by Duarte, Judy
“Okay. Then I’ll open a bottle of merlot.”
“Good choice.”
His words were compliant and polite, yet his tone was suggestive—and full of promise. Did he know what she was thinking? What she was hoping? Maybe even planning?
Oh, for Pete’s sake. She wasn’t even sure what she had in mind, just that she wasn’t ready for the night to end.
“Do you want some help with the wine?” he asked.
“No, I’ve got it. I’ll be back in a flash.” She offered him a parting smile, then left him in the living room while she went in search of the bottle of merlot she’d been storing since she’d received it in a gift exchange during last year’s hospital Christmas party.
As she reached the doorway, she had to force herself not to glance over her shoulder and take one more gander at the handsome cowboy she’d love to...love.
And maybe even seduce.
* * *
Alex stood in Selena’s living room and watched her walk away. He’d planned to kiss her good-night on the stoop, but he’d been hoping for a lot more than that. So her invitation to come inside, to have a glass of wine, suggested that she’d been thinking the same thing.
As he waited for her to return, he scanned the cozy room, checking out the colorful artwork on the walls as well as the overstuffed green sofa and chairs. On a table near a built-in bookshelf, he spotted a Bose stereo.
Should he turn on some music? Would she think he was being presumptuous if he did?
Aw, what the heck. Why not? The anticipation in the silence was almost deafening. So he crossed the room to the stereo, which had a stack of CDs nearby.
It didn’t take long to find something soft and mellow, something to set a romantic mood.
As the melody filled the room, he lowered the volume. Then he took a seat on the sofa, just as Selena entered carrying a tray with two glasses and an uncorