He lowered his mouth to where he stroked her with his finger.

"Sweet, sweet, Meg," he said, then tasted her.

"Oh my," Meg said breathily, her hips lifting to him.

He caught them up with his hands and drove his tongue deeper, then pulled back, flicking so lightly around her outer lips and inner thighs that she panted. He loved the way she wanted more and he dipped his tongue to give her what she sought.

Tonight, he wanted to give her everything.

Meg gave herself up to the sensations Parker was creating within her body. With every stroke of his tongue, she spiraled higher. In the shifting shadow light, through eyes half-closed from ecstasy, she watched Parker.

She could see only part of his face, but as she gazed and gave herself up to passion, he glanced up. He smiled with his eyes.

That moment of connection pushed Meg over the edge. The sweet swirling sensations within her caught her
up and she cried out softly as
her body accepted the invitation to surrender to Parker's incredible touch.

"Oh my," she said, laughing softly. "That was so perfect."

Parker kissed her inner thigh, then moved to
her other leg. He was grinning. "I think you liked it.”

"Liked it?" Meg smiled and lifted her arms. "Oh, Parker, I—"

"Good," he said, fitting himself above her, smiling down at her, then easing himself inside where she still throbbed and trembled from the joyous release he'd given her. He began to move, slowly at first, then with growing intensity. "Good," he said, "because tonight you're mine."

Meg met his every thrust with a hunger she hadn't known she possessed. When Parker reached beneath her and drew her buttocks up, claiming her even more deeply, she went wild. She must have called out his name, over and over again, and as she gave herself up to the rhythm, she felt the surge and shudder of his release.

"Oh, Parker," she said, clutching his hair and holding him tight, her arms and knees wrapped around him as if she'd never let go. "It has never been like this for me."

After a very long moment, he stirred and lifted his head. His eyes were still smiling, and so was his mouth. He traced the line of her throat down to the hollow between her breasts.
A
trickle of perspiration dotted her body there. He dipped his finger, then licked and tasted it.

"I'm glad, and if this is make-believe," he said, "I never want to return to reality."

Nineteen

T
he problem with reality, Meg thought the
next morning, was that it didn't go away. Not even after nights like last night.

Especially not after nights as magical as that.

She and Parker had fallen asleep curled in one another's arms. Sometime before dawn, she'd awakened and slipped from the tent. She hated to leave him there, but she had to get back upstairs before the children woke up. She'd found her clothing, dressed, and tiptoed upstairs.

She'd spent the next two hours daydreaming, reliving every moment with Parker.

Then Samantha woke up cranky. And Ellen woke up, talkative as ever. It didn't take long for Teddy, with Gus hanging back only slightly, to appear in the doorway.

While the kids got dressed and brushed their teeth, Meg listened to the convoluted dream Ellen was describing, and kept one ear open for
any indication Parker might be coming their way.

Maybe she should have awakened him before she crept out of the room, but he'd been sleeping so soundly.

And, too, she'd been slightly embarrassed. She'd given herself to him so freely, so easily, that she began to worry what he might think of her in the clear light of the next day. Once she shuffled the kids into the kitchen, she planned to peek into the library. It was better to face him without the children as witnesses.

He wasn't in the library. The tent was there, exactly as she'd left it in the wee hours of the morning. Meg glanced in the mirror and found herself drawn towards it.

She gazed at her image, now fully clothed, of course, and wondered how she could be the same woman who'd stood so openly and freely naked with Parker's arms around her. Had she left Parker sleeping because of the children or because she was afraid—afraid of what he'd awakened within her?

He'd given her a taste of paradise and the punishment for her deal with Jules was knowing Parker lived in this world and not being able to have him in her life.

If she told him the truth about her arrangement with Jules, she knew he'd be repulsed. Three days for thirty thousand dollars sounded
so mercenary. He'd take her for a fortune hunter.

They were both too proud for that.

"Looking for me?"

Meg lifted her eyes and saw him in the mirror. Images of the evening before filled her mind. Parker advanced, and the way he gazed at her told her that despite her leggings and tunic, he was seeing her naked once again.

He hadn't shaved, and his hair was tousled. With the way she'd run her fingers through it during their lovemaking, that was no surprise. He wore a t-shirt and running sweats.

She thought he'd never looked more gorgeous, except maybe last night when he'd stripped off his clothes and stood before her in front of the mirror, fully aroused.

