Vivid Temptation (Touched By You) (4 page)

The main course consisted of a roasted turkey accompanied with lima beans, green peas, diced potatoes, and cooked chestnuts. Tanner had brought a 2000 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay, a lightly oaked white wine from California’s Sonoma Coast. Freshly baked bread with herbed butter rounded out the meal.

As the French would do, the baby lettuce salad was served after the main course, followed by a plate of cheeses. Christmas music played in the background and a fire roared in the
fireplace. Asher couldn’t stay in his seat for such a long meal, and was allowed to come and go. He spent as much time playing with his new toys as he spent eating.

Dessert was served, and Asher sat in Ellis’ lap, sharing his serving. “More, Daddy, more,” he kept saying, opening his mouth wide like a baby bird. It was
bûche de Noël, a flat sponge cake covered with chocolate mixed cream and rolled up to form a wood log called bûche in French. The cake was covered with chocolate icing and decorated to resemble a log. The log was served with Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque, silky elegant champagne with a floral aroma. Flowers were enameled on the bottle, and it came in a gift box with two matching glasses. It had been a wedding gift from Emma, and the holiday meal was the ideal time to enjoy it.

The traditional French dessert turned out perfectly, in true Ellis style. After eating, everyone cleared away some of the dishes and stretched in front of the fire. Then coffee and liqueur were served with truffles. Start to finish, the meal was delicious, and took hours to eat and enjoy. It was late by the time Tanner and Natalie said goodbye, leaving Emma to stay overnight. They stepped into the cold night air, and put their gifts in the trunk before sliding into the back seat of the limo.

On the way home, Natalie leaned against Tanner. It had been the best Christmas she could remember. In her hand, she held the gift Tanner had given her—a gold charm of the skating rink at Rockefeller Center. She didn’t know how he’d had it made so fast. It had a cut diamond for the ice in the rink and tiny diamond chips for the glittering holiday lights. “Thank you again for the lovely present.” She held it up to watch it reflect the nighttime light.

“I’m so glad you like it, baby. And thank you for the ring. That was very thoughtful.”

Natalie held his hand up to get another look of the ring on his right hand. It was white gold with a six-carat round-cut diamond. She thought it looked good on him. Tanner had plenty of money but didn’t tend to spend it on such things. Now that she saw him wearing the gift, Natalie was even more pleased with her choice. Inside the ring, she’d engraved a message: “To the man I love.” Remembering Tanner’s emotional reaction when he’d read the inscription, Natalie smiled.

“Merry Christmas, Tanner, my love.”

“Merry Christmas, baby.” He kissed Natalie’s hand, the one that still held the special charm. Then Tanner kissed her lips, lingering, wanting more.

After all the food, wine, and holiday activity, Natalie fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she woke up and reached for Tanner, all she got was a handful of sheets. It was still early; sun was barely peeking through the windows.

Sliding out of her warm bed, Natalie padded over the thick carpet to the small bathroom. There she tried to wake up, brushing her teeth and untangling her hair, wanting to look presentable before finding Tanner and a hot cup of coffee.

When she stepped back into the room with her robe around her, a sound of running water came from the large master bath—the shower. Natalie went to the door and heard the water, but didn’t see Tanner. Walking to the entrance to the tiled walk-in shower, she stopped.

Riveted by the sight of her husband, she just stared. The tattoo of her name etched across his low spine touched her emotionally. Natalie admired his firm butt, lean athletic thighs, and the way his wide shoulders swept in a masculine V down to his narrow waist. Her body tingled and she slipped her robe off to join him in the shower.

The roar of the water muffled any sound she made. Coming up behind him, Natalie paused to take a closer look. Oh my, he was sexy. Sensing her presence, Tanner turned. His blue eyes pierced into her, making her weak.

Taking her wrist, Tanner pulled her closer. “Good morning, baby,” he said, his intent not matching his words. Without waiting for a reply, he pulled her against him and covered her mouth with his. The warm water ran down his back and splashed over her face.

