by Lori Wilde
All Lacy needed was a toehold. Once Bennett opened up and gave her the opportunity, he couldn’t help falling in love with her. Right?
It was fated. She was his destiny.
But what to do? How would an outrageous, adventuresome, no-strings-attached woman act? How could Lacy convince him that she was spontaneous, freewheeling, and took life as it came?
Kiss him, some impish voice in the back of her mind ordered. Kiss him. Kiss him hard. Kiss him long. Leave no doubts about your intentions.
It would be so easy. They were already pretty darned intimate with her body snuggled tightly against his and her right arm wrapped around his neck.
All she had to do was lean forward and gently run her tongue along his lips. Not that difficult, really, especially when she wanted to kiss him more than she wanted to breathe.
Lacy hesitated.
Bennett’s respirations, she noted, were as erratic as her own, and he was still staring at her as if shocked that she’d tumbled headlong into his lap.
Kiss him. On the mouth. In front of everyone. That’s what a sexually confident woman would do.
Lacy the sexually confident woman? The label felt unnatural and yet kissing him felt so right.
She was scared. If she were standing, her knees would be knocking in a deafening cacophony. Lacy could count the number of times she’d been kissed on one hand, and not once had she been the instigator.
Most of the kisses had been perfunctory good-night-after-a-date kisses. None of them had been mind-blowing. Truthfully, Lacy had never really wanted to kiss a man the way she wanted to kiss Bennett, but her natural reticence held her back.
Her shyness had always been a safety net, something she could count on when she got in over her head. Well, not anymore. The time had come to take control of her future. This was the man she’d waited her lifetime for.
No more stalling. No more fanciful daydreams. No more lonely nights. Not if she acted now. She had zero to lose and everything to gain. Might as well plunge right into deep water and see if she could float.
Tentatively, Lacy dampened her upper lip with the tip of her tongue.
Ready or not…
Bennett gave her a knowing smile.
Lacy knew there could be no halfway measures. If she kissed him, it had to be all or nothing. No halfhearted joining of their mouths would do. If she wanted to convince Bennett that she was indeed a woman seeking a casual liaison, then she had to act that way.
Lacy lowered her eyelashes and gave Bennett a come-to-me-big-boy glance from the corner of her eye.
His body tensed beneath hers, and his arms tightened around her waist. His gaze took on a hazy, hungry quality like a starving man offered a full plate at the king’s banquet.
People were watching.
She felt the heat of their collective stares, and her skin prickled with awareness. Normally, Lacy would have been consumed by social anxiety at being the center of attention, but resting here in Bennett’s lap, staring up into eyes as dark as midnight, she felt so wonderful that all self-recrimination vanished.
If the crowd was wishing for a show, then by golly she’d give them one.
Drawing in a deep breath for courage, she pursed her lips.
Bennett swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
Anticipation. So sweet.
Later, thinking back on the moment, Lacy couldn’t really say who kissed whom. She raised her chin. Bennett lowered his face, and their lips became one, melding into a blur of soft flesh—sizzling, powerful, electric.
Act the part. You’re a femme fatale. A heartbreaker. A collector of men’s affections. Give him all that you’ve got.
It was as if the entire universe was shoving her forward. An aching, urgent need she could not explain gripped her with primal lust. Amazed at her own boldness, Lacy poked out her tongue, urging his lips to part, to allow her entry.
Eagerly, he complied.
She slipped her tongue into the warm, moist recesses of his mouth, and she inhaled his sigh.
He smelled heavenly and tasted even better, a soothing mixture of poppy seeds, soap, and homemade bread. His flavor reminded Lacy of her great-grandmother’s kitchen.
Great-Gramma Kahonachek had come to America from her native Czechoslovakia back before it was the Czech Republic. She canned her own pickles, baked her own yeast bread, and made her own soap.
Why Bennett Sheridan should smell like that unusual concoction, Lacy didn’t know, but the aroma produced in her the warm, welcoming sensations of home.
Home.
Yes. She’d found home in his arms.
Greedily, Lacy drank from him. At last. At long last. Her fantasy man come to life.
Her eyes drifted closed as she rode the rising wave of euphoria. The sensation transported her far beyond the bar and into a place so magical she’d have sworn she was dreaming.
Bennett’s mouth roved over hers, deepening the kiss. He hoisted her flush against his firm chest. Even through their clothing she could feel the rapid-fire pounding of his heart.
He was so strong, so virile. He made her feel as treasured as a five-year-old’s favorite teddy bear.
Everything in her responded. Her nipples hardened. Her breathing quickened.
Blood rushed to the surface of her skin, bathing her in exquisite heat. An intense wave of longing crested deep inside her.
Lacy had never known it could be like this. This all-encompassing love, this crazy, cockeyed thrill, this incredible sense of rightness.
There was no doubt in her mind that Bennett Sheridan was her other half, her soul mate, her true love, even if he couldn’t admit it yet. He was too caught up in his career, too worried about hurting her to take a chance on love, but Lacy knew better. She would use any means at her disposal to win him over, including pretending to be something she wasn’t.
