The Tycoon's Perfect Match (10 page)

“You're probably right,” Mari said, noticing how the breeze ruffled Brian's hair. “You know, I should have taken more vacations. I wouldn't be so burned out. What about you?”

“I've never been burned out. I went to the stock car races a few times to catch Jack racing, but that was just a couple of overnights—nothing longer than a few days. Tons of people.” He sat down lower in the tub. “Not my idea of a vacation.”

“But I'll bet the two Hawkins men attracted a lot of women.”

He shrugged. “Jack seems to have his share of groupies.”

“Oh, I'm sure they swarmed around you, too.”

He smiled. “I wouldn't say swarmed, but I've dated my share.”

“I'll bet you did.”

“How about some wine?” he asked, changing the subject.

She started to get up, but he put a hand on her arm. “Relax, Mari. I'll get it.”

He walked up the steps, and Mari noticed that his wet swim trunks were clinging to him, distinctly outlining a well-endowed bulge. She splashed hot water on her face. It did nothing to cool her down. She really should be doing laps in the cold lake.

He returned to the hot tub and Mari tried not to look—but that was like trying not to breathe. He handed her a cup of wine.

“Thanks.” She barely croaked out the word.

“A toast,” he said, holding up his plastic cup. “To you, Mari. I hope you find what you're looking for.”

She held up her cup. “I'll definitely drink to that.” She took a sip. “Thanks for this, Brian. You know, I think that Mr. Yeller did have a treasure up
here—this hot tub and this incredible location. I'll bet he regrets giving this up.”

“He did.”

That was shocking, coming from him. “I'm right? Aren't you going to say something like it was a good decision that he finally got out of Hawk's Lake?”

He met her gaze. “You know, Mari, I owe you an apology.” He set his cup down, took her hand and looked into her eyes. “I keep trashing Hawk's Lake. I didn't mean to spoil your experience, your reunion with the place. That was inconsiderate of me.”

She didn't know how to answer him, but she didn't have to. Without a word, he took the cup from her hand and put it on the edge of the tub next to her. Then he leaned over, slipped his arm around her waist, bent his head toward her and kissed her.

Mari returned the kiss, letting her hands explore his warm, wet chest. She traced a rivulet of water with her index finger as it dripped from a strand of his hair, down his nipple, until it disappeared on the surface of the water. She felt him shiver.

“Forgive me?” he whispered against her lips.

She could barely concentrate on what he was apologizing for. “Yes. Of course.”

He watched her every movement, his turquoise
eyes at one with the sky. They seemed to scorch her already warm skin. She could hear his deep intake of air as he pulled her to straddle his lap, where his arousal was obvious.

All she wanted was to feel Brian's hands on her.

She felt his fingers brushing her back and untying the string of her bathing suit top, then the tug of the wet material. His gaze lingered for the longest time as a sexy smile teased his lips.

He tossed the top of her bathing suit on the top step of the tub, and she felt the cool air on her skin—then the warmth of his hands as he cupped her breasts. His thumbs teased her nipples, and a shock of pleasure coursed through her.

With the steam floating around them, she felt like they were in their own little world. On this island, they were.

She reached for the waistband of his bathing suit and slid it down his slim hips. He tucked his fingers under the waistband of her suit bottoms. Then she felt his splayed fingers on her hips, on her buttocks—teasing her.

She couldn't stand it any longer—she had to feel his touch without the confines of the fabric, so she gripped his wrists and helped him take it off.
Stepping out of it, she kicked it to the surface of the water, then added it to the wet pile.

They held each other, legs tangled, steam coming from their bodies as their hearts pounded in unison. He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling the length of him pressing against her.

“Mari?”

She knew what he was asking, and nodded. But he turned away from her.

“I'll be right back.”

What?

With a quick vault, he was out of the tub and rummaging through the pockets of his jeans. He yanked out his wallet, flipped it open and pulled out a couple of foil packets.

She'd been so caught up in the moment, she hadn't even thought about protection. Thank goodness Brian remembered.

