Danielle, hearing the question, leaned in closely to the two women and felt she should include herself in the conversation. “Oh, Teri, that hot guy is Richard Danvers. He watches all the ladies ‘cause he is a well-known playboy. I think he has slept with most of the girls in town, isn’t that right Carrie? He’s had you, hasn’t he? Hell, he almost had me, but I said no to him,” she whispered loudly and pointed across the table to one of the older ladies sitting towards the end of the table.
Teri looked quite put out and blinked heavily again. “Really? Now, that is a shame that he acts like that. You would think that maybe he would have some pride and keep it in his pants, you know?” she whispered back and gave a massive, dejected sigh. She had honestly been really interested in him. He was stunning and was the first guy she had been attracted to since Daniel.
Daniel had been a high school sweetheart that Teri had dated for a while. He had been so very kind and considerate of her. They had made plans to go to the same college together, get a small apartment together and, eventually, get married. She remembered when he gave her his high school ring and had tenderly kissed her, telling her it was a promise ring and he would put a diamond on her slim finger someday. Only someday never came. They had been in a car accident on the way home from graduation and he had died at the scene, holding her hand. Teri’s life had never been the same.
All her plans had gone by the wayside. She never dreamt she would have to help plan and attend her significant other’s funeral. When they lowered the casket, she had collapsed on the ground. She had been certain her heart was going into the ground with him. She withdrew from college, unsure she could even go on.
Teri had been quite distraught, much to the dismay of her family and had eventually found a way to pick herself up and continue on. She decided she did not want to ever be hurt again and had stepped out of the dating scene. She had turned down several offers and decided to go into a field where she could work alone and be left alone. She opened her own office and was a contractor.
She found it fascinating to go through a house and check different aspects to ensure it was safe. She liked not having to worry about a guy at the water cooler hitting on her or “dolling herself up” for work to make an appearance.
Her day typically involved explaining that Teri was short for Teresa- and that she was the owner, not some man named Terry. She also kept it casual but professional, wearing jeans daily and a heavy tool belt when necessary. Lipstick and heels were for Millicent, not her. She was a jeans and boots gal.
Richard watched the ladies for quite some time, enjoying the drunken atmosphere. He was surprised to see Danielle grab Millie and pull her back into the seat. Falling out of chairs was a sure sign to end the evening. He could not have the bride end up with a black eye due to clumsiness.
Richard walked over to the table where the women were gathered and laughing. “All right ladies, I’m your chauffeur for the night. My name is Richard and if you will wrap up the evening’s festivities, I will pull my rig around and pick you up at the door,” he said politely. He motioned to Mama Maria. “Please don’t let them have anything else. I will be right back,” he explained quietly to her. Last thing he wanted was for someone to throw up inside of his Expedition.
Richard pulled the large SUV around and removed the keys from the ignition. He had no idea how long it would take to load the drunken crew into his SUV and ensure they were all buckled. Bringing them all home was still ten times better than an angry stripper making a scene, he thought wryly.
Richard decided to load the ladies as quickly as possible, hoping that he would be dropping off Teri last. He wanted to get her number from her and maybe a bit more information, which surprised him. She wasn’t his typical type of woman. He normally liked a lot of curves and appreciated a well-dressed woman in heels. Teri was in jeans and, while shapely, they were still jeans… and boots.
He took a quick survey, asking if any of the women got carsick. If so, they would be going next to a window! He fielded a few catcalls, one from the oldest lady in the group, asking if they were going to get to play doctor. Richard just smiled and put her in the passenger seat. He was distinctly uncomfortable since she was old enough to be his mother. He would make sure she would be dropped off first.
Seeing no raising of hands at the motion sickness question, he moved to seat the ones that were standing on their own into the third row bench. The few that were leaning against each other, or had sat down, he put close to the windows. Teri, he seated in the third row as well.
Richard spent the next hour driving around town, walking each lady to the door and waiting until he could hear the door lock click from the outside of the house. He wanted to make sure they were in the house, safe. Millie and Teri were the last ones in the vehicle.