He lifted her, leaving her toes barely touching the shower floor. The feel of his hands on her ass, squeezing her, was too good. As he slid her over his taut, wet skin, Natalie felt the heat of his erection against her belly.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, and with his hands under her buttocks, Tanner held her up. Natalie wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing harder, dipping her tongue deeply into his mouth. When Tanner leaned back, she gasped for air.

“You’re lucky I didn’t ravage you in your sleep last night. Now that you’ve made me wait, I want you all the more.”

Natalie rocked her hips a little to stimulate his arousal, though it was not needed, to encourage him to make good on his threat. He kissed her cheeks, earlobe, and neck, devouring her greedily. Natalie let one leg drift down his body, resting one foot on the wet surface below.

Her gorgeous husband put his arm under her other leg, keeping it up. Natalie held tight to his shoulders. Gripping the base of his cock with his other hand, Tanner fisted it once hard and ran his palm over the head. His growl of desire tightened her clit.

Standing with one leg straight, the other bent and lifted high, was immensely erotic. The pound of the shower was blocked by Tanner’s body, but the spray tickled over her sensitive tissues, heightening the sensations surging inside her. The vision of Tanner fisting his thick cock nearly pushed her too far.

The hard knob of his cock touched the tender area over her clit. Purposefully, Tanner jockeyed it back and forth in short motions, rubbing her with the very tip. Natalie made a little sound in the back of her throat, an involuntary expression of her insane need for him.

He slipped his heat inside her, and Natalie whimpered. Easy and slow, he penetrated, stretching her wonderfully. Deeper, deeper he slid, and the shower could no longer drown out the sound of their panting.

Tanner’s breath came heavy and fast, the sound adding to the erotic excitement of the moment. The hard kiss he gave while buried inside her was barely a distraction from the feel of his hot shaft. He rubbed her breasts and pinched her nipples, eliciting a whimper of pleasure.

Holding her, Tanner fucked with vigor. With one leg up, the position was different, the path shallower. Every thrust felt so good, she could have come easily, but held off. Wanting more, taking more, Natalie closed her eyes, feeling lightheaded.

Tanner didn’t slow. With loud panting and intermittent moans, he took them both to the peak of pleasure. When Natalie released, her strong inner muscles wrapped around his steel cock like a velvet glove.

Yelling from the pure intensity of the experience, Tanner’s voice echoed in the small space. The sound was virile and masculine, reverberating around Natalie, impossibly erotic and adding to her pleasure.

Reaching her peak and going limp, Natalie lowered her other leg and fell into Tanner’s arms. Motionless, they clung to each other in a tight embrace. Reaching back, Tanner turned off the water and, carrying h
is wife, went out to dry off.

Wrapping her in a fluffy towel, Tanner hugged her and pressed her head to his chest. She felt wonderful, floating in a post-orgasmic state, in the strong arms of her husband. The feel of his rock-hard chest against her, and his possessive touch, made her feel so loved. Not in a hurry to part, Tanner stayed in that position for several delicious minutes, feeling the special emotion of the moment with her.

The holidays passed, and in January the world of fashion exploded. Natalie was glad her CEO deflected the majority of the business demands. Coordinating merchandising, contracts, and legal affairs in New York, London, Paris, Moscow, and Milan was no small operation. Under no delusion that she could ever handle all of those details alone, Natalie was grateful to have her company under the umbrella of Clarke Luxury and in the hands of her capable team.

But with spring not far off, pressure increased to complete designs for the coming season. With the weather still bitingly cold in New York City, it was hard to think of light floral dresses and sleeveless tops. Natalie focused during work hours and was determined to continue delivering innovative designs for her company.

