Seducing His Secret Wife (Mills & Boon Desire) (Redhawk Reunion, Book 2) Page 10

  Justin. Sex. Power. Control.

  The way he looked at her like she was the only person in his world.

  Sarina leaned over him, joining their fingers at the same time she joined their mouths in a kiss. His tongue tangled with hers as they moved together, faster and harder and deeper. She came, crying out her pleasure against his neck, inhaling his scent and ignoring the tears that stung her eyes.

  Justin froze underneath her, his cock stiffening inside her as he shattered, crying out her name.

  A million heartbeats later he shifted them over on their sides, facing the moon. She was the little spoon to his big spoon and there was nowhere she wanted to be other than wrapped up in his arms.

  “Big night. The stuff Roan and Adam gave you was pretty amazing.” Justin whispered against her hair, his lips brushing against her temple. “You okay?”

  “I don’t know.” Sarina reached back to stroke his hair, laughing when he pressed a kiss against her palm. “I think I will be.”

  “What was the word you used with the kids at the rock climbing wall? It started with an S.”

  She thought back to that day, finally realizing what he was referring to. “Sidanelv?”

  “Yep. Sidanelv.” He hugged her tight. “You’ve got a good sidanelv.”

  She giggled at his butchering of the word but loved that he tried. “I do. Adam and Roan are great.”

  The house settled around them, the evening slipping into deeper night as they held each other. Sarina closed her eyes, drifting in that place between sleep and wakefulness, the place where she had it all figured out.

  But she didn’t have anything figured out. Not even close. And the more time she spent with Justin the easier it was to forget that this was temporary. They had a committee of lawyers making sure they never got to their first anniversary and while she and Justin were having fun with the “honeymoon” part of the marriage, the rules had not changed. Justin liked her and he liked sex with her even more but that wasn’t a love match and it never would be.

  Justin interrupted her thoughts, his voice scratchy with sleep. “I want to take you somewhere. As a surprise.”

  Sarina shook her head. “I don’t like surprises.”

  “You’ll like this one.”

  Twelve

  “How long have you been able to fly a helicopter?”

  Justin glanced over to where Sarina sat in the passenger seat of the Redhawk/Ling helicopter. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes lit up from within with excitement. She hadn’t balked at all, jumping into the passenger seat immediately and soaking in every bit of the scenery outside the front window during the flight. They weren’t even at their destination and his plan was already a success, worth all the hassle he’d had to navigate to get a couple of days off.

  “I learned to fly when I was twenty-three and we bought the bird last year. It’s easier to get to meetings when we have our own helicopter.”

  “And you love it,” Sarina said, her grin wide and knowing.

  “I love it,” he agreed. He pointed out a few dolphins swimming in the ocean below them as they headed up the coast. “You really can’t beat the view.”

  “I have to say I’m surprised that you enjoy flying with your fear of heights. Doesn’t this freak you out?” Sarina asked, watching him closely.

  “Shockingly, no. I think it’s because I’m in control of the machine. I’m so focused on flying that I just don’t worry about it.” Justin scanned the gauges, expanding on a topic he’d thought about often. “I’m dyslexic—reading is so tough for me but I can unravel numbers and math problems in my sleep. Brains are so strange, such a mystery, and mine is not the same as other people’s. So how much weirder is it that I can’t climb a wall but I can fly over the ocean?”

  “I think your brain is pretty amazing.”

  Justin bit back a grin, the warmth in his belly caused by her words threatening to spill over in a laugh. “And I thought you wanted me for my body.”

  “Well, your ass is mighty fine,” she teased, her voice coming through the headset as she turned away from him to look out the window. “But I think I’m more interested in your helicopter.”

  “Keep it up, baby. I’ll just turn around and you’ll never know where we’re going.”

  She whipped back around, her face full of horror, prompting him to laugh out loud. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Try me,” Justin replied, looking over his shoulder and easing the helicopter into a turn back toward Silicon Valley. “It will be no problem to just head on back home. Wilma will be thrilled to see us.”

  “You don’t scare me.” Her lips pressed together in a frown but her voice and her side-eye glance were full of mischief.

  “Well, that’s good because we’ll be landing in five minutes.”

  In spite of his ridiculous level of excitement, Justin carefully went through all of the maneuvers to get them safely on the ground. He settled it all with the staff at the heliport, turning over the keys to the helicopter and making arrangements for it to be ready in two days for their return home. The whole time he watched Sarina out of the corner of his eye, soaking in her excitement and barely contained curiosity.

  Finally, he grabbed their bags and headed over to the car he’d ordered. She slid into the passenger seat and he couldn’t wait another minute to end the suspense—whether for his own benefit or hers, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he wanted to give this weekend to Sarina because she deserved it and more.

  And he was beginning to realize that he wanted to give her more than a romantic weekend away; he wanted to give her the world. He wanted to give her a part of himself that he was pretty sure she’d already stolen.

