What a Woman Wants (14 page)

“
I gather your
friend returned home okay.”

“She’s back and okay,” Monique answered Lyle as he opened the car door and she slipped inside onto the soft leather seat. “I guess I was worrying for nothing.”

“She’s your friend, so your worrying was for something,” Lyle said before closing the door. “True friendship is hard to find these days and should be cherished.”

After buckling her seat belt, Monique sat back comfortably and watched while he walked around the front of the car to get in. “There’s a place called Stellini that I think you’d like. Italian foods are still your favorite?” He started the engine.

She smiled, surprised he remembered. “Yes.”

“Then I think you’ll be pleased.”

“Thank you.” It was on the tip of her tongue to add that she would be pleased going anywhere with him, but instead she merely sat there, staring straight ahead, trying not to glance over at him. When he had arrived to pick her up and she had opened the door, it had taken everything she had to hold back her groan. He looked so good in his white shirt and dark trousers. Lyle was 100 percent male—and then some.

“I got a call from my brother Lance before I left my place to pick you up. He had good news to share with me,” Lyle said, glancing over at her when he brought the car to a traffic light. He smiled. “He and Asia are going to have a baby.”

“Oh, Lyle, that’s wonderful! Congrats on your pending uncle-hood. You’re going to love it.”

He chuckled. “Will I?”

“Yes, I think you will. I also think that you’re going to make a wonderful uncle.”

“What about you, sweetheart? Do you like being an aunt? Arnie has three kids, right?”

Monique tried to ignore the shiver that flowed through her body with his term of endearment. He probably hadn’t realized he’d made it, but she definitely had. “Yes, he has three, and I enjoy being an aunt. I don’t get to see my nieces and nephew as much as I like, but I’ll have more time on my hands for a while, so I’ll be able to visit them.”

“Why’s that?”

She glanced over at him, glad his eyes were on the road. “Because technically, I’m presently unemployed. My job downsized a couple of months ago, and I was one of the casualties.”

“Sorry to hear that. Major corporations seem to be doing a lot of that these days.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, and after sixteen years with them, I tried not to take it personal—but that was hard to do.”

“I can imagine. So what are your plans?”

“Don’t have any concrete ones just yet. I’m going to take my time before going back into the job market. Who knows, I might decide on a whole new career since my bachelor’s degree is in Business Administration. I’m even thinking about going back to school and getting my MBA. I’m not in a rush to make any decisions. My severance package was a rather good one, so I’m okay for a while.” It was then that she noticed they had arrived at the restaurant.

He pulled into the parking space, cut off the ignition, un-snapped his seat belt, and turned toward her. His gaze was soft, tender, and considerate. “But if you were to ever need anything, you would let me know, right?”

Probably not,
she thought. Chances were she wouldn’t even let Arnie know. He wouldn’t hesitate to come to her aid if she needed him, but he had his own life and family now to worry about. Besides, she’d become self-reliant and independent since Paul’s death. Other than Cely, Faith, and Shannon, she hadn’t had anyone to confide in during those times she needed to talk to someone. Her father was there if she needed him, but there were some things you just didn’t share with your dad. Besides, it was time to see to his needs and not vice versa.

“Nicky?”

It was then that she realized Lyle was waiting for her response. “Yes, I’d let you know,” she lied.

The smile that touched his lips was instantaneous and intimate. And the warmth she saw in his gaze touched her deeply. “Good. And I’m going to hold you to it.”

“All right.”

“Now what about tomorrow? Have you given any thought to spending the weekend with me in Beaufort?”

Her tongue nervously darted out of her mouth to lick her top lip. She knew he really wasn’t asking her to spend the weekend with him, at least not in the intimate sense. But still, hearing him state it that way was increasing her pulse rate.

She cleared her throat. “Yes, if the invitation is still out there, I’d love to go to Beaufort with you.”

A grin quirked the corners of his mouth. “The invitation is definitely still out there, and I guarantee that the two of us will enjoy ourselves and have plenty of fun.”

