Even saying the words felt uncomfortable. While he’d tried to be a decent guy, he’d really only ever cared about himself and his family. Taking on the world’s troubles seemed daunting. So he would start small. One problem at a time.
“You’ll be great,” she said. “Maybe this was your destiny all along. Maybe you were supposed to end up here, doing this kind of work.”
He wasn’t a big believer in destiny, but maybe she was right. But if all this was his destiny, what did that make her?
He stared into Lori’s eyes, liking the way the colors swirled together. She was so beautiful, he thought. Beautiful and bossy and sexy as hell.
He dropped his gaze to her mouth and thought about kissing her. Kissing Lori was a great way to spend a day. Of course there was the issue of Gloria, and Lori being in the middle of preparing lunch, but…
He stared more intently. Something was different. Something was…
“You’re not wearing your glasses,” he said.
She nodded, her mouth pulling into a slight smile. “I know.”
“Contacts?”
“We’re not compatible.”
“Then?”
“Lasik surgery.”
He winced. “I thought you were never going to do that.”
“I changed my mind. It wasn’t bad at all. They gave me a tranquilizer and I let them burn away. The whole thing took about fifteen minutes. There isn’t any downtime at all. Madeline even watched.”
He grimaced. “Eye surgery? No, thanks. When did you have this done?”
“Yesterday.”
“And you’re okay?”
“I’m great. I can see perfectly.” Her smile broadened. “It’s kind of a miracle. And no more glasses.”
He sensed he was on dangerous territory. If he said or did the wrong thing, he could really piss her off.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” he said carefully. “You looked great before and you look great now.”
“You’re so politically correct.”
“I don’t want you to beat me.”
She laughed. “When have I ever beaten you?”
“You were very disapproving when we first met.”
“I thought you were useless.”
“Plus you were wildly attracted to me and you hated that.”
He’d been teasing and expected her to deny his statement. Instead she looked away. “I need to finish Gloria’s lunch.”
“Lori?”
She shrugged. “It was stupid, but, yes, I did kind of have a crush on you. I hated that I did. Men like you never notice women like me.”
“All evidence to the contrary,” he said. He wanted to jump up and down and yell that Lori liked him, but he had a reputation for being cool, so he didn’t.
“If you hadn’t had to hang out here, nothing would have happened,” she said.
“My loss.”
She looked at him, her eyes wide. So many emotions raced across her face, he couldn’t read any one of them.
“I don’t know how to deal with you,” she admitted.
“Why do I have to be dealt with?”
She sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on. We’re not dating. We’re friends, I guess. It’s confusing. I’m confused.”
“Me, too.” He kissed her.
He liked her. He liked being with her. He wanted to keep being with her. But if she was asking him to define what they had, he was the wrong guy.
“I have something to ask you,” he said. “Something important.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to think it through before you answer.”
“You’re making me nervous.”
“No reason to be. Will you be on the board of directors for my foundation?”
She looked as stunned as if he’d just transformed into a cartoon character.
“What? I don’t know anything about being on a board. I don’t know anything about sports or charity work. Reid, you don’t have to do this. Seriously.”
“It’s not about experience,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about that. The other members of the board are pros at this sort of thing. But I want you on the board as well. You won’t let me get away with any crap. I trust you to kick my ass when I need it. You’re the most down-to-earth person I know. You’ll keep me and the foundation grounded. It’s only a few hours a month. You’ll get paid for your time, but it’s not big bucks.”
Lori couldn’t believe what he was saying. Reid actually wanted her to serve on an advisory board for a new foundation funded by a hundred and twenty-five million dollars? Her?
“That’s kind of a long-term commitment,” she said. “If things don’t go well between us, you’d be stuck with me.”
“I’m good with that. No matter how much I pissed you off personally, you’d never mess with the foundation.”
She wouldn’t, of course, but she appreciated that he knew it, too.
Making a difference had a lot of appeal. Who wouldn’t enjoy being in that position? It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, compliments of a man she’d once thought of as having the emotional depth of a cookie sheet.
She walked into his embrace and hung on tight.
“I was wrong about you,” she murmured, burying her face in his shoulder. “You’re much more than a pretty face.”
“I’m overwhelmed by your flattery.”
She chuckled, then raised her head and looked at him. “You didn’t have to do any of this. You could have lived off your millions and not given a damn about anyone.”
“I’m still going to live off my millions.”
“You’re a good guy. Don’t hide that. We need good guys in the world.”
In truth, she hadn’t expected him to be one of them. But now that he was, it made him even more irresistible.
She felt her heart give a little zip. As if it had just opened up to Reid. As if she could now let him inside. The thought of caring more was terrifying, but how was she supposed to stop herself? He was better than she could ever have imagined.
He kissed her lightly. “You’d better feed my grandmother. She’s skinny and needs to eat.”
“You’re right.” But he didn’t let her go. Instead he kept his arms around her.
“What are you doing later?” he asked. “After work?”
