by Amelia Judd
And that was the real question, wasn’t it? Change. Was she finally ready to risk changing the life that had worked since her divorce?
“Listen to your sisters, pumpkin. Every woman deserves some fun in the boudoir.”
Holy smokes, even Mrs. D thought she should go for it. “Fine,” Claire huffed, throwing both hands into the air. Good chance she’d already given a big chunk of her heart to Ethan. How much more damage could she do by giving him her body as well? She snatched the dress from Kat. “But I’ll never forgive you guys if I end up looking like an overdressed call girl.” He’d already mistaken her for a hooker once; she didn’t need to repeat the experience tonight.
Claire stomped to the half-bath off the hallway. She shouldn’t have caved so easily. She wished she could say she wasn’t interested in having sex with Ethan, but nobody would’ve bought such a ridiculous lie. Truth was, she wanted Ethan to see her as beautiful, sexy, and feminine. Right now, she couldn’t resist the idea of him burning for her as much as she burned for him.
For better or worse, operation ‘slutty makeover party’ was a go.
She poured herself into the overtly sexual dress and contorted her arm to close the exposed zipper that ran the length of her spine. The dress ended just above her knees and hugged her tight enough both to render the small straps unnecessary as well as shove the swell of her breasts above the low-cut neckline.
She smoothed her hands down the slick fabric encasing her hips and tried to fight back nerves. She knew Ethan’s time in Silver Bay was running out. She’d repeatedly warned her kids that he’d be going back to soccer soon, even if he couldn’t discuss the details of his return yet. A world-class athlete didn’t walk away from a multi-million-dollar contract at the peak of his career to settle down with a small-town mom and her two kids.
“Okay, Cinderella,” Kat said, banging on the bathroom door. “Are you ready for some smoking-hot makeup and a pair of slutty glass slippers?”
Claire groaned and thunked her palm against her forehead. In this getup she felt a hell of a lot more like Catwoman than Cinderella. Which was good, right? Catwoman would never confuse sex or romance with love.
Maybe Claire could compartmentalize sex for one night of her life, like Kat suggested?
Her core tightened. One sizzling night together might be enough to burn off the excessive amount of sexual tension between them. Or the sex might be mediocre, which would be both a bummer and a blessing.
Once, in college, she’d found an amazing pair of jeans in a high-end boutique. Way out of her budget, she’d left the shop without trying them on. For the entire next week, thoughts of those great jeans had kept sneaking into her mind. She’d returned to the boutique the following weekend in hopes of finding them on the discount rack. When the saleslady had seen her drooling over them, she’d encouraged Claire to try them on. “See if they fit. It’ll be easier to let them go if they don’t.” Claire hadn’t even gotten the jeans to her hips before she’d known they were wrong for her. She’d stripped them off and returned them to the saleswoman with a relieved smile.
“Trying Ethan on” tonight might result in a similar disappointment for both of them. Since reality-sex never lived up to fantasy-sex, odds were high she’d feel let down afterward. A dose of reality might be just what she needed. She could put their pretend dating and her all-consuming attraction to him behind her, and then they could move forward as friends.
Encouraged by the thought, she swung the bathroom door open.
Kat stood a foot away, two sexy black shoes dangling from the fingertips of her right hand. “Looking good, sis. Ready for your sure-to-get-laid pièce de résistance?” She waggled her eyebrows.
“I’m impressed.” Claire sighed, lifting the shoes from Kat’s hands. “It takes talent to make the most beautiful language in the world sound dirty.” She propped a hand on the door jamb for balance and leaned over to slip on the heels.
“I have the ability to make just about anything sound dirty.” With a look of feigned modesty, Kat brushed a few dark strands of hair from her face with her pinky. “It’s a gift,” she purred. Then she grabbed Claire’s hand and yanked her toward the kitchen. “Now come on. We have less than forty-five minutes to fix your hair and makeup.”
“What’s wrong with my hair and makeup?”
“Nothing if you want to sell a bunch of cabinets and furniture,” Kat responded dryly. “Hannah’s job is to give you a look more fitting for a bedroom than a boardroom. Sit.” Kat pointed her finger at the barstool next to Hannah’s makeup station.