Monique nodded and released her seat belt. She didn’t doubt him.

“
Now that we’ve
unpacked, what’s the first thing you want to do?”

Anna glanced around and met Zach’s gaze. If she really had a choice, she would boldly walk up to him and give him the kiss she’d been dreaming about giving him for almost a year. But she didn’t have a choice ... and she really wasn’t that bold.

They had arrived on Glendale Shores a few hours ago. It hadn’t taken long for them to unpack after they had gone walking and taken a tour of the island. It was beautiful, scenic, a lush paradise, the perfect place just to get away. Although she lived within thirty minutes by ferry, she’d never thought of crossing the waterways to visit the island alone.

“I guess we should concentrate on dinner,” she said, deciding that kind of chore sounded safest. Besides, they had to eat sometime. They had gotten a late start from Hilton Head, since they had made a quick stop at a grocery store. One thing was for certain, they didn’t intend to starve to death.

She watched him nod, flashing her one of those endearing smiles that made her want to love him forever, even if he never loved her back. “Hey, you’ll never get an argument from a man when it comes to food,” he said. “We live to eat.”

“Even if they have to do the cooking?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, didn’t I make myself clear at the store?”

“On what subject?”

“That when it comes to eating, we share cooking duties.”

“Share?”

He grinned over at her. “You didn’t learn English yesterday, Anna. Yes,
share.
You know what that means.”

She shrugged. “It seems while on this island I tend to have bouts of memory lapses.”

He cracked up. “Okay, let’s see which gets more intense later. Your memory lapses or your stomach griping from hunger.”

Anna playfully groaned. “Okay, you win. So what do we cook?”

“Something simple. I don’t feel like messing with the grill, so how about if we steam some shrimp, boil some corn, saute some fresh veggies, and call it a night.”

That sounded good to her. “Nothing to drink?”

“Oh, you’ll get something to drink,” he said in a deep and sexy voice that rumpled down her spine like a frisson of spiraling heat. “I personally know where your great-grandfather used to store his homemade stash.”

Anna flashed him a grin, definitely interested. “No kidding?”

“No kidding.”

Anna quickly crossed the yard, grabbed Zach’s arms, and tugged him up the steps into the house. “Then what are we waiting for?”

A few hours
later, Anna leaned over the table, groaning. “I ate too much.”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” Zach said, smiling at her. “You ate most of the stuff while we were cooking it.”

She straightened in the chair and shrugged. “I like fresh vegetables.”

“I think that was obvious, Anna.”

She lifted her chin as she stood up with their plates in her hands. “Well, buddy, let’s see if you get any of the dessert I threw together.” She then turned and walked off toward the kitchen.

Moments later Zach followed suit and found Anna standing at the counter lifting her arms as she tried to put something in a top cabinet. He knew the nice thing would be to offer to help, but at the moment he preferred just standing there staring.

She had a mass of beautiful hair. Usually she wore it back in a ponytail, but today it was loose and hung almost past her waist. It looked rich, luxurious, and thick—and whenever she moved, her hair moved with her, definitely placing emphasis to the sway of her hips. He was tempted, really tempted, to go over to her and run his hands through the strands of hair before gently pulling her head back to claim her lips.

“You plan on standing there, or do you intend to help?”

He blinked. She met his gaze over her shoulder. She’d caught him staring. He shrugged. There wasn’t a thing he could do about that now. “You want me to help someone who threatened to deny me dessert?” he asked teasingly, crossing the room at a leisurely pace.

“That would be nice.”

“What makes you think I’m a nice person?”

She turned around and smiled. “Your dad.”

He came to stop directly in front of her. “My dad?”

At her nod, he asked, “My dad said I was nice?”

“No. I’m assuming you’re nice because your father is. You know what they say about the pear not falling far from the tree bit.”

Zach hung his head down and guffawed, thinking that was much more polite than being rude and laughing in her face. Even after living in this country for quite some time, she still occasionally got her quotes mixed up. He glanced back up. “It’s apples and not pears, and just because my father’s nice doesn’t mean that I have to be.”

