He pulled away to look at her. “You want to go back to Fort Lauderdale with me and see if we can make this marriage work?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’d like that very much.”
He kissed her again, but in a way he’d never kissed her before. From the first moment they’d come together, there’d been great passion between them. They’d had sex on every conceivable surface, and in every position that Sara’s flexible body and Mike’s muscle could come up with.
But this kiss was different. There was something in it besides passion. There was a yearning, a longing for a great deal more than they’d given each other before. For all that Sara was surrounded by people who knew her, and for all of Mike’s frequent conquests, essentially, they were alone. They clung to each other.
Mike moved back from the tender kiss. His body was half on top of hers and his hands smoothed her hair back as he looked at her face as though memorizing her features.
Sara held her breath. Was he going to say those three little words that she so very much wanted to hear?
“You know, Sara …”
“Yes?” she whispered, her breath held in anticipation.
“I hate those dishes you picked out.”
“What?”
He rolled off of her and onto his back. “Those dishes with the flowers on them, I can’t stand them.”
She moved half on top of him. “Those dishes are Villeroy and Boch and they’re great.” She was kissing his neck.
Mike unbuckled his trousers. “I don’t care what they are. I still don’t like them.”
“You better get used to them because I’m going to register that pattern and everyone in Edilean will give us place settings.”
He held her away for a moment. “We’ll get wedding gifts?”
“Sure, of course. Everyone in town will—”
“In this town? That’ll get us what? Four gifts?” He slid the straps of her teddy down her arms.
“Very funny! Did you forget that the Fraziers are your relatives? I’ll get Mrs. Frazier to throw a reception for us at their house. They’ll invite the governor.” Mike’s mouth was on her breast. “And of course we’re both related to the McDowells, and they’re rich. I’ll get the Fraziers and the McDowells to compete as to who can give us the most.”
Mike stopped kissing to look at her. “I had no idea you were so mercenary.”
She gave an evil little laugh. “I want every person who’s said ‘poor Sara’ to pay!”
“You are truly wicked,” he said, smiling.
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, baby,” she said as her lips moved much lower on his body.
Mike didn’t reply.
An hour later, Mike said she’d kept him too busy to get his work done. And her mother had left him four text messages asking him where he was and saying he had to go to her house to get dressed.
“Maybe I should show up like this,” he said as he headed toward the shower. He was naked.
“You may think you’d scare my mother, but far from it. You’d end up being the one with the red face.”
“Speaking of red body parts, I don’t really have to wear—”
“There?
?s no way you’ll get out of putting on a kilt, so don’t even try. I’ll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little while. I’m going to go see Joce.”
“Sure you don’t want to join me in the shower?”