by Gina Wilkins
Chapter Eight
If Aaron was surprised when Shelby turned her car into the lot of an exclusive country club after driving almost forty minutes from the resort, he kept the reaction to himself. It had been a pleasant drive, with music and lively conversation. Aaron was so easy to talk to, she mused as she drove around the crowded parking lot, searching for an empty slot. From pop culture to politics, they’d swapped opinions and observations, usually agreeing, occasionally differing, but always respectfully. The time had passed so quickly it was almost a surprise to her when she’d reached the club where she’d decided to bring him.
“There’s a spot,” Aaron said, pointing ahead and to the left.
She turned quickly into the narrow opening. “Whew. I was beginning to think we were going to have to park on the street.”
“Looks like there’s quite a crowd here this evening. Some kind of event, I take it?”
She nodded. “It’s a big charity bash that’s been planned for months. The resort bought tickets weeks ago as a donation to the cause, but no one else was interested in attending. I wasn’t sure I’d come, until this date bet came up. I figured coming here was a way to pay my debt to you and contribute to the local women and children’s shelter at the same time.”
Aaron flashed her a smile. “I like that,” he said. “So am I dressed okay? It’s not a coat and tie event, is it?”
She nodded toward two couples climbing out of a large SUV nearby, both of the women in casual dresses, the men dressed very much like Aaron in dress shirts and chinos, no tie in sight. “Casual dress was encouraged, just no jeans or collarless shirts. That’s a club restriction, I think, though I’m not a member.”
He reached for his door handle. “Well, then, let’s go be charitable.”
Sliding out from beneath the wheel, Shelby was pleased that Aaron seemed to approve her choice. She’d spent several hours debating over what they should do this evening—miniature golf? A picnic? Horseback riding? A concert?—but her thoughts had kept coming back to this event organized by a local women’s organization in which several of her college sorority friends were active. She’d considered joining, herself, but her work at the resort kept her so busy during the summers, in addition to her few outside civic activities, that she wasn’t sure she had enough spare time to contribute. Maybe tonight would change her mind.
She and Aaron met up at the back of her car and he held out his arm, smiling down at her. “Have I told you how pretty you look tonight?”
“You have,” she replied with an answering smile. “Thank you again.”
“My pleasure.”
He looked quite delectable himself, in his pale blue shirt and gray slacks. He’d combed his dark hair neatly, but a rebellious lock still tumbled onto his forehead, almost begging her to reach up and smooth it back. She resisted only because it looked so appealing exactly the way it fell.
“Am I going to run into more strangers who tell me how happy they are to see me again?” he asked as they approached the entrance doors just behind the two couples from the SUV.
She tried to remember if any of the friends she would encounter inside had met Andrew. “I don’t think so.”
He nodded and held the door for her. “That’s a relief.”
She handed their tickets to the host inside the impressive lobby of the venerable establishment. Despite the rather stuffy decor, the noise level was high and a little rowdy, with laughter, conversation and music spilling out of several of the rooms around them. The whole place had been reserved for the event, and according to the program they were given, there were plenty of activities to entertain them: a casino room where they could win tickets for prizes. A karaoke bar. Dancing to a live band in the main ballroom. And plenty of food, from buffalo wings to a sushi bar.
“Doesn’t look like we’re going to be bored,” she commented, perusing the options with a lifted eyebrow.
Aaron put a hand at the back of her waist. “I’ve yet to be bored with you,” he murmured.
Her flattered response to the rather casual compliment seemed out of proportion. Was she really still stinging over Pete’s loss of interest in her, even as she herself had given up on them as a couple? Pathetic, Shelby.
Aaron was either the most accomplished actor she’d ever met or perhaps the most well-trained gentleman, or maybe both. Or maybe he really did have a good time with her that evening. His smiles and laughs certainly seemed genuine. They ate, played at the casino games and competed fiercely to see who could win the most tickets. They even sang karaoke—and while Shelby considered herself a decent vocalist, she was not particularly surprised to discover that Aaron was even better. He had a very nice, deep voice with a sexy Texas drawl that was well suited to the heartbroken-cowboy song he selected.
