Fancy Free

by Shelley Munro

  Somewhere, somehow during the day, she’d shoved Steven aside and replaced him with Mr. Dashing Dangerous. Her actions reminded her of a desperate woman. Heck, she was a desperate woman, a little voice in her head whispered. Alice straightened abruptly and wobbled on her barstool. Her arm and the outward curve of her breast brushed against his arm before she grabbed the bar and righted herself. The friction between their bodies set off a series of pleasurable explosions inside. Despite one audible pant, she attempted calm and cool. Mmm. Okay, that had never happened when Steven touched her.

  Alice gulped and slowly looked across at James. Warmth and heat radiated from his eyes, and she wanted to bask in the masculine attention. Then she noticed the laughter and twinkle in his blue eyes and indignation surfaced.

  “You’re laughing at me.” Alice drained the last of her gin and tonic and set the glass on the bar with a distinct clunk.

  “No, I’m not,” he said. “What you see is admiration. Not every woman would take work at a condom company in her stride.”

  “Oh.” Alice peered closely but his eyes moved across his face. All three of them. She winced when her head suddenly whirled around and around. With a shocked gasp, she screwed her eyes closed before opening them again.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Did you know you have three eyes?” Alice blinked. “All blue like the sky. And two noses. What on earth do you do with two noses? What do you do when you have a cold? How do you know which one to blow first?”

  James leaned close to place his arm around her shoulders. “I think your parents named you well,” he murmured, a chuckle underlying his words. “You’re very curious.”

  “Will you come back to the bed and breakfast with me?”

  “Sure, I’ll walk you home. Make sure you get there safely.”

  Alice attempted to focus on his middle eye. “No, I mean I’m tired of wondering what all the fuss is about. I want to learn the mysteries of sex.”

  James glanced at his beer before he looked back at her. He hesitated before his mouth firmed as though he’d made a decision. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Her lips puckered up into a pout, a seductive one, she hoped. Difficult to concentrate with that number of eyes. She had an argument ready to refute. She did. “But an owner of a condom company should know how to work the apparatus.” Yeah. Alice nodded abruptly and regretted it. It doubled the number of eyes. “There’s something wrong with your face. It keeps sprouting eyes. You’ve got six.”

  His mouth twitched. “Do you drink very often?”

  “Waz that got to do with eyes?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” he agreed. “You ready to go home now?”

  Alice checked her drinks. No whiskey left. No gin left. But the glasses. Ye gods. They had gone forth and multiplied. There were four of the blighters. She shuddered, the unpleasant taste of the whiskey still a recent memory. “Finished.”

  “Let’s get you home then.” James jumped off his barstool and waited at her side. When Alice attempted to emulate his feat, she teetered, toppling sideways and ending up with her nose pressed into a muscular chest. Ooh! Very nice.

  “You smell of lemon but you don’t feel prickly like a tree.” She pulled away to study him carefully. “I’m sure you’ll feel nice against my naked skin.”

  A man clapped him over the shoulders. “You’re in there, James.”

  Alice frowned at the bearded man who spoke. All four of his eyes winked and that beard grew out of control. With fierce concentration, Alice leaned on James, a firm grip on his arm for balance while she savored the play of hard muscles beneath her breasts.

  James sucked in a hasty breath when Alice wriggled one warm hand beneath the collar of his shirt. The minx was as drunk as a lord, and so, so sexy with it. Talk about temptation on two very wobbly legs.

  Ignoring the regulars and their smart-ass comments, he steered her out the front door of the pub, conscious of how well she fit in his arms. She smelled great—of cinnamon and whiskey. After an afternoon with her, he’d come to appreciate her intelligence. When he’d seen her disappear into the pub, he’d decided to make a couple of calls and join her. In the back of his mind, he’d hoped to move from business acquaintances to intimate friends or at least nudge the relationship in that direction. James laughed inwardly. He hadn’t figured on squiring a drunken female to safety.

