by Lori Foster
Shadow didn't give him a chance to change his mind. She hustled back behind her desk, picked up the form and smiled at him. "I've already filled in your name. Now I need your exact address."
It took only a few moments to fill out the top portion of the form. When they got to the next section, Shadow didn't bother hiding her anticipation.
"You said you're not married?"
"Am I disqualified if I say yes?"
"Availability is not a requirement for entering," Shadow said stiffly, glaring at him.
Brent chuckled. "I didn't lie. I'm not married now, nor have I ever been."
Tilting her head, Shadow asked, "Engaged? Or otherwise involved?"
"That's on the form?"
"No. It just seemed prudent to ask."
Again he laughed. "I already told you I was here alone, remember?"
"But that was when we'd just met. I thought it might be good to verify it."
His low laugh rumbled. "No. No engagement, no involvement."
Nodding, she glanced at the form, then asked, "Ever been engaged?"
"Let me guess," he said, eyeing Shadow lazily. "That's not actually on the form, either."
She shook her head, unrepentant. "Curiosity."
Brent took his time deciding whether or not he wanted to answer. Finally he figured what the hell. She may as well know how he felt about marriage. "Up until a few months ago I was engaged, but it's over now. And that was enough for me."
"Oh." The papers were laid on the desk, forgotten. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories for you."
"You didn't. I knew I was being married for my money. I expected that. But then she informed me she didn't want children because it would ruin all her fun."
Shadow winced.
"Since having kids was the main reason I had wanted to marry, I ended it. And I'm not sorry that it's over. Just the opposite."
"How does she feel about it?"
Brent shrugged. "She still makes a nuisance of herself on occasion. When she found out I was moving, she took it as a sign that I was too heartbroken to stay in the same area with her."
"But you're not heartbroken?" Shadow asked.
Briefly closing his eyes, Brent said, "No. I would have made her a lousy husband, and vice versa. I'd still like to have children someday. But now I know what to look for in a wife."
"Such as?"
Apparently, as long as he was talking, Shadow was more than willing to listen. He took her by surprise when he reached across the desk to chuck her under the chin.
"For one thing, she can't be a businesswoman. Too independent. And she would have to be biddable. Someone content to be a wife and mother above all things."
Shadow smiled in understanding. "What you're looking for isn't all that unique, and one of the reasons I don't plan to marry, even though I'd love to have children, too. I even tried once—marriage, I mean. When I was only seventeen."
"Seventeen?" She'd been little more than a child. The idea was appalling.
Her eyes a little sad, she said, "I thought I wanted someone who would love me, who would put me first. Now, looking back, I think I just wanted to have sex. With my family upbringing, I couldn't do that without being married."
"What happened?" Brent was genuinely curious, which wasn't at all usual for him. A woman's personal history had never interested him before. But then, he'd never met anyone even remotely like Shadow.
"We were both young and stupid." She straightened the papers on her desk, fidgeting, then came to some hidden decision. She looked up to meet his gaze. "He also liked to smack me around. The first time it happened, I kept quiet because I hated to admit everyone was right, that I'd made a mistake. The second time, I left him, but then I let him convince me to give our marriage another try. That was a real mistake."
Brent stared at her, aware of a slow burn churning in his gut. Someone had dared to hit her? He didn't care that it was long ago, that it had less than nothing to do with him. He hadn't even known her and barely knew her now.
But none of that mattered. If she pointed the guy out today, right this second, he'd beat him into the ground. Brent drew a breath, barely getting hold of himself, and asked, "What did you do?"
"The third time he hit me I decided to get even, and when he turned his back on me that night, I surprised him with a baseball bat."
Brent sat back, amazed. "Good for you."
"I broke two of his ribs." She added with a shrug, "He never asked me to come back after that."
Through the tumultuous mix of anger and disbelief, Brent found a spot of laughter. It amazed him that she could always do that, could always amuse him, no matter what.
