Heart Matters (15 page)

He watched her intensely for a long time
then rose to his feet. He turned his back to her, absently admiring
his brother’s painting once again. “Why don’t you wait a while,
fall in love and then get married, Jessica? You can’t possibly go
around hooking up with strangers and proposing marriage to
them.”

“It will be too late for my company. I’m
already expecting a court notice any day.” Dwarfed by his towering
presence, she too rose to her feet, her legs almost buckling under
her.

He turned to face her, his eyes trying to
gauge her sincerity. It took great effort on her part to face him
with an empty look. “And in any case; you were right. Love doesn’t
last. So it’s not needed in a marriage.”

Steven’s heart did a strange flip flop when
he saw the hurt in her eyes. He suddenly wanted to take away her
memories of Adam and bring back the light in her eyes. Instead he
spoke quietly, “Don’t take it too hard, Jessica, it happens all the
time.”

She shook her head vigorously loosening a
whispery tendril from her tight braid. “It won’t happen again. I’m
never going to fall in love again.”

“Careful”, he warned, “You’re sounding
bitter.”

“I
am
bitter! I feel like a fool.
Love! Everyone goes on about it but nobody tells you it’s a big
mistake! Whether it goes out of your life now or later, it hurts
just as much!” The fire in her eyes raged before she realized she
was blurting out too much. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m telling
you all this.”

“Don’t apologize”, he said, smiling
charmingly, “I take it, this
is
an apology?”

An unconscious smile rose to her lips. “Yes,
it is.”

“Well there is no need for it.” His blue
eyes held hers for a long time letting her see the unexpected
emotion of pain in their depths. It astounded her, for somehow she
had concluded that Steven Hart was invulnerable.

He saw she had read his eyes and smiled
wryly. “I was in love once,” he admitted surprising her even
further, “but she walked out on me. So you see; you are not the
only one.”

“That’s where the theory of love and lust
comes from?” Her weak smile made his heart do a somersault.

He chuckled, covering up what must have been
an awkward moment for him. “Let’s just say, I no longer believe in
love. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want a family of my own. I want
a wife and kids who’ll look like me. So, I’ve decided, when I find
a woman I am attracted to, I’ll marry her. No live-in relationship,
no mushy feelings involved.”

“And what about the woman’s feelings? What
if she loves you and expects your love in return?”

“Well, that’s the catch you see. I will
marry a woman who shares my views, who doesn’t give a damn for
love. Now, that’s a rare species let me tell you.”

The deep, cloudy eyes stared at him wide
eyed, a dozen emotions scurrying across them. Jessica was
captivated by his words. They were slowly forming into a more
personal message for her. “What would you do when you find her,
Steven?”

“Marry her of course,” he replied absently,
before he understood the muted question. When it dawned upon him, a
deep frown etched his features. “Jessica, you don’t mean yourself,
do you?”

“I do,” she said quickly, raising her chin
defensively, “And why not? I have decided never to fall in love
again. And I know you find me attractive.”

“You are on the rebound,” he almost growled,
“I don’t want a love-sick ninny on my hands!”

“But I’m not lovesick”, she argued, reducing
the distance between them. “For a few days I was but not anymore.
Do you think I would be out discussing business if I had been
lovesick? I would probably have been curled up crying
somewhere.”

Steven grew impatient, clenching his fists
unconsciously, angry with himself. He had dreamt of her in his arms
since the day he had set his eyes on her but he did not want her
like this. Not with a broken heart! “You are fooling nobody but
yourself, Jessica. Go home. Now!”

She winced as he almost shouted out the last
word but stood her ground firmly. “I’ll be very frank with you,
Steven. I need a husband to claim my inheritance. But I don’t want
just anybody. I want someone who finds me as attractive as I find
him. I wouldn’t be saying this if I wasn’t attracted to you,
Steven.”

“I know.” He gave her a haggard look. “But
you are not the kind to enter into a purely physical relationship
either.”

“You don’t know that. I wasn’t the kind, but
I can do it now.”

“Oh, yeah?” he challenged her, his eyes
burning with rage. He finished the last few steps between them to
seize her shoulders in a rough grip. “You think you are ready for
it, huh? Then prove it! Prove yourself by making love with me right
here, right now!”

