Finding Forever (8 page)

L
iam put his
head in his hands, and though he fought it, he gave out a deep sigh.

“Is everything all right, son?” Frederick asked as he entered the room.

“Yes. I just …” Liam just bailed out with a sentence fragment. What could he say? Nothing. There was no rational solution. “It’s nothing. Too much work,” he lied.

Two days had passed since he’d shared that kiss with Whitney in the cave. After that, she’d taken pains to avoid him, and his body had burned with need for her. The need extended beyond mere lust, though, beyond the hope for a simple exchange of bodily pleasure. The needs tormenting him were to talk to her, share with her, learn about her.

And those sorry needs weren’t getting met.

“I see,” his father said in a knowing voice, one that immediately grated on Liam’s nerves.

It was time to change the subject. “Did you want me for something, Father?” Liam spoke far more sharply than he should have, but he didn’t want Frederick intruding into his personal life.

“No, not really. I was just checking in with you. Whitney has a caller in the main hall,” Frederick said offhandedly.

“A caller? What do you mean by that?”

“A gentleman caller. A man has come to
call
upon her. Surely you know that expression. Do you remember
The Glass Menagerie
?”

It took a few moments for the meaning of his father’s words to penetrate.

“I wasn’t aware she knew anyone here.” Liam was trying to seem casual, but feeling anything but that.

“She apparently met someone at the market,” Frederick told his son.

“She’s not staying. Why would she care to meet anyone?” Liam snapped.

“This is a good thing, son,” Frederick said. “For her and for us.”

Liam sent an irritated look his father’s way. “Why is it a good thing?”

“Because if she falls in love with someone here, she will most certainly want to stay. Then we get to be with the children without our being monsters,” Frederick told him.

“We aren’t monsters for wanting my brother’s children to have the best possible life they can,” Liam told his father. But he did feel like a monster for wanting to take the kids away from their loving aunt.

“Your brother also stated, very clearly, that he wanted to have his children raised by Whitney. He spent many years with her. If he trusted her with the children, shouldn’t we?”

“It’s not about trust,” Liam practically thundered.

“Then what is it about?” Frederick asked.

“We’ve spoken about this already, Father. It’s about the children having the advantages that come along with carrying the Felton name.”

“They already carry the Felton name. Whitney hasn’t tried to change it to Steele. And there’s more to life than a name, or even money. It took me too long to learn that. Your brother figured it out and then was lucky enough to fall in love and have a family.”

“And that family is also ours,” Liam reminded his father.

“Yes. So, as I said, hopefully this suitor here to see Whitney is a charismatic man who sweeps her off her feet. Then we get the best of both worlds,” Frederick said.

Liam was done with this conversation.

“It would be rude if I didn’t say go and say hello to this suitor,” he told his father.

And without another word, he rose and walked from the room. He made his way quickly down the hall and the first thing he heard was Whitney’s laughter, which tightened his gut.

“I’m so delighted you’ve agreed to come with me,” a man was saying, making Liam tense up even more.

When he stepped into the room and saw the guy, he grew even angrier. This worthless stranger was obviously trying to sweep Whitney off her feet, just as his father wanted, and it looked as if it was working.

“I’m thrilled you thought of me,” she said, and laughed again.

Liam coughed to make his presence known. “I see you have a visitor, Whitney.”

“Oh, Liam, this is Sam Linston. Sam Linston, Liam Felton.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Liam,” Sam said, holding out his hand.

Liam ignored the gesture. Yes, he knew he was being rude, but he didn’t care.

“So, what are your plans this evening?” he asked crisply.

“I’m going to take this beautiful lady to dinner and a show,” Sam said. The man looked a bit uneasy as he started picking up on the tension.

Liam stared at him a moment longer, and then turned his attention back to Whitney.

“I thought you were taking the children to a play tonight,” he said, with clear disapproval in his tone.

Whitney gaped at him for a few seconds. “The play I took the kids to was last night, Liam.”

“My mistake. I hope you have a pleasant evening,” he told them, and he quickly spun on his heel and began walking away.

Still, he heard Sam tell her that he’d be back in a couple of hours to pick her up for the show. Since dinner would be afterward, it would evidently be a long night.

