A Younger Man

by Linda Turner

  “Good idea,” he said with a grin. “I knew you’d be good at this.”

  “I’ve been pinching pennies for years,” she said ruefully. “I’m glad it finally paid off.”

  “You’re not the only one. This morning, when I found out the tour group was shutting down, I was not a happy camper. In fact, I was infuriated. Thank God, the day’s ending better than it started.”

  Rising to his feet, he stepped over to a small refrigerator in the corner of his office. “How about something to eat? I’ve got some deli meats and cheeses I keep on hand in case I get hungry. Do you like Cajun roast beef? Smoked turkey? I’ve got some provolone, too. Are you hungry? I’m starving!”

  She should have said she had to get the boys, but he caught her flat-footed. “Now that you mention it, yeah. I’ve been so worried about the car and flunking your test— Oh, God, I have to take it over, don’t I?”

  “You’ll do fine,” he assured her. “All you have to do is pass it—which I know you will—and you’ll make a seventy. Come in tomorrow before you go to work and get it over with.” Turning from the refrigerator to set the deli meats and cheeses in the middle of his desk, he shot her a crooked grin. “You don’t know how relieved I am that you’re helping me with the dig. I was afraid I was going to have to cancel it. What time do you have to get the boys?”

  “Seven.”

  “Good. Then you’ve got time to eat. There are some crackers and paper plates in the cabinet behind you. What do you want to drink? Cola or bottled water?”

  “Water.”

  He pulled two bottles of water from the refrigerator as she retrieved the crackers and plates from the cabinet. Ten seconds later she found herself sitting across from him, sharing a meal. It was a mistake, of course—the more time she spent with him, one on one, the more she found herself dreaming about the man. And now she was working with him! She’d obviously lost her mind, but she had to admit that it was an intoxicating, enticing insanity. When he smiled at her, when his eyes met hers and she felt the touch of his gaze, her heart lurched every time. He made her feel special, beautiful, as if she was the only woman in the world he was interested in.

  Don’t go there! a voice in her head growled. It’ll be years before a man like Max Sullivan settles down, and you know it.

  She couldn’t argue with that. But what was wrong with enjoying the time she had with him? she reasoned. As long as she had no expectations and kept her heart under lock and key, she would be fine. Okay, so her pulse was racing and their impromptu picnic felt like a date. What was wrong with that? It had been a long time since she’d been breathless over a man. She intended to enjoy it even though nothing was ever going to come of it.

  “You know, this reminds me of the picnics my third stepmother liked to have at the drop of a hat,” he said as he helped himself to some Cajun roast beef. “She carried a picnic basket in the trunk of her car everywhere she went.”

  In the process of opening her bottle of water, Natalie raised a brow. “Did you say third stepmother?”

  “Third or fourth,” he said with a shrug, grinning. “I don’t quite remember.”

  “Your father was married four times?”

  He laughed. “I wish! Actually, he and number eight are in the process of divorcing right now. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it’s only a matter of time before there’s a number nine.”

  Amazed, she could only stare at him. “Are you serious?”

  He grinned. “I know it’s wild, but that’s my father. The eternal optimist. He’s loved every woman he ever married. Unfortunately, none of his marriages last longer than two or three years.”

  “And he still keeps getting married?”

  “Like I said, he’s an eternal optimist. Every time he falls in love, he’s convinced he’s found his soul mate.”

  “What number was your mother—if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “She was his first. I was three when they divorced, three and a half when I got my first stepmother.”

  She winced. “That had to be rough.”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes. I had to say goodbye to a lot of stepbrothers and sisters, but I can’t complain about the women Dad married. They were great. I’ve just never understood why Dad felt like he had to get married to be happy. That’s crazy! He could still have relationships—he just doesn’t have to keep buying wedding rings.”

  He didn’t have to say the words for her to hear what he was really saying. He wasn’t like his father and had no intention of making the same mistakes he had. Marriage was not for him.

  Chapter 6

  Given the chance, Max would have spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing with her, but they were both aware of the passage of time as seven o’clock drew closer. When she glanced at the clock on the wall for the third time in as many minutes, he smiled ruefully. “You have to get the boys, don’t you? C’mon. I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that! I just parked in the lot down the street.”

  “It’ll be dark soon,” he said, rising to his feet to put the remains of their meal away and collect his briefcase. “You shouldn’t be walking in the dark by yourself.”

  It wouldn’t be dark for at least another thirty minutes, and they both knew it. And even if it had been pitch-black, the university police patrolled the campus at all hours of the day and night. Short of bringing in personal bodyguards for every student, the place couldn’t have been much safer. Max didn’t care—he was walking her to her car—end of discussion.

  She wasn’t a woman who was used to being either pampered or protected. That was painfully obvious to Max as she hesitated, frowning. “I hate for you to go out of your way. Where are you parked?”

  “Behind the building in the teacher lot,” he replied. “Will you stop worrying? It’s not like you’re taking me halfway across the campus. I just need to know you’re safe. Humor me, okay?”

  Put that way, she couldn’t refuse him. “Okay. But only if you let me give you a ride back to your bike.”

