A Moment in Time (3 page)

Teddy threw his arms around her again,
pulling her to him passionately, kissing her neck, her ears,
forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth. Then he began to lick the
tears that had spilled down onto her cheeks.

"I love you, Val," he murmured. "Oh, I love
you so much. I want to make you the happiest woman alive. I want to
make you mine.'"

Valerie stiffened at these last words, but
she remained mute, hoping that her silence would neither offend him
nor imply assent to his wishes.

When he drew back again, Teddy smiled at her
radiantly. "You've made me the happiest man in the world."

She couldn't help but find his excitement
infectious. "I'm . . . I'm glad, Teddy," she said, returning his
smile.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"Like it?" She looked down at the ring.
"Teddy, it's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen."

"Put it on," he said. "Let's see what it
looks like on.

Valerie took the ring from its nest of
softest suede and held it between two fingers. Her hand trembled
slightly.

"Here," Teddy said, "let me put it on your
finger." He took the ring from her, and Valerie held her hand out
straight, trying to keep it from shaking.

Teddy slipped the ring onto her finger, and
Valerie moved her hand back and forth, watching the diamond reflect
the candlelight. Despite the turmoil that she felt about committing
to Teddy, she couldn't help but be mesmerized by the diamond's
beauty.
It's truly magnificent
, she thought
. More than
I'd ever dreamed of . . . or even wanted, for that matter.

She moved her hand again, watching the
gemstone reflect the light.
Trust Teddy to go for the
unusual
, she thought
. He would have to get something
extraordinary, something over the top.

She looked up at him. "I'm practically
speechless, Teddy," she said. "It really is the most beautiful ring
I've ever seen."

Teddy grinned like a proud little boy. "You
don't think it's vulgar?" he asked. Then he laughed.

"It is a little big," she allowed, joining in
his laughter.

"If you ask me, only people who can't afford
them call them vulgar," Teddy said. He stood up and leaned down,
kissing her on the forehead. "Why don't we go back to the
conservatory and have coffee and a brandy in there?"

She nodded. "That'd be great."

Teddy took her hand, and Valerie rose to her
feet. They walked back to the conservatory, one of Teddy's powerful
arms slung around her shoulders.

"I'll go get the coffee," he said. "You get
comfortable."

"You spoil me, Teddy."

"I want to," he replied.

She sank back onto the downy luxury of the
huge sofa, watching Teddy leave the room. She couldn't help but
smile. There was a spring in his step that she recognized
immediately. It was almost a cocky strut that said he was immensely
pleased with himself.

She looked down at the ring on her finger,
becoming entranced again as she watched it sparkle.
My God
,
she thought,
this ring must have cost Teddy a fortune. I wonder
if he can really afford it.

The thought made her feel uncomfortable
again. He had always kept her in the dark about his mysterious
wheeling and dealing. She knew that he'd inherited money and that
he had rental income here in the country, but he kept her at a
distance about his job in New York City, trading stock and
investing money for friends.

When she asked him, Teddy always shrugged off
her questions, telling her that she'd only be bored with the
details. At the same time, he'd never failed to boast about the
enormous profits he had reaped on a particular day or during a
particular week.

At first she'd found his secrecy
intriguing—just one of the many things she had to learn about
him—but lately she'd begun to think that it was vaguely suspicious
that he wouldn't be more forthcoming at this point in their
relationship.

She sighed.
I really don't want to think
about all that right now
, she told herself.

She kicked off her sandals, then walked over
to the windows that looked out on the terraces and swimming pool.
She could feel the wind coming through the screens.
A storm is
coming,
she thought.

Stepping through the French doors, she walked
out onto the terrace and looked up at the sky. She stared at the
huge, shifting cloud formations that alternately revealed, then
concealed the brightness of the full moon. Gazing out toward the
pool, she could see that one moment it shimmered with the moonlight
and the next it was almost pitch-black.