Liam had meant to go toward his father’s office and then to leave the house altogether. He in no way needed to talk to Whitney about her date. But somehow he found himself moving toward her bedroom.

What in the hell was he thinking?

H
ow did you
meet Sam?” Liam asked just as she reached her door.

Whitney hadn’t expected to see him again today, and the sound of his voice, clipped and formal in the extreme, nearly made her jump a foot into the air. Her heart was racing as she whirled around to face him.

“You scared me to death, Liam.”

His arms were crossed over his chest as he waited for her to answer his question. She finally did.

“I met him at the market when I took the kids to town. I was surprised that he came over here to see me.”

“That was quick of him, don’t you think?”

“Are you angry about something?” Whitney wasn’t going to stand there and play games.

“No. Why would I be?” he asked with a shrug.

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

He was wearing his standard mask, and she couldn’t read him very well at the moment. She didn’t understand any of this. They’d only shared a couple of kisses — okay, plus a little more — and he’d expressed his desire to bed her, like a typical plutocrat who didn’t respect women of a lower social class. But he now seemed to be acting … jealous. That made no sense at all.

“I thought you’d told me that any relationship here would be pointless,” he said after a brief pause.

“I’m not planning to enter a relationship. I just met a man at the grocery store, and he has offered to take me to the theater. I thought it would be fun — maybe expand my horizons, as someone like you might say. But I don’t know why I’m explaining myself to you.”

“You’re in my home.”

“I am not. I’m in your father’s home. But what would that matter anyway?”

“It doesn’t.”

He turned and strode away, leaving her more confused than ever. What on earth was going on?

She decided to blow off any thoughts of Liam
and
his weird behavior, and she went inside her room. She needed to focus on getting ready, and she refused to suffer from any sense of guilt about going out. The children were taken care of and she hadn’t been on a date in so long that she might well have forgotten how to speak to a man.

The problem was that she didn’t have anything fancy enough for an evening at the theater, and she felt a little self-conscious as she got dressed. The only item that worked, or seemed to work, was her classic little black dress. She didn’t like wearing it — it was too short, in her humble opinion. But her sister, years older and much wiser, had insisted she buy it, and she’d caved in.

After a long and relaxing bath, Whitney got dressed and headed down the staircase just as the butler let Sam in the front door. She didn’t want to keep her date waiting, especially because Liam was in such a mood. She hoped Liam had gone home and Sam wouldn’t have to see him again.

“You’re a vision, Whitney.” Sam said as she reached him. “Truly a vision.”

He lifted her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. Odd. Why didn’t the gesture send butterflies to her stomach? Nerves, probably — what else could it be? When a man as sexy as Sam kissed her hand, the least her traitorous body could do was experience a few ripples of pleasure.

“Thank you, Sam. You look very handsome.”

And he did with his short brown hair, and twinkling green eyes. She should feel more attraction. He took her arm and led her outside, where a limo was waiting. What was it with all these limousines?

“Your carriage awaits, my lady,” he said with a flourish. The driver opened the door and she climbed inside, delighted to find champagne and strawberries. He poured her a glass of the bubbly, and they had a pleasant ride to the Big Apple.

The show was amazing, and dinner was excellent. His company not so excellent. He was a CFO for a dot-com business, and he lost her within less than a minute as he began talking about his day-to-day activities. How could such a good-looking, confident man be so dang boring? And she’d studied math!

By the time she was in the limo again, she was aching to get back to Frederick’s mansion. She’d tried to muster up some physical attraction toward Sam, but she couldn’t. Liam Felton was an out-and-out bastard, but maybe he’d ruined her. Maybe all other men would pale in comparison from now on. How sick was that? If only she could afford a shrink …

“Thank you for the wonderful evening,” Sam said as he walked her to the door. “May I call on you again?”

Whitney could see he wanted to kiss her, and yet she was holding her purse determinedly between them. And yet, before she was able to utter a word, he clasped her in his arms and brought his lips to hers.