  A virgin. Almost virgin. Shit, he wondered at the story behind the almost bit. Why the hell had she told him that? Now his imagination worked overtime while he pondered the color of her nipples and how her breasts would fill his hands. Not that he could do anything tonight. His cock lengthened, exerting a clear opinion on the matter, unhappy with the gentlemanly notions that crowded his mind. But hell, no way could he take advantage of a woman in this condition. Despite his reputation, he had principles, a code of conduct that he stuck to. He snorted inwardly. And wouldn’t Ms. Knowall fall over in shock if she found out.

  James propelled her from the Cricket into the main street. Night had fallen and streetlights lit the cobblestone footpath. Apart from the small corner dairy, which did a brisk trade in video hire, the shops had closed for the evening. A group of teenagers lingered outside, the telltale scent and haze of cigarette smoke giving away their purpose. Although he knew them, James steered Alice past with nothing more than a curt nod. He ushered her down the street past the post office and the florist’s with its dramatic spring window display. The Children of Nature shop had a baby-wear display in their window. A snort emerged and for a few seconds he thought about sprinkling the footpath with condoms. He chuckled inwardly. Ah, perhaps not. After dodging the couple outside the jeweler’s, he guided Alice past the police station and headed toward Alice’s Griffin Street accommodation.

  “Can you skip?” Alice demanded.

  “No.”

  “I wanna skip. Never done it before.” Alice spoiled her dignified reply with a loud hiccup. “Wanna skip.” She started to struggle.

  “James Bates, hands off that woman!”

  Oh god. His mother. They’d almost made it to Griffin Street. Why couldn’t she have waited for a few minutes longer before taking the dog for a walk? Slowly, he turned to face her. Gypsy, his mother’s dog growled low at the back of his throat. The fluffy white rat had never taken to him.

  His mother scowled. “Unhand her this instant.”

  Alice chose that moment to come to find her tongue again. “No, no,” she chided, waving an unsteady finger through the air. She almost whipped off his mother’s nose. “I might fall over. I’m almost a virgin, you know. We’re going to my place to take care of that wee matter.”

  James groaned inwardly. Hell. His mother already considered him a wastrel. She’d told him often enough he was a disgrace to the family and should emulate his older lawyer sister. “Think what you like, Mother. Nothing I say will sway you.” James tried to keep the bitterness from his voice and knew he’d failed. Without another word, he directed Alice down the street and felt his mother’s hard stare of disapproval until they turned the corner onto Griffin Street. One more transgression to add to the long list his mother kept on his behalf. James sighed.

  The old Victorian house where Alice had chosen to stay was halfway down the street. He opened the white gate and they walked slowly up the footpath toward the front door. The owners—Jake and Lindy Redcliff—kept the place immaculate. Tidy beds of red petunias and white pansies contrasted with the duck-egg blue paint of the house.

  “Do you have your key?”

  “In my pocket. Lucy Locket had a pocket, ya know? Kept her key there.”

  “Clever girl.” His mouth twitched. She made him laugh, but he’d bet she wouldn’t laugh tomorrow morning. “Which room are you in?”

  “Sunny one.” She blinked at him like a sleepy owl and pressed even more firmly against his side.

  James took that to mean the Sunflower room. Luckily, he knew the location since he’d stayed in the same room for two weeks when he’d
first arrived back in Sloan.

  “Alice. Alice, are you awake?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  With a soft chuckle, James searched for a pocket and found her key in the second one he tried. He unlocked the door and maneuvered her inside. After shutting the door, he scooped her up in his arms and headed in the direction of the Sunflower room. The stairs creaked a loud protest. James froze, positive Jake and Lindy would cry intruder. When it didn’t happen, he continued up the stairs, glad that they’d left night lights on for her.

  Finally, James reached Alice’s room and fumbled the door open. He shouldered his way inside and flipped on the light before closing the door.

  “Can you stand on your own?”

  “Course I can,” Alice warbled. She lurched forward and almost fell flat on her face.

  James lifted her off her feet and dropped her on top of the white lacy bed cover. Lindy had changed the room, the décor more feminine since he’d stayed here.

  “I’d better go.”

