by Lee, Liz
He must’ve felt the tension return in her shoulders because this time he did laugh. “Na. That goofy grin had absolutely nothing to do with Taylor.”
Even though his hands felt fantastic, Cordelia pushed up on her arms once again so she could see his face when she spoke. “So what exactly were you thinking?”
His hands trailed down her back until his fingers brushed the tiny heart shaped tattoo on her left buttock. The one she’d come away with the last time she’d taken Irene up on one of her dares. Oh Lord.
“I was just wondering what the heart here means. It was a nice surprise to find. Makes me feel like I’m in on a big secret. Like I’ll be able to look at you any time and know that underneath whatever you happen to be wearing is a cute little pink heart.”
Cordelia gasped as he pushed her onto the bed and then bent over and placed his lips right over the tattoo she’d tried to forget until this very moment.
“That I’ll know what it tastes like.” He stopped talking and she laughed as his tongue gently licked before he continued.
“I was thinking that maybe we should come up with a code word or something. Some little phrase I could say to remind you that I know about your little secret and that I’m very, very impressed.”
And then he straightened back up and rolled over on his side beside her. “I was just thinking about that and wondering why I was so shocked to see it.”
Cordelia tried to reign her thoughts back in. To remind her body that she’d made love and then some tonight. That she really didn’t need Joe to relieve the ache he’d instantly given birth to the moment his lips touched her skin.
She really had to get her thoughts back together. He believed she was a sophisticated lover. A woman who could hold her own with the big city boys any time. Someone like Irene. Wanton, wicked, and loving every minute of it.
Right this minute she was all three.
Clearing her throat she rolled over so she could see him. And then she employed the only trick she could think of. Repetition. “Wondering why you were shocked?”
There. Her words even sounded normal. Not at all breathless.
She bit her lip as he ran a hand through his hair. Good grief. She was truly a lost cause. Just watching his fingers come in contact with his silky smooth hair was driving her crazy.
“Yeah. You know. I was asking myself why I was shocked. But it doesn’t really matter.”
Cordelia agreed. It didn’t matter. Not a bit. In fact, at this point it didn’t matter if he knew the truth about her. That his surprise wasn’t all that out of line. That she wasn’t actually the heart tattoo kind of girl.
They’d made love, and the sex was beyond incredible. She’d lived out her fantasy in one night.
Of course he didn’t need to know the truth about her. Not really. This was all pretend. Like playing dress up when she was a kid. Only a billion times better.
But something inside kept her quiet. And when he asked about the tattoo again, she laughed and told him all about the dare and Irene. About how she’d danced on pool tables after one tequila shot too many. About how she’d woken to find the tattoo and a note from Irene telling to live, live, live. But she didn’t let him know how completely out of character for her the night had been.
Because that night wasn’t out of character for the woman she was right then. When she finished telling the story, she decided the sexually aware woman she was pretending to be would never just lay there naked next to her fantasy man.
No. The woman she was letting herself be for this one week would do exactly what she wanted.
And with that thought, Cordelia threw the sheet off them both and straddled his hips with her own. Grabbing another condom off the table, she smiled down at him and proceeded to live like she never had.
Chapter Five
Later, Joe stared up at the ceiling. He needed to leave. He had a million things to do and getting Taylor repacked and back on her way home topped the list.
But laying here next to Cordelia felt too good.
Hell. It wasn’t like Taylor was some little kid. She knew what she’d interrupted earlier. And she’d give him hell for sure.
He felt Cordelia stir next to him and he couldn’t hold back a smile as he watched her curl up next to him. Lying there like that she looked adorable and sexy. Innocent and hot.
Completely contradictory.
Damn she was incredible in bed.
He still couldn’t believe how many times they’d made love.
He’d never ever felt anything like the sexual attraction he had with her. From the very minute he’d seen her yesterday, he’d wanted her.
Actually having her should’ve sated the need. And while the urgency had abated somewhat, he still felt desire when he looked at her. And when he happened to catch a glimpse of that little tattoo…well, damn. She was certainly one hot little number.
Exactly the kind of woman he wanted. No strings. No messy emotional involvement. No desire for a relationship he didn’t have time for.
Nope. This was all about sex, and he couldn’t be happier.
That’s what he told himself as he watched Cordelia sleep. As he pushed her hair off her face so he could see the curve of her cheekbones.
God, her skin was so white. Today’s sun had barely left a mark on it. Maybe it was that skin that made her seem so innocent.
For reasons he couldn’t begin to explain the thought of an innocent Cordelia had him as hard and ready as if they hadn’t already spent hours making love.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to stop thinking about her. To remember he had obligations. That Taylor was next door and that she’d decided to move in.
That he needed to leave.
But just as he moved to slide out of the bed, Cordelia turned and stretched her arm over his pillow. He watched as she snuggled closer. And when the sheet dropped just enough to show her bare breast he knew he’d made up his mind.
To the great relief of his body and the consternation of his mind, he lowered himself onto the pillow and pulled Cordelia into his arms.
Cordelia woke to the smell of sizzling bacon and the sound of a deep masculine voice crooning the lyrics to a country western song.
