by Rita Herron
“THE NORTH GEORGIA mountains are beautiful. I’ve never seen so many dogwoods in bloom.” Paige parked and took their picnic supper out of the car to settle on a blanket. She still couldn’t believe she’d let Zeke talk her into this evening picnic, but after watching him with the neighbors and animals, she hadn’t been able to resist. He’d been sneaking heated looks at her during their neighborly visits that had made her blood boil and her imagination go wild. Her defenses had completely crumbled.
“I love the outdoors,” Zeke said. “The fresh air, all the trees.”
Paige grinned as a squirrel scampered up a nearby pine tree. The sound of the bubbling creek filled the air like music, and Zeke whipped out some candles and lit them, his husky voice low and simmering with barely suppressed passion. The evening picnic seemed incredibly romantic, especially with sexy, brawny Zeke Blalock turning her inside out with his mesmerizing eyes. Every time their fingers brushed, their hands touched, her body responded as if Zeke’s body had engaged her senses in a slow seduction.
“Thanks for bringing me here.” Paige nibbled on a grape as she desperately tried to curb her raging hormones.
Zeke stopped unpacking the picnic supplies, handed her a glass of wine. “Thanks for coming with me. The girls are great, but sometimes I get lonely for adult company.”
Don’t tell me that. His lazy grin blindsided her. She tried to steer the conversation to their surroundings, the weather, anything impersonal. “At least it’s cooler here in the mountains.”
“I can still feel the heat,” he said in a sexy low voice. Paige winced at the double meaning, but he didn’t give her time to reply. He raised his glass, his mouth twitching with a smile. “Let’s have a toast.”
Paige laughed softly as their glasses clinked. “What are we toasting to?”
Mischief sparkled in his dark eyes. “Friendship.”
“To friendship.” A shiver rippled up her spine at the raw sex appeal oozing from Zeke’s gaze.
The candlelight flickered, highlighting his dimple, catching the dark irises of his eyes. Paige felt as if she’d been sucked into an undertow of emotions, her caution washing out with the tide. She sensed his loneliness, the pain he’d carried around since his wife’s desertion, the almost urgent need for someone to hold him. She wanted to be that someone. Even if it was only for a short while.
She gently reached out and touched his hand, tracing a path over his knuckles, gasping lightly when he turned his hand palm up, then folded her small fingers in his. His skin felt warm and cool at the same time, soft but erotically rough and masculine, and the heated gaze he gave her was filled with a longing she could no longer deny. Slowly he moved toward her, his hands seeking, his mouth easing a trail of kisses over her fingers as he pressed her hand to his lips. Heat spiraled through her, engulfing her with want. Trembling, she fought a sliver of disappointment when he released her hand with a sly smile and offered her a plate.
They enjoyed the snacks, walked hand in hand along the creek edge talking about their different childhoods, then lay on the blanket and watched the bubbling brook, basking in the sounds of the night filtering through the foliage and the scents of honeysuckle and flowers and green grass that filled the warm night air.
“I bet Summer and August would love to wade in the creek,” Paige said softly as they finished off the wine. Maybe the three of you can come back, she thought, feeling suddenly dismal.
“I’ll bring them camping here sometime.”
“They would love Rock City and Ruby Falls, too.”
“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”
Zeke threaded his fingers through hers and Paige snuggled against him, the evening temperature cooling so quickly that goose bumps shimmied up her arms. Zeke wrapped his arms around her, his embrace protective and warm, his masculine scent mingling with the outdoors, arousing her senses. She turned in his arms, silently asking for his touch.
His breath fanned her cheek, his eyes dark slits in the moonlight, and Paige shivered with arousal at the raw need she saw shining in the depths of his eyes. Then he lowered his mouth and brushed his lips across hers, tenderly, gently, so softly she arched forward, seeking more.
