12 Stocking Stuffers
Page 72
She was so polite, and so determined to keep their agreement on a business level. He had other ideas. Slipping his hand into hers, he tugged her closer. The unexpected movement caused her to waver off balance. She put her hand out to catch herself, and her palm landed on his chest. She gasped, a sexy little intake of breath that warmed his blood and told him her attempt at formality had just slipped a serious notch.
Her luminous brown eyes were wide and searching. “Austin?”
Her voice trembled, not with protest, but with the thrum of desire. Slipping his fingers around her wrist, he stroked his thumb over the wild pulse beating at the base of her palm. Her skin was soft and warm, and when he took a deep breath, he inhaled a subtle, floral fragrance that awakened something hot and primitive within him: The need to make her his.
“You know,” he murmured, his tone vibrating with low, husky nuances. “Since we’ll be pretending to be lovers, there’s something we should get out of the way before Saturday.”
“What’s that?” she asked, her voice a whisper of anticipation.
“Our first kiss.” He lowered his head, and experienced a heady rush of excitement when she automatically tipped hers up to meet him halfway. Inches away from claiming her mouth, he hesitated, drawing out the moment to marvel at her acquiescence. He hadn’t even touched his lips to hers, but they were parted and ready. Her breathing was eager and expectant, turning him on and making him think of the needy, purring sounds she’d make if he ever had the pleasure of making love to her.
She didn’t play coy, didn’t shy away from the blatant sexual energy between them. She didn’t try to suppress something as basic and natural as desire and he liked that about her. The awareness had been building all evening, in subtle ways, and both of them were ready for the culmination of all that smoldering tension.
Closing the breath of space separating them, he dropped his mouth over hers, and didn’t even have to cajole his way past her incredibly soft lips. His tongue glided deeply, sought and found hers, and tangled playfully. The kiss was slow and silky, soulful and honey-sweet. He took his time exploring, tasting and seducing, until leisurely sweeps of his tongue were no longer enough to satisfy the deep, vital hunger gripping him.
He needed…more.
She gave a soft, frustrated moan that echoed his own growing impatience, and the hand on his chest curled into a tight fist. Heat coiled low in his belly and spread outward, ruthlessly reminding him just how long he’d gone without the softness of a woman’s body to ease his more baser needs.
He didn’t want any woman but Teddy. Teddy with her soft, sexy sighs and incredibly generous mouth…
In a flash he was hard and hungry and feeling more than a little wild. And reckless enough to take their encounter one level higher.
Keeping his mouth slanted across hers, he maneuvered her a step back so she was crushed between her car and his body. A gasp caught in her throat, then rolled into a seductive moan when he released her wrist and gripped her hips in his hands, pulling her intimately closer, if that was at all possible considering their bodies were fitted as tightly as a man and woman could get…from breast, to belly, to thighs.
Blood pounded in his ears and rushed along his nerve endings. Her hands slid up his chest and around his neck, then her fingers delved into his thick hair, urging him to give more. His mouth opened wider over hers, and that’s when the tenure of the kiss changed, turning demanding, erotic, and so wet and hot he knew if they didn’t stop he was going to spontaneously combust.
He broke the kiss, and she whimpered in protest.
“Damn,” he muttered, trying to regain his composure. He hadn’t meant for things to get so out of control, never expected her to be so soft and giving. Taking a deep, calming breath that did nothing to ease the racing of his heart, or diminish how much he wanted her, he glanced down at Teddy.
She looked stunned, a little disoriented and completely aroused.
Tenderly, he ran his knuckles down her soft cheek and traced the line of her jaw with a finger, slowly drawing her out of her sensual trance. “At least no one at the Christmas party will doubt the chemistry between us.” He couldn’t help the masculine satisfaction in his voice, or the pleased grin curving his lips.
She visibly swallowed and gave him a shaky smile. “That’s exactly what I’m counting on.”
