by Lori Foster
And he watched her eat, smiling like a contented fool, his big bare feet on either side of hers.
Finally, she laid her fork aside. Nothing had happened quite as she’d expected and she felt lost. “What,” she grouched, “are you staring at?”
His smile widened. “You.” He reached out and smoothed her hair, his fingers lingering. “I’ve never seen a woman with smudged makeup and tangled hair look quite so sexy.”
His compliment put her over the edge. She shoved her chair back and stood up.
Cameron came to his feet, too. They stared at each other over the table, facing off.
Asia drew a deep breath. “This is ridiculous.”
“I know. There’s so much I want to say to you, but I’m not sure where to start.”
She blinked, then covered her ears. “Stop it! Just stop … taking me by surprise.”
Holding her gaze, Cameron rounded the table until he could clasp her wrists and pull her hands down. “I want to see you again, Asia.”
“You mean you want to have sex with me again.”
“Hell, yes. I want you right now. I wanted you the second I woke up. I’ll want you tonight and tomorrow too.”
She laughed, a near hysterical sound. “Will you stop?”
“No.” Shaking his head, he said, “Not until you tell me how you feel.”
“I feel …” She wasn’t at all sure how she felt, and gestured helplessly. “Frustrated.”
Cameron stroked her arms, bending to look her in the eyes. “I didn’t satisfy you last night?”
Her laugh this time was genuine. “You did! Ohmigod, did you satisfy me.”
“Well, then …?”
“Cameron.” She pulled away. She couldn’t think, and she sure as hell couldn’t talk, when he touched her. “This was all a … lark. You overheard my ridiculous pact with Erica and Becky, and because of that, you reacted and we had … better sex than I knew existed.”
Cameron’s jaw locked, but he kept quiet, letting her talk.
She drew another breath to fortify herself. “But that’s all it is, all it was meant to be. You didn’t intend for me to spend the night and intrude on your life.”
“Are you done?”
He sounded angry, confusing her more. “Yes.”
He went to the kitchen windowsill and lifted a small package wrapped in silver foil paper and tied with a bright red ribbon. “Everything you just said is bullshit and you know it. I’ve wanted you since the day I met you. And yes, it started out purely sexual, and it’ll always be partly sexual. You turn me on, Asia, no way to deny that when I get a boner just hearing your name. But I like you a lot, too. Hell,” he said, rubbing his neck the way he always did when he was annoyed, “I’m damn near obsessed with you.”
Asia bit her lip, doing her best to keep her eyes off that gaily wrapped gift.
“I want you. It makes me nuts to think about any other guy with you.” He paced away, then back again. “I want you to spend the weekend with me.”
“But … it’s Christmas.”
“That’s right And if you stay with me, it’ll be the nicest Christmas I’ve ever had.”
“You don’t have any other plans?”
“If I did, I’d change them.” He handed her the gift. “I bought you this. Before we slept together, because even if things hadn’t gotten intimate so soon, I still wanted you to have it.”
She held the gift with fascination. “Why?”
“Because you’re special to me. The way you affect me is special, and the way I feel around you is special. I wanted you to know it.”
“Oh.”
“Well,” he said, once again smiling, although now his smile looked a bit strained. “Open it.”
Sitting back down in the chair, Asia pulled aside the crisp paper. She felt like a child again, filled with anticipation. When she opened the velvet box and saw the bracelet, tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, Cameron.”
“You like it?” he asked anxiously.
“I love it.” She looked up at him, seeing him through a sheen of tears. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
Cameron knelt down in front of her, lifted the bracelet from the box and clasped it around her slender wrist. “You’re perfect. The bracelet is just decoration.”
“Cameron?”
He lifted his gaze to hers, still holding her hand.
“May I spend Christmas with you?”
He sucked in a breath, then let it out with an enormous grin. “You may. You may even spend the entire week with me.”
Giggling with pure happiness, Asia threw her arms around him. “You’re so wonderful.”
He squeezed her tight. “I know you want to take things slow and easy, honey. So I’m not rushing you.” As he spoke, he lifted her in his arms and started back down the hall. “Your ex pulled a number on you, and I’d like to demolish the bastard. But I want you to know I’ll be patient. We can dowhatever you want, however you want. You just tell me.”
Asia felt ready to burst. “I really do care about you, Cameron.”
He froze, shuddered, then squeezed her tight and hurried the rest of the way to the bed. That’s a start,” he said, lowering them both to the mattress. “Do you think by New Year’s you might be telling me you love me? Because Asia, I …” He stopped and frowned. “I’m rushing you, aren’t I?”
“You think you love me?” she asked in lieu of giving him an answer. “Is that what you were going to say?”
“I know how I feel.” He untied the belt of the robe and parted it, looking down at her body. “And yes, I love you.” He bent and lazily kissed her breasts. “Hell, I’m crazy nuts about you.” He started kissing his way down her belly, and Asia wasn’t able to say another thing. All she could do was gasp.
Epilogue
“A Valentine’s Day engagement.” Becky sighed.“How romantic.”
Asia smiled in contentment. “I’m so happy. I didn’t know a man like Cameron existed, and now I’ve not only discovered him, I have him for my own.”