She couldn’t help being proud to be seen with him, to introduce him to her old friends who didn’t often see her out with such dashing companions. They had grown accustomed to her comfortably sedate relationship with Pete, and she’d been grumpily aware of the pitying looks she’d received from a few of them since the breakup, but they were obviously intrigued to see her with Aaron. Her feminine pride couldn’t help but be bolstered.
“You have a beautiful voice,” she said to him when they two-stepped to the music of a country-western band in the ballroom later. “Have you ever performed professionally?”
He shook his head. “Lots of family sing-alongs around campfires at my uncle’s ranch. Took choir in high school for an easy A.”
She laughed and confessed, “Me, too. Turned out it was way harder than I expected. My choir teacher was tough. I had to work harder than I’d expected for that A, but I enjoyed it.”
He twirled her, then brought her back into his hold. “Once we’ve enjoyed another dance or two, we should head back into the casino room. I think you’re still ahead of me by a couple of tickets. Can’t have that.”
She laughed. “You are so competitive.”
His grin flashed. “Says the pot to the kettle.”
“Moi? How silly. Although I believe I do have a few more tickets than you.”
Chuckling, he spun her again as the song came to an end. She stumbled when she came face-to-face with Pete.
“Hello, Shelby.”
She gave a strained smile to the tall, auburn-haired man who had moved to stand in front of her on the dance floor. “Hi, Pete. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
She had met twenty-seven-year-old accountant Pete Van Pelt at a meeting of a local CPA organization almost two years ago. She rarely attended meetings with the group now, mostly because she had no particular career ambitions outside the resort, so she hadn’t seen Pete since their breakup several months earlier. She knew he didn’t particularly like crowds or parties, but because he did have professional aspirations, she supposed he’d thought this was a good chance to network and be seen as a community volunteer.
“Laura Granderson invited me. It’s a good cause, so I thought I’d make an appearance.”
He looked at Aaron then. “I have to confess I’m surprised to see you here, Andrew.”
Aaron looked at Shelby with a questioning expression. She smiled wryly and drew him forward. “Aaron, this is Pete Van Pelt. Pete, this is Andrew’s brother, Aaron Walker. He’s been staying at the resort this week for a vacation.”
The men shook hands. Though she suspected he’d recognized the name, Aaron greeted Pete with the same courtesy he’d shown everyone else. To give him credit, Pete didn’t exclaim about Aaron’s resemblance to Andrew, merely apologized politely for mistaking him for his brother.
“You look very nice tonight,” Pete said, eying Shelby’s dress and strappy sandals. He probably noticed that she’d even gone to the extra effort of polishing her toenails a bright hot pink; Pete didn’t miss that sort of detail. He had the courtesy not to point out
, as Lori had, that she was rarely seen in a dress, but she’d bet he was thinking something along that line.
Aaron moved closer to her side, resting a hand on her back. “Excuse us, Pete. We were just going to try out some more of the casino games. It was nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, you, too, Aaron. So, you’re just here through the weekend?”
Aaron smiled intimately down at Shelby. “That’s still up for consideration.”
Pete looked somberly from one of them to the other. “I see. Well, have a good time, you two.”
Though she didn’t look back, Shelby had the sensation that Pete watched them as they moved toward the doorway.
* * *
Shelby parked in front of Cabin Eight later that evening, cut the engine and turned off the headlights. It was well after ten, but she was in no hurry to leave. The night had been almost magical so far, and she wasn’t ready for it to end.