He would forgive her in the end. He had no choice. The thunderbolt had struck.
Bennett Sheridan was a goner.
Kissing Lacy was like taking the express elevator straight to heaven. She lifted him up, gave his soul wings.
Adrenaline and testosterone shot through his system, propelling him to a level of arousal usually reserved for sex-starved teenage boys. He was flying, gliding on top of the world. Unfortunately, that only meant he faced a long downward plunge.
His head reeled. His gut clenched. His loins flamed. His heart hammered. And all for want of this wild little blonde thrashing madly about in his arms.
He had to break the kiss, had to get fresh air, had to do something before he ravished her right there on the table. Gasping, he wrenched his mouth from hers.
Applause broke out around them, and Bennett found himself blushing. He had never been so turned on in public.
Ever.
He prided himself on being a rational man, fully in control of himself and his actions, and yet in one brief moment, Lacy Calder had stripped him of his illusion. He was no better than a wild stag in the woods rutting for a willing doe.
His fingers were trembling. He jammed them through his hair and struggled desperately to correct the imbalance that knocked his world out of kilter.
Lacy was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling fast as a rabbit’s, her cute backside resting in his lap.
Had she felt his arousal? Was she aware of exactly what she’d done to him? How could she not know? The evidence was as obvious as the nose on his face.
What an unpredictable woman! When he had first stepped into the operating suite at Saint Madeleine’s and she’d barely mustered the courage to tell him her name, he had labeled her sweet, shy, and innocent.
A nice woman. The type of woman a guy took home to meet his mother. A happily-ever-after sort of woman.
A woman to avoid.
But Lacy Calder had fooled him.
Completely.
Apparently, she hid more behind that surgical mask than he could have guessed. Beneath that quiet, well-bred exterior lurked a lusty spirit.
Her kiss told him so.
The minute Lacy tumbled into his lap he’d known he was going to kiss her. He’d been fighting the urge for over a month.
And then their lips had met.
Bennett had been knocked down by the flood of her fervor. Her lips met his with an intensity that caught him off guard and kept him there.
Ravenously, he had embraced the delightful shock of her. Lacy had been the one to introduce tongues into the fray, not he, her warm moistness ambushing him, taking his breath.
Innocent? Not likely. This woman knew exactly what she wanted.
Him!
How could he have read her so wrongly? How had he mistaken this provocative siren for the timid girl next door? The paradox that was Lacy Calder both pleased and perplexed him.
Bennett wanted her as much as she wanted him, and yet something urged him to be cautious.
Be careful, tread lightly, don’t lose your head. Or your heart. Remember, you promised Nanna you wouldn’t marry until you’d completed your education.
But this was great, wasn’t it? To discover that the woman who had so captivated him was not out-of-bounds after all? Learning that Lacy was not the marrying kind, that he could indeed act on these feelings she stirred inside him without fear of breaking her heart should have him ecstatic.
Instead, an odd wistfulness crept through him, and he couldn’t say why.
He sneaked a peek at her. Her hair was sexily mussed, her lips sashay red and slightly swollen. Lips that brought back the delicious memories of his favorite childhood flavors. Cherry soda and cinnamon jawbreakers and strawberry Pixy Stix.
And those eyes, the soothing blue of Bavarian mist, drilled a hole straight through him.
She desired him.
No woman kissed a man she barely knew that confidently unless she was prepared to take things to the next level.
But before he could accept the invitation her kiss offered, he had to be sure that was indeed what she really wanted. He refused to end up with a guilty conscience.
Having a great time in bed was all well and good, but it only worked if both partners knew the affair was strictly for fun.
Before he and Lacy took this relationship one step further, they needed to talk. But not in this noisy bar thronged nosy rubberneckers.
“Lacy,” he said, “would you like to go someplace a little more private?”
6
Since they’d both ridden to the nightclub with other people and neither had a car, Bennett offered to walk Lacy home via a detour along the river promenade as opposed to taking an Uber.
A full moon hung in the sky, illuminating the water in a silvery shimmer. This newly renovated area of the hospital district had the quaint feel of a European village. Street lamps lighted their way along a cobblestone path. Here and there, scattered footbridges arched across the river. Trendy shops, locked tight at nine p.m., sat bunched atop the retaining wall.
A slight breeze softly caressed their skin. From several yards away, they could still hear the vibrating bass emanating from the Recovery Room.
Lacy recognized the melody. An old Rod Stewart tune about a French girl losing her virginity. “Tonight’s the Night.”
Delicious shivers ran goose bumps over Lacy’s arms.
“It’s nice out here,” Bennett commented.
“Uh-huh.”
Since telling CeeCee and Janet that Bennett was going to walk her home and leaving the nightclub behind, her timidity had returned with a vengeance. Without the insulation of CeeCee and Janet, without the boisterous background noises as a buffer, Lacy felt vulnerable, exposed.
She wanted to be here. Oh, yes. Above anyplace else in the world, but she was unsure of herself as well. Too bad the thunderbolt didn’t come with detailed instructions. She’d found herself alone with a man she’d only known five weeks but with whom she ached to become better acquainted.