She swallowed and tried to find her tongue. "I
—
uh
…
" but for once she was speechless. Slowly she turned to face Parker, looking shyly up at him. "You're not upset I disappeared during the night, are you?"

He shook his head and took her hands in his. "You're too good of a parent to let your children catch you playing the game we were playing."

Relief flooded through her. He understood. She smiled at him and he leaned to kiss her.

"Whoa!" Gus's voice
ricocheted
around the room.

Meg and
Parker jumped back, guilty as a
couple of junior high kids.

Gus looked from Parker to Meg, then nodded, as if satisfied by what he'd seen. "Ellen says she can beat me at FragZone and I say she can't. Can we use your computer to settle this?"

"It's okay with me," Parker said, looking over at Meg.

Meg nodded. She hoped Parker and the kids had forgotten the sentence they'd threatened to carry out in their sheik game. The computer challenge would divert them nicely. "After you've played for half an hour," she said, "we'll do lessons."

Ellen groaned. Gus made a face. The two of them settled behind Parker's desk. Teddy wandered in, leading Jem. "Jem wants to go for a walk. May I take him?"

"Sure," Gus said, intent on the screen.

"Samantha and I will come too," Meg said.

Horton appeared in the doorway, Meg's youngest dancing around his feet. "Horton Who!" she cried, then collapsed into giggles. Suddenly she stopped. Gazing up at Parker, she regarded him, intent and serious, then ran back to Horton.

Parker rubbed his jaw. "I think I'd better excuse myself and go shave. I'm scaring Samantha." He smiled at Meg, a smile that promised he'd return. Then he left the room.

Despite the combined commotion of the children and the dog, the room suddenly felt empty.

Horton patted Samantha, who'd clamped herself on his leg, on the head. "Would you care for some breakfast, Miz Meg?"

"I don't think I could eat a thing," she said, quite truthfully.

Horton smiled, in a quietly wise way that reminded her of pictures of the sphinx. Meg colored, wondering if this ageless retainer knew all the secrets of the household.

From behind the computer monitor, Ellen called out, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Shaking her head, Meg followed Horton from the room, Samantha, Teddy, and Jem in their wake.

They were halfway across the central foyer when Jem halted. His tail rose, and he strained forward, sniffing the air and growling.

"Oh, no," Teddy said, "it's Agamemnon!"

Meg couldn't believe it. "Mrs. Fenniston brought the cat?"

A streak of silvery gray fur slashed in front of their eyes. Jem bolted, his leash trailing, toward the smaller of the two parlors.

"We had to, Mom," Teddy said. "He's never been boarded and the girl who keeps him was out of town. And Mrs. Fenniston said we had to leave in a hurry."

Meg heard a crash of wood on wood and covered her ears. Then she remembered she was in charge of this traveling circus and sprang into action. "Go get that dog!"

Teddy moved almost as fast as Jem had. Meg followed and found Jem in the front parlor whimpering in frustration. He'd knocked over a small table but the weight of the marble top had trapped the end of his leash.

Agamemnon sat just out of range, licking his front paw and applying it to his face, all the while keeping a close eye on the dog.

"Breakfast later," Meg called and set the table upright, then she herded Teddy, Samantha, and the dog to the side door.

P
arker told himself to leave the house by the seldom-used front door. The more he saw of Meg the more he wanted. And he had no business craving time alone with his brother's widow.

Besides, he had a ton of work waiting for him at the office. There were the lawyers to deal with, and it was December, which meant the sugar cane fields were in the final stages of harvesting. Plus the international conglomerate that had been dangling after their commercial real estate holdings, the company Jules had been courting, had asked if Parker could meet with them that afternoon.

He showered and began to shave. He felt better than he had in days—no, months. The only problem was his body ached for more.

More Meg.

He didn't like to think that she'd been married to Jules even for a day, but whatever her
reasons for that decision had been, he could not believe his brother had possessed her heart.

No woman whose affections lay elsewhere could have given herself as generously and lovingly as Meg had done last night.

He pictured her in front of the mirror when he'd slipped off her bra and freed her breasts. She'd been so open and vulnerable, a goddess he wanted to suckle and fill with his seed.

Parker dropped his razor. It clattered around the porcelain sink and rattled to a halt atop the stopper.

He hadn't used protection.

"Son of a bitch," he said to his reflection. He, Parker A. Ponthier, had never once slept with a woman without taking care of contraception.

