Laura Marie Altom

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Laura Marie Altom Page 8

by Dancing


  with homemaking aspirations."

  "You're kidding, right?" Rose said with a sputter of

  wine. "Homemaking aspirations? What century were

  you in at the time?"

  "Crazy, huh?"

  "That's the polite way of putting it. And here I

  thought I had issues."

  "Told you," he said, leaning in for another kiss.

  "So anyway, imagine my surprise when I got to

  college and discovered this whole other world. For

  once, late-night discussions didn't revolve around

  money, or whether to send three or four tellers to the

  state teller convention."

  "They have such a thing?"

  "Last year's international teller convention was held

  in Stockholm."

  Rose whistled. "Okay, so enough of your brain being

  expanded while in college. How did you do with the

  ladies once Mommy and Daddy weren't looking on?"

  He laughed. "Let's just say I was a quick learner and

  leave it at that."

  "Mmm. Met up with a few naughty girls, did you?

  Shame, shame." This time, she leaned in to kiss him.

  "So which came first, all this wild-girl chasing? Or the

  sculpting?"

  "Actually, around about the first time we had a nude

  model in figure studies, things started getting fun."

  His grin and wink earned him a playful rib jab. "You

  were a bad boy."

  She snuggled deeper against him. "Okay, so tell me

  what drew you to sculpting. What is there about it that

  makes your heart feel full?"

  "First off, aside from Anna's Play-Doh, I haven't so

  much as touched a lump of clay in a decade, so I don't

  even know if it would still be a thrill. All I do know is

  that back then, something about the connection between

  my hands and brain and the way I could actually make

  something of strength and importance and beauty that

  had nothing to do with numbers, but simply my sheer

  will to create." Sharply exhaling, he said, "It was

  heady stuff."

  She didn't say anything. Just sat there, grinning.

  "What? I pour out my heart to you and you think

  it's funny?"

  "Dalton, Dalton," she said, voice as refreshing as a

  margarita. Urging him sideways, she placed her hands

  on his shoulders and rubbed. "You're tense. Meaning,

  you've taken my actions in the wrong spirit. I'm smiling

  because I'm touched by the notion of you having a

  grand passion outside of the bank. That's a wonderful

  thing." She deepened her strokes, and he closed his

  eyes, loving every second of the massage. "You've got

  to learn to relax. Take time out from your busy schedule

  to smell the roses. Who knows? Maybe your best course

  of action would be running right out in the morning to

  purchase a chunk of clay."

  He swung around to face her, a look of desperation in

  his eyes. "Don't you get it? My whole life is mapped out.

  My dad isn't well and, possibly within the year, that bank

  and all the people who work there will become my respon-

  sibility."

  "But, Dalton, you could—"

  "It's late," he said with a tender kiss to her forehead.

  "I should go."

  "But shouldn't we talk? You're obviously upset."

  "I'm fine. Just not ready to tackle something this big."

  "Fair enough. But what if I said I have other reasons

  for not wanting you to go?"

  "Like what?"

  "I don't want you to." She rested her head on his

  shoulder, flooding him with well-being and a consuming

  urge to protect and comfort and make her fears go away.

  "I don't want me to, either. But we've both got full

  days tomorrow."

  "I know. I guess I just want to establish what it is

  we're doing."

  "In what sense?"

  "I don't know." Hand fisted beneath her chin, she

  sighed. "You and me. Us. All of this is so comfortable

  and yet foreign."

  "Tell you what," he said, tucking her hands into his,

  "let's just take this one day at a time. No rules or expec-

  tations. Just fun."

  "Yeah," she said, blindsiding him with a smile that

  didn't quite reach her eyes. She was such a contradic-

  tion. All at once full of life, and yet heartbreaking in her

  buried sorrow. With everything in him, he wanted to be

  everything to her. But even he was smart enough to

  realize he didn't have that kind of power. Moreover,

  shouldn't want that kind of power. "Let's just play."

  "Walk me out?"

  "Uh-huh."

  Dalton stood, offering his hand to help her from the

  sofa. They walked to the back door in companionable

  silence. He kissed her forehead. She gave his waist a

  squeeze, and he left, knowing that no matter what else

  happened between them, his life was forever changed

  by Rose Vasquez's smile.

  "Aren'tyou the new owner of Miss Gertrude's?"

  Rose glanced up from the paperback she'd been

  reading at the corner booth of Big Daddy's to see a

  burly man grinning down at her. "Yes, I'm Rose

  Vasquez," she said, holding out her hand for him to

  shake. "And you're...?"

  "Frank Loveaux. This is my place and that's my

  secret raspberry-tea recipe you've now had five

  glasses of."

  "You've been counting?" she asked. Was it time for

  her to slowly get up, then run?

  "Oh—the only reason I even paid attention was because

  I've been working up my courage to come talk to you."

  "Am I that scary?"

