Stranger in my Arms (18 page)

Alex forced herself not to move, react. She knew Ana was talking about Merrick. She'd wanted to ask Michael if he had invited him, but hadn't wanted to appear that interested. What her cousin didn't know was that not only did she know Merrick, but she was also in love with him.

“Don't get crazy,” she whispered, sotto voce.

“He's looking this way, Alex. I take that back. He's coming this way.”

She removed her glasses and schooled her expression to one of indifference when she saw Merrick making his way toward her. He wore a dark blue shirt with large green leaves over a pair of jeans that were molded to his lean hips and thighs. When he was less than three feet away, she stood up and extended her hand.

“It's nice seeing you again, Merrick.”

Merrick ignored her hand for several seconds, and his expression was that of complete unconcern. He saw a flash of fear in her eyes; she didn't want her family to know how well they knew each other; she was still hiding their affair. Reluctantly he took her hand, certain he heard her exhalation of breath. He decided not to out her.

“Same here, Alex.”

She mouthed a thank-you. “Do you know everyone here?” she asked louder than necessary.

He released her hand. “I'm afraid I don't.”

Looping her arm casually through his, she steered him toward her sister. “Alex, this is Merrick Grayslake. Merrick, my sister, Ana.”

Ana flashed her dimpled smile. “Hi, Merrick.”

He inclined his head. “My pleasure, Ana.”

Before Ana could utter another word, Alex escorted him over to her aunt and uncle. “Aunt Vanessa, Uncle Josh, I don't know if you remember Michael's friend from the—”

“Oh, I didn't know that you were making the introductions,” Michael interrupted.

Alex released Merrick's arm. “He's your guest, so I'll let you do the honors.”

That said, she walked away, feeling the heat from Merrick's gaze burning into her back. She made her way into the house and a bathroom off the gourmet kitchen. Sitting on a chair, she closed her eyes. She had to get Merrick alone; they had to talk, but not in front of a crowd of people.

Alex lingered in the bathroom long enough to splash cold water on her face, before patting it dry with a paper towel. She knew she couldn't hang out in the bathroom, so pulling back her shoulders she opened the door, stopping short when she saw Merrick in the kitchen with Jolene. He'd cradled Teresa to his chest, smiling and making cooing sounds. The sight of him holding a baby stopped her breath. He'd talked about having a child—their child.

Jolene's dark eyes sparkled like polished onyx. “It appears as if my daughter is partial to men. The minute a woman, other than myself, picks her up she cries.”

Merrick's head came up and he smiled at Alex. “Does she cry with you?”

“I haven't held her.”

“Come hold her,” Jolene urged.

Alex took half a dozen steps and held out her arms for the two-week-old infant. She smiled when feeling the slight weight. “Hey, baby girl,” she crooned and Teresa opened her eyes. Brilliant green eyes met a pair in gold. The two cousins regarded each other for a full minute before Teresa yawned, closed her eyes, then fell asleep.

“I guess there goes your theory about her preferring men,” Alex said proudly, handing the infant to her mother.

Jolene cradled the baby to the shoulder draped with a cloth diaper. “There must be something about you that Teresa likes, because she won't let my mother or Vanessa hold her. I've told her it's not nice to shun her grandmothers because they're always more indulgent than grandpas.”

“You're right about that.”

Jolene shifted her baby to a more comfortable position. “Alex, would you mind seeing that Merrick gets something to eat?” She smiled at Merrick. “Now,
if
you were family, then it would be the reverse.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Merrick angled his head. “What do you mean?”

“If you were married to Alex, then it would be you bringing her a plate, not the reverse.”

There came a beat of silence as Merrick regarded Alex. “I wouldn't have a problem serving Alexandra.”

His response seemed to surprise Jolene, who'd lifted her arching eyebrows. She never would've expected Merrick Grayslake to be accommodating, especially to a woman.

“How interesting,” she said in a quiet tone as she gently rocked her baby.

Alex winked at Merrick. “Let's go, Mr. Grayslake. Enjoy this while you can.”

Merrick took long strides as he followed Alex. “When are you going to let me serve you,
querida?
”

“We'll talk about it.”

“When, Ali?”

She stopped, turned and glanced up at him. “I'll come to you after my sister goes back to Florida.”

Merrick held her gaze for a full minute. He wanted to ask her when, but held his tongue. He would wait as long as it took, not because he wanted to but because Alex was worth it.

A
lex navigated Deadman's Curve, her heart in her mouth. It had taken three weeks to fulfill her promise to come to Merrick. Their relationship had changed. The nightly telephone calls had stopped, replaced by one or two a week. The urgency to see each other had waned, replaced by a waiting as to when they would be reunited.

She also found it odd that her feelings for Merrick had intensified. It was as if the separation allowed her to take a step back to confirm what she did share with him was love and not lust.

Alex would've come to West Virginia sooner if Ana hadn't extended her stay in Virginia another two weeks; the morning of her sister's departure she received a letter of hire from the National Trust and that they wanted her to return to Boston for an orientation session; this time she flew to Massachusetts instead of driving.

