Seduced by the American Millionaire (7 page)

Chapter Ten

Richard woke with a pounding headache. He hadn't consumed that much bourbon since his early twenties. Now he remembered why. Shit. His head was going to split open. Memories from the night before came to him.

The fight. The tears. The panic he felt after she left.

He crawled out of bed and swallowed four aspirin and stood under a hot shower. The needles of water attacked his skin as he tried to shake it off.

He wasn't completely stupid. He knew she was upset about Darlene. Or she was upset because of what he had said to the fucker trying to make it with her. Or she was mad about both.

He needed to see her. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to hold her. What the hell was he going to say to her? That he wasn't through fucking her yet? That he would never, ever, in this lifetime have enough of fucking her? Jesus Christ.

He hung his head as the truth hit him.

Sunday evening, Jenny was no better off than she had been when she had climbed from the cab on Friday night. She went from bouts of crying, to eating ice cream, to watching old movies.

Richard tried to call her twice. She didn't pick up either call. He didn't leave a message.

She was scared it was over. She was scared it wasn't. Her distress was taking a toll on her. She wasn't sleeping. She wasn't eating properly.

She was sitting in the kitchen, staring out the window when her doorbell pealed. The sound petrified her. It pealed again. She got up and slowly walked to the front door.

"Who is it? " Her voice was weak.

"It's me, Jenny. " The sound of his voice made her knees start shaking. "Open the door, sweetheart. "

She turned the lock and opened the door a few inches.

"Can I come in? " Jenny was watching him from behind the door. She slowly opened it and he stepped through.

Richard closed the door and leaned against it. They watched each other in silence. He opened his arms for her. She took a step toward him and stopped. He reached out and pulled her to him. She collapsed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"Angel. Please don't ever do that do me again. " His voice was filled with emotion. She sagged in his arms. He lifted her face and sipped at her lips. " You're so precious, so beautiful. I didn't mean to hurt you. Or piss you off. I don't ever want to hurt you. "

His soothing words flowed through her. His tenderness was like a balm to her heart. She took his hand and led him over to the couch. She made a move to sit next to him, but he pulled her onto his lap. She relaxed against him. She sighed. She had things that needed to be said.

"Richard. I feel like I give in this relationship. And you take. " That was it. Concise and to the point. She waited for his argument. His attack of dominion and power.

He played with her hair. "Yeah. That's the way it's been. Hasn't it? I've been a selfish bastard. "

His agreement startled her enough to question him. "Why do you do that? Friday night? Why do you think you can tell people that I belong to you, and then turn around and let some woman think that you might spend a different night with her? "

Her accusation disconcerted him. "I didn't do that. I was just trying to brush her off so I could deal with the asshole trying to dick you. That's all I was doing after I saw you come back from the bathroom. That mother fucker was watching you when you went in my office. He was watching you when you came out. I was about to get up and go to you then when Darlene came to the table. I feel sorry for her, Jenny. She's had a rough couple of years. Her husband ran off with her best friend. She lost her job. I feel bad for her, Jenny. But I sure as shit don't want to sleep with her. "

She listened to his explanation. It was the truth as he saw it. It satisfied her anger about the other woman. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the mouth. He reached up and took her face between his hands and pressed easy, nonthreatening kisses on her lips. "I'm sorry if I was rough with you before you left. I don't want to hurt you. I didn't hurt you, did I? "

"No. I'm okay. " She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him back. After another few minutes of soft kisses, she broke her mouth away and looked at him. "Why do you think you can tell people that I belong to you? "

"Because you do. "

"No, I don't. " Her voice was even.

"Yes, you do. You're mine. You belong to me. Mine. " His words started calm, but ended harsh.

"There hasn't been anything said about me belonging-- "

"Okay, fine. I'm saying it now. I want you. You belong to me. Why do you keep disputing this? We sleep together. Are you sleeping with someone else? Do you want me to sleep with someone else? " His voice was getting punishing, belligerent. His hands went to the top button on her shirt and started opening it. She grabbed his hands to stop him.

"No, I'm not sleeping with anyone. And no, you can't either. Stop that. Why do you start taking my clothes off every time you think you aren't getting your way?" she yelled at him.

"Because just the thought of you with somebody else pisses me off. And when I get pissed off about it, the only thing that calms me down is getting it in you. " His nostrils flared, but his hands stilled.

"Okay, Richard. I'm yours. But you're mine, too. It's got to go both ways. "

"Deal. But I'm warning you right now. I don't share. I've never been jealous before but with you it's driving me crazy. "

An arrow of joy went through her at his words. "Okay. I'm not going to give you a reason to be jealous. But you've got to give me about two minutes to turn down an offer before you come barreling to my rescue. " Her tone was mild.

"Two minutes. That's it. And we might as well get this settled now, also. I want you to pack your stuff up and move in with me. This is ridiculous us going back and forth like this. I've got more room at my house, you can have your own office. " His words were a statement.

Shock went through her. "No, I don't think I can do that. That would be long-term and--"

"Hell, yes, it's going to be long-term. You might as well sell the house; you're not going to need it. "

The impact of what he was suggesting jarred her. "No. I can't sell the house. This is my home. This is the boy's home-- "

"The boys live in Houston. "

"They come home for the summer. For Christmas-- "

"They can come to my house. I like kids. You love my kitchen. It's your kitchen. You'd like that, hmm, sweetheart? " His voice turned soft, cajoling. His lips went to her ear and his hands undid the second button on her shirt.