He decided to take Millicent home to Jacob first, since Teri was softly snoring in the back seat. He couldn’t even see her head anymore. She had lay down to make herself comfortable. As he pulled into Jacob’s driveway, he was surprised to see most of the cars had left already and things had settled down. Richard could see Jacob sitting on the front porch waiting patiently. He turned off the key in the ignition, circled and got Millie out.
Jacob walked forward, smirking. “Apparently she had a few drinks?” he asked as he took her limp body into his arms to help hold her in a standing position. He was pleased to see her sigh in contentment against him as he kissed the top of her head. He thanked Richard again for taking all the ladies home. Jacob watched Millie stumble and laugh. He ended up picking her up and carrying her to the house, waving at Richard.
Richard headed back to the SUV, smiling. He thought it was sweet how Jacob adored and took care of her. At first, he thought it was comical at how smitten Jacob was over Millie, but watching the two of them together gave him the full picture. Her eyes followed Jacob. He was always touching her and the smiles they exchanged spoke volumes of the admiration they held for each other.
He hadn’t met anyone like that yet. He had some hot, lusty looks thrown his way- but not admiration or respect. Certainly not love. He wasn’t sure he was even ready for something along those lines. He enjoyed his freedom and was certain that if he was in the wrong relationship, it would be smothering.
Richard entered the Expedition and decided it was time to wake the sleeping beauty in the back seat of his vehicle. “Wake up, Sunshine. You are next to go home,” he announced loudly. He almost laughed. In the rear view mirror, he saw her disheveled head appear above the back seat. “Want to come up here and give me directions so I can take you home?” and talk with me, he almost tacked on. He wanted to see what made her tick and see if she was as appealing as he thought earlier. He was still surprised at the boots she wore.
Teri felt quite out of sorts. Her hair kept flopping in her face. Her throat was dry and she was surprised she had fallen asleep. His voice woke her and she almost purred in contentment at the seductive tone. He could seduce a flea off a cat, she thought. She could certainly see how he got a playboy reputation.
She indelicately flopped a boot over the back seat and climbed over it. It felt like quite the hurdle and she was quite proud she made it over smoothly. Teri looked up, met his eyes in the mirror and frowned. She had one more hurdle to go.
“Why, exactly, does the car have to be so damn big? Compensating?” she muttered and heard him chuckle. “Oh yeah, smooth like butter,” she continued absently as she concentrated on putting her leg up over the center console and climbed into the passenger front seat.
Richard tried not to laugh at her. She was so wobbly and it was terribly amusing. He watched her stick her shapely rear up over the seat and flop down onto the second row bench. He did let a small laugh slip as he saw the frustration on her face at not being in the front seat yet. He watched as she shoved a boot up over the armrest. She pulled on his shoulder and finally made it into the front seat, quite indelicately.
He did admire the view, however, of her bottom. Her jeans were quite snug
and her polo was astray. He could see a glimpse of skin between the material of her pants and shirt. He definitely appreciated how the shirt was twisted, the unbuttoned portion was pulled off towards the side and he could see a glittery strap. Maybe the tomboy in her could appreciate a few finer things he thought happily and wondered if her panties matched her bra.
Teri flopped down in the seat smugly. “There we go,” she said aloud and rearranged herself in the seat. She blindly reached for the buckle and slapped at the B pillar a few times before finding it. She grinned broadly at him once she had herself buckled. She shut her eyes and happily leaned back into the seat, the leather still warm from the previous person. She sighed in contentment and waited.
Richard watched the scene she was making for him. She was adorable settling into the passenger side bucket seat. He looked at the seatbelt. It was twisted, however, it was buckled securely. He saw she had her eyes closed and a smile on her face. He was tempted to let her get some rest. But he had no idea where she lived or where to drop her off at. Richard cleared his throat.
