The feel of her holding him deep inside, her inner muscles clinging to him as she adjusted to his size almost sent him over the edge. But, determined to ensure her pleasure above his own, he covered her breasts with his hands then, kissing her shoulder and the slender column of her neck, slowly began to rock against her.
Their water-slick bodies moving in perfect unison caused the pulse in his ears to roar and, wanting her to find the same release that was rapidly overtaking him, he slid his hand down to touch her intimately. Stroking her with a rhythm that matched the movement of their bodies, he felt her inner muscles constrict, then gently caress him as she found the culmination they both sought. Her release triggered his own and, holding her to him, he shuddered as he followed her over the edge and gave up his essence to the woman he loved.
When his mind began to clear, Caleb carefully lowered Alyssa to the tiled floor, then turned her to face him. Even with her hair hanging wet and limp around her shoulders, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever had the privilege to lay eyes on and he had every intention of making her his—permanently.
But he couldn’t do that until he’d told her everything—who he was, why he’d been sent to run the financial firm and that he lacked the credentials to do the job right. He just hoped liked hell she’d forgive him for not telling her about himself from the beginning.
“We need to talk, sweetheart.”
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she grinned. “Here?”
He smiled as he shook his head. Standing buck naked in the shower wasn’t exactly the best place for the kind of confessions he’d be making. “Let’s dry off and get in bed.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Taking her by the hand, he pulled her out of the shower. “I’m going to make sure you like doing it even more.”
The next morning, when Alyssa woke to the sound of Caleb warbling an off-key version of a popular country song, she couldn’t keep from smiling. She found his habit of singing while he showered quite endearing. But in the few short weeks they’d known each other, she’d come to realize there wasn’t anything about him that she didn’t find completely irresistible.
He was outgoing and compassionate and when they made love, he never failed to ensure her pleasure before finding his own. And even though she’d had serious doubts about him taking over Skerritt and Crowe, she had to admit he was an absolute genius in his approach to management. Since his arrival, employee morale had been greatly improved, productivity was on the rise and they’d signed several new clients.
But as she lay there thinking about all the reasons she’d fallen in love with him, she couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted to discuss with her. He’d mentioned before the party, then again in the shower last night that they needed to talk. But when they’d toweled each other dry, their insatiable hunger had taken over and, after making love again, they’d immediately fallen asleep.
Had he decided their role-playing posed too great a threat to his peace of mind? Was he wanting to discuss how they were going to handle breaking off their pretend engagement?
Her stomach clenched painfully at the thought of never being held in his strong arms, of never tasting his need for her in his tender kiss. She’d given her heart to him, but she had no idea how he felt about her.
Deciding that she had a few questions of her own that needed to be answered, she tossed the covers aside and got out of bed. She grabbed his shirt from one of the chairs and quickly pulled it on. Sleeping with him in the nude was wonderful, but they needed to talk without being distracted again.
She got halfway across the room, but the ringing phone stopped her. Glancing at the clock, she wondered who on earth would be calling this early on a Saturday morning. She frowned when she read the words No Data on the caller ID.
As she stood there wondering if she should let the machine pick up the call, Caleb stopped singing. “Could you get that, Alyssa?”
“Sure.” She picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
There was a moment of silence, then a commanding female voice demanded, “Who am I speaking with?”
Alyssa frowned at the censure in the older woman’s voice. “Who are you wanting?”
“My grandson, Caleb Walker. Is he there?”
“He’s unavailable at the moment. Could I take a message?”
“Is this Ms. Merrick?” the woman asked, suddenly sounding much more pleasant.
“Yes, it is.” How on earth had the woman known who she was?
“Emerald Larson here. I thought I recognized your voice. How have you been? I don’t think we’ve had a chance to talk since I called to let you know Caleb would be taking over the firm.”
Alyssa felt as if her stomach had dropped to her feet. Emerald Larson, one of the most successful businesswomen ever and the first female to break into the Fortune 500 top ten, was Caleb’s grandmother?
“I must thank you for everything you’ve done for Caleb, my dear. I’ve heard the two of you make a great team,” the woman went on. “Considering Caleb’s lack of education, making the transition from simple country farm boy to running a financial firm the size of Skerritt and Crowe was a major challenge. But I’m not surprised that he’s been successful. He has the Larson genes, after all.”
“Of course,” Alyssa said, feeling more sick inside than she’d ever felt in her life.
“I’m sure that once he gets a few college courses under his belt, he won’t have to rely so heavily on you to run things. But rest assured, my dear, I’ll see that you’re well compensated for your efforts.”
Alyssa had to get off the phone before her fragile composure shattered into a million pieces. She’d done it again. She’d fallen for a man who only wanted to use her to accomplish his goal. The only difference this time was that she’d fallen hopelessly in love with Caleb.
“I really need to go, Mrs. Larson. I’ll tell Caleb to call you.”
Before the woman could respond, Alyssa broke the connection. When she looked up, Caleb was walking through the bathroom door as he secured a towel around his waist.
“Who was that?”
“Your grandmother.” Walking over to place the cordless phone in his hand, she fought to keep her voice even as she looked into his incredible hazel eyes. “Emerald Larson. She wants you to call her.”
When he reached for her, Alyssa successfully sidestepped his touch. “Please, don’t.”