Sinful (16 page)

“I know that. She’s in heaven. But she’s watching over us every day.”

Eve rocked Brooke in her arms. “Yes, she is.” Maybe the secret to forgiving herself for coveting Connor all those years was to keep Molly’s memory alive for her children. She led Brooke back to her canopied bed and joined her there, then began telling Molly’s daughter the story of her mother’s first date with her father at the Sadie Hawkins dance.

A little while later, Eve awoke in Brooke’s bed, aware she must have dozed. She checked on Brooke and saw that the little girl was sound asleep. She looked at the Hello Kitty clock on the side table and realized that nearly two hours had passed since Connor had left for the bunkhouse. Where was he? And what had happened to keep him away so long?

C
ONNOR HAD SET
his own worries aside until he was sure the spooked vet was back on an even keel, but if anything, tonight’s events had proved just how necessary a place like Safe Haven was. As he left the cabin, where the young soldier was now relaxed and joking with Frank and a couple of the other vets, Connor realized that the sanctuary would be in big trouble if his father revoked his trust fund. And Angus was just vindictive enough to do it if he didn’t get his way.

Connor’s lips pressed into a grim line. His father didn’t know him very well if he thought he would give up his new wife without a fight. Which made him wonder why he was so determined to keep Eve, especially in light of the way he’d sabotaged their lovemaking. Why on earth had he called out Molly’s name?

Because you replaced Molly with a woman that you’ve always lusted after. Because you felt guilty about enjoying the taste and the feel of her. Because you didn’t believe you deserved the joy of having Eve Grayhawk in your bed
.

At least he’d had a chance to make amends for his faux pas before his brothers and Eve’s sisters had interrupted
their wedding night. Connor wasn’t sure what it was about Eve that made his body sing whenever he was anywhere near her, but sing it did. He craved her in a way that seemed somehow sinful, because his desire was so strong.

All he had to do was recall the softness of her skin, the scent of her flowery shampoo, the taste of her kisses, and he was hard as a rock. Connor’s body throbbed, and he wondered if it might be possible to resume their wedding night. He checked his watch and was surprised to discover that it was nearly midnight. In all likelihood, his bride was sound asleep.

But what if she wasn’t?

The house was dark except for a single light in his bedroom. Connor felt his heartbeat speed up as he headed silently down the hall.

“Eve?”

His new-made wife sat up abruptly in bed and rubbed her eyes. She looked delightfully, delectably disheveled. One strap of her baby-doll pajamas had fallen off her shoulder, leaving it bare, and revealing the rounded crest of one luscious breast.

He closed the bedroom door and locked it, then crossed and sat down beside her.

“What time is it?” she asked in a throaty voice.

He couldn’t tell if she was aroused or just sleepy. He leaned over to kiss her bare shoulder, feeling her shiver when the air hit the damp spot his lips had left on her skin. He sat up and focused his gaze on the bow of her upper lip. “It’s still our wedding night for another ten minutes.”

“Is the soldier who was upset okay?” She lifted
her arms to shove her hands through her hair, causing her breasts to rise into peaks beneath the thin cotton.

Connor had trouble keeping his voice even as he replied, “He’s fine. He was just startled.” He brushed a thumb across one of her nipples and heard her sharp intake of breath. “I wasn’t sure you’d be awake.”

She lowered her hands. Her blue eyes, as warm as Caribbean waters, never left his. “I am now.”

He began unbuttoning his shirt, pulling the tails out of his jeans. “I could use a shower.” He hesitated, then said, “Would you like to join me?”

She looked uncertain, but she didn’t say no, so he rose and headed for the bathroom. He didn’t close the bathroom door, leaving it open as an invitation he hoped she would accept. He was already in the shower, steam rising to fill the room, when he spied her standing in the doorway. She was naked. The shy smile on her face made his heart jump.

“I decided I could use a shower, too.”

His pulse leapt as his shaft hardened. He shoved aside the clear shower curtain and held out his hand to her. “As you can see, I’m glad you decided to join me.”

She laughed and took his hand so he could help her climb into the ancient, claw-footed tub.