“But you are,” she said, lifting her head defiantly, something he thought she was very good at.

The first time he’d seen her do that had been when he’d made the trip to San Diego to convince her to return to D.C. with him and claim her rightful place as Ross Fuller’s heir. He had probably fallen in love with her then but hadn’t known it.

“Think whatever you like, Miss Ross-Fuller. You just better hope you never witness my mean streak.”

“If you say so.”

He sighed. Standing so close to her was stimulating one of his fantasies, his top one, which was to give her a kiss that was anything but platonic. It was a dangerous and crazy thought, but he couldn’t help wondering how she would handle it if he did just that.

“I was putting some stuff away while looking for a small plate to serve you some pie.”

Her statement intruded into his thoughts. “I thought you weren’t going to give me any dessert.”

She turned back around toward the sink muttering, and he could have sworn he heard her say something that sounded a lot like,
I’ll give you anything you want.
But when he asked her to repeat what she’d said, to make sure, her response was simply, “Nothing.”

He sucked in another deep breath. Had he really just imagined the words? Probably. No more than wishful thinking on his part.

“So do you want any pie, Zach?”

He came to stand next to her. “So you baked a pie, did you?” He wondered what she had cooked while he’d been taking a shower.

“No, I didn’t bake anything. It’s the microwavable kind. I have it from someone who knows you well that you have a sweet tooth.”

Oh, yeah, he had a sweet tooth, all right, and at the moment tasting her was all he was craving.

Half an hour
later Zach stood drying the last of the dinner dishes while Anna took her shower. Conversation over dessert had been nice. She’d told him how things had been going with her at work, and he shared with her how things had been going for him— deliberately not mentioning that he was considering going into politics. The people that knew wouldn’t say anything to her, so for now his secret was safe. Besides, when she found out, he would be the one to tell her and only after he was convinced she would be willing to be a politician’s wife.

After drying his hands on a towel, he grabbed two wineglasses and the bottle of wine he had located in the basement, right where he’d known it would be. He would never forget those summers he got to spend here on the island. The Denisons had been super, and he would always cherish the time he got to spend with Trey Fuller and his great-grandparents, forging a friendship with Trey that would last a lifetime. The two of them kept in touch often, and Trey had been the first person he’d confided in upon accepting his true feelings for Anna.

Going out on the porch that practically wrapped all the way around the huge two-story Southern-style home, he breathed the scent of the nearby ocean, flowering plants, and crisp pines. A few years ago, Randolph had decided to screen in the entire length of the porch to keep out the man-eating mosquitoes that came out in the summertime.

Zach set the wine bottle and glasses down on a wicker table before settling his masculine frame onto a matching sofa. He leaned back against the comfortable cushions, thinking this was just where he wanted to be—alone on a private island with the woman he loved. And he had her for the next two days all to himself.

“I wondered where you had gone,” Anna said, coming out on the porch to join him moments later.

He glanced up, flickering his gaze over her. She looked refreshed and as beautiful as ever, and with the light shining through the doorway he could see she had changed into a long skirt and blouse. He wasn’t sure just what kind of material the skirt was made of, but all he knew was that when she walked, the fabric had a way of clinging to her curves.

His body tensed, responding to her mere presence. He shifted in his seat. “I’m glad you could join me,” he said, watching how instead of coming to sit beside him she chose to sit in a chair opposite him. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea, he decided. Already he was tottering close to the edge. It wouldn’t take much to push him right on over.

“Well, did you find Grampa Murphy’s stash?” she asked him, and it was then that he noticed her hair was no longer loose but was in a ponytail.

“I said I would, didn’t I?” If only he could lean over and snap whatever was holding her hair together so he could watch it tumble around her shoulders.

“Well, may I have a glass?”

“I guess you may,” he said, reaching over and pouring two glasses of wine from the bottle. “Careful, this is strong stuff. You don’t want to indulge too much or we’ll be sleeping until Sunday.”

