The Wife He Needs Read online

  Their gazes held for a long moment. “What?” he finally asked.

  “Come here and I’ll tell you.”

  Garth heard a sexy catch in her voice, and it did something to him. Had him pushing his chair back to stand and cross the room to her. “Yes?”

  “Move closer, Garth.”

  He could do that, and he did. A second later he was standing so close their bodies were touching. He could actually feel her nipples poking into his chest. “Yes?”

  “Today I want to feel sexy, desired and wanted. Do you think you can handle that, Garth?”

  Sexy, desired and wanted...

  Images of how he could make her feel those very things spiked through his brain. “I know I can handle it, Regan.”

  She reached up and placed her arms around his neck. Tilting her head back, she looked up at him. “Then show me.”

  Fourteen

  Garth drew her into his arms, lowered his head and kissed her. The moment their mouths touched, Regan knew she had made the right decision. This was what she wanted. Closing her eyes, she intended to get the full, unadulterated effect.

  This was what she needed, and she hadn’t known just how much until now. Seeing him walk toward her in those jeans and that T-shirt had made every hormone in her body burn. Seeing how the denim stretched across a pair of muscled thighs and how his broad chest and brawny shoulders were killing that T-shirt had made her heart flutter deep in her chest.

  This kiss was different from the one they’d shared last night. It was passionate, but there was something else, too. It was seductive, fiery to the point where she moaned as their tongues mingled. Heat spread all through her body.

  Garth’s mouth was a perfect fit over hers. She’d noticed that last night and noticed it again today. His kiss drugged all her senses and made her want more, more and more. When he deepened the kiss, her moans deepened, as well.

  He wanted her. She had the ability to taste the depth of his desire in the onslaught of his greedy mouth. Was it intentional? Was he deliberately letting her know his desire for her hadn’t changed? Was that why he was greedily lapping up her mouth, making her aware of his voraciousness? His insatiability?

  She groaned in protest when he finally ended the kiss, but not before he used the tip of his tongue to lick her mouth from corner to corner. Opening her eyes, she gazed up into his dark brown ones while drawing in a deep breath. She loved him so much. He had no idea that she loved him. He thought all he wanted from her was sex, but she intended to make things so good between them that in the end he would think twice about letting her go build a future with another man. She was taking a gamble with her plan, but he was worth the risk.

  “Are you sure about this, Regan?” he asked. “If you say yes, just know that before we return to Fairbanks, I intend to make love to you all over this house.”

  The thought had sizzling sensations spreading between her legs. If his words were meant to be a reality check for her, they had been. She was all too eager to mix her fantasies with his reality to see what they came up with. Her goal was to make him desire her more than he did now, more than he ever thought he could.

  “I’m sure, but what about you, Garth? Are you sure, as well?”

  “Sweetheart, I’ve never been so sure of anything before in my life.”

  He then swept her off her feet and into his arms and began moving. She knew he was taking her to a bedroom, and she didn’t care which one. It didn’t matter. Either would work.

  Regan knew the moment he placed her on the bed that they were in the bedroom he’d slept in last night. His manly scent was all over the bedcovers. It aroused her. Made her feel as if her entire body was burning alive from the inside out.

  “May I go on record to make something clear, Regan?” Garth asked, kicking off his shoes.

  She swallowed. He was standing, all six feet and three inches of him, at the foot of the bed, staring at her with the same intensity that she felt. She wasn’t sure what he had to say, but she definitely wanted to hear it.

  “Yes,” she said in an almost whisper.

  “You don’t need me to make you feel sexy, desired and wanted. You are those things already. What I intend to do is to make you feel needed,” he said, stepping away from the bed to pull his T-shirt over his head and toss it on a nearby chair. “If only you knew the depth of my need for you.”

  She wondered if being needed also meant she was indispensable, essential, vital, crucial...all those things she wanted to become to him.

  “Now I have you just where I want you, Regan. In my bed.”

  And whether he knew it or not, she had him just where she wanted him, too. Standing in front of her and stripping, for starters. As she watched, his hands went to the front of his jeans.

  “And I have you doing what I’ve always fantasized about, Garth. Taking your clothes off in front of me so I can see you naked.”

  She could tell from the look on his face that her words surprised him. “You used to fantasize about me?”

  “All the time. You always looked sexy in your business suits, but my imagination gets a little more risqué than that.”

  He shook his head. “I never knew.”

  “What? That I wanted you as much as you wanted me? I told you that in the kitchen earlier.”

  “I assumed that desire began since you’ve been here with me.”

  Boy, was he wrong. “No, it goes back further than that.”

  It was important that he knew everything. Not only that the desire was mutual but also that it hadn’t just begun. If he understood that then it would be easier for her to build the kind of relationship they needed, regardless of whether he thought they needed it or not.

  “I never knew,” he said, looking a little confused. “You never said anything.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to. You are my boss and I am a professional.”

  He nodded because she knew he couldn’t refute that. “How long have you felt that way?”

