Then because of his purpose in seeking out his mother tonight, and because he could read the turbulence and pain in her eyes unusually well at the moment, he softened his voice. "Get yourself some help Mother. Otherwise, we'll have to do it for you."
After a tense moment during which neither of them spoke Bonita extricated her hand from his and went up the stairs without a look back.
Watching his mother depart Stephen reflected on her accusations, and his thoughts naturally turned to the status of his relationship with Megan.
Yesterday had been fantastic. He'd taken Megan and Jade for an outing aboard his prized yacht and had been able to share one of his favorite pastimes with his daughter for the first time. Life didn't get any better.
On top of it all his and Megan's lovemaking had been as explosive as ever. He meant to repeat the experience as soon as possible. Tonight, if he could arrange it.
Yesterday, when Megan hadn't seemed to mind the possibility of getting pregnant again, he'd nearly blown his cool right then with his blinding need to have her.
Now the thought of having more children with her made his pulse quicken all over again. This time he wanted to be around for all of it. He wanted to experience the wonder of pregnancy with her. He wanted to be there when their child was born.
He wanted Megan in his bed in his life. Period.
If Megan didn't realize it already, he was going to set out to prove it to her.
Their marriage in name only was about to become a marriage in every possible way.
When they got home from Bonita's estate Megan helped Jade get ready for bed then tiptoed out of her daughter's room while Stephen read a bedtime story.
Returning to her own room, she thought about how wonderful it would be to luxuriate in a warm bath for half an hour. She’d survived the evening, and all she wanted to do now was relax.
Instead, however, she opted for a quick shower in the adjoining bathroom. A hot shower would do the trick almost as well to relieve her tight muscles. And it had the added benefit of being relatively fast—no need to worry too much about Stephen moving around in the next room.
She stripped, then walked into the bathroom and got the water running in the shower. Stepping into the stall, she sighed and closed her eyes as hot jets of water pounded her.
All in all she had to admit the evening hadn't gone badly. Bonita—judging from what Stephen had told her beforehand by way of warning—seemed to have behaved fairly well.
And Stephen’s siblings had been warm, welcoming and nonjudgmental. They appeared to accept that whatever her relationship with Stephen had been, and whatever reasons shed had for not telling Stephen about Jade, it was all water under the bridge now that she and Stephen were married.
She sighed again.
"Need me to do your back?"
She gasped and jerked around.
Stephen stood outside the shower stall, and from his lazy, amused tone, he'd gotten quite an eyeful.
"What are you doing here?" Surprise made her tone sharp.
His lopsided grin emerged. "I knocked on your bedroom door, and when I got no response I came in." His eyes crinkled. "I thought you might have fallen asleep on the bed—again."
"Well, as you can see. I'm taking a shower!"
His eyes traveled downward. "Yeah. I can see all right—"
"What do you want?"
His eyes came back to hers. "Take a guess."
She regretted her choice of words. "I'll be out soon."
She made her tone repressive. They needed to talk, that was for sure—but not here and now! She used her pointed tone to mask her susceptibility.
She felt vulnerable and exposed, not to mention that standing before him na**d was doing strange things to her insides.
Stephens grin only widened. "Sure about the back scrub?"
"No. thanks."
'I’ll try to get over the devastating rejection."
"I know it doesn't happen much, but join the masses."
His eyes glinted at her humor. "Do you remember the showers we took together?" he murmured. "We'd wind up late for work."
She certainly hadn't forgotten. How could she? Shed replayed those scenes in her mind too many times over the years.
She moved to turn off the shower. "I've grown up." she responded.
"So have I." he drawled, turning toward the door, "but that doesn't exclude indulging in some fun."
Judging by their encounter yesterday, she'd have to agree with him. Mercifully, though, she was spared a response as he walked out of the room.
Twenty minutes later, she wandered downstairs in her bare feet, a satin robe over a matching knee-length gown. Damp tendrils of hair lay against her shoulders. She hadn't completely succeeded in keeping her hair dry despite tying it up for the shower.
She found Stephen in the spacious living room. The lights were turned down low and the voice of Harry Connick Jr. crooning "Only You" sounded softly in the background.
Stephen stood holding two wineglasses filled with red wine. He held one out to her.
A little flame she was all too familiar with ignited inside her.
Shed sought him out for a talk—the recent episode in the shower had convinced her they were past due for one—but this wasn't quite the ambience she was expecting.
"Relax." he said, as if reading her mind.
She realized her only hope rested with appearing cool and nonchalant. Stephen would exploit any hint of responsiveness to his advantage.
With that thought, she took the wineglass from him—ignoring how the brush of their hands sent a tingling through her—and sat with him on the couch.
"Thanks for coming to the family dinner tonight." he said. "I know it was stressful for you."
"It’s important for Jade to meet your family." she said, glad to be on a safe topic. "She is the first grandchild, after all."
She took a sip of her drink. She’d expected him to immediately begin putting the moves on her so he’d thrown her off with his comment.
Still, it was hard not to be aware of him. He was impossibly masculine in black pants and an open-collar white shirt. His shirtsleeves had been rolled back to expose the dark hair of his arms.
Now he nodded. "I know some of my siblings would have bet good money against my being the father of the first grandchild. We almost beat Parker and Anna to the altar, too."
She looked down into her glass. "Your mother behaved well."
She hadn’t gotten a warm, fuzzy feeling from Bonita Garrison, but she was happy the woman had been polite and accepting of Jade.
"For a change." Stephen said.