  "No, no," he said with a brawny laugh that instantly put

  her at ease. "Just that we've got a bit of a situation brewing

  on the Miss Hot Pepper Pageant committee, and—"

  "Are Mona and Alice still not talking?"

  "You've heard about that?"

  "Dalton filled me in, and I told him I'd be happy to

  help with whatever you need."

  "When did you talk with him?" Frank asked, easing

  his large frame into the booth's empty half.

  "Last night."

  "Did he have a lesson?"

  "No."

  "Did he call?" Frank helped himself to one of Rose's

  homemade chips.

  Rose eyed him. "Do you mind?"

  "Oops. Sorry. Nervous habit." He waved over the

  waitress to bring more. "Now, where were we?"

  "You were in the process of seriously invading my

  privacy."

  "About Dalton, you mean? I just don't understand

  how he got to you so quickly if you didn't have a lesson.

  Alice says she thinks y'all are sweet on each other, but

  I told her that with his dad so ill, Dalton's got his mind

  on taking care of business."

  "I knew his dad had heart trouble, but is it really

  that serious?"

  When the new chips came, Frank helped himself. "I

  don't gossip, but word around town is that he's got one

  foot in the grave. 'Course, he's always been ornery as

  a swarm of hornets, so he's one of those sorts I expect

  to outlast us all."

  "Oh," Rose said, sipping her tea. While she was sorry

  to hear that Dalton's father t
ruly was gravely ill, it was

  reassuring to know that Dalton had been telling the

  truth. Not that she'd doubted him. Or had she? Maybe

  it was her own feelings she distrusted?

  "So which is it?" Frank asked, leaning in extra

  close. "I can keep a secret. You and Dalton having a

  wild fling?"

  "Mr. Loveaux!" Reaching for her purse, Rose fished

  out a ten and slapped it on the table.

  "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to offend. It's just that if

  Mona and Alice don't soon make amends, I'm not sure

  what we're going to do."

  "Mr. Loveaux, I've already said I don't mind helping.

  And for the record, Dalton and I are not sweet on each

  other, merely friends."

  "Of course. Again, sorry, sorry." The man shot her a

  flamboyant wave. "Usually when Alice says something,

  you can take it as gospel, but duly noted that in this case,

  she was wrong."

  During the walk back to her studio, Rose tried

  focusing on the beautiful spring day. On the historic,

  weathered brick storefronts, the red and yellow tulips

  lining the brick sidewalk and sounds of giggling kinder-

  gartners walking in a row on their field trip to the fire

  station. Anna's first-grade class would be going soon,

  too. Rose tried focusing on all of that, but instead, the

  only thing she could think about was her speedy denial

  of her and Dalton's relationship.

  For heaven's sake, she'd spent a large portion of last

  night kissing the man, pouring out her soul to him,

  admiring his gorgeous face and broad shoulders and

  knack for making her little girl smile. If all of that

  didn't add up to at the very least a serious crush, she

  wasn't sure what did. What was she so afraid of? Why

  couldn't she—

  "Hi, Miss Rose!" Samantha, from her Tuesday-

  night ballet class, waved from her spot in the line of

  kindergartners.

  "Hey, sweetie. Having a good time?"

  "Uh-huh! We're going to pet the firemen's Dalmatian."

  "Mmm... Sounds fun." She patted the girl's back.

  "Give him a hug from me."

  "Okay."

  Rose should've felt uplifted by the fact that she and

  her dance academy were getting established enough in

  the community that in taking a simple walk down the

  street, she'd encountered one of her students. But even

  that did nothing to lighten the dull ache in her heart.

  Why?

  Because, as she'd told him, falling for Dalton was

  potentially risky. Not just for herself, but Anna. What if

  they both gave of themselves heart and soul to him,

  only to have something tragic happen again? Would

  they survive the pain? Was she being a responsible

  parent in considering entering another serious relation-

  ship? On the flip side, why did anything about what she

  and Dalton shared have to be serious?

  They were adults. What were a few fun kisses

  between friends?

  Trouble was, the more she was around Dalton, the

  more her heart trilled at just the sight of him, the more

  she realized her burning fascination with him was

  starting to be a problem.

  She had a little girl and a growing dance studio

  needing her attention.

  Dalton had a bank to run.

  So where did that leave them?

  Rose was heartily confused, but unwilling to hide

  from the issue. If there was one thing losing her husband

  at such a young age, then single-handedly raising their

  daughter, had taught her, it was to fight for what she

  wanted. And truthfully, in a secret, lonely corner of her

  heart, she very much wanted a confidant, friend and

  possibly even lover in Dalton Montgomery.

  Chapter Eight

  "You again?" the bank lobby's boyish, redheaded guard

  dog asked when Rose marched by later in the afternoon.

  "Excuse me?" she said, caught off guard by the

  man's rather rude greeting.

  "Sorry, it's just that I got in trouble for letting you

  wander through the executive wing. No one's supposed

  to be up there except people who have appointments."

  "Oh," she said, continuing toward the lobby stairs.

