Jason backed his seriously hot wife against his desk, an ordered day off sprawling ahead of him invitingly. But first, he needed to know. “Did you mean everything you said back there with Prentice?”
“Every—” she kissed him “—single—” she kissed him again “—word.”
A sigh shuddered through him. “Thank God, because I realized today I can’t let you go.”
“Good thing I’m not leaving, then.” Lauren tugged his tie, bringing him closer. “It’s not exactly professional to make love in the workplace.”
“We’re married.” The need to seal their newfound commitment surged through him. “It’s not only okay, but completely in the best interest of my future success. Anytime I’m sitting at this desk, I’ll be reminded of you, which will make me plow through work all the faster so I can get home to my family, to my wife, the woman I love.”
Then tears filled her eyes. Her chin trembled; her smile damn near blinded him. “Well, then,” she breathed against his mouth, “ditch my panties and get me on that desk.”
“Keep talking like that and this time will go so fast, no one will suspect we’ve been up to anything.”
“Since you never leave me wanting, I have no problem with that. We’ll just get home all the sooner.”
“Home.” He tunneled his hands into her silky hair, growing longer and fuller, blooming like the rest of her. “Are you sure you’re okay with staying in San Francisco? I don’t know if you heard what I said before you interrupted Prentice, but I told him I’m willing to move back to New York if that’s what it takes to make you happy. I have the financial resources to locate wherever you want. I’m not going to lose you over a job.”
He and his father had let work and prideful stands come between them. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
“Oh, Jason.” Her voice shook, heavy tears welling up in her eyes. “I feel the same way. I realized I’ve been hanging on to an idea of success and happiness, limiting myself out of fear of losing control. Here, with you, is exactly where I want to be.”
“You’re more than I deserve.” He hauled her against his chest, inhaling her sweet floral scent.
“Hey, you can keep right on romancing me to make it worth my while,” she said teasingly. “Actually, I’ve been thinking. Why not take that money you dropped into my company and start a branch out here?”
“I like the way you think.” He looked into her eyes. “We could work with each other again like we used to.”
“We were mighty damn good together.”
“Still are.” And they would be in the future, as well. “You’ve always been incredible, special, but this week has made me realize just how much I love you. How much I need you in my life. I’m glad you decided to stay, but I would have come after you. I couldn’t let you boot me out of your life a second time.”
One of those tears trickled down her cheek into her smile. “I love you, too, you know. So much. The way you make love to me, the way you help me while making it clear you know I can take care of myself. I should have realized sooner, but I’ve been so scared. You make me lose control, you know.”
Her hesitant admission slid a piece of the Lauren puzzle into place for him, making him see how her tightly controlled surface hid so much passion beneath. But knowing that—understanding her—would help him navigate their relationship down the road. “The last thing I want to do is frighten you.”
“I’ve been running from the intense way you make me feel, so afraid that I’ll turn out like my mother, that we’ll end up like my parents. But I know better now. We bring out the best in each other.”
And she was right. Only with Lauren had he been able to find the joy of a future and family he’d never expected. “Sounds like you did a lot of productive brainstorming in the past few hours.”
“And I haven’t even begun to tell you the plans I have for the gardens.” Her fingers crawled up his jacket lapel. “Now that I’ve finished with business for the day…”
He lifted her onto the edge of his desk, in perfect synch with her as always. “It’s definitely time for some recreation.”
Epilogue
San Francisco, two weeks laterL auren Presley wondered how a man could be so deeply inside her body and mind at the same time. But no doubt about it, her sated, half-dressed husband, tangled up with her on the sofa, was one hundred percent emotionally in the moment.
She would make the most of a second go-round in their newly furnished living room as soon as she figured out how to breathe again.The butter-soft leather of their burgundy-colored couch stuck to the backs of her legs through her thigh-high stockings, sweat still slicking her body from their frenetically passionate hookup.
Jason nuzzled aside her hair to her ear. “I have an idea. Let’s break in every piece of new furniture this way.”
She arched her neck to give him better access. “That could get a little tricky when that antique, upright piano you picked out arrives.”
“We can just practice more of those inventive positions.” He trailed a fresh bloom from the front yard over the swell of her stomach where their child grew, healthy and strong. “The flowers look great. I can’t believe how fast this place is turning into a home.”
“I’m only just getting started.” She’d placed two topiaries by the front door and planted some cooler-weather snapdragons and diascia in the flower boxes, a nice beginning. But she looked forward to landscaping the garden in more detail over time. She had that now with Jason.
Time. Forever. Together.
She’d hired a full-time manager for her New York offices and had started the ball rolling for opening a San Francisco branch. Since she would soon have her money back, she and Jason had decided to use the half-million-dollar loan he’d given her as seed money for her expansion to California. It truly was a smart investment for their future and for their child. Lauren was already looking into plans for building an architecturally matching office behind the home.
Life was coming together perfectly.
She had her friend, her lover, her partner, her husband—and he also happened to be the love of her life.
They’d even invited her mother to come out and look at vacation condos for winter visits with her grandchild. Having Jason at her side made dealing with Jacqueline easier. While he still had a ways to go making peace with his own parents, she knew she would never be comfortable cutting her mother completely out of her life, especially now that her mother seemed ready to embrace help.
Lauren didn’t delude herself. Dealing with Jacqueline would still be tough—to say the least—but she had a new level of confidence in her ability to avoid explosions by drawing better boundaries.
“Love you,” she whispered against his mouth.
“Love you, too,” he answered, and she never grew tired of hearing it.
Prentice’s Family Is Everything motto was working well for them. Sure, their start had been for practical reasons, but they’d both been so stubborn and locked into their workaholic, cold lives, they’d needed a good shaking up.
Lauren shuffled, twisting around until she straddled Jason’s lap. “I’ve got a hankering for pecan pancakes with lots of maple syrup. How about you try your hand with the basting brush this time?”
He stood, holding her in place as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “I say you are absolutely the best partner to work with, Mrs. Reagert. Absolutely the best.”