Leigh was the sort of woman a man took home to meet his mother. Only, Gavin didn’t have a mother. He wasn’t a hearts-and-flowers kind of guy. That’s what she needed, not someone like him. He was all wrong for her—but he still wanted her.
Overhead, a trumpet of thunder announced the arrival of another summer storm. Gavin sighed. He had a feeling he was in for another long, sleepless night.
Chapter Ten
Leigh steeled herself, then entered Gavin’s bedroom on a clap of thunder. She came to an abrupt halt. He’d obviously just come from the shower. Beads of water trickled over his skin. And there was plenty of skin to see. He was standing there stark naked.
She wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised, but Gavin reacted first. He wrapped the towel he’d been rubbing briskly over his hair around his waist and cinched it there with a curse.
“You said to come in,” she protested. Her eyes skirted back up across the sparsely curling hairs on his bare chest.
“I thought you were George.”
Her gaze returned to the towel, then back to his face. She mustered a smile and tried for nonchalance. “Not even close. He’s taller.”
Gavin didn’t appear amused. “What are you doing here, Leigh?”
“Enjoying the show?”
He scowled at her. “Leigh, George will be back any minute with some clothes for me. I don’t want to embarrass any of us.”
“Don’t worry, you don’t have a thing to be embarrassed about.” She was the one who was embarrassed. “I’m not going to stay. I just came to tell you something.”
Twisted threads of lightning shot across the sky past the bedroom window. Thunder trembled in their wake. She barely repressed a shudder.
“I hate storms.”
Gavin raked his fingers through his wet hair. “Is that what you came to tell me?” he growled.
“There’s no reason to snap at me. It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before.”
He took a step in her direction and it was an effort to stand her ground. When she realized she was clutching the seams of her robe together, she released the material and dropped her hands to her sides.
“I came to tell you that you’re fired. I’ll ask the court to appoint a new executor in the morning. Sorry I disturbed you. I just thought you’d want to know.” She gave him a saccharine smile and opened the door. “Sleep well.”
Gavin swore. “Leigh! Get back in here!”
George was coming down the hall as she shut the door on his bellow.
“If I were you,” she told the startled man, “I’d toss those in his direction and keep going. Apparently, storms make him cranky.”
Gavin flung his door open. “Leigh…”
“Good night again, George.” She escaped into her room and closed the door. Her knees felt weak and her heart was beating like crazy, but at least she hadn’t lost her nerve.
Their voices were indistinct through the door, but Gavin’s low rumble definitely sounded aggrieved. She wondered what sort of an explanation he was giving George. After a few minutes, there was silence.
She wasn’t sure if the evening had worked out better this way or not, but overall, she was satisfied with the results. She pulled off her robe and tossed it on the chair before slipping into bed. The next move was up to Gavin.
She’d given a lot of thought to her plan before setting it in motion. If she’d just made a mistake, her ego was going to suffer a crushing blow, but knowing would be better than continuing to pluck petals from an imaginary flower.
This had to work.
She reached for the light switch. Her door swung open and Gavin strode inside without knocking. His hair was still wet and mussed from being toweled. Beads of water still clung to his skin, sparkling against his shoulders in the light. He was shirtless and shoeless, but being dressed in only a pair of unsnapped trousers didn’t make him one bit less formidable.
“Was that supposed to be a joke?” he demanded.
Rain beat against the window.
“No,” she said sadly. “You’re fired.”
He studied her and she resisted an urge to pull the covers up higher. Her blue nightgown was perfectly respectable.
“I think you’re serious.”
“I am.”
“You’re firing me because I wouldn’t share your room?”
“Of course not.” He didn’t get it. “I’m firing you because I don’t intend to compromise your principles any further.”
“I hurt your feelings.”
“Well, of course you hurt my feelings, but that isn’t what this is about. You said you were too tired to think straight. I’m not. I gave this a lot of thought and decided not to wait until morning to make all my decisions.”
His eyes narrowed.
“This arrangement isn’t going to work and you know it. I wanted to tell you right away so you could start thinking about who I could ask for as a replacement.”
Another rumble of thunder punctuated her sentence. It didn’t quite drown out the rumble of sound coming from low in his chest. His expression was inscrutable. She couldn’t tell if he was furious or amused. Maybe he didn’t know, either. He pinned her to the bed with a probing look that made her want to squirm. She held herself rigid.
“I can’t decide whether to throttle you, or kiss you senseless.”
Her pulse raced. “Let’s go for option three. You go back across the hall and we sleep on it.”
“I don’t think so.”
The whiskey-soft drawl of his words sent desire licking along her veins.
“I have to hand it to you. I’ve never had any woman go to so much trouble to get me into her bed.”
Thunder and lightning exploded overhead. Leigh choked back a startled scream as the room was plunged into darkness.
“Do you prefer the left side or the right side of the bed?” he asked as if nothing had happened.
The sound of his zipper being lowered came as a shock.
