“I thought about that. And it does indicate a streak of daring hiding in there somewhere.” She had to be over him, she decided. After all, it had been years.
“See?” He looked pleased with himself. “I can be daring if I want.”
“Yes, but you only have to maintain that daring for eight seconds or less. That’s not a long time.” She kept up the banter, but inside she was scanning for evidence, trying to decide if she was still hooked on Noah.
“Oh, yes, it is a long time. When you’re in the heat of the action, eight seconds is an eternity. A lifetime.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Well, I sure hope that’s not your attitude when you make love. If so, your lady friends must be very frustrated.” There. If she could poke fun at him, then she was over him. Definitely.
He blushed. “We weren’t talking about that.”
“I was.” That blush of his was so cute. The people she hung out with in L.A. were all pretty jaded when it came to sexual innuendos. Finding a man who could blush when he talked about sex was refreshing. And arousing.
He tugged his hat down lower over his eyes. “Well, I wasn’t thinking about that particular subject, and you know it.”
But he was now, and that was her goal. If only she knew for certain she could pull off this caper without getting hurt herself. “The fact is, I have no idea what kind of lover you are, Noah. You’re a conservative guy, so when you talk about eight seconds being an eternity, I can’t help wondering if you think that’s plenty of time for—”
“Of course it’s not!” He was really red now.
She’d forgotten how adorable he could be when he was flustered. “Well, good. Glad to hear it. Because most women need a whole lot more than eight seconds to become thoroughly—”
“I’m aware of that! Now, could we please change the subject?”
“Sure. Be glad to.” She used to love teasing him like this. She loved it still. Probably too much, and she’d be wise to walk away from this whole setup. But then she’d never know if she could succeed in breaching his defenses. She had to know, no matter what it might cost her. And she was tough. She’d picked up the pieces before and could do it again. Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead.
“Thanks.” He sighed in apparent relief.
Little did he know there was no relief in sight. “Oh, there’s a drugstore,” she said. “Would you mind if we stopped in there before we get to the hotel? I need a few things, and I’m sure they’re more expensive in the hotel shops.”
“That’s fine.” He sounded grateful to be doing something as harmless as shopping. “I guess you would need a toothbrush and…other stuff.”
“A big bottle of lotion, for one thing. I’d forgotten how desert heat affects my skin. Back on the ranch I had to practically take a bath in lotion, remember?”
“Can’t say as I do.”
Liar. “Oh, sure you do. You even commented about it one evening when I was on the front porch of Dad’s house, slathering it all over my legs and arms. You said if I kept that up I’d slide right out of bed in the middle of the night.”
“Mmm.”
“My favorite is raspberry-scented, but they might not have that.” She peeked at him as they walked through the door into the air-conditioned store to see if any of what she’d said was registering. He looked more than a little agitated.
Two years ago she’d done an article on scent as an arousal factor. All the guys she’d interviewed rated scent very high, and most of them fondly remembered how former lovers had smelled like cinnamon, or lily of the valley, or in one instance, chocolate. She was counting on Noah having the same response, and she’d used raspberry-scented lotion ever since she’d turned fifteen. If she couldn’t find any in the drugstore, she’d smuggle over the bottle she had in her hotel room.
But raspberry lotion wasn’t her primary target in the drugstore. She could hardly wait for the moment when Noah discovered what she planned to stock up on.
NOAH HAD BEEN in tight spots in his life and he’d always managed to come out okay. He clung to that hope as he followed Keely around the store and tried not to think of the scent of raspberries.
That scent had drawn him to her dad’s porch on the night she’d mentioned. Dressed in cutoffs and a halter top, she’d stationed herself on the creaky old porch swing with a bottle of that damn lotion. To get near her, he’d made up some excuse about checking the area for snakes.