He pulled her close so the hard length of him pressed against her belly. The joy in Eve’s eyes sent adrenaline spiking through his veins. He caught a handful of her hair in his fist and angled her head for his kiss. She opened to him, welcoming the lash of his tongue as his wet hand slid across her breast, his fingers caressing a nipple that had formed into a hard bud.

She thrust her hands into his wet hair as he lowered his head and sucked the nipple into his mouth.

Eve moaned, and Connor replied with a guttural sound of satisfaction. His mouth was on hers again a moment later, as his hand slid down her belly between her legs, forcing them wide for his intrusion. He made another sound of appreciation when he felt how wet she was inside, and his fingers plucked at her like a harpist, making heavenly music. Eve made whimpering sounds and writhed in his arms, reaching for any part of him she could find. She brushed her hands across his nipples, which had become hard nubs, through the diamond of rough black hair in the center of his chest, and down past his naval. Before she could reach what she sought, Connor lifted her into his arms. He turned both of them into the spray of water and said, “Shut that off.”

Eve twisted the knob and threw the shower curtain aside almost in the same motion. Connor stepped out of the tub and headed for the bed. He laid her on the sheets, spreading her legs with his knees as he thrust himself inside her to the hilt.

She made a low sound of satisfaction in her throat, and he met it with a growl of his own.

She wrapped her legs around his hips as he lifted her buttocks to give him better purchase. He took what he wanted and gave pleasure in return. Eve arched into him, and he thrust deeper, groaning as her body captured him after each powerful thrust, only to release him to thrust again.

Her eyes had turned the dark blue of storm-ridden skies, and remained intent on his. He didn’t say her
name. He didn’t speak at all. But he was aware every second of the woman to whom he was making love.

Connor’s heart skipped a beat.
Making love
. It surprised him that he’d thought those words. He felt a great deal for Eve, more than he wanted to feel. More than he should have felt for a woman who’d become his wife as a matter of convenience. He was left with the uncomfortable thought that he might have had feelings for Eve—something more than lustful desire—when he was married to his wife.

Connor stopped thinking and concentrated on feeling. Everything. Every touch of Eve’s lips. Every caress of her fingertips. She gave all of herself to him. She took all of him. She arched upward into his body, her fingernails clawing his shoulders as her body began to convulse. A raw sound issued from her throat and was met by an equally ragged cry of his own. They clutched each other in the throes of something rare, a sharing of ecstasy that magnified the joy and pleasure of both.

As Connor eased himself to her side, his lungs heaving, she chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

Eve laughed, a happy sound, and said, “I need a shower.”

Connor smiled as he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. “We’ll get one in the morning.”

“Where are the covers?” she asked.

“Who cares?”

“The sheets are sopping wet.”

“Fortunes of war.”

She snuggled close, her nose against his throat,
her belly aligned with his. “So long as you don’t mind keeping me warm all night.”

His arms surrounded her and he leaned down to kiss her beneath her ear. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Connor.”

“What?” he murmured.

“We have to put on some clothes. Or find the covers.”

“Why?”

“The kids.”

“I locked the door.”

He heard her sigh and felt her relax. “Meanwhile,” he said, “I have you exactly where I want you.” His shaft stirred against her belly.

Her eyes opened wide. “Again?”

Connor shot her a smug grin. “Still.”

He hissed in a breath as Eve rubbed her breasts against the bristly hair on his chest. She smiled coyly and said, “I’m ready if you are.”

Connor took her at her word. He lifted her on top of him, her legs splayed on either side of his waist.

She seemed startled but delighted to be in control of their lovemaking. “Don’t move,” she ordered. “Not until I tell you it’s okay.”

She impaled herself on his erection, taking her time, moving to bring herself the most satisfaction, her eyes avid, her eyelids heavy.

Connor grasped her hips tightly, but he didn’t try to control her, just held on and lay still, afraid he would explode if he moved. As she leaned over him, his hands left her hips and he reached up to knead her breasts, playing with them and taking one in his mouth to suck, strong and hard.

Eve cried out as her body began to spasm. Connor’s hands caught her hips again to thrust hard and deep, and he gave a cry of exultation as he spilled his seed.