Claire obeyed Kat’s bossy command and sank down.
“I’ve got one more thing to take care of while Hannah works her magic. Back in a jiff.” Motioning for Deb to follow her, Kat strode from the room.
Claire eyed the empty doorway with a feeling of wary unease. “I should probably try to stop her from doing whatever she’s about to do.”
“What’s the point?” Hannah dusted a light shimmer of powder onto Claire’s face. “She’ll do it anyway. She’s tenacious.” A slight smile softened her words. “The only reason I’m here is because she told me there was a family emergency. By the time I realized her idea of an emergency was getting you laid, we were halfway to your house. Besides, once I heard Mrs. D’s mission statement, I figured this would be way more entertaining than working on a new cheesecake recipe.”
“Mrs. D came up with the mission statement?” Claire whisper-hissed with a sideways look at the elderly church organist.
“Oh yeah.” Hannah gave a slow, wide-eyed head nod. “Apparently, Kat was helping out at Mrs. D’s house when she got the phone call about your date. They decided you needed help, and well,” she said with a shrug, “here we are.”
“Lucky me,” Claire mumbled.
A half hour later, Claire took in her reflection in the entryway mirror and gulped. Hannah had played up the slight slant of Claire’s eyes with black liner, a smoky shadow, and heavy mascara. Next, she’d curled, tousled, and sprayed Claire’s hair into a sexy, bouncy style that fell about her shoulders in artful disarray. Paired with the sleek dress and five-inch heels, the entire look screamed sex. Loudly.
“You’re sure it’s not too much?” she asked, shifting her gaze to the reflections of the four overly pleased-looking ladies standing behind her.
They shook their heads in unison.
“You’re sure he’s going to like it?”
Four heads nodded confirmation.
“And you’re sure I don’t look like a call girl?”
Mrs. D squinted, considering the question. “Maybe a little bit, pumpkin. But not one who works a corner or anything. You look like one of those classy escorts. You know, the ones that make the big bucks,” she said with a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile.
Panic dropped her belly. “I’m going to change back.”
“No, you’re not.” Kat turned her from the mirror. “I know you try to play down your sexuality, so playing it up for once is uncomfortable. Don’t worry. You look amazing.” Kat stepped around Claire and pulled a small suitcase from the hall closet. “To go along with his surprise. Ethan asked me to pack you an overnight bag.”
“Overnight?” Claire heard the high-pitched squeak of shock in her voice. She took a deep breath and tried again. “Did he say where we were going to be spending the night?”
“Didn’t ask.” Kat shrugged.
The doorbell rang.
“Looks like Ethan’s a couple of minutes early.” Kat glanced at the time on her phone screen, a wicked grin curving her lips upward. “He must be anxious to see you. Come on, ladies, let’s leave through the back door.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “By the way, big sis, I packed a few new risqué garments to enjoy on your trip with Ethan.” She clicked her tongue and winked. “You’re welcome.”
Claire took a calming breath and waited to hear the backdoor click closed behind her dubious makeover crew. Before she had time to overthink the situation, she swung the front door open.
Ethan stood on her doorstep wearing a perfectly tailored dark suit, a pressed light-gray button-down, a sleek silver tie, and the megawatt smile that turned her insides to liquid. His brilliant-blue eyes flashed with surprise, then darkened with palpable desire as he scanned her body.
His gaze lingered when he reached her toes. “Nice shoes,” he murmured.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and her breathing quickened. His low, husky voice electrified her nerve endings and shot off a wave of lust so intense she had to fight back the urge to physically throw herself on top of him.
She licked her suddenly dry lips. “I thought you’d like them.”
He returned his gaze to hers. “What I’m feeling right now is a hell of a lot stronger than like.” He lifted the suitcase by her side and offered her his arm. “Ready?”
Claire slipped her arm through his. “Absolutely.”