His hand cupped her face, angled her head so he could cover her mouth with his. He devoured her with his lips, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and hungrily tasting her. Paige clutched his arms, wedging one leg in between his thighs as she snuggled deeper into his embrace, and he cupped her bottom and dragged her against his heat, groaning. She stroked his thigh with her hand, felt the muscles ripple in his back, then arched her aching breasts forward, surrendering, begging for more.
Zeke suddenly pulled away and gazed into her eyes, his heated, passionate look making her feel heady and starved for closeness. “Come on.” Zeke tugged her to a standing position. “The bugs will eat us alive us if we don’t leave now. Let’s go to my house.”
They rode back down the mountain, listening to a soft jazz station as they wound around the curves, the anticipation and promise of passion lingering between them like the promise of food to a starving man. Zeke stroked her hand, pressed it to his thigh where he covered it with his own, brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them, seduced her with the hint of lust in his eyes. Paige relented to the mood, the purr of the music and the rich taste of the wine mellowing her resistance. Zeke elicited a hunger in her that became an almost desperate need, a want she’d never felt in her life.
Maybe she was simply tired of fighting her attraction to Zeke.
“Come in for coffee or another glass of wine,” Zeke suggested when they arrived at his house.
Paige simply nodded, knowing she was agreeing to more than coffee or wine, knowing she was about to surrender her body, her heart, her soul. And not caring about the consequences.
When they entered his house, he took her in his arms, then he lowered his mouth and smothered her with a kiss that forced all reasonable thoughts from her mind. His hands slid beneath her shirt and he slowly inched her T-shirt over her head and the pure carnal lust in his eyes gave her a rush of sensations so heady she reached for his shirt with frantic fingers. His hands cupped her breasts, hers hastily unbuttoned his shirt and she slid her hands across the hard planes of his muscular chest. He brushed his lips over her mouth, then trailed kisses down her neck and lower until he reached the mounds of her breasts. Dipping his head lower, he teased her nipples to hard peaks through her bra. Paige groaned and clung to his arms, her head lolling back as sweet agony tightened her stomach.
Some distant sound vaguely broke into her consciousness, but she ignored it and let passion sweep her into its trance as Zeke stroked her back and unfastened her bra, letting her breasts spill into his hands. Her body arched toward him, the ache so painful she almost cried out with the intensity.
The sound came again, a shrill sound that rattled her nerves and penetrated the haze of desire. She felt Zeke still in her arms, his heart beating furiously.
“It’s my phone,” he said, his voice husky with passion.
“You have to get it?”
He leaned his forehead against hers and nodded. “It could be the clinic. Or the girls.”
She nodded, her labored breathing echoing through the small foyer.
“Don’t move, Paige.” He kissed the tip of her nose, and hugged her to him in a tender gesture that sent a shudder through her.
Then he reached for the phone and Paige pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to steady her breathing and hide her disappointment when she heard him say his ex-wife’s name.
Chapter Ten
Déjà vu struck Paige, the room spinning around her with a dizzying sickness. She righted her clothing, feeling naked and exposed in more ways than one. A few months ago she’d stood in this same room, this same house, and listened to Eric tell her he was going back to his ex-wife.
She couldn’t go through that heartbreak again.
“You will be here for their birthday,” Zeke said in a heated voice. “You have
to come, Renee. You’re their mother, the girls need you.”
Paige nodded, backing toward the door. Zeke was right, they needed their mother, and obviously from the pain in Zeke’s voice, he needed her, too. He glanced up, his dark eyes troubled, his shoulders slumped, and her heart squeezed, so many emotions bombarding her that she couldn’t speak.
“Okay, I’ll tell the girls you’ll see them on their birthday.” He hung up the phone, then ran his hand through his hair, tousling the dark strands as he stood, warring with his own emotions. She heard his breathing rattle across the distance and she hugged her arms around her middle when he stalked toward her.
“I’m sorry, Paige,” he said in a thick voice, frowning as he stared at her shirt. “That was—”
“Your wife,” Paige supplied.
“My ex-wife,” he said pointedly, his dark gaze capturing hers.
