Seducing the Wolf (29 page)

Jarred out of his painful musings, Manning angled his head to stare down at Taylor’s face. “What’d you say?”

“I don’t want children,” she repeated.

Manning’s chest tightened. She couldn’t have hurt him more if she’d plunged a stake through his heart.

“Why—” His throat worked on a hard swallow. “Why do you say that?”

“I don’t think I deserve to bring children into this world,” she quietly confessed. “Not after the way I failed Micah.”

“You were sixteen years old, Taylor. You had no way of knowing he would run out of the house.”

“He wouldn’t have been able to if I’d locked the door properly. He couldn’t reach the top deadbolt. That was the purpose of it. To keep him inside. To keep him safe. And I failed to do that.”

“It was a mistake—”

“And Micah paid for it.” She squeezed her eyes shut, a fine tremor running through her body.

Manning’s heart twisted. “Baby—”

“What if I have an autistic child? What if I can’t meet all his needs? What if I turn my back on him for
one
minute and something terrible happens? What if I
fail
him?”

“Shh.” Manning pressed his lips to her temple, his arms tightening around her. “Don’t think like that. Don’t torture yourself.”

“I can’t help it,” she cried. “Wherever I go, I see Micah in the face of every child I meet. There’s no way I can ever become a mother. I couldn’t bear to lose—” Her voice broke.

As she began to weep softly, Manning rubbed her back and murmured soothingly, “It’s all right, sweetheart. Everything’s gonna be all right, I promise.”

He held her until the emotional storm subsided, until the last of her tears had been absorbed into his skin.

And when she fell asleep in his arms, he lay awake and stared at her with the fervent wonder of a healed blind man beholding his first Picasso.

Tenderly stroking her hair, he whispered, “Thank you for coming back to me.”

Now he just had to find a way to make her stay….

21

T
he ringing of his cell phone dragged Manning out of a sound sleep.

Slowly opening his eyes, he stared at the back of Taylor’s head resting on his left forearm. His other arm was curled around her waist as he spooned her from behind, her lush bottom tucked against his pelvis, their bare legs tangled under the covers.

A soft, drowsy smile curved his lips. He couldn’t think of a better way to start his day than waking up with the woman he loved.

When his phone rang again, he carefully eased his arm from beneath Taylor’s head and rolled away from her warm body to reach the bedside table. When he picked up the phone and looked at the display screen, he was surprised to see that it was well after seven A
.
M. No wonder Mr. Haley was calling.

Pressing the answer button, Manning mumbled a groggy greeting to his driver.

“Good morning to you too.” Mr. Haley sounded amused. “Even though I didn’t hear from you last night, I assumed that you wouldn’t want to be picked up at your usual time.”

Manning grinned crookedly. “You assumed correctly.”

The old man chuckled. “I took the liberty of stopping by the house and packing a change of clothes for you. It should be delivered to the room shortly.”

“Thanks, Mr. Haley,” Manning drawled. “What would I do without you?”

“God only knows,” was the old man’s droll response. “I’ll be downstairs whenever you and Miss Chastain are ready.”

“Thanks. See you soon.” Manning hung up, watching as Taylor slowly rolled over and met his gaze. The wholesome beauty of her morning face took his breath away.

He dropped his phone on the bedside table, then eased back over to her and leaned down to brush his lips across hers.

She smiled up at him. There were no shadows in her eyes. No lingering traces of sorrow. No guilt or regret. Just pure contentment.

And damn if that didn’t make his heart swell with gratitude.

“Good morning,” she murmured.

“It is,” Manning agreed. “It’s a
very
good morning.”

She stroked his bare chest, sending pulses of heat to his groin. “Did you sleep well the rest of the night?”

“I did. In fact, I can’t remember another time I’ve slept better.”

Her expression softened. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

They smiled tenderly at each other.

“Was that Mr. Haley on the phone?” she asked.

“Umm-hmm.” Manning bent to nuzzle the silky curve of her throat. “He’s bringing me a change of clothes.”

“Oh, that’s very thoughtful of him.” Suddenly Taylor tensed. “Wait. What time is it?”

Manning hesitated. “Almost seven-thirty.”

“What!” She bolted upright, knocking him backward. “I’m gonna be late!”

Manning watched as she threw back the covers and sprang from the bed, breasts bouncing enticingly.

“You promised to set the alarm on your phone! What happened?”

“I must have forgotten. You had me distracted last night. Rather bad habit of yours,” he drawled, enjoying the delectable view of her naked backside as she hurried to the closet and flung open the double doors.

“I knew I should have requested a wakeup call,” she muttered, contemplating her wardrobe.

Clasping his hands behind his head, Manning asked, “What time do you have to be at Emory again?”

“Eight-thirty. I like to give myself extra time to catch a cab since traffic is so bad.”

“Good idea. But why isn’t the university providing your transportation?”

“They offered to, but I declined.”

“Why?”

“Well, they’re already putting me up in this nice hotel and paying for all my meals and travel expenses. I didn’t think it was necessary for them to provide a car on top of all that. Besides, I don’t mind catching cabs. And whenever I feel like exploring the city, I can take advantage of public transportation like I do back home.”

Manning grimaced. “Unfortunately, we don’t have one of the most reliable mass transit systems. So Mr. Haley will take you anywhere you want to go. In fact, he can start dropping you off at the university every morning.”

Taylor glanced over her shoulder at him. “How will you get to work?”

“The same way I did before I hired Mr. Haley,” Manning said dryly. “I’ll drive myself.”

She smiled. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m really okay with catching a taxi. Besides, the cabbies here have been so friendly and helpful. Must be that Southern hospitality.”