"Richard, stop. We have to talk about this. I can't believe you're trying to bribe me with your kitchen. I can't sell my house and move because I love your kitchen. "

"No, you sell your house and move because you love me. " His words engendered panic within her. She couldn't love him. He couldn't know she loved him. Apprehension and excitement raced through her. She looked into his eyes. He watched her take in what he said as he unbuttoned her third button.

Her excitement turned to panic. "I can't love you. You're a mobster. "

"I'm a what? " He shouted the question at her.

"Well, aren't you? Don't you make all that money doing stuff that you shouldn't be doing?"

"Stuff like what? "

"Illegal stuff. "

"I don't do anything illegal at all. I don't take stupid chances with my money. "

"You don't do anything illegal? What do you do? " Her fingers went to the collar of his shirt and started smoothing it.

"You promise you won't go all moral on me and run? " His voice was hard.

She nodded her head. "I'm listening. "

"I'm only going to say this once. I'm not going to apologize for any of it. This is Louisiana, babe. I have licenses for everything I do here. And in Louisiana, you can do a lot. You already know I have a liquor license for the bar. But I have a casino license, as well. It's a private operation, and I run it out of the back of the bar. It's high stakes gambling, and I do pretty well with it. " He raised his fingers to the baby-fine hair at her temple. "I can't believe you haven't been noticing what's going on. " He watched her looking so earnestly at him. "Scratch that. I can believe it. You're so damn innocent, you thought you were in a restaurant that first night. Jesus, babe. " His ran his fingers through her curls and continued. "I also have twenty game rooms across the state. All near the Texas border. I get the tourists who can't or won't gamble illegally there. I've got fifty eight-liners in each joint. You're smart. You do the math, babe. I've got a few other investments here and there, all legal. But that's the gist of it. "

She listened to his speech with equal parts relief and alarm. "You're rich. "

"I don't know about rich. But I can guarantee you that we won't need to use your debit card anytime soon. " He lifted her face for a kiss. She stopped him with another question.

"What about that guy you had beat up the first night we met? " Her voice was apprehensive.

"Jesus Christ, Jenny. What kind of shit has been going through that head of yours? " He laughed.

"You said on the phone that you had given him all the chances you were going to. "

"I fired a guy, babe. He had been stealing from one of the game rooms. " He kissed her temple and grinned. "Will you just ask me this stuff when you think of it instead of stewing over it? "

"Yes. I will. I promise. " The relief she felt was palpable. The realization that she could let herself love him was such a good feeling. She reached up and kissed him, long and tenderly. He kissed her back.

She rose up on her knees and straddled him. She began unbuttoning his shirt. He returned the favor. He looked at the row of buttons he was undoing. "Is this my shirt? "

"Yes. You left it here the other night. " She reached down and undid his fly. He helped her adjust their clothing.

"You look good in it. " He lifted her breast to his mouth. Lightning speared through her. She moaned. "Come sit down right here, babe. " He whispered at the same time he lifted her over him. She came down over him in one smooth movement. They groaned simultaneously.

She started rocking on him. Their mouths melded and he thrust his tongue inside. He reached up and kissed her temple. "Tell me now, babe. " He put his hands on her hips and helped her move.

"I'm yours. " Her words were soft.

"Yes. You're mine. Tell me. Say it. " He demanded.

"I belong to you. " She felt her inside muscles grasping him, holding him.

"Tell me, Jenny. " He jerked her hips up and down with the rhythm she set.

"I love you, Richard. " At her words, his body clenched and he hurdled over the edge to paradise. She thrust on him twice more and followed him over.

They held each other in silence for several moments. Then he lifted her face and gazed into her eyes. "I love you, too, Jenny. " The words were simple. The meaning was wonderful.

Six weeks later, Jenny heard his big car pull into the garage. She loved this time of day the best. He always came in, and walked straight to her. He grabbed her and held her every night. He whispered three things. "I love you. I need you. You belong to me. " And every night the meaning of the words became deeper and stronger than the night before.

These six weeks had been amazing. She had sold her house, and moved in with him. They had travelled to Houston together so he could meet the boys. It went better than she could ever have anticipated. And just last weekend, the boys had come here to visit. They loved the house, and she could tell they were happy that she was so content.

Her world was sheer bliss.

She heard his steps in the hall. Her eyes followed him as he walked across the room to her. He reached for her and wrapped her in his arms. "Jenny, I love you. I need you. You belong to me. " Her heart melted and she smiled into his eyes. "And I want you to wear this. "She watched in amazement as he lifted her left hand and slid a huge diamond solitaire on her finger. He lifted her face for his kiss.

She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around him.

"Jenny, say that you'll marry me. " His arms were tight and he held her safely.

Happiness and love filled her. "Yes, of course I will."

The End

Other Works by Lynda Chance

Blackmailed Into Bed

Under the Cowboy’s Control

The Sheriff and the Innocent Housekeeper

Temptation In Texas: Mike and Megan