Toni had tried to explain to the police officers that Heather had not really intended to harm her—an idea she clung to just as much for the sake of her own sanity as in trying to help Heather’s cause. She’d ignored the dirty looks Jason had sent her way, as she’d tried to make excuses for the woman’s behavior.
He had been right all along, that stupid sixth sense probably the reason they had survived the ordeal without injury. She was never going to hear the end of it. So far, though, Jason had done nothing but praise her ability in handling the difficult and delicate situation. He’d told her how proud he was. Even Chris had commented on her ability to handle such a stressful confrontation. He’d given her a brief and awkward hug before Jason had manhandled him away.
There was so much in her life that Toni could feel grateful about—the weeks since her return from London had been the biggest learning curve of her life. Her meeting with the people involved at the Cardona Mine site had impacted on her life. And not just because of her traumatic experience with Heather Cain or her emotional visit with Beatrice Carlton. Toni had come to the conclusion that Grimaldi Holdings was more than just a way to make her family money.
It was much bigger than that. Her father, their company, was responsible for so many employees, giving them the means to live and raise their own families by making sure jobs were safe, wages fair and forthcoming. She really hadn’t understood anything her father did. No wonder he worked so hard. Toni could only imagine the pressure he was under. Yes, they lived well—better than most. Maybe it was okay for her mother to spend too much on gifts every now and again as long as Toni ensured there was plenty of Grimaldi money to support the employees that might need a hand.
And there was Jason.
Her lover, friend and protector.
Ready to put his body on the line for her.
Toni never wanted to put him in that position again. She’d nearly had a heart attack when Jason had stood between her and Heather’s gun. And Toni knew it had been more than Jason just doing his job, which also scared the shit out of her, because it had been for his love of her. She’d figured that bit out when Jason had nearly fallen to his knees as he’d hugged her after Chris had disarmed Heather—his body vibrating against hers from the strain of it all, the words he’d whispered into her ear about love and not being able to stand the thought of not being with her every day of his life. Saying that he wanted her with him, by his side forever… Words Toni believed with all her heart. Toni had held the same beliefs as she stood trembling behind the safety of Jason’s broad back. Willing Heather to not shoot, praying for the sad, disturbed woman to spare Toni the same agony she was going through from losing her husband.
It was all over now. Soon Jason would drive her back to their motel then Toni was going to show her man how grateful she was to be loved by someone like him—that was if she could ever stop her body from shaking.
Maybe a nice warm shower, together, would help? If the heat doesn’t help, I know Jason will be sure to distract me.
The idea brought a smile to Toni’s lips.
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d think that smile was due to a wicked thought,” Jason said as he knelt down beside the open car door, their faces now level.
My God, I love that man.
“Well, sexy, I was just thinking about having a shower to warm myself up. So maybe you’re wrong.”
“A shower sounds like a plan. The cops are finished with us. What say we go back to the room and I can assist you with that shower? I‘ve also got a few of my own ideas on how to help heat you up, luv.”
“I like the sound of that a lot, Jason.”
Epilogue
They’d gone back to their motel room and Jason had come through on his promise to warm Toni up. He’d squeezed his body into the cramped shower stall with her and helped her forget the horrors of the afternoon the best way he could. He’d lavished love on her body with his hands and in her mind with his words. Toni had never felt so cherished in her life.
Snuggled up in the bed together, Toni remembered her conversation with Bea—what the wise woman had suggested to her. To grab happiness with both hands and live each day as if there was no tomorrow. Toni made a decision. She felt so right wrapped in the safety of Jason’s arms, his body next to hers. She was courageous. Jason had taught her that about herself. She needed to reach out and take what she wanted.
“I want to ask you a question, Jason.” She started a little hesitantly, trying to find just the right words for such a momentous occasion. “You don’t have to answer me straight away but I want you to give it some thought. I’ve been thinking about some of the things Mrs. Carlton and I talked about, and I think she’s right. I need to grab hold of the important things in my life. You are my life, Jason. I love you so much. Seeing you standing in front of me, thinking I could lose you before we made enough memories to see me through, scared me. I want you to marry me. I want to have a family with you. Will you marry me, Jason Beck? Be my husband?”
Jason stopped caressing her, his hand stilled. Toni held her breath, hoping that she hadn’t pushed him too hard, too fast. She knew he didn’t really believe in marriage or long-term relationships. Jason’s parents’ unhappy union had soured him in that respect. But she hoped her love for him might have changed that view. His love for her might have shown Jason that their life would be different from that of his mother and father.
“Like I said…just think about it,” she said, trying to hide her disappointment that he hadn’t answered her straight away.
Jason changed their positions so fast Toni gasped when she found herself lying on top of him.
Their eyes locked. Their lips met.
Jason’s kiss was full of passion before he pulled back.
“Yes,” was all Jason said before crushing his lips to hers once more and Toni was swept away on a current of passion that she knew would see them together, forever.
Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:
A Fruitful Intimacy
Donna Gallagher
Excerpt
Chapter One
The heat from the sun’s rays kissed her shoulders. Droplets of perspiration ran down her bikini-clad back as she raced across the powdery, soft sand. Her laughter, using up the much needed oxygen from her lungs, joined together with the sounds of the gulls squealing above. Grains of sand from Ben’s nearing footfalls stung the backs of her calves as he closed in on her. She knew he would catch her quickly. She welcomed it. As his arms closed around her waist, she felt her feet lifted from the ground and their bodies tumbled together into the spill of the ocean.
Ben had turned them at the last moment so his body would cushion her fall, but the splash of seawater covered her. The refreshing feel of the warm water cooled her skin but only Ben could extinguish the sexual fires burning within her.
