The Best Blind Date in Texas

by Victoria Chancellor

  He pointed toward the refrigerator. “Second shelf. The dressing is in the small carafe.”

  Within a few minutes, they had everything in place on the dining room table. Gray walked to one of the chairs and pulled it out for her.

  “I could get very spoiled,” she teased as she eased into the comfortable upholstered seat.

  “That’s my goal,” he said easily. Again, Amy wondered how much she could read into his glib remarks. Was he saying those phrases because he really was the best date anyone had every imagined, or did he believe he should treat every woman as special? Or maybe he had another reason…something she hadn’t imagined yet.

  They sipped a rich red wine and ate salad, then pasta. Amy didn’t know what he’d put in the delicious sauce, but she was pretty sure the ingredients weren’t on her utilitarian kitchen shelves. Her cooking skills were adequate for herself and her father—when she’d still lived at home—but hardly qualified as gourmet. Gray hadn’t learned to prepare that pasta dish as a bachelor recipe from the family housekeeper. He apparently took cooking as seriously as he took everything else, intent on being the best.

  “How was your visit in Dallas?” she asked to break the silence.

  “Cordial. How was your Christmas dinner?”

  “Fun. I fixed the usual—turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes—and Daddy ate too much, also as usual. Joyce seemed to have a good time. I think she and my father are pretty serious.”

  “Good for them. Are you okay with their relationship?”

  “I believe so. I’m glad that my father is getting involved with someone again, and I can’t think of a nicer lady than Joyce.” She paused, twirling a bite of pasta in the last of the sauce. “How about your parents?”

  “My stepfather cursed online trading and the Democrats. My mother looks fabulous after her facelift. The family home is exactly the same, with the exception of the new satellite dish in back of the pool.” He took a sip of wine. “I had a nice visit.”

  “What about your father?”

  “Cruising the Mediterranean with wife number three. He sent a card from Crete.”

  “I’m sorry you’re not closer.”

  Gray shrugged. “We all try, in our own way, I suppose. I can’t help wondering what life would have been like if they’d stayed married. If they hadn’t used me as some kind of trophy they both wanted, but then had little use for.”

  “Parents are sometimes so caught up in their own pain they don’t consider the effect on the children.”

  “I know, and as an adult, I see that clearly. I realize, however, that a part of me is always going to be a ten-year-old child where my parents are concerned.”

  “At least you have a relationship with both of them. Maybe not a Norman Rockwell ideal family unit, but you’re speaking.”

  “And that’s an astute commentary on modern life.”

  “Not everyone gets divorced.”

  Gray shrugged. “It seems to run in my family, like premature gray hair.”

  Amy didn’t believe that for a minute, but she wasn’t about to argue the point. Gray had strong views on marriage and family, and nothing she said would change his mind.

  “That was a wonderful post-Christmas meal,” she said as she placed her napkin beside the plate. “I wasn’t up for turkey and dressing sandwiches quite yet.”

  “Sounds…interesting,” Gray said with a chuckle, pushing back from the table. “I’ll have to try that some day.”

  She almost said she’d fix him one, but then she’d be inviting him to dinner, and who knew what would develop from that point. No, better to keep the relationship simple. After all, they weren’t really dating, even if they were involved.

  Attracted, she corrected as he pulled out her chair. His subtle cologne, so fresh and woodsy, combined with his heat to send her heart racing. She concentrated on not stumbling as she stood up. To keep her hands busy and off his firm chest and shoulders, she grabbed her dinner and salad plates.

  “You don’t need to—”

  “No, I want to help,” she said in a rush. “After all, you did all the cooking.”

  When she looked into his eyes, she knew she hadn’t fooled him for a minute. He knew she was uncomfortable around him, at least when they were alone. He knew she fought the attraction constantly.

  Maybe she was tired of fighting.