Erica gave her a smug grin. “You see how well my plans turn out.”
“What I see,” Asia said, leaning over the lounge table to wag a finger at her two friends, “is that neither of you have fulfilled your end of the bargain.”
Erica laughed. “We were too amused watching things unfold for you. You and Cameron have stolen the show.”
“Uh-huh. I think you both just chickened out.”
Erica said, “No way,” but Becky just looked around, as if seeking escape.
Erica and Asia both caught her hands. “C’mon, Becky,” Asia teased, “you know it’s well past your turn!”
Looking tortured, Becky said, “I don’t know if I can.”
“Trust me.” Erica patted her shoulder. “You can.”
“And you should,” Asia added. “I mean, look how it turned out for me.”
Becky folded her arms on the table and dropped her head. She gave a small groan.
Asia and Erica shared a look. “'Fess up, Becky,” Asia urged. “You’ve had two months instead of two days to think about it. So let’s hear the big fantasy.”
“I know I’m going to regret this,” came her muffled voice. “But if you both insist …”
“We do!”
She lifted her head, looked around the lounge and leaned forward to whisper into two ears.
“Wow,” Asia said when she’d finished.
“All right!” Erica exclaimed, and lifted a fist in the air.
Cameron showed up just then, forcing the women to stifle their humor. He bent down and planted a kiss on Asia’s mouth. “You want to leave right after work to pick out the ring?”
Erica shook her head. “In a hurry, big boy?”
“Damn right.”
To everyone’s relief, Cameron got along fabulously with both Becky’s timid personality, and Erica’s outrageous boldness.
Asia couldn’t imagine being any happier. Now, if only her two friends could find the same happine
ss. She eyed Becky, who still blushed with her confessed fantasy. Maybe, she thought, doing some silent plotting, she could give Becky a helping hand. She tugged Cameron to his feet and said good-bye to her friends.
Once they were in the hallway, she said, “How well do you know George Westin?”
“Well enough to know he’s got a reputation with the ladies. Why?”
“I think he may just be perfect.”
Cameron narrowed his eyes. “For what?”
“No, for who.”
“Erica?”
“Ha! They’re both too cocky. They’d kill each other within a minute.” She smoothed her hand over his shoulder, then patted him. “No, I was thinking of Becky.”
Cameron shook his head. “I don’t know, sweetheart. She’s so shy, he’d probably have her for lunch.”
Asia just grinned. There was no one else in the hall, so she put her arms around him, loving him so much it hurt, and said, “You, Cameron O’Reilly, haven’t heard Becky’s fantasy. I’m thinking George might get a big surprise.”
Cameron kissed her. “If it’s half as nice as the surprise I got, then he’s one lucky cuss.”
“I love you, Cameron.”
He patted her bottom in fond memory. “I love you, too, Asia. Now and forever.”
Indulge Me
To Jackie Floyd,
Thanks for providing the fun background information.
I know your night out was much more fun than mine!
Chapter One
Becky Harte inched through the doorway of the risqué sex shop, Wild Honey, with a great deal of trepidation. Warmth and the subtle scent of incense greeted her. She knew her eyes were huge, but she couldn’t manage a single blink.
It was still something of a shock that the small, conservative town of Cuther, Indiana, had such a shop in its midst.
It was doubly shocking that small town, conservative Becky would be visiting that shop.
Her heart pounded, her face was hot, and her hands shook. Never ever in her life had she expected to do such a thing. Yet here she was, not only inside Wild Honey, but on a sexual mission. A mission designed by her two well-meaning friends, Asia and Erica. Becky knew they were both watching her progress from the company lounge across the street, in the toiletries factory where they all three worked.
Before the door closed behind Becky, she peeked over her shoulder and, sure enough, she could see the twin pale faces of Erica and Asia pressed to thewindow on the second floor of the factory. She couldn’t back out because they’d both know and she liked them too much to want them to consider her a coward.
The three of them had made a pact, and by gosh, she’d keep to her end of the deal.
Drawing a steadying breath, Becky released the door and it swung shut with a tinkling of chimes and a sense of finality that made her jump. Becky held her coat tightly closed at her throat and looked around. What she saw was … unexpected.
Wild Honey was actually pretty elegant. It was clean and neatly organized and colorful. There were display tables laden with books and tapes, every wall lined with shelves of more books, magazines, and some boxed items. Biting her lip, Becky forced herself to take a few steps. A woman behind the counter greeted her. “Hi. Can I help you find something?”
Good Lord! Surely the saleslady didn’t expect her to discuss such things. Numb, Becky shook her head and turned away, hurrying to the back of the large room. An open door that led into another room offered her a place to hide. She ducked inside.
And immediately stalled.
Mouth falling open, Becky stared about in mingled horror and fascination at the items hung from the walls. Why, there were things that looked like … like penises. Enormously large penises. Blue, white, and black penises. Penises in every color of the rainbow. Two-foot long penises, for crying out loud. Double-headed penises.
Without realizing it, Becky drifted closer, mouth still gaping, eyes so wide it was a wonder her eye-balls didn’t fall out. This had to be a joke. Sure, she wasn’t experienced, but she wasn’t an idiot either, and there was no way all those penises could be … functional. No way. It was impossible.