Man, oh man, oh man. She hugged the pillow Joe had slept on to her body and smiled. He’d stayed all night.
Did it get any better? He made love like a god, looked like a dream come true and he sang too! Cordelia almost laughed aloud with pleasure.
One night and her fantasy week was already living up to every thought she’d ever given it. No, it surpassed anything she’d ever dreamed of.
Her body ached in ways she’d never imagined, and she wanted to shout with joy at every little twinge.
But this naked stuff was only good for so long.
She felt so good. The only thing that would make it better was if she could grab her pajamas from the drawer she’d hidden them in. The soft cotton ones with sleeping cats on them. She’d bought them on clearance because they made her laugh. But they felt pretty darn good too.
Think sexy. Think hot. Live, live, live.
She closed her eyes and listened to Joe sing. She tried to imagine his hands on her body, but they’d made love all night. She felt lovely and comfortable. Like frozen yogurt on a hot day.
Yummy was the only way to describe it. And the pajamas would make her feel even better.
As good as the sex had been, Cordelia pretty much figured she’d been sexed out.
At least that’s what she thought until Joe walked into the room with nothing but a white bath towel wrapped around his waist and a plate of bacon in his hand.
Just like that she melted. And then he smiled.
Oh Lord.
“Good mornin’.” His sexy twang had her heart doing little staccato flips. Well, the twang and the towel. And, Cordelia figured if she were honest, the bacon didn’t hurt.
She smiled back. “Good morning to you.”
He walked across the room looking for all the
world like he owned the place. Cordelia watched as he set the plate on the table beside the bed and sat down next to her.
“I’ve got coffee going and there’s some toast too.”
Cordelia sat up and let the sheet drop as looked up to the ceiling in jest as she spoke. “The man cooks too. Does it get any better?”
He laughed. “You keep looking like that, darlin’, and we’ll see just how much better it can get.”
Oh Lord. And she thought she was sexed out. She licked her lips and tried to fake an innocent look. “Like what?”
He laughed and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Why don’t we make a date for later this evening and I can tell you all about that look. And then I can show you just what it is I’m talking about.”
Cordelia leaned back on the bed and reached for a piece of the bacon. “A date, hm? Why later?” Her stomach grumbled as she took a bite of the salty pork.
For a few seconds Joe watched her chew and Cordelia wondered if she’d ever be able to eat bacon the same way again.
Finally he answered. “I have to get home for at least a little while.”
She nodded. “Your sister?”
“I don’t know what she’s doing. But I do know she can’t stay.”
Cordelia shrugged. “You might let her at least try it.”
He shook his head. “No way. She’s not like you. This town would tear her up in no time. She’d probably meet someone like me.”
Cordelia closed her eyes and envisioned her top ten list of crazy mistakes. A move to Vegas might make the list. But meeting a man like him…huh-uh. No way. Notta.
“And that would be bad because…”
When he laughed Cordelia popped her eyes open to find his mouth very near hers. As he spoke, his breath whooshed across her cheek. “Because guys like me aren’t for girls like Taylor, darlin’.”
He brushed her lips with his tongue and Cordelia opened her mouth for a deeper kiss. She tasted minty toothpaste. Her minty toothpaste. His teeth were smooth and clean and she wished his sister had decided to declare her independence by joining the Army or moving to Brazil. Anything other than taking his mind off sex. Here. Now.
And she decided there was nothing as sexy as knowing the man you’d made love to all night long had used your toothpaste the next morning.
Oh man.
He pulled away and dropped a soft kiss on her forehead again. “Guys like me are for girls like you.”
Cordelia crossed her arms over her chest and enjoyed the way his eyes focused on her instant cleavage. Take that, you Neanderthal!
“Girls like me?”
“Don’t go getting all caught up in semantics. You know what I mean.”
She shook her head. “Why don’t you do a little more explaining,” She paused before adding one last word. “darlin’.”
“I mean Taylor’s interested in love and commitment. That’s just the way it’s done back home. And she’ll expect marriage. But most guys I know aren’t interested in that. At least not yet.”
As Cordelia listened to him talk, she knew she should be happy. She’d completely fooled him. Irene’s daring red dress had set the stage and the rest had simply worked.
He was right. She’d carefully packaged herself in a sexy sort of semantics.
But she wasn’t happy. Not a bit.
Not because he saw her as some fling, she told herself. That was a good thing. But because he was doing to his sister what people back home had been doing to her for years. No wonder the poor girl had run away.
And shoot, she’d seen the girl last night. She wasn’t that young.
Maybe her big brother needed a wakeup call.
But someone else would have to do the calling. Cordelia had one week to live out her fantasy. She wasn’t going to mess everything up by getting involved in messy family politics.
Forcing herself to focus on the way his kiss had singed her straight to her toes, she smiled.
“Well, I guess you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.” She trailed her fingers down his chest and over the knotted edge of the towel.
With one tiny tug, she watched the towel fall open. When it did she let her fingers trail over the hard plains of his stomach before slowly moving over the trail of crisp dark pubic hairs that led to his already stiffening penis.
Oh man, she truly did love being the bad girl. Sexy semantics and all.
