Val took Noah’s hand and led him to the couch. A few more people wandered in, including Lexi. Bree looked surprised, but plastered on one of her fake smiles. Maybe the two of them would smooth things over tonight.
“Since it looks like we’re all here, let’s get started with our first game.” Delilah moved around the room passing out clothespins. “Okay, everyone pin the ‘penis’ to your shirt. If you’re caught saying the word wedding, then the person who catches you gets to take your ‘penis’. The one with the most ‘penises’ at the end of the party will get a prize.”
What on earth was her aunt raving about? She looked down at her clothespin. Oh my, gosh! The wooden pin had two fuzzy pom-poms glued to the end of a drawn-on penis. Too embarrassed to look at Noah, she fumbled with the hem of her tank top.
For the next thirty minutes they played more embarrassing games. Like running with toilet paper rolls between your legs and putting the roll on a plunger. And sculpturing a penis out of Play Dough. The prizes weren’t any better: sex position dice, penis shaped cookie cutters and candles, and edible underwear. How much more did poor Noah have to sit through?
“Now, for our last game.” Her aunt passed out a Ziploc bag to everyone while her cousin distributed small glasses of water. “When I say go, open your bag. The first one to pour their water into the baby food jar, drop the Alka-Seltzer in and get the condom on the jar wins.”
In about the span of five seconds after the word “go”, Noah jumped up from the couch. “Done! Finally, I win.”
Hoots and howls came from the guests as well as a few “no fair” comments.
Oh, hell yeah! That’s my man. “Way to go, honey.” She rubbed his back. Her breasts warmed thinking about how good he was with his hands. All this talk about sex turned her on. Part of her could hardly wait until everyone left so Noah could make love to her again. The other part feared explaining the whole shower mess. But watching him excited and proud of himself at their wedding shower, shot a pain through her heart.
In a few days he’ll be gone and this…this…well, implausible bubbling inside at the thought of marriage will turn into disappointment. Especially since Noah showed signs of a being an incredible guy.
* * * *
Noah watched Val’s delicate hands fumble with the curly ribbons. A long zut echoed in his ears—reminded him of the sound of a zipper—as she dawdled over the knotted bow. Her long magical fingers worked to loosen the knot as they had worked on his knots a few hours ago. She was talented, gorgeous and, for this brief moment—his.
His heart swelled with pride and a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. She would make a beautiful bride one day.
“Come on slow poke, just rip it off,” one of her cousins—Natalie, maybe—hollered out.
“Oh, no. I’ve already ripped two and I have a whole stack of gifts to get through.”
Who knew women believed such crazy superstitions? He’d never heard of anything as foolish as every ribbon you break at your shower equals the number of kids you’re going to have.
The thought of Val with a rounded belly enticed him, yet saddened him at the same time. She’d be a great mom. The kind of mother he’d want for his children. If he was ever blessed with any. He’d messed up so many times with relationships and fate had never been on his side. Thoughts of Molly surfaced. No…he wouldn’t go there. Not today. Not now.
He pushed the sad thoughts from his mind as Val lifted a spaghetti strapped, ivory satin negligee from the box. Lace trimmed the bottom edge. It was the right length to skim across her glorious thighs and tease him. She glanced at him, and her face flushed pink.
Bridal showers were supposed to be about drinking tea, eating cake and counting how many toasters the bride-to-be received. So far this party was all about sex. Not a toaster in sight. However, there was one blender and it came with a case of margarita mix. Judith had excused herself to whip up a batch. As another imagination inspiring negligee was held up to admire, he took that as his cue to test out a mixed drink.
Normally he’d prefer a beer, but Val didn’t have any in the fridge.
“Oh, hey, Sam. Are you enjoying yourself?” Judith placed a glass in front of him as he perched his elbow on the bar.
“It’s been interesting.” He took a sip. Not bad. Fruity.
“So, when is the big day?” She placed glassware on a tray to serve the guests.
He cleared his throat. “Well, everything happened so fast. We really haven’t talked about it yet.” It to him meant getting married, but to Judith it meant the wedding date.