  “No, you can’t leave yet.” Her pink lips formed a pout. “I need you.” Her voice rose.

  “Okay.” James hurriedly agreed to stay and prayed she didn’t wake up Jake and Lindy. In all honesty, he didn’t think they’d mind, but he’d prefer not to experience their reactions when a clean getaway would work much better. “I’ll sit here beside the bed for a while.”

  Alice glowered at him then kicked off her shoes, pulled back the covers and lay full length on the bed. “My head’s all a spin.”

  “Close your eyes and breathe slowly. It might help if you lie on your side.” But it probably wouldn’t. Hopefully she wouldn’t throw up. James didn’t think she’d drunk that much. He covered her, watching while she followed his instructions and relaxed when he heard her soft sigh. A clock ticked and he closed his eyes. He’d stay until she fell asleep.

  The crick in his neck woke him. James winced, coming to full wakefulness slowly, stretching out the kinks. A soft snore drew his attention and early morning light shone through the net curtains. What the hell? The previous evening rushed back to him. Alice. He’d only intended to sit with her until she’d gone to sleep, but he must have dozed off. James rose from the chair and stretched his hands above his head.

  The figure in the bed stirred and woke a little more rapidly than he had. “James. I’m still dressed. We didn’t do anything. I’m still an almost virgin, aren’t I?”

  Her question rubbed him the wrong way as did her hopeful expression. “What sort of man do you think I am?” Perhaps she’d listened to rumors or talked to his mother.

  Alice stared at him with a solemn expression. “A sexy one.”

  A surprised laugh escaped. “Why me? What about your boyfriend?” James dropped back into the chair. Despite good behavior last night, he’d managed to see a little more of her body. She was curvy in the old-fashioned film star kind of way. Large breasts, a trim waist and curvy hips for a man to hold on to. A pocket Venus. “And what the hell is an almost virgin?”

  “He doesn’t seem to enjoy sex. He hasn’t done anything but kiss me. Doesn’t seem to like that either. You have more experience with women and sex.” Alice’s gaze shifted across his face before drifting lower, devouring him with an innocent kind of hunger that made his cock rear to attention. “Besides, he doesn’t like me anymore.”

  James reacted to her even though she’d pissed him off with the implication he slept with every woman who walked into his life. Or maybe he was being extra touchy because of Ms. Knowall’s frequent digs at his love life in her column. Hell, he was capable of having a productive life if he wanted. He led a productive life, dammit, and he liked it just fine without changes. He could do what he wanted, when he wanted. Footloose and unencumbered remained his motto. Who the hell wanted settled and stagnated?

  He stood and prowled across a blue Persian rug until he reached the bed. “Are you sure I’m not the big, bad wolf? You’ve heard the rumors about me, right?” He took his time, moving nearer and nearer to her until he practically lay on ruffled lemon sheets of the bed.

  “No.” Her voice sounded a trifle uncertain now and he watched her teeth tug at her bottom lip in fascination. If she kept that up, it would soon look swollen and puffy, as if she’d kissed a man for a long time.

  The need to make it so surged within him, biting with an intense and painful ache. James leaned over her, caging Alice between his arms and the bed. He closed the distance between them, the beat of his heart loud to his own ears. He might not be a saint, but he did have a conscience, his own set of morals. One last chance. “Are you sure you want this?”

  Chapter Four

  Alice swallowed. Up this close, James appeared big and strong and not as tame as she’d like. “Yes,” she said before she could start to second-guess herself. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  What would her friend Jennifer do in the same situation? Something devious no doubt, but what? Alice knew she couldn’t dilly-dally here all day. He’d leave. And she’d have to go to the restroom at some stage. After a fight to free herself from the constraints of the sheets and his muscular arms, she managed to wriggle one hand from captivity. The force of her struggle slammed it into his collarbone. He winced but when he would have backed away, Alice’s fingers curved around his shoulder and clung. His scent tickled her nose and made her think of the outdoors—trees, grass and trickling streams all tangled up with lemon. His body warmth seared right through the fabric of his shirt and she noticed the man froze at her touch. Good? Bad?