She looked away from the display of artificial penises with a disbelieving shake of her head and a barely audible snort. They were probably gag items, used for bachelor parties and such. That made more sense than anything else.
Her attention got snagged on a new contraption and she studied it. She had no idea what it might be, but there were boxes stacked beneath the one on display, with instructions printed on the back. Made of what looked to be hard plastic, the device had several elastic straps and little pointy rubber things sticking out here and there, and a place for batteries. Becky studied it, then picked up the box to read the description.
Gasping, she dropped the box, jerked around—and ran full tilt into a tall, hard male body.
She would have screamed if she had any breath. As it was, she staggered back from the bruising impact and almost fell over the stacked boxes. At the last second, the man caught her and held her upright.
“Hey, easy now.”
Becky froze. Dear God, she recognized the voice that had haunted her most carnal dreams for two years now.
Big hands settled on her shoulders, steadying her, and with a wince of dread, Becky slowly looked up—into familiar mocking black eyes.
Oh no. No, no, no. Not someone she knew. Not this particular male someone.
He bent to meet her eye level, one glossy blackbrow raised, one side of his sensual mouth tilted up in a smile. “You okay, Ms. Harte?”
Becky squeezed her eyes shut, praying that not seeing him might help. It didn’t. She was oh so aware of him standing there.
“Becky?” His voice was gentle, insistent, rough, and masculine. Her skin tingled from his touch and her heart lodged in her throat.
Using the edge of his fist, he tipped up her chin, which effectively closed her mouth, too. After a second, he chuckled. “You know, you’re so damn red you’re going to catch the place on fire.”
Becky swallowed hard and rallied her scattered wits. In a whisper, she admitted, “I’m mortified.”
“Yeah? How come?”
She tucked in her chin, refusing to look at him again. George Westin was the man of her dreams, the epitome of everything dark and erotic and forbidden. Whenever she thought of how sex should be, she thought of George.
He had the most compelling eyes—dark, daring, filled with carnal knowledge and challenge. He looked at a woman, and she felt his attention like a physical stroke.
He was looking at her now. Becky gulped.
All the women at the factory adored George, and they all whispered about him. Becky had heard the rumors about his astounding reputation and the validations by a couple of the women he’d dated. By all accounts, George had … a lot, and knew how to use it. Becky wasn’t entirely certain what a lot meant, except that he could make a woman very, very happy in bed.
For the two years that she’d known him, she’d done her best to hide her own reaction to him.
She hadn’t wanted him to see her as just one more woman who lusted after his gorgeous body and his sexual knowledge. She’d pretended an indifference to him, pretended to see him only as a supervisor, not as a man.
In truth, being anywhere near him made her tongue-tied.
Now here she was, not a foot away from him, his hot hands touching her, standing in the middle of a porn shop with pleasure probes behind her.
Becky groaned.
Apparently amused, George released her, only to throw a heavy arm around her shoulders. He led her a few feet away, his hold easy but secure. “Take deep breaths, Becky. It’ll be all right.”
At his casual familiarity, Becky peeked up at him again. His neatly trimmed, silky black hair was disheveled by the blustery wind outside, and his cheeks were ruddy with the cold. He must have just come inside. And of course, she had to literally run into him.
He leaned around to see her face. “I can call you
Becky, right? I mean, the situation lends a certain intimacy, don’t you think?”
Think? She was supposed to think? He had to be kidding.
“Becky?”
He was incredibly tall. And he smelled incredibly good. She wanted to lean into him and inhale his wonderful scent.
At work she always made sure they stayed on a professional footing. George had often tried joking with her; he’d tried flirting with her a little, too, teasing her. But she’d known there was no future in it, that she couldn’t get involved with him.
She’d kept things friendly, because she’d rather have at least that much with him than nothing at all. If she’d encouraged him, he was the type of man who would have wanted sex.
Incredible sex.
Naked, sweaty sex.
And she couldn’t do that.
So he’d backed off. Not completely, because he still chatted with her and he sought her out more than most of the men she worked with. But he seemed to have accepted her unspoken decision—to be friendly associates, but nothing more.
The poor man had no idea she lusted after him every single night.
After clearing her throat—twice—Becky managed to say, “We’re not at work, Mr. Westin, so sure, you may call me Becky. There’s no reason to be formal …” She strangled on the word here.
“Exactly.” George gave her an approving smile, likely because she’d succeeded in stringing more than two words together. “And do call me George.”
Like a sleepwalker, Becky allowed herself to be led through the shop. When she’d agreed to this daring scheme with Erica and Asia, she had envisioned running into some unknown, never-to-be-heard-from-again man and getting through the whole ordeal with a modicum of remote familiarity. Not once had she envisioned running into George.
Tomorrow, she’d see him at work, probably several times. He was a supervisor, not over her floor, but they had contact on and off throughout the day. He’d look at her, and he’d know she’d been here, checking out … penises and pleasure probes and God only knew what else.
She’d never survive the embarrassment.
George halted them next to a very small curtained booth well away from the wall displays. “Better?”