“I…I’d better go, Zeke.” She backed toward the door, but the turmoil in his expression stopped her.
“Why? I thought we were—”
“No.” Paige cut him off. “We got carried away, but it would have been a mistake.”
His expression hardened, his eyes glittering with anger. “Why do you say that?”
“Because we want different things, Zeke.”
“We both wanted to make love,” he said, his voice husky. “You can’t deny that.”
Paige shook her head, her chest tight. “No, I can’t deny it, but having sex would only complicate things.” She took a deep breath, finally voicing her true worries. “I can’t be a fill-in for Renee, Zeke.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “That’s not what you are, Paige.”
“Isn’t it? The girls have been advertising for a mother, and you’ve obviously been dating, trying to find someone to fill your wife’s shoes. Besides, Renee may come back to stay.” She paced across the foyer, watching the guilt flash into his eyes. “You can’t deny that, can you?”
Zeke fisted his hands by his sides, and gave her a long assessing look. “I hope she will, for the girls’ sakes. But I want to be with you, Paige.”
Paige shook her head again, the memory of the tormented way he’d looked when he’d talked to his ex-wife only minutes earlier needling her. “You want me because the girls like me, because you think they need a mother right now and I’m close by. I’m a convenient substitute.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Zeke scoffed, his cheeks growing red with anger. “My wanting you has nothing to do with the girls. I wanted you the first time I saw you on my doorstep. And I’ve wanted you every minute since.”
“I’m not saying there isn’t some sort of chemistry between us—”
“At least you’re not denying that!”
“But the first time you saw me the girls had posted that flier. Since they latched on to me, you thought I’d make a good candidate.”
“Well, it’s obvious I was wrong, wasn’t I? You’re just like Renee—your career is more important to you than me or the girls.” His dark eyes raked over her, disappointment lacing his voice. “I guess you’re right, our making love would have been a mistake, Paige. I’m not a very good judge of women, am I?”
Paige froze, his words carving a painful hole in her chest. Her legs trembling, she turned and opened the door and fled to her house, tears streaking her cheeks.
OVER THE PAST two weeks, Paige’s accusations had haunted Zeke day and night. Exhausted, he slumped onto the sofa, hoping he’d be able to grab a nap before dinner. And wondering what he could have said to have made Paige change her mind. He wished for the life of him he hadn’t lost his temper, that he’d taken her in his arms and proved to her that she’d been wrong about his motivations for wanting her. But he’d been too stunned, first from Renee’s insensitivity to her own children, then to Paige’s false assumptions about him. Couldn’t the woman tell real passion when she saw it? Did she think he’d been faking his arousal? Damn, he’d almost been shaking with need every time he was around her.
Deep down in his soul, he knew Paige wasn’t like Renee. She honestly cared for the girls; he could tell in the tender, loving way she treated and respected them. But she wanted her career, too, didn’t want the responsibility—or was she afraid of it?
Heck, he was being old-fashioned. No, archaic. Perhaps, he needed to rethink his views on working mothers.
The girls were happy at day care, and if Paige worked nearby, she would still be with him and the girls in the evening. Maybe he could handle having a working wife if she loved the girls and him, too. But how did Paige feel about him?
His beeper sounded and he checked the number. The clinic. An emergency. He called in the number and told the hysterical woman on the phone he’d meet her at his clinic. Her German shepherd had been hit by a car.
“Summer, August,” he yelled from the bottom of the steps. “I have to go back to the clinic.” The girls barreled down the steps.
“Can we go to Paige’s?”
He shook his head, knowing his sporadic on-off friendship with Paige confused them. “I’ll call Grandma.”
He phoned, but his mother was out for the evening and with the vandals still at large, he didn’t feel comfortable using a teen baby-sitter. He’d have to ask Paige to help him, and hope she didn’t shut the door in his face when he turned up, asking for a baby-sitter. And he prayed she didn’t see his request as a confirmation of her accusations.
