THE INVITATION (The Marriage Diaries, Volume 5) (13 page)

Freshly showered and shaved, and wearing a tan t-shirt and jeans, he looked breath-takingly gorgeous. “You’re here,” she said, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn’t a figment of her imagination.

His light gray eyes met hers, a hint of wariness flickering in the depths, the only indication that he was feeling slightly cautious about what the morning would bring. “You sound shocked.”

“I guess I am,” she admitted honestly as she walked toward the table, and him. “You weren’t in bed, so I just assumed you were gone.”

He shut off his phone and set it aside. “I’ve been here all morning, waiting for you to wake up so we can . . . talk.”

His tone was reluctant, but she gave him credit for taking the initiative. It gave her hope that was he more open to listening and understanding
her
needs in this marriage.

“I ordered up a few things for your breakfast,” he said, waving a hand toward the nearby room service cart.

“Thanks.” She poured coffee from a carafe, added cream and sugar, and smiled when she saw that he’d ordered her favorite breakfast staples: yogurt, granola, and mixed fruit. She set everything on the table, and sat down next to him.

“I can’t believe you flew all the way to New York to fulfill one of my fantasies,” he said, a hint of a smile touching the corner of his mouth right before he took a drink of his coffee.

“I know it was an extreme thing to do,” she said, mixing her yogurt and granola together. “But I didn’t want you to come home angry, and it just seemed like a good way to dissipate some of that tension between us and help us get back on track.”

He raised a dark, sable brow. “So, you think I can be mollified with hot sex?”

“You’re a
man
, aren’t you?” His smirk was all she needed to know that she’d made her point, so she continued. “My thought was, when we walk back into that house, I want us to be united in our marriage
and
my desire to work. The two go hand in hand, and we’re not leaving here until that happens.”

He frowned at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

She swallowed a bite of sweet cantaloupe, preparing for battle. “It means, I expect you to compromise with me, so that
when
I go to work there aren’t any resentments between us.”

He slowly, silently, laid his fork down on his nearly empty plate. “So, you’ve already decided to take the job?”

“I have.” She lifted her chin determinedly. “I start on Wednesday.”

He exhaled a deep breath and said, “Okay.”

She stared at him, momentarily confused. She’d been expecting an argument, not such an easy acquiescence from her very stubborn husband. “Are you really okay, or are you just saying that to appease me?” Because that wasn’t good enough for her and resolved nothing. “Please, tell me what’s going on in your head.”

He was quiet for so long, she thought he wasn’t going to answer. And then he did.

“There’s a lot going on in my head,” he finally said. “So much, that I’m not sure where to start.”

“Just try,” she urged, and reached across the table to him, palm up, offering a gentle, physical touch.

He slid his hand into hers, the contact between them warm, solid, and intimate. “This past week has been hell,” he admitted gruffly. “And while you going to work goes against my need to take care of you, in every way, I realized after hanging up the phone with you last night just how selfish I was being. You’ve given me so much and have never asked for anything just for yourself, until now. And I reacted defensively, because what
you
want goes against the man I thought I needed to be.”

She remained silent, shocked that he’d come to those conclusions, but relieved that he was opening up to her in ways he never had before.

He swallowed hard and continued. “You know what my childhood was like. You know all the guilt and regrets I have over my mother’s abuse and suicide. You know how much I despised my father and how I hated that he was never man enough to take care of me and my mother. I swore I would
never
be like him, that I’d always take care of you and the boys and make sure you wanted for nothing.”

“And we never have,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze, her own heart tightening in her chest at his raw, emotional confession. “You’ve given us a great life, Dean.”

“I know.” He gave her a slight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “But over the past few months you’ve become this confident, independent woman, and when it comes to you and me together sexually, I fucking love it. Last night, you blew my mind and I’m still reeling, but coming to terms with you being confident and independent and wanting to work, I was struck with this awful fear that if you had a job that was new and exciting, you wouldn’t need me any longer.” He winced, as if he regretted giving her that vulnerable glimpse into his soul.

She stood up, then sat down on Dean’s lap, wanting to be close to him, wanting him to look directly into her eyes when she laid herself bare for him, too. She framed his face in her hands, knowing with every fiber of her being that her life would cease to exist without this man in it. “I will
always
need you, Dean,” she said, brushing her thumbs across his cheeks, while his hand slipped into the opening of her robe and tenderly caressed her thigh. “You are my husband, my best friend, my heart and soul. That will
never
change.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, his big body shuddering in what felt like relief to Jillian.

“I know you like to be in control of everything, that you like things to be smooth and predictable,” she said, trying to inject a bit of humor into her tone. “This is just one small bump in the road and I’m sure there will be more. We’re going to disagree, and we need to talk it through when that happens. But I really do want this job, and knowing that I have your support means everything to me.”