Yet in an odd way, she did know him. In her heart. In her soul. If there was such a thing as past lives, then she and Bennett had been lovers in a previous one. Lacy had never felt such an instantaneous connection to another human being.
Her joy fizzed like uncorked champagne.
What should she say? What should she do? What did he expect from her?
But she needn’t have worried. Conversation was unnecessary. So was action. Bennett took charge. He reached over and lightly enfolded her hand in his.
It felt so good. Her small hand enveloped in his large one. A perfect fit.
They ascended the walkway in silence, savoring each other’s company. Crickets chirped. In the distance a dog barked. All anxiety vanished. All doubts evaporated. Peace and contentment stole over her.
“You’re easy to be with.” Bennett stopped beside a park bench beneath a streetlamp. Moths and June bugs flitted through the air. The scent of honeysuckle wafted over from a nearby fence.
“So are you.”
“We work well together in surgery.”
“Yes.”
“It’s like a dance.”
“A tango.”
“You feel it, too?”
She smiled like the Mona Lisa. She didn’t mean to be coy. It was just her way.
“I can’t help but wonder....” Bennett let his voice trail off.
“What?”
He pulled her close to him and ran a thumb along her jawline. “What it would be like to make love to you.”
Lacy sucked in her breath.
No man had ever spoken so boldly to her. If it had been anyone but Bennett, such a statement would have sent her scampering for cover, but he was entitled to say such things to her. He was her thunderbolt.
“Does that scare you?” His eyes glimmered in the moonlight.
Lacy shook her head.
“Because if that’s not what you want, then say the word. We don’t have to go any further with this...attraction. I know it’s mutual. I see my own longing in your eyes.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I want you to know exactly how I feel. You’re a beautiful, vibrant, sexy woman. I want to make love to you so badly that I can taste it. But I won’t take advantage of you. I won’t break your heart. I can offer you nothing but a week.”
Fear raced through her. She peered up, searched his handsome face. His oaken eyes were serious. Bennett was an honest man.
Shouldn’t she be honest with him in return and tell the truth? That she was already well on her way to falling head over heels in love with him? But if she did that, he would bolt. She knew it as surely as her name was Lacy Marie Calder.
“Are you willing, Lacy?” His breath warmed her cheek.
In answer, she brought his hand to her mouth and gently kissed his knuckles. His skin tasted slightly salty and the hairs on the back of his hand tickled her lips.
“Is that a yes?” Bennett asked, his voice husky with pent-up emotions.
“My apartment’s only a few blocks farther,” she said, terrified by her unexpected bravery.
Delight crinkled the corners of his eyes, and Lacy’s stomach pitched.
What exactly was she letting herself in for?
They strolled along, still hand in hand, gazing at the stars, occasionally glancing at the river. She should have been happy and excited, but Lacy wasn’t prepared. Could she really do this? Was she ready to make love to Bennett?
Her body cried yes, yes, yes, and her heart leaped with joy at the thought of their joining.
It was her brain, her common sense held her back. Even though she believed in the thunderbolt and trusted the guidance of her family, a tiny part of her nagged a warning.
Are you sure? Are you truly certain he’s the one? There will be no going back. No undoing this once it’s done.
“Those shoes look uncomfortable,” Bennett said. “You’re having trouble maneuvering in those things.”
“Me? Oh, no. I wear them all the time,” she fibbed, then instantly felt guilty for her additional lie.
“Wearing heels over an inch and a h
alf is bad for your back,” he said.
“I thought men liked women in high heels.” And big hair and oodles of lipstick and eyeliner, at least that was what CeeCee kept telling her.
He slanted a sideways glance at her calves, and a speculative gleam came into his eyes. A gleam that made her shiver with delight.
“Well, the shoes certainly emphasize what nature gave you,” he commented, “but there’s no need to hobble yourself for the sake of either fashion or sex appeal.”
She almost said, “I couldn’t agree with you more.” Instead, she simply nodded and took a deep breath.
“Why don’t you take them off,” he suggested.
“No.” Despite the fact the shoes were chewing the skin off her toes, she shook her head. She would look too silly padding along bare footed beside him. He was already a good head taller than she. “I’m fine.”
“Keep walking then?”
She nodded.
Bennett tucked his arm through hers, and they continued their stroll. Lacy concentrated on each step, cautiously placing her feet on solid ground. She didn’t want to break her neck at this stage of the game. Not when she’d finally gotten him alone.
Except she had a major problem.
Now that she had him, what was she going to do with him?
Through lowered lashes, Lacy peeked surreptitiously at his profile that was cast in shadows, but she could still make out his regal nose, his firm jawline, his masculine lips.
She knew zip about seducing a man beyond what she’d seen on television shows or read online. Game playing was not in her nature, nor was manipulation. She longed for CeeCee and Janet’s advice. They had gotten her into this mess. Where were they when she needed them.
Oh yeah, she’d left them at the bar.
The wind gusted and snatched at the bow in her hair.
She reached back a hand to hold the bow in place, but it slipped through her fingers and went skittering across the sidewalk.