He glared down into the sink, gripping the edges. A cloud formed in his mind and he tried to force it away. She had to have had sex with Jules less than a week ago. Surely she was on the pill. But that didn't cover health measures.

He reached for the razor and finished his chin, inflicting two deep gashes on himself in the process. He couldn't bear to think of her with anyone else. He'd have to discuss the issue, though. Which meant he should remain at the house and wait for an appropriate moment. He could ask her for a copy of the prenuptial agreement at the same time.

Damn. What had he been thinking?

He rinsed his razor and faced himself once more in the mirror.

He hadn't been thinking at all.

He'd let feelings guide his actions, something Parker Ponthier never did.

And it had felt so very, very good.

A
fter walking Jem and downing a muffin, Meg had managed to settle Ellen, Teddy, and Gus in a circle around Parker's desk. She led them through a geography lesson. Over a year ago, she'd set up a web site for the kids' lessons and homework and linked it to some great educational resources. Thanks to the marvels of technology, Ellen and Teddy wouldn't be too far behind when they returned home.

Samantha, miracle of miracles, was playing fairly quietly with the one Barbie and Ken doll Mrs. Fenniston had permitted her to pack. She'd pulled the remaining cushions off the loveseat. Ken "lived" on one; Cheerleader Barbie on the other.

Meg knew the instant Parker walked into the room. She glanced across the monitor, a shy smile on her lips.

He was dressed for business in a dark charcoal suit. Despite the ease with which he wore his professional attire, he didn't look nearly as relaxed as he had earlier in his grubbies. He just stood there, looking as if he wanted to say something but unsure of the territory.

Which was silly as they were in his library. "I'm afraid we've invaded your world completely now
,"
Meg said, wondering if the mess had started to bother him.

"No problem," he said. "I have to go to the office downtown anyway."

"Okay." What she wanted to say was don't go. Strip off that expensive jacket, roll up your sleeves, and name the capital of Botswana.

He started to turn away.

Samantha picked up her Ken doll. Speaking to the doll, she said, "Do you think Parker will play with us?"

Parker hesitated.

Would he ignore Samantha and keep going?

Carrying her dolls, Samantha walked over to Parker and tugged on the tail of his jacket.

He slowly faced her. "Me? You want me to play?"

Samantha
nodded. "I'm the littlest and I
don't go to school yet so there's no one to play with me. But you're not busy."

The funniest expression crossed his face. Meg almost laughed. The comment that Parker, consumed with running the Ponthier empire, wasn't busy couldn't sit too well with him.

"Mom, click the mouse!" Ellen's impatient voice cut across whatever Parker said to Samantha.

When Meg looked back, Samantha was leading Parker by the hand towards the loveseat cushions. As if he'd read her mind, Parker shrugged off his suit coat, dropped it on the
base of the loveseat, and sat crosslegged on the floor beside Samantha.

"I'l
l play for a few minutes, but I'm afraid you'll have to tell me what to do."

Meg smiled. That was the only way Samantha played.

Thirty minutes later, having asked Barbie out on a date, picked her up in his make-believe Ferrari fashioned from one of his shoes, taken her to dinner at a restaurant located on the terrace that opened off the library's french doors, then delivered her back to her "house" and kissed her goodnight, all as instructed by Samantha, Parker was both oddly disappointed and relieved to be rescued by Meg calling time on their activity.

He leaned back against the loveseat and smiled up at her. "What's next, teach?"

Meg glanced toward the wi
ndow. "It's a beautiful day so I
think we should pack up and go on a picnic. But you said you had to go to the office."

"Picnics are for sissies," Gus said.

"Ken and Barbie want to go," Samantha said.

"Dads always have to go to the office," Ellen said.

"Parker's not a dad," Gus said, "He's my uncle."

"How about a trip to Sugar Bridge?" Parker couldn't believe he'd asked the question. He had to be out of his mind. Sugar Bridge was
almost two hours' drive time from New Orleans and he actually did have work to do.

"What's Sugar Bridge?" Ellen asked.

"It's where the Ponthiers grow sugar cane," Gus said. "I've only been there once and believe me, there was nothing to do."

Gus's words decided the issue for Parker. Nothing to do at Sugar Bridge? Why, it was one of his favorite escapes from town. It would be just like Marianne and Jules to have taken Gus there all dressed up, ordered him to sit on the porch and not make a mess.