Keely wasn’t the type to run off screaming at the mention of a snake, so while he’d swung a flashlight beam around and pretended to scout for rattlers, she’d nearly driven him crazy smoothing that creamy, fragrant stuff over her bare legs. They hadn’t talked much, but he remembered crickets chirping and the rhythmic squeak of that swing, which could have passed for the sound of bedsprings. To this day he couldn’t smell or taste raspberries without hearing that steady creak and seeing her hand slowly massaging the tender skin of her inner thigh.
That might have been the first time she’d discovered the stuff, but after that she’d used it constantly, trailing the scent of raspberries wherever she went. He’d come to dread that aroma, because it never failed to give him an erection, no matter how inappropriate the moment. More than once she’d glanced at his crotch and smiled, as if thrilled with her new power.
Then, a few weeks after she’d turned sixteen, she’d waylaid him in the barn. And she’d smelled exactly like a bowl of fresh raspberries. She’d tasted like that, too—juicy and moist, bursting with ripe sweetness.
He often wondered if she’d been a virgin then. If so, he’d bet she hadn’t stayed one long after he’d turned her down. He’d probably given up the chance to be her first lover that night. Saying no hadn’t been easy, considering she didn’t look or act like any sixteen-year-old he’d known before or since.
But somehow in the midst of that hot, wet kiss, he’d remembered she was sixteen, and all the lust in the world wouldn’t change that. He’d left the barn in a hurry, followed by the angry insults she’d hurled after him. At the time he’d thought she was furious. Now he wondered if she’d been more hurt than angry. He hadn’t been particularly sensitive about ending the embrace.
Sensitivity hadn’t been on his mind. Self-preservation had been all he could think about. God, how he’d wanted her. But giving in would have meant angering and disappointing two men he cared about—his father and hers.
Shortly after that he’d gone out on the rodeo circuit, figuring escape was the only answer. During his brief trips home over the next three years he’d noticed that Keely had gone overboard to become the sex symbol of Saguaro Junction. But innocent or wild, she turned him on like no one else. How ironic that he hadn’t wanted to be her first lover, but later on he hadn’t wanted to be the next one in line, either. With great difficulty he’d kept himself in check.
He was much older now and should have better control. But as he watched her scan the shelves looking for her raspberry lotion, he wondered if he’d changed at all where Keely was concerned.
All of a sudden she pounced on a bottle. “Look! Here it is!”
“Looks like it.” He groaned to himself. Wouldn’t you know.
“Okay, now a toothbrush.” She moved quickly to that aisle and grabbed a red one. “What kind of toothpaste do you use?”
He told her.
“That’ll be fine. We can share, if that’s all right with you.”
“Uh, sure.” He was aware of another customer, a matronly woman, giving them both the once-over.
“Great. The hotel shampoo will do for a couple of days, but I’ll have to buy deodorant. I don’t want some bracing, manly smell on my body.”
His mind spun wildly as he followed her to the antiperspirants. What in God’s name had he been thinking, proposing this scheme? How was he supposed to keep a level head while they shared the same shower, the same sink, and squeezed from the same toothpaste tube?
Dark red hair bouncing around her shoulder
s, she stalked through the rest of the store as if looking for something.
And like an idiot, he had to ask. “Is there something else you need?”
“Condoms.”
He choked. “Why?”
“I’m surprised you would say that. Really, Noah, I’m beginning to wonder what kind of sex life you have. Ah, there they are, the little devils. Here, hold my stuff for a minute so I can look these puppies over.” She shoved her lotion, deodorant and toothbrush into his hands.
Panic swelled within him. “Look, you don’t need those things. I’m telling you, we are not—”
“Oh, these aren’t for you.”
“They’re not?” The conversation had gone from bad to worse.
She studied the packages hanging on the display rack. “Not unless you change your mind.”
“I won’t, so let’s just go, okay?” He glared at a teenage kid who was lingering nearby, obviously enjoying the show. The kid grinned and left. Noah lowered his voice. “Come on, Keely. Forget this stuff.”
