by Terri Osburn
When they were seated on the L-shaped sofa, with more distance between them than he liked, Will said, “That’s nice. Every girl deserves a good guy, actually.”
“True,” he agreed. “Now you want to tell me why you look ready to crawl out of your skin?”
Will exhaled. “I need to make sure you know the limits here.”
“The limits?”
“This can never turn into anything permanent.” She said the words so quickly, he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.
“Okay. Anything else?”
She looked disappointed he didn’t put up more of a fight. “So you’re good with that?” she asked, gnawing on her bottom lip again.
Randy considered his answer and opted to ask a question of his own. “Why exactly can’t whatever we start turn into something permanent?”
Will dropped focus to her shoes. “I thought you understood my situation.”
Scooting closer, he asked, “How can I understand if you won’t tell me exactly what your situation is? If someone is hunting you down, you have to know we’d never let him hurt you.” With more force he said, “I wouldn’t let him hurt you.”
Blue eyes locked with his. “That means more to me than you’ll ever know, but it’s even more reason you have to understand what I can give you, and what I can’t. I want you, Randy, but I don’t know how to have you and not screw everything up.”
Not the answer he was expecting. “What do you think you’re going to screw up?”
“You,” she said, hopping up to pace along the coffee table. “I can’t offer anything more than right now.”
“I’m not asking for more than that,” Randy said, lurching to his feet. He shouldn’t have pushed her so hard. “There are no guarantees in life. I know that better than anyone. But we’re staying in the now, remember? We’re not talking about a lifetime commitment here.”
“But that’s what you deserve. Sid is right, you’re a great guy, and you deserve someone who isn’t a basket case running from her past, unable to promise anything beyond next month or even next week.”
“We need to slow this down here.” Randy ran a hand through his hair, then stepped around the table to take Will’s hands. “I know our friends are planning weddings and having babies, but that doesn’t mean every date has to end with a proposal. Or start with one. I sure as hell don’t want you to disappear in a week, but I’m not sizing rings and picking out his and hers towels.”
“That’s good,” she said. “Because I did that once and it did not turn out well.”
“First of all, I’m not that guy. And second, there’s no pressure here.” He pulled her around the coffee table and back to the couch. “Tomorrow, you’re coming over for dinner. Two adults, sharing a meal. We tell some stories, enjoy a glass of wine, and you go home whenever you’re ready. We don’t have to think about anything beyond that.”
Her hands relaxed in his as her brow settled into less of a scowl. “I suck at this in-the-moment thing, don’t I?”
Randy nodded. “You could use some work at it, yeah.”
“Okay.” Will shook her head, sending dark waves dancing around her shoulders. “No more freaking out. I promise, the woman who shows up at your door tomorrow night will be sane and rational.”
“And I will feed her a fettuccine alfredo that will knock her socks off.”
“With chocolate torte for dessert?” Will asked.
“I think that can be arranged.” Randy grinned.
“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.”
Randy brushed a knuckle over her cheek. “Are we okay now?”
Will bobbed her head in the affirmative. “We are. Though I wouldn’t blame you for calling this off right now.”
Whether she believed him or not, Randy was certain they could overcome her past. Together. All she needed was time to see that she didn’t have to handle everything alone. Not anymore.
“Maybe I should let you taste the torte now,” he said. “To ensure you come back.”
“I should probably try it,” she said, a teasing light in her eye. “To make sure it’s as good as it sounds.”
Randy pulled her toward the kitchen. “Prepare for a life-changing experience, Ms. Parsons.”
Will laughed as he handed her a spoon. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Don’t be silly,” he said, opening the small plastic container. “I don’t share my torte with just anyone. Consider yourself special.”
He was rewarded with an attractive blush as they slid their spoons through the layers of chocolate. Will was special. And he was determined to make her see it.
With May inching over the horizon, warmer winds danced over Anchor as the days grew noticeably longer. Will was a ball of nerves as she showered and dressed for dinner with Randy. After much debate, she slipped on the matching bra and panties long relegated to the back of her underwear drawer.
The lace made her feel pretty, and the extra support for the girls provided a much-needed boost to her confidence. Not that sex with Randy was a definite part of this dinner, but a girl should always be prepared. It wasn’t as if there was a question whether they would have sex—it was more an issue of when. And if they didn’t dive in and do it soon, Will worried her libido might actually suffocate her in her sleep.
Randy wasn’t likely to put up a fight or babble once again about waiting and taking things slow. Will had gone without for three damn years. Screw slow.
And now that they were on the same page, understanding they had today but no illusions about tomorrow, she was content to move things along without worrying about guilt or miscommunications.
Since the meal was at Randy’s house as opposed to a restaurant, she hadn’t expected him to be dressed up, but when he answered the door with wet hair, a half-buttoned shirt hanging over well-worn jeans, and bare feet, Will couldn’t help but feel overdressed.
She’d worn silk, for God’s sake. And ditched her combat boots for heels.
“Wow,” Randy said, staring wide eyed upon opening his front door. “You look incredible.”
