The Ties That Bind (6 page)

"Ah, Shannon, you're so sweet. My God, how did I go this long without you?" Garth tugged at the fastening of her jeans, sliding them down over her hips and drawing the lacy scrap of her panties off with the denim. When she stepped free of the last of her clothing he clenched his fingers into the flare of her buttocks and groaned as he pulled her close.

For a long moment he seemed content to hold her like that, but when she stirred restlessly against him Garth laughed shakily and set her free. Then he tugged down the quilt. Shannon slipped between the sheets, her eyes never leaving Garth as he stripped off his own garments.

His body was hard with his desire, sending a primitive thrill through Shannon. In the shadows the utter maleness of him was both intimidating and enthralling. The strong planes of his chest and shoulders tapered to a flat stomach and muscular thighs. When Garth slid into bed beside her, reaching for her, Shannon was fiercely glad that she was capable of making him want her to this extent. She could feel the need in him and longed only to satisfy it.

"Garth, I want you," she whispered, wondering at the intensity of her own desire. "I didn't realize until now. I didn't understand why I had to keep trying to get to know you. It's never been like this with any other man."

He leaned over her, kissing the hollow of her throat while his hands began exploring her body. "By tomorrow morning you'll know me as well as I'll know you. I swear it."

Garth wanted to reassure her even more, but right now he couldn't find any other words except the ones he needed to tell her how sweet and hot and sensual she was. All his instincts were clamoring for him to slake the sudden thirst that was driving him. It had been building during the past few days, simmering deep inside him without his fully realizing the extent of it. But this evening when, on impulse, he'd silenced her with a kiss, Garth had nearly been swamped with his own need. If they hadn't been sitting in an ice-cream parlor full of laughing playgoers he would have pulled Shannon down on the floor and made love to her then.

But now she was here, lying beneath him, opening herself fully and completely. Garth was fascinated with the honesty of Shannon's own reactions. He drew his palm over her small breast and felt the nipple flower at his touch. Her fingers trailed through his hair and then sank into his shoulders when he touched the silky skin of her inner thigh. Her responsiveness nearly drove him out of his mind.

"That's it, honey," he breathed as she lifted herself against his hand. "Come to me, let me have you. I'll give you what you want. You won't need anyone else."

"Only you." The words were a small, sweet cry from far back in her throat as she clung to him.

He'd wanted to take this slowly, Garth reminded himself. But he knew now that he wasn't going to be able to have that luxury, at least not this first time.

"You're so ready for me," he whispered, sucking in his breath very deeply as he touched the throbbing core of her desire with trembling fingers. "Do you really want me so much?"

"Please, Garth. I've never wanted anything this much."

He believed her and the knowledge made his head spin. Carefully he pushed her legs farther apart, and she willingly allowed him more intimate access. He knew that right now she would deny him nothing. The hunger was a raging fire in him, and Garth could wait no longer. He slid between her legs, glorying in the feel of her smooth thighs on his own rough-textured skin. The contrast heightened his awareness of her essential femininity to the point that he could barely control himself.

Shannon's arms went around him as she felt him surge against her. She pulled him to her, murmuring her need. His hard body pushed against the damp, dark, velvet of her, making her gasp and then he was inside, burying himself to the hilt in a single, powerful thrust. Her body went suddenly taut, as if reacting to an invasion. The startling change from insistent need to a feeling of fullness and tension took Shannon by surprise.

"Oh, Garth!"

"It's all right, sweetheart. It's all right." He stroked the tangled hair back from her face, his eyes meeting hers. "I'll give you time. You're so small and tight. I didn't realize..."

She wanted to laugh but her emotions were too precariously balanced on the knife-edge of passion to allow the humorous release. "It's not me, it's you. You're too big!"

He groaned, covering her mouth with his own. "No. We're both just right," he said against her lips, and then his tongue was sliding between her teeth to establish a rhythm he soon began imitating with his lower body.

