by Lee, Liz
What was she saying? “So you want to stay after all?”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I love you, but I don’t belong here.”
“Well God knows I don’t belong in some small Texas town either.”
She nodded sadly. “Exactly.”
Jesus she was ending him on one hell of an emotional roller coaster today. “So don’t stay.”
She turned away and grabbed the now cold English muffin from the toaster. “I’m not.”
What did she want from him? He was so freaking lost in this conversation. Dammit.
And he had to leave in less than ten minutes. She was driving him crazy.
“What’s going through your mind, Cordelia? Quit playing games.”
She threw the muffin on the counter and turned back toward him. “I’m not playing games.”
Why were they fighting again? This was nuts. He brushed his hand through his hair. “Okay. Just quit…I don’t know. Why are we fighting about something that’s settled already? This is crazy. I have to leave in a couple minutes. You’re going home…” He let his words trail off because he didn’t know what else to say.
What else was there?
Cordelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was right. Why waste the last few minutes like this. But damn it hurt that he didn’t say he loved her.
It shouldn’t. After all he’d loved who she pretended to be, so what did she expect.
At least he’d asked her to stay again.
But she wasn’t staying, so the whole tension filled conversation was pointless.
Ugh!
She felt him pull her close again. Felt his arms wrap around her in a hug and she wanted time to stop again.
But it wasn’t going to happen.
This time when his lips touched hers, she heard the silent goodbye and she hoped he did to.
As Irene helped her unload her suitcases she shook her head. “I can’t believe you won’t even consider staying.”
Cordelia reached over and gave her sister a quick kiss on the cheek. “Vegas is only big enough for one of us.”
The attendant tagged her luggage for DFW and she gave her sister one last hug. “Thank you so much for this week, Irene. If you wouldn’t have sent that dress and that dare I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
Irene shrugged. “I don’t know. I figure you would’ve kept on lusting after the UPS man from afar. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Cordelia forced herself to smile. “Positive.”
Irene didn’t fall for it for a second. “He’s just a stupid guy. You have six more times to fall in love before you reach the average.”
The last thing she ever wanted was to feel this way again. But she wasn’t about to tell her sister that. “I’ll be fine. Don’t forget you have to corrupt Taylor. She needs a big city adventure before she goes back home and marries JD.”
Irene laughed. “As if I could corrupt that girl. Don’t forget to call when you get home. And don’t forget what you’ve learned. It’s okay to have fun.”
Cordelia waved as she entered the airport. Once she boarded the plane she thought about what her sister said.
Fun.
The week had certainly been that. And it was her own fault for falling in love with her fling.
The books were all wrong about that. Sex with Joe in the beginning had been great. Making love had been awe-inspiring.
Every time she closed her eyes she could see him kneeling between her legs. Could hear him telling her they couldn’t be friends. Could almost feel the way he’d touched her.
Oh man.
He’d definitely changed her.
Because of him, her life would never be the same again.
One day maybe she could thank him.
Chapter Seventeen
Joe tried to ignore Taylor’s stare. But finally it was too much. “What?”
She shot him an evil sister glare. “You’re an idiot.”
Great. Twenty questions. “And I’m an idiot today because…”
“You just are.”
Without a doubt this was another of her diatribes about Cordelia. “News flash, Taylor. Cordelia left after I asked her to stay, twice. I’m not the bad guy.”
“Of course she did.”
He just loved the fact that his twenty three year old sister had decided to indulge in the mysteries of psychobabble. Ever since she’d started her direct sales job, she spent all her time dissecting human actions and reactions. His came under her microscope way too often.
“Don’t you have a party to give or something?”
“Quit trying to change the subject.”
As if he had a choice in the matter. Taylor was going to say what was on her mind regardless of what he said.
“Say what you’re dying to say. Go for it. Enlighten me, oh great and mighty baby sister, with your unending wisdom.”
She threw a dishtowel at his head but she still took him up on it. Walking over to the table, she pulled up a stool. “Honestly Joe, I’m worried about you.”
So he was a jerk, but she was worried. Good. He still had his touch. “Don’t be. I’m fine.”
She didn’t buy it. “No you’re not. You spend all your time working. You don’t bother to talk to your friends. You’re not yourself at all.”
She was right in a way and he knew it. In the past he’d always been driven to succeed in business and in play. The last month he’d forgotten to have fun. In fact he’d avoided fun as much as possible. It left too much time to think.
“And you never ask about my job or my dates. I can walk in the door at three in the morning and not see you for two days because you’re always working. And then when I do see you, you don’t even mention it.”
“That’s the way you want it.”
She shot him a look that said he was crazy and he knew it. “I might not want you acting like a parent, but some interest would be nice. You can’t switch like this over night just because your heart’s broken.”
That’s exactly what it felt like. Broken. One week and Cordelia’d wormed her way into every inch of his mind. Now he couldn’t forget.