  There was no way she would tell him that she’d had a crush on him since she was sixteen, or that he was the reason she had returned to Fairbanks after her first year in college. She had heard he was back home from the military with a broken heart, and she’d been determined to fix it. Things didn’t work out quite that way. He was deep in mourning for the woman he’d lost and had built a solid wall around himself, one that even his family hadn’t been able to penetrate for a long while.

  “The length of time doesn’t matter, Garth. All you need to know is that the desire between us is mutual. Now are you going to finish undressing or what?”

  He gave her that Garth Outlaw smile, and her gaze shifted lower, from his face to where his hand rested at his zipper. He was fully aroused. That much was obvious. Seeing him had the tips of her breasts responding.

  Her heart raced in her chest and she couldn’t recall another time when seeing a half-naked man had done that to her. But she knew it was more than seeing Garth without his shirt, because he’d been bare-chested around her before. It was Garth, period.

  The man she had truly loved forever.

  Her gaze was fixated on his zipper and it was quite obvious that he was aware it wasn’t his zipper per se that held her interest. “Are you ready for me, Regan?”

  She was ready for him, and ready to see him. “I am ready for you, Garth.”

  “Do you want to touch me now?” he invited, tapping his crotch.

  She swallowed. That invitation was bold, and it made the tips of her fingers itch. She glanced up and met his gaze. “Copping a feel won’t satisfy me. I’d rather touch you there when you’re not wearing any clothes.”

  She saw the flare of heat in his eyes and smiled. Little did he know she intended to touch him—and taste him—all over. By the time they left for Fairbanks, she hoped he would have become so addicted to her touch that he would seek her
out to continue what they’d started here.

  “I’m not one to keep a lady waiting.”

  Her eyes were glued to his crotch when he began lowering his zipper. When he slid the jeans down muscled thighs and legs, her breath caught. The only thing left was his briefs and they were barely keeping him contained. She watched as he lowered them down his legs.

  “Wow,” she said, with both awe and feminine appreciation in her voice.

  He smiled over at her. “Now are you ready to touch me?”

  * * *

  Garth knew that for as long as he lived, he would never forget the look on Regan’s face the moment she saw him totally naked. She had no idea how much her expression boosted his ego. And he wasn’t a man whose ego needed stroking. However, he was discovering that when it came to Regan, she got to him in a way that wasn’t normal.

  He’d been attracted to beautiful women before, but for some reason his attraction to her was different. For months, he’d tried to downplay it. Then he’d gone through a period of denial because there was no reason for him to all of a sudden become fixated on her. When ignoring it didn’t work, he’d accepted his attraction to her was only physical. After sex, he thought, he would get back to normal. Once he’d gotten his fill of her—worked her out of his system while they spent time together here in Santa Cruz—then things between them would get back to normal when they returned to Fairbanks.

  And for her to admit she’d wanted him long before now made desiring her even more acceptable to him. He didn’t have to feel guilty about seducing her when she’d let it be known she wanted to be seduced. Just to think, they’d had the hots for each other, but had kept it secret. Imagine all the times he had wanted her and could have had her.

  “Yes, I want to touch you, but shouldn’t I take my clothes off, too?” she asked.

  He nodded. “That might be a good idea because when you touch me, I’m going to want to touch you.”

  She grinned over at him. “Please do.”

  He’d been so used to the very professional, highly proficient Regan Fairchild that he’d have to adjust to the sexy woman reclining on that bed.

  She eased up and pulled her top over her head and tossed it to join his T-shirt on the chair. Next came her black lace bra. She was taking her time unhooking it and he felt a stirring deep in the pit of his stomach as he watched her. Feeling a little impatient, he asked, “Need help?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’ve got this.”

  When she removed her bra and tossed it aside to expose a pair of gorgeous breasts with delicious-looking, darkened nipples, his tongue tightened in this mouth.

  “Now for these,” she said, working the leggings down her thighs. That left her clad in a pair of scanty, black lace panties.

  “May I?” he asked.

  She glanced over at him. “May you do what?”

  “Take those off you?”

  He watched how she drew in a deep breath as if his question had affected her. “If you want,” she said. To him the sound of her voice was breathlessly husky.

  “Yes, I want.” Garth doubted she knew just how much he wanted.

  He moved toward the bed and thought the same thing now that he’d thought when he’d seen her in her swimsuit. She had a gorgeous body. Seeing her small waist, flat tummy and a pair of long, beautiful legs made breathing difficult.

  He felt heat in the tips of his fingers when he placed them beneath the waistband of her panties. He heard her sharp intake of breath when he touched her skin. When he slowly began easing the panties down her legs, anticipation took over his senses.

  When he had uncovered her, Garth went completely still. He’d never seen anything so beautiful. Something passed through him, something akin to possession, which didn’t make sense. They weren’t in an exclusive relationship. All they would be sharing was an affair that would last only while they were here in Santa Cruz. Why did he need to remind himself of that?

  “Garth?”

  He shifted his gaze from her feminine mound to her face. “Who will do the touching first?”

  He swallowed. The hell with touching, he wanted to taste her, but she might not be ready for that yet, so he said. “Ladies first.”