The frequent travel with Tanner helped a lot. Going to other cities and seeing other cultures expanded her view of the world. Always with an eye to fashion and keen to notice what women in other countries wore, Natalie found the creative spark she needed. A life without fashion design would be less than a full life for her. Passion compelled her, and the joy of designing outweighed the stresses that came with her chosen field.

The opportunity with GR Fashion Showroom continued to pay off. Through the exposure there, Natalie had many new relationships with buyers. Many times she’d expressed her gratitude to Gianni for his support. But he always turned it around, thanking her for the stunning designs. He was good for her ego, she had to admit.

But it had nothing to do with how handsome he was. In the past, he’d been a source of jealousy for Tanner. Over time, her husband had gained confidence that there was no threat. And rightfully so. Gianni had never been anything but professional. She admired him greatly, as a man and as an entrepreneur. But that was as far as it went.

Being a woman, of course, she could admire an attractive man—from afar. With his sandy blond hair, gray-blue eyes, and athletic build, he was definitely on the female radar. Add to that his success, immense wealth, and magnetic charm, and you had a deadly combination. It didn’t surprise her at all that he was a sought-after bachelor.

It probably went a long way toward dousing the flames of Tanner’s jealousy when photos of Gianni with a beautiful young woman on his arm began showing up in the gossip columns. Maybe it was just the media creating a stir about rumors of the fashion mogul’s love affair. Possibly it was a serious relationship. It wasn’t Natalie’s business; she was just glad the news gave comfort to Tanner.

Late in the year, when Natalie had had time, she’d completed the wedding dress design for Ella Walker. Sitting at her computer, she took pleasure in looking at the photographs Ella had sent. Based on Natalie’s design details, she’d had the dress made for her to the specifications and tailored to fit.

Ella was slender though athletically fit; Natalie could tell from the pictures she had sent. Her brown hair hung to her shoulders. She had lovely big brown eyes and lightly bronzed skin. Since she preferred the outdoors and had a love of surfing, any style created for her should be comfortable as well as stunning, allowing for freedom of movement.

A wedding day was special, and the dress would be remembered forever. So Natalie had agonized over the details, emailing floods of questions to Ella. At last, it all came together. The dress fit Ella’s slender curves, showing off her figure in the best way. It was elegant but understated. No excess ruffles or huge billowy skirts; that would overpower Ella’s unique beauty.

The white satin strapless dress curved over the bosom, with delicate gems encrusted along the rim. The fabric swept across the body and gathered at the left hip, where more gems adorned the silhouette. The dress skimmed down to the ankle with no excess fabric. It was soft and feminine without being overly frilly.

Ella said the wedding date had not been set due to other things that had come up. But she looked forward to announcing the date soon. She was thrilled with the dress, thinking it perfect for her personality, and that it showed her figure to best advantage. She hoped to meet Natalie one day if both their busy lives ever allowed for it. With Tanner using Adam’s technologically advanced software and in need of his ongoing programming services, the likelihood of
eventually meeting increased. Both women hoped they’d have the chance to get to know each other better.

Hearing that Tanner and Natalie had dined at Fiore, she asked how they liked it. It pleased her that they’d met
Fiorella, her future sister-in-law. And in response to Natalie’s comment that Fiorella was not only an amazing gourmet cook, but one of the nicest, most delightful women she’d ever met, Ella enthusiastically agreed.

Ella thanked her again. With payment for the design, a copy of her book
Dare To Love
was included. Knowing she was a romance author, Natalie had inquired about the book; she was thrilled to receive the personally signed copy.

Ella promised to send photos of the wedding when she had the pleasure of wearing the beautiful custom-made dress. Natalie was relieved that it had turned out so well. It was one thing to design fashions for mass-market sales. It was quite another to sati
sfy the personal taste of a woman on one of the most important and memorable days of her life.

Natalie was still on a high from the interaction with Ella when a text arrived that concerned her. Jazzy had been staying home with Asher, not wanting to leave him with a babysitter at all. Until he was old enough to start school, she planned to be a stay-at-home mother.