  It wasn’t pity that drove him to want to take care of her, to make her life easier. Sarina was a survivor and had made a great life for herself. And when you got past her walls, she was generous and supportive and totally in your corner. When she told him that she believed in him he believed her. When she looked at him like he was enough and perfect just the way he was? He believed her.

  That was something he’d never gotten from anyone else in his life and so Sarina deserved all the best things because she’d given the best thing to him.

  But she was skittish, only comfortable in the construct of their having an end date, and she was poised to run.

  And he needed more time to figure himself out. Because of one thing he was certain: he never wanted to be part of the long line of people who let Sarina Redhawk down. He just didn’t know if he could be the man to break through her defenses.

  Their divorce papers would arrive any day now, so the clock was ticking on his time to figure it out.

  But today it was all about giving Sarina a weekend she’d never forget and a memory to last a lifetime.

  “Are you going to tell me where we are? Where are we going?” Sarina asked, fastening her seat belt. “I don’t like surprises.”

  “Really? I haven’t heard that before.”

  Justin leaned over the middle console, tipping up her face to kiss her. She opened to him, humming into the kiss as he drew it out, relishing the taste of her. Reluctantly, he broke it off, his excitement at getting to their final destination greater than his desire to keep kissing her.

  “So, we’re in Malibu,” Justin revealed as he ended the kiss.

  “Malibu? What’s in Malibu?”

  “The ocean.” He started the car and pulled out of the heliport.

  “Funny.”

  “Let me spoil you, baby. You deserve it.” Justin dropped his voice lower, shamelessly using all his tools of seduction to get her to let him do this for her. Sarina’s cheeks flushed, the bashful shake of her head telling him that she didn’t believe she deserved it. But he knew she did; that was enough.

  “Fine,” she huffed out on a pout that didn’t look real. He knew she was enjoying this
but she’d never admit it.

  They drove down the highway a few miles. Sarina focused on the scenery that whizzed past the windows: gorgeous homes, green hills, and on the one side the Pacific Ocean spreading out as far as the eye could see. He saw his landmark mile marker and pulled his next-to-last surprise out of his pocket and handed it to Sarina. She took it, shaking it out and staring at it and then Justin with a raised eyebrow.

  “A blindfold?” Sarina tossed it back in his lap. “I’m not into that stuff, Justin.”

  “That’s an interesting place you went there, Little Miss Kinky, but that’s not what the blindfold is for. I want you to be completely surprised. So put it on, please.” He tossed it back at her, slowing the car down as if he was going to pull over to the side of the road. “Don’t make me stop the car.”

  “Fine,” she sighed heavily and put the blindfold on over her eyes.

  “You can’t see anything?”

  “No, Justin, I can’t see anything.”

  “Okay, grumpy, we’ll be there in five minutes.” Justin navigated the traffic, turning into the Colony enclave. He rolled down the window and showed the gate guard his ID, mentioning that their final destination was a surprise for his wife. The guard winked at him and pointed to the direction he needed to drive. The directions were perfect and before he knew it they were on the right street and slowing down for the house number.

  The houses were similar, many built in the 1920s and then greatly expanded in the successive decades as oceanfront property became the hottest topic in California. These houses were passed down from generation to generation, only rarely hitting the open market. The one he was looking for wasn’t usually available for rent but he knew a guy who knew a guy and he asked him to help make a dream come true for his girl.

  Being a billionaire absolutely had its perks.

  He saw the house he was looking for and turned into the driveway, shutting off the engine and undoing his seat belt with shaking fingers. Justin couldn’t believe how nervous he was; he desperately hoped that Sarina would love it. He just wanted to make her happy. It was quickly becoming the most important part of his life: making her smile and living for ways to keep her smiling.

  This weekend would be big for the both of them. The divorce papers were on the way and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to sign them anymore.

  He had no idea how he’d arrived at this point but he knew he had to face up to the feelings he had for Sarina. Justin was scared shitless; he loved his commitment-free life and just a few short weeks ago he’d have bet all his chips that it was never going to change. And now he was more worried about Sarina signing those papers and leaving than he was about giving up his freedom.

  He had no idea how Sarina felt about him but this weekend he’d find out. It was the emotional equivalent of walking out on that crazy Grand Canyon glass bridge but he was going to do it.

  And he really hoped the glass didn’t shatter underneath his feet.

  “Stay here. I’ll come around and get you,” he said, leaving their bags for later. He opened the door, taking her hand and easing her out of the vehicle. She was unsteady, her fingers gripping tightly on his arm as she found her balance. She was scowling, and so cute that he couldn’t resist leaning forward and stealing a kiss. He’d meant for it to be quick, light, but he couldn’t resist Sarina when she was this close. He deepened the connection, lingering, tasting and exploring. “You are addictive.”

  She hummed out her reaction, licking her lips and leaning toward him for more. Justin loved this part of the surprise but he missed seeing her look at him like he was the answer to all of her questions. Sarina’s approval drowned out a lifetime of missing the mark on his parents’ expectations and he wanted to give her everything in return. He’d start with the next couple of days and then see if they could have forever.

