The Great Texas Wedding Bargain (14 page)

“My pleasure,” he said softly and continued to drive.

H
OLDING
M
EGAN TIGHTLY
against him was having the usual effect on his body. Rick called himself an animal to even think of sex at a time like this.

He damn well was going to make sure that judge lost the election come November. He’d call his business manager tomorrow and set things in motion. The man’s opponent would have everything legally possible to win.

In the meantime, their wonderful evening had ended in disaster. Not that it was Mac’s fault. At least they’d had a good time. But the pleasure he’d felt, sharing dinner with friends, showing off his beautiful lady, making plans in his head for other evenings to lure her into his arms, had all disappeared.

He stopped beside the back porch and got out, turning to pull Megan after him. She slid into his arms and he swung her up against his chest to carry her inside.

“Rick, I’m frightened.”

“I know you are. So am I. But that’s the smart thing to be. It keeps you alert, on your toes. It keeps you battle-ready. If you’re too complacent, you’re sure to lose.”

“You sound like you’ve fought a lot of battles.”

“Yeah, I have. And we’re going to fight this one, too. Okay?”

He felt her head nod against his neck, but she said nothing. After he’d gotten them in the house, he set her down to lock the backdoor. Then he took her hand and led her up the stairs.

“Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow morning,” he suggested. “I can make my own breakfast.”

“No. You’ve given me so much, I…I can never repay you. I made the best bargain in the world when I asked you to marry me.”

“No, sweetheart, I made the best bargain. And I never intend to let you go. There will be no annulment. When you’re ready, this marriage is going to be real…in every way. But we’ll wait until everything’s calmed down and you’ve had time to think.”

He was proud of himself. He wanted her so badly he could barely walk straight, but now was not the time to sway her. He didn’t want her thinking he would take advantage of her.

She’d said nothing, so he leaned down and kissed her forehead and nudged her toward her bedroom door. With a sigh.

“Are you sure?” she asked, her head still down.

“Sure? About our marriage?” He drew a deep breath. “Oh, yeah, I’m sure.”

“I’ll always have Torie and Drew. They’re my children now.”

“And mine. Torie calls me Daddy, remember?”

“But, Rick, it’s different when it’s pretend.”

He couldn’t stop. He pulled her against him and kissed her lips. “Sweetheart, it hasn’t been pretend for me for a long time.”

“It hasn’t?”

He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “Megan, we’d better cut this short if you intend to be a virgin in the morning. I don’t want to take advantage of your stress. I want you to come to me because it’s what you want.”

Her arms slid around his neck and she leaned her body flush against his. “It’s what I want, Rick.”

“You’re sure?”

“Do I have to beg? I want to be with you. I want to wake beside you in the morning. I’ve finally found a man I can respect, an honest man, a decent man. I’m sure.”

And he’d found an honest and decent woman, who also happened to be beautiful and sexy. As his lips descended to hers, his mind traveled over her words and tripped over the honest part.

But he’d explain. She’d understand.

Tomorrow, he’d tell her the truth.

Because he couldn’t think of anything but making love to Megan tonight.

Rick carried Megan into his bedroom and carefully placed her on the king-size bed. He’d dreamed of sharing his bed with her for the past two weeks.

From the first, he’d been attracted to her. He supposed that was why he’d agreed to her offer so quickly, in spite of his fears of marriage. She was hard to resist.

Before he could pull away, Megan tugged him down, her lips seeking his. He didn’t hesitate to follow her lead because kissing her was something he craved. As their lips mated, their kiss growing deeper and deeper, his hands ran over her body, tracing her curves, stroking her.

His hands slid beneath her skirt, but her warm flesh was shielded by the pantyhose she wore. Frustrated, hungering to touch her, he lifted his lips. “Megan, I want to touch you.”

She sat up and reached for her zipper. Rick eagerly assisted her. Pulling her dress over her head, she flung it away. But instead of working on disrobing herself anymore, she reached for the buttons on Rick’s shirt. And her lips returned to his.

The undressing took awhile because it was hard to remove their clothing unless they separated. And neither could stop the touching, the kissing, long enough to complete the job. Yet, both continued to work on it.

“Rick, I’m burning up,” Megan confessed, stroking his chest, now that she’d removed his shirt. When her hand strayed to the belt buckle, he drew in a deep breath.

“Me, too,” he whispered and took her lips again.

Megan’s hand slipped below his belt, feeling the hard ridge beneath his zipper. With a moan, she returned to the belt buckle, working at unfastening it.

Suddenly it seemed urgent for him to help her. Once his jeans were discarded, he stripped her of her panties, the last obstacle to their mating. Then he poised himself over her.

Mindful of her inexperience, he eased his way between her legs, still stroking and kissing her with all his being, wanting her to suffer as little as possible. When he finally pushed into her, he held her tightly, whispering sweet words into her ears before his lips returned to hers.

M
EGAN HAD
expected the pain, but it was soon lost in Rick’s care of her, in his touch, his caress, his kiss. Her desire returned tenfold as he began to move in her. She clung tightly, urging him on, unable to bear the thought of halting the most beautiful experience of her life.