She stood there stiffly for a moment. He tried to get a response from her, but none was forthcoming, and he finally pulled back. After an awkward silence for a few moments, she finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, Sam. I had a lovely evening with you, but I’m terribly tired.” She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to close the door on any possibility of another date. But she was leaving soon anyway, so what did it all matter?

“I understand, Whitney. You know, there’s a Christmas concert tomorrow in the area. Will you do me the honor of accompanying me?”

“That sounds like fun,” she replied. No, it didn’t, really, but she needed some distraction from the impossible situation in this old mansion.

“Sweet dreams,” Sam said, and he made a swift exit.

Whitney suspected that he’d done that so she wouldn’t have time to change her mind.

She took a deep breath and headed inside. It was late, so the halls were empty. Once upstairs, she peeked in on both children and saw them sleeping soundly.

She walked toward her door, feeling slightly depressed, but unsure why. She’d gone out, had an attentive companion, and should have had a wonderful time, but instead was feeling a lonely ache.

“How was your ‘date’?” Liam asked.

“Do you like to lurk in dark corners just so you can give me a heart attack?” she asked him. “This is the second time today.”

“Do you like to avoid questions?” He seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face now — she might have preferred the blank mask that he’d always worn before. “And technically it’s tomorrow now, but who’s counting?”

“I had a great time. I’m exhausted, though, so I’ll see you in the morning, perhaps. Or later.” She placed her hand on the doorknob and started to twist it when he grabbed her and hauled her toward him.

“Think about this tonight,” he said nanoseconds before his head descended. She had no time to react before his lips were pressed against hers.

Whitney’s pulse beat out of control and she could barely breathe. She involuntarily wound her arms around his neck and clung to him while his hands roamed up and down her back.

She could feel his arousal — it was impressive — and her stomach flipped upside down. She couldn’t seem to get enough of his taste, scent, or touch. She was quickly forgetting why kissing him was boneheaded … um … a major blunder.

“Invite me into your room,” he growled against her ear as he ran his skilled tongue down the curve of her neck, making her moan. All she had to do was say yes. She opened her mouth to utter the simple word as his hand slipped around her side and cupped her aching breast.

He flicked his thumb over her sensitive nipple, and she throbbed with the intense pleasure of the contact, even through her clothes.

She couldn’t help but cry out, and his body seemed to harden even more. He pressed her firmly against the bedroom door, molding the two of them even closer together.

Liam brought his lips back to hers, almost devouring her, and then he moved his hand to the hem of her little dress, sliding it upward, touching the skin of her inner thigh. She shook with need.

“Invite me inside,” he murmured again.

She would have said yes, would have begged him to take her right there against the door if she’d been capable of speech.

His hand slid further up, over the tops of her stockings, and then his fingers were against the bare skin of her hip and curling around her delicately rounded backside. Trailing his lips down her neck, he ignited a fire inside her that she’d only managed to feel with this one man. She was still standing only because of the pressure of his arms and the door behind her.

He moved his fingers upward and began undoing the zipper of her dress, and his tongue now slid across the swell of her breast. Her peaked nipple was begging for those warm lips of his to capture it, to send her spiraling out of control.

A door shut somewhere in the house, and that small sound brought her back to reality. What in heck was she doing? She was practically making love to this man in the hall, where her niece or nephew could walk by. Not to mention myriad other people.

“Liam, we have to stop,” she whispered. She could barely get the words past her throat, choked as it was by desire. She brought her hands down to his chest and pushed.

He lifted his head and stared at her in confusion. And those passionate eyes of his were almost her undoing. When he bent his head to take her lips once more, she didn’t know how she found the will to pull away, but she did. He let out a deep sigh and finally stepped back and walked away. Whitney let out her own sigh, gathered the strength to open her door, and slunk through it. After closing it, she sagged against it, and a shudder racked her body.

Why hadn’t she let him inside? Why couldn’t she have been selfish for one single night? It wouldn’t have hurt anyone.

Even as she had these thoughts and wishes, she knew how misguided they were. It would have hurt her, and hurt her sense of self. She knew she couldn’t ever have a one-night stand without deep regrets. Still, as she climbed into bed, her body in absolute agony, she wished she could be the kind of woman who could just let go.