The Wife He Needs - Brenda Jackson Page 0,25
serious as she’d assumed. Even then, it wasn’t like Garth to spend two weeks anywhere with a woman if it wasn’t serious. Other men might do such a thing, but not Garth.
Knowing he was waiting for some kind of response, she said, “Then I guess that settles it, because I do trust you.”
Looking at her watch, she decided it was time to retire for the night. “I need to call Simone to tell her about my change in plans.” Simone already knew, but Garth didn’t have to know that. At the moment Regan just needed to escape from his presence. There was only so much of him she could take. His entire aura was overpowering.
“Okay. Paulo will be back tomorrow. If you want breakfast, he will be here by nine. I plan to go sailing. You can join me if you like.”
She would definitely like, but she didn’t want to crowd him. They had spent today together, and it might be a good idea to have space for both of them tomorrow. “Thanks, but I brought a book to read. One written by your cousin Rock Mason. It’s good.” Rock Mason was the pen name of his cousin Stone Westmoreland.
“I heard his books are good. I haven’t had time to read one. By the way, according to our agenda, we’re to attend the opera tomorrow night. It’s a dressy affair.”
She’d forgotten all about that. When he’d shown her the itinerary a couple of days ago, she’d been excited at the idea of going. She’d brought a gown that would be perfect. At the time, she’d packed it just in case she and Simone decided to do something fancy while she was in Los Angeles.
“I’m good with dressy and would love to go. It doesn’t start until eight, so I’ll be well rested by then, but the question of the hour is whether or not you’ll be rested, since you’re going sailing tomorrow, Garth.”
“I should be fine, so let’s plan to go.”
“Okay. Good night, Garth.”
“Good night, Regan. Sleep well.”
Later that night, when Regan slid between the sheets with her e-reader in her hand, she couldn’t help but think about how much she had enjoyed today. She and Garth had done things together they hadn’t done in years.
She could still hear music, which meant he hadn’t gone to bed yet. Turning on her side, she opened the e-reader, while thinking about how he’d defined their relationship while they were here. They were not sharing space as employer and employee, but as friends.
Was there a reason he’d wanted to make that distinction?
She’d been serious when she brought up the issue of the woman who was to have met him here. Not all women, or men, would be so understanding. Regan couldn’t claim that she would be. But she would let him handle his business.
Tomorrow they would have their space and maybe that was a good thing. Time would tell.
Garth stood and moved across the room to turn off the music. It was past midnight already. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he threw his head back and inhaled deeply, drawing in Regan’s lingering scent. She’d gone to bed hours ago, yet her scent was still here, and had stayed while the music played.
He had closed his eyes so his mind could absorb the music and his entire body could soak up her fragrance. He yearned for things he hadn’t had in months and only wanted them with her.
That was the crux of his problem. He couldn’t have them with her. This insane craving for her couldn’t be normal, could it?
Why not? his mind countered. She’s beautiful and she’s single. She told you she was not involved with that military guy any longer, so what’s the problem? And tonight you defined your relationship as personal.
He had enjoyed playing Scrabble with her and loved it whenever she had challenged him. Not because he’d known his word would stand, but because she was so intense about winning. It seemed his Regan had a few competitive genes, as well.
His Regan?
He frowned. She was not his, although tonight there had been a couple of times he’d thought of her as such.
Grabbing his wineglass, he stood and headed for the kitchen. Tomorrow they would do separate activities during the day. However, he had a feeling tomorrow night, attending the opera with her, would definitely be a test of his endurance.
Nine
Regan stood at the window and then looked down at her watch. It was almost six