She grinned over at him. “And miss out on you taking me boating tomorrow? Don’t count on it.”

He handed her the glass then watched as she took a slow sip. Even the way she sipped her drink was sexy as hell.

“Tell me some more about him,” Anna asked in a quiet tone.

Whenever the two of them were alone Anna enjoyed hearing stories about her father, stories Zach’s father had passed on to him, since Ross Fuller had died before Zach and Anna were born. A lot of the stuff she had heard before, several times, but Anna never got tired of hearing it over and over again. In a way, he always enjoyed sharing it with her, and it only made his love and admiration for his father and the man who had been his dad’s best friend that much greater.

“Long ago there were two best friends by the name of Ross Fuller and Noah Wainwright. They attended Howard University School of Law together and were roommates. They were as close as brothers, and there was nothing one would not do for the other. Their friendship was solid. It was made to last a lifetime.”

He glanced over at her, saw the attentive expression on her face and the concentration in her eyes. As usual she was listening closely, taking in every word.

“Our country was embroiled in a bitter war, the Vietnam War,” he continued. “We were sending men, some too young to know how to hold a gun, or to fight, to defend our country’s honor. And because they loved their country, Ross and Noah decided to enlist after law school. Noah went into the air force and Ross into the marines, and they stayed in touch, those two best friends. Then one day Noah received a letter from Ross letting him know he had fallen in love with a beautiful Vietnamese girl named Gia and that he wanted to marry her. It was by a sheer act of God that Noah was able to be with Ross on the day he and Gia were married.”

Zach took another sip of his wine. Now came the sad part, the part that always brought out her tears. “Months later, Noah lost Ross when Ross became a casualty of the war, but no matter what, he was determined to fulfill the promise he’d made to his best friend that if anything were to happen to him, that Ross’s family would become his. Those two best friends had made plans for their children’s future, you see.”

Anna lifted her brow, and Zach knew why. He’d never told her this part before, the one about the plans Noah and Ross had made for their offspring’s future.

“What kind of plans?” she asked softly.

“If they were girls, they would be best friends. If both were boys, they would also be best friends,” he said, staring deep into her eyes.

She nodded. “And if they were a boy and a girl?” she asked thoughtfully.

“In that case, Ross and Noah figured their son and daughter would grow up, marry, and their love would be the tie that would bind the Fullers and the Wainwrights together forever.”

For the longest time neither said anything. Anna finally broke eye contact when she looked down into her wineglass. “Our fathers were something else, weren’t they?”

“Yes, they were. I would have loved to have known Ross Fuller.”

Anna nodded. “So would I. But there are times when I feel he is with me, especially whenever I’m in a disheartened mood. Those are the times I could swear that I hear him, whispering words of encouragement, letting me know he’s there, and that he’s proud of me and loves me, and that he loves my mother, too. And I believe even now they are together.”

She glanced over at Zach. “Does that sound crazy?”

Zach shook his head because he knew that even in death he would love her as well. “No, that doesn’t sound crazy at all. There are a number of things that defy logic, Anna. There are some things that can’t always be explained. Have you ever heard of predestination?”

She nodded. “The belief that a person’s life is predetermined before they are born?”

“Yes. I think there’s truth in some of that.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” Now was not the time to tell her that in his heart he actually felt he was placed on this earth to love her. And everything the both of them had ever endured in life was in preparation for the moment they would become one—including his marriage to Shaun. Shaun had been given to him to love but for only a short time, to strengthen his belief in love and to teach him how to appreciate the importance of sharing your life with someone.

“I think I’m going to turn in now, Zach.”

It was still early yet, and he wasn’t ready for her to go inside, but evidently she was ready to leave. “All right. I hope you get a good night’s sleep. We’ll be going boating first thing in the morning.”

“Okay. Good night, Zach.”

“Good night, Anna.”

He watched as she quickly went inside and knew that his life, his world centered on this one particular woman.