“I had the best time tonight,” she said, fingering the wooden bracelet on her arm that would serve as a memento of the evening. Some very nice items had been donated for door prizes—redeemable with tickets from the casino games—and she’d won this bangle donated by a local woodworking artist. Aaron’s prize had been a football autographed by last year’s Texas Longhorns team and coach. He’d seemed pleased, commenting to Shelby that he had a young cousin who would be thrilled to receive it. Both of them had made donations to the charity before leaving the event.
Aaron tossed the football from one hand to another. “It was fun. You did good picking the evening’s entertainment. Food, games, singing, dancing...a little taste of everything.”
She smiled. “That was clever of me, wasn’t it? And all for a good cause.”
“Would you like to come in for a nightcap? And by nightcap, I mean a light beer or a cup of tea, the only things I have to offer.”
“Tea sounds good.”
Cabin Seven was dark and would have looked deserted had it not been for the car still parked in the drive. Shelby spared only a glance next door as she followed Aaron into Cabin Eight.
He closed the door behind them. He’d left only a lamp burning, so the main room was intimately dim. Dropping the football onto a chair, he turned to face her without turning on the overhead light. With his back to the lamp, his face was in shadow, the expression in his dark eyes hidden, though she thought she saw them glitter. She swallowed hard, pushing her suddenly damp palms down her thighs.
His voice was husky when he asked, “Beer or tea?”
“I’m...not really thirsty,” she admitted, the slight pause giving her a moment to decide whether she really wanted to do this.
She did.
Taking a step toward him, she murmured, “Are you still interested in showing me the view from your bedroom window?”
“Oh, yeah,” he rasped out.
He stood very still, letting her make the moves. Confident now, she laid her palms on his chest and rose on tiptoe to take a taste of his mouth. He rested his hands on her hips. She felt the impatience quivering in his muscles, but still he held back. Sliding her hands slowly up his chest, she kissed him again, a little harder this time, nipping at his lower lip until she elicited a low moan of response from him. “Aaron?”
He brushed his mouth across hers. “Mmm?”
“Either we go upstairs now, or I’m going to drag you right down to the rug beneath our feet.”
His laugh sounded a lot like a groan. Taking a step backward, he held out a hand to her, and she laid hers in it. They turned together toward the stairs.
Minutes later, her pretty dress was a colorful puddle on the hardwood floor beside the bed. His shirt lay close to her dress, while his pants were draped half on, half off the little chair nearby. He tossed her lace bra in the general direction of the rest of the clothes. She didn’t know where it landed, but she’d worry about that later.
Finally, they were skin to skin. And it was every bit as delicious as she’d fantasized. She’d seen his bare chest before, during their water outing, and she had admired it then. Now she had time for a leisurely examination, using her eyes, her hands, her lips. The bedside lamp was dimmed so that the light glowed softly on his sleek skin, illuminating her path as she kissed a line from the hollow of his throat to his shallow navel. Her hand slid downward, seeking, stroking, cupping, and the groan she ripped from his throat was immensely satisfying.
His fortitude weakening, he tugged at her shoulders, lifting her upward, flipping her over so that he could do a little exploring of his own. His hands sought her breasts—and while she’d always thought they were on the small side, Aaron seemed more than satisfied when he rubbed her nipples into tight points, then lowered his head to taste them. She gasped and arched, offering more. He accepted that invitation eagerly.
She would have liked to take the time to study and taste every inch of Aaron’s hard body, and he muttered that he wanted to do the same with her. It turned out neither of them had the patience.
“I need to be inside you,” he grated, every inch of him quivering with fiercely harnessed restraint.
Barely coherent, she whispered, “I need you there.”
He took care of protection swiftly, efficiently, then returned to hold himself over her, one hand gently touching her face. “You’re sure?”
Touched by her utter confidence that he would stop if she said the word, despite his very obvious hunger for more, she traced his lips with one fingertip before answering. Images of the time they’d spent together flashed through her mind—such a short time, in actuality, but packed so full. During these past few days, she had learned that he was kind, generous, fun, adventurous, talented, a little rebellious—not to mention drop-dead sexy. How could she not have fallen for him? How could she hold him at a distance, even though she was convinced she would be nursing a broken heart for quite a long while after he left?
