Married To The Boss by Lori Foster Page A

said when she started to question him on the homemade bench placed beneath a trellis of lush purple clematis. He managed, just barely, to keep the annoyance and inner turmoil out of his voice. “Don’t you think it’s time we went inside? I’d like to show you your room.”
    â€œDoes my room have a view of the grounds?”
    He caught her arm and started her back toward the path. Her French twist had begun to slip, and instead of being neatly anchored as usual, her hair looked softer and slightly tousled.
    â€œYour room faces the back overlooking a fountain. There’s a row or two of Sparkle berry, which you’ll enjoy because they’re loaded with bright red berries right now, and the birds flock to them.”
    She stepped away from him to turn a full circle, her arms outstretched, her face tilted to the endless sky above. “This is like a fairy-tale castle, R.J.,” she said in a breathless whisper, “with so many gorgeous plants and colors and scents. I feel like I could get lost out here. I had no idea you knew so much about gardening.”
    That wasn’t much of a surprise, since no one, other than his housekeeper, knew about his fascinationwith plants and his affinity for digging in the dirt. And he preferred to keep it that way.
    Why in hell he’d opened up so completely to Dana, he couldn’t guess.
    She continued to stare into the star-studded sky, oblivious to his turmoil. If she’d been aware of it, he thought with a wry smile, he had no doubt she’d try to find a way to fix it for him.
    For some reason, that thought perturbed him. She looked so happy and carefree, her fair hair glowing in the combined moon and lamp light, a few tendrils ruffled by the soft breeze, and suddenly he was restless, overcome by a vague longing. It was a wholly uncomfortable feeling, and he scowled. Snatching her hand as she twirled past once again, he pulled her against his chest and leaned down until their mouths were only separated by a breath.
    â€œThis is very private land, Dana. I know you haven’t bothered looking at the house, but I chose it for its isolation. If you’d like, we could have our wedding night right here, beneath the weeping willow with the begonias all around us. Would you like that?”
    Her eyes widened, looking dark and deep in the dim light, and her mouth fell open. He took advantage of the moment to kiss her, knowing it would distract her and embarrass her and most likely excite her. He felt as if he could deal with any one of those emotions far easier than he could the naked happiness he’d read in her expression.
    It was the first time he’d ever seen her look that way, and the look was incredibly potent.
    She was stiff in his arms for about three seconds, then her hands slid up his shoulders to his head and she gripped his hair hard as a groan escaped her, her mouth moving against his, her body pushing into his. She nearly pulled his hair out as she tried to get closer. She accepted his tongue, then went one further and sucked on it. R.J. gasped, her passion both astounding and seductive. He caught her wrists and gently eased her hands away before she could do more damage to his scalp.
    â€œEasy, sweetheart. I like my head where it is.”
    She either didn’t hear or didn’t understand his teasing comment. Pressed full against him, she went on tiptoe and tried to find his mouth again. R.J. leaned back, laughing softly to himself. She was such a sweet surprise! As long as she was amusing him, there’d be no problem.
    He cupped her face between his hands to gain her attention, then asked, “Is that a yes? Do you want to strip for me now and lie down on the soft grass? The air is a little fresh, but I think we’ll manage to stay warm enough once we get things started.”
    Very slowly, awareness seeped back into her soft eyes. Her brows rose and her pupils flared. She scrambled out of his reach,