He held her with a hand on the small of her back and buried the other in her hair. She arched over his arm, and her breasts thrust up at him. Nothing compared to the way she made him feel.
Her eyes were closed, her hips moving subtly against him, and when he blew on her nipples, gooseflesh spread down her body.
He loved the way she reacted to him. Her nipples were so sensitive he was pretty sure he could bring her to orgasm just by touching her there. He kept kissing and caressing, gently pinching her nipples until her hands clenched in his hair and she rocked her hips harder against his length. He thrust against her and bit down carefully on one tender, aroused nipple. She cried his name, and he hurriedly covered her mouth with his, wanting to feel every bit of her passion, rocking her until she quieted in his arms.
He held her close. Her bare breasts brushed his chest. He was so hard he thought he'd die if he didn't get inside her. Yet this was the perfect moment. Because he knew that he'd turned a corner, and that Cassidy was the one negotiation that he couldn't bear to lose.
Oh, hell, he loved her.
Chapter Eleven
Cassidy got out of bed late in the morning. The room was empty and it was clear that Donovan was gone. She dressed in last night's clothing, since she'd packed all of her other clothes the day before. She heard Mrs. Winters in the kitchen and smelled the enticing aroma of coffee wafting through the house.
She felt small and alone, ashamed that she'd let herself fall once again for Donovan's silver-tongued charm.
She was in the foyer when Mrs. Winters came out of the study. "Good morning, Mrs. Tolley."
"Morning."
"Mr. Tolley left this for you."
"Thank you." She took the small, oblong-shaped box and put it in her purse. She'd received enough jewelry in her life to recognize the box for what it was. And it felt like a bribe. She needed to get out of this house and back to her own.
She walked out of the house. There was a News 4 Van parked at the end of the circular driveway. As she approached her car, a reporter and cameraman scrambled toward her. She hated this part of being an heiress and a magnet for news.
Deciding she wasn't going to talk to anyone, she got into her car and put on her dark glasses. They ran toward her, but she waved them off and drove away.
But she had no idea where to go. Her parents' house, she imagined, was the best place. She called her mom to let her know she'd be there soon to pick up Van. She could collect her son and then plan a trip out of town for a few months. Until the local media had something better to report on than her and her Donovan.
When she pulled into her parents' house, her older brother, Adam, was standing in the portico.
"What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you."
She stared at him, nonplussed. "How'd you know I'd be here?"
"I was with Mom when you called. I thought we should talk," he said, taking her arm and leading her to the back gardens.
"About?"
"Tolley-Patterson. It seems that the stipulation of marriage wasn't the only thing in that will of Maxwell Patterson's. He also left it up to the board of directors to approve Donovan's choice of wife."
"That's ridiculous."
"Exactly. I don't know what's going on today, but according to what I've been able to piece together, Donovan called for an emergency meeting to force the board to make a decision on the CEO."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I have a man on the inside-"
"You sound like a secret agent, Adam. What does that mean?"
"A guy who works for Tolley-Patterson is keeping me abreast of what's happening in the meeting."
"Why would he do that?"
"I asked him to."
"Oh." No further explanation seemed to be forthcoming. "What did he say?"
"That the board will only accept Donovan as CEO if he doesn't marry you."
She heard the words as if from a distance and realized what they meant. Donovan had to choose between her and that position he'd always craved. Her and the last chance he had to prove himself to his grandfather over Sam.
"Thanks for letting me know."
"Cassidy?"
"Yes?"
"Mom and Dad have suggested having your marriage annulled quietly so that you don't have to go through the humiliation of a divorce."
She nodded. "Are they waiting for me?"
"Yes."
"I'm not going to let them take over. I need to do things in my own time."
"What will you do?"
"Talk to Donovan. Who's your source?"
Adam turned away from her. "I don't think I should say."
"I think you better. Is he reliable?"
Adam faced her again, taking off his sunglasses. There was a seriousness in her brother's eyes that she was used to seeing, but she also noticed that he seemed angry. She knew it was on her behalf, and she realized how deeply she was loved by her family.
"Very reliable."
"Who?"
"Sam Patterson."
"Sam? He hates Donovan! Adam, I wouldn't trust anything that he said. He's always working an angle."
"Hell, I know that. That's why I contacted him. I wanted to know more about what was going on."
"Why would he talk to you?"
"I have no idea."
"Liar."
"Liar?"
"Yes. You wouldn't make a deal with a man you didn't trust and there has to be more to this than Sam keeping you in the loop out of the goodness of his heart."
Adam looked uncomfortable for a moment before he put his sunglasses back on. "You're right. There is. I'm helping Sam with a contract he's working on in Canada using some of our contacts."
He didn't elaborate, which just made her mad. She was sick of the men in her life. Just plain sick of them and the way that everything in their worlds revolved around business.
"Did he say when we'd know what the board decides?"
"We should know soon. They're due for a lunch break in a few minutes."
Theo's power play was going to net Donovan the results he wanted. Donovan had no doubt about that. The board of directors had been unmoved by Theo's presentation, he suspected.
"What are you going to do?" Sam asked him as they both stood outside the boardroom. They'd been asked to leave while the board had a final vote.
"About what?"
"If they insist that you not marry Cassidy."
"Sam, I'm already married to her, so there's little the board can do. Even they can't insist I get a divorce."
"You're married? I thought she was just living with you."
"Do you honestly think I wouldn't marry her?"
"Well … yes. We all believed-"
"All? Who else? Theo? Have you been in league with him?"
"No. Theo has his own issues because Granddaddy left him out of the running for successor."
Donovan agreed. Maxwell Patterson had left them all with a heck of a mess. The company wasn't in the best financial shape, but with him and Sam working as they had for the last few months, Tolley-Patterson was finally on the right track.
"If not Theo, then who?"
"Um … Adam Franzone."
"Then you must have known I was married to Cassidy," Donovan said.
"No, I didn't. Adam and I have a very limited agreement-I'm keeping him informed about what's going on in the board meeting today, and he's using his contacts to get us the land we need in Canada for our new facility."
Donovan was surprised that Sam had thought to use Adam for help in the land acquisition, which had been progressing very slowly. "Did you go to him?"
"No. Adam came to me."
Donovan realized that after all the years he'd spent competing with his cousin, he really didn't know the man. He had always just looked at Sam's weaknesses and tried to exploit them. But now he saw a glimpse of a future.
"I'm not going to leave Cassidy. I've just figured out how to get her back into my life. The board is going to have to accept some kind of compromise. I suggest you and I go in there united."
"What do you have in mind?" Sam asked.
"A joint venture. Granddaddy knew you and I were the future, and I'm not sure that he didn't mean for us to somehow work out an agreement."
Sam laughed. "He didn't. He set us against each other because we both respond to a challenge."