Her incredible eyes were still twinkling when he commented, "That was a long time ago. You haven't had the urge to give it another try?"
"Only once. When I was twenty-four, seven years after my first marriage. I almost tied that stupid knot again, but like you, I luckily found out beforehand what I was getting into. Right before, actually. Two days prior to the wedding, I discovered my fiancé going into debt on the inheritance I'd just received from my grandmother. When I walked away, he was in a killing rage, because he'd promised most of my money on investments and was seriously in debt without it. I wasn't surprised when he told me he'd only wanted me for my money, anyway. Not that I'm in your league, but Grandmother Harrison did leave me a pretty sum, enough for me to finally decide I could be independent, both personally and financially."
She tapped the pencil on the desk. "That was seven years ago. Now I'm coming to realize how much I'd like to have children of my own. Of course, in this day and age, you don't need to tie yourself into a loveless marriage to become a parent. One of my new friends, Annie, says I'm suffering my 'seven year itch' since my relationship fiascoes seem to come seven years apart." Shadow laughed. "I told her I wasn't, because I had no intention of getting married. But I am giving the parent thing some thought. As they say, my biological clock is ticking."
"You want to be a mother now?"
"Don't look so worried! You're not in danger of being an unwilling sperm donor. I would never get pregnant by a man without asking him first. And anyway, I'd probably do it through a clinic. You know, artificially inseminated, and all that."
Brent recovered enough to comment, "That doesn't sound like any fun."
"No, it doesn't. But then, the alternative isn't always that great, either."
Brent quirked a brow at that artless confession, then laughed when Shadow slapped her hand over her mouth. "Go on," he encouraged her, anxious to hear more.
"Forget I said that," she mumbled past her fingers. "I didn't mean to cast aspersions on the male species and their abilities."
Brent continued to smile. "I was taking it more as a challenge."
"Well, for Pete's sake, don't! I certainly didn't mean it as one."
"You make me laugh, Shadow. I like that. I like you. And as long as we're both in agreement that marriage is not a state to be devoutly sought, I think we can have some of your acclaimed fun together. Don't you?"
"I suppose," she agreed, but without as much enthusiasm as Brent had hoped for.
Nodding at her desk, he suggested, "Why don't we finish that contest form, then I'll help you hang the rest of your decorations."
"You don't have to do that," she assured him.
"I want to. Besides, I have nothing better to do with my time today."
"Oh. Well then, the next question is what three qualities do you look for most in a woman?"
"Attractiveness, honesty and sensuality."
Shadow stared. "That was mighty quick. You don't need time to think about it?"
Propping his elbow on the arm of his chair, he rested his chin in his palm. "Nope."
Shadow smacked her pencil down on her desk. "In that order, I suppose?"
"Certainly. If a woman isn't attractive, I wouldn't pursue her in the first place. If I got to know her, and she wasn't honest—a new criterion of mine—I wouldn't
trust her, and therefore wouldn't want a relationship with her. If we started a relationship, and she was a cold fish, or a prude, there'd be no point in continuing." He shrugged.
Shadow shook her head in dismay, but then quipped, "At least you're honest about it."
"Which part are you objecting to, Shadow? It can't be the looks part, because you have to know how sexy you are."
"I'm … average. That's all."
He just smiled. "I find it hard to believe you could be a prude."
She scowled at him. "If you're trying to find out if I'm honest, the answer should be obvious. I wouldn't put out the effort necessary to lie. But what bothered me was that you didn't think a sense of humor was important. Or honor. Or generosity."
"They would have come in place after sensuality."
She rolled her eyes. "Next question—what would you consider the perfect romantic evening?"
"You mean there's only one?"
She clicked her teeth together. "You'll have to narrow it down to your favorite."