When she thought she could stand the shimmering, electrical sensations no longer, she felt a star-burst of release that shone in her mind like a fireworks display. Then felt a rapid descent into utter exhaustion.

Rick, too, stilled, his body lying damp and heavy on hers. But rather than crush her, he seemed as one with her, a feeling of completion she’d never felt before.

“Megan? Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”

She couldn’t speak, but she shook her head no.

“You’re not all right?” he asked anxiously, raising up on one arm.

“I’m…wonderful,” she whispered, still discovering it difficult to find words.

Rick rolled off her, making her want to protest, until he pulled her to him as he lay beside her. Wrapped in his arms, she felt she’d come home, to the one place in the world that was hers.

“Rick, I…” What could she say? Words couldn’t explain the emotions coursing through her, faster than light. She wanted to tell him so much—and she wanted to say nothing.

His lips covered hers, a gentle kiss that spoke of love, not lust. And she decided he understood. Her eyelids fluttered down and she let exhaustion claim her.

R
ICK HELD
her against him long after she slept. He pulled the covers over the two of them, savoring their togetherness.

Just as he’d known, soon after his first marriage, that he’d made a mistake, this time he knew, too. That he’d made a glorious decision when he’d married Megan Ford. Megan Astin.

He liked saying her name, his name. And he intended to hold her to him for the rest of her life. She was his soul mate, his partner, the perfect woman for him. He loved her more than life itself.

Though he drifted to sleep, he awoke several hours later and gently awakened Megan by his hands roaming her body, touching at will what had once been forbidden territory. He delighted in her response, her willingness to touch him, to join him in their loving.

Though he wasn’t sure she ever came fully awake.

When the alarm rang before dawn, he tried to slip from the bed without awakening her. As he withdrew his warmth, she moaned and reached for him, her eyes still closed. He rewarded her with a soft kiss.

Then he left the bed, knowing he’d carry the experiences of the night with him all day, until he could touch her again.

M
EGAN DIDN’T
get to sleep in all that much later, since Drew awakened her at his normal time, a little before seven.

She was disappointed to find Rick gone, but not surprised. Her husband was a hard worker. She savored the word
husband
with pride.

“Drew, Daddy is such a good man,” she told the little boy as she put him in the high chair. It was the first time she’d actually acknowledged aloud what she’d recognized for a few days. Rick was a terrific father.

He’d coaxed Torie from her fear of men. Now she ran to Rick when he came into sight. He’d begun to pay more attention to Drew, too, as if finally realizing he too was a person, even though he didn’t speak.

Sometimes Megan worried that Drew wasn’t making much effort to speak, but her mother assured her that often happened with the second child. Torie spoke for both of them.

She fixed Drew’s breakfast and celebrated the day by letting him try to feed himself. Though it was a messy experience, she and Drew were both pleased by the process.

In fact, after she put him in the playpen they’d set up in the kitchen, she cleaned the room, singing as she moved.

Faith and Torie came in together an hour later.

“My, someone’s in a good mood,” Faith commented, a smile on her face. “Your evening must’ve been pleasurable.”

Megan’s immediate thoughts brought a bright blush to her cheeks. Then she remembered the rest of the evening. “Yes, we…we had a nice evening. But Mac had some bad news for me.” She lowered her voice even more. “Drake may be out of prison soon.”

Faith had begun to prepare breakfast for herself and Torie. Now she stopped, her eyes wide. “When?”

“Maybe in a week or two,” Megan whispered.

“I’m hungry!” Torie announced from the table, already in place, watching her aunt and grandmother.

“Coming right up, sweetie,” Megan assured her. Then she squeezed her mother’s shoulder in silent support of her fears.

They both worked through their concerns, quietly talking when the children were occupied, cleaning the house as they did. Megan had repeated Rick’s assurances, hoping they comforted her mother as much as they did her.

She had just started preparing lunch when the phone rang.

“Is Mr. Astin there?”

“He’s outside working. May I take a message?”

“Who’s speaking, please?”

With a thrill that she attempted to hide, she said, “This is his wife, Megan.”

“Oh, yes. This is his business manager, Gerald Roberts. I need to talk to him about the opportunities in Fort Worth. I think the mayor has something he’ll be interested in. And also there are some bills from a Mac Gibbons, Attorney-at-Law, I need his approval on. When will he be in?”

“He should be in for lunch.”

“Great. And, uh, I’m afraid a reporter may have gotten his phone number from me by accident.” The man really sounded nervous now, and Megan wondered if this fact had been the real reason for the call.

“A reporter?”

“Yes, I’m sure Rick has told you to make no comment if someone calls or comes out.”

“Is this about the custody battle?” she asked sharply. The mayor of Fort Worth had been at the custody hearing, she remembered. And that was the only reason for a reporter to want to contact Rick. But how would they know about his business manager. And why did he have one? And why hadn’t he mentioned that fact to her?

“No. The reporters have all been trying to find him since he disappeared last year. The custody battle gave them a clue. I told him he shouldn’t have appeared in public.”