For a moment her wide eyes stared at him,
shaken by his anger. Then before he could comprehend her next
action, she moved into his arms. Her arms slid up to entwine around
his neck and she pulled his face to hers, murmuring just before her
lips covered his, “Tell me if I’m faking, Steven.”

His lips parted in surprise and she slipped
her tongue through them, deepening the kiss expertly. She could
feel the tension in his rigid body and she molded herself more
closely, pressing her hips towards him. She felt desire surge
through him sending her senses reeling in a relentless spin.

A silent curse escaped his lips and his arms
came about her, crushing her even as he returned her kiss with
increasing intensity. His tongue flirted with hers, drawing the
sweet nectar of her mouth. Time seemed to stand still as Steven
plundered Jessica’s sweet mouth. He was lost in the taste of her,
the feel of her lush, soft body in his arms. He wanted all of her
at once; her lips, her sighs, her moans, her breath! He wanted to
be buried deep within her and claim her as his own. The thought was
so primitive that he groaned out aloud, holding her hips to firmly
give her evidence of his consuming desire for her.

Jessica’s legs almost gave away before
Steven backed her against the wall, running a hand across one of
her thighs to lift it against his waist so that he could settle
more perfectly between her legs. Her moan was almost his undoing.
His mouth left her lips to glide over her smooth jaw line and found
the throbbing pulse at the hollow of her neck. She arched back
drugged by his overpowering magnetism. Her palms spread against the
heated material of his jacket feeling the hard contours of his
muscled chest. One of his hands reached under the silk jacket and
spread against the fullness of her breasts. Her jacket fell aside
even as she felt his frenzied fingers on the buttons of her soft
blouse. His fingers fumbled and abruptly, he came to his
senses.

“Hell!” he cursed, wrenching away from her.
She swayed dangerously and he put out a hand to steady her. He
watched her accusingly while trying to bring his own ragged breath
under control. When he was sure, he was in control of himself, he
reached out to close one of the buttons of her blouse that he had
managed to open. Then he retrieved her jacket from the floor and
helped her put it on.

When she faced him with her flushed face and
looked at him expectantly, he shook his head laughing shakily.
“Looks like you’ve got yourself a husband, Jessica. After that
sample, I don’t care whether you were faking or not! All I know is
that if I don’t have you soon enough, I’ll go crazy! But I want to
be very sure of us, Jessica. I do not want any regrets later.” His
hand reached out to caress her cheek gently. “Shall we hold the
wedding next month and declare it the result of a whirlwind
romance?”

After she had left the memory of her
ravished, uncertain and yet excited face lingered before Steven. He
knew he could have taken her right there on the couch but somehow
it did not seem right. He wanted it to be a special moment for both
of them. He especially wanted her to be sure of herself. If she
were still moony over Adam Warring, he would know before their
wedding.

***

Jeff and Cheryl were ecstatic. They had been
worried about her after her break up with Adam and the sudden
announcement of her engagement had come as a pleasant surprise.
Even the children were excited. It was, as Mallory said, much to
her mother’s embarrassment, Aunt Jessi’s final wedding and she
wanted the most beautiful dress in the entire world. She was also
very happy that Aunt Jessi was marrying Uncle Steven who was the
most handsome man she had ever seen.

Jessica couldn’t disagree with her. He was
certainly incredibly handsome and attractive. She had seen women
falling over his mocking smile and self-assured charm and had felt
oddly jealous. But she had brushed the dangerous emotion aside
firmly. There was no need for unnecessary possessiveness in their
relationship. It would only lead to complications.

Steven had wanted their
engagement
to
be genuine. He gave her a ring that was much more beautiful and
expensive than the one Adam had given and romanced her with a zest
that both frightened and excited her. He wanted them to be seen
everywhere together. They both were well known people in society
circles and the elusive Steven Hart’s betrothal made sensational
news for society columns. He posed charmingly for the cameras,
often obliging them with a kiss on her lips or an intimate embrace.
They would be seen together at parties holding hands almost
constantly, displaying their
love
for the world to see.
There were the cynics of course who declared the Hart-Cantrell
affair a façade; the real motive being ‘money’, but the romantics
outvoted them.