“Shelby?”
Forcing a smile, she slid a hand to the back of his neck and drew his mouth to hers. “I’m sure,” she murmured against his lips.
His exultant thrust forward made her concerns about the future dissolve in a haze of passion, took away her ability even to form a coherent thought. She wrapped her legs around him, buried her fingers in his hair and opened her mouth to his demanding tongue. For now, he was hers. The future would take care of itself.
* * *
Wearing only a pair of khaki shorts, and those unbuttoned at the waist, Aaron lounged on the bed and watched as Shelby wriggled into her slightly wrinkled dress. She winced as she reached back to struggle with the zipper. “Aren’t you going to offer to help?”
His hair tumbling appealingly into his eyes, he gave her a lopsided grin. “I prefer getting you out of your clothes.”
Still, he pushed off the mattress and moved to stand behind her, slowly raising the zipper while she held her hair out of the way. He finished with a lingering kiss on her nape that made her shiver. Letting her hair fall, she moved away from him with determination. “Don’t start that again or we’ll be climbing back into bed.”
His grin deepening, he reached for her, but she eluded him skillfully, holding up both hands with a breathless laugh. “Aaron.”
Sighing loudly, he stopped. “Okay, fine. Go.”
“It’s already after midnight. You told Uncle Bryan you’d meet him at seven to start roofing before it gets too hot. You need to get some rest first. Trust me, he’s a hard taskmaster.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. I can handle it.”
Smiling, she reached out to touch his cheek. “I have no doubt.”
Catching her hand, he placed a kiss in her palm, then closed her fingers around it and led her toward the stairs.
She turned to him at the door, smiling up at him. “It was a wonderful evening, Aaron. Every minute of it.”
“For me,
too,” he assured her.
Tilting her head, she studied his expression. “You really enjoyed the charity thing? Some people might have thought it was a little cheesy. You know, casino games and karaoke.”
“Like your old buddy Pete?” He chuckled. “The guy looked like he’d rather be just about anywhere else, but was putting on a good face for some reason.”
“For career reasons,” she informed him. “Pete is all about the networking.”
“Well, I thought it was fun. Your friends did a great job putting it all together, and I’m sure they made a tidy sum for the charity.”
“And,” she reminded him with a grin, “I paid off my debt. Next challenge we make, I expect to win.”
“You’re on.”
She reached for the doorknob, knowing if she didn’t leave now, she would be too tempted to stay.
He followed her to stand in the open doorway when she stepped out onto the porch. At this late hour, the area was mostly quiet—partially because resort rules required courtesy to other guests after 10:00 p.m. The sounds of only a few voices and car engines drifted their way over the frogs, insects, lapping water and other familiar outdoor night noises.
“There was one thing Pete did seem to appreciate tonight.” Though he spoke quietly, lightly, he didn’t seem particularly amused. “He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
She laughed skeptically. “Even if that was true, it would probably be because he didn’t expect to see me there, especially with you.”
Knowing Pete, he would wonder what Aaron saw in her—or if Aaron, too, considered her to be a great “pal” with whom to spend a pleasant evening.
“More likely because he was wishing you were there with him instead of me.”
Aaron’s rather grumpy comment made her raise her eyebrows. If she didn’t know better, she would think he actually sounded a little jealous. Which, of course, was ridiculous.
“Save the performance for the family,” she teased him. She wanted to make it very clear that she wasn’t expecting anything after their lovemaking tonight. From the start, it had been important to her to hold on to her pride during this...whatever it was between them. “You can flirt with me in front of them tomorrow, and I’ll be suitably flattered. And then when I eventually, very politely and somewhat regretfully dash your hopes, they’ll be even more convinced that I’m not trying desperately to catch a man.”