She collapsed onto his chest, her lungs sucking air as his bellowed beneath her. He closed his eyes and held her close, but he said nothing. This was no love match, so there were no love words to be spoken.

“M
Y WIFE
’
S STILL
in bed,” Eve heard Connor say from somewhere down the hall. “She didn’t get much sleep last night.”

There was long, terrible silence before she heard a hearty female laugh, a vigorous laugh, a totally engaging and funny laugh. Then Eve heard a voice she recognized as belonging to Mrs. Stack say, “Well, well, Mr. Flynn. I wondered whether this was a real marriage. I guess I have my answer.”

Eve smiled and stretched languorously, arching her toes and stretching her fingers wide. She was in a
real
marriage. She stopped mid-stretch and jumped out of bed. A
real
wife would be in the kitchen right now helping to make breakfast. She wrapped her naked body in a sheet and ran down the hall barefoot, ducking into her former bedroom to put on a robe and slippers before continuing her journey to the kitchen. She found Mrs. Stack sitting on one of the bar stools with Sawyer on her lap. Brooke occupied the other stool, while Connor stood at the stove making pancakes.

When he saw her he said, “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

A hot blush rose on her cheeks in response to the eloquent look he gave her. She ruffled her hands through her hair before tucking it neatly behind her ears. “Good morning.”

“Hi, Aunt Eve,” Brooke said.

“Hi, Aunt Eve,” Sawyer said. “Want some pancakes?”

“I sure do.” She exchanged another look with Connor, who had the audacity to arch a knowing brow, reminding her of the reason she was so hungry.

“I was just telling Mr. Flynn it won’t be necessary for me to check in as often, now that you two are married.”

“That’s good to hear.” Eve wondered what the social worker was going to think when she took off for Nevada in six weeks.
Am I really going to leave Connor and the kids?
How could she not go? It was what she’d worked for all her life.

What if you give up
your
dream, and Connor ends up having to annul the marriage to save
his
dream?
Eve found it hard to believe, after what had happened between them last night, that Connor would do such a thing. The lovemaking had been exactly that—making love to each other. No words of love had been spoken by either of them, but Connor had revered her and made her feel adored. And she’d finally, at long last, been able to touch and tease and torment him in ways that had given them both unbelievable pleasure. Surely he couldn’t make love to her with such tenderness and then walk away.

Unless he had no other choice.

If Angus cut Connor off, even what she earned from
National Geographic
wasn’t going to be enough
to make up for the lost income from his trust fund. And he was every bit as passionate about what he was trying to accomplish at Safe Haven as she was about saving wild mustangs from slaughter.

Eve stared at Connor’s back as he chatted with the social worker, wondering if her happily ever after was about to be ended, not by a wicked old witch, but by a wicked old man.

“The judge authorized supervision for six months,” Mrs. Stack was explaining to Connor, “or for a shorter period if I’m satisfied that the children are in a safe, happy home.” Mrs. Stack glanced from Connor to Eve and said, “I’m willing to give the two of you the benefit of the doubt. Of course, I have the option to revisit my decision if circumstances change.”

Eve’s heart sank. She met Connor’s gaze and saw the concern there. He wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“Those pancakes are burning,” Mrs. Stack said.

Connor pulled the pan off the fire and dumped the burned pancakes in the sink. “I’ve got plenty of batter,” he said with a hard-won smile. “I’ll have another batch ready in a jiffy.”

“With blueberries?” Brooke asked.

“Yep,” Connor replied.

Eve had shopped for blueberries before they returned from town yesterday, along with eggs and milk and enough fruits and vegetables to satisfy someone as particular as Mrs. Stack, while Connor ran some errands.

“Will you be staying for breakfast?” Eve asked.

As Mrs. Stack stood, Eve took Sawyer from the social worker, setting him on her hip.

“I’ve got to get back to town,” Mrs. Stack said. “You folks enjoy your breakfast.”

A moment later she was gone. Eve joined Connor at the stove. She looked into his troubled eyes and said quietly enough so the children wouldn’t hear, “What’s she going to think about me leaving to work in Nevada?”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

Eve took a deep breath and asked, “What are you going to do about the ultimatum from your father?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Aren’t you worried that he’ll rescind your trust fund?”

