a few minutes ago. It had happened five years ago and was long over. He’d hooked up with a woman, a client whose business was in Spartanburg. He’d never heard from her again after that one weekend, and didn’t intend to renew any contact. All the same, he felt guilty about how much he had enjoyed having a woman’s attention focused solely on him. He scrubbed his face with his hands to hide the memory of how that weekend had felt. Sighing, he turned to Grace. “Are you sure you can’t come with me?”
“I’d have to call and cancel lunch with Cecilia, and I want to see James again.” Grace sighed as she snuggled closer to him.
He soaked in her smile, felt the old pull of attraction that had been there between them since the day they’d met in high school.
His eyes focused on hers, he saw the glint of desire there, and his mind raced over the possibilities. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman, a wife. There had to be some way to convince her to come to Charleston with him. “Why don’t I book a suite at the Planters Inn? We could go out to dinner, or order room service, a bottle of wine...just the two of us. We haven’t stayed downtown in Charleston in years. What do you say?”
“A night in Charleston?” she asked.
“Or two nights, if you’d like. Beautiful surroundings, all the amenities. Think fluffy robes, nothing on under them. Pure luxury in a suite all to ourselves. Me reaching for you,” he whispered in her ear, hearing her breath quicken as his body hardened.
He kissed her lips, felt her body curve into his. His blood hot, his body arching toward hers, he felt her immediate response as if it was imprinted into his consciousness.
“I would do anything for you, Aidan Caldwell Fellowes,” she said, her lips on his throat, her breath searing his skin.
“And me for you,” he whispered, pulling her under him as his lips sought the soft skin between her breasts.
Her quick intake of breath was all he needed. He continued to kiss her skin, moving his tongue along the space between her breasts. “If you come with me to Charleston, I promise you the best time you’ve ever had, Mrs. Fellowes.” He raised his gaze to hers. “You will not regret a minute of the time you spend with me.”
She sighed, her hands stroking his face, her skin flushed pink.
He eased his hands over her tummy, down along her hips, hugging her body against his. “What do you say?”
She looked deep into his eyes, her lips parted, her hair spread across the pillow. “You never cease to amaze me, Aidan,” she whispered, her fingers continuing their course over his cheek, down his neck.
“How so?” he asked, loving this game, this moment when she would succumb to him. It had always been that way. He would entice her with something, a dinner out, a trip, a night in, just the two of them. Until recently, Grace had always gone along with his plans. And now, with the whole issue of a baby settled, he wanted them to go back to the beginning, back to the way things were.
“I agree we need to get away, time to ourselves. It would be really nice to spend a couple days in Charleston. You win, my love. I’ll cancel my lunch date.”
He kissed her, cradling her head in his hands. “Thank you. You won’t regret going with me. Besides, how can you resist the chance to have me all to yourself?” he teased, aware of the times he’d wanted her to go away with him when he’d be gone for days without her, and she’d remained at home, either for a doctor’s appointment, redecorating the baby’s room or a quilting event.
“Aidan, I love you,” she whispered as her body writhed under his caress, a groan of pleasure escaping her lips.
“And I love you,” he murmured against her skin.
Two hours later, he and Grace arrived in Charleston. “Why don’t I drop you somewhere along King Street, give you a little time to shop? And before you say anything about the cost, I want you to buy whatever you want. Promise me you’ll do that,” he said.
She smiled at him, her body still humming from the time they’d spent in bed making love. It was as if everything that had stood between them, all the pain and uncertainty of the past few years, had slipped away. It was as if they were back to the way they’d been when they first got married.
Aidan was so right about what they needed—the time together without anyone interfering. She smiled at the memory of those early morning hours. As they’d packed to leave, joking and talking with each other the way they once had, she was certain they would work everything out.
She was confident that this trip was meant to be. The next couple of days together would work its magic on them. She’d never stayed at the Planters Inn, but she’d heard about it from a friend who had spent her wedding night in one of its beautiful suites. Grace had helped her plan her big day and had seen the photos of the inn, all gold and cream with deep hues of blue and roses everywhere. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect place for a getaway. “I promise to buy whatever I see that I like,” she offered, stroking his arm.
“Perfect. I’ll call you the second I’m out of my meeting and we’ll go for a late lunch,” he said, navigating the tight lanes of traffic leading toward Broad Street, the hallmark of Charleston civility.
“I wish we’d planned to do this with Lucas and Maria. She’s such a great shopper, and we always have a good time together. I was never so happy as when Lucas arrived back from a business trip to Spartanburg to tell me he’d met the woman of his dreams. Do you think they’ll get married? I mean, Lucas talks about her all the time, and I want him to be as happy as we are.”
“Lucas and Maria are not on my mind at all. They have their life and we have ours,” he said, his gaze direct, a small furrow forming between his eyes as he turned to her. “All I want is to let the world go away and you and I focus on us,” he said as he maneuvered the large SUV into a narrow parking spot.
“Okay. No more talk about anyone or anything but us,” she said. She didn’t want anything to ruin their minivacation. Reaching across the wide console, she squeezed his hand where it rested on the steering wheel. “I can’t wait for you to be finished. You’re right. We need to get away. Starting today, we’ll plan to do something like this once a month. We deserve time alone together, don’t we?”
“Exactly. Why can’t we just take off, act like a pair of teenagers in love? The way we used to do,” he said, his smile intimate, wrapping around her, signaling that whatever was bothering him had gone.
She kissed him quickly. “After I’m done shopping, I’ll call a cab and go to the inn. I’ll check in and be waiting for you. Just for you, I’m going to buy something really sexy to wear tonight.” She kissed him again before she reached for the door handle. “You’d better be ready,” she teased, seeing the love in his eyes. Her body tingled. “I’ll order a bottle of champagne.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her, his mouth moving over hers in a way that made her weak with desire. “I can’t wait, woman.” His smile radiated happiness as his lips brushed hers. “I’ll see you later. We’ll order room service and you can model your latest purchase...before I remove it.”
* * *
FIVE HOURS LATER, Aidan lay sprawled on the bed, Grace in his arms, the sheets crumpled around them, his need for her completely sated.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said,