Joe watched his sister unpack the last of her clothes and felt a kind of resignation.
The only girl in a house full of boys, she’d pretty much figured out how to get her way. And usually he enjoyed spoiling her. But not this time.
“Taylor, you really need to call Mom and Daddy.”
He waited and sure enough she turned that million-watt smile his way. “Don’t be silly, Joe. Momma and Daddy know exactly where I am. I called them last night.” She paused before walking over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Not that you’d know about that. By the way, Momma said to tell you a visit every once in a while wouldn’t be out of the question.”
To most people, her last bit of information would be seen as a gentle reprimand. But Joe knew better. She was trying to shift the focus of the conversation on to him.
He moved to stop her from putting her suitcase in the closet of his guest room. “Not going to work, Taylor.”
When she sent him a questioning look he shook his head. “Don’t pull that innocent crap with me. You know what I’m talking about.”
She simply shrugged and sat down on the bed as if he hadn’t just told her she had to leave. “Get used to it, Joe. You told me I could visit anytime. Well, here I am.”
He opened his mouth to list another reason she should go back home but she interrupted him. “Don’t go telling me about Bobby Don. He and I have an agreement. He’s glad I’m here.”
Yeah, right. He tried to debate the statement, but she held out her hand. “Uh-huh. Nope. Not listening. You said anytime. And if it weren’t for your new neighbor, you’d be taking me around town to see the sites. Speaking of which, I need the classifieds, and I didn’t see a paper. And I couldn’t figure out your password to get on your computer.”
Joe watched as Taylor jumped off the bed and started walking out of the room. And as he watched he had to admit she was partially right. Cordelia was one of the reasons he didn’t want his sister to stay.
He followed her out of the room and signed on to his computer so she could log on to the local classifieds. Let her see the low starting wages and then see how long she’d want to stick around. She was used to running her own dance studio. She wouldn’t take well to a boss.
Taylor didn’t make it past typing in her sign on name before spinning the chair back to face him. “So who is the new neighbor?”
Joe fought the urge to cover his face with a hand in frustration. “She’s not a new neighbor. She’s just visiting. And I’m not going to talk to you about her.”
His refusal to give more information didn’t seem to faze his sister a bit. “Visiting, hmm. You two looked pretty cozy last night.”
That was it. “Look, Taylor. I’m not going to sit around and discuss my private life with you.”
She hit the enter key on the computer and shrugged. “It’s just sex, Joe. It’s not like I’m a kid. I might even be able to give you a few pointers.” She stopped and let her eyes move to where she’d caught him with Cordelia last night. “Of course, you seemed to have things pretty much under control.”
Damn. His twenty-four year old sister wanted to give him pointers with the opposite sex. How had his life dissolved to this?
He shook his head determined to do the one thing guaranteed to preserve his sanity. Walk away.
But her words stopped him short. “I saw her when I was looking for the paper. She’s cute. Looks like someone you could bring home to meet Momma. Especially with those PJs. Do you think she likes cats? I know you always threatened to kill Mr. Twinkletoes, God rest his soul.”
Cats. PJs. Someone he
could bring home. His sister was a raving lunatic sometimes. And Mr. Twinkletoes had been one hell of a demented feline.
“You’ll have to ask her about the cat thing. I don’t know about the pajamas; I didn’t see them. She’s not meeting Mother. And Mr. Twinkletoes lived to be fifteen. I don’t even know how old that is in cat years. But he was evil all fifteen of them. Besides, I don’t dislike cats. I’m allergic.”
Taylor’s wicked grin let him know what part of the answer she’d focused on. “Well, since you didn’t see them, they’re gray flannel. And they have sleeping cats all over them. I swear, they almost looked like the PJs you boys bought Momma last year.”
Joe couldn’t hide the goofy grin at the thought of Cordelia in gray flannel pajamas. He wondered if Taylor was exaggerating a little. It seemed odd that she’d wear more clothes to sleep in than anything else. The pajamas were probably a gag gift from her sister.
Nope. He pretty much figured she was a naked sleeper. Completely in tune with her body. Egyptian cotton sheets like those they’d tangled last night or maybe silk. Red. Or navy blue.
Taylor interrupted his thoughts. “So, you’ll let me talk to her today. What do you have planned? Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. But if you really want to impress her, I guarantee I can help.”
The day he had to ask his baby sister to help plan a seduction was the day he’d move back home. “I think I’ve got this under control. But yeah, you can talk to her. Maybe before she leaves you’ll see why you don’t want to stick around a town like Vegas. You need to go home, Taylor.”
His sister wasn’t having any part of it. She’d opened up a local job search home page and was surfing for future employment. “You hate home, Joe. You hate the stifling nature of it. You hate how everyone knows everyone’s business. You hate the fact that the only money in town is old money and it’s not up for grabs. I want to live the American dream. I can do that here. I can’t at home.”
Joe had to agree with her words. He did hate home. And if the American dream was money, she was right. You couldn’t get rich in Daryl, Oklahoma.
You could be born rich. The end.
He hadn’t been born to a wealthy family. But he was certainly wealthy now. And his entire family reaped the benefits of that wealth.