“He disappeared?” Her mind was spinning with all the information she was receiving. Information she wasn’t sure she wanted. It was bursting the bubbles of her happy future.

Suddenly, the man sounded unsure of himself. “Uh, surely he’s told you—I mean, you’re aware of his past, aren’t you, Mrs. Astin? About CAP Computers?”

“No, Mr. Roberts, I’m not, but you can tell me.” Her voice had grown hard. After all, the biggest bubble of all, her husband’s honesty, had just burst all over her.

“Uh, no, I don’t think—tell your husband to call me, please.” And he hung up.

Megan slowly replaced the receiver and leaned against the wall, her eyes closed.

“Megan? Is something wrong?” Faith asked, coming to her side.

“I don’t know. I need to go upstairs for a minute. Can you watch the kids?”

“Sure. Shall I go ahead with preparing lunch?”

“Please, Mom, thanks. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Once she reached the top of the stairs, she entered Rick’s room, not hers. The room she’d shared with him last night and felt such complete happiness.

But it wasn’t the bed that drew her this morning. It was the computer. A CAP computer.

She wasn’t a computer expert, but she knew how to operate one. And how to search the Internet for information.

In a matter of minutes, she had more information than she ever wanted on that company…and the man who’d created it, Richard Astin.

And sold it for an incredible amount of money before disappearing.

But she knew more than appeared on the screen. Because she knew where billionaire Richard Astin was, and what he was doing with his life. She didn’t know why, but she knew where.

And she also knew he wasn’t what he’d appeared to be when she’d proposed to him, offering him five thousand dollars to marry her. He must’ve laughed his head off.

Why had he agreed? He could afford a hundred housekeepers and never notice the money spent. Instead he’d accepted her offer and taken on her and her family.

And last night he’d made love to her.

Or had sex with her.

He hadn’t said he loved her. Just that he didn’t want the marriage to end. After all, he liked her cooking. And she appeared to be an apt pupil in bed.

As he’d said, quite a bargain.

What was it Mac had said about wealthy people? Many of them were stingier than the average person. Rick must’ve figured he should get more for the bargain he’d made. Cooking wasn’t enough.

She turned off the computer, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hurried to the bathroom to wash her face and compose herself before she faced her mother.

As she entered the kitchen, the phone rang again. She waved to her mother as she picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Is this Rick Astin’s residence?”

“I think you have the wrong number,” she said, trying to sound disinterested.

“Wait! Who’s speaking?”

She hung up the receiver.

“Who was that?” Faith asked.

“Wrong number. And if the phone rings again, I’ll—”

It did. She lifted the receiver. “Hello?”

“Don’t hang up. I’m sure—”

She hung up. “Same person.”

“I’ve got lunch almost ready. You want to wash Torie’s face and hands? Is Rick coming in for lunch today?”

Megan closed her eyes. Facing Rick was going to be difficult. As she contemplated that disaster, the phone rang again.

“I told you—” she began.

“Megan? It’s Cal. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, yes, sorry. I thought you were a wrong number.”

“Oh,” he said, chuckling. “Those can be annoying.”

“Yes.”

“Look, I’m calling because a social worker stopped by to get directions to your house. Seems the court in Fort Worth has sent her out to do a home observation. I’m going to bring her out and, uh, Rick suggested I be an extra witness, you know?”

“He knew she was coming?”

“Yeah, didn’t the judge say someone would?”

“Oh.” She’d meant today, but obviously Rick had made the suggestion when they’d gotten back to Cactus, before she arrived. “I appreciate it, Cal. Are you coming now? Shall we set two extra places for lunch?”

“Hey, that’d be great. We’re on our way.”

Megan hung up the phone. “Mom, there’ll be two more for lunch. Is there enough food?”

“Yes, of course. I made extra, thinking we’d have leftover meatloaf later in the week. Who’s coming?”

“The social worker and Cal. I’ll set the table.”

After doing so, she took both children upstairs to clean up for lunch, all the while trying to make sense of a suddenly upside-down world.

She couldn’t say anything to Rick about his lies while the social worker was present. She couldn’t demand an explanation for his actions. She couldn’t scream and rage at him as she wanted to do.

Should she give him the message from Gerald Roberts?

She supposed she should, the man had said it was important. Apparently more important than her and their life together. After all, the man hadn’t been surprised with her identity, so he must know about her.

But she’d had no idea he even existed.

The happiness with which she’d awakened this morning seemed so long ago and so foreign to the confusion and heartache she now felt, Megan could scarcely remember it. But she had to pretend a marital bliss that wasn’t possible, a happy home that didn’t exist, a united front of parental responsibility.

So she could keep the children.

While she wiped Drew’s face and hands and supervised Torie’s enthusiastic splashing, she shored up her defenses and her courage. It was going to be a long lunch.

R
ICK DIDN’T
always come in for lunch, but he wouldn’t have missed today’s for anything. He hungered for more than food. He wanted to touch Megan again, to hold her against him. To kiss her.

He wanted to be sure she was feeling okay. The first time she experienced sex could be traumatic for a woman. And he wanted to tell her he loved her.