A Touch of Heaven Page 11

  “You are so beautiful, Regan,” he said, mesmerized just by the sight of her. “So damn beautiful.” Tears glistened in her eyes at his words and Sawyer made a mental note to compliment her more often; to not take for granted the beautiful woman astride him. Regan wiggled in his lap and let out a small plea and Sawyer was more than ready to comply. In one swift move he was inside of her. Their mingled sigh of pleasure was the only sound in the room for a long time and then Regan slowly began to move. Sawyer guided her movements, his hand gently gripping her hips.

  Between the candlelight, the sounds of the ocean and the sensual way that she rode him, Sawyer knew that he wouldn’t last long; couldn’t last long. Taking one strong hand from her hip he reached out to where their bodies were joined and gently used his finger to stroke her and Regan gasped at his touch. She picked up her pace slightly but Sawyer kept up with her, stroking her inside and out with an accuracy that was guaranteed to take her over the edge. With his name a cry on her lips, wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her. Her hands were braced on his chest as she rode her orgasm out until she felt as if there wasn’t a bone left in her body.

  Spent and exhausted, Regan draped her body on his. “My turn,” Sawyer whispered as he pumped into her repeatedly until his own orgasm took over and seemed to go on and on until he, too, was completely spent. Their hearts beat against one another in sync with the other and it took long moments for their breathing to calm.

  Regan sleepily lifted her head and smiled dreamily down at him. “I think we’ll save that second condom for another time.”

  Sawyer chuckled and reached up to cup her head and bring her down for a soft, lingering kiss. “Deal.”

  Chapter Eight

  Bridal party pampering was always fun but Regan found that she was equally excited when the group was done and walking out the door. She and her entire staff sat like a platoon of wounded soldiers as the last tiara-wearing bridesmaid left the building.

  “That is going to be one wild wedding,” Caroline said as she slouched down in one of the massaging pedicure chairs. “I can only imagine the pictures they’ll get and the stories they’ll tell afterwards.”

  “If I had to hear any more about edible underwear, I think I would have had to leave,” Todd said with a grin. “And believe me, nothing makes me happier than talking underwear and lingerie with women but something about that group just made it seem…wrong.”

  Regan laughed. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “Did they traumatize you?”

  Rising, Todd nodded. “Absolutely. Now if you ladies will excuse me, my shift is over and I am going home to rest up for my date tonight.” He grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

  “Don’t forget the edible underwear,” Caroline called out to him and then simply broke out in laughter at the way the color drained from his face.

  Todd turned to Regan. “It’s even more traumatizing coming from your mother.” And with that, he left.

  Caroline was still giggling when Regan walked over and sat on the chair beside her and clicked on the rolling massage setting. “I’m glad you think it’s funny to taunt the hired help.”

  “Oh, please,” Caroline said with a smile. “That boy has done his share of sharing way too much information with all of us about his sexual escapades. It was kind of fun to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

  Regan looked at her mom and was stunned by the transformation. Sure, she had acknowledged the changes that she’d seen, but right now sitting beside her, it really hit. Caroline looked ten years younger; she had been smiling more recently than Regan had ever remembered her doing in years. Caroline noticed Regan’s appraisal of her and squirmed a little in her seat. “What? What’s the matter? Do I have spinach in my teeth?”

  Reaching over, Regan took her mother’s hand in hers. “You really are happy, aren’t you? With Max, I mean.”

  Nodding, Caroline squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I never even imagined that something like this would happen for me. I was content to be a widow and to work with my daughter and look forward to the day when you would become a wife and a mother. I hadn’t realized that I had given up on such a big part of my life until I met Max.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “It was so unexpected. Men never pay me much attention so when Max approached me in that store it scared me to death. I mean, here was this big burly man and he was talking to me and asking to come to my house!”

  Regan laughed. “He had a camera crew with him, Mom; it wasn’t as if he approached you in a dark alley.”

  “To me it was almost the same thing.” She turned and faced Regan. “Most of the men I come in contact with are husbands of my friends or clients. I don’t know, maybe I gave off some sort of vibe that told men to back off but Max was genuinely the first man since your father to actually seem to want to get to know me. It was a little unnerving.”

  “Maybe you just weren’t ready until now. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  Caroline shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Either way I wake up every morning and think, ‘oh my goodness! I get to see Max today!’” She smiled. “It’s a wonderful feeling. I wish that you would find someone that makes you feel the same way.

  I already have, Regan thought and for a brief moment considered sharing that fact with her mother and then shrugged it off. This was Caroline’s time to be in the spotlight and as much as her mother would want to know about how Regan felt about Sawyer, she wanted to give her a little more time to have the focus on her. “You’re very lucky and I know that someday it will happen for me, too. And then we’ll make everyone around us sick with how happy we are!”

  “That’s my girl! Watch out because it happens when you least expect it and sometimes it’s even with who you least expect. Your father was a quiet and conservative businessman. Never in my life would I have imagined myself with someone as big and loud and,” she sighed, “so hands on as Max Bennett.” She fanned herself. “The man certainly has a way with his hands.”

  Regan sat back and closed her eyes, shaking her head. “TMI, Mom…TMI.”