  CLEANING UP THE KITCHEN took little time. Before Amy could check out all the modern appliances and fully appreciate the hand-painted tile, Gray had escorted her into the living room with a cup of hazelnut coffee. He added a few logs to the dwindling fire, despite the fact the furnace now seemed to be working.

  “You didn’t put up a tree,” Amy observed as they settled onto Gray’s couch. His comfortable, cushy upholstered couch, she silently added. She simply had to get one of these soon.

  “Since I’m not home all that much, I didn’t see the need. Besides,” he added with a smile, “I’ve seen more than my share of decorated Christmas trees in these past few weeks.”

  Amy smiled as she took a sip of her coffee. “We have seen a few.”

  “Every one in Ranger Springs,” Gray added.

  “You haven’t seen my father’s,” she said impulsively, then wished she could take back the words. She was practically suggesting they violate their agreement again. “I mean, it’s decorated with all my school projects from elementary school, plus a collection of cartoon ornaments I started collecting when I was about ten. Believe me, that tree is always a sight.”

  “I’ll bet it’s cute,” Gray said, his eyes dancing with mischief. “I’ll bet you were cute when you were a little girl.”

  “I was gangly and had braces,” she informed him.

  “So now you’re leggy and have a beautiful smile.”

  Amy felt herself blush—not a common occurrence in her life. “Thank you, but I think I’m pretty average.”

  “Still comparing yourself to Maryanne, hmm?” He took the cup from her hand and set it on the table. Before she could think of an intelligent comment, he took her hands in his. “You know what I told you before,” he gently chided. “You’re a natural beauty. She does what she can to make herself as attractive as you are without obsessing over your looks.”

  “Gray, I…”

  “You’re going to tell me I’m violating the agreement again, aren’t you?”

  “The thought crossed my mind,” she whispered.

  “I’m beginning to regret that agreement.”

  “I have a confession,” she said softly. “Sometimes…sometimes I feel the same way.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “That I wonder what might have happened if we hadn’t been pretending for the past month or so. If you didn’t have the one-date rule. What if we could have explored our attraction and seen where it led?”

  “I can tell you right now where it would lead,” Gray said, pulling her closer and placing her hands on his shoulders. “Up the steps to that loft.”

  “Are you that sure?”

  “Yes.”

  His hand stroked her back, feeling heavenly against the silk of her blouse. “Even though you’d vowed not to get involved with anyone.”

  “Sometimes men say foolish things.”

  “You mean when they’re thinking with their heads and not some other part of their bodies?”

  He slowly urged her closer. “Right.”

  “I always thought it was the other way around.”

  “No, I think I should have followed my original instincts and seduced you immediately. I’ve always wanted to take a beautiful woman to that cabin and have my wicked way with her.”

  Amy smiled, feeling feminine power like she’d never experienced before. “You think I would have been receptive to those caveman tactics?”

  “I would have been very civilized, but very insistent.”

  “And now? What kind of strategy would you use?”

  He seemed surprised for a moment, his hands stilling. “I’m
considerably more frustrated right now than I was a month ago. I might rush things.”

  “Really?” she asked, curling her fingers into his chest.

  “I’d try very hard not to be a caveman.”

  Her sensitive breasts touched his chest. “What if I wanted to see that side of you?”

  “You don’t like the side of me you’ve seen so far?”

  “Oh, I like it very much. But I know there’s something else, something hidden deep inside that you rarely let anyone see.”

  “I think maybe you’re imagining this other side of me.”

  “I think not.”

  “Amy, don’t try to conceive of me as someone I’m not. I haven’t lied to you about anything—my background, my plans, my feelings on commitment.”

  “I know you haven’t lied. I admire that about you, Gray. But I also believe there’s more to you than what you show to the world. Or even to me.”

  “I can’t be who you want me to be. Who you need.”

  “Maybe you’re making a lot of assumptions about me.”

  “You told me you didn’t want an affair.”

  “Can’t a girl change her mind?” she asked before her lips settled over his.