4
“I CAN’T BELIEVE you let him kiss you.” Teddy frowned sternly at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she chastised herself for surrendering to Austin’s kiss three days ago outside of the Frisco Bay. The fact that she’d thoroughly enjoyed Austin’s advances and openly participated in that sensual embrace was another issue she’d lectured herself on, all to no avail.
“Well it wasn’t me who instigated that kiss,” she argued with her twin image as she dusted blush lightly across her cheekbones.
A mocking smile curved her evil twin’s mouth. “You certainly didn’t do anything to stop him, now, did you? In fact, I distinctly remember you kissing him back with shameless abandon. You didn’t even try to resist him.”
“Fine!” Teddy’s cheeks heated, making the blush she’d just applied unnecessary. Tossing her cosmetics into the bathroom drawer, she lifted her chin, meeting her own gaze defiantly. “I wanted that kiss, okay?” She’d wanted much more than just his lips on hers, but she wasn’t about to admit that out loud.
Drawing a deep, steady breath, she swept her hair into an elegant chignon, allowing a few wispy curls to escape around her neck and face. “Tonight, you’re going to behave yourself, Teddy.”
She rolled her eyes at herself. “Of course I’m going to behave myself! This is a business deal, nothing more.” She pushed rhinestone-studded pins into the mass of hair at the nape of her neck to hold it in place. With a decisive nod of her head, she ended the absurd discussion and headed into the adjoining bedroom.
Her reflection followed, appearing in her dresser mirror, taunting her.
Glaring, she slipped out of her robe, leaving her scantily clad in black lace panties. Ignoring her image, she retrieved a pair of smoke-hued, thigh-high stockings from her lingerie drawer, lifted a slender leg onto the edge of the bed and rolled the hose up her calf to her thigh. She snuck a peek at her alter ego in the mirror and experienced a prick of annoyance at the perception glimmering in her eyes.
“What?” Teddy demanded haughtily, securing the other stocking.
“Business deal, hmm?” her reflection murmured. “What about Austin posing as your lover? He’s going to touch you, pretend intimacy…”
Teddy’s breasts swelled and tightened at the thought of enduring Austin’s amorous advances. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she grabbed her black slip dress from where she’d laid it on the bed, carefully shimmied it over her head and wriggled the clingy fabric over her hips. She adjusted the rhinestone straps holding up the snug bodice and crisscrossed along her bare back.
Reaching for her diamond stud earrings, she slipped them into her lobes, then backed up to get a full-length view of how she looked for the Christmas party. Elegant, yet sophisticated and confident. Precisely the self-assured look she wanted to achieve.
She gave herself an approving nod. “Just keep your mind on that promotion, Teddy, and off your gorgeous date, and you’ll be fine.”
“Good luck,” her twin smirked. “Considering you melt when the guy just looks at you, you’re gonna need it.”
She jammed her hands on her hips and scowled. Before she could issue an argument, a knock sounded at the door, and her stomach rolled…with nerves, anticipation and a bubbling excitement that didn’t bode well for her peace of mind. Squelching the flurry of butterflies taking flight in her belly, she hurried out of the bedroom to the condo’s front door. One glance through the peephole at the gorgeous man standing in the hallway and her heart rate skyrocketed while her knees turned to mush.
Willing a calm composure, she opened the door, momentarily dizzied by the enticing spice cologne drifting her way.
Her gaze took in his tailored tuxedo, deriving immense pleasure from the way the suit complimented a body she knew to be virile and incredibly honed. The dark color accentuated his chiseled good looks and gave him a mysterious air. She dabbed her tongue along her dry lips, fantasies aplenty leaping to mind. It wasn’t hard to imagine him stripping off that jacket for some woman, releasing the black bow tie, ripping off his shirt…
An amused smile curved his mouth, reaching his warm, moss-green eyes. “Hi,” he murmured, pulling her from her inappropriate thoughts.
“Hi,” she replied, unable to help the husky quality of her voice. The man simply made her feel breathless, reckless and too aware of herself as a woman. The sensation unnerved her, because she couldn’t afford that kind of distraction.