“My father can do what he wants. I’m not going to let him dictate my life. We’re going to have breakfast, and then, if it’s all right with you, we can take the kids for a horseback ride and enjoy a picnic lunch. We’re entitled to a honeymoon. I say we enjoy it.”

Eve couldn’t believe Connor was so nonchalant about the potential calamity he faced if his father took away the funds he needed to support Safe Haven. But he knew Angus better than she did. Maybe when push came to shove, Angus wouldn’t—couldn’t—hurt his son like that. Or maybe Connor had some other source of income she didn’t know about.

“A horseback ride and picnic sound wonderful,” she said.

Brooke could ride by herself, and Sawyer was completely comfortable on horseback in the lap of an adult. Then it dawned on her that she and Connor were taking two little kids on their “honeymoon” picnic. And that she was looking forward to it.

The reality of life with Connor and the children
was turning out to be every bit as wonderful as she’d imagined. There were a few glitches, of course. Like needing to leave her new husband and family so soon to pursue a professional dream come true. And Connor perhaps ending up broke.

Eve was doing her best not to wallow in guilt about getting what she’d always coveted. But she wondered if the sudden obstacles to her fairy-tale ending meant that she didn’t deserve what she was getting, and that, in fact, she might not, after all, live so happily ever after.

Like most women she knew, Eve wanted it all: to be a superb wife and mother and have a satisfying professional life. She was discovering that the balancing act required wasn’t easy. And that there were no simple answers.

All she could do was live each day as it came and make the choice at each turning point that seemed most likely to make her happy. Right now, nothing could make her happier than spending the day with Connor and the children, especially since she could take along her camera.

Eve grinned. It seemed like a good omen that for today, at least, she could have her cake and eat it, too.

“What has you grinning like the Cheshire cat?” Connor asked.

Eve shook her head, unwilling to explain that, in a life that had become very complicated, all her choices this morning had been easy. Instead she said, “I’m just happy.”

Within the hour, they’d packed a lunch and saddled the horses, Eve had collected the black canvas
bag that contained all her camera equipment, and they were on their way.

“Where are we going?” Eve asked as they mounted up at the stable, Sawyer settled in Connor’s lap.

“Before I bought the ranch I rode most of the trails. One of them leads to a mountain meadow, which ought to be filled with wildflowers about now.”

It was a perfect Wyoming spring day, the sun warm and the wind absent. Eve had her camera slung around her neck so she could easily take pictures. She looped her knotted reins around the saddle horn so she would have both hands free to take a photograph of Connor and his son.

Sawyer was leaning back against Connor’s chest looking up at his father, while Connor’s head was bent to answer whatever question his son was asking.

Click
.

Connor looked up at the sound and smiled self-consciously.

“Don’t mind me,” Eve said, giving her horse a nudge with her heels to keep him moving along with the other animals.

“Take my picture, Aunt Eve,” Brooke said.

“Ride up beside your father,” Eve encouraged the little girl.

“Here I come.” Brooke smiled for the camera and dug her heels into her pony’s side, prodding him to a trot.

Click
.

The three of them stopped to wait for Eve to catch up, and Sawyer leaned way over to pat the neck of Brooke’s pony.

Click
.

“Look!” As Connor pointed, Sawyer sat upright and both children lifted their eyes skyward. Brooke shaded her eyes with her hand to observe the eagle soaring overhead.

Click
.

Connor turned around in the saddle and said, “Are you coming, Eve?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll catch up.”

Connor took her at her word and kicked his horse into a slow trot. Eve let them get a little farther ahead, angling her horse to the side so she could get a shot of the riders on horseback with the unending green forest and cloudless blue sky in the distance.

Click
.

Holding the camera in one hand and the reins in the other, she urged her horse into a lope to catch up to them.

“I figured you brought your camera along to take pictures of wildlife, not pictures of us,” Connor said.

“You’re a different kind of wildlife,” Eve teased. “Besides, I’ve got an eagle in one of those shots, not to mention a couple of horses.”

Connor laughed. “Touché. Click away.”