  GRAY WASN’T SURE HE heard her correctly. Or even if these past ten minutes were real. He’d only enjoyed two glasses of wine, hardly enough to make him hallucinate. Yet here he sat, a warm and willing Amy in his arms, and she’d just announced she’d changed her mind about their agreement. About having an affair.

  He didn’t want to think of making love with her as having an affair. Instinctively, he knew their joining would mean more than that convenient phrase. He could see it in her blue eyes, so warm and trusting, so filled with need and resolution.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  He needed no further clarification, no more encouragement to cover her lips with his and hold her tight. Her mouth tasted of fragrant coffee and desire, and he grew more intoxicated from the kiss than from the wine. She moaned deep in her throat, a sound that reverberated through both of them. His fingers plunged through her dark hair as he deepened the kiss.

  A portion of his brain, the part that separated him from a raging beast, told him to slow down. To get in control. To charm and seduce with calculated moves and soft words. He fought for control as the primitive side of him struggled for dominance.

  Amy wasn’t helping. Her nails raked his chest through the thin sweater. She pressed her breasts against him, giving a soft whimper when his lips trailed from her mouth down her throat. He took a deep breath, causing a shudder to ripple through her. Strength, that was what he needed at the moment. She was driving him crazy with her uninhibited responses.

  Somehow, he needed to get them upstairs to his bed. Soon, before he pressed her back into the cushions. Before he forgot everything but losing himself in Amy’s willing warmth.

  “Upstairs,” he murmured against the soft skin before her ear.

  “Now,” she answered, pulling at his shoulders.

  “I don’t have any protection down here.”

  She moaned. “How are we going to get up the stairs? I can’t stop kissing you. I want to feel your hands on me.”

  He swelled even harder. He felt ready to explode, but he pushed up from the couch with extreme effort. “Come here,” he commanded.

  Amy surged into his arms. His hands skimmed down her back to cup her bottom. “Hold on,” he said as he lifted her. Her arms fastened around his neck. He eased his hands lower, molding her thighs to his waist. With a moan of surrender, she locked her legs around him.

  Walking wasn’t easy with her moving against him, but somehow he managed to make it to the landing before stopping. Pressing her against the wall, he kissed her until they were both breathing hard and fast.

  “Almost there,” he whispered against her neck as he continued up the stairs. Light from the room below filtered into the loft, showing him the way to the bed. Almost there, in more ways than one, he thought as Amy took his earlobe into her mouth and sucked.

  Fortunately, his king-size bed sported a high mattress. He eased Amy onto the soft comforter, then unwrapped her arms from around his neck and shoulders with a small sound of protest.

  “Just for a moment, sweetheart,” he said easily, wondering why he’d used that particular endearment. Not that this was the time to analyze anything, including his feelings….

  She stretched, reaching up and to the side, pulling her white silky blouse tight against her breasts. Her legs, no longer hooked around his waist, still rested on either side of his knees. He longed to uncover all her secrets, but first he wanted to savor the sight of her, lying so provocatively against his dark linens. “You are so beautiful.”

  “You’re looking awfully good yourself,” she said, kicking off her shoes and running her stocking feet up his sides. “Why don’t you join me down here?”

  “If you insist.” He pulled the cashmere sweater over his head and dropped it to the floor. Next came his shoes, which he kicked away. Then he eased his weight down on his rigid forearms, hovering above Amy so he could continue to look at her. He’d dreamed of her being here, in his bed, but assumed this was one wish that wouldn’t be granted.

  She ran her palms over his chest. “Oh, I insist,” she said breathlessly.

  Gray lowered the rest of the way, until his chest brushed against her tight nipples, until he could capture her lips with his. Her arms snaked around his back and she pressed him closer, until all his weight lay on her, on the bed.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered when they broke the kiss.