Will crossed her arms, feeling like an idiot. “I wasn’t sure what to wear. Guess I chose wrong.”
Randy shook his head. “There is nothing wrong with that.” After several more seconds of staring appreciatively, he remembered his manners. “I’m sorry. Come in. Please.”
She stepped over the threshold, noticing her high heels made them almost even in height. As he closed the door, a light breeze blew his clean scent her way. The cologne mixed with the damp curls falling over his forehead sent a zing down to her toes.
“I hope I’m not too early,” she said, seconds before being spun into his arms with one solid tug. They were suddenly nose-to-nose. “Well, hello.”
“Hello to you,” he mumbled, lashes lowered over brown eyes staring intently at her lips. “I missed you.” Randy followed the breathtakingly honest words with a searing kiss.
Will’s brain turned to mush as she held on with all her strength. If he loosened his arms even a fraction, she would land in a heap of silk on the floor.
“Maybe I should wear heels more often,” she uttered, once her brain began to function again. “That was some welcome.”
“The greeting would have been the same no matter what, but feel free to wear those any time. It’s not often I get to look a woman in the eye without having to look down.”
“Good to know,” Will said as Randy led her through the living room and into the kitchen. The house smelled like an authentic Italian restaurant. “This place smells amazing.”
“Tell me about it.” After pulling out her stool, he stepped around the island and removed the lid from a skillet. “My mouth has been watering for nearly an hour.”
“Then by all means, let’s eat.” Turning to the dining area behind her, Will said, “I see the table is already set. Should I pour the wine?”
Randy nodded his head to the right. “Chardonnay is on the door.”
By the
time Randy brought the plates to the table, Will had filled the wine glasses. “The candles are a nice touch,” she said, taking the seat he pulled out for her.
“Overkill?” he said, taking his own seat.
Will slid the linen napkin onto her lap. “I’m in silk and heels. I think that makes us even.”
“That reminds me.” Randy buttoned his shirt the rest of the way. “I ended up at the gym longer than I’d planned. Grabbed a quick shower while the noodles cooked.”
Now the wet hair and bare feet made sense. “I feel bad that you had to rush around.”
“You shouldn’t,” he said, lifting his wine glass. “If I’d had any more time, I probably would have put on cheesy music and lowered the lights. Then you’d realize how inept I am at all this.”
He hadn’t come across as inept so far, but the lack of ego made him more attractive. If that were possible.
They spent the duration of the meal with Randy telling stories about Sid and how she’d tried hard as a little girl to emulate their mother. Will struggled to imagine a tiny version of Sid stumbling around in her mother’s high heels, sporting a string of pearls. The image simply did not compute.
As Will finished the last bite of her fettuccine, Randy asked, “Ready for dessert?”
There was no way she could eat another bite. “The torte will have to wait. That was delicious, but filling.”
The honest answer was that she was too nervous to eat anything else. Though announcing I’ve decided we’re going to have sex and it’s making me nervous would drop a giant ball of awkward into the evening.
They cleared the table together, but Will gave up and moved to the other side of the island after bumping into Randy. Twice. This was not a good sign for displaying the slightest level of grace when it came time for the mattress dancing, as Sid called it.
Once the dishwasher was loaded, Randy turned, looking as lost as Will felt. “I feel like a thirteen-year-old about to play his first game of spin the bottle with the hottest girl in school. Tell me I’m not alone here.”
Will laughed, relieved by his confession. “I never wanted to kiss the hottest girl in school, but if you flip that scenario to the cutest jock, then yeah, I’m with you.”
“How about we sit down on the couch?” Randy rounded the island and led Will to the living room. “You can kick off those shoes, and we’ll both stop acting like whatever happens tonight is going to alter the course of the universe.”
“I can get behind that.” Will dropped to the sofa and slipped her strappy heels off, pushing them under the coffee table so they wouldn’t be in the way. “That feels so much better.”
“Good.” Randy dropped down next to her, draping an arm across the back cushions. “I know you don’t like to talk about yourself, but I’m curious what kind of kid you were. I picture a bookworm who kept to herself and loathed any project that forced her to work in a group.”
Will pointed at her nose. “Dead on. Looking back, some might say it was a lonely existence.” At the time she felt incredibly alone, but keeping her distance from others meant less heartbreak when her mom decided they should move on again. “So long as I had my books and music, I was happy.”
“What did you read?”
“Total romance junkie,” she said, with no shame whatsoever. She never had understood others’ need to hide the covers, as if they would be cursed to hell should anyone know what was inside. “I don’t read as much anymore.” She’d had to leave her books behind when she fled in the night, and even a small collection was too much to drag around these days.
Randy crossed his ankles on the coffee table as he slouched down into the couch. “You should check out Sid’s secret stash.”
“You know Sid reads romance novels?” Will asked, remembering that Beth had shared the fact in confidence, since Sid had threatened dire consequences if anyone else found out.
“She’s been reading them for years, though I’m sure she thinks I never figured it out.”
Will narrowed her eyes. “Not much gets by you, does it?”
“I’m observant, is all.” Randy toyed with the hem of her dress, letting his fingers brush the sensitive spot along the side of her knee. “I listen. I pay attention.”