Teri cracked an eye and peeked at him. She looked at his mouth and reached out to trace his lips boldly. She wanted to touch them to see if they were as wonderful as they looked. She saw him grin at her and matched his smile. Teri then frowned. “Why aren’t we moving,” she asked curiously. “I thought you were taking us all home; you all right?”
Richard couldn’t help himself. He grinned widely and chuckled at her. He pulled her hand to his mouth, finishing the route, and kissed each of her knuckles. “I’d love to take you home. We aren’t moving yet because you haven’t told me your address. Where do you live, Teri,” he said amused at her confused expression.
He noticed that her eyes followed his mouth and she swallowed. He enjoyed the way she was an open book and he could read her like no other he had been out with before. She was refreshing to him.
Teri stammered a bit but didn’t pull her hand from him. She enjoyed the heat of his mouth on her, and him holding her hand made her feel cherished. Something she had not felt in a long time. She could not meet his eyes. In fact, she was having trouble focusing at all.
Teri shook her head, as if to clear it, and hesitated. Home. She needed to go home and sleep this off a bit. She had drunk way too much and wanted to lie down. “Home,” she mumbled. “Yes, home… Um, lemme think for a second,” she said confused. She felt his hand still holding hers and wondered if he touched more of her, how it would feel. She shook her head again.
Richard watched her with amusement. “Have you ever been drunk, Teri? Are you all right?” he asked. He saw she kept frowning. She would start to smile and then shake her head. “Teri? Are you feeling okay? Let me see your driver’s license to get your address. Do you want me to take you home or do you want to go inside Millie’s house?” Richard almost suggested his own home. If it had been anyone else, he might have. He wasn’t sure what stopped him or why he hadn’t headed there yet.
Teri grabbed her wallet and unzipped it. She handed it to him and shook her head again. “I can’t read it right now. I’m not feeling so good. I need to lie down, I think.” She breathed a sigh of relief as the windows were rolled down and fresh air streamed in.
Richard looked at her license and smiled. Her home was not far from their current location. He started the SUV, kept the windows down and pulled out of Jacob’s driveway. He watched her carefully to see if he needed to pull over. She sat still in the passenger seat, her eyes pinched shut and breathing evenly. He pulled onto the small, gravel road and pulled up to a small farmhouse. “Teri?” he said gently, wondering if she had fallen asleep. “Teri? Is this your home?” he asked again, a bit louder.
Teri opened her eyes and sighed happily. She was home. She wanted out of the vehicle and wanted to get undressed. She didn’t feel good and wanted to sleep. “Yup, that’s my place,” she said with a happy sigh and started to open the door.
Richard stepped on the brake quickly to stop the SUV. “Teri, we are still rolling. You have to wait till I finish pulling up the drive before you open the door,” he said smirking. She was really out of it or putting on a good show. He wasn’t sure which and assumed it was the first, although he had experience with the latter, too. He was tired of games and sincerely hoped it wasn’t a show for his sake. Richard put the Expedition into park and turned it off. He hopped out and circled the SUV, surprised at how remote her little place seemed to be, yet still inside the city limits.
Teri watched as he circled the rig and walked over to her door. She could barely see him in the dark and remembered that she forgot to change out the porch light. She had been in a hurry this morning to get out with Danielle. She should have taken the two minutes it would have taken and groaned. She really, really hated coming home in the dark. It was hard to find the keyhole and she was having issues focusing already. It would be next to impossible to open the old door.
She watched as he opened the door for her and held out his hand. She wanted to get out on her own, but couldn’t resist the urge to reach out to him. She liked the way he smiled at her and it made her feel so good. So alive.
Richard held out his hand to Teri to see if she could get out of the SUV by herself. He smiled when she delicately put her hand in his. Her hands felt so smooth to him and so delicate. He watched as she carefully placed a boot on the step bar and stood, only to flop back down. He chuckled at her and leaned across her body to unbuckle her. “Let’s try this again” he said huskily as he unbuckled her body. “That should make things a bit easier,” he said smiling.