  ****

  Regan had no idea what Sawyer had planned for them for their date this evening; he was being very secretive about it. Staring at the contents of her closet, she had no idea how she was supposed to dress. If she went all slinky-black-dress and heels and he planned on burgers and bowling, she’d feel foolish. If she went casual and he took her to a five-star restaurant, she’d look like an idiot.

  “Getting dressed shouldn’t be this hard,” she mumbled and decided on the black dress option and hoped for the best. She showered and shaved and slathered lotion on every inch of her skin. In a rare indulgence, she had even let one of the girls at the spa do a mani/pedi on her. Regan rarely took advantage of the services of A Touch of Heaven but every once in a while, like a special occasion, she gave in.

  And tonight felt like a special occasion.

  She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but something about this date seemed like it was going to be a game changer. Regan had been out on dates before, more than she cared to remember, but it seemed like this was the first time that a man was actually taking charge and putting an effort into one. If there was one thing that she had come to learn about Sawyer, it was that he was a stickler for details. She had no doubt that this wasn’t going to be her average, run-of-the-mill date. No, Sawyer would make sure that he researched every detail and that it was designed for their maximum enjoyment.

  Admiring her curvy form in the silky black lingerie she had purposely purchased for this evening, Regan thought that they really didn’t need much to attain maximum enjoyment out of one another. They never ran out of topics to talk about and they had a lot of common interests and then there was the sex. She sighed. Enjoyment seemed like too mild of a word for that.

  Making her mind move away from that particular topic, Regan slithered into the little black dress and then reached for the stilettos. She didn’t often wear such racy shoes but for tonight she would make th
e sacrifice. Another rummage through her closet had her finding a wrap to use for when it cooled down later in the evening and with one last glance at her reflection, she headed down the stairs to wait.

  Placing her purse and wrap by the front door, she walked to the kitchen and poured herself something to drink. She was nervous. It didn’t make sense because being with Sawyer was becoming familiar and something that she embraced. Regan stood and tried to put her finger on what it was. Surely she couldn’t be nervous because they were going out on an official date, could she? A small giggle escaped before she could stop it.

  “For crying out loud,” she said with a shake of her head. “You’re a grown woman and yet here you are acting like a schoolgirl going out on her very first date.” Immediately, thoughts of her mother and Max came to mind and Regan knew that she wasn’t alone in what she was feeling. If she let the cat out of the bag on hers and Sawyer’s relationship, would others see the kind of transformation in her as she’d seen in Caroline?

  With a smile Regan put down her glass. “I hope so.” She knew that seeing her mother so happy made her happy so maybe if Caroline saw how happy Regan was with Sawyer, it would have the same effect. You never can have too much happiness, right?

  At six-thirty on the dot there was a knock at her door. Smoothing her dress and a quick fluff of her hair, Regan walked to open the door to the man who was fast becoming as necessary to her as breathing. Opening the door she saw a massive bouquet of tulips and iris’ in bold shades of reds and purples. “Oh, my,” she gasped as Sawyer walked in dressed in a suit and tie.

  “I wasn’t sure what kind of flowers you liked but when I saw these colors, they made me think of you.”

  “Oh, Sawyer, they’re magnificent.” Taking them in her hands she leaned in to breath in their perfume and sighed with pleasure. “They’re so beautiful and so perfect. Thank you.” Before turning to find a vase, she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. “I love them.”

  Sawyer wanted to deepen the kiss but knew if he started, he wouldn’t want to stop. Tonight was about taking Regan out and showing her that he enjoyed spending time with her – and not just in bed. He followed her into the kitchen and watched as she fluttered around in search of a vase. As she stretched to reach one he got a full glimpse of what she was wearing. The simple black dress hugged her every curve and was held up with tiny straps. The neckline wasn’t overly plunging but it gave him a glorious view of her cleavage where, nestled lovingly there, was a small heart pendant on a gold chain.

  His gaze raked over her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and he almost stopped breathing at the sight of the stilettos. Good lord! He couldn’t imagine her being able to walk in them and thought about how he could possibly change their plans for the night so that they skipped the Art Walk. He was frowning when she turned around.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Sawyer felt ridiculous to even have to voice his concern but more than anything, he wanted this to be a perfect night for Regan and ending the night with blisters on her feet was not anybody’s idea of a perfect evening. He cleared his voice and tried to think of a way to say what he had to say without it ending up with her changing her shoes.

  They looked really good.

  Sexy.

  He could easily imagine making love to her later on with her wearing nothing but those shoes. “You just look so damn beautiful. You take my breath away every time I see you.” Taking the few steps to close the distance between them, Sawyer cupped her face and kissed her tenderly before pulling back. “I have this whole night planned and then I look at you and this incredibly sexy dress and those killer shoes and…well…”

  “Am I overdressed? Should I go and change?” That wouldn’t make too much sense she thought to herself since Sawyer was dressed in a suit and tie.

  “No, no, god, Regan, you’re perfect. No it’s just that I had planned on us doing the Art Walk in Raleigh but I think that would just be cruel to do to you in those shoes.”

