The President's Daughter - Mariah Stewart [126]
She sought his mouth with her own, parting her lips for his tongue, easing back against the side of the bed and taking him with her. She backed onto the quilt, leading him with her hands and her kisses, bringing him along, easing his body onto hers.
“How’s the shoulder?” he asked.
“A bit tender,” she admitted.
“I’ll be gentle.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Her blood pounded in her ears and her breath quickened as Simon’s lips sought the hollow of her throat. His hands found the softness of her breasts and her body arched slightly, offering more.
This, Dina told herself, was chemistry at its best.
A sigh escaped her lips and she smiled to herself. This was exactly what she’d waited for, all her life. Exactly the right feeling, exactly the right man. She tugged her shirt over her head, then helped Simon off with his. She felt herself melting slowly into his body even as he entered hers, and closed her eyes and let herself be washed away on the tide that rose between them, coming to rest only when it finally ebbed.
“You were right,” Simon said when his brain began to function again and his breathing returned to normal. “This was one hell of a plan.”
“I thought so.” Dina lay back against the pillow and smiled.
“Hey, maybe you could give me that job picking apples. You could close down the greenhouse every day around this time.”
“I have to admit it’s tempting, but I think that Polly might start to get suspicious after a while.”
“Would it hurt so much to keep her guessing?”
“Maybe not for a time.” Dina shifted her legs slightly, then asked, “Were you serious about looking for a place to rent in the area?”
“Yep.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Work-wise?” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I found I enjoyed writing the book on Hayward. I want to finish my own book, then maybe do another book or two. Actually, I have several other projects in mind that I’d like to work on.”
“Why here?” She suspected but wanted to hear him say it.
“Well, because after all . . . all that happened, after I realized that I would not be writing the story that would take the country by storm, I started to think a lot about what I really wanted out of life.” Simon stroked her arm slightly with his fingertips. “No matter what all I put on that list, I just kept coming back to you. I figure if I’m going to win your heart, it would be a lot easier if I’m in the neighborhood.”
“I’d love to have you in my neighborhood.” Dina kissed the tip of his nose. “And you’ve already won my heart.”
“Even though I ruined your life?”
“My life is far from ruined.” She flashed that megawatt smile and added, “As a matter of fact, it’s pretty damned great right now.”
“So you’re not going to blame me for rocking your boat?”
“Maybe it needed to be rocked. Jude’s did, anyway. It wasn’t right for her to keep that secret for so long. It wasn’t right to keep Betsy away for all those years. She’s my aunt. We have a right to know each other. Even Jude has come to accept that.”
“Oh. Speaking of your family . . .” Simon leaned on one elbow. “I think you may be hearing from Gray in the near future.”
“Why?”
“He wants to meet you.” Simon watched a cloud pass over her face. “After all, you are his half sister.”
“Who happened to kill his sister.” Dina bit her bottom lip. “What do you think he thinks of me?”
“Curious, maybe. But I think he might be just as concerned about what you think of him.”
“I guess we should meet sooner or later.” Dina nodded. “Maybe in a month or so. This whole thing has been so overwhelming, you know? And I still have so many questions.”
“Like what?” Simon raised himself up on one elbow.
“Like how did Sarah know about Blythe?”
“The best Philip and I can piece together from what we knew, and from what you told us about your conversation with Sarah while you were in the shed, is that Miles told her thinking that Sarah would go to her father and cry and beg him to give up Blythe and that Graham would feel so bad that he’d end the affair.”
“Why would Miles