Instead of sitting in the tub, he stood on the seat and opened the foil packet with his teeth. She could see him—erect and hard—and beautiful to look at.

“Don't move, Brian.” She held out her hand to take the packet. “Let me.”

She slipped it out of the wrapper. Ever so slowly, she rolled it up his length. Thick and ready, he
looked down at her through hooded eyes. He cupped her chin and winked—a hint of things to come.

Then he was in the water, pulling her onto his lap again, so that she was straddling him. He kissed her breasts, taking each nipple into his mouth. His erection rubbed against her core, teasing her, tormenting her.

“Now, Brian. Please. Now,” she whispered.

He slowly entered her.

“More. I want more.”

He filled her completely and waited. Tracing her jawline with a finger, he gazed into her eyes and began a slow slide, in and out. Picking her up, he moved to the middle of the hot tub, her legs around his waist, and buried himself inside her. The water bubbled around them, their bodies clinging.

She kissed his neck, his forehead. He moved faster, faster still.

“Mari, you feel so good, so tight.”

“I knew it'd be like this. Wonderful.” Her voice didn't even sound like hers. “Perfect.”

He was still holding her to him, his strong arms surrounding her. He was breathing heavy, his eyes closed. She met his every motion. Hard. Harder still.

She felt her release coursing through her body, and Brian soon followed.

When the last wave of pleasure passed, she opened her eyes. Brian was smiling at her. She smiled back. While he was still hard within her, they hugged, content to stay in each other's arms.

No regrets, she reminded herself. All she wanted was to savor this day, this moment, this man.

W
hat a day, Mari thought as they pulled into the boathouse at Sherwood Lodge.

She'd wanted a fling with Brian—a brief romance—to get him out of her system. Well, she was well on her way.

A twinge of guilt settled in her gut. She didn't know if she could keep things light with Brian. Even though they'd been apart for a long time, there was still something about him that she…liked.

She didn't want to use the word
love.
That was traveling into dangerous territory—and she didn't
want to go there. Not again. Not yet. Maybe never.

It would be less complicated just to be alone, be by herself. Yet even as those thoughts penetrated her mind, her mouth opened and she found herself asking, “Would you like to watch the sun set with me?”

“Sounds good.”

They walked hand in hand to the water's edge, and soon got comfortable in lawn chairs.

“This is so nice,” Mari said. “So relaxing.”

“The next time we do this, we'll need to have another bottle of wine.”

“Deal.”

Brian put his arm around her shoulder, and they sat in comfortable silence, watching the light show of the setting sun. Listening to the water lap gently against the shore, until he worked up the nerve to break the silence.

“Have you decided to take the CEO job yet?” he asked, a little too eagerly.

She'd been procrastinating about her decision. Why did he have to bring it up now, and bring her back to reality?

“It's been on my mind.”

“But no final decision yet?” he asked.

“No.”

“What are the pros and cons? Why don't you run them by me?”

A tiny tingle of doubt tickled the back of her neck. Why was he so anxious to hear her answer? As soon as the thought popped into her head, she pushed it away. She needed to learn to trust again, to let down her guard and believe that people cared for her and not her company or what she could do for them. She wanted to believe that the man who sat beside her was that person.

“Let's not talk about it now,” she said quietly.

He shrugged. “I was just trying to help.”

Maybe Brian was just making conversation, and she was making a big deal out of nothing.

She hoped that was his intention.

Please don't let Brian be like the others.

But it was impossible to trust him. Just like deciding what to do about Sherwood was impossible. And instead of coming to Hawk's Lake to be alone to think and relax, she was making things worse by getting involved with Brian.

“If you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed. I feel a headache coming on,” she said.

That was almost the truth.

 

Stupefied, Brian watched as Mari's slender figure slipped away and disappeared into the gath
ering dusk. What the hell happened? One minute she seemed fine, the next she developed a headache. And her headache started when he'd asked if she'd made a decision. Then she'd become quiet and guarded.