“So what exactly were you doing until three in the morning?”
“Talking to Irene, who you haven’t bothered to see in a month.”
He hadn’t stopped in to see Irene because he didn’t want to think about Cordelia. Didn’t want to remember what they’d done, how he’d felt.
“I don’t even want to know why you were talking to Irene until three in the morning.”
Taylor shrugged. “Okay. I won’t tell you that Irene said Cordelia is just as miserable as you. That she made Irene promise not to talk about you. And I won’t tell you how Irene said Cordelia rarely acts on impulse. That she’s reasoned out everything in her entire life except some tattoo and you.”
Joe felt instant heat at the mention of Cordelia’s tattoo. And he felt gratified that she wasn’t living it up having the time of her life in Texas.
“I won’t tell you that she has a top ten list of reasons she won’t ever take her sister up on a dare again and that your name is listed beside every number.”
Taylor reached into her back pocket and took out an envelope. “And I won’t tell you we were up so late because we were concocting the crazy scheme.” She threw the envelope addressed to him on the table and stood up.
“Like you said, I’ve got a party to give. I’ll see you later.”
And just like that she was gone and he was left sitting at the table looking down at a folded envelope.
Reaching out, he slid the envelope open and shook out a piece of paper scrawled on with blue ink pen and signed by Irene and his sister.
If You Dare
1.Cordelia lives in Texas not on Mars
2.You love her
3.She makes you laugh
4.She makes you crazy
5.She had sex with you in a public place (Are you kidding me?! And you yelled at me for KISSING Keith!)
; 6.She won’t make the first move
7.She owns an unopened bottle of cotton candy flavored body dust
8.You’ve never felt this way about anyone
9.If you don’t at least try, you’ll never forgive yourself
10.You’re driving us all crazy
After their signatures, Irene had attached a map and his sister had added a neat postscript. The e-ticket’s on your dresser. Don’t think. Just do. It’s the weekend. Hurry. Your flight leaves in two hours.
They were nuts. Crazy. The idea was insane.
But then everything about what he’d experienced with Cordelia was insane.
And number two on their list was the most important of them all. He did love her. This was a chance. Maybe that’s all he needed.
Two hours.
He could do this. But first he had some calls to make.
Cordelia took off her hat and wiped the sweat from her forehead. School started in one more week and she still had peppers and tomatoes in her garden.
She’d have to bag some up and give to the neighbors. Especially Mrs. Reeding who’d applauded when she told Mr. Norseworthy she wasn’t picking up his trash anymore.
And she’d have to give a bag to the school secretary who’d given her a high five yesterday when she’d told the principal no she would not serve on the abstinence based only sex education committee.
And she supposed she’d have to give a bag to the UPS man because once she’d worked up the nerve to talk to him, he’d told her all about his wife and kids. TO think she’d wasted all that time lusting after a married man.
She settled her wide brimmed hat back on her head and let the water run over the plants.
Perfect time to think about the last cryptic message she’d received from her sister in the box of novelty items Taylor had sent.
Irene wanted to thank her for reminded her about taking chances. Right.
And she’d be there in two weeks to explain more.
Mother would love that.
And Taylor’s box of toys was hilarious. How in the world had Joe’s sister ended up selling sex toys at home parties? He was probably having fits over that one.
God she missed him sometimes. Especially days like this when the sun was beating down and the temperature was bordering on one hundred and ten. And she remembered how hot he made her with one simple word or look.
“You know, someone might walk back her and see you standing there looking like that and take it as an invitation.”
Cordelia turned toward the voice in shock. Was she dreaming? “Joe?”
Judging by the way his shoes were soaking up the water she’d turned toward him, he was very much real. She dropped the hose. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect…”
He laughed and shrugged. “I know. Our sisters are something when they get together on a dare. I like your garden. You look sexy in it.”
A dare. Their sisters. She looked sexy in the garden? She looked down at the cutoff shorts she was wearing along with the burnt orange tee shirt.
Lord she was a mess.
“I…you…what are you doing here?”
He didn’t answer for the longest time. Just stood looking at her with this crazy grin on his face and she wanted to keep him right there so she could memorize this exact moment for all time.
And then a determined look washed over him and he walked right up next to her, filling her space with his scent as he bent his head toward hers before answering with on word. “This.”
Her lips were soft and pliant. Her skin still as white as he remembered. Her hair a mystery under the ridiculous garden hat he instantly fell in love with.
This was Cordelia.
How had he ever not known? How had he ever thought the red dressed vixen he’d picked up at the airport was the real her?
She swayed into him, held on to his shoulders and met the kiss with one just as determined, just as deep as his.
He wanted to hold her like this forever. In her garden with the birds singing and the scent of wet dirt and honey suckle all around them.