Within miles of her crossing the West Virginia border the weather changed. An oppressive humidity and green-gray haze made normal breathing nearly impossible. She chanced glancing away from the curving, winding roadway for a second to adjust her car's air-conditioning.

Alex hummed a tuneless ditty to take her mind off the road ahead of her, while chiding herself for driving to Bolivar and cursing Merrick for living in the wilderness. She decelerated when she saw the bumper of a pickup several car lengths in front of her. It was apparent she wasn't the only driver going under twenty miles per hour.

Deadman's Curve leveled off as she maneuvered into a valley nearly obliterated by the thick haze. She continued along the paved road, peering through the windshield for the turnoff to Merrick's house. She missed it the first time and had to reverse directions.

Then she saw it! Merrick's house was ablaze with light, a beacon in a darkened sky that looked more like night than day. It was only ten in the morning. She maneuvered around to the garage where he housed his classic cars, parking behind his truck.

 

Merrick heard the sound of a car's engine, followed by the solid slam of a door. He was on his feet and on the porch in a matter of seconds. A smile curved the corners of his mouth when he spied the petite figure in a tank top, jeans and running shoes.

He'd waited patiently for Alex to come. Whenever they talked he'd wanted to ask her when, but couldn't bring himself to tell her how much he missed and wanted to see her. The three weeks had given him the space he needed to assess his feelings for the only woman to whom he'd given his heart. He loved Alexandra Cole, loved her enough to give up his life for her.

Merrick realized in introspect that he'd made a gross error in judgment when he'd attempted to monitor her whereabouts. How had he forgotten that she was an independent woman who'd traveled and lived abroad, a woman who didn't need him or any man for her day-to-day existence? Alex was educated, independently wealthy and had focused her energies on beginning her career, and for that he was forced to respect her.

He came down off the porch to meet her. The first thing he noticed was that she was thinner, her face and body. Her hair was styled differently. Her ubiquitous tousled, mussed look had been replaced by a chic cut that framed her tiny face.

Extending his arms, he closed the distance between them. It wasn't until he felt the soft crush of her breasts against his chest, inhaled the familiar scent of her perfume and felt the softness of her mouth when he kissed her that he knew she wasn't a figment of his imagination.

His mouth caressed hers as if it were fragile porcelain. Her lips parted and he deepened the kiss; there was a dreamy intimacy that hadn't been in any of their kisses; his lips parted in a soul-searching journey to taste every inch of her mouth.

Alex wound her arms under Merrick's shoulders, holding him fast. Her knees shook, her heart pounded a runaway rhythm as she struggled to catch her breath. His mouth revived her troubled spirit like rain soaking the parched earth. She'd missed him—oh how she'd missed everything about him!

“Take me inside,” she whispered as pleasure radiated from the core of her body outward. Heat rippled under her skin, increasing with each second until she felt as if her entire body was on fire.

Her thoughts spun out of control, her emotions whirled, skidded and raced headlong into a whorl of sensual delight from which she never wanted to escape.

She loved Merrick, loved him more than she could've imagined loving a man. She wanted and needed him to remind her why she'd been born female.

“I love you so much,” Merrick whispered against her lips. Tears filled her eyes with his passionate confession.

“Take me to bed and I'll show you how much I love you,” Alex promised.

Merrick needed no further urging. He climbed the steps and walked into the house, closing the door with his foot. The entire house was ablaze with light to offset the eerie darkness that had settled on the region. It wasn't noon, yet the sky was black as pitch.

Cradling Alex's slight weight, he took the stairs, two at a time, and walked into his bedroom. Gently, he eased her down onto the bed, his body covering hers. He wanted to go slow, but his body refused to reason with his brain.

A roll of thunder shook the earth, followed by a crack of lightning that rent the air. The approaching storm was no match for the one racing through the bedroom. Buttons were ripped from their fastenings as pieces of discarded clothing littered the large bed.

Merrick reached over and swept everything off the mattress with the flick of his hand. Wrapping an arm around Alex's waist, he tucked her beneath him, parted her legs with a knee and entered her body in one sure upward thrust.

They gasped in unison with the joining of flesh akin to smoldering metals. There was no time for exploration, as Alex's urgency matched Merrick's long-denied needs.

She couldn't control the moans slipping from her parted lips, her hips writhing in a dance of desire, her breath coming in long, surrendering gasps. She rose to meet Merrick's powerful thrusts in a moment of unrestrained passion that exploded, then freed them in a firestorm of uncontrollable ecstasy. They lay together, waves of lingering passion flowing between them and making them one.

 

Alex woke hours later, alone in bed, ravenous. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She hadn't taken a step when she felt the evidence of her passion session with Merrick trickle down her inner thigh. Her heart lurched. They'd made love without using protection. They'd gambled before, rolled the dice and had come up winners; however, this time the odds were against them.

Alex walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. She didn't want to think about the possibility that there was a new life growing inside her—not now, not when she'd just started her career.

