Tessa gasped in surprise as he pulled her astride his hips, then swiftly divested her of the black silk nightie trimmed in pink lace that she’d changed into after their walk. His hands skimmed up her outer thighs, continuing up her ribcage, until he was filling his hands with her breasts.

“You do realize,” he murmured in a husky voice, his fingers tugging at her nipples, “that this is the last evening we’ll be alone until we leave for the hotel in Napa. Your last chance to moan and scream as loudly as you like without having to worry about my parents overhearing you, and wondering what sort of a wanton their son is marrying.”

“Ohh.” Her head fell back as he sucked a nipple into his mouth, and she felt the rapid hardening of his cock between her legs. She began to stroke him persuasively through the thin cotton fabric of his gray briefs. “Then I guess we’d better, ah, take ad-advantage of the - oh, God, that’s good - situation, hadn’t we?”

Without warning Ian tumbled her onto the mattress, grinning down at her lasciviously. “Since taking advantage of you is my very favorite pastime, I was hoping you’d suggest that.”

“I hope I’m not calling too early, Charlotte. But I wanted to make sure and catch you before you headed out for the day. Your father mentioned to Ian that he and your mother were going to do some sightseeing with you and the children today.”

On the other end of the line, Ian’s cousin seemed both surprised and delighted at Tessa’s unexpected call.

“Oh, no. Not at all, Tessa,” assured Charlotte. “Between the jet lag and three young ones, I’ve been awake for over two hours. And it’s so lovely to hear from you. Tell me, are you a bundle of nerves with the wedding less than a week away?”

“Maybe a bit,” admitted Tessa. “But fortunately Ian keeps me grounded. There’s very little that seems to rattle that man.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “You’re probably wondering why I’m calling like this. I mean, we don’t really know each other all that well. And, well, things were always a bit awkward with, um…”

“Jason?” finished Charlotte wearily. “Yes, I’m well aware. It wasn’t a big surprise to learn from my father that you were one of many women he harassed or propositioned over the years. And I’ve also been aware of his infidelity for a long time, probably since the very beginning. I’m just sorry it took me so long to wake up and realize I was throwing my life away on a louse like him. And forcing my children to settle for a father who wasn’t the least bit interested in them. That, more than anything, is what finally opened my eyes. I want something better for them, Tessa. Someone better.”

“For yourself, too, Charlotte,” added Tessa gently. “You deserve someone far better than Jason Baldwin in your life. I was sorry to hear about your divorce, but not sorry that he won’t be part of this family any longer.”

“My parents are over the moon,” remarked Charlotte with a wry chuckle. “My poor mother always had to bite her tongue around him. And given how much Mother loves to chatter, she suffered for years whenever Jason was in the room. As for my father - well, he was much wiser than I ever was where Jason was concerned. He tried to warn me about him from the beginning. But I was young and foolish and in love, thought Jason was the most handsome and charming man I’d ever met. All along, though, he never loved me, never wanted children or a family. All he cared about was marrying into the Gregson family so that he could worm his way into the business.”

“In the end, that hasn’t worked out so well for him, has it?” asked Tessa.

Charlotte snickered. “I’ll say. Father was rubbing his hands with glee, like the villain in one of those silent movies, at the thought of tossing Jason out on his arse. It wasn’t quite that simple, however, at least not until Father offered him a one-time payout and helped him secure a job with another hotel chain. The rat bastard will be their problem now. As for me - well, I suppose it’s time for me to start over. And to finally start living.”

“What are your plans? Or have you figured that out just yet?”

“For now, at least, the children and I will continue to live with my parents,” explained Charlotte. “Honestly, their place is so huge that we more or less have an entire wing to ourselves. Plus, having Jason move out is enough of an adjustment for them right now. So we’ll stay put, and they can continue attending the same school. Speaking of which, I’m going to go back to school myself in the fall. I’d only finished two years at university when I met Jason. I want to complete my degree, and then take a position of some sort in the company. My parents are so pleased about that, and I’m terribly excited. Even though the thought of being a student again after all these years is more than a little intimidating.”

“You’ll do just fine,” assured Tessa. “I just completed my first year of college classes, and it went so much better than I’d anticipated. And it will be good for you, Charlotte. It will be something just for you. Not for your children or your parents and definitely not for Jason. And since we’re talking about doing something just for yourself, Ian and I would like to invite you to our joint bachelor/bachelorette party tomorrow night. I know it’s short notice, but I thought you might enjoy an evening out without the children.”

“I’d love to be there, Tessa,” declared Charlotte warmly. “And I’m sure my parents will agree to watch the children. Especially since they’ve been giving me little nudges to go out on my own ever since I kicked Jason out. I’m nowhere near ready to start dating again, of course, but a party like that sounds like a lot of fun. And you’re a dear for asking me. No wonder Ian’s mad about you. And as soon as I met you in Hawaii last year, I knew exactly why Jason had been transferred so abruptly out of the offices in San Francisco to that hotel. I knew somehow that he’d made a pass at you, and that Ian had put a stop to it right away. I’m also guessing,” she added soberly, “that something similar happened during the conference in Hawaii. Something bad enough to send us back to England nearly overnight.”

“I’m sorry about that,” offered Tessa sincerely. “Making a move like that couldn’t have been easy on you and the children.”

“Are you kidding?” asked Charlotte in disbelief. “My dear, it was the best thing that could have ever happened. I was awfully lonely in California, never really settled there. I missed my parents and family and friends something terrible. And if we hadn’t been obliged to move back to England that way, I might never have found the guts to end things with Jason. Being back with my parents and my friends - well, they gave me the support and encouragement I needed to leave him. So all’s well that end’s well, as the saying goes.