Heart's Reward (13 page)

“Sure.”

The nurse drew the curtain around the bed as Melanie walked out into the hall. She continued down the corridor to the vending machine. The elevator doors opened and out stepped Rafe Lawson.

He looked toward his left, trying to match the room numbers to the paper in his hand.

“Rafe?”

He turned in her direction and walked toward her. “How is he?”

“He's hanging in there. It looks like he's waking up.”

Rafe nodded as she spoke, bringing him up to date on what had transpired.

“And how are you?” he asked, zeroing in on her taut expression.

“As well as can be expected. What are you doing here? How did you know where to find us?”

“You forget who my father is.” He smiled. “I would have come sooner but I couldn't get away.” He paused. “Alan is a good guy. I've been in his company on many occasions. He'll come through this.”

She got a cup of coffee from the vending machine and they walked together to the lounge.

“I really appreciate you coming here, Rafe. That was truly nice of you.”

“Quiet as it's kept, I really am a nice guy. I just have a lot of fun playing the rogue.”

“That you do.” She laughed lightly.

“Listen, I know this may not be the right time, but—”

She held up her hand, cutting him off. “Rafe, there can't be anything between us. There just can't for a lot of reasons, which have nothing to do with your incredible charm,” she said to soften the blow. “It won't work. I'm sorry.”

He smiled as if he'd just won a lotto. “I'm mighty glad you feel that way, cher. All that coming on to you was my game playing. I wanted to prove my
father wrong and push your buttons in the process. Although,” he lowered his voice and his eyes sparkled, “you are kinda sexy.” He winked. “But for now, I like my life just the way that it is. I'm sure one of these days some wonderful woman is going to come along and slip a ring on my finger. But until then I'm going to enjoy myself. I love women. I think they are the most beautiful, extraordinary creatures that God created. And I want to meet as many of them as I can.”

She shook her hand and laughed. “So all this time you were simply putting us all through our paces.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“What is your father going to say?”

“Same thing he always says, ‘Son when are you ever gonna settle down with a good woman like your mama—God rest her soul?'” he mimicked in the pitch-perfect cadence of his powerful father.

Melanie couldn't help but laugh, the first time she'd laughed in days, and she fully understood the magnetic charm of Raford Lawson.

He took her hand. “Is there anything that I can do for you and your family?”

“No. I appreciate the offer, but we're doing okay.”

He nodded then frowned. “Where are you staying?”

Her heart thumped. She shifted a bit in her seat.
“Claude Montgomery opened his house to us. We've been staying there. He was the one that called, arranged for us to get down here in record time,” she rambled on.

He patted her hand. “It's okay. You don't have to explain.”

She glanced down at the floor.

“Claude is a good man,”

She looked across at him. He was smiling.

“And if I didn't know better, I'd think he had a thing for you.”

She swallowed. “Why would you think that?”

“I saw the way he looked at you on the dance floor that night at the embassy. A man knows when another man wants a woman.”

Her face heated to near explosion.

He slowly stood. “Don't make him wait too long. D.C. is a tough town. The ratio of women to men is like ten to one.” He winked. “I love those odds.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “You take care of yourself and you call if you need anything. Ever. Promise?”

“I promise.”

He moved to go and she reached out and grabbed his hand. He turned halfway.

“Thank you.”

“Always want to make the ladies happy.” He walked to the door and met up with Vincent, Veronica
and Jessica on the other side of the glass window. They talked for a few minutes. Rafe looked back at her and waved, then walked off.

The trio joined their aunt, who quickly brought them up to date on what had happened in their absence. They were so excited that everyone was talking at once. But it was Jessica's comment posed as a question that filtered above the others.

“Aunt Mel, you have two of the most gorgeous men hovering around you like bees to honey.”

All eyes turned to their aunt.

“What? People care. Is something wrong with that?”

“I've seen the way Mr. Montgomery looks at you when you aren't looking,” Jessica said.

“Me too,” Veronica chirped.

“It's okay for you to have a life, Aunt Mel,” Vincent added.

“You've made the business your life ever since Uncle Steven died,” Jessica said. “On the surface you have this fantastic life and you take care of everyone and everything. You should have someone in your life to take care of you for a change.”

“So when are you going to tell him?” Veronica asked.

“Tell who what?”

“Mr. Montgomery,” Jessica filled in.