Anticipation exploded inside of her. “I don’t know. What did you have in mind?”
“My place.” He jerked his head toward the ceiling. “Say four o’clock. I’ll be the good-looking guy waiting for you.”
She would be the quivering female, but there was no reason to actually say that.
“Sounds like fun,” she whispered instead and stepped back.
Reid looked at the clock. “That’s a long time from now.”
“Four whole hours.”
“You still wearing a thong?”
There was something in his voice. Something low and throaty that made her thighs twitch.
“Uh-huh.”
He groaned. “Ask my grandmother if you can leave work early.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LORI WAS BOTH excited and nervous as she climbed the stairs. She was pretty sure she knew what Reid had in mind—the concept if not the details. While she was thrilled at the thought of being with him again, she wondered how this time would be different from the last. Before she’d been totally swept away by the moment. Now she was not only aware of what they were going to do, but she had her own growing feelings to contend with.
Making love now would probably send her into a female frenzy of bonding. Did she want to take the chance of connecting more? Did she have a choice?
She reached Reid’s room before she’d decided. The door stood partially open and she stepped inside.
She was met by soft, seductive music, lit candles everywhere and the man of her dreams walking toward her. As he took her in his arms and kissed her, she knew the answer to the question was no, she didn’t have the strength or the will to walk away from him. She
was going to play this to the end. If she got hurt, she would deal with the pain.
“I didn’t think you’d ever get here,” he said as he kissed his way down the side of her neck.
She wore a long-sleeved shirt. He unfastened the first couple of buttons, then pushed the fabric off her shoulder so he could kiss her there.
“I have chocolate wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries,” he murmured against her skin. “Prepare to be seduced.”
“Chocolate wine?”
“You’ll love it,” he said. “Trust me.”
Her mind and her body fought for her attention. On the one hand, it was impressive that the original Mr. “I take a woman who is willing and does the asking” had put himself out there. On the other, the warm brush of his lips made her not really care about anything else.
He straightened and pulled her into his arms. They began to sway to the music, a sexy, sultry Norah Jones song that had a beat built in desire.
Reid kept one hand on the small of her back and slipped the other through her hair, then he kissed her.
His mouth was warm and demanding. She parted for him. He slipped inside, his tongue brushing hers in a way designed to excite her. His body was hard and unyielding, already aroused. The feel of his erection against her belly sent heat and need spiraling through her.
He wanted her. He wanted her. Impossibility battled with reality and reality won. She threw both arms around him and abandoned herself to the moment.
She kissed him with all she had, meeting him stroke for stroke, then closing her lips around his tongue and sucking. He stiffened, his arousal pulsed, then he nipped her bottom lip and pulled back.
“How about the chocolate wine?” he asked.
She opened her eyes. “Not necessary.”
“But I have the whole seduction planned. Especially the chocolate part.”
Which was sweet. He’d obviously gone to a lot of trouble. She appreciated the gesture. “Seriously, later, I’ll be all over that chocolate wine. But not right now.”
She stepped back and toed off her shoes. After pulling off her socks, she dropped her jeans, then tossed them onto the sofa. She moved up against him, took his hands in hers and put them on her butt…the very butt left bare by the thong she was wearing.
His breath caught. He squeezed her curves, then eased one hand around to her hip. He pushed the scrap of silk down her legs and she stepped out of it. Then he slipped his fingers between her thighs and began to touch her with an expertise that took her breath away.
He found her center and began to tease it, moving slowly around the heart of her desire, but not quite touching it. He did that again and again, until she was close to begging. She stood, her legs parted, her hands on his shoulders, needing him to keep her balanced and at the same time wanting him to rock her world. Just when she was about to give in and shove his hand into place, he slipped a single finger inside of her and pressed his thumb exactly where she needed him most.
Sensations rippled through her. Tension rose as muscles tensed and her breathing increased. He knew exactly how to do that, how to circle and rub and excite. It was as if he had been hard-wired into her brain and could feel what she was feeling.
With each second he touched her, she moved closer to her orgasm. There was no ebb and flow, no reaching and hoping. It was just a steep, slick, wet, downhill slide to paradise. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and prayed her trembling legs continued to support her. She supposed she could have suggested they move things to the sofa, but she didn’t want to break the mood of the moment. Not when she was already so close.
“Look at me,” he whispered.
Startled, she did as he requested, opening her eyes and staring into his.
Fire lurked there. Bright, hot need that excited her more.
“I like doing this,” he said, his voice low and heavy with his own need. “I like touching you, arousing you. I like how wet you are and how I can feel you shaking. I like everything about your body. The softness of your skin, the way you start to contract even before you’re totally over the edge. I want you, Lori. I want you bad.”
His erotic words quickened her breathing. She started to close her eyes, but then forced them to stay open.
“Come for me.”
It was more of a request than a command, but it was enough. She crashed over the edge, her body convulsing in perfect pleasure. He kept his thumb on her even as he mimicked the act of love and thrust two fingers inside of her, in and out. Contractions shuddered through her and she groaned out her surrender.
