Page 51 of A Lone Star Love Affair
“I’m happy for you and I’m glad the two of you are together again. You appear to have truly found love, an elusive commodity it seems.”
Dylan turned to put his arm around Sydney’s waist, pulling her close against him. “Thanks to both of you again.”
“Thank you for dinner,” Isabelle said, while Tony said the same. The limo pulled up and the chauffeur held the door. They climbed inside and Tony turned to her, pulling her into his arms.
Isabelle came willingly, hungry for his kisses, wanting to love him, wishing she could bind him to her, overcome the force that drove him to put business and success first over all else. “How I want you,” he whispered, kissing her again before she could answer him. She held him tightly, kissing him, taking and giving, knowing it was fleeting, meaningless to him.
She lost track of time, but all too soon the limo stopped. “We’re at your place, Isabelle. Come home with me tonight. I’ll see you home in the morning, but come back with me now.”
She nodded and was in his embrace again.
At his house, he released her and they stepped out of the limo to go in through a side door. The minute they were in the mansion, Tony drew her into his arms.
Clothes were strewn all the way to a downstairs bedroom. She glimpsed a four-poster bed, lots of pillows, white furniture. Little else registered with her. She was in Tony’s magical embrace again.
They loved through the night and fell asleep in each other’s arms. Isabelle was the last to go to sleep. On her side and held close by Tony, she ran her fingers in his hair and then along his jaw, studying him, memorizing his features. “Tonight was special, Tony,” she whispered, knowing he was asleep and would never hear her or know. “I love you.”
She could not think about if only possibilities. She had to accept Tony the way he was and face reality. She studied him as he slept, her heart filled with love and longing. How could ambition so blind him to what was wonderful in life?
Sleep would not come. Speculation was futile. She refused to think about the future and tried to cling to this night, this hour with Tony beside her, one arm holding her close. No one could predict tomorrow.
When she stirred hours later, Tony leaned over to kiss her. Instantly her arms circled his neck and they made love until sunshine spilled into the room over an hour later.
“I’ll ask again, Isabelle, will you come and live here with me?”
She sat up, pulling a top sheet close around her, shaking her long hair away from her face, knowing the moment for decision had come. “No, I won’t,” she answered. “I would love to, Tony, but I want more than I’ll get by just moving into your house.”
“You want love. Take a chance, move in and see what happens. It’s great right now. I would expect it to get even better.”
Saddened, hurting, wishing he would set business on a back burner, give it second place in his life and propose, she knew that wouldn’t happen. Not until after forty and he had achieved billionaire would his goals change. Business came first.
She sat close to him, the sheet pulled beneath her arms while he had it across his lap. His chest was bare, tempting even after a night of love. She felt as if she were breaking to pieces inside. “Tony, I want it all. I want what Sydney has—commitment. Even more, I want what my parents have, a long, steady love. That’s what I’ve always wanted.”
“Live with me. It may turn into love and then into marriage,” he said, caressing her nape, playing with her hair.
May. She shook her head. “I want to say yes, but I have to say no. I saw the love between Dylan and Sydney. I want that. I want commitment, your love. I want to be first in someone’s life, not to follow a goal to become a billionaire by forty. You might fall in love and you might marry, but you won’t give up your driving goals to achieve that billionaire status. And that means putting work ahead of all else. No thanks. That isn’t what I want. I’m not sitting home alone week after week, raising children without a father, watching you think about deals instead of your family. You and I have vastly different goals and views of what’s important. You pursue yours and I hope you get them and I hope they make you happy. I’ll pursue mine.”
“You’re presuming the worst, envisioning a scenario that might not happen. Half the world is filled with men and women who don’t spend every waking hour together, but they love each other and love their families and raise fine children.”
“True, but I’ve watched my best friend’s father, who was a workaholic. They barely saw him and he missed too many big events in his children’s lives. It’s not spending every waking hour together. It’s putting the other person first in your life and the two of you together being more important than business. It’s a true partner in the family to help with kids and grow old together. That’s the kind of love your sister has with Dylan and you can see it just by looking at them. I’m not moving in with you. Now’s the time for the break before my heart is shattered so badly, I’d never recover.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’ll recover from a broken heart if you ever have one, but that isn’t what I intend to have happen when you move in with me.”
His eyes darkened and a muscle worked in his jaw. She hurt all over, but she was going to stand firm with her decision because she thought any other way would lead to far greater heartache.
“It’s been wonderful, Tony. You know I’m in love with you now—”
Tony reached for her.
“Isabelle, come here,” he said, his arm circling her waist.
She gripped his wrist and removed his arm. “Just wait and listen. I love you, but I will get over this because we haven’t bound our lives together yet.”
“Then take a chance on us, dammit,” he said, clasping her shoulder with his hand. “Give us some time together and try to see what develops and how deep it goes.”
She shook her head again. “No. I already know how deep my love for you goes. I want it all. I watched Dylan and Sydney tonight. They have it. Each one is first in the other’s life. They’re deeply in love and there were moments when the outside world didn’t exist for them. They were barely with us some of the time. There’s a unity between them that is a strong bond. That’s the kind of love I want. I’m glad they’ve found it, because I think it’s both special and rare.”
“Isabelle, dammit, stop. Give us some time together. Two weeks. See if you feel the same after that. You’re not giving us a chance. You’ve got all these preconceived notions. I won’t be like your friend’s father. Give us a fair chance at this and then stop and take a long look and make a monumental, life-changing decision when you have more knowledge about what you’re doing.”