“What are you doing?”
“Giving you what you want.”
Her breathing was so fast and shallow she wondered if she might hyperventilate. She heard his pants hit the carpeting. Her mouth went dry.
“You have no idea what I want,” she said shakily.
He came around the bed, his torso silhouetted against the window in yet another display from the heavens.
“You’re right. I don’t. Understandable given that you’re a contrary woman, and I’m simply a man. In case no one told you, men and women don’t think alike.”
He pulled back the covers while the thunder protested. She shivered as his bare leg slid alongside hers.
“Are you…are you naked?”
“That’s the way I generally sleep,” he answered.
Anticipation zinged straight down her spine. Every nerve ending in her body seemed tuned to him.
“This is not what I want.”
“Too bad. It wasn’t what I wanted, either. When you get a little older, you’ll realize life seldom gives us what we want.”
She sat all the way up as he settled down against the pillow.
“I am not a child!”
“Then stop acting like one. It’s late and I’m tired. I’d like to get some sleep before morning.”
Astonishment overrode her indignation at the rebuke. “Sleep? You’re going to sleep? Here?”
Outside, the storm showed its approval by offering several spectacular displays of lightning.
“I admit it’s not going to be easy if you don’t stop talking.”
“You can’t! You wouldn’t!”
“Can, and will.”
“What about George and Emily?”
“They’ll have to use their own bed. This one isn’t big enough to hold them, too.”
He adjusted his pillow and rolled on his side away from her.
“Good night.”
For what felt like a long time, she simply sat there in the dark, barely noticing the storm outside. He’d called her
bluff and she didn’t know how to handle the situation. None of the scenarios she’d envisioned had anticipated this reaction. An argument? Yes. A discussion? Possibly. Sex? Okay, that’s where she’d expected her bluff to lead. That, or an outright refusal to take her dare. But this—
How was she supposed to fall asleep with him naked in her bed? Her mind churned with ideas and possible alternatives. As the storm began to move off, she discarded them all and conceded defeat. Pride wouldn’t let her leave, even though she knew she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep.
She slid back under the covers, staying as close to the edge of the bed as possible, and stared up at the darkened ceiling. The taste of defeat was bitter and it was her own fault. She loved him. She’d always loved him, but she didn’t have a clue how to make the stubborn, irritating, infuriating man see how good they could be together.
In the back of her mind she could hear her mother’s voice saying, “All in good time.” It had been one of Hayley’s least favorite expressions, but Leigh had seen her mother’s wisdom proven right more than once. Gavin may have won this skirmish, but she wasn’t ready to quit. He cared about her, she knew he did. And he wanted her. She’d just have to give her plan more thought.
GAVIN AWOKE to the sound of thunder. The storm had returned or sent another one to take its place. Beside him, Leigh stirred restlessly. She’d tossed off the covers and was making soft sounds of distress.
“Shh. It’s only thunder. Everything’s okay. Go back to sleep.”
He pulled her against his side, adjusting their positions until she was curled spoon-fashion against him. She settled there as trusting as a kitten, without waking.
Soul-searching wasn’t part of his nature, yet he seemed to be doing a lot of it since Leigh had walked back into his life. Was this what love was all about? An intimacy that had little to do with sex and everything to do with caring? He rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.
Too bad love and relationships didn’t come with textbooks like the law. In the morning they were going to have to discuss this crazy relationship of theirs and he wasn’t looking forward to it. Just looking at her was enough to tie his logic into knots.
He’d have to get up and go back to his own room soon, but he’d better wait for the storm to pass. He was surprised he’d slept at all, and wondered what time it was. It felt like early morning. He could afford to lie here a little bit longer. It was nice holding her like this. Comforting. He’d get up in just a minute.
When he opened his eyes again, the room was filled with daylight, and his hand was cupping the firm, round fullness of Leigh’s right breast. He could feel the hardened nipple pushing against his palm. Her body was still curved against his. Their legs were tangled with one of hers trapped between his, and her buttock was pressed firmly against his erection.
She was awake.
Instantly, he released her and rolled away. She turned to look at him, her features still soft with sleep. The urge to kiss her had him pushing aside the covers.
“You’re wearing briefs,” she said as he stood. “You said you slept naked.”
He searched for the borrowed pants, finding them on the floor where he’d dropped them the night before. “I said that’s how I generally sleep. I also generally sleep alone.”
“So do I, but I don’t like to sleep naked. I get cold.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she wouldn’t get cold if she shared a bed with him every night, but he bit back the comment in time.
“We need to talk.”
She sat up against the headboard looking deliciously soft and rumpled. His stomach gave a funny little twist.
“I think I said something along those lines last night,” she told him, shoving aside a spill of hair.
“Get dressed. We’ll talk downstairs.”
He opened the door before he could give in to one of the detrimental impulses that would have involved kissing her senseless and climbing back into that bed with her. And he came face-to-face with Emily, her fist raised to knock against the door.
“Oh!”