He shifted, propping his elbows on his knees, tapping his fingers together thoughtfully. When his eyes came to hold Shadow's gaze, hers darkened in reaction. He said quietly, his words deep and slow, "Being alone with a woman, the sounds of a storm outside, a warm fire. Naked, with all the time in the world ahead of us."
She looked taken aback by his deliberate and intimate use of "us." She shook her head when she realized she hadn't written his comments down, and hurried to do so, though her fingers shook slightly with the effort.
"Anything else?" Brent asked, enjoying her reaction.
"What…" Shadow cleared her throat, then tried again. "What do you like to do for fun?"
"Water ski, swim, jog." He grinned at her. "Make love."
Her pencil paused, then she quickly scribbled down his answer. "And what type of work do you do?" She was writing as she asked the final question, studiously avoiding his gaze, so she missed his expression of doubt and determination.
Beyond the bare bones, his work shouldn't interest her.
Glancing up, she said, "You gave me a business card, but it doesn't really say. Just your name and a number."
He had many businesses, and even more managers to see to those businesses. That was why he hadn't known about Shadow until boredom had forced him to come to Ohio, involving himself with his newest venture. He answered vaguely, hoping she wouldn't press. "I'm self-employed, running my own affairs. As I said earlier, I'm in real estate."
"Is it interesting?" Shadow asked as she wrote down the final information.
He looked at her bent head, the way her silky curls loosely framed her face. "More so each day."
She smiled at Brent as she folded the papers. "That's about it. All we need now is a picture. As I told you, Hot Shots here in the complex has offered to take the contestants' photos for free. We can go there now if you like, or sometime later in the week."
"If you have the time, we might as well get it over with."
* * *
The photographer was very friendly—a little too friendly, Shadow thought. The woman fawned over Brent, insisting he do the shot without a shirt, and Brent, surprising Shadow, decided to oblige her. He stripped off his shirt without a hint of modesty—not that modesty was necessary. He looked incredible.
Though his hair was light brown, the hair on his chest was darker, not overly thick, but sexy. He was muscular, with broad sinewy shoulders and sculpted biceps. His abdomen was hard, lean, divided by a slender line of that dark body hair. It swirled around his navel, then disappeared into his trousers.
Shadow's heart began an erratic tattoo.
Just watching him, she flushed. Her eyes narrowed as the photographer moved Brent this way and that, taking far more shots than she had with the other contestants, her hands lingering on his bare skin. By the time they were done, Shadow wasn't feeling particularly charitable toward the woman and left without saying farewell.
Brent ignored her mood, going right to work on hanging up the remaining decorations. She insisted on helping, and took immense pleasure in each light they connected, each wreath they hung. The November weather was characteristically biting, and by the time they finished, Brent's cheekbones were red with the cold, Shadow's nose just as rosy. They went inside, laughing, and plugged in the electrical cord.
Twinkle lights wound around the outside frame of the door and the overhang, where a huge wreath was centered. Inside, each window sported a different colored light, with a smaller wreath. The results weren't uniform or elegant, but rather festive and fun. She liked it.
Shadow was taken off guard when Brent gave her a huge hug, enfolding her in his arms and lifting her off her feet.
"Thank you. I've enjoyed myself."
Aware of Kallie watching surreptitiously, and of the few customers who gave them their attention, Shadow forced herself to pull away. She didn't want to. She wanted to pull him down to the ground and have her way with him.
She sighed. "It was fun, wasn't it? Thank you for helping."
Brent, too, noticed their audience. He caught her cold hand, led her to her office and closed the door. In the next instant, she found herself pressed up against him.
"Brent?"
"I can't wait until tonight to kiss you, Shadow." He stripped off his leather gloves and his hands came up to cup her face, his palms warm and firm. He searched her face, lingering on each small detail, and a small smile flirted with his mouth. "You're making me nuts, you know that?"
Shadow didn't have time to answer. Brent lowered his head and touched his lips to hers—not tentatively, as she would have expected a first kiss to be, but purposefully, his mouth moving over hers, his body pressing closer until she was held securely against his length.