“I can tell things were quite sudden. You didn’t even give her a ring.” Judith stood across the bar from him, patting his hand. What was it about this family and hand patting? “If you need to borrow some money—”
“No, that’s not the problem.” He pulled his hand back and took a long drag. “I just need to talk to my grandma first about using her ring.”
“Talk to your grandma?” Her eyes narrowed as she gave him the mother’s caught-you-in-a-lie stare. “I thought your Grandmother passed away a few weeks ago.”
Fuck! Why would Val say that? “Um, yeah…she did. I meant that I needed to…to talk it over with my…family. In case someone else wanted…to use her ring. Can I have another drink?”
“Sure. You poor thing. Losing someone is hard.” She leaned over and pinched his cheek. “Go on back to the party and I’ll fix a special drink just for you. You need a man’s drink, not a fruity girly one.”
He excused himself and joined the rest of the party in the living room before he stuck his foot in his mouth again. His grandmother wasn’t dead. She’d raised him after his mother had fallen ill and passed away. He’d been barely six months old and his grandmother was the only mother he’d ever known.
Val smiled at him and patted the cushion next to her. He nodded and joined her on the couch. The pile of wrapped gifts had dwindled to a mere handful. He glanced at the unwrapped presents. Bath salts, lotions, luxurious sheets. Plus more lingerie—black, pink, lavender—all of which were simple, elegant and classy. His temperature rose a few degrees thinking about Val modeling them for him.
Judith rejoined the group and handed him a glass. He took a long drag and swallowed hard. Not a fruity cocktail this time. More whisky than fruit. But that was good. He needed a strong drink to chase away the thought of Val’s soft body pressed against his own.
Even though her family was on the crazy side and bit too open about sex, he was enjoying himself. Too much. He liked the openness in her family, the support they gave each other and the way they accepted everyone for who they were. Lying to them seemed wrong.
If he didn’t need the money, he’d call this whole charade off right now, apologize to everyone, beg Val to forgive him and then ask her out for real.
He took another drink, hoping to forget about the foolish notion. If he was lucky, he’d pass out cold tonight.
A twinkle in those gorgeous hazel eyes told him she wanted an encore from earlier in the salon. But he couldn’t…no, wouldn’t let things get that far again. Those legs and that ass would tempt him, linger in his mind for a long time after they’d parted ways. Best to keep it business while they were behind closed doors from now on.
He glanced at her and smiled, trying not to cringe. Judging by the sweat beading on his brow and the blue spots dancing across her face, it was going to be a long night.
Chapter 11
Sitting on the back porch, the sweet smell of Val’s perfume reached Noah as she opened the door and stepped out. On the edge of his vision, the hemline of the black nightgown skimmed her thighs. Images of her pulling the sheer negligee from the box increased his already accelerated blood flow.
How the hell was he going to tell her “no” when he’d wanted to bury himself inside her before she’d stepped on the porch? Now she was going to try to seduce him!
Sweat trickled down his temple. Just keep your eyes on the TV.
“Everyone’s gone home.�
� She took a step closer. Stilettos clicked on the concrete floor. Fuck-me-pumps, at the end of those gorgeous legs.
Lord have mercy.
“Even Bree.”
Think about work. I need to fix the Cougar tomorrow. Time the carburetor, change the spark plugs, and look at those back brakes. It might need new pads put on.
She brushed her leg alongside his knee. “Noah, did you hear me?”
Loud and clear. Pert nipples pressed against the thin fabric. Dying for a taste, he licked his lips, and diverted his gaze out the window. “Yeah.” The single word came out a couple octaves higher than his normal voice. What would he do with Bree gone? She’d been the first excuse on his list.
“Don’t you want to look at me, baby?” Straddling his legs, she cupped his face and turned it toward her.
Oh, God! His cock strained against the zipper on his jeans. A couple of pulls on those tiny, pink, ribbon bows and the lacy triangle patches over her breasts would come off.