She cleared her throat. “You look…” Scrumptious, sexy, to-die-for. All apt descriptions, but she settled for, “great.”
Flirtatious eyes appraised her just as thoroughly as she’d assessed him, lingering appreciatively where the black dress dipped to reveal a swell of cleavage, then downward to the hem that ended just above her knee. The journey upward was just as lazy, and just as arousing to her senses. “So do you.”
Promotion, promotion, promotion. The chant ran through her mind like a litany.
“Come on in,” she said politely, stepping back to let him enter. She closed the door, then followed him into the adjoining living room. “I just need a few more minutes, and then I’ll be ready to go. Make yourself comfortable.”
Just as she would have turned to escape to her bedroom for a last-minute lecture, he reached into the front pocket of his trousers and withdrew a piece of paper. “Before we leave, I wanted to give this to you.”
She eyed the yellow slip he held toward her. “What’s that?”
“A receipt for my services.”
“Oh.” Tentatively, she took the proof of payment, not sure she wanted a reminder of her desperation.
“And I hope you don’t mind,” Austin continued, “but I donated the thousand dollars to the Children’s Hospital in your name.”
Startled at his announcement, she lifted her gaze to his face, noting his earnest expression. “Why?”
His broad shoulders lifted in a casual shrug. “Because I thought the money would be better spent on people who need it. And besides, it is the season of giving.”
“Yes, it is,” she agreed, overwhelmed by his generosity, and his sincerity, when most of the men she knew would have pocketed the money without a second thought. She folded the receipt and tucked it into her purse on the countertop separating the living room from the small kitchen. “Thank you. That was incredibly thoughtful and selfless.”
His easy, charming smile dismissed her compliment. “Tonight is on me. Merry Christmas, Teddy.”
Touched by his gesture, she closed the distance between them, wanting to express her own gratitude with a chaste, affectionate kiss on the cheek. At the last moment, he turned his head slightly, and her lips brushed his in a soft, infinitely gentle kiss. Her eyes momentarily closed at that tender touch, a rush of warmth suffused her veins and her lips parted on a sigh.
Austin didn’t take advantage of her unconscious offering. His mouth hovered above hers, his breath warm and scented with mint as it caressed her lips. Desire twisted through Teddy, sharpening her senses. He didn’t touch her, didn’t initiate a deeper kiss, like the one she yearned for, yet her body sizzled with awareness.
Heart pounding, she slowly lifted her lashes. Her gaze collided with the unmistakable heat in his eyes—a hunger that told her she was playing with fire, and if she was bold enough to close the inches separating their lips, he’d be happy to oblige her, and more.
She considered the temptation, anticipated the pleasure and weighed the consequences of involving herself with this man who was proving to be more of a distraction than she’d counted on. Deciding she couldn’t allow her attraction to Austin to interfere with her goals, she abruptly stepped back, severing the moment. But the magnetic pull was still there, shimmering in his eyes, tugging her toward the promise of sexual satisfaction, and something deeper and more intimately connected.
The ache within her intensified.
“I’ll, uh, be ready in a few minutes,” she said quickly, then retreated down the hall. Enclosing herself in her bathroom, she pressed her back against the door, took deep breaths to still her racing pulse and didn’t dare look in the mirror for fear of encountering her evil twin again.
“Promotion, promotion, promotion,” she chanted like a prayer.
AUSTIN STROLLED around Teddy’s modestly decorated living room while he waited for her to return, unable to wipe the smile from his face. There was something incredibly sexy about Teddy when she was flustered. Add to her appeal her generous, straightforward personality and that little black dress she was wearing, and he was finding himself hard-pressed to resist her.
Judging by that near miss they’d just had, it appeared she was struggling to suppress the same craving for him. And if a little kiss made her nervous, he wondered how she was going to handle the evening, with him making sure everyone at tonight’s party went home with the impression that he and Teddy were intimate. Surely she realized that illusion meant more than stealing a kiss or two?
He looked forward to those stolen kisses, those subtle caresses. And he was hoping by the end of the night she’d realize that there was something very personal and real between them.