That harmless little question had obviously made her upset and uncomfortable.

Confused, he picked up the two bags that he'd left on the patio, walked up to the cottage and set them on a chair inside the porch. The house was quiet.

He let himself out and locked the door behind him.

It was then he noticed that he hadn't picked up the shutters. Not knowing when he'd be back, he decided that he'd better put them in the barn.

Maybe he'd head back to his office and catch up on some work.

But he never went to the real-estate office. On his way home, he saw that The White Dove Gift Shop was still open. He parked the car, grabbed the two mugs that Mari had given him and climbed the stairs.

 

Mari took a bite out of the warm sugar cookie that was cooling on the new rack that she'd bought at Clancy's. She'd made three batches this morning, and they were stacked everywhere. The first batch
had burned, so she'd tossed them and started over, being more vigilant with the old oven.

But there was no one to enjoy them with.

She thought of inviting Melanie over for coffee, but she was probably busy with her baby or working at the garage.

She opened the windows, sat down at the kitchen table and looked at the turquoise blue of the glittery lake. Taking a sip of red raspberry tea that she'd bought at Cathy's Tea Cozy, she deliberately tried to concentrate on her beautiful surroundings and not think of Brian or Sherwood Enterprises.

The smell of the cookies filled the air and mingled with the fresh, sun-warmed morning breeze.

The phone rang, startling her as it always did. It was such a foreign sound in the peace and quiet.

She hoped it wasn't Brian. She just didn't want to deal with the whole situation anymore.

“Hello?” she said cautiously.

“How are you doing in the wilderness, dear?”

“I'm terrific, Mother. How is everyone?”

They made small talk for a while, and Mari wondered why her mother had really called.

“Have you met anyone interesting?”

“Do you remember Brian Hawkins?” Just say
ing his name reminded her of their day together yesterday.

“I do. I always found him to be very studious and polite. He's from a fine family, and if my recollection is correct, he's a descendant of the founder of the town.”

Mari smiled without amusement. That made Brian a blue blood in her mother's eyes. As if that was all that mattered.

“What's he doing now?”

“He has a real-estate office and is the business manager for his family's auto shop. He's also a volunteer fireman and a member of the chamber of commerce here. Seems like he has his hands in all kinds of ventures.”

And he can do wonderful things with his hands.

Her face heated as she thought of their time in the hot tub. She had to calm down. If her mother even suspected anything was going on between her and a man, she'd be picking out her mother-of-the-bride dress.

“Brian even has stock in Sherwood.” Mari took a sip of tea. “He told me that he's had an interest in the company since he's known us, and has followed it throughout the years.”

“Sounds like the two of you have reconnected.”

If she only knew.

“He sounds like a good catch. Are you two serious?”

Her mother always knew how to cut to what she really wanted to know. But Mari wasn't ready to admit how much Brian meant to her—or how she was still guarding her heart, trying to trust him.

“Nothing serious, Mother. And I realize that I'm not getting any younger and there needs to be more Sherwoods to carry on the legacy.”

“Marigold, you know that's not what I meant. I just want to see you happy. That's all your father and I have ever wanted for you.”

She helped herself to another cookie and didn't comment on her mother's statement. If they'd wanted her to be happy, then they wouldn't have sold this cottage in the first place. They would have spent more time at home and less at the office.

“I don't need a man to be happy, Mother.”

There was another pause. “Have you decided yet if you want to take over as CEO?”

Ah—so this was the
real
reason for her call. Just what Brian had asked her. Did the whole world want to know her answer?

But wait—she'd never told her mother that she had any reservations about taking the job.

Mari was shocked. “H-How did you know? I didn't tell anyone that I—”

“Your father and I figured out it wasn't only the Jason Fox debacle that had you wanting to take a two-month vacation. You haven't been happy for a while. You haven't been yourself.”

She'd never expected that her parents had a clue as to what she'd been going through. Why didn't they just ask her? Then again, why didn't she just tell them?