“Yeah, when are you going to tell him how you feel?” Vincent asked.

Melanie was totally flabbergasted. What did they actually know and when? She fumbled around for the words that couldn't find their way to her lips.

“We know,” Veronica said.

“For quite some time,” Jessica added. “Only a woman who cares about a man acts all weird like you do when they are around.”

Melanie lowered her head and smiled. They weren't a team of matchmakers for no reason.

“And Mr. Lawson acting all hot and bothered around you just made it more interesting to watch,” Vincent said.

Melanie opened her mouth to offer a weak protest just as the nurse stuck her head in the door. “He's awake.”

 

His voice was raspy and his words halted, but his smile was unmistakable. The doctors wanted to run a few tests to see if there was any residual damage done to the brain because of the temporary loss of oxygen.

“All the signs are good,” Dr. Fleming said, taking Melanie to the side. “He has a bit of a road ahead of him for a month or two, but he should recover well. He's going to need some help for the next few weeks. I know that he travels a great deal and lives alone.”

“He's going to stay with me. I'll make sure that he gets whatever he needs.”

“Good. If all of the tests come back satisfactory, I think he can go home in a few days.”

“Thank you, doctor,” she squeezed his arm.

“Thank you for everything.”

He offered a tight smile and walked off down the hall. Melanie drew in a long breath of relief. Her brother was stubbornly independent and she knew he would try to convince her that he could manage. But before she could even contemplate taking her nieces and nephew up on what they'd said about her having her own life and not taking care of others, she was going to see to the full recovery of her brother. It couldn't be any other way.

As soon as they were finished with their visit, Melanie sent Claude a text to inform him of the good news. He promised to get home as soon as he could so they all could celebrate. Her heart filled and she couldn't wait.

T
he family stayed at the hospital, taking turns sitting with Alan until the nurse kicked them out, telling them that her patient needed his rest if he was planning on going home in a few days. They didn't need any more pushing.

When they arrived back at Claude's home he was already there and had sent out for Thai food for dinner. The air itself smelled edible.

“Oh my goodness, I'm starved,” Jessica moaned, peeking into the containers.

“There's plenty. I guess I should have checked to see if you guys liked Thai.”

“Right about now, I would eat a shoebox,” Vincent joked.

They filed out to put away their things, leaving Melanie and Claude in the kitchen.

“You've got to be thrilled,” he said.

“Oh you have no idea.” She lowered herself into a chair. “I feel as if a boulder has been lifted.” She slowly shook her head. I don't know what I would have done…”

“Thankfully, it's not an issue. In a few days Alan will be out of the hospital.”

“I can't thank you enough for all that you've done. For being there.”

“You don't have to thank me. I wanted to. Alan is my dear friend. And you…” his gaze danced over her face. “I would do anything that you needed.”

His eyes drew her to him and she slowly stood. They were inches apart, close enough to hear the pound of each other's hearts.

“Mel…”

They jumped apart at the sound of voices and approaching footsteps but not before Jessica—the first one through the door—captured the deer in the headlights look on their faces.

Melanie moved away and tried to find someplace for her gaze to land. “I'm going to go and get cleaned up,” she announced. “Just be sure to save some for me.” She made a beeline for her room.

Jessica looked from one to the other with a knowing smirk.

 

Melanie got out of the clothes she'd been in all day, took a hot, refreshing shower, and changed into a T-shirt and jeans, scrubbed her face clean and ran a brush through her hair. She didn't know why she felt so awkward around her family in front of Claude, she mused, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She was a grown woman and they were adults. They were all in the business of love and romance. But this was different, it was private and personal and scary and she wasn't quite ready to share that with the world until she had it all figured out in her head.

She had strong feelings for Claude. Feelings that came out of nowhere with an intensity that shook her. For so long she'd kept up this wall between her and the world, blocking her ability to connect with anyone on a truly intimate level. But with Claude it was different. Different from the moment she saw him, and she couldn't help but laugh at how their first meeting was like a page from a romance novel that she'd read voraciously as a teen. That kind of instant attraction didn't happen in real life, she'd always said. But it did and it had happened to her, short circuiting all of her preconceived notions.