Jake Wallace looked his dashing best. He
dressed with care because he knew his efforts were about to pay
off. So many years had gone by but he still had some hope left.
Jessica had thought she was rid of him but she was mistaken.

He had waited for the right time to strike
and now he knew it had come. She was soon going to be richer than
he could ever imagine and he would be dumb if he didn’t stake a
claim now. Five mil was a good figure and he was sure a rich man
like Steven Hart would part with it easily if he didn’t want his
wife’s horny pictures all over the web.

But for now Jake had to be patient. Jessica
wasn’t married to Hart yet. He would wait till they were and then
strike. He didn’t want Hart running in the opposite direction when
he showed him Jessica’s nude pics.

***

The charade of her engagement to Steven,
took its toll on Jessica draining her both physically and
emotionally. Steven wanted them to be seen together at every party
in the city and when they were not attending one, he wanted a
dinner just for them. Physically she could not keep up with the
late nights and emotionally she found herself being drawn
inexplicably to Steven. His kisses, his embraces, his mere touch
sent vibes to her brain telling her to give in to desire. But
Steven kept his distance. She had moved back into her apartment but
when he left her there after their usual night out, he would leave
without even kissing her goodnight. He would stay in the corridor
until he heard her put the safety latch and then stride away as
though in a great hurry. He never asked to come inside nor did he
ever try to seduce her elsewhere.

His self-restraint curiously depressed
Jessica. She had hoped they could develop mutual trust and
understanding but she knew it was not to be. To keep her part of
the deal, she had already drawn out legal papers to stake her
inheritance against the partnership deal with his company. But she
was deeply hurt when Steven drew out a pre-nuptial agreement
denying her rights to alimony in case of a divorce. She had signed
it of course, but her heart felt as though weighed down with a ton
of bricks. She knew it was childish on her part to expect Steven to
trust her and she finally managed to shrug off the unhappy feeling.
You could only trust the person you love and Steven Hart did not
love her.

***

“How do I look?” Mallory asked, her eyes
dancing with excitement.

Jessica frowned as though contemplating
deeply. Mallory looked angelic in her baby pink satin dress but she
wanted to prolong the child’s anticipation. She turned her around
once and then laughed, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “Perfect. Just
the flower girl I was looking for.”

Mallory gloated with pride and went to
admire herself before the full-length mirror in the changing room
in Jessica’s boutique. Cheryl smiled lovingly before turning to
Jessica with an anxious look. She had taken upon herself to pay
Jessica an announced visit on the pretext of checking out Mallory’s
dress.

“How are you, Jessi?” she asked softly.

“Fine Cheryl. What’s wrong?”

Her sister-in-law regarded her doubtfully.
“I hope nothing’s wrong. Jeff and I were just worried about
you.”

Jessica’s eyes dilated in surprise. “Why?
I’m fine.”

“Jessi, you look so nervous these days and
look at you! You must have lost at least five pounds within the
past few weeks!”

Jessica averted her eyes. “It’s nothing to
worry about. I’m just exhausted. All this partying around is really
tiring.”

“Are you sure?”

Jessica lied openly. “Yes.” She leaned back
in her chair smiling brightly. “Look, once the wedding takes place
I’ll have a few more months of hard work and then I’m through. I’ll
take a long vacation to some exotic island and send you two
postcards. How does that sound?”

The look on Cheryl’s face told her it
sounded pretty bad. “Aren’t you guys going on a honeymoon?”

A light flush stole up Jessica’s cheeks.
“Nope. We both have loads to do.”

“But…”

“Stop fussing, Cheryl. I’m fine, really.”
She said the last words with conviction and saw the other woman
accept defeat. She felt rotten lying so blithely but she had no
choice. She couldn’t tell her the truth behind her arrangement with
Steven. Cheryl would tell Jeff and he would hit the roof. Neither
could she reveal that Steven had discussed no honeymoon plans with
her. It was apparent he was not in favor of amorous trips to
anyplace.