Teri felt the heat from him and felt embarrassed that she had forgotten to unlatch herself from the buckle. She could smell his cologne. She watched those lips that had her fascinated all evening. Teri felt her own lips part and leaned forward towards him. She pressed her mouth to his and gave a soft sigh at how warm his lips were and how good they made her feel.
Richard gave a small start when she leaned forward and kissed him. It was so very unexpected and absolutely welcomed. He had wondered how her soft lips would taste. He felt her give a soft sigh against his mouth and smiled in delight. He liked her reaction and deepened the kiss for a moment. “Teri, let’s get you inside. Where are your keys?” he asked.
Teri pulled back, a bit surprised. She couldn’t believe she had leaned forward to kiss him. She barely knew him and hadn’t kissed anyone since Daniel had passed away. It was like she couldn’t help herself, though. She felt like she was dying of thirst and he was water. When she felt the heat of his body lean over her, she felt all resistance slip away.
Teri fumbled around and dug a key out from her wallet. She stepped out of the SUV and put her hand out to steady herself. She wasn’t sure she wanted his help or for him to touch her. Richard being close to her was making her feel things she hadn’t felt in years and it scared her a bit.
Richard offered several times to help her to the door, each time she shooed him away. Did she regret the kiss? He wondered if she was playing hard to get and frowned. He sincerely hoped not. He watched her as she steadied herself a few times. When she got to the end of the SUV, he watched her almost run into a newel post on the porch railing. “Teri, it’s this way,” he said stopping her quickly.
Teri reeled back from his hands touching her arms. His touch felt hot and electric and she wanted more. What was wrong with her? “Stop it! I know where my front door is,” she said, exasperated. Teri got even more frustrated when he laughed at her loudly.
Richard stood back and again let her try to get up to the porch. He smiled at her cursing at the rose bush she found in the dark. He laughed when she yelped and stumbled.
Richard swung her up in his arms. “C’mon, I am going to take a lesson from Jacob and just carry you before you hurt yourself,” he said huskily as he felt her body pressed against his.
Teri started to struggle when he picked her up, but his deep voice and soft words stopped her. When he spoke and held her, it was like her bones turned to liquid. She melted
against him and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. “Gosh, you smell so good. It’s doing things to me,” she mumbled and then groaned. She could not believe she said that aloud. That was it, she was never drinking again. She could feel a rumble of laughter from him and frowned again.
Richard cherished the feeling of her in his arms. She was a tiny slip of a woman that felt so curvy in all the right places. He would never admit that he almost dropped her when she started talking and revealed her internal monologue. As soon as she realized it, he started laughing and stumbled on a rock at the same time. He didn’t have far to go. He just needed to get up the front steps with her.
Richard set her down at the front door so they could find the key hole and was struck by the craziest thought. He wondered what it would be like to carry her over the threshold one day. He stepped back from her quickly, surprised by the thought. Maybe he was completely finished with playing around and this was his sign from above.
Teri finally opened the front door with a loud “Ta da!” and a flourish. The screen door creaked as she let it slam. Hearing it, she turned and held it open again. “Are you coming in? It’s the least I could do for my chauffeur for the night,” she said lightly and walked off, leaving him at the front door.
Richard hesitated. He wasn’t sure what to think and needed time to process. There was no way he was ready to be done with his playboy life. He wanted to be free and wanted to fool around still. This included fooling around with Teri apparently, he thought, as he looked through the screen door at her walking towards the back of the house. He opened the screen and jumped when it slammed, pulled shut by a large spring. “Teri? Where are you?” he asked loudly as he stepped into the front room.
Teri walked across the kitchen and kicked off her boots by the back door. She leaned down, one had bracing herself against the wall, and pulled off her socks. “There, much better!” she announced as she happily looked at her bare feet. “Want some hot tea or water?” she asked politely.
Redeemed Hearts (Thoroughbred Men Series Book 3) Page 2