Shannon's own body quickly accepted the dominating cadence. She clung to him, her hips rising to meet his, her muscles stretching and contracting deliciously with each thrust. She closed her eyes, giving herself up to the moment and the man. There had never been another night such as this, and she would take all it had to offer.

Time seemed to compress itself, locking out everything except the shimmering passion that gripped Shannon and the man who held her. She felt her senses leaping toward a final precipice of sensation that contained a mystery she'd never fully explored. Eagerly she gave herself to Garth, knowing he could show her the wonders that awaited.

When the sensual ripples of bursting tension finally stormed through her, Shannon cried out and the name that was on her lips as she gasped in astonished release was Garth's.

He heard it, and it was all that was needed to pull him after her into the shuddering finale. His body went rigid, and Shannon heard her own name sounding like torn silk in her ears. Then Garth was collapsing heavily along her body, his weight crushing her into the sheets. A piercingly sweet lethargy enveloped them both.

Several minutes later Shannon became aware of Garth's hand moving idly on the curve of her hip. She opened her eyes and found him looking at her. Tremulously she smiled.

Garth eased himself reluctantly to the side, cradling her in one arm. "You and I," he said very calmly, "have a few things to discuss."

She blinked, mildly confused. "Such as?" He seemed to have returned to full awareness much more quickly than she had.

"Such as making this a habit. I think I'm already an addict."

Shannon relaxed against him. "I'm glad."

Garth yawned. "I've got to go back to San Jose in a couple of days."

Shannon felt herself tensing. "I'd rather not talk about your leaving, Garth. Not tonight."

He smiled lightly, looking both indulgent and amused. "How about discussing the subject of my return?"

Her eyes were alive with happiness. "Is the subject open for discussion?"

"You know I'm going to be back, don't you?"

"When?"

"On the weekend. And the weekend after that and the one after that and the one after that."

"You've rented the cottage for a whole series of weekends?"

"No. I only rented the cottage for a few days. The next time I come over to the coast I'll be staying here with you. Assuming I've got an invitation."

"Oh, Garth, you know you do." She snuggled against him, her happiness threatening to swamp her.

"I didn't expect this, Shannon," he said very thoughtfully.

"Neither did I."

He gave her a small shake. "I'm serious. This changes a lot of things. I'll have to make some plans."

"What sort of plans?"

"Don't worry," he said vaguely. "I'll take care of everything. As long as I know you're waiting here on the weekends, I can handle the details."

The weekends, Shannon thought. She wondered why the phrase bothered her. Of course, for the immediate future the weekends were the only times they would be able to get together. After all, Garth had his company to run in San Jose, and she had her work here on the coast. It was only logical that he should talk in terms of seeing her on the weekends. But something about the way he said it bothered her. She wasn't certain why. It was as if Garth was thinking of her as something separate and distinct from the rest of his life. Someone he saw only on the weekends.

Shannon frowned in the darkness and pushed aside the odd, uneasy sensation his words had caused. She was imagining things. Tonight was very special, and she wasn't going to ruin it with feminine paranoia. Deliberately she trailed her fingertips through the curling hair on Garth's chest.

"Hey, that tickles," he complained with a small chuckle.

"What, this?" She traced a circle around one flat, male nipple. "Or this?" She drew her nails light down across his stomach. He clamped a hand over her roving hand.

"Didn't your mother ever warn you about what happens when you tease a man?"

"I don't think so. My mother left most of my sex education to the schools. My teachers stuck to little charts and diagrams. I don't recall them discussing teasing."

"Then allow me to complete your education." He rolled over, sprawling on top of her and pinned her wrists above her head. "Women who tease men are liable to find themselves in just this sort of situation." Keeping her hands locked above her head, he began dropping a string of small, nipping kisses across her shoulders and down to the peaks of her breasts.

Shannon shivered. "I can see my mother and the teachers all overlooked something very important."