Manning smiled. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“I don’t have time to stop for breakfast. I’ll grab something at the university or just wait for lunch.” Selecting a pair of dark jeans and a red shirt with capped sleeves, she turned from the closet and strode to the dresser. “I need to hop in the shower.”

Manning grinned. “I’ll join you after my stuff is delivered.”

Taylor snorted. “Oh, no, you won’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m in a hurry, Manning,” she said, grabbing lingerie from a drawer. “Showering with you will only slow me down.”

“Sure you won’t reconsider?”

He watched her eyes dart to his erection lying thick and heavy against his stomach. She bit her lip and blushed. “I’m sure.”

Grinning wickedly, Manning reached down and gripped his shaft, slowly stroking himself. “You don’t
look
sure.”

She stared at him, nostrils flaring.

He laughed as she spun away and escaped to the bathroom.

Hearing a knock on the door to the suite, he climbed out of bed, located his pants on the floor and pulled them on. Grabbing a crisp Benjamin from his wallet, he left the bedroom to answer the door.

“Good morning, Dr. Wolf.” The concierge who greeted him was the same one who’d checked him into a room last week, and a couple weeks before that. Both times Manning had been with a different woman, a fact neither he nor the concierge acknowledged during the exchange of his belongings.

“Will there be anything else, sir?”

“Thanks. I’m good.” Manning tipped the guy and closed the door.

As he stood there contemplating his leather garment bag, he imagined the hotel’s employees speculating about him and Taylor, undoubtedly reaching the conclusion that his list of conquests now included famous violinists.

He frowned at the thought. Taylor wasn’t some cheap one-night stand. She was his heart. The love of his life. So it bothered him to think of her becoming the subject of salacious gossip, which she would be if he continued sleeping over in her hotel room.

Somehow he’d have to convince her to come home with him. But not just for the remainder of her stay.

Permanently.

The prospect quickened his heartbeat and lengthened his stride as he returned to the bedroom and laid his garment bag across the bed. Unzipping the front pocket, he removed a small travel case and headed to the bathroom.

When he stepped through the door, the large vanity was right there, a half wall separating the area from the shower and a soaking tub. He could hear the shower running and feel the moist steam wafting from the glass stall.

His groin heated at the thought of seeing Taylor wet and naked. Trying to distract himself, he unpacked his travel case, making room for his things on the marble countertop littered with Taylor’s toiletries. The sight of her contact lens solution, cosmetics and hair products made him smile, then shake his head at himself. Only a lovesick fool would take such pleasure in something as simple and ordinary as sharing a bathroom counter with a woman.

After brushing his teeth, he couldn’t resist wandering around the corner to spy on Taylor. Though she’d insisted that she didn’t want to be late, she seemed in no particular hurry to finish showering. She stood beneath the hot spray of water with her head tilted back, her eyes closed and a dreamy smile curving her lips as she held a sudsy washcloth to her throat.

Manning stared at her, hypnotized by the tantalizing vision of her nude body. His dick throbbed as he watched rivulets of water cascade down her glorious brown skin. Remembering how slim she’d been back in high school, he couldn’t help marveling at her metamorphosis from that waif to this lushly curvaceous woman. Her breasts had ripened into mouthwateringly plump mounds, and her small waist now flared into a bodaciously round ass. She’d told him that she did a lot of walking around Paris, and it showed in the toned perfection of her calves. Her thighs were thick and curvy, just the way he liked them.

The longer he stood there ogling her, the harder his dick grew.

When she let out a soft little sigh, he yanked his pants down his hips, kicked them off and strode to the shower. As he opened the door and stepped inside the steamy stall, Taylor sent him a startled look over her shoulder.

“Wh-What’re you doing?” she stammered.

He smiled. “Taking a shower with you.”

She shivered as he came up behind her, his lips brushing the nape of her neck as his cock jumped against the sweet curve of her ass.

“I thought I told you I’m in a hurry,” she said weakly.

“Is that why you’re in here daydreaming?” He took the forgotten washcloth from her hand and began stroking it over her silky skin, feeling her tremble.

“Don’t get my hair wet,” she whispered. “It’ll take forever to dry.”

He eyed the unruly curls she’d corralled into a makeshift bun. “Where’s your shower cap?”

“Can’t find it.”

He grinned. “Still losing things?” he teased, remembering how forgetful she’d been when they were younger.

“Don’t make fun of me. It’s around here somewhere.”

He chuckled softly, gliding the washcloth over her shoulders. “What were you daydreaming about?”

He saw her smile. “I don’t remember.”

“Little liar.” He pressed his other hand flat to her stomach, fingers splayed as he urged her back against him. She shivered, feeling his hard dick on her lower back.

He slid his hand upward and plumped her left breast, making her nipple tighten. As he teased the puckered flesh, she made an erotic sound that sent a jolt of lust to his throbbing shaft.

Setting aside the washcloth, he reached between her thighs and touched the smooth mound of her sex. The bare skin there reminded him of the virginal innocence of her young body. He delicately parted the lips of her labia and slid two fingers into her wet heat. She mewled with pleasure, rolling her hips against him.

He rubbed her hard clit with his thumb while his fingers moved in slow circles, stroking that spongy hot spot at the back of her pussy.

“Mmm,” she moaned, her head falling back on his shoulder as she writhed against his probing hand. “That feels so good…ohhh…
shit…
”

He felt the orgasm spill through her, convulsing her body with vicious spasms that left her gasping and shaking against him.

He shuddered, his dick filled with blood to bursting. Slipping his fingers out of her, he turned her toward the tiled wall, cupped her ass and plunged into her still-orgasming body. She let out a throaty cry and braced her hands against the wall, her legs parting to deepen his penetration. He groaned, feeling her muscles clench around his shaft as he tunneled deeper inside her.