Mentally, he cursed. Outwardly, he nodded. “Sorry, Emily. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Oh. Well.”
She looked from him to the bed where Leigh still sat looking soft and dreamy, the marks from the pillow still visible on her cheek.
“I, uh, came to tell Leigh her sister’s on the phone.”
Leigh shoved aside the covers and swung her legs off the bed. The nightgown had ridden a good distance up her thigh. Gavin heaved a mental groan.
“Emily? Would you tell her I’m getting dressed? I’ll call her back in a little bit.”
Emily recovered her composure. “All right, dear. Nan will have breakfast ready for you and Gavin in thirty minutes. Will that give you both enough time?”
“Fine with me,” Leigh said.
“I’m not hungry, Emily.”
“I know, dear, but you know Nan. If you don’t eat, she’ll grumble about it all day. I’ll see you downstairs.”
Gavin looked at Leigh.
“I’d say she took that pretty well, wouldn’t you?”
“Emily doesn’t like scenes,” he told her. “She has more effective weapons, like guilt and pointed questions.”
“Gee, you make breakfast sound so inviting I can’t wait. We aren’t children, Gavin.”
He let his gaze travel over her womanly shape. “No, we aren’t. But don’t blame me if you feel like one after she gets through with us.”
“We didn’t even do anything!”
“Uh-huh. Think she’ll believe that?”
“But it’s the truth.”
“Get dressed, Leigh. We’ve got a lot to do this morning.” He stepped into the hall and shut the door.
His burns and the cut made themselves known as he entered the bathroom. He nicked himself twice while he was shaving with the unfamiliar blade, but he dressed in record time and hurried downstairs. Amazingly, the kitchen was empty. He heard Nan and Emily conferring in the laundry room and he counted his blessings that he wouldn’t have to waste any more time on explanations.
Taking one of the spare keys from the hook over the counter, he slipped outside and headed for Emily’s car. She could add borrowing the car without asking to his other sins.
The roads were practically empty, so he made good time driving into town. As expected, fire had destroyed the building completely, even doing damage to the ones on either side. He didn’t need anyone to tell him he wouldn’t be salvaging much from the remains of his apartment.
He parked behind his car and got out. Caution made him examine the vehicle before touching it. Since his building had exploded, it was only prudent to make sure his car wouldn’t be next. There were no signs it had been tampered with and his keys were still in the ignition, but he didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until he saw that the computer was still in the trunk.
George appeared almost immediately after he parked his car in front of the Walken house. He strolled across the porch to watch as Gavin lifted the computer from the trunk.
“Need a hand?”
“I’ve got it, thanks. But if you would close the trunk, I’d appreciate it. I had to leave Emily’s car across from my building. I’ll have to get it back to her later.”
“I can drive her into town this afternoon to pick it up.”
“Thanks. You wouldn’t happen to have a spare keyboard I could borrow, would you?”
“No, but you’re welcome to use the one on my computer.”
“Thanks, again.”
Gavin waited for George to say something about Leigh. George simply held the door open for him. Emily and Nan stood in the hall with anxious expressions. There was no sign of Leigh.
“Leigh hasn’t come down yet?” he asked.
“I think she’s been on the phone with her sister,” Emily said.
Her concern was as tangible as an admonishment.
“We
’re getting married,” he told them.
Emily’s lips parted in an “O” of surprise. Gavin was feeling a little surprised as well, even though he knew the thought had been there from the moment he’d opened the bedroom door this morning and seen Emily standing there about to knock.
George rocked back on his heels, but he looked thoughtful rather than surprised. Nan’s seamed features split in a happy smile.
“Well now,” she said cheerfully, “I’d say that calls for something extra special for breakfast this morning. Give me a few minutes and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Let’s wait until tomorrow, Nan. I’m really not hungry this morning, and Leigh and I have a lot to do. Right now, I need to get this computer cleaned off.” He headed down the hall toward George’s office.
“Congratulations,” George said quietly as he followed Gavin inside.
He set the computer down and faced the one man he’d come to admire more than anyone else he’d ever known. “I know she could do better—”
George shook his head. “No,” he said with conviction. “She couldn’t.”
Gavin swallowed. Hard.
“People will think I’m marrying her for her money.”
“When did you start caring what other people think?”
“I care what you think,” he told George honestly.
The older man perched on the edge of his desk and smiled. “Last night I told Emily we’d see a double wedding.”
Gavin realized his mouth was open and clamped it shut.
“As a rule, I don’t offer unsolicited advice, Gavin, but I’m going to make an exception right now. I’ve watched you both grow into fine adults, but you each have a weakness that could destroy your chances together. Leigh thinks her sister is the strong one. As a result, she doesn’t always trust her own instincts. And you dumped that chip off your shoulder, but held on to the misplaced guilt that put it there. As a result, trust comes hard to you.”
Gavin shifted uncomfortably. “So you’re saying we should trust each other?”
The Second Sister Page 17