“You have it. I swear,” he said, his voice vibrating with sincerity. “I want you to be happy, Jillian. You
deserve
to be happy, to do what you love, and I’m sorry I was such an ass about it.”

That’s all she needed to hear to know that she had her husband’s blessing.

A sexy idea popped into her mind, and she untied her sash as she gave Dean a sly smile. “Yes, you were a bit of an ass,” she teased, and shrugged the robe off her shoulders so it fell down her arms, exposing her breasts and already taut nipples to his heated gaze. “I’m thinking maybe you need to make it up to me, earn my forgiveness, and show me just how contrite and apologetic you are.”

Clearly up for the challenge, he stood up and hoisted her over his shoulder in his favorite caveman style, then strode to the bedroom, dropped her onto the big, king-sized bed, and proceeded to apologize in the most erotic and creative ways.

R
aina Beck finished helping a customer select a bottle of warming massage oil, that was also cinnamon flavored for added fun, and headed over into the lingerie section of Sugar Spice, where Jillian was perusing the rack of new arrivals.

“Find anything you like?” Raina asked as the other woman contemplated a leopard print bustier before putting it back on the stand.

Jillian smiled at her as she shuffled through a few more items. “The problem is, there’s too much to like, which is a good thing. I’m looking for something a little different than everything I already have . . .” Her words trailed off, and her eyes lit up as she lifted a hanger displaying a sexy red ensemble that consisted of a demi bra, a short flirty skirt that was only a few inches of fabric that would barely cover her bottom, and a matching lace thong, along with a garter belt and thigh-high stockings.

“I think this is it,” Jillian announced with a succinct nod of her head.

“If Dean comes home to find you wearing that outfit, I think all bets are off,” Raina teased her friend.

“That’s what I’m counting on, and I think he’ll really like the short little skirt, too.” She handed the hanger to Raina. “I’ll take it, along with one of those feather ticklers you have on display, the one with the soft ostrich feathers.”

“You got it.” Raina selected a tickler with deep red feathers to match the outfit, and met Raina up at the front counter. She rang in her purchases and asked, “How are you enjoying working with Stephanie?”

“I absolutely love it. I couldn’t be happier,” Jillian said, her expression reflecting her newfound joy. “I’m helping her design those fantasy suites at the hotel, and tomorrow I have a consultation with a woman who wants to redecorate her bedroom in a sexier version theme of The Secret Garden.”

“Sounds like a fun project.” Raina swiped Jillian’s credit card to process the sale. The two of them had become good friends, and because she knew Jillian’s husband had been so opposed to his wife taking a job, Raina couldn’t help but wonder how that was going. “Is everything still good with Dean and you working?”

“He’s getting used to it and adjusting. I make sure I always make time for just the two of us, and it keeps him happy.”

“Men really are such basic creatures,” Raina said with a laugh. “Keep them plied with food and sex and they’re happy, content and satisfied.”

Jillian lifted a curious brow. “Speaking of men and sex . . . when are
you
going to indulge a little?”

Raina shrugged as she wrapped her ensemble in pink tissue and tucked it into a bag. “I think all the good guys are taken, and besides, you know how I feel about dating customers.” She’d learned long ago not to mix business with pleasure, for various reasons. “And then there’s the men that find out I own a sex boutique, and decide I’m fair game.”

“Maybe you need hot anonymous sex,” Jillian suggested with a naughty twinkle in her eye.

“It’s been a long, dry spell and the idea is definitely tempting,” Raina replied, only half-joking. Vibrators and sex toys did the job as far as getting her off, but it couldn’t replace the feel or pleasure of a strong, powerful, virile man thrusting deep inside of her. And yes, she
missed
that.

Jillian bit her bottom lip for a second before reaching into her purse and pulling out a white envelope. “You’ve done a lot for me, and I want to do something for you for a change. Take this, and indulge yourself.” She pushed the envelope across the counter to Raina.

Frowning, Raina picked it up and read the word,
Welcome
, embossed in black across the front. “What is this?”

“An invitation to The Players Club.”

Find out what happens to Raina in

THE PLAYERS CLUB: LOGAN

Coming in the Spring 2014

If you enjoyed
THE INVITATION
and would like to see more books in
The Marriage Diaries Series
, you can help by going to your eRetailer and leaving an honest review. It only takes a moment and it is very helpful in spreading the word to other readers.

THE AWAKENING (The Marriage Diaries, Volume 1)

THE SEDUCTION (The Marriage Diaries, Volume 2)

THE TAKING (The Marriage Diaries, Volume 3)

THE TEMPTATION (The Marriage Diaries, Volume 4)