 

The thunderstorm continued unabated as torrents of rain lashed the roof and windows. Alex stepped off the last stair and followed the mouthwatering smell.

She stood under the entrance to the kitchen watching Merrick as he placed a cover on a wok. If she'd changed in the short time they'd been apart, so had he. He'd cut his hair again, the dark reddish-brown strands hugging his scalp. There was no doubt he'd spent a lot of time outdoors as evidenced by the rich mahogany brown of his face and arms. Without warning, he looked up and smiled, his silver-gray eyes shimmering like newly minted quarters in his dark face.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“How long was I asleep?” The first time she'd come to Merrick's house she couldn't find a clock. It was only when she set the clock on his microwave with the time on her watch that she was able to discern the hour.

“About six hours. You must have been exhausted.”

Walking into the kitchen, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. She smiled. “Exhausted and hungry. What did you cook?”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her to his length. “London broil, garlic roasted potatoes and stir-fried green beans.”

Alex rested her head against his shoulder. “I think I'll keep you.”

He pressed a kiss on her damp hair. “You better, because we're stuck with each other.”

She closed her eyes for several seconds. “Speaking of being stuck with each other, we took a risk this morning when we made love without using protection.”

Merrick let out an audible sigh. While Alex slept he'd agonized over what they'd done. It wasn't his intent to make love to her without a condom, but at that moment it was as if he'd taken leave of whatever common sense he had.

“I'm sorry, Ali, I didn't—”

She stopped his apology when she placed her fingertips over his mouth. “Don't apologize, Merrick. I should've stopped you.”

Grasping her wrist, he pulled her hand down. There was a lethal calmness in his eyes that made it impossible for her look away. “Why didn't you, Ali?”

Lowering her gaze, she stared at the stark-white T-shirt stretched across his solid chest. “I don't know.”

“Whatever happens I don't ever want you to forget that I'm in this with you.”

She nodded, closing her eyes. “I suppose you'll remind me if I ever forget, won't you?”

“Hell, yeah,” he said, smiling. “Let me feed you before you faint on me.”

He dropped his arms and steered her to the table in the corner of the large kitchen that had been set with place settings for two. He pulled out a chair and seated her. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to the column of her neck.

A knowing smile softened Alex's face as Merrick placed a bowl of avocado salad on the table. Merrick would fit in perfectly with the men in her family. He could cook, and he was secure enough with his masculinity to serve his woman.

 

Alex took a glance at her watch for the umpteenth time. The meeting of the northeast Trust's Waterfront Historic Action League in New Bedford, Massachusetts, was running late. As liaison for the National Trust, she had come to support the WHALE project, whose focus was the rehabilitation of a fire-damaged commercial building in the historic whaling community, but the queasiness persisted. And she didn't have to see a doctor to know the source of the nausea.

She was pregnant!

What she'd hoped for in the future had become a reality—now. She would marry Merrick and make David and Serena grandparents.

Mercifully, the meeting ended and Alex gathered her notes. She would decipher them during the flight back to Virginia; she would then type them and forward copies to her supervisor.

Alex liked her position as a liaison because she was like a doctor on call. She didn't have to go into an office, except for monthly meetings, and she worked independently on the projects to which she'd been assigned. Not knowing where she would be sent was the only drawback. It could be Delaware one week, then two weeks later Rhode Island or New York. She refused to think about being stranded in an airport in Vermont or Maine during a snowstorm.

Not waiting to confer with the members of the board, she rushed out of the building to the lot where she'd parked her rental car. By the time she maneuvered into a strip mall, the nausea had stopped. A quarter of an hour later, she was back in her car, driving in the direction of her hotel.

 

Alex lay across the bed in the darkened room, staring up at the ceiling. She'd pulled the drapes, shutting out the strong autumn sunlight. The home pregnancy test had confirmed her suspicions. She was pregnant with Merrick Grayslake's baby, and by her estimate she would deliver a son or daughter early May of the following year. They'd made love countless times after
that
time, but had always used protection.

Rolling over on her side, she reached for her cell phone on the bedside table. Merrick answered after the third ring.

“Hey, baby.”

She smiled at his sensual greeting. Whenever he called her baby it came out in a deep, sexy growl. “Hey, you,” she countered.

“How are you?”

“Pregnant.” The sound of heavy breathing echoed in her ear. “Did you hear what I said, Merrick?”

“Yes, I did. When are you coming home?”

“I'll be home in a couple of days, but I'm not going to stay,” she said.

“Where the hell are you going? And to do what?”

Alex heard the rage
and
panic in his voice. She decided to ignore his query as to her whereabouts. This was not the time to fight with him. “I'm going to see my mother. I'm going to need her help in planning our wedding.”

There was a beat of silence. “Ali?” His voice was softer, calmer.

“Yes, Merrick?”

“Do you want me with you when you tell your parents?”

“No,
mi amor.
I have to handle this by myself. As soon as the arrangements are finalized I'll let you know when you should come to Florida.”

“Ali…baby, I…I don't know what to say.”

She smiled. “How about congratulations?”

“Congratulations to you…and to me!”