Maybe he’d convince her to make love out here before the day was over.
But first…He pulled back and settled her away from him. If he didn’t he’d never stop touching her. And he had to if he was going to talk.
“Damn, I’ve missed you.”
“Me too. I can’t believe…”
“Shh.” He held his finger to her lips and tried not focus on how soft they were. How good she felt. “We really need to talk.”
A worried look crossed her face. “Do we have to right now? Can’t we just…”
He shook his head. “No. We have to talk and then if you want we can just all you want.”
“How long are you here?”
“Why?”
She bit her bottom lip for a second and he wanted to pull her close again. Skip the words altogether. Lord talking was going to be difficult.
“Because I’m trying to figure out how much time I’m going to give you to talk.”
He laughed. She was something else, and if she’d have him, she was his. “That’s what I want to talk about.”
“Out here? We can go in the house if you want. I can’t believe you’re here.”
He grabbed her hand and walked with her to the porch he’d passed on the way back. He didn’t trust himself to go inside with her. Too many temptations.
“I’m a little shocked myself. But our sisters sent me a top ten list of reasons I should come. They labeled it the oddest thing. If You Dare. As if I were afraid to come visit for the weekend.”
She was so going to kill her sister over this one day. But then again, maybe not. “Irene strikes again.”
“And I hear you have a thing for dares. So I thought I’d give you one of my own.”
She felt her heart race at the idea of a dare issued by Joe as she sat beside him on old green chairs that desperately needed a paint job.
“I also hear you’re quite the planner. That taking your sister up on dares is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done, and both times you’ve been somewhat burned.”
What was she supposed to say to that? Yes, the dares had ended up with lasting results. But she wasn’t sorry for the week with him. And after the week, she wasn’t sorry for the tattoo from the earlier dare. In fact, she’d grown to like it.
“So you might be opposed to what I’m going to propose. But hear me out. Okay?”
She eyes him warily. “Is this another of your games?”
He laughed. “Figures you’d think so. Maybe this would go better if I made it one. Maybe we could go into the house after all. No telling what I could come up with inside.”
She didn’t bother to answer that just waited.
“I’ve spent the last month missing you. It’s been hell.”
Me too. The worst hell ever.
“And then I got this top ten list.” He handed the wrinkled paper to her and she read the items one by one.
Oh lord.
“And I realized everything on it was true. I love you, Cordelia. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
That was impossible. But maybe…
“I’m not asking you to move in with me, Cordelia. I’m not saying let’s see if this works. I’m saying let’s make this forever. Let’s make it forever here.”
“What?” She whispered the word, not understanding.
And he repeated the last sentence. “Here. Let’s make forever here.”
He wanted to move here. “But…”
He held up his hand. “We do know each other. But if you want to wait, I can deal with that too. I’ve already turned in my letter of resignation. So it looks like I’m moving to Texas one way or the other.”
“But you hate it here.”
He shook his head. “How could I hate it anywhere you are? And how do I know what I think about it here? I’ve let my entire life be controlled by the past. I’m not letting that continue. I want to be with you. Where ever you are.”<
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“But you’re a partner now. And the pay cut…”
“Is worth it to be with you.”
She was stunned beyond belief. Never in her wildest dreams, well, okay, in her wildest dreams, but still.
“Before you decide, let me say something. You said you weren’t who I thought you were. That you were completely different with me because you let yourself be wild. Well, I’m not my normal self with you either. I’d never done half the things I’ve done with you. And I’ve never wanted to spend time talking, just talking, with any woman.”
He stopped and she felt him take her hand in his. “I was hurt when you said you wanted our relationship to be all about sex. Do you have any idea how crazy that is? I thought about it for a long time. Most guys would kill for a woman like you to want a one time, no strings attached fling. And that week was great. But I want more. And I’m willing to wait to get it. If you’re willing to take a risk and see what happens next.”
Cordelia looked at him sitting beside her, asking her to take the biggest risk of her life. He’d already taken the biggest of his.
She threw her hat on the chair behind her. “You did say forever, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “I did.”
A million reasons why she should say no flew through Cordelia’s mind. One week. That’s all they’d known each other. The entire week was based on make believe. Trying to move from fantasy to reality was craziness beyond compare.
But when she looked at him it didn’t feel like make believe. When she heard his voice, it wasn’t just a fantasy.
He wanted forever if she was willing to risk it.
And then she realized the perfect rebuttal for the million reasons to say no. They loved each other. That was answer enough. “Do you think we could get started on that forever right this second?”
He laughed and dropped his lips to hers in a kiss that seemed to stop time. But it really didn’t matter if it did or not. They had all the time in the world.
Maybe the magazines had it all right after all. Cordelia grabbed his hand and started walking toward the house. “Now how about we go check out my bathtub. It really needs breaking in, and your sister sent me these new flavored body paints…”