  “Okay, hold on to me. I’ll lead you inside, don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.”

  The scents in the air were already different, salty and warmed by the sunshine with a hint of sunscreen and outdoor cooking. Sarina lifted her face to the sun, head cocked to pick up nearby sounds as he guided her toward the front of the house.

  He unlocked the front door and she paused, stopping briefly as the first wave of air-conditioning hit their bodies. “Okay, two more steps and then I need you to stand still while I close the door and pull back the blinds. Just wait here.”

  “Okay,” she said. Sarina stood in place, her body adjusting to follow the sounds of his progress around the room.

  He watched her closely, the anticipation building inside him like Christmas and his birthday all rolled up into one moment. Justin made his way back to her, placing his hand on her cheek, sighing when she leaned into his touch, her hands reaching out to seek him, her fingers snagging and tangling with the cotton of his T-shirt.

  “Are you ready?” When she nodded, he eased around her, stopping when he stood behind her and she leaned back against his chest. Justin reached up, fingers hovering over the ties to the blindfold. “I really hope you like this. I’m going feel like an idiot if you don’t.”

  She laughed. “Justin, you do realize that the longer you drag this out the bigger this gets and then the chances of you looking like an idiot increase?”

  “Well, when you put it that way...” he huffed out in mock indignation, pulling the ties loose. “But I really do hope that you love this, baby.”

  The blindfold slid off and he stepped to the side so that he could watch her as she took it all in. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the light, brushing her hair back from her eyes. Her face scrunched up in confusion and he could see the cogs of her brain working as every synapse fired in an attempt to put two and two together. She moved forward, stepping down into the sunken den that led to the wall of windows that framed the patio, the deck, and the Pacific Ocean beyond.

  “Justin, this is beautiful,” she said, peering at a line of black-and-white photographs on the wall. He watched as she froze, moving closer to get a better look, reaching out to trace a finger over an image. She put her face a little closer, squinting as if she didn’t believe what she was looking at, and then she turned to look at him. “This is not...”

  “Number thirty-eight Malibu Colony was the home of Linda Ronstadt from 1975 to 1980. She moved here just after she released Heart Like a Wheel and this is where they filmed her in the Wonderland documentary.” Justin stopped, not sure how to continue. “That’s all I know about her but I thought...” He faltered, feeling like an idiot now that they were here and this surprise that had felt like such a big deal in his head sounded really dumb as he was saying it out loud. “... I don’t know, Sarina. I know she’s one of your favorites and your mom...damn, I just thought you might like it.”

  Sarina was all big eyes and open mouth and looking at him like he’d lost his damn mind one minute and then she was in his arms, kissing him, and his whole world was right again.

  “You are an idiot,” she said between kisses and laughter. “But you are the sweetest idiot I know and I don’t know why you’re so good to me.”

  “Because you deserve to get all the good things, Sarina. I don’t know what’s more wrong, the fact that you don’t think you deserve it or that someone hasn’t made it their business to ensure you always have the best of everything.” Justin said it without thinking, knowing that he was revealing more than he probably should.

  Sarina placed her palm on his cheek, her eyes searching his for something she needed to know. But Sarina was direct, so she just asked him.

  “Do you think you’re that person?”

  He paused for only a minute, feeling like he was at the top of the rock wall, getting ready to take a plunge with no net beneath him. “I think I might be that person.”

  They stared at each other for several long minutes, both waiting for the other to say something, to do something. He took the coward
’s way out.

  “I’m going to get the bags while you go explore.”

  They had a great day in Linda Ronstadt’s house.

  The four-bedroom beach bungalow sat right on the ocean, with only an expanse of outdoor space and large rocks to buffer it from the waves that lapped right up to the edge of the wooden deck when the tide was at its highest. Right now there was a wide swath of sand, full of people running, children playing and neighbors enjoying the gorgeous California sunshine. A private beach, it wasn’t crowded, and Sarina was easy to find once he’d moved the luggage into the gorgeous master bedroom on the second floor.

  Swimming. A long walk on the sand. It was a perfect day that led to a perfect dinner. Shrimp and lobster, grilled to perfection with vegetables and the perfect bottle of wine on the deck, under the stars. Now they were full, skin warm from hours in the sun, and just the two of them talking about nothing and everything.

  Except the one thing he couldn’t get the nerve to ask her because if the answer was that she still wanted to leave, he didn’t want to hear it. Not today. They had all the time in the world to mess this up, to walk away from something that was really great.

  “Top three things you love to eat,” Justin said, refilling her wineglass.

  “What? Are we playing some weird version of twenty questions?” Sarina leaned back in her chair, long bare legs extended with her feet in his lap.

  “Yes, we are. It is my incredibly transparent attempt to get you to tell me more about yourself,” Justin replied, running his hand up her calf, admiring the way her mini sundress fell off her shoulder. She was so damn sexy and didn’t even know it. He knew a dozen women in LA who spent the price of a small car to look the way that Sarina did without even trying. “Would you divulge all of your secrets if I just asked you flat out?”