She ignored him. “These prices are really reasonable. Maybe I should stock up. You’d think men would look for inexpensive stores like this, but no. They like to be spontaneous, which usually means paying top dollar because they’re in a rush. Or worse yet, suggesting we skip this step. Ha. As if.”
He tried again. “All things considered, I don’t think you really need to worry about—”
“I make it a habit to have some on hand in a couple of sizes, for emergencies. And we’re here, after all. I really can’t imagine a better bargain coming along anytime soon.” She took a package from its hook and began reading. “‘Ultra-comfort. Unique shape for more freedom.’ I wonder what that means?”
“Keely.”
“Noah,” she mimicked. “Hmm. Maybe these are better.” She unhooked another package. “It’s so hard to know which ones are the best, with all these great descriptions—‘shared sensation, enhanced pleasure, ultimate feeling.’ Oh, look. Here’s one with a larger tip, and then there’s the ribbed kind. Which do you think is the best?” She turned to look at him, a package of condoms in each hand, and devilment shining from those green eyes.
He ground some more enamel off his back molars. “Keely Branscom, you are doing this on purpose.”
“Of course I am! I always budget money for a package of condoms.”
“You’re trying to get me going, is what you’re doing.”
“From the way you’re breathing, I’d say I’ve succeeded.” She grinned. “I really am buying the condoms, Noah. At least two packages of extra-large. And I’m giving you a chance to tell me which kind you like.”
His jaw was clenched so tight his teeth seemed welded together. “We are not going to need them.”
“Maybe not. But that’s the thing about condoms. The packages are small and they store well. And there could be a time when you will thank me for planning ahead. Now give me my stuff. It’s time to check out.” She took her items from him and sashayed down the aisle with her lotion, her deodorant, her toothbrush and two kinds of extra-large condoms.
She obviously expected him to be wearing them before the weekend was over. It was a classic case of damned if he did and damned if he didn’t.
3
KEELY HAD JUST LAID her purchases on the checkout counter when her cell phone rang from deep inside her shoulder purse. Damn. She’d forgotten about it.
She wheeled away from the counter, startling the young male clerk. “Forgot something!” she called over her shoulder to Noah, who, fortunately, was trailing her by a few paces. She figured he was embarrassed for the clerk to notice that she was buying condoms so he’d hung back from approaching the counter. Good thing. Maybe he hadn’t heard her cell phone.
It rang again as she made a mad dash for the aisle labeled Feminine Products. If Noah had been schizy about the condom display, he surely wouldn’t follow her there. Once she was safely surrounded by rows of tampon and sanitary-napkin boxes, she dug in her purse and took out the phone.
When she put it to her ear she heard the familiar voice of her editor. “Keely, sweetheart. Good news.”
“Hi, Carolyn,” she murmured softly. Trust her editor to call at the exact wrong moment.
“Why are you whispering? Are you in a movie theater or something?”
“No, but I can’t talk loud. Or long.”
“That’s okay. This will be quick. Remember you mentioned expanding this article by interviewing some dancers in Reno, but I wasn’t sure we should bother?”
“I remember, but can I call you back on this?” She glanced nervously behind her to make sure Noah wasn’t there. “I—”
“I’ll only be a sec. The publisher loves the Reno angle. I’ve lined up a couple of interview subjects for you there. You have a seven-forty flight out of Vegas on Monday morning. Got a pen? I’ll give you the confirmation number.”
“Carolyn, I—”
“Ready? Here it is.” Carolyn rattled off the number.
Keely grabbed her notebook out of her purse and wrote down the number, but all the while she was thinking that this cell phone could blow her cover in no time this weekend. Carolyn expected her to keep the phone turned on while she was on assignment.
“Got it?” Carolyn asked.
“Got it, but Carolyn, you’re fading out.” Keely pressed the disconnect button a couple of times. “Carolyn? I think the phone’s going on the blink. It’s—” She broke off and ran the phone up and down the edge of a box several times, hoping the noise sounded like static. Then she put it back to her ear to gauge Carolyn’s reaction.