  Alice wasn’t sure, but she let her hand slide down toward the open collar of his white shirt. Her fingers slipped underneath the fabric and met warm flesh. Her breath caught at her daring. She’d never been like Jennifer, one to reach for what she wanted from life. Alice inhaled deeply, steadying her sudden attack of nerves. All that would change. Soon.

  “Let me go,” she demanded.

  “This is not a good idea. I’m not nice when it comes to sex.”

  What did he mean not nice? Did he beat his women? She peeped at him between lowered lashes and decided no. Perhaps he meant he liked different positions, unusual positions. Did she need to purchase a sex manual and do some research? She’d noticed a bookstore on the main street. With a toss of her head, one hard enough to make her hair swish across her forehead, she studied him openly and licked her lips. “Mad, bad and dangerous to know.” Alice’s voice entered sultry territory.

  An alien had taken over her body. There was no other explanation.

  “Take off your shirt so I can touch you properly.”

  James stared at her for a long time, his blue eyes dark and unfathomable. Finally, he levered away from her body.

  She held her breath, afraid to move. If he walked away, she didn’t know what she’d do. Hopefully, the alien inside her body would decide on a plan of attack should the need arise.

  He stood by the bed, hesitation obvious. Then, in a flurry of movement, he stripped off his shirt.

  Alice watched, frissons of excitement tugging at her breasts, her nether region, her whole body. That would be pussy, the alien inside snapped. Don’t act prissily. Men don’t like prudes. They want real women.

  James continued undressing. With rapid movements, he stripped off his jeans and the black briefs beneath. He kicked them aside and stood proudly in a statue-like pose.

  A naked man.

  Oh. My. God.

  He prowled toward her.

  Alice gulped, her gaze zeroing in on his erection. It bobbed up and down, only stopping when he halted by the bed, mere inches away from her head.

  “Now that you’ve managed to get me naked, what do you intend to do with me?” he asked in a sexy drawl.

  A challenge.

  Alice looked away from the thick cock. Good question. Her gaze drifted back to the veins beneath the surface and the darker-colored head.

  Suddenly, it felt as though every particle of oxygen had been sucked from the room, a bit like when her mother removed air from bags
of beans prior to freezing.

  “Why don’t I give you a hint? For this to go any further, both of us need to have our clothes off. We can’t have down and dirty sex if you hide under there.”

  Okay. Now he joked at her expense. Alice flung back the sheet that covered her bottom half. She still wore her black skirt, her matching top and black cotton socks. Alice stood and peeled off her socks. When she glanced up, she noticed he watched her. Intently.

  “That it? All I get to see is your toes?”

  Alice grimaced and, despite a tremble of fingers, undid the top three buttons of her shirt. It gaped to show the generous curves of her breasts. Doubt hit. What would he think? Ever since her early teenage years, males had fixated on her breasts because they were so big. It was the reason she’d started to dress the way she did, wearing clothes that disguised the size of her chest, why she’d accepted Steven when he’d asked her out on a date. He hadn’t looked at her breasts first. She laughed softly, some of her humor directed at herself. Steven didn’t like to look at all. Something ironic in that.

  “Changed your mind?”

  “No.” Alice rapidly unfastened the last buttons and shrugged the baggy black shirt off her shoulder, baring her sturdy bra to his gaze. Without hesitation, Alice peeled her black skirt over her hips. With a deft twist of her wrist, she flicked her bra closure and let the straps fall down her arms and away. For an instant she paused then shucked her panties as well. After a deep breath, Alice straightened. She stood upright, her shoulders back so James didn’t need imagination when he scrutinized her closely.

  His expression didn’t change for a long, drawn-out second. Then his brows rose. “Is there a problem?”

  “Um, I need to go to the bathroom,” Alice said, her gaze skittering from his. Two suitcases sat in the corner of the room. Ah, her clothes. Thank goodness the lost case had turned up finally. The courier had promised her he’d check the depot again. They must have found it. Her gaze flitted back to James and away.