“Everyone awake? Decent?”
“Kind of.” Diana had on the shirt she’d worn to bed, and Jessica was in a diaper. They were both decent but barely.
“Coming in. Coming through.” Nick opened the bedroom door and the sight before him made his body surge with a thousand-watt jolt of electricity.
It wasn’t that he’d never seen women half-dressed before. He’d seen his share. He’d even seen his share less than half-dressed, and more than quite a few completely bare. It’s just that he’d never seen Diana half-dressed. She wore a man’s blue oxford shirt. And nothing else.
She was leaning over the crib, standing on tiptoe. The shirt rode up the back of her thighs, the hem skimming the bottom of her pink lacy underwear. The kind that women like to wear, and men like to dispose of quickly. A creamy rounded buttock showed just enough to make a guy’s imagination take a flying leap and his male counterpart stand at attention.
When she leaned farther into the crib, more of her bottom came to view, and the front of his jeans got tighter. His voice cracked as it had when he went through puberty, which is exactly how he felt.
“Hi, Nick. Are you ready for breakfast?”
She couldn’t possibly realize how hungry he was right now. She couldn’t be doing all that bending over on purpose just to drive his testosterone into some crazy boogie-on-down-tonight dance. “Diana, you’re not upset that I didn’t spend the night here, are you?”
She leaned even farther into the crib. He saw more bottom, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. He heard a muffled, “No.”
She straightened the sheet on the opposite side of the crib. He leaned his head down for a better view. She stretched her arm out, and said, “Why would you think that?”
“No reason,” he mumbled, cursing his own nobility.
“I understood why you did what you did. I think it was extremely wonderful of you.”
Strands of hair got loose from her ponytail, falling over her cheeks and down her neck. She turned her head to look at him, without standing back up. Even more of her became visible to his hungry gaze. And boy-oh-boy was he ever hungry. Three of her top buttons were undone, allowing the front of the shirt to gape open. The plump tops of her breasts played peek-a-boo with his vision. Light from the window silhouetted the rest.
He shoved his hands into his back pockets to keep himself from walking over there and undoing the rest of those buttons.
“Did you have a nice sleep,” she asked him, “over there in your office?”
“Not as good as I would have had here in my own bed, but it was something I had to do for the sake of this mission we’re trying to accomplish,” he said self-righteously.
When she finally straightened, the front of her shirt came together, which kept her breasts from playing peek-a-boo with his senses. He could breathe again.
The shirttail hit her legs at a conservative mid-thigh. She shouldn’t, by all rights, look sexy. But she did. Very sexy. The bedroom didn’t help either, smelling of sleep and woman and baby powder. No wonder his testosterone level had jumped as soon as he’d entered the room.
Diana lifted her arm to swipe some hair off her face. The movement made the shirt hike up again. His body reacted immediately with the urgency of a man who desperately needed a woman. One particular woman. Diana.
Her eyelids, still heavy with sleep, widened just a fraction. She knew what he wanted. It would be impossible for her not to know. Her own body responded to the silent signals he had passed to her. Her tongue ran over her parted lips, her breathing came a little faster, her nipples hardened through the shirt.
His fingers buzzed with the urgency to touch her, stroke her. He wanted, needed to be stroked in return. All this talk about sin, about not sinning, did something to him. He was better off just doing it, and not thinking about it. Because once he had decided to be a saint and deny himself her, that’s all he could think about. Diana and sin.
Anyway, he’d never make it as a saint
She sifted her nails through Jessica’s fine hair, pushing the baby’s bangs off her forehead. Like everything else about Diana, he liked to watch her hand move, too. Such delicate fingers, yet he knew they were strong and capable.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Wonderfully. Jessica and I were just talking, and she wants breakfast, too.”
“What does Jessica want for breakfast?”
“Something good, like macaroni and cheese, and canned fruit, and maybe some canned vegetables.”