And of course she'd had sexual encounters before, been made love to before, been in love and married. But again, with Claude it was new, vibrant and different. She didn't want to be one of those
women who fell in love with the sex because it was so earthshakingly good. But it was good. It was mind-blowing and life-altering. Most of all it was sincere. She'd not just given Claude her body, she'd opened a part of her soul. And that was something she had not ever done, not even with Steven, who she'd loved dearly.

She was older now and hopefully wiser. She knew what she needed, had imagined what she'd wanted, but for a long time she thought it was all wishful thinking. And then all of her needs and imaginings appeared across the dance floor embodied in Claude Montgomery and she hadn't been the same person since.

She placed the brush on the dresser and walked back out to the kitchen.

Everyone was seated around the table finishing up their meal.

“I've decided to take my sister and cousin out for the evening,” Vincent announced. “Do a little celebrating.”

“Oh,” she managed to be a bit surprised at the sudden decision.

“Claude said we could use his Suburban. So we're going to drive into Georgetown to see if we can catch a late jazz show.”

“And, uh, if it gets too late…we might just find a hotel or something and crash,” Veronica added.

“Yeah, the hotels should be opening up now. The conventions are over,” Jessica said. “I checked.”

Melanie folded her arms. Her lips were pinched together. She had the distinct feeling that there was a conspiracy against her by the innocent-looking trio who stared back at her wide-eyed and unassuming.

“Seems as if you all have it figured out.”

“Yep,” they chorused and started clearing the table just as Claude walked back into the room.

“We may or may not be back tonight, Claude,” Vincent said. “Will it be a problem if I don't get your ride back to you until morning?”

“No, not at all,” he said haltingly, not sure what had transpired. “I don't have any plans for the morning and I have the other car if need be.”

“Great. Well, you two enjoy yourselves,” Victoria said, her mischievous smile giving away more than her words.

“Yeah, don't wait up.” Jessica kissed her aunt's cheek and whispered, “It's about you now, Aunt Mel. Don't blow it.”

Shortly after, with keys jingling, shouts of laughter and cries of “hurry up” and doors opening and closing, Claude and Melanie found themselves alone in the big rambling house.

“That was like being swept up in a whirlwind,” Claude said over his rumbling laughter.

“Yes, they can be a force to be reckoned with,
especially when they band together, which they decided to do tonight.”

“So I gather.”

The table separated them. Melanie ran her tongue across her lips. “So,” she said on a breath, “have you eaten yet?”

“No. But I just had my own burst of inspiration.”

Her eyes widened. “And what might that be?”

“You deserve to celebrate, too.”

She held up her hand. “I'm really not up to going out, if that's what you had in mind.”

“Nope. Something better, I'm going to bring the celebration to you, right here. Food, wine, entertainment, good conversation…what do you say?” He spread his arms.

She giggled. “I'm really interested in the entertainment part.”

He came around the table and put his arms around her waist. “Let the show begin. And since I'm no longer a client of The Society…” He leaned down and kissed her long and slow, savoring the sweetness of her mouth, the feel of her full lips against his. He pulled her body flush against his and the electric sensation charged through his veins, filling his erection that was so hard and throbbing that it was almost painful.

Her arms wrapped around his broad back, her fingers gliding up and down his spine. She felt his
need that matched hers in intensity until her head spun and her knees grew weak.

“I want you. I want to make love to you. Now,” he whispered urgently against her mouth. “But I want to savor every moment.” His strong fingers coursed along her sides, his thumbs brushing across the undersides of her breasts. With great reluctance he let her go, kissing her lightly one last time. “Come on, let's eat. I have a feeling we are going to need all of our strength.”

Melanie couldn't remember the last time she was fully aware of actually being seduced. She knew that when she dealt with clients, especially those whose skills in the art of love and romance were suspect, she always insisted that they take their time, pay attention to the needs, wants and responses of the woman before they moved from one step to the next.

Where men's stimulation was much more visual and physical, women's arousal began in their minds. Play with their minds, talk to their minds, stir their imagination, was what she always advised. And if she didn't know better, she'd swear that Claude was her prize pupil. But his attention to her wasn't trained or coaxed—it was as natural as his smile or the spark in his eyes. When he touched her hand or her cheek, it wasn't choreographed.

As they worked side by side at the counter in the kitchen spooning their food onto plates and popping
them in the microwave, it felt to Melanie as if this was what they'd always done together.