PAIGE FINISHED tacking the hem on the halter dress and smiled, pleased with the way the design had turned out. For her final project, she’d designed a series of outfits for the traveling woman, keeping in mind the economy of packing and the various social occasions and business functions a woman would need. For ease of coordinating accessories, she’d chosen a black and white color scheme which could be elegant enough for after dinner as well as suitable for work. Classy and sophisticated. The black crepe halter dress had a softly flared side slit on the skirt and would make a perfect outfit for dinner. A white fitted sheath dress with a black jacket worked for the office. Removing the jacket would make the transition into an evening outfit as well. A broomstick skirt made in georgette and black jeans lent to more casual attire, both ensembles being paired with a white poet’s blouse of cotton poplin. Black pumps and simple silver bangle bracelets and earrings completed the collection.
She rubbed her eyes and stretched, her vision blurring from working with the tiny stitches. Exhausted, she left the outfits spread across the table and headed to the kitchen to clean up the dirty dishes. Beverly and Amelia had eaten spaghetti with her earlier, and they’d gotten so caught up looking at the wedding dress designs, she’d left the dishes for later.
She yawned, deciding she had to forget Zeke or she’d never sleep again. The doorbell rang and Paige hurried to answer it. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see the man who haunted her dreams standing on the porch.
“Paige!” both girls shrieked and ran into her arms. She hugged them both, eyeing Zeke over their small heads. He was watching her, a guarded expression on his face, his dark eyes blazing heat up and down her body with his scorching perusal. She shivered slightly, wondering if he could possibly have read her mind earlier and come running to her house to pronounce his love.
“I hate to bother you, but I have an emergency,” he said, his voice low and throaty.
“Grammy can’t come over,” Summer said.
“And we wants to stay with you, Paige.”
“Can we?” Summer pleaded.
Disappointment suddenly ballooned in Paige’s stomach, but she met Zeke’s steady gaze, determined not to reveal her emotions. And trying not to panic that she’d have full responsibility for his children. “Sure, girls. You can stay here,” she heard herself say.
“I really hate to ask, Paige, but with the vandals still on the loose—”
“It’s okay, Zeke. I don’t mind baby-sitting,” Paige said pointedly.
His jaw tightened, and he opened his mouth to argue, but his beeper sounded again.
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“Better go, Daddy,” Summer said.
“Don’t let that doggie die,” August added.
Zeke hugged both girls for reassurance. “I’ll do my best,” he said in a gruff voice.
“I don’t know what time it will be,” he said, his gaze locking with hers. “I may have to do surgery.”
“Don’t worry about the time.” Paige searched his face for some sign he still wanted her. “I’ll put them to bed in the guest room if you’re not back in a while.”
He nodded, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing the beeper at his belt. “Thanks, Paige. I really appreciate this.”
She nodded and forced a smile, her chin up, then closed the door. Her heart broke when he drove away. She’d been right. She was just a baby-sitter. Zeke had probably realized he didn’t have to date her or bed her to ask her to baby-sit. All he had to do was to walk next door.
“What ’ya doing?” Summer and Paige both asked when they saw her sewing supplies spread on the table.
“Working on my project.”
The girls squealed when they noticed the bags of material and ribbons and rickrack. Summer examined several decorative buttons and August draped a long red piece of silk around her head.
“Hey, look, I’m Little Red Riding Hood.”
Seeing their excitement, she realized they weren’t ready for bed, so Paige dragged out a box of scraps to entertain them. “Would you girls like to learn how to sew? We could make doll blankets for Molly and Sue.”
“Yeah!” both girls exclaimed.
Summer and August searched through the scraps. “I like this purple ’terial,” Summer said.
“And I want the blue striped.”
“Great. Now, we’ll turn the edges down and sew them to make a blanket.” She pinned the folds and threaded a needle, then taught them how to make a simple hem stitch.
“This is hard,” Summer said. She reached for the big scissors to snip a loose thread but Paige grabbed them first and quickly warned the girls about using her sharp scissors.