Eve did exactly that, saving moments of love and laughter along the trail that she and Connor could enjoy long after the children were grown. Eve realized that she didn’t want this fairy tale to end. There had to be a way, there just had to be a way, to make it all work out—the job and the kids and the husband and the unborn babies they would have someday in the future. But how?

After two hours on the trail, they emerged from
the forest onto a grassy meadow filled with colorful wildflowers, hundreds of yellow butterflies flittering and fluttering among them.

Eve gasped. “Oh, Connor. How lovely!”

“I’m glad you like it,” he said as he lowered Sawyer to the ground, then dismounted himself. The little boy took off at a run following his sister, who’d slid off her pony the moment they reached the meadow, chasing after butterflies.

“Stay where I can see you,” he called to the two children. “We’ll be eating lunch soon.”

“Okay,” Brooke called back without stopping.

Eve untied the blanket behind her saddle and loosened the cinch, staking her horse, along with Brooke’s, on a long line so they could munch on the mountain grass and not stray. Connor did the same with his horse before retrieving the saddlebags that contained their picnic lunch.

Connor set the saddlebags on a rock outcropping, then took the blanket from Eve and flung it open so it settled on a level spot in the grass. She straightened the edges before dropping to her knees on the blanket. Connor transferred the saddlebags onto the blanket and joined her there.

From the corner of her eye, Eve had been keeping track of the children. “They’re going to be exhausted if they keep running around like that.”

“Good. Maybe they’ll take a nap after lunch.”

Eve felt her face flush when she met Connor’s gaze. It was perfectly clear what
he
would like to do to
her
after lunch.

“Brooke! Sawyer!” he called. “Time to eat.”

The children must have been hungry, because they
came running. By the time they reached the blanket, Eve had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apple slices set out on paper plates and small juice boxes affixed with straws. The kids arrived breathless and plopped onto the blanket.

“Here, Aunt Eve,” Brooke said, handing Eve a bunch of wildflowers she’d picked. “These are for you.”

“Here, Aunt Eve,” Sawyer said, dropping a handful of flowers without stems into her lap. “For you.”

Eve felt tears sting her eyes. “They’re beautiful. Thank you both.” She gave each child a kiss to show her gratitude, but they were more interested in the plates of food, digging in as though they hadn’t finished breakfast a mere three hours ago.

Eve suddenly realized that the children had given all the flowers to her, rather than sharing them with their father. “You deserve a few of these,” she said to Connor, holding out the bouquet Brooke had handed to her.

He plucked one of the flowers from her hand and sniffed it, then looked into her eyes and said, “I’d rather enjoy the sight of you holding them.”

Was he
flirting
with her?

Connor got distracted when Sawyer dripped jelly onto his shirt. He grabbed a napkin and swiped up the blob, then unwrapped his own sandwich and began eating.

Eve was still staring at him, enjoying the thrill of being admired by a man who’d married her for practical reasons that had nothing to do with admiration.

“Here,” he said, tossing her a sandwich in a completely unloverlike way. “Better hurry up and eat. I
have a feeling that when they’re done we’ll all be chasing butterflies. Personally, I’d rather be picking flowers.”

He shot her a mischievous look, and Eve felt a frisson of excitement race down her spine.
Picking flowers?
Or did he mean plucking buds of an entirely different sort?

When they were done eating, the kids were still bouncing with energy, so Eve suggested a game of tag.

“That’s a great idea,” Connor said. “You’re it!”

Eve decided to tag Brooke and raced after the laughing girl. Brooke was so agile, and made such quick stops and starts and turns, it took Eve several breathless minutes to catch up to her. “Tag!” she shouted when she finally tapped Brooke’s shoulder. “You’re it.”

Eve turned and ran to escape before she could be tagged back, and Brooke looked for Sawyer, who would be an easy target. Unfortunately for her, Connor had picked up the little boy and was running with him in his arms. Sawyer giggled as Connor weaved back and forth to avoid his daughter, and Eve joined in as she dodged and darted to stay out of Brooke’s way.

Eve was surprised when Connor didn’t slow down to let the little girl catch him. She was equally surprised when Brooke didn’t give up, just kept pursuing Connor until he tripped in a gopher hole and almost fell, going down on one knee to be sure Sawyer didn’t take a tumble.