The Bargain Read online

  “I just find it strange,” she interrupted, “that you’re willing to live in a celibate relationship.”

  “Believe me.” Now his voice was bitter. “Celibacy has its virtues. I want a situation that won’t be complicated by sex.”

  Tara’s eyes widened and her hands tightened on her napkin. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Tara, please don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s one of the reason’s you’re the ideal candidate. Sex is something we won’t have to deal with.”

  She didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh at him. “Have I just been insulted?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, you might consider it a compliment.”

  “If you say so.” How ironic, she thought.

  “I have to have someone I trust to do this. And I trust you, Tara. Implicitly. I’m convinced you’re the person who could make this work.”

  She was still trying to decide how to react to the offer. Little fingers of warning danced on her neck, but she swallowed hard and banished them. Whatever the problem was, she’d find a way around it. Who could turn away from a child? “I admit you’ve caught me off guard. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Tara, I’m sorry if this has upset you. I never meant…”

  “No, please, it’s all right. I think I’m just feeling a bit hysterical at the moment.” She sipped at her water again, buying time to think. “You said I’d have full control in all matters where your child is concerned, right?” That was the key here. The heart of the matter. Whatever his problem with his daughter, she wanted to have no misunderstanding about her role.

  “Totally.” He was emphatic.

  “And how much time do I have to think about this?”

  “I wish I could give you as much time as possible to make your decision,” he said, shifting in his chair, “but I have…let’s say…a certain sense of urgency here.” He took a deep breath. “I hate to push you this way, but do you think you could give me an answer by tomorrow?”

  Tara thought she would faint. Tomorrow! She didn’t know if she’d be able to answer him by next month or even next year. Her mind reeled. “Tomorrow. Well. I’ll do my best to manage that. Could we leave now, please?”

  “Of course. I understand.” He signaled for the check. “I’m sure you have a lot of sorting out to do.”

  She was silent on the drive from the restaurant, very aware of Cole’s presence next to her, his scent that filled the air in the car, his strong, lean fingers on the steering wheel. She kept stealing sideways glances at him, trying not to stare at this man whose entire meaning in her life had changed in seconds. What would it be like sitting across the table from him every day, watching the flex of muscles in his jaw and throat as he ate? Trying not to fall into the black pools of his eyes. Feeling the lingering traces of his presence when he left a room.

  She was so preoccupied she barely noticed when the motion of the car stopped.

  “We’re here, Tara.” His voice held a trace of amusement under the tension.

  She blinked. They were parked in the driveway of her small house in northwest San Antonio. A two-story adobe structure with lots of wide windows, it was set back from the sidewalk on a tiny manicured lawn. A swing hung invitingly on the porch. She loved her tiny refuge, a little gem that she’d bought with Mike’s insurance money. It gave her a sense of permanence. Would she have to give it up?

  “Sorry.” She shook herself. “What would I do about my house? I really don’t want to let go of it.” Her safety valve, she told herself, if this whole absurd situation blew up in their faces.

  “Your decision. You can rent it out or just leave it empty. I’ll pay the taxes on it, and we’ll hire help to maintain it for you on a regular basis.”

  “I’ll factor it in with everything else,” she said, a touch of irony in her voice. “I understand this is a big responsibility you’d be handing me, and in fact, I’m flattered you think of me as the ideal candidate. But I have a lot to consider right now.”

  “I understand.”

  She stopped him as he unfastened his seat belt and started to open his door. “Please don’t walk me to the door. I’ll see you in the morning. I will try to have an answer for you then.”

  “Thank you.”

  Tara unlocked her door and stepped inside, turning to wave to Cole before closing it again. She waited until she heard Cole pull out of the driveway. Then she locked the door and leaned against it, heart racing, head throbbing. How could Cole put her in this position? What was he thinking? That she could give him an answer by tomorrow?

  But she closed her eyes and thought, not only of Cole but the unknown child that no one seemed to want.