“Keely? What’s going on? Keely, can you hear me?”
“Barely,” Keely whispered. “I think it’s—” She dragged the phone around on the boxes some more before turning it off. Maybe she’d convinced Carolyn that the phone was dead. Keely buried it in the bottom of her purse again before heading back toward the checkout counter.
Looking extremely uneasy, Noah stood by the counter next to her items, which had been set aside while the clerk rang up another customer’s purchases.
Keely smiled sweetly as she walked up to Noah. “Those prices weren’t as reasonable, so I decided not to bother.”
His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What was that funny sawing noise?”
During her wild teen years, fast thinking had saved her more times than she could count. “I had an itch in the middle of my back. I used the corner of a box to scratch it.” She gave a little wriggle. “All better.”
He gulped. “Oh.” His voice was strained as he attempted to sound casual. “That explains it.”
Somehow she kept from laughing. One wriggle and he was gulping for air. She didn’t remember him being so suggestible years ago. Apparently she had the advantage this time…so long as she kept her heart out of the equation.
“I can ring you up now, miss.” The clerk, who couldn’t have been more than eighteen, regarded her with adoration.
“Fabulous.” She winked and sent him a high-wattage grin. “You have a very nice store here…” She paused to glance at his red plastic name tag. “Chad.”
Chad grew as red as his name tag. “Thank you very much,” he mumbled, and then he concentrated on punching the right numbers into the register. He had to clear his throat before he could tell her the amount. His gaze kept drifting to her chest and then he’d pull his eyes back with an obvious effort.
She opened her wallet and removed the money as quickly as she could. Her press pass was in there along with a gold card, but Noah would have had to be paying close attention to see either of them.
Chad took the money and handed over her change. “Do you, uh, live near here?” he asked eagerly. “I mean, would you like to be on our mailing list for…um…future sales?”
“Thanks, but I’m currently between addresses.”
“Oh.” Chad glanced over at Noah, then back at her, as if trying to decide if they were a couple. “Well, uh, feel free to stop in anytime. We always have special
s.”
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.” Picking up the plastic bag containing her purchases, she looked at Noah. “Ready?”
He gave a curt nod.
“Bye!” Chad called. “Come back anytime!”
She turned and smiled at him. “Bye.”
Noah held the door for her as they left the store. Judging from the set of his jaw, she didn’t think he was very happy. From all signs, he was a wee bit jealous—of a boy barely old enough to shave. Amazing.
Once upon a time she’d turned herself inside out trying to arouse Noah’s jealousy, to no avail. Now it seemed that she’d done it with one hand tied behind her back. She decided to test the waters. “He was a nice kid,” she said as they walked along the street.
“The way he was drooling I thought he might flood the store.” Noah sounded quite irritated. “I think with a little more encouragement he would have asked you out, even though you’re old enough to be his—”
“Big sister? He wasn’t that much younger.”
“Hell, he probably got his driver’s license yesterday.”
“He looked more like eighteen or nineteen to me. And by the way, men date women who are ten years younger than they are and nobody says boo.”
He stared at her. “Don’t tell me you’re interested in him?”
She wasn’t, not even slightly, but a jealous Noah was something she’d waited years to experience. She wanted to savor the feeling a little longer. “Well, he was very sweet, and he had the cutest dimple in his chin.”
“You’re putting me on.”
“Okay, maybe I am. But, for the record, I don’t think it would be the end of civilization if I happened to be interested in him. Some of my friends have deliberately taken younger lovers.”
“Probably so they can lead them around by the nose.”
Oh, this man had some things to learn, and she was just the gal to educate him. “I don’t think that’s the part of their anatomy they care about. A younger guy is usually so eager to please, and he generally has more…staying power.”
Noah snorted. “Yeah, if you’re into quantity instead of quality.”
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