  “Are you always this stubborn?”

  “When I have to be,” she retorted. “Now that we know where we stand, let’s go.” And without another word, she sailed out the door, leaving Max to follow with a broad grin on his face.

  It was dark outside, but not because of an early sunset. A storm had moved in over the mountains, and thick black clouds were gathering overhead. The scent of rain was in the air, and on the western horizon, lightning flashed. Seconds later, thunder rumbled like an old man clearing his throat.

  Lifting her face to the wind, Natalie drew in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “Don’t you just love the way a storm clears the air? When I was a kid, my mother would always catch me on the back patio, right before a storm hit, watching the wind whip the trees around. It was like being in The Wizard of Oz.”

  Amusement glinted in his blue eyes. “So you were trying to get to Oz, where you?”

  “Actually, I just wanted the ruby-red slippers,” she confessed with a chuckle. “My poor mother. I think she was terrified I was going to get hit by a falling tree or something. She kept threatening to lock me in my room, then when that didn’t work, she bought me a pair of red shoes.”

  “And?” he asked when she paused. “Don’t just leave me hanging. Was that enough to keep you inside?”

  Her blue eyes dancing, she arched a brow at him. “What do you think?”

  “I think you feel about storms the same way I feel about my bike,” he replied. “There’s nothing like the feel of the wind blowing through your hair.”

  “I’ll take the storm,” she retorted, grinning. “Flying around corners on two wheels is a lot more excitement than I can stand.”

  “Chicken,” he teased. “And here I thought you had a spirit of adventure.”

  “I did. Then I had kids. Storms are the only vice I allow myself now.”

  The words were hardly out of her mouth when a gentle rain began. Surprised, th
ey both looked up…just as the skies opened up.

  The car, thankfully, was only a half a block away. Shrieking with laughter, Natalie sprinted for the car and thanked God Smitty had loaned her a vehicle with keyless entry. She was still ten feet from the Bug when she hit the unlock button. The headlights flashed in greeting. Sprinting, she jerked open the driver’s door and fell inside. She didn’t realize Max was one step behind her until the passenger door was snatched open and he tumbled in beside her.

  Outside, lightning flashed like exploding fireworks, and rain hammered at the roof of the car. Soaked to the skin, Natalie took one look at Max and giggled. “You look like a drowned rat!”

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, you’re not so dry yourself, Shirley Temple,” he retorted with a grin as he plucked a tendril of hair from her shoulder and held it up before her eyes. Dripping rainwater, it curled in a tight red ringlet. “See?”

  Max knew any number of women who would have gasped in horror and immediately tried to repair the damage any way possible. Not Natalie. She only laughed. “It’s the family curse. I’ve learned to live with it.”

  “I think it’s cute,” he said. “I bet you were a cute little girl.”

  “Please,” she groaned. “Let’s not go there. Every time I turned around, it seemed like my mother was taking me to an audition for a part in the community theater. She was convinced I was the next Annie.”

  Surprised, he blinked. “I didn’t know you could sing.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Oh, God, that must have been awful.” He chuckled. “How bad were you?”

  “My dog howls whenever I even hum. What does that tell you?”

  He grinned. “You’re making that up.”

  “Ask the boys when you see them again,” she told him. “From the moment they were old enough to talk, they begged me not to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to them. They said it hurt their ears.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “No, I’m serious!”

  Unable to take his eyes off her, Max was totally captivated and didn’t, for the life of him, understand why. She was nothing like the women he’d dated in the past. She didn’t dress to catch a man’s eye or make herself up to look like some kind of glamour queen. Totally unconcerned with her dripping hair and wet clothes, she smiled up at him as if she didn’t have a care in the world. And just that easily, she made him ache.

  He told himself to not even think about touching her. He might as well have ordered himself not to breathe. Lifting his hand to her face, he gently traced a raindrop that slid slowly down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. Beneath his fingers, he felt her go still, and in the sudden silence that fell between them, he could have sworn he heard the pounding of her heart.

  “Your skin is so soft,” he murmured.

  Her breath hitched in her throat. “Max…”

  In the growing darkness, his eyes heated as they met hers. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to call me by my name, Mrs. Bailey?”

  Surprised, she smiled right into his eyes. “Was it worth the wait?”

  “Oh, yes,” he rasped softly. And with a murmur that was her name, he pulled her into his arms.

  Thunder boomed like dropping bombs as his mouth covered hers, but World War III could have been going on outside the car and she never would have noticed. There was only Max…the taste of him, the feel of him, the hot, tempting hunger of him. All this time, she thought, dazed. He wasn’t the only one who’d been waiting. Ever since the football game, she’d been waiting for him to kiss her again, and she hadn’t even known it. Until now. Until her blood was pumping and her heart was pounding and all she wanted to do was melt into his kiss and never come up for air.

  Did he know what he did to her? she wondered. Did he know that he stirred something in her that she’d never felt before? Something that was so intense, so right, that it shook her to the bone and terrified her at one and the same time? How had she let this happen? There was no question that he was a wonderful man…attractive, intelligent, fun loving. But the last thing he wanted was a wife and twin stepsons slowing him down.