That was the main reason he’d donated the money she’d paid him. Not only was he uncomfortable taking such a huge chunk of change for something he wanted to do, but also, he absolutely refused to be a paid escort. Donating the check to a good cause seemed the perfect solution, for him to keep his conscience intact, and to take away Teddy’s excuse that she couldn’t mix business with pleasure.
Tonight, he was her date, accompanying her to the Christmas party of his own free will. Pleasure was the fundamental purpose of this evening, and he planned to make sure Teddy experienced her fair share.
The phone on the countertop rang, breaking into Austin’s thoughts. He glanced down the short hallway toward her bedroom, wondering if Teddy was available to pick up the line.
The phone pealed again, loud and insistent.
“Teddy?” he called, and got no response. Figuring she was in the bathroom, he decided to do her a favor and take the call, just in case it was important.
He lifted the cordless receiver to his ear on the third ring. “Hello?”
Silence greeted him.
He frowned. “Hello?” he said again, more assertive this time.
“Hi, uh, is Teddy there?” a female voice tentatively asked.
A girlfriend, Austin guessed, and could only image what the other woman was thinking. “Yes, she is, but she’s busy at the moment. Can I take a message?”
“Who is this?” the voice queried.
Austin hesitated. He had no idea how many people thought Teddy was seriously involved, especially considering she wore a ring all the time. So he decided to stick with the story he and Teddy had come up with.
“This is Austin McBride, her boyfriend.”
“Her boyfriend?” The woman sounded genuinely delighted. “I didn’t realize Teddy was seeing someone. Isn’t it just like her to keep something like this a secret from the family?”
Her family? Austin cringed. “Could I ask who is calling?”
“This is Teddy’s sister-in-law, Susan,” the woman said, introducing herself in a bubbly tone. “Have you and Teddy been seeing each other for long?”
Austin glanced down the hallway, hoping to see Teddy coming to his rescue. No such luck. “We’ve been friends for a while,” he hedged. Three days, at least, he mentally justified. “And just recently started dating.” How recent, he wasn’t going to elaborate on.
“Wow!” Susan released a gust of light laughter. “The rest of the family is going to be thrilled. Teddy hasn’t dated since her breakup with Bartholomew.” She paused as if realizing she�
�d revealed too much. “Uh, she did tell you about Bart, didn’t she?”
Austin could feel himself being ensnared in a trap of his own making, and wasn’t sure how to escape. “Oh, absolutely,” he replied, certain he was sinking in way over his head.
“Her parents still haven’t gotten over the fact that she’d throw away a great catch like Bart to pursue a career. But for as long as I’ve known Teddy, which is going on ten years now, she’s always been the rebellious one in the family. Not that I blame her, considering how stifling her parents and brothers have been,” Susan added wryly.
All Austin could manage was a quick nod, because Susan-the-talker didn’t give him a chance to respond to her steady monologue.
“Don’t get me wrong,” she continued. “I love my husband and the rest of the Spencer clan, but they are a bit old-fashioned in their thinking. It took me years to knock some sense into Teddy’s brother and make him realize that I’m an independent woman, who doesn’t need to be coddled. Teddy has been trying to prove the same thing to her family, but they just don’t seem to understand how important it is to Teddy to make it on her own, without the influence of Spencer money or connections.”
Austin’s stomach bottomed out, and old bitter memories threatened to swamp him. So, Teddy did come from money, as he’d suspected. He couldn’t help but wonder how someone blue collar like him might fit into her group of Ivy League friends and family. Not well, as he’d learned from experience.
“So, in some ways, I’m not all that surprised that Teddy has been keeping you all to herself. When I was dating Teddy’s brother, Brent, I was the one subjected to the Spencers’ scrutiny. It wasn’t fun.”
Austin pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. As fascinating as he found Susan’s rundown on Teddy’s family, he didn’t like hearing this stuff secondhand. Or maybe he just didn’t care for what he was hearing, period.