He scratched his neck. That menu put a damper on his frustrated libido. Frustration he wouldn’t have right now if he were given free rein to sin if he wanted to. “What about bacon?” he asked. That was the kind of meat made for a man.
“That’s way too greasy.”
“Not for me. Bacon and eggs, now that’s what I call a real meal.” A man’s meal.
“I’m not going to make bacon and eggs, but if you want to, you can.”
“No. Heating up the kitchen isn’t what I have in mind.” Heating up Diana though, that would work. He moved closer to her. Nearer to her warmth.
“Jessica and I want macaroni and cheese.” Diana lifted Jessica out of the crib. The shirt hiked higher with Jessica sitting on Diana’s hips, her legs straddling Diana’s waist.
Nick was sure Diana didn’t realize she was being exposed. He pointed. “Diana.” She’d probably be horrified to know that he could see not only her pink lace panties, but also the dark patch covering her womanhood that the panties barely concealed. “Diana,” he tried again.
“Now, Nick, no bacon. Trust me, you’ll love my macaroni and cheese. It’s an old family recipe. Listen, I have a favor to ask you. Nick? Nick? Are you all right?”
“Diana, put Jessica back in the crib.” He had to get his mind away from what he and Diana wouldn’t be doing with the part of her he was now seeing.
“Why?”
“Just do it” Better yet, maybe a little sin would be a good thing.
As soon as she put Jessica back down, Nick pulled her to him, lowered his lips, and didn’t even think about the consequences. “This is to thank you.”
She opened her mouth—only before she could speak, he kissed her, hard and deep, his tongue probing, circling, searching, reveling in her sweetness. He heard her moan. He heard Jessica through the fog that had become his brain, saying, “no, no, no.” With each no, he pulled Diana closer, thinking “yes,” enjoying the feel of her breasts, full and warm, against his chest Her hand reached up, her fingers lightly grazed the back of his neck. She kissed him back with as much burning desire as he felt. He inched her toward the edge of the bed, and that’s when she started to pull away. “No?” he asked.
She looked at Jessica. “No.”
“Not ever?”
“Maybe sometime.”
“Promise?” He lowered his lips to hers again, brushing them gently, wanting more. “I can promise we’ll enjoy ourselves,” he murmured.
“Is that all?”
Nick broke the kiss. He needed to look in her eyes to see if she felt the same kind of need he did. He ran his finger down her neck, following the contour of her shoulder, and the length of her arm to the rapidly beating pulse in her wrist. Her skin was so soft, her scent, that of a woman ready for lovemaking.
She looked at him, not as a woman wanting to have a good time, but a woman who wanted something more. Something like commitment, or marriage, or both. The very thing he had realized when Jessica came screaming into his life a little over a year ago, that he’d never be able to give to any woman. Children. How could he be a father to a child who screamed at him? He couldn’t take the chance that he’d be an outcast in his own home. He had no choice. Diana would have to know. “I’m a man who has been put here to give you pleasure, but I don’t do commitment.”
He watched as the desire that had burned so bright, slowly diminished. He was saving her from himself, and he should feel proud of what he had done. Instead he felt like dirt. “Commitment mea
ns marriage and kids. Kids hate me. I won’t have children.”
“How do you know kids don’t like you?” she asked.
“Look at Jessica. What more proof do I need?”
“That’s one child.”
“Doesn’t matter. They’re all the same.” Every time he was around Jessica and other kids, they all cried. There was something about him children didn’t like.
Diana took in a deep, steadying breath. “If I could convince you otherwise, would you change your mind?”
“You won’t.”
“All right then. I won’t try.”
She had a determined set to her lips, so he knew she had every intention of doing just that. Trying. Didn’t these women read the advice columnists? Every one said women shouldn’t try to change a man. Men don’t change. Ever.
Diana shivered, then hugged herself. “Listen, I forgot my robe. Can I borrow one of yours?”