She had barely come back to reality when he leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back and savored the feel of his body against hers. This was only the beginning, she thought happily as he unfastened the last few buttons on her shirt, unhooked her bra and tossed both on the floor. Then his hands were on her breasts.
He cupped her curves before touching the very tip of her tight nipples. After a couple of seconds, he broke the kiss and bent his head so he could take her right breast in his mouth.
He sucked deeply, pulling at her skin while his fingers caressed her other breast. The connection between her sensitive breasts and her still throbbing center strengthened. She felt each stroke, each lick, each circle of his tongue deep inside. Despite the extraordinary orgasm of a minute or two ago, she found herself getting aroused.
Suddenly she wanted him naked. She wanted their bodies pressed together, joining and staying that way until they were both exhausted. She tugged at his sweater.
“Get your clothes off,” she insisted. “Now.”
“I like it when you’re bossy,” he said with a grin, then obliged her request. His feet were already bare so all that was required was for him to pull off his sweater, jeans and briefs. Then she could see all of him.
He had a perfect body, she thought as she walked around him, touching whatever interested her most. His shoulder, his back, the curve of his butt.
She did what he had done that first time they’d made love. She snuggled up behind him, pressing her body against his and began to touch him everywhere.
He was too tall for her to see over him, so she closed her eyes and imagined what he looked like. She explored his chest, paying particular attention to his nipples. She stroked them, then squeezed them. He groaned softly. At the same time she trailed kisses across his back, punctuating them with little, soft nips.
She moved her fingers lower, down his flat belly, then out to his narrow hips. She brushed across his muscled thighs, before taking him in both hands.
He was hard—that always unexpected male combination of impossibly rigid flesh encased in the softest of skin. She explored his length, then circled the head, running her fingers along the sensitive underside before returning to the base and dipping her fingers to explore his testicles.
She wanted him as much as she’d ever wanted anyone. Okay, if she was going to be honest, she wanted him more. She wanted him inside of her, taking her, claiming her.
There it was—her secret truth. She wanted to be claimed by this man. Nothing between them but naked flesh and desire. And hearts, she thought, emotions welling up inside of her. She wanted him to care with a desperation that took his breath away.
The longing, deeper and more powerful than any she’d ever known, threatened her arousal. So she pushed it away to be dealt with another time. She dropped her hands, moved around to stand in front of him and kissed him.
He responded like a starving man. He kissed her hard and hot, touching her everywhere. He also began nudging her backward, toward the bedroom.
His hands were on her breasts, between her legs. Frantic, urging and she soon found herself just as eager. Then she was on the bed. There was a second’s delay as he slipped on a condom, then he was inside of her, filling her, taking her with an intensity that gave her no choice except to give herself to him and enjoy the ride.
“DISASTER,” Dani said as she sank into the chair opposite Gary’s at The Daily Grind. “It was
a total disaster. I loved everything about the place. Valerie was great, her staff was charming and happy. Martina, the chef, is someone I would love to work with.”
“So how was it a disaster?”
Dani glanced around, wanting to make sure no one from Valerie’s Garden happened to be lurking in the area, then spoke in a low voice.
“The food was hideous. Seriously awful. I hated everything. Even the iced tea. Apparently I don’t have an upscale vegan palate. If only they’d given me a regular cheese quesadilla, I would have signed up in a heartbeat. Or if it had been nearly any other kind of food. Even if I’d only sort of liked it, I probably would have tried to make the job work, but I’m telling you. What they served bordered on nasty.”
Gary chuckled. “They probably won’t want you in their ads.”
“Probably not. I’m seriously bummed. Why did it have to be like this? I feel like Goldilocks. So far, nothing is exactly right.”
Gary reached across the tiny table and patted the back of her hand. “You’ll find something. I know you will.”
“I hope so,” she grumbled, even as she tried to figure out what she felt about him touching her.
“I’ll keep looking,” she said. “I’m determined to further my career. I’m getting calls, so that’s good. I just have to be patient.”
“That’s the attitude,” he said. “Did you talk to the private investigator?”
“Yes. Thanks for giving me her name. She’s great and we got along, but she said without some more information, she can’t help me.”
Dani wasn’t surprised. She knew absolutely nothing about her father except for the fact that at one time he’d existed.
“I haven’t got a clue about him,” Dani said. “No name, no address, not even a description. I’ve asked my oldest brother Cal if he remembers anything but he doesn’t. He was pretty young and I’m sure my mother was careful to keep him away from the man she was having an affair with.”
Gary pulled back his hand and took a sip of his coffee. “What about papers from your mother? Letters? Notes? A date book?”
All good ideas, she thought. “I don’t know of anything like that. I’ll ask my brothers, but I don’t hold out too much hope. There’s only one person who might know something and getting her to talk would take a miracle.”
Susan Mallery Bundle: The Buchanans Page 18