“I don't know if this is the right time, Mother. I was hoping to talk to you and Father together, but since you already suspect, I'm leaning toward not taking the job.”

Silence.

“Mother?”

“Will you be returning to the company at all, Marigold? Are you leaving completely?”

She could hear the hurt in her mother's voice, along with a little quiver. Even though she'd married into the Sherwood family, you'd never know it. Sherwood Enterprises was her lifeblood.

And now her mother had developed a sixth sense. How did she know that it had crossed her mind to leave Sherwood altogether?

“I…don't…know.” She took a deep breath. “Mother, if I decide to leave Sherwood, I'll give you
and father plenty of notice. I'll even help you find someone to take my place and will train the person for an easy transition. Please don't worry.”

“This isn't like you, Marigold.”

Mari sighed. “I know.”

“I am most definitely worried about you, and not just in relation to the business. You're my daughter, and I don't want anything to happen to you in the mountains. But Hawk's Lake is a nice place. I enjoyed my time there.”

This couldn't be her mother on the phone—the same person who came to Sherwood Lodge for a month in the summer under protest, and who couldn't wait to get back to Boston.

As they said their goodbyes, Mari felt better. At least her mother now knew, and her father soon would, that Mari was thinking of not accepting the job—and might not continue to work at the company at all. More important, her mother seemed to accept Mari's decision. Well, mostly.

Yet it was just too easy, and Mari was sure that this wasn't the end of the discussion.

She cleaned up the kitchen, stored the cookies in plastic bags and then filled the wheelbarrow with more of her pieces to be fired. Then she was going to go outside on her lawn chair, with her sketch pad
and her pencils, to play with some designs for her pottery. Maybe draw some loons or trout.

Trout. That was one way to take her mind off her problems.

And that meant Brian. But did she want to reel him in, or throw him back?

 

The rising sun was burning off the fog, and Brian knew that it was going to be another unseasonably hot, sunny day. He didn't want to spend it all indoors.

He thought he'd pay a visit to Mari, since she hadn't answered her phone when he called to see how she was feeling.

He knew she was okay, so he didn't worry. This was a small town, after all, and word got around. She'd stopped at the bakery and the library yesterday.

Obviously, she was feeling better but didn't want to talk to him. Why?

He walked over to his heaped desk at the garage, and made neat piles—one for Jack to handle, another for Melanie, and even one for his father. By the time it took him to write a note with instructions for each stack, he could have done the job himself, but he might as well get them used to his absence.

Even if the Sherwood job didn't work out, he'd planned on applying to other companies that he'd
been researching. On his short list was his old brokerage firm in New York where he'd worked after college. He kept in touch with a lot of the people there, particularly his old boss.

When he was gone, his family would have to learn how to take care of the business. He'd teach them—hell, he'd even hire someone for them.

But he'd miss all of them—foibles and all.

As he locked the door behind him, he made a mental note to gather his family together soon and tell them what he was planning.

He unlocked the latches and hit the button to put the top down on his convertible. Slipping in, he drove to his real-estate office. His desk there was even more piled with work, mail and letters.

He noticed the half-revised resumé he'd printed out was on his desk. He picked it up, looked at it and then laid it on top of a cover letter he'd prepared for Tom and Barbara Sherwood a few days ago.

Brian wondered why he didn't want to finish the damn thing. Maybe it was because Mari really hadn't given him a definite answer as to whether or not she was accepting the CEO job. He didn't want to step on her toes.

Mari. Every time he thought of her, he'd relive
the feel of her silky skin. The softness of her lips. How it felt to be inside her.

He awoke every morning thinking of her, went to bed every night wanting her beside him.

During the day, he could barely concentrate on the myriad of things he had to do. Instead he kept wondering what Mari was doing.

He just wanted to be with her all the time—talking, laughing and watching how her face glowed when she saw a family of ducks or talked about her pottery.

And now he'd remember the blush of pleasure on her face as they'd made love.