  * * * *

  Driving away from Tara’s house, Cole cursed himself steadily. Jake and Sean were right. He was an ignorant fool. Whatever had possessed him to bumble ahead with this stupid idea? He’d thought it so sensible until he looked at it through Tara’s eyes. She was right. He was hiring a wife.

  But worse than that was his unexpected physical reaction to her, that unfamiliar tightening in his groin when he’d suddenly looked at her for the first time. He hadn’t had sex in so long he’d almost forgotten how it felt, but he certainly hadn’t thought of it in the same breath with Tara. He’d better not do it now, or he’d be in worse trouble than he already was. And Tara would certainly run as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

  Sweat ran down his spine in rivulets and covered his face with a fine sheen, the aftereffects of nervous tension, and he suddenly felt as if he were choking. Yanking his tie loose and opening his collar, he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Did Tara think he was a damned idiot? What if she turned him down? He hadn’t even allowed for that possibility.

  Come on, Tara. Say yes. You’re my only hope.

  Chapter Three

  The ringing of her phone brought Tara back to reality. She pushed herself away from the door and rushed to catch it, her “Hello” coming out slightly breathless.

  “Tara?”

  Oh, God, her mother. Just what she needed right now.

  “Honey, are you all right?” Ellen McKee voice had a touch of concern.

  Tara looked at the clock. Twelve-thirty. “Mother, what are you doing up this late? You never make it past the news.” A terrible thought struck her. “Is it Daddy? Is he okay?

  “Yes, he’s fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Then what are you doing up so late?”

  “I was worried about you. I tried you earlier several times but didn’t get any answer.”

  Of course, Tara thought. I’m so predictable that the one night I’m out late, my parents push the panic button. You’d think I was eighteen years old. She hoped her father wasn’t worrying himself into another heart attack. His condition was bad enough as it was.

  “I’m fine. I was just out for the evening.”

  “Oh?” She could hear the curiosity in her mother’s voice. “Anything special?”

  “Not really. Just dinner with my boss.”

  Please let her leave it at that.

  “You had dinner with Cole? How nice. A real night out. I’m sure you had a great time.”

  ­Yes, Tara the bore actually went out on a date. And Mother, you wouldn’t believe what happened.

  “Yes, I did. We had a lot of…business to discuss.” That’s the understatement of the year, she thought. “How’s Dad?”

  Was that hesitation in her mother’s voice? “He’s doing okay, honey. Everything’s fine.”

  But the underlying worry about health insurance and further treatments was always there. Tara could sense it. And she had it in her power now to put that worry to sleep.

  That’s good, Mom. But now I’m very tired. How about if I call you back tomorrow. Okay?” Without waiting for an answer, she said, “Night, Mom,” and disconnected the call. Tomorrow would be soon enough to open this particular Pandora’s Box.

  She popped two aspir
ins to ward off a threatening headache and crawled into bed, but sleep eluded her. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t make her mind a blank. The evening repeated itself over and over in her head, like a television rerun she couldn’t turn off.

  The proposal tonight had rocked her, the offer coming from so far out in left field she had trouble coming to terms with it. And the terms of the marriage. A hired wife and mother. How trite! If the idea weren't so unsettling, she’d be laughing out loud.

  If only she knew what secrets he hid. There had been a problem with his sudden marriage to Maggie, but neither Jake nor Sean had ever discussed it. The only time Cole had smiled in more than a year was when Molly was born. Then Maggie had died and Cole hadn’t mentioned either her or the child since. It was more than the grieving process. A hardness and bitterness had settled over him that hadn’t been there before.

  Too often, she caught a glimpse of such pain it made her want to weep. Tonight was the most outgoing she’d seen him since his marriage. But of course, he had a reason for it. A plot.

  She had an insane desire to giggle when she thought of yesterday’s conversation with her mother.

  “I do wish you’d get out once in a while,” Ellen had said. “Solitude is only good for so long.”