Music, a soft and sexy jazz tune she couldn't
name, drifted out through the French doors behind her. Then Teddy's
strong arms encircled her from behind, and she felt his lips
brushing her hair, searching out the nape of her neck.

"Hmm," he murmured, "you look so beautiful
standing out here in the moonlight."

She felt herself respond to his sensuous
touch. It was a kind of giving in that was pleasant, if not yet
passionate. Turning in his arms, she faced him with her eyes closed
and felt his lips instantly fall upon hers, kissing her with
urgency. She put her arms around him and let herself go, responding
to his kisses, enjoying his desire for her, taking pleasure in the
knowledge that this man wanted her so much.

Teddy pulled her firmly against him, his
hands moving slowly up and down her back, down to her beautifully
rounded buttocks, one in each hand, massaging her gently, and
pressing her against his aroused manhood.

Valerie moaned softly and put her head down
on his shoulder, clinging to him.

"You're enjoying yourself," Teddy
murmured.

She nodded her head on his shoulder.

"The night's still young," he said quietly.
"Why don't we go have our coffee and drinks, then head upstairs?
Soon."

Valerie nodded her assent again, but in
actuality she was enjoying the feel of his powerful body against
her own and didn't really care about anything else to drink. No,
she would have preferred to go straight up to the bedroom and crawl
under the covers with him, taking more pleasure in his body, in
their bodies together.

Teddy drew back and took one of her hands in
his, then silently led her back into the conservatory. She saw a
big silver tray with china cups and saucers on the coffee table
and, alongside them, two crystal balloons of brandy.

They settled down on the sofa, and Teddy
handed her a cup of coffee. "I put the cream and sugar in it the
way you like it."

"Thanks, Teddy." She smiled and took a sip.
The coffee was exactly the way she liked it. Sweet and rich. Much
better than she ever made for herself at home. She glanced at him
and saw that he was looking at the ring on her finger.

"It's so beautiful," she said. "Isn't
it?"

"It really is," he replied. He put his coffee
down and slid an arm around her shoulders, looking into her eyes.
"When do you think we ought to set the date?" he asked.

Valerie's mind was instantly set awhirl
again.
Oh, no! What should I say?

She looked down into her coffee cup as if it
held the answer to his question. She certainly hadn't anticipated
this, and she had given it no thought whatsoever. She knew that
Teddy eventually wanted to get married and have a family, but she'd
always managed to neatly tuck away any considerations of marriage
with him—or anybody else, for that matter.

"Oh, Teddy," she said, struggling to keep her
voice even, "tonight's been so . . . well, it's already been so
much to absorb. Can't we wait to discuss it?" She smiled, and her
eyes searched his. "Please?" she added.

"Sure, babe," he said, squeezing her
shoulder. He smiled brightly. "We'll wait to talk about it.
Anything for you." He kissed her lips. "Just not too long.
Okay?"

She nodded in acquiescence. "I promise," she
said. "Not too long."

"Good," he replied. He slid his arm from
around her shoulders and reached over and picked up a snifter of
brandy. "Ready for a nip?"

"Are you trying to ply me with booze?" she
joked.

"Who, me?" he asked. "You bet I am."

"Then please do," she said. "I want to be
plied. I could use a good stiff drink of that." And she meant it
now.

Teddy handed her the brandy. He reached for
the other snifter and held it next to hers. "To us," he said.

"To . . . us," she replied, then she took a
large sip. She savored the aroma and the taste of the fiery liquid
on her tongue before she swallowed. It seemed only moments before
she felt a glow spread through her body, warming her and loosening
her up, helping cast away the worries that preyed upon her
mind.

Teddy, she noticed, had nearly drained his
glass in a single swallow. He set it down and turned his attention
back to her. He stared into her eyes for a long moment with the
hint of a smile on his lips.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied, slowly shaking his
head. "I just love looking at you when you look like this. So . . .
fresh. So radiant. So innocent."

Teddy always says the right things
,
she thought.
And I always respond to them
.