He gazed at Diana, her breasts outlined under the shirt, her legs from small, trim ankles to shapely calves to slender thighs. When he looked at her just the way she was right now, he could jump right back to the kiss they shared, and damn commitment to hell. He could still feel her mouth on his lips, the way her body molded to his, the urgency of their hands working each other’s flesh and muscles.
The way Nick saw it, he had two choices. He could either do the gentlemanly thing and admit he had a complete collection of silk robes, every relative and ex-girlfriend’s favorite Christmas gift to him. Or, he could do what he wanted to do. He opted for the latter. “Sorry, Diana. I don’t own a robe.”
“Not one?” Her eyes widened in disbelief. No wonder he liked her so much. She was one sharp babe.
“Not a one.” He shrugged, shaking his head. She gave him that you’re-pulling-my-leg look, and said, “I can’t believe that”
Well, hell, neither could he. But he made his bed, and now he’d have to lie in it. He hoped, not alone for long. “To tell the truth, if I were sleeping here, when I woke up in the morning I’d put on these jeans for the sake of modesty.” He stared deep into her big, brown Bambi eyes. “Your modesty, not mine.”
“Thank you.” Her voice trailed off. “I sleep naked. And, if there’s no one here, I walk around the house naked.” He gave her a lazy-eyed look and deepened his voice. “Sometimes, Diana, I walk around the house naked when there is someone else here.”
When he saw her mouth slacken and her eyes widen, he knew his words had sunk in. He said, “I’m going to take a shower, see you at breakfast” He left her staring after him with those huge eyes. He’d done the job. For the rest of the day she’d be thinking about him and her naked. He sure as hell knew that’s what he’d be thinking about.
ALL DIANA could think about was Nick and her naked together. Maybe having no commitment between them wouldn’t be such a bad thing. In her fantasies she and Nick eventually got naked every time they were together anyway. But this was real life, and, she told herself in her most stern talking-to voice, she was a good girl who needed a commitment before getting naked. Even the “let’s go steady” kind would be acceptable.
As soon as Nick left the room, Diana put Jessica on the floor, and ran for the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face and neck. That wasn’t enough. She splashed more cold water on her wrists and down the cleavage between her breasts. That man had her burning up. She dried herself off.
She went back into the bedroom and found a pair of nylon running shorts in her overnight bag and put them on. She couldn’t believe how cool and calm she had acted when he’d come into the bedroom. What she had really wanted to do was run up to him, put her arms around his shoulders, lean her body against his so she could feel every hard muscle and ripple of his chest, then give him a long, slow kiss.
Mostly she wanted the kiss.
No, she wanted to feel him.
No. She wanted to touch him and have him touch her.
Okay, a kiss to start, and then the touch. And then what did she do when he did kiss her and touch her? She had stopped him. Was she a crazy fool? Oh, Lord, yes. She was going positively crazy with wanting more.
Diana had to sit down to let her heart rate slow. She’d been dreaming about making love with Nick forever. She now knew the sad truth of the matter. When it came time to actually acting out a fantasy, she was all “think” and no “do.” If she had been more of a doer and less of a thinker, she would have thrown herself down on the bed and let her fantasy man make love to her until they were both exhausted.
Instead, she’d just stood there and kissed him. Then when he offered her the golden goose, she actually thought about her future, and what her future would be like without him in it, and she’d thrown the opportunity away. What was she anyway? Stupid? This was a fantasy come to life, and she had become her old moralistic self.
Now was not the time to start thinking about commitment Now was the time to start acting out her fantasy. She would, too, the next time. And there would be a next time. She’d make sure of it
Diana dressed Jessica, and together they walked hand- in-hand to the kitchen. “I’m going to make you and Uncle Nick a breakfast the likes of which neither one of you will ever forget. He’ll be dreaming about having this breakfast with me for the rest of his life. You sit here.” Diana put Jessica into a sitting position on the floor near the table, out of the way of where she’d be preparing the food.