Following her instincts, Will toyed with a curl hanging over his ear. “Are you paying attention right now?” If he was, then he could surely sense the erratic beating of her heart.
“I am,” he whispered, sliding her dress a little higher. “I hope I’m reading the signals right.”
Tension sizzled through her body as the anticipation that had been building for days reached flood-stage levels. “Let me give you a hint. I don’t plan on going home for quite some time.”
“Good to know,” he replied, dragging her onto his lap.
CHAPTER 17
If Will hadn’t given him the go-ahead when she did, Randy worried his body might start shutting down. It had been all kinds of hell keeping his hands to himself for days, but then she showed up in that dress, the black accentuating the flawless skin along her shoulders, and the strappy shoes showing off her legs to perfection.
How he hadn’t collapsed right there at the door he’d never know.
Her hair was as silky as the material barely covering those incredible legs, and the sounds slipping between her full lips when he ran his tongue down the narrow column of her neck threatened to send him over the edge before they’d even started. He needed to get a grip before he embarrassed himself.
As if lounging across his legs wasn’t enough, Will shifted over and laid back on the couch, taking him with her. Thank Buddha his couch was wide enough to hold them both without someone landing on the floor. Then again, in the current circumstances, he didn’t mind the need for close personal contact.
“I couldn’t stand another night of waiting,” Will breathed into his ear.
Randy would have responded but was too busy dropping kisses along her shoulder blade.
Sliding a hand beneath his shirt, Will ran her fingernails up his back, muttering, “We can stop if you think it’s too soon.”
That got his attention.
“Will,” he said, dropping a hand to her thigh and taking a short break from pressing his lips everywhere possible. “Look at me.” The nails stopped as eyes the color of a stormy sky met his. “I’m going to make love to you all night long. If that’s okay with you.”
With a grin that sent his temperature soaring, she nodded. “That is more than okay with me.”
And that ended the conversation for several minutes as they tested the stability of the sofa. Will shoved a hand into his hair, pulling him hard against her mouth, then slid the other around to the front of his shirt.
“This needs to come off.”
“As you wish,” Randy replied, letting her undo the buttons. Even as she concentrated on the task at hand, her hips never stopped driving him crazy, as if they moved of their own volition.
He leaned against the back of the couch so she could reach the last button, then let her pull the shirt off one arm at a time.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered as her fingertips danced lightly over the dark hair along his chest. “I’ve been dying to touch you since that day I saw you climb off the Jet Ski. Since you laid my hand over your heart.”
She laid her palm flat against his skin the same way she had that day.
“You can touch me anytime you want,” he said. “I’m all yours.”
A look of wonder mixed with desire in her eyes. “You’re almost too good to be true.” With those powerful words, Will dropped a kiss at the base of his neck, then trailed delicate kisses down his pecs as far as she could reach.
Meeting his eyes again, she said the last thing he expected to hear. “I need to be on top for this.”
Happy to accommodate her, Randy twisted as he lifted her from beneath him, planting her firmly along his body once he’d landed on his back. Will looked like a kitten ready to explore her new toy, and he contemplated
how much of her playing he could withstand. Not that he wouldn’t employ every ounce of patience to let her have her fill, but there was only so much a man in his position could take.
“You’re like a dream,” he said, pushing her hair out of her face. “I’m afraid I’ll wake up and this will all have been my imagination.” Black silk gathered high on milky-white thighs as she straddled his hips.
“I’m very real,” she said, her hands sliding over his abs and down along his rib cage. Leaning forward until she hovered inches from his mouth, she said, “Let go for me, Randy. Let go.”
Her words, or maybe it was her breath along his skin, ignited a level of desire that took them both by surprise. Randy sat up, pulling Will hard against his chest. With a firm hand, he slid the tiny strap of material from her left shoulder, revealing a red slip of strapless lace that lifted her breasts as if they were an offering to the gods.
Denim became the enemy as Will pressed down on his erection. She moaned from deep in her throat before he took her mouth with his. The kiss was searing and sensual and snapped what little control he had left.
In one quick move, Randy was on his feet with Will wrapped around his torso. He licked the sensitive skin along the top of the bra, dipping his tongue low behind the material. Will writhed, dropping her head back as he carried her down the hall to his bedroom. With her arms tight around his neck, she begged in words he was too aroused to comprehend.
“I don’t want to let you go,” he said, leaning her against the bedpost. “But I want to see the rest of you. I need all of you, gypsy.”
With one slender finger beneath his chin, she brought his eyes to hers. “Put my feet on the floor and step away.” For a split second he feared she’d changed her mind, but the storm still raged in her eyes, and the smile on her face indicated following orders would be to his benefit.
Once he’d done as ordered, she said, “Maybe you could get out of those jeans while I do this.”
Randy didn’t know what this was going to be, but he knew he didn’t want to miss it. His Levis hit the floor in a matter of seconds. The black boxer briefs did little to conceal how hard she had him. Dark blue eyes surveyed his condition and looked very satisfied with what he had to offer.