He talked to her about his day at the office as they sat next to each other on the couch, soft music from the high-tech stereo system filling out the background. He told her of some of the personnel issues he'd had to deal with and the education reform bill that kept getting torn apart.

“There are really good people in office who want to do the right thing by the people of this country, but they are outgunned and outnumbered,” he said, taking a bite of his food. “More wine?” he asked, holding up the bottle.

“Sure, thanks.” She held out her glass, then sipped her wine. “What got you into politics?”

“Good question. I suppose it all began when I was a kid. I grew up in Algiers in Louisiana. We had it tough as a family and a community. A family down the road from us lost everything in a fire. The community came together to raise money for food, clothes and getting them a place to live. When I saw how genuinely happy they were for all the help, I guess I got the bug.

“I joined organizations in school, helped out in food banks and when I got to college I majored in political science. I met Senator Lawson about ten years ago at a fundraiser. When his chief of staff position opened up, he offered it to me.”

“But you're not actually making policy.”

“No, but I have the ear of all those who do. That's where the real power is.”

“Hmm. You're right.” She looked at him, tipping her head to the side. “I suppose I never looked at it quite that way.”

“I have the ear of the folks on the ground and I pass their message along to those who matter. I work really hard at getting people what they want.” He waited a beat. “What do you want, Melanie Harte?”

She was thoughtful for a moment. “For a long while I thought that all I wanted was to make everyone else happy, follow in the footsteps of my grandmother and my mother. It filled my days, my thoughts, and…many of my nights.” She took a sip of wine, then placed the glass on the coffee table. She curled her feet beneath her. “I've watched so many relationships bloom and grow into something beautiful. I watched from the sidelines for years. And it made me happy. It really did. But recently I realized that although it made me happy, it didn't fulfill me. It was as if I was on this never-ending beautiful rainbow, but there was no pot of gold at the end for me.” She turned her head and looked into his searching gaze. “And then there you were.” She smiled shyly. “I have a confession to make.”

“Do I want to hear it?”

“Just listen.” She scooted closer. “When you were being set up for your dates, even though I knew the women were perfect for you, I secretly hoped that they wouldn't work out because if they didn't, even if I couldn't be with you I still could be in a way because you would keep coming back to try again.”

“We wasted a lot of time avoiding what was on our minds. But I totally understand the dilemma you were faced with. To you, you'd violated your ethics. And I know how important your business and your reputation are to you. I admire that, even though it did get me kicked to the curb.”

They both laughed.

“I'm sorry about that.”

“I'm sorry about a lot of things, too. Like jumping to conclusions about you and Rafe Lawson.”

“You're kidding!”

He shook his head and told her about the day he'd driven into town and saw them together. “My very vivid imagination took over from there.”

She laughed softly. “Rafe did have his own agenda, but it wasn't about me.”

“
My
agenda is about you,” he said, his tone so low it was barely above a whisper. “All of it.”

“Is it?”

He cupped her chin in his palm and drew her close. “Every inch of it.” He took her hands. “Tonight is going to be about new beginnings.” She tried to
see beyond the depths of his eyes to get a hint at his meaning. “Claude Montgomery. I work for Senator Lawson,” he said with all due sincerity.

The corners of her mouth tugged upward. “Melanie Harte. It's nice to meet you. I've heard wonderful things about you from my brother.”

“Would you like to dance?”

“I'd love to.”

He brought her to her feet and guided her to the center of the living room. She moved into his arms as if it was the most natural place in the world to be and rested her head against his chest. He held her close as they swayed to Leela James' sultry rendition of “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

They held each other, moving together in perfect harmony as the music switched from Leela to Luther to Kem to the Whispers.

Melanie felt as if she'd been transported. It had been so long since she felt this kind of peace. Claude had the power to soothe her in a way that she couldn't explain. It was his own sense of assuredness that radiated around him.

“This is what I've been searching for,” he said softly against her hair. “This sense of calm.”

She looked up at him. “It's like you're reading my mind. I was thinking the same thing.”

“Were you thinking about this too?” He lowered his head and tenderly brushed his lips against hers, and the contact, as always, was a shock to his system, an awakening as if he'd been jerked from sleep.

Melanie linked her fingers around his neck and savored the pleasure of his mouth against hers. Lightly she brushed her tongue across his lips, tapping the doorway for entrance. He opened for her in a way that she longed to open for him—hot, wet and inviting.