  The thought stopped her cold. Abruptly coming to her senses, she pulled back. “I can’t do this. I—”

  “Can’t do what?”

  “This!” she said, gesturing helplessly between the two of them. “Kiss you! Let you kiss me! You’re my teacher. And my boss!” Suddenly struck by a thought, she frowned suspiciously. “Why did you hire me to help you? There are other students who are smarter than I am. Why didn’t you ask one of them to help you?”

  “Because I know you’re the best one for the job,” he said simply. “You’ll get twice as much done in half as much time as the other students.” Studying her with searching eyes, he frowned. “What’s this really about? If you think I hired you—and kissed you—because I’ve got some kind of ulterior motive, you can think again. I told you why I hired you, and I meant it. I kissed you because I find you incredibly attractive. One has nothing to do with the other.”

  He thought she was incredibly attractive? Stunned, she didn’t know what to say. It had been eons since anyone had shown an interest in her. It was a heady feeling that she was afraid to trust. Was he serious? Or just giving into a basic instinct? And how did she feel? Incredibly attractive just might cover the storm of emotions whirling in her, but then again, maybe it was all just physical.

  Confused, not very sure of herself, she said huskily, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you—”

  He stopped her apology with a quick press of his fingers against her mouth. “Stop,” he growled softly. “You had legitimate concerns. You don’t have to apologize. It’s been a stressful day and you have to get the kids. I’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?”

  “Wait! I was going to give you a ride to your bike!”

  “You have to get the boys,” he reminded her. “I don’t mind walking.”

  “But—”

  Grinning, he silenced her with a quick kiss. Then, before she could do anything but draw in a quick breath, he was gone. Light-headed, her heart knocking a crazy rhythm against her ribs, she lifted her fingers to her mouth…and smiled.

  Max had never had any difficulty keeping his professional and private lives separate. But then again, he couldn’t remember the last woman who’d captivated him as much as Natalie did. And he’d come right out and told her. What in the world possessed him? Over the course of the next week, she was all business when she showed up at his office for work, as was he.

  It didn’t matter—he still couldn’t get her out of his head. She retook her test and was thrilled with the seventy he had to give her, even though she only missed one question on the entire test. Her eyes sparkled with interest in class, and when she was able to negotiate a good price for something they needed for the dig, she couldn’t have been more thrilled if she’d won the lottery. Her smile lit up her face and all he could think of was how much he wanted to kiss her again.

  He didn’t, though. He already thought about her too much, wanted her too much, and kissing her again, touching her again, holding her, would only make him want her more. The problem was…he’d set himself a nearly impossible task. The light enticing scent of her perfume intoxicated him. And then there was the sound of her laughter. It stroked him like a caress and haunted his dreams. What was a man supposed to do with a woman like that? Kiss her, of course! But he couldn’t—except in the privacy of his own thoughts, and he found little satisfaction in that. Still, he was dealing with it.

  When she didn’t show up for class a week after she started working for him, he was surprised. She hadn’t missed class once all semester. Surely her car hadn’t gone again, he thought with a frown. Smitty had fixed it, and just yesterday she’d told him it was running better than it had in years. So where was she? She hadn’t mentioned anything about needing the day off, but that didn’t mean anything. One of the boys could have had an unexpected problem at school or a doctor’s appointment that she’d forg
otten to tell him about.

  Not that she had to report her every move to him, he reminded himself as he began his lecture for the day. She was entitled to her privacy. He was just her boss, her friend, her wannabe lover.

  In the middle of his lecture, he almost stopped dead in midsentence. When had he started thinking about making love to her? What was he thinking? A kiss or two was one thing. Becoming her lover was something else altogether. She wasn’t a woman who would make love with a man lightly. She would want promises, commitment. Alarm bells clanged in his head just at the thought.

  Troubled, he continued his lecture without pausing, but he knew he wasn’t his usual animated self. And the day went downhill from there. After his third—and last—class of the day, he didn’t know who he was more disgusted with—himself, for wanting a woman he shouldn’t have wanted, or Natalie, for being so distracting. He had a lot of thinking to do, and he didn’t know how he was going to do that when Natalie was supposed to be there at four to work.

  He needn’t have worried. When he arrived at his office after his last class and listened to his messages, hers was the first voice he heard. “Hi, Max. This is Natalie. I hate to give you such short notice, but I’m not going to be able to work today or tomorrow. Tommy’s got some kind of stomach bug. That’s why I missed class this morning. I think it’s one of those nasty twenty-four-hour things, but I’ll keep him home again tomorrow just to make sure he’s completely over it. So I guess I’ll see you on Wednesday. Sorry.”

  His answering machine played the next message, but he hardly heard it. Maybe he should call her and make sure Tommy didn’t have anything more serious than a bug, he thought with a frown. It couldn’t be easy for her, taking care of the boys by herself all the time, but it had to be particularly difficult when one or both of them were sick. She never got a break. He’d help her if she’d let him. After everything she’d done for him with the dig, it was the least he could do.

  You’re paying her, a voice in his head reminded him dryly.