“Running from me already, Mrs. Russell? On our honeymoon, no less.” He laughed as his lips moved over hers, demanding yet gentle at the same time. His tongue exploring every crevice of her mouth in its welcomed assault, hers matching the intensity and hunger equally. The beach deserted—Ben’s hands explored her body, cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples into hard buds, causing a ripple effect to heighten her already sexual state. Liquid pooled in her bikini bottoms, mixing with the salty wash of the waves rhythmically lapping and breaking over her sensitized pussy.
“Touch me, Ben,” she pleaded, as his strong fingers delved beneath the sides of her wispy swimwear, easily pushing the fabric aside. Their promised destination had her panting with need, spreading apart her thighs in encouragement. She arched her hips forward, impatient for that moment when Ben’s talented touch would make contact with her throbbing clit—wanting to make her pleasurable climb to destination bliss.
What about the warm dishwater had Beth reminiscing about her honeymoon? There was nothing romantic about doing the dishes. After ten years of marriage and bringing three kids into the world, she had cleaned up more times than she could count. Could just the feel of the warm water on her skin be enough to bring about those memories of better times? Swimming, relaxing, or making love had been their only concerns back on that romantic, idyllic island. Whatever the reason for remembering how things used to be, it did nothing to improve her mood. Those days, when romance and sex had been a wonderful feature of her marriage to Ben, were long gone.
Once upon a time they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Ben had taught Beth all there was to know about sex—sensual, needy, or just plain hot and heavy sex. Together they had explored most of the positions listed in the Kama Sutra. Marking them off one by one as they’d groped, stroked, licked or sucked over every inch of each other’s naked flesh. These days she was lucky to get a kiss on the cheek as Ben raced out of the door on his way to work. More disturbingly, Beth found this new development a relief.
Not that she could blame Ben for his lack of motivation. Beth didn’t need to look in the mirror to confirm she had let herself go. Those bikini-wearing days, like back on her honeymoon, were a long way in the past—her once flat tummy, now flabby, covered in stretch marks. Her hair, her pride and joy back in the day—treated with regular hair dressing appointments and top-priced conditioning treatments—now lucky to get a quick brush before being drawn back into a ponytail. A top and shorts or sweatpants, paired with a floppy jumper, her choice of clothing these days, depending on the weather. She had little time to do much more, always something else needing her attention more urgently.
Ben, on the contrary, looked just as good as he had when Beth had first met him eleven years ago. In fact, he looked even better, in her opinion. He had filled out over the years—but where her body had turned to flab, Ben had muscled up. The laugh lines now gracing his face highlighted his sea-blue colored eyes, while her wrinkles just illuminated the dark circles underneath hers.
Enough with the maudlin thoughts, Beth.
She slapped the last dish into the rack. Pulling the plug from the sink, she watched the water swirl around, listening to the gurgling sound as it disappeared from sight.
Bit like the passion in my marriage. Once a powerful, whirlpool of emotion, now ebbed away to just a trickle of water going down the drain of life, the momentum almost at a standstill… Look at me, such a poet when it comes to describing my happy life
. She sighed sadly to herself before stepping away from the sink and drying her hands on the dishtowel
“Well, time to wash the clothes, make the beds. Clean the bathrooms. Yes, just another exciting day in the life of Beth Russell.” Her voice echoed back at her, bouncing around the empty room, as she went about her daily ritual. She had no time to spare grumbling, though, because before she knew it, the day would be over and the time to collect her children from school would arrive. Trying to achieve anything with her beautiful but rambunctious boys around would be pointless.
* * * *
“I need to make this happen, Luke. Beth needs some time away from the kids. She works so goddamn hard to keep those boys in line, making a home for me. She’s exhausted when I get home from the office.” Ben had been working on this plan for weeks. All he needed to do was find someone willing to look after the kids. He was hoping to convince his brother to be
that
person. “You know you’re their favorite uncle,” he added, hoping to guilt Luke into agreeing.
“Nice try, bro, I’m their only uncle. Maybe you should have thought of how having kids might impact on your sex life before you knocked your wife up so many times. Now it’ s up to me, your fucking awesome brother, to swoop in and save the day so you can get some down and dirty sex on with the missus, without my little nephews stumbling in and needing therapy for the rest of their lives. God, man, that’s truly desperate when you have to go to this length just to get laid.”
Hearing Luke’s comments on the other end of the line, Ben shook his head—a rather pointless action considering Luke couldn’t see him through the phone.
“No, brother, that is not the only reason. Get your mind out of the gutter. Yes, I would like to spend some quality time alone with my wife. Especially horizontally on a mattress—feels like years since we’ve even touched one another. But it’s more than that. We need this. I’m worried about us… We used to have this connection. It’s hard to explain, especially to a boofhead like you.”
“Me? A boofhead? Huh, well get fucked, Mr. I’m So Serious and Boring I Need to Schedule Time for Sex. I can do the caring and sharing thing when I need to. Just don’t want everyone to know about it. Lucy certainly has no complaints, and at least I’m getting some—unlike you, I might add. Seriously though, Ben, what’s going on? I love Beth. You know I’d do anything to make her happy…”
Ben was getting the impression his brother might be weakening, ready to agree on helping out. Jumping back into the conversation at the first opening, Ben tried to hurry up the decision making by laying it on thick for Luke. “C’mon, man. Just say yes. Put me out of my misery. You know there isn’t anyone else I can ask, certainly not our dear mother. There’s no way she could handle the kids. Jeez, she couldn’t cope with us. You really are my last resort.”
Ben knew Luke understood his comment about their mother. She wasn’t what you could call a maternal person. That was without dispute, given she had left them to run off with another man.
He and Luke did have some infrequent contact with her but usually only when she needed them to do something. Growing up sans a mother had meant that their father had tried to make up for his poor choice of wife by showing them as much loving support as he could.