He took the brandy snifter from her hand and
set it on the coffee table, then pulled her to him, his mouth and
tongue brushing her ears and neck slowly, sensuously, before
finding her mouth and kissing her deeply.

Valerie's body immediately responded to his,
and she gave herself over to the erotically charged moment,
returning his kiss, her hands stroking his muscular back and
shoulders, her tongue dancing a carnal dance with his.

He shifted on the sofa, and she felt his hand
on one of her breasts, stroking it ever so gently, then cupping it
firmly as his mouth descended to the silk of her blouse and his
tongue darted out and began to lick her nipple through the thin
silk.

"Hmmm," Valerie moaned. "Ohhhh, Teddy." She
moved her hands up and down his back, massaging him, loving the
feel of the masculine strength beneath his shirt. She wanted to
hurry now, to reach that magic moment when he entered her,
engulfing her with his manhood, obliterating the rest of the world
with it.

He raised his head and looked up at her. His
face was flushed and his breathing was labored. "Ah, Val," he
rasped. "This is so good. Let's go upstairs. Okay?"

"Okay," she said, and nodded.

He was off the sofa in a flash, his hand
extended toward her. She took it, and they left the conservatory,
her head on his shoulder, their arms around each other.

Teddy was on his knees between her widespread
legs. When she opened her eyes, Valerie could see, even in the dim
candlelight, that his mouth was wet and red from his enjoyment of
her most secret place. She could also see his engorged manhood
poised to enter her, and she shivered with anticipation.

A sudden clap of thunder so near and loud
that it seemed to shake the entire house roared in their ears but
didn't distract them from one another. As he plunged into her, she
gasped. Her sounds of delight were drowned out by the drumming of
the intense rain as it hit the windows and French doors that
surrounded the room on three sides. The draperies whipped in the
wind, and some of the candles were abruptly blown out by the
powerful gusts, but they ignored them, so intent were they on
giving one another pleasure.

He rode her and rode her, withdrawing and
hesitating before plunging in again and again, each time more
ruthless than the last, bringing her to a frenzy of desire and need
for him, until she suddenly cried out.

Her body began to spasm as she climaxed
beneath him, and Teddy became a man possessed, plunging ever more
furiously until he let out a bellow, the cords in his neck standing
out, his body convulsing on hers as his seed burst forth, filling
her to overflowing.

He collapsed atop her, wrapping her in his
arms, quickly peppering kisses on her forehead, cheeks, nose, eyes,
and lips, all the while his chest heaving against her breasts as he
gasped for breath. Valerie held on to him tightly, absorbed in the
moment, unwilling to let it go just yet.

At last they lay on their sides, facing one
another, their bodies coated with a sheen of perspiration. He was
still inside her, and she enjoyed the feel of him there.

Teddy kissed her tenderly, then drew back
slightly, staring into her eyes. "That was so wonderful," he
whispered. "So perfect."

Val nodded. "Oh, yes," she said. "It was
heaven, Teddy." She breathed a long sigh of contentment, and he
pulled her closer to him.

The rain beat a steady tattoo against the
windows and doors, and for the first time Teddy looked up and
noticed that the wind, still gusting powerfully, had made sails out
of the long, silk curtains, blowing them out into the room.

"I guess I ought to get up and close the
doors and windows," Teddy said. "But I don't want to move."

She hugged him tightly. "Then don't," she
said. "Stay right where you are. You feel wonderful."

He kissed her with renewed passion, running a
hand up her back and then on down to her buttocks, where he stroked
gently, slowly pulling her against him.

Valerie could feel his cock begin to swell
inside her, filling her with its might. A moan escaped her lips,
and Teddy began to move his pelvis in a lazy rhythm, enjoying the
look of pleasure on her face, relishing the power he had over her.
Gently he moved, and slowly, slowly, slowly, until he heard another
barely audible moan of pleasure. He rolled them both over then,
with his body spread out atop hers, his manhood still in her,
teasing her, drawing out the—

Suddenly there was a beep, a terrible
shrill-sounding beep like a car alarm.