Chapter 13
ETHAN pulled the full-sized SUV he’d bought that morning to a stop at the small executive airport outside of Silver Bay. Claire glanced sideways at him in unspoken question. He gave her a reassuring smile. “You’ll know where we’re going soon. Promise.”
“I hate surprises,” she said with an adorable sigh of frustration.
He grinned and climbed from the car to retrieve their overnight bags from the back. He knew surprises were tough for her. The fact that she’d gone along willingly so far was a major sign of trust on her part. Hopefully, she’d be agreeable to everything else he proposed this weekend.
With the auction only a week away, tonight was technically their final date, and he intended to do whatever it took to keep her in his life.
His body tightened in appreciation as he helped her step from the car. Claire was a beautiful woman no matter what she wore. But tonight, she looked like every man’s fantasy—a beautiful woman dressed to seduce to him.
He gritted his teeth and fought back the rush of desire. After his promise not to use romance as a seduction strategy, he’d kept his hands to himself—for the most part. But he didn’t know how much control he had left. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything or anyone in his life.
He drew in a breath and forced a tight smile. He had to stay focused on the goal. He needed Claire in more than his bed—he needed her in his future.
Shading her eyes from the sun, she peered at the small private jet waiting on the tarmac. She shook her head, then turned toward him with a playful smile and an amused expression lighting her beautiful eyes. “I’m not sure what I’m more surprised by, your new car, the plane, or the fact that you asked Kat to pack for me. I’m literally frightened to see what she put in there.”
“Adds to the mystery and excitement, don’t you think?”
She chuckled. “The last two months with you have provided more than enough excitement. I’m not sure I can survive more.”
Unless Kat had managed to pack a herd of wildebeest in her suitcase, the surprise Ethan had planned for Claire would be a hell of a lot more exciting than anything coming out of that bag. Which would make Claire happy. Right?
An uncharacteristic nervousness tightened his gut. He was taking a major risk this weekend. Moving too quickly could scare Claire away.
Trying to shake off the doubt Logan had planted in his head, Ethan climbed the short set of stairs leading into the small jet. They exchanged greetings with the pilot and copilot. Apparently, Claire already knew the gray-templed, round-bellied Captain Chris Something-or-other, who’d flown her and her father on work trips before. Captain Chris reported on the weather and the expected flight time.
Ethan did a solid job faking his attention, nodding when expected and thanking the captain for the information, but the dude could have told him they were anticipating strong crosswinds and a flock of flying ferrets for all he heard.
“You look stressed. Afraid of flying?” Claire asked, lowering herself into one of the luxury leather seats.
Forcing a smile that hopefully looked more at ease than it felt, Ethan sat beside her. “If I say yes, would you hold my hand for comfort?”
Her lips twitched. She reached over the armrest and slipped her hand into his. Heat shot up his arm and quickly headed south. Oh shit. Getting hard over holding hands would ruin the romantic evening he wanted to give her.
He clenched his jaw. He had to relax. Too bad forcing relaxation was an idiotic endeavor that only ended up making him more tense.
In less than ten minutes, they were in the air. Not trusting his ability to keep the conversation romantic rather than sexual, Ethan sat eyes-front, rigid and silent.
Claire squeezed his hand gently and waited for him to look at her. “You’re so tense. Anything I can do to help you unwind?” she asked with a flirtatious smile.
Ethan’s heart stopped. A moment later it hammered back to life, thumping against his rib cage. Images of Claire helping him “unwind” played through his head. He wanted to explore her with his eyes, his hands, his mouth. He ached to sink into her, to feel her slick, tight heat wrapped around him as he moved inside of her.
Pull it together, DuBois. No way Claire was offering that fantasy.
He forced deep breaths into his lungs in a futile attempt to ignore the way her dress hugged her breasts and revealed a silky expanse of thigh. That seductive, barely-there scrap of fabric had Kat’s name written all over it. Logan had been right; like a mouse asking a cat for help, Ethan had been a fool to involve her.
“I’m good.” The hoarse words scraped across his dry lips. He swallowed and tried again, fighting to sound natural. “Just thinking about Kat.” Shit. Ethan grimaced. “I mean—”
“Daydreaming about my little sister?” Claire arched a brow. “For a striker renowned for his finesse, Lucky, that move sure isn’t going to help you score.” She pinned him with narrowed eyes.