  She evidently liked his answer. She crawled toward him and took him into her hands and cupped him. He knew he was a goner. “Not sure I’m going to last, Regan,” he said, gritting his teeth to keep from groaning aloud when she worked her fingers on him.

  Deciding he needed to touch her while she was touching him, he took her breasts in his hands, loving the way they felt. Then he leaned forward and sucked a hardened nipple between his lips.

  “Garth!”

  He released her breast as she released him. “I need you, Regan.”

  “And I need you. Now.”

  An aura of sexual chemistry surrounded them. He’d known for almost a year that he wanted her, but he hadn’t expected to need her to this degree. Reaching over, he reached into the nightstand to retrieve a condom packet. He quickly ripped it open and sheathed himself, knowing she watched his every move.

  Then, joining her on the bed, he straddled his body over hers. Her feminine scent fueled his desire. It had blood rushing fast and furious through his veins, causing a spike of heat to rush into his groin. Anticipation thickened the air and he bit back a guttural groan.

  Leaning in, he captured her mouth with his, needing to taste her. When he couldn’t wait any longer, he eased his engorged shaft inside of her, feeling how her body stretched for him. Glancing down, he saw the glassy look in her eyes, and when she whispered, “Deeper,” he thrust hard, filling her totally and completely.

  Garth gazed down at her and found her staring up at him. He loved the feel of being inside her, how her inner muscles clenched him. How her fingernails dug into his shoulders. He began moving, thrusting back and forth, and she extracted everything out of him.

  Over and over he pounded into her, establishing a rhythm, a sensuous beat, that he could move to forever. He was taking her hard, fast and then harder and faster, not letting up. He needed this. He wanted her. He needed her.

  The sound of her moaning and then purring and then moaning again pushed him over the edge. Throwing his head back, he continued to thrust hard, trying to go deeper with every stroke while loving the feel of her inner muscles clenching him even tighter.

  Suddenly, he released a loud growl, one he was certain shook the rafters. But he couldn’t stop. Wasn’t sure if he would ever stop. His body bucked and she screamed out her pleasure. Every inch of him was filling her. Just the way he wanted. Just the way he’d dreamed. Never had he shared an orgasm with a woman who had rocked him all the way to the bone.

  Her muscles continued to grip him, to pull everything out of him as he thrust hard, heading toward another climax right on the heels of the first. Then, when he knew he had nothing left to give, he collapsed on top of her before quickly shifting so his weight would not harm her.

  “Regan.”

  “Garth.”

  Somehow, he found enough energy to kiss her again. What they’d shared wasn’t ordinary. It was something he hadn’t counted on. When had he ever desired a woman this much? Even now he felt himself getting aroused all over again.

  Releasing her mouth, he eased out of bed to take care of the condom. “I’ll be back in a minute and when I return...”

  She glanced up at him with satisfied eyes. “Yes?”

  “I intend to taste you all over.”

  Fifteen

  Regan forced her eyes open and looked up at Garth. He had more energy than he knew what to do with. Well, that wasn’t totally true since he did know what to do with it. He did her. Over and over again. Not once, or twice, not even three times. They had been going at it since breakfast, skipping lunch and napping in between. And when he’d told her he would taste her all over, he’d meant it. No man ha
d ever done anything like that to her before. Making love to Garth had definitely been an adventure.

  “No way we haven’t worked up an appetite. It’s time for me to get up and fix dinner since we skipped lunch,” Garth said, easing his body off her and pulling her into his arms.

  “Not sure I’ll make dinner,” she said. All she felt like doing was sleeping and burying her face in the bedcovers that smelled like him. The scent of a man. A robust man. A very sexual man. A man who had more stamina than the law allowed. But he’d also been tender and caring. He hadn’t done anything without first making sure she was comfortable with it. Everything he’d done had filled her with pleasure, pleasure and more pleasure.

  “You have to eat, Regan,” he said, leaning down and placing a kiss on her lips.

  She loved it whenever he kissed her, and he’d been kissing her a lot today. All over. “Why? So you can zap away all my strength and energy again?”

  He grinned. “Did I do that?”

  “Yes. And you don’t have to look so pleased about it.” And he was looking pleased. She’d seen Garth smile a lot of times, but this was a different kind of smile. One that showed an unusual side of him. A sensual side. A side that openly displayed emotions she hadn’t seen him expose in a long time. Not since he’d returned from the military.

  “Hard not to look pleased when I am. Not about zapping your energy or strength, but the fact that I’m here and you’re here with me.”

  “News flash, Mr. Outlaw. I’m usually with you,” she reminded him. Hopefully, to give him something to think about. “You’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately and I’m your transportation in the air and often on the ground.”

  “I like this way better. With you in bed with me.”

  She knew that for now, it was all sexual for him. She could deal with that as long as she believed there could be more down the road. “I guess I should get up and help you with dinner.”

  “You don’t have to. I like taking care of you for a change. You’re always taking care of me. Like you just said, whether it’s in the air or on the ground, you’re my girl.”