  “I’m fine,” Tara had assured her. “I don’t need anyone. I don’t want anyone.”

  “Well, it’s just not natural. It makes me sad to see what’s happened to you. You’re still young and beautiful, and you’re wasting your life.”

  Okay, mother. Wait until I tell you about tonight’s dinner.

  I must be insane even to consider his proposal, she thought, after the tragedy of her first marriage. Could she enter into another marriage, even one of convenience, when she hadn’t yet put to rest the last one?

  Again she wondered what it would be like living with Cole Cassidy? What did he eat? Watch on television? Read? Did he stay up late or go to bed early? Did he roam the house and would she run into him if she made any nocturnal forays? Her mind drifted as she fell into a half-sleep.

  * * * *

  He was standing beside the bed, wet from a shower, wearing only the towel wrapped around his lean hips…

  The bedside lamp was on low, casting a golden glow on his toned body but shadowing his face. The glow in his eyes had nothing to do with artificial light, however.

  “I want you.” His voice was rough with desire. “I’ve wanted you from the first time I set eyes on you. You don’t know how many times you came into my office and I couldn’t get up from my desk because my cock was so hard.”“I want you, too,” she whispered. “You don’t know how many times I dreamed about you, just like this.”

  “I had my own dreams. But now we have the reality.”

  He tossed the towel aside, revealing an impressive erection and the sac with his balls resting heavy against his thighs. The muscles of her pussy quivered and moisture slid out onto her inner thighs. The ache inside her grew until she felt it in every throb of her pulse.

  Cole pulled back the sheet covering her and lifted her to a sitting position, deftly sliding the thin nightgown over her head. His gaze raked over her, the heat in his eyes flaring brighter.

  “Gorgeous,” he breathed.”Absolutely gorgeous, just as I knew you’d be.”

  He lay down beside her, propping his head with one hand as he ran the other lightly over her body. His fingers traced a pattern along her cheek, down her neck and between the valley of her breasts. They glided across her puckered nipples, pausing to pinch each one lightly. Shards of heat streaked directly to her cunt and spread throughout her body.

  As he explored her, his mouth found hers, taking her in a predatory kiss that roused her senses. He tasted every inch of her mouth, her own small tongue dueling with his for possession. When he gently bit the tip of her tongue, she reached up to clutch at his head, trying to pull him even closer. When he broke the kiss, she was gasping for breath.

  His palm rested a moment on her tummy, then his fingers trailed into the nests of curls covering her mound, finally probing the wetness of her slit. Her legs parted, giving him greater access to her and the tip of one finger circled the entrance to her cunt. He inserted it barely past the first knuckle, and her inner muscles clenched in response. He shifted slightly beside her, and the full length of his cock pressed against her thigh.

  She tried to urge him farther inside her with her hips, but he was intent on teasing. As his finger moved slowly in and out of her, never pushing all the way in, he bent his head and captured one tight nipple into his mouth and sucked. Hard.

  Tara moaned harder, the coil of need inside her winding tighter and tighter.

  “Please,” she murmured. “Oh, please.”

  “Please what?” he asked, lifting his mouth from her breast. “Please kiss you? Lick you? Fuck you?”

  “Yes. Everything. All of it.” She pressed one hand against the taut muscles of his back, feeling the play of sinews beneath the skin.

  He pushed his finger all the way inside her then added a second.

  “You are so damn tight,” he rasped, scissoring his fingers. “I can’t wait to feel my dick inside you.”

  He moved his thumb to find the hot bud of her clitoris, rubbing it back and forth. Moisture flooded his fingers, and she clenched around them.

  “That’s it,” he encouraged. “I want that wetness so I can slide into you.”

  She moved her hand from his back and tried to slide it between them, but he pulled it away.

  “I want to touch you,” she insisted.

  “Not yet. If you do, I’m afraid we’ll be finished before we barely get started. I’ve wanted to fuck you for so long I can barely control myself.”