His gaze dropped from her breasts, but the pink lacy thong created a lump in his throat. Dental floss was thicker than the straps molded to her hips. Suddenly the urge to practice good dental hygiene hit him. He could start by flossing as he removed her thong with his teeth.
Val stared at him, waiting for an answer. What was the question again? Did he want to look at her? Right. Best to not answer.
“It’s been a long day, Valerie. And I’m tired. The shop opens early and I got work to finish up.” The rebuilt carburetor for the Cougar in his garage needed a few adjustments. The brakes would take a couple of hours to replace and then he’d finally be done with it. “I want to relax a few minutes, catch some news and then get a good night’s sleep.”
“You can’t go back to work. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I brought you home from the hospital and the doctor said you need to rest for at least seventy-two.”
“There is nothing wrong with me. A little tired. Other than that, I’m fine.” He’d keep the raging hard-on to himself. Or at least he’d try.
She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. Thank heavens. A few more minutes with her thighs parted over his and he’d have caved.
“You’re mad at me. Aren’t you?”
“What?”
“I had to tell the EMT I was your fiancée or else I wouldn’t have been able to see you in ICU. Apparently Rita heard we were engaged and called Mom. I’m sorry.” Sitting down beside him, she took his hands in hers. “Please, don’t be mad.”
Hum. He wasn’t mad at her, but he could use it to his advantage. “Your sister purred at me. Your aunt felt me up. And I’d like to know what else you need to tell me, besides we’re getting married and my Grandmother won’t be able to attend since she’s dead?”
Her eyes widened. She bit her lip and mumbled, “Oh, that.”
“Yeah, that. Your mother asked if I needed money to buy you a ring. When I tried to cover and say I needed to ask my grandma if I could use her ring, I discovered that she’d died a few weeks ago.”
“That was a stupid excuse I used to explain why they couldn’t meet you before.”
Soft skin rubbed his hands. Sweet smelling perfume tickled his nose. Blood pounded in his ears. Right now he didn’t care about her lies. All he wanted to do was take her place and nip at that plump bottom lip himself, touch her full breasts and wrap her firm legs around his waist.
What happened to the air? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Val…” Oh, how he wanted her! Could almost feel her wet pussy wrapped around his cock. Hear her moan in his ears. At least she hadn’t screamed Sam’s name earlier when he’d made love to her. But he wanted more than sex with her. And he wanted more than two weeks.
While his eyes were still closed, soft tender lips brushed against his. How strong was a man supposed to be? Strong enough to be a gentleman and walk away.
“Val…” Her lips traveled across his cheek and sucked on his earlobe. A spark of pleasure fired straight to his hardened dick. A moan escaped him. “God.”
“You don’t have to work tomorrow,” she whispered in his ear, tickling his neck. “Let me take care of you tonight.”
What would one more time hurt?
Everything.
His wallet, his pride, his…his…heart.
“No.” He swallowed hard. Had he really turned her down? Man up and do what you need to do. Pushing her away was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he needed to. “I should get some sleep. Out here, on the couch.”
“Oh.” Hurt washed over her face. The playful smile that tugged at the corners of her sexy mouth disappeared. Pain shone from her eyes as she pulled away. “I see.” Possibly from embarrassment, she covered her breasts with her arms and excused herself from the porch.
Guilt slammed into his gut harder than if he’d been punched. He’d rejected her like all the other assholes in her life.
Didn’t she know what she did to him? He didn’t need help from her mother. Desire for her seethed inside him anytime she came near.
Hell! Who was he kidding? She didn’t have to be near to stir a deep longing in his loins. Thoughts were enough.
He clicked off the TV and lay down on the couch. Hazel eyes swimming in a pool of tears haunted him as he tried to sleep. Why was she hurt? This business deal was her plan, not his. She was the one who didn’t want to date, the one calling off their relationship, not him.
Then, why did he feel so bad?