“I wasn’t daydreaming about Kat.” He kneaded the back of his neck with brutal force. “I was actually cursing my stupidity for involving her. I’m trying to be romantic here, Claire. But I’m about to break. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to rip everything—expect for those damn shoes—off of you and take you against the wall in the frigging bathroom.”
Surprise flashed through her eyes.
“Shit,” he mumbled with another grimace. “And that’s the least romantic thing I’ve ever said to a woman.”
A throaty laugh rumbled through Claire. She had the sexiest damn laugh. The first time he’d heard it at Bayside, he knew he had to have her. Hearing it now, he knew he had to keep her.
“I told you. I don’t trust romance. It’s not real. This … ” She ran a finger down his jawline and across his lips, leaving a trail of sparks in her wake. “This chemistry between us is real. Let’s focus on that tonight and forget about the all-things-romantic checklist you’ve been working your way down.”
“That obvious?”
“Did you look up how to be romantic on YouTube?” she asked gently, her expression suggesting she felt embarrassed for him.
He blew out a resigned breath. “It was wikiHow,” he grumbled, wondering if he needed to strangle Logan. “What gave me away?”
“Dirty Dancing.”
“Really?” He went palms up. “I thought women loved that movie.”
She laughed again and patted his thigh. “I appreciate the effort you’ve made to romance me, but I’d like to experience something real … ” She unclipped her seatbelt, stood to face him, and then extended her hand. “With you.” She gave a hesitant smile and nodded to the back of the plane. “Ever gotten lucky on an airplane, Lucky?”
His gaze dropped to her breasts. He forced it to meet hers again, which should have helped, but seeing the desire dancing in her beautiful blue-green eyes only made him want her more. A low moan of desire escaped him. Unmoving and rigid, he stared into her eyes, desperate to read her mind. Was she offering this because she loved him, wanted him, or both? Would sex now hurt his chance at a future with her? And even if it would, was he truly strong enough
to resist? Shit. He couldn’t afford to mess this up.
Her smile fell as she dropped her hand back to her side. “Ethan, please say something.” Her pale skin flushed red. “Your silence is really starting to freak me out.”
He fisted his hands to stop himself from reaching for her. “You sure this is what you want?” His voice sounded exactly how he felt—raw, on edge, desperate. He held her gaze, every nerve in his body taut and strained and waiting for her response.
“Yeah,” she murmured in a low, sultry tone, sending another surge of blood to his groin. “I want this. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any other man.”
The heat in her gaze burned through the last of his doubt. Who the hell was he to question what the lady wanted?
He slowly rose to his feet, stepped close enough to see the pulse beating in her neck, and took her hips in his hands. He gently pulled her to him. With the added height from those sexy heels, their bodies lined up perfectly. He didn’t bother to hide his arousal, needing Claire to know her effect on him.
Her breath caught and her eyes flashed. With a sigh of pleasure, she slipped her arms around his neck.
Ethan brushed his lips against hers. She was soft and warm and intoxicating. He deepened the kiss, slipping inside her mouth to stroke and tease her with his tongue.
He’d intended to take his time and build the kiss from slow and thorough to passionate. But he’d underestimated Claire’s response. With near violent intensity, she returned his kiss and ground her hips against him, escalating the kiss to scorching in a matter of seconds.
He pulled her tighter. Needing to explore more of her, he slid his hand into her hair and tipped her head to the side. He kissed his way from her mouth to her neck, licking and tasting the warm expanse of skin, unable to get enough of her.
Claire squirmed in his arms and grabbed the lapel of his suit jacket. “Off,” she commanded, shoving the jacket backward.
He released his grip on her long enough to shake out of the coat, yank off his tie, and toss them both on one of the ten empty airplane seats. He pulled her back to him and returned his attention to her neck, collarbone, and the soft, exposed swell of her breasts. Every taste of her stole a little more of his control. He needed to sink into her soon or he’d lose his mind.