She could hear his breathing, smell the spicy scent of his aftershave, feel the heat and hardness of his body. Tension pulsed beneath her skin, a reaction she'd never felt before, certainly not from a simple kiss. When his tongue came out to lick over her lips, she opened, and he immediately took advantage of her quiet submission.
He tasted wonderful, she thought, curling her hands over his shoulders. Without conscious thought she closed her lips on his tongue and gently sucked.
Brent went rigid, then groaned. His body crushed closer, his breath pelting her cheek, hot and fast.
"Damn." He drew away, his eyes searching her face in near wonder. "I knew from the minute I saw you you'd be like this." He pressed his forehead to hers. "I want you, Shadow."
The words leaped from her tongue. "I want you, too. I really do."
His eyes flared, then quickly narrowed when she added with regret, "But it's too soon. I … we can't just give in to lust, Brent. I hardly know you."
He released her to shove his hands in his pockets. His sigh was long and heartfelt. "How did I know you were going to say that?"
Shadow turned her back on him. This was when he would start issuing ultimatums. She wanted to see him again, and she hadn't lied about wanting him. She did, more than she could remember wanting a man in a long, long time. But she also had deeply ingrained morals, and sleeping with a man she hardly knew went against everything she believed right and proper. Never mind that she felt she'd known him forever.
* * *
Brent stared at Shadow's dejected stance. Withdrawn? Shadow? Not a chance. It had to be simply another part of the game she enjoyed playing. He said easily, "I better be going. I'll see you tonight at Reba's. And Shadow?"
She turned, her surprise evident.
"Don't be late."
"You still want to see me tonight?"
With a crooked grin, Brent moved toward her. Touching one finger to her soft mouth, he whispered, "Most definitely. But for my peace of mind, I think we should keep the kissing to a minimum." He laughed. "My libido just can't take all these sudden changes."
* * *
Chapter 3
« ^ »
It was ten minutes after seven, and the parking lot was dark and icy cold
. Shadow couldn't believe her luck, had in fact been cursing the lack of it for the past fifteen minutes.
Leaving her '66 Mustang convertible, a beauty she had always loved until now, Shadow slammed the door. It made a hollow, echoing sound across the deserted lot. The main parking area had plenty of spaces in it, but she preferred to leave her car in the back. It was less convenient to the entrance of the shops, but out of harm's way from heavy traffic and loose shopping carts.
Shadow shivered as she hurried across the pavement, holding her coat collar tight around her throat. Brent would think she'd stood him up, when that was the very last thing she'd do.
Kallie was already gone, the shop locked up. Wednesday was their only early evening, every other night of the week they were open till nine, except Sunday, when they worked only a half day. Rather than go to the bother of reopening the shop, Shadow stepped into a phone booth and closed the door so the light would come on. With numb fingers she flipped through the phone book until she found the listing for Reba's. Her teeth were chattering by the time she managed to dial the number and get an answer.
It was no surprise that she had to wait several minutes before Brent could be located. The restaurant-bar was busy in the early evening. Shadow felt such relief when Brent finally came to the phone, she actually sank back against the icy glass wall of the phone booth.
"Shadow?"
"Oh, Brent, I—I—I'm so sorry."
There was a heavy silence, then with some urgency, he demanded, "Are you all right?"
"I—I'm fine. Just f-freezing. My stupid car won't start. I d-d-didn't want you to think I'd stood you up."
Another pause, and Brent asked, "Where are you?"
"I'm outside the sh-shop. I've already locked it up for the night… Brent?"
"I'm trying to figure out how long it'll take me to get to you. I'm still new to the area, remember."
"You don't have to—"
"Yes I do." She heard the smile in his voice. "Get in your car and lock the doors. I'll be there as quick as I can."
"I could call a cab."
"I won't argue with you, Shadow. Do as I told you and I'll be there in about five minutes."