Jessica stood up and scrambled five feet away. Diana carried her back and helped her sit where she had sat her originally. “Let me give you something to play with.” She handed her a wooden mixing spoon that had been on the counter. “Now pretend this spoon is a whip. Here, whip it around.”
Jessica took the spoon, which was almost as big as she was. She looked it over, then twirled it in her hand a few times as if she was trying to figure out what it was used for. It didn’t take long for her to start banging the spoon on the Italian-tile floor. “Good girl, Jessica. You’re so smart,” Diana crooned.
“Now this.” She handed the baby a heavy plastic mixing bowl. Again Jessica turned it over, put it on top of her head, took it off again and finally stuck the spoon inside. She looked up at Diana as if to say, “Did I pass the test?”
“Well, you did very good,” Diana said. “However, if you want to do really great, you need to think in a more abstract way. For instance, remember we said the wooden spoon is a whip. Right?” They both nodded their heads. “But you can pretend this bowl is awful old Professor Percival Penleigh from Princeton.”
Jessica tilted her head, hanging on to every word. Diana had never had such an attentive audience.
“Professor Penleigh had me thrown out of school just for doing a simple experiment. For some reason the flame got a little out of control and—well, it doesn’t matter. I transferred to Brown shortly thereafter. The thing is, Jessica, I really liked Princeton, so I want you to take care of Old Professor Penleigh for me.”
Jessica hit the spoon on the bowl with a terrible bang and looked up for approval. Diana clapped her hands. “O-o-o-o-h. That’s a good one, Jessica. Now don’t hold yourself back. You go girl!”
That’s all the encouragement Jessica needed. She was off and banging, giving that plastic bowl everything she had. Each smack was music to Diana’s ears and she danced and sang a well-known, brazen college ditty to the beat of the pounding spoon.
When Diana finished singing, Jessica dropped the spoon and bowl and clapped. Diana bowed. “Thank you, thank you very much. You’re a fine audience.”
She heard more applause from behind her. She turned and bowed for Nick, too.
“I didn’t know you were so talented.” He came all the way into the kitchen.
“I didn’t know you were watching.” Diana went into the pantry and pulled the box of macaroni and cheese and one can each of corn, carrots and green beans off the shelf, putting them on the counter. She filled a pot with water and set it on the stove to boil.
“I’m always watching.” Nick leaned against the count
er, pointing to the cans of vegetables. “Is that stuff breakfast?”
Diana nodded. It was hard to speak with him this close, and her body still tingling.
She had thought her life had been fairly interesting before yesterday. She had thought herself fulfilled in her friendships, and her career choice. At least as soon as she got out of school and had the chance to have a career. There was something thrilling about working in laboratories. Always being on the verge of discovering something new. Something that could change the world.
Yet nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to what she felt when she was near Nick. Absolutely, positively electrifying.
“Are you finding everything all right?” He pushed the cans around.
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to go to all this trouble, heating up cans of vegetables, making macaroni and cheese. Instead, I’ll take you and monster mouth out to eat. No bacon and eggs will do. Pancakes. Doesn’t that sound good?”
“Sure it does. But vegetables with macaroni and cheese are much better for you.”
“I didn’t know that.” He sounded doubtful.
“Sure you did. Plus, there’s no reason to eat pancakes for breakfast, just because people have been doing it for hundreds of years.”
“You don’t think tradition is a good thing?”
“Nick, if it were, would we be standing here this morning talking about breakfast?”
“Sure we would.”
“No, we wouldn’t. Because I’m here to break family tradition. You know what I just realized?”
“You changed your mind and opted for pancakes?” He looked at her hopefully.
“No. We’re having a beautiful breakfast, full of aesthetically pleasing colors and textures. You’re going to love it.”
“I can think of things I’d love better.” He looked into her eyes with longing, and when he gazed at her lips she could swear she felt as if his lips were touching hers again, kissing her, opening for him. He finally looked away and she could almost breathe normally again.
“You don’t want these.” He took the cans from the counter and put them back in the pantry.
Kidnapped / I Got You Babe Page 28