Pillow Chase

She seemed blissfully unaware of anything but this chance to snuggle. Pressing her face against his shoulder, she let her eyes flutter closed and skimmed her lips along his throat, a natural, unconscious gesture that at any other time might have made him smile.

He wasn’t smiling now, and as he held her, Troy considered his options. She’d been on edge ever since they’d started this vacation. He’d attributed her mood to logistics. Niagara Falls was her hometown, and a vacation to Falling Inn Bed meant close quarters with her estranged cousin, the woman hosting the Naughty Nuptials. Add that to watching her parents gear up for an election and dealing with the antics of her big-hearted, too-wild sister, and Troy thought he’d understood why she’d had them holing up inside the Egyptian Pleasure Pyramid instead of running all around town to visit with family and friends.

But Troy had been wrong.

Suddenly everything made sense. Miranda had been trying to reassure him that everything was okay, trying to distract him from what he knew in his gut—they were in trouble. But she’d plastered a smile on her face and pretended that everything was fine.

Like she’d just done while making love.

And when Troy thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time she’d initiated sex. He’d been doing the honors on this vacation. He couldn’t remember back before his latest deployment. How long had this been going on?

He probably wouldn’t like the answer, but he was glad she’d chosen distraction over faking an orgasm.

That would have hurt.

Burying his face in her curls, he inhaled deeply of her scent, so feminine and all Miranda. With only a week left of their holiday, he needed to reevaluate his game plan. Once they headed home, their lives would be full of commitment and routine. It would be all too easy for her to hide, and then he’d get orders and head out again.

He needed to get Miranda to share what was on her mind now, while they had only each other to focus on, so they could figure out what was happening and how to deal with it.

He wouldn’t let this go on any longer.

She’d had her chance to fess up. He was done with evasions, done watching his wife retreat behind that persona she wore in public.

He wouldn’t let her get away with it anymore. Confrontation would be a tactical error that would only put her on the defensive. No, he had to start pushing, but he had to push purposefully, quietly.

As if sensing his resolve, Miranda nestled closer and gave a small sigh, her mouth parting around the soft sound. She had a kissing mouth, a mouth that smiled with such dazzling perfection that he always wanted to tease her until she couldn’t resist brushing those moist lips against him.

Her mouth had been the first thing he’d noticed about her. Miranda was the kind of beautiful that made men stupid. He vividly recalled how his fellow officers who had toured her college group through their naval base had made asses of themselves over her.

Troy might have gotten stupid, too, had it not been for her too-cool composure that had challenged him. He could still remember how her self-possessed smiles had dared him to make her laugh, or frown. He’d wondered what it would take to get her to let her hair down.

And make her sigh with pleasure.

Troy had sensed they were a pair. Two people with adventurous souls. He’d been raised without limits while Miranda had been taught to keep her sense of adventure reined tight. With her high-power family, she’d honed her public persona to a sharp edge, but beneath that composure beat a light heart. He’d wanted to be the man to help her discover that part of herself, and he’d always tried to be supportive.

But no more.

He wouldn’t sit around and wait for Miranda to come clean. She’d had her chance. Too many chances. He wouldn’t let her slip away without a fight.

He wouldn’t let her slip away. Period.

MIRANDA HAD STARTED the morning off with high hopes of enjoying a relaxing day with Troy. No Naughty Nuptials events. No visits with family or friends.

She should have known better.

Crashing and burning on the way to an orgasm clearly wasn’t enough to deal with this morning. Now a phone call from her sister pitched her day from bad to worse, and she was this close to declaring mutiny and abandoning ship on this whole vacation.

Settling the telephone back on the cradle, she cocked a hip against the desk and stared out into the courtyard, flooded with sunlight from the glass ceiling. What appeared to be a bright day in the Egyptian Pleasure Pyramid’s oasis didn’t feel anything but gloomy and dismal.

Troy emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate. “Lunch. I made enough for us both.”

His man-size sandwich surrounded by a mound of pickles and tortilla chips almost made her smile. “Thanks. But I’m not hungry just now.” Her appetite had gone the way of her orgasm.

“So what’s up with your sister?” He arranged his meal on the table.

“Victoria wants me to meet her in the photojournalist’s room so she can talk to me. Laura Granger will be there.”

“Laura, why?” He sounded surprised, and she wasn’t sure why. They were dealing with her younger sister here, a woman who lived life to throw monkey wrenches in situations just to see what happened.

“She didn’t say.”

Meeting with the photojournalist wasn’t a problem. But Laura Granger? Her estranged cousin was about the last person Miranda wanted to meet with any day—especially a day that had taken such a downhill turn. She was already scrambling not to let her vanishing orgasm spoil her mood.

Maybe Victoria could ignore the longtime rift between their family and Laura’s. She was the only one, though. People in this town always paid close attention whenever Fords and Grangers came together, and personally, Miranda couldn’t see what was so fascinating.

Their mothers were sisters. So what if Laura was the daughter of a rebel socialite who had abandoned her family to run off with an artist? That only proved Laura’s mother cared more about herself than the needs of her family.

Good riddance, as far as Miranda was concerned.

“Well, I suppose it’s to be expected,” she said. “I knew I’d have to deal with the whole family issue when I let you talk me into getting married at Laura Granger’s hotel.”

She couldn’t lament that choice now. If she hadn’t agreed to have the wedding here, then they’d never have been invited back as the Hottest Honeymoon Couple. She’d wanted a fantasy wedding and vacation. Now she would pay the price.

“You let me talk you into getting married here because you knew this place would be fun.” Troy dropped a pickle back onto the plate, leaned back and shot her a sober look. “And you knew if you went along, I’d make it worth your while. I’ve held up my end of the deal.”

That wasn’t a question, and Miranda’s heart sighed at the memory of the easier time in their lives and how well he’d held up his end of the deal. A wedding night in the exotic Roman Bagnio suite where they’d soaked naked in the baths. Three weeks touring the Hawaiian Islands where they’d made love on their own private beach during sunrises and sunsets.

He’d been living up to his end of the deal. No question.

“Perhaps the Naughty Nuptials wasn’t such a great idea,” she admitted. “Maybe we should have gone someplace where we didn’t know anyone for our vacation.”

“Done deal. Besides, we’ve been so busy with these events that you haven’t had much time to spend with anyone but me. I’m surprised your family and friends haven’t beaten down the door.”

“Everyone knows we’re here for the grand opening. And we deserve some time together.”

“Agreed, but I expected to do some sharing. You haven’t been home in six months. People want to see you.”

“Like Victoria and Laura Granger,” she said dryly. “I would assume this has something to do with Hottest Honeymoons, but if so, why would she only invite me? I wonder if this has something to do with her engagement.”

“You sound skeptical.”

“What else can I be, Troy? My sister’s involved with Laura Granger and engaged to a man she just met. This is even more insane than her usual insanity.”

“Could be worse. She could have run off to Vegas to live with Adam.”

No argument there. But the whole situation was so classic Victoria that it was hard to be objective. “Who knows if that wedding will ever take place? They might decide they don’t like each other once they become acquainted.”

“Maybe, maybe not. They know they’re in love. What more do they need to know?”