Sarah's Surrender (8 page)

He knew his voice was rough, and the hesitation he could see in her only confirmed it. She paused in the act of climbing up. Her foot on the running board was as far as she got before her eyes lifted to his with a look of extreme caution.

He tried to control his voice, but he knew it was a futile attempt. "Get in the damn car, Sarah."

He watched as she licked her lips and took a deep breath. Then she lifted herself onto the plush leather seat and pulled the door closed.

He activated the locks immediately.

Her eyes flew to his and he leaned over and pulled the seat belt strap over her shoulder. He could feel the subtle trembling of her body and knew she was out of her element and probably even scared. He couldn't find it within himself to care; she had him on a knife-edge and had since the first day he'd seen her. He was purely pissed off by the ring on her finger and felt the need to punish her for it. He snapped the seatbelt in place with a discernable click and then lifted her chin and gripped it between his fingers. "You don't think I intend to let you go now, do you?"

The sleek hiss of the locking mechanism, the click of the seatbelt and the connotations of his actions sent an arrow of alarm through her. She felt the heat that came off his body as he hung over her. Her breath hitched when his callused fingers spread through her hair and her eyes were caught in his snare. His words were a verbal threat meant to intimidate her.

She stiffened her spine. What the hell was he playing at? She expected some kind of crap move from him tonight, that was practically a given, but she absolutely hadn't expected it this soon. They hadn't even left her house yet. She took a deep breath and hissed, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

His thumb touched her bottom lip firmly and lightning speared through her. "Exactly what I just said."

His words told her nothing. She had no choice but to argue. "You promised. You said that we'd talk about keeping the school open."

"We will." His words became business-like, but he continued the slow swipe of his thumb over her bottom lip. "You've come up with a good plan. Did you think of it yourself?"

His compliment sent a sharp feeling of pleasure through her, but she couldn't take credit for the idea. "Not at all. There have been several counties across the state that have done the same. And it seems to work."

"We'll talk about it over dinner." His words were dismissive and before she could agree, he slid his hand through her hair and lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss so devastating she almost forgot who she was.

His mouth opened over hers completely and forced her lips apart. His tongue invaded her mouth as if he owned it and she was completely swamped by his sensual energy. He moved against her as if he couldn't get enough; his hand angled her head so the kiss could be deeper.

Her thought process failed completely and she hung in a balance where sexual awareness gave way to deep-seated sexual need. She tried to kiss him back, but all she could really do was sit in the leather seat and experience the kind of kiss that she knew was rare. Extremely rare. Her heart began to beat wildly; her knees started shaking and just when she had the sharp realization that every kiss she experienced in the future would be compared to this one, he lifted his head.

His eyes tangled with hers and she realized his breath was coming just as roughly as hers was. His hand still cradled her head, and his forehead dropped to hers as he took huge drags of air. His voice was gravelly when he spoke. "I needed that." The words sounded exposed, almost naked to her and they sent her already decimated thought process into even more confusion.

Before she could even attempt to get her act together, he placed a single kiss on her forehead and leaned back in his seat and put the vehicle in reverse.

He pulled onto the unpaved county road, and drove slowly until he reached the paved highway, where he accelerated.

It wasn't until they had been driving for a good ten or fifteen minutes that Sarah's brain began functioning again.

And when it did, it wasn't good.

She was nothing but a muddled mass of nerves but she knew one thing. She was in deep shit. That abbreviated embrace at the dancehall hadn't prepared her for the punch that John Garrett's kiss could hold when he wanted it to.

She was going to lose this sexual fight that raged between them. She was suddenly sure of that. So now there were only two questions left. Did he know she was going to lose? And how long could she hold out?

She was lost in her own thoughts and as silence filled the air, she realized that he was lost in his, as well. She turned her head minutely to watch him. His eyes were on the road and his jaw was clenched, his profile sharp. He looked as tense as she felt.
What was he thinking about?

When they were about fifty miles out of town, in the middle of nowhere, he pulled into a secluded picnic area. Sarah looked around as apprehension filled her. It wasn't a rest area where other travelers stopped frequently to use the facilities or to buy something from a vending machine. This was only a small pull-through, large enough for one or two vehicles, and it contained only a picnic table and a trash receptacle.

And it was empty. Theirs was the only vehicle around, and although it wasn't dark yet, the sun was sinking rapidly in the sky and the threat of darkness was all around her. A slight sense of panic infiltrated her being.

He pulled in, put the car into park, and let it idle. Putting both arms over the steering wheel, he turned his head to look directly at her. She turned warily and put her back against the door to face him. His skin pulled taut over his cheekbones and his nostrils flared at her defensive move.

He watched her in silence for a moment more and then said in a deep, resonating voice, "I know you liked the kiss."

She didn't attempt to deny it; it would be useless. "It can't happen again." Even as she said the words, she knew she was only saying them in an attempt to delay the inevitable.

He ignored her as if she hadn't spoken. "We have two issues here. We've got the personal, sexual issue between us, and we've got the business with the retirement home to figure out. Here's the way I think we should handle it. The two issues stay separate."

Sarah fought back. "We don't have a personal, sexual issue between us. I'm engaged to someone else."

He gave her a withering stare. "Don't even attempt that shit with me, Sarah. I'm telling you I think we should keep the two things separate. I think I can do that. I'm asking you if you can?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "Yes."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Fine." Her voice remained even.

He glanced down at her left hand. "Have you seen him again?"

She watched him warily. "No."

"How'd you get the ring?" He didn't even attempt to control it; he knew he sounded territorial.

"U.P.S."

With her answer, he felt himself relax a small degree as he continued to watch her across the darkened interior of the car. "You know I'd never physically hurt you?"