  "Do you?" he asked, doggedly trailing after her.

  "Do I what?" she asked with an innocent smile.

  "Have an appointment?"

  "Of course."

  "With who?" he probed, while she shifted her heavy

  package from the crook of her right arm to her left and

  kept right on marching up the stairs.

  "Dalton Montgomery."

  "I'm pretty sure he's in a meeting."

  "I'm pretty sure—"

  "Bradley, let me handle this." Dalton, looking in-

  credibly sexy in a black suit and cobalt shirt that

  matched his eyes, strode across the sea of navy carpet.

  Her pulse raced. "Are you ever a sight for sore eyes."

  Ditto.

  "Thank you," she said while he proprietarily slipped

  his hand around her waist, drawing her into his office,

  then shutting the door. "You're looking pretty good

  yourself."

  She adjusted his tie, flicked a bit of lint from his left

  lapel.

  While Dalton struggled for something appropriately

  witty to say, Rose flashed that smile of hers that always

  managed to turn his heart upside down. Calmly setting

  her brown paper bag on his desk before taking a seat in

  his chair, she spun a couple times before landing her feet

  square in the middle of his latest file. Her silky red dress

  slid high on her thighs as she raised her hands to sweep

  her hair back from her forehead.

  Just looking at her stole his every thought.

  Did she have any idea what her being here did to him?

  His whole life had been about carefully compartmen-

  talizing his emotions, but from the second she'd walked

  through his office door, his safety net had hung in tatters.

  "What's wrong?" she asked, crossing her arms

  beneath her breasts, unwittingly deepening her cleavage

  by a tantalizing inch. "Your complexion looks pasty."

  She touched her forehead. "And your frown is back."

  "I feel tired. You shouldn't be here."

  "How come?"

  "Because you're bad for my concentration."

  "When you admittedly don't much care for your

  work," she teased, "I fail to see how my distracting you

  is a bad thing."

  "I'm the boss," he said, taking hold of her slim

  ankles. "My being distracted is potentially bad for

  business." Not to mention his failing willpower. His

  hand on her left calf, he eased it up past her knee, not

  stopping until he reached the back of her thigh.

  She swallowed hard. "Looks like you're in total

  control to me." Wriggling free of his hold to rest her feet

  primly on the floor, she nodded to the bag. "Aren't you

  going to open your present?"

  "Why? When I have a pretty good guess what's inside."

  "You're no fun," she said with a playful pout.

  Oh, but the sight of her made him want to be.

  "Okay, so you guessed I bought you a chunk of clay.r />
  Maybe the real question of the day is what are you

  going to do with it."

  "Not a bloody thing," he said with regret, grasping

  her hands to pull her out of his chair. "I've got meetings

  stacked like jumbo jets waiting to land. I've got letters

  to dictate and contracts to sign. I've got—"

  She pressed her fingers to his lips, her body to his.

  "What you've got," she said, her voice a throaty whisper,

  "is a woman who wants to spend the day with you."

  Fisting his starched shirt, she pulled him excruciatingly

  close before planting a warm, juicy, delectably sweet

  kiss to his lips.

  Through a groan, he said, "I can't do this____"

  "Try," she said, deepening the kiss, deepening his

  internal struggle. He wanted this—her—so damn bad,

  but he was due in Alice's office in two minutes. "You've

  got too many clothes on," she said, sliding nimble

  fingers between the buttons on his shirt, only to en-

  counter a T-shirt.

  "And I mean to keep them on."

  "Not if I can help it." She flashed her sexiest grin,

  telling him loud and clear that he was lost. She'd

  somehow, some way, taken him hostage.

  "Why are you doing this? What about everything we

  talked about last night?" Sliding his fingers under the

  fall of her hair, he demanded, "Taking things slow?"

  "Just for today," she said, kissing him senseless,

  "make me forget the heartache. Anna's at school, then

  going straight to soccer. The dance academy's closed till

  later. Come with me to the loft. We'll be all alone. Just

  you and me and your clay."

  Eyes closed, he drew her close. "You don't know how

  tempting that sounds."

  The intercom on his desk buzzed. "Dalton?"

  "Yes?"

  The object of his every desire slowly backed toward

  the door, temptingly crooking her index finger, beckon-

  ing him to take a walk on the wild side.

  Joan, his secretary, said, "Mr. Rossdale from Fon-

  taine Industries is on line one. He doesn't sound happy

  about the rating you gave their stock."

  "Come with me," Rose whispered. "Make me happy.

  Make you happy."

  "I can't," Dalton whispered back.

  "Excuse me?" Joan said. "Shall I tell him you're in

  a meeting?"

  "No—yes." Dear God, what was he doing? "Tell

  everyone I'm out for the day."

  "Um, okay. Shall I tell folks why?"

  "I'm sick." Lovesick. Heartsick. Crazed in the head.

  It didn't matter what the malaise was. All that truly

  mattered was that the cure stood smiling before him.

 

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