  She let out a throaty laugh and leaned back in to kiss him. “Silly man. We women can handle a little stroll around town even in killer heels. No worries. And if they really start to bother me, I’ll walk barefoot and just dangle them from my fingers.”

  Sawyer couldn’t say why but even that sounded sexy. He had it bad that was for sure. “I just wanted you to have a head’s up before we left. I had hoped to surprise you with it after dinner but once I got a look at you, I wanted to make sure that you were okay with the plans.”

  Regan smiled and reached out to cup the side of his face. “I don’t care where we go; I’m just looking forward to going out with you tonight.”

  Her words warmed him and Sawyer held out his arm to her. “Ready?”

  Shyly she hooked her arm through his and they walked together out to…his car? Regan looked from the car to Sawyer and back again. “Where did this come from? You have a truck. Where’s the truck?”

  Placing a hand on the small of her back he gently nudged her closer to the car. “I didn’t want to take you out in my work vehicle. I rented the car for the weekend. I figured it was much more suitable for a night out on the town and just sort of doing whatever else we wanted this weekend.”

  “Oh, Sawyer,” she sighed. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have been fine with us using my car and, really, it would not have been an issue going out in the truck. I hate that you went through all this trouble just to take me out.” She pouted slightly and Sawyer spun her around in his arms.

  “I didn’t want to take you out in the truck and I wanted to come here, as a man should, and take a beautiful woman out on a date. Call me old fashioned but I believe that a man should pick a woman up to take her out.”

  She rolled her eyes at him playfully. “You were still taking me out, Sawyer…”

  He shook his head. “No. I wanted to come here and pick you up. I don’t want you to have to take your car. I’m taking you out and I’m doing it in my car. Well, a car that’s mine for the weekend.”

  Regan kissed his cheek as Sawyer reached to open the car door for her. “You are very sweet and I love the fact that you are old fashioned, too. We have that in common.” Carefully, Regan lowered herself into the luxury car and made herself comfortable as Sawyer closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Once he was seated and buckled in, he turned to her.

  “Ready?”

  “Are you kidding? I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for a night like this.” And with that, Sawyer pulled out of the driveway and took them toward a romantic new beginning.

  ****

  “I am so full that it doesn’t matter what shoes I’m wearing, I need to walk,” Regan said with a laugh as they strolled hand in hand through downtown Raleigh. There were live bands playing and a variety of shops and art galleries open for them to explore. “I’ve lived here my entire life and have never once done this. How did you find out about it?”

  “I did my research and tried to think of something that would be different even if you’d done it before. This seemed like a good option.”

  “It’s perfect. And so was dinner.” Regan placed a hand on her belly still in shock that she had eaten as much as she had.

  Sawyer saw the action and chuckled. “It’s refreshing to take out a woman who actually eats.”

  She punched him in the arm. “Hey! I did not eat that much.”

  “I didn’t say that you did,” he bantered back. “It’s just that most women I know tend to go out to eat and then pick at their meals. I was glad that you enjoyed yours.”

  “You will never have to worry about me turning down a meal. I could probably stand to skip a few; that’s why I’m a little more, shall we say, full figured than is trendy right now.”

  “Your body is perfect,” he said sternly, stopping them in their tracks. “There isn’t a damn thing wrong with you and if you wanted to go someplace and eat right now, I’d take you. You name it, what would you like? Cake? Ice cream?”
>
  She was laughing out loud now at his words. “I couldn’t eat another bite right now if you paid me.” Then she stopped and considered her words. “But don’t hold me to that an hour or so from now. I almost never say no to ice cream.”

  “Good to know,” he said with a nod, tucking that little tidbit of information away.

  They continued to stroll and explore for what seemed like hours when Regan’s pace began to slow. “I know that I said I could do this for hours but I think I was being overly optimistic.” Reaching down she gracefully stepped out of the heels and then picked them up and looped them over her fingers. The cool pavement felt wonderful on her sore feet and before she had gone more than five steps, she let out a shriek as Sawyer scooped her up into his arms. “Sawyer? Are you crazy? What are you doing?”

  “I thought that would be obvious.”

  “I know that you’re carrying me,” she said as if she was speaking to a child. “What I don’t know is why.”

  “I don’t want you walking on this pavement; you could hurt yourself. We’ll head back to the car.”

  “That’s about four blocks from here!” she cried. “I’m fine, really. You can put me down.”

  “Are you kidding me?” he asked with disbelief. “This could quite possibly be the single most romantic thing I’ve ever done and you want me to stop?” He was mocking her and added a small pout for good measure.

  “You’re crazy,” she whispered and then kissed him. “Fine, now you can say that you swept me off my feet in every sense of the word.”

  He beamed under her words. “That’s my girl.”

  ****

  They arrived back at Regan’s townhouse and it was a given that Sawyer was coming in with her. She wanted to ask him if he wanted just to make sure they hit all the highlights of an official date but she didn’t want to play. Sawyer had created the perfect night. Dinner had been magnificent, the restaurant was beautiful, the conversation had flowed and strolling through downtown to the sounds of local musicians while admiring some of the local artists work had just been more amazing than she ever could have imagined.