Sarah's heart skipped a beat and then took up at a cadence that was far too frantic.
What the hell did he mean by that? Why the hell would he ask her that?
If that question was supposed to set her at ease, he had failed miserably. His words had the opposite affect. Her face blanched of all color as she continued to watch him from her side of the vehicle.

Like a lightning strike, he reached out and snagged her left wrist in his hand and pulled it away from her body and held her arm up in the air between them in a grasp that was meant to subdue her and bring her under his will. "Take the ring off, Sarah."

Tendrils of shock and anger slid down her spine. "No." She would break her damn engagement when and how she wanted. Not when he told her to.

His grip tightened on her arm and his face came closer to hers. "Take the goddamn ring off
now."

"No."

"I find it pretty damn insulting that you'd kiss me like you did and wear
another man's fucking ring!"
He blasted the last few words at her.

"I didn't kiss you. You kissed me!"

"You kissed me back."

"No, I didn't."

He reached out and grabbed her other wrist and pushed her arms up and away from her body. His face came within a few millimeters from hers. "You don't think? You need more proof?" His voice was low yet lethally intense.

Sarah started panting. Good God, she couldn't help it. He was dominating her physically, his body threatening hers sexually. His scent was all around her, intoxicating her into doing something stupid. She'd never in all her life met anyone like him. She knew in that instant that she never would again.

He transferred both of her wrists into one strong hand, unclipped her seatbelt and pulled her until she was in the middle of the vehicle, hanging over the console. Their breathing was ragged as they came face to face. Slowly, methodically, he reached down and claimed her breast. He squeezed it firmly and ran his thumb over her nipple until it pebbled against her will and she gasped for air.

His mouth landed on hers and as she tried to catch her breath, his tongue invaded her mouth and dueled with hers.

His mouth moved to her ear, still holding her captive. "He can't make you feel what I can. If he could, you'd be in Dallas with him." He tugged her earlobe between his teeth and Sarah felt coiled heat travel from her ear to her breasts and land between her thighs.

Her breath mingled with his and they panted together and then his mouth came back to hers. Sarah couldn't deny his kiss any longer and opened her lips to him as they shared a connection more intimate that anything she'd ever known before.

He released her breast and Sarah whimpered from the loss of the caress. He pulled her left hand between them and as he lifted his mouth away from hers, he began to take the ring from her finger.

Her hands trembled and she tried to make a fist. But she couldn't do it, her energy was gone, her hands shaking so much she couldn't control them.

"Give me the ring, babe," he cajoled. "You don't belong to him." He looked down between them, and pried her fingers apart. The ring was not as tight as it should be, and it slid off her finger with ease.

He held it between his fingers in front of her face as if in question. Sarah licked her dry lips and watched him warily, her body shaking.

"Engagement is over. Understand?" The answer he demanded made Sarah feel as if she was about to fall over a precipice. She needed that engagement if only as a buffer to stand between them. But she knew that wasn't fair to Randall. But she needed something to keep John at bay a bit longer. But evidently, she wasn't going to be able to have that.

"I'll have to tell him."

At her words, John felt like an iron weight had been lifted from his chest. With sure movements, he opened the glove compartment and shoved the ring inside. He made sure he kept his face expressionless, and turned back to face her. "Yeah, you'll have to tell him. You'll do it tomorrow, and then you won't speak to him again, understand me?"

"John, I don't--"

His hands landed on her upper arms and gripped her tightly
. "You won't speak to him again.
No text messages, nothing. You won't try to be his friend, you'll just end it with a clean break. That's the way it's going to be."

"You don't have the right to tell me how to conduct my life or who I can be friends with."

"I'm not going to share you with anybody. I'm damn sure not going to share you with an ex-fiancé."

"I'm not yours to share."

He fired back immediately, confidence lacing his voice, "You will be."

He watched as she sucked in a breath and began squirming against his hands that still held her.

It was enough that he had her agreement to end the engagement.
It was enough for now
. He let her go and moved back to his seat. As she scrambled back over the console, he put the car in drive and prepared to pull away.

He gave her one last look, reached across and lifted her silky face to his. He brushed his lips across hers just once. "Buckle up."

****

They sat across from each other in a dark corner of a restaurant on San Antonio's famed River Walk. Sarah had only been to the tourist spot once before, many years ago, and she hadn't visited the restaurant they were in now.

They'd arrived about an hour before, and every since then, John had sat across from her with a highly satisfied look on his face. There was a bottle of white wine on the table, but they only sipped at it while they ate, each for their own reasons. She desperately needed to keep a clear head, and she imagined he didn't want to drink much because he would have to drive home.

They'd done nothing but chit-chat since they sat down, nothing but innocuous small talk since the waiter had taken their orders and brought their food. Her hands shook as she fiddled with her wine glass, and she focused on bringing the conversation around to the subject they were here for. "I've put some numbers together."

"Have you?" His voice was bland.

"Yes."

"And?"

She sucked in a breath and held it. "It's going to take several million."

"I realize that, sweetheart." His tone was mild, but she didn't think it reflected his inner feelings.

"It's a good plan. I know you live in a different town, but you may remember there was a big bond vote a few years ago."

"Yeah, I remember. It didn't pass."

"No, obviously, it didn't. But it's a good idea. Top Hill is a lower income town. The per capita is quite low. That's the reason it didn't pass. The voters couldn't stand a tax hike. But I promise you, the idea will work."

"Probably. But this is something that would be huge for the private sector to pull off. Do you have any idea what you'd be biting off? The zoning commission, the kind of building permits it would take?"

"Yes. It's more than one person can handle. And it's way more than I can accomplish before I go back to Dallas."

Sarah watched him scowl. As the frown encompassed his face, his whole countenance turned dark and menacing. Was that from just the mention of Dallas? The guy was an enigma, that was for certain.