  Those words, as much as what he was doing to her body, ratcheted up her pleasure even more. When he shifted again to move between her legs, she shivered in anticipation. But instead of positioning himself to enter her, he slid down, opened the lips of her pussy as if they were petals on a flower and licked the length of her with one long swipe of his tongue.

  Tara raised her knees, threaded her fingers through the black silk of his hair and pulled his head tight against her.

  “Yes,” she moaned. “Oh, yes.”

  His tongue was like a flame heating her flesh. His hands slid beneath her buttocks, lifting her higher to his mouth as he licked and thrust and plundered. She felt the orgasm gathering deep inside her, muscles tightening, pulses throbbing. When it broke over her, she clutched at his head, lifting her hips to him and digging her heels into the bed. She shook with the spasms, her inner muscles trying to draw his tongue in deeper.

  As she was still clenching, he withdrew his tongue, rose to his knees pressed the head of his cock against her opening.

  “Now you can touch me,” he whispered roughly. “Guide me home, Tara.”

  Still in the throes of orgasm, she somehow managed to reach down for his shaft, widened her thighs and guided him into her body. He rolled his hip, and with one powerful thrust, he was inside her, stretching her, filling her until she couldn’t breathe. One movement and she was plunged into another climax, this one even more powerful.

  He held himself steady as she convulsed around him, bathing him with her liquid, wrapping her legs around him and digging her heels into the base of his spine. When she was gasping, nails digging into his shoulders, he began to move, powerful strokes in and out in a steady rhythm.

  “I can’t,” she told him in a breathless voice.

  “Yes, you can. Ride with me.”

  He drove into her faster. Beneath the grip of her legs, she felt his muscles tighten as his own climax gathered. His tempo increased as he pounded into her harder and harder. Finally he stopped, his entire body stiffening, and as he began to spurt inside her, another orgasm gripped her, this one the most intense yet.

  Her pussy convulsed around his cock, her legs tightened around him, her entire body shuddered in the rhythm of the shared climax. She was spinning into space, rockets exploding
in the black velvet that surrounded her. The spasms seemed to go on forever until she wondered how she would survive it.

  And finally, finally, the intensity subsided, leaving her breathless and gasping for air. Her heart beat against her ribs so hard she was afraid it would shatter. With great effort, she unwound her legs from him and lowered them to the bed.

  Cole collapsed forward, catching himself on his forearms, his breath washing over her as he brushed her lips. His cock was still inside her, still filling her. He touched his forehead to hers and—

  Tara roused with a start. She was covered in perspiration, her covers tossed aside, nightgown rucked up, her hand between her legs, stroking her still pulsing cunt.

  Ohmigod!

  She squeezed her thighs together and withdrew her hand guiltily. Another erotic dream about Cole. Her body was weak, nearly boneless, as if she’d actually had multiple orgasms. She was truly losing her mind.

  On shaky legs, she stumbled into the bathroom where she dampened a washcloth with cold water and ran it over her face, her neck and he arms. But it was going to take more than that to cool her still feverish body. She drank two glasses of water, hoping that would help, but it barely took the edge off the arousal still coursing through her. Filling the glass again, she wandered back into the bedroom.

  She was standing by the bedroom window, rubbing the glass against her forehead, when the telephone rang, jerking her out of her thoughts.

  She looked at the bedside clock. One-thirty! Who could be calling at that hour? Nothing good came of calls after midnight. Again, her first thought was of her father. Her stomach knotted in fear as she picked up the receiver.

  “Tara?”

  “Yes?” Her disoriented mind didn’t recognize the raspy voice at first.

  “It’s Cole.” There was a slight pause. “I apologize for the late hour. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  Cole? Oh, God, now what? And why did his voice sound so strange? Maybe he’d decided he wanted his answer right away. That he couldn’t wait until morning. Her stomach churned at the thought.