"It's all right. I don't mind the fact that you've had a limited education. I'm a very patient man, and I'm willing to teach you a few things myself." He used one hand to maintain his hold on her wrists and then began to use his other hand on her body. When he caressed her from her breast to her hip, Shannon gave another small shiver.

"I get the feeling teasing brings its own rewards," she taunted, her hazel eyes full of sensual laughter.

"You think so?" He drew delicate, tantalizing circles on her hip until she moved a little under him. Then he began weaving the same patterns on the inside of her leg. Shannon shifted again, her senses bubbling back into full awareness.

"Garth?"

"Hmm?" He was drawing the patterns higher now, very near the place that sheltered her feminine secrets.

"I think I'm ready for the reward."

"Convince me."
                       
o

"Let go of my hands and I will," she promised, her voice growing husky with her rising passion. She broke off to gasp as he did something very special and a little mind-shattering with his fingers. "Garth!"

"I'm not convinced."

He continued to hold her wrists gently captive while she began to writhe beneath him. His hand moved more boldly on her until she was begging him to take her again. He listened to her soft pleas, all the while tormenting her so deliciously that Shannon began to think she would go crazy.

"Garth, I... Oh, my God, Garth!" Her eyes widened in astonishment as he deftly brought her to another nerve-thrilling sense of fulfillment. Only then did he release her wrists, and Shannon instantly wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly as she trembled beneath him. When a moment had passed, she turned her head and kissed the skin on his shoulder. "Definitely cruel and unusual punishment. I must remember to try teasing you again sometime."

He grinned, his expression relaxed and unabashedly satisfied. "Anytime, honey. I'll look forward to it every weekend."

THE NEXT FEW DAYS passed in a haze of happiness for Shannon. She continued with her work during the hours when Garth disappeared inside his own cottage to pore over his bid proposal papers, but every free moment for both of them was spent together. They took long walks on the beach, walked into town for groceries and Shannon's mail and ate dinner in Shannon's cottage. After dinner Shannon served brandy and turned on the stereo. When Garth reached for her, she went into his arms with the eagerness of a homing pigeon.

When the morning arrived that Garth was due to leave for San Jose, Shannon stood beside the Porsche to say goodbye. Her eyes were suspiciously bright, although she kept her smile very much in place. Garth took her in his arms.

"I'll call you tonight," he said into her hair.

"Good." She sniffed.

"Hey, don't cry," he murmured. "I'm going to be back next weekend, remember?"

"Please don't forget to come back, Garth," she said very seriously.

"I couldn't forget," he replied simply. "I need you too much." He kissed her once more and then he got into the Porsche. "I'll leave work early Friday afternoon."

"It's a long drive," Shannon pointed out, thinking how easy it would be for him to change his mind about making such a long trip after a busy week.

"I don't mind. You'll be waiting at the end of it, won't you?" It wasn't so much a question as a statement of fact.

Shannon nodded. "I'll be waiting."

"That's all I need to know." He glanced across the driveway to where her little red Fiat sat. Garth's brows came together in a thoughtful frown. "I'm not sure I like the idea of your running around in such a small car. You'd be safer in a bigger vehicle."

"Are all Porsche drivers so condescending toward other sports cars?" Shannon teased.

"It's not a question of being condescending," Garth began firmly. "It's just that I think you'd be better protected in a larger car." His expression cleared. "Never mind. We'll talk about it later. Take care, Shannon. I'll be back soon. Be here for me."

Shannon smiled mistily and waved as the Porsche roared out of the driveway. She would be waiting. For a brief, unhappy moment she wondered again about what it was going to be like conducting a weekend affair. She knew she was falling in love with Garth Sheridan.

Shannon had always imagined that love would be a sharing kind of emotion and would of necessity involve a sharing of day-to-day lives as well as the sharing of passion.

She turned back to her cottage, telling herself that it would all work out in the end. Her relationship with Garth was at the very beginning stages. There was plenty of time to hammer out the logistical details. In the meantime she had her work. The buyer from the San Francisco boutique would be arriving the following week and she still had several more sample tote bags to print.