* * * *
Tears trickled over the bridge of Val’s nose. Noah hadn’t even let her explain. Yeah, she’d talked him into some crazy things and he’d been a good sport about it all. However, she’d promised him a large chunk of money to go along with her plan. But she’d thought he found her attractive. She’d been sure she’d seen a twinkle in his sexy blue eyes when she’d pulled out the black gown.
Exhaling, she swiped at the tears dropping from the edge of her face onto the sheets. She’d been stupid yet again. Tyler had left her for another woman, James had gone to the store for cigarettes and never come back, and Tommy…he’d straight out told her she was too fat for him to get serious with. Would she ever learn to guard her heart?
Before she could think about the answer, a knock sounded on her bedroom door. What did he want? Obviously not her. She rolled over and squeezed her extra pillow to her stomach. Maybe he’d leave.
A second knock came, this time louder. “Val.”
“Go away.” Her self-esteem couldn’t take another rejection.
“Come on. Let me in.”
Shit. She let out a groan and tossed her pillow aside. The faster she got this over with, the faster he’d leave.
She jerked the door open. “What?” The tone of her voice came out harsher than she’d intended. Bright lights from the dining room forced her to squint.
“Oh, sweetheart. You’re crying.”
“I am not. I was asleep and…the light is blinding me.” She moved a step back out of the light.
The plan to get away from him backfired. Instead, he moved closer, cupped her face and wiped away the moisture.
“You are.”
“Don’t trouble yourself by worrying about me. Get some sleep so you can work tomorrow.” She pushed against his chest, but couldn’t budge him. Damn, if he wasn’t hot. Which made things worse. Pressed tightly to his chest, she wanted him, in more ways than one. How much could she take before her sanity came into question? “Let me go!”
“Not until I apologize for being an ass.” He gripped her arms, refusing to let her go. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ve apologized. Now let me go.” She squirmed in an attempt to free herself, but her body responded; nipples puckered and breasts tingled. Damn her traitorous body.
“Shit, Valerie. This is hard for me. I hate lying to your family. They’re good people and they love you. A bit peculiar, but they deserve the truth.”
“Are you crazy? You’ve seen what my mother is capable of doing. We have to stick to the plan. Aft
er next Friday, you can walk away with two grand and never think about me again. I’ll tell them the truth a few weeks after this is all over.”
His chest heaved as he sucked in a breath. “Do you think I can just fucking do that?”
“Why not? It’s not your family you’re lying to. Trust me, they’ll be hurt, but they’ll get over it and Mom will set up a blind date for me or something. That woman drives me crazy, and I need peace of mind to handle this one event. Please. You can leave tomorrow. All I ask is that you take me to the reunion. I’ll handle everything else.”
“Damn it, woman. I know what your mom will do.” He gripped her wrist and led her hand to his crotch. “It seems that she mixed me up a very special drink.”
She clasped her fist around his engorged cock. His husky moan filled the darkened room, sending pleasure between her thighs. She dropped her hand.
Crap. Why wouldn’t she stay out of this? Probably because the woman believed she was close to holding a grandbaby. “Noah, I am so sorry about her. She’s acting worse than her normal self. It’s like she’s in a race to get me pregnant.”
“Well, I don’t need her help to get hard. And I don’t need you running around in skimpy clothing and lingerie. You drive me nuts with your smile, your eyes,” he gripped her face and stared into her soul, “and, oh God, your legs.” His lips brushed across hers.
She wanted another kiss, longer and deeper, but he released her and stepped back.
“Valerie, I want you. More than you’ll ever know. And it’s not just because of the pills.”
“I want you, too.” She twined her fingers in his hair. “Kiss me.” Her breasts warmed in anticipation of his mouth on her lips, neck and body.
“No, baby, I can’t do this.” He removed her fingers from his hair. His hand trembled touching hers.
“What’s wrong? We’re both adults. I want you. You want me. And I have a few condoms. Let’s just have some fun.”
“That’s what’s wrong. I don’t want to have fun. I don’t want to fuck you and leave you. Trust me on this one, I’ve had enough flings. They don’t interest me anymore. We can tell your family the truth together.”
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