  He needed no further encouragement. Rolling to his side, he concentrated on unbuttoning her blouse. On helping her remove first that garment, then her tight, clinging leggings. He buried a groan in the curve of her neck when he saw the blatantly sexy bra and panties she wore. The white lace contrasted to her pale olive-toned skin, and he saw her dark nipples peeking through.

  Her shiver told him he’d accidentally uncovered a sensitive spot on her neck, so he paused to explore, his tongue tasting, his lips coaxing a moan from her. Her fingers clenched against his arm, his back, as she shivered.

  “Cold?”

  “Hot.” She dragged his mouth back to hers and kissed him deeply. When that wasn’t enough, she pushed him to his back and tackled his jeans. His very tight jeans.

  “Careful, sweetheart,” he cautioned as she popped the button and slid the zipper down.

  “I’m a doctor, remember? I’m always careful, especially with someone in such an…agitated state,” she said in a husky voice as she caressed him through his briefs. He closed his eyes at her tender yet insistent touch, but opened them again when she began tugging at his jeans.

  He raised his hips and she had him undressed, except for his briefs, in a few seconds. “You’re very good at this.”

  “You’re a cooperative patient.”

  “Are we playing doctor?” he asked, amused that she could tease him even though they were both highly aroused. He reached up and unhooked the front clasp of her bra, easing the lacy off her round, perfect breasts. The dark nipples appeared almost painfully tight, so he reached up to soothe them with his mouth.

  “Not like I’ve ever played before,” she whispered.

  The time for teasing ended. He rolled over until she was once again under him, kissed her until they were both breathless and pressed his arousal against that sexy piece of silk that covered her. And when that wasn’t enough, he swept away his briefs and her panties, reached inside the nightstand drawer and prepared himself.

  When he eased inside, he looked into her eyes, wanting to absorb every sensation. She surrounded him, pulling him deeper into her body and into her life. Her legs anchored him even as her rapt expression kept him captive. They lay there for a moment, as if they were both afraid to move, to shatter the magic. But then she clenched him tight and he began to move, and all was lost. All his doubts, all his reservations. There was only Amy, mov
ing with him, calling his name, convulsing around him until he could no longer think, until every nerve ending in his body combined in that one place where they were joined. He twined his fingers with hers and let himself go with a moan ripped from his soul.

  AMY AWOKE SLOWLY, stretching languorously in Gray’s bed. A sheet covered her from toes to breasts, but beneath the covers she was quite naked. Quite satisfied, too.

  She felt wonderful. Better than wonderful. The only thing missing to make the night perfect was the man who had made her feel this good.

  Where was he?

  The rustle of paper and the sound of footsteps on the stairs answered that question. Light from below drifted upstairs with the sounds. Pushing herself up on her elbows, she focused on the top landing. In just a few seconds, he appeared, carrying the large gift bag she’d brought with her and a smaller package. He wore the same jeans he’d had on earlier, but his feet and chest were bare. He looked so good. Nearly too good to be true.

  She couldn’t hide her smile when he sat on the bed. “What have you been up to?”

  “I locked up for the night,” he answered, leaning across the bed. His brief kiss, warmth and woodsy cologne stirred her senses. “And I decided we should exchange our gifts up here. I’m pretty certain I don’t want you getting out of bed.”

  “I have to be at the clinic in the morning. We’ll be booked solid with appointments.”

  “Then we’d better get started. I do want you to get some sleep tonight.”

  Amy glanced at the clock. She obviously hadn’t slept long, because it was only a few minutes after ten o’clock. “Surely exchanging gifts won’t take that long.”

  “No,” he said, leaning over the bed until she flopped back against the pillows, “but I had something else in mind for later.”

  “Oh.” She smiled, then pulled him down for another kiss. She loved kissing him, especially now, when she knew what could follow. When she knew how incredible they were together. She’d suspected as much all along, but tonight had confirmed her instincts. Gray was more than a pretend boyfriend, more than a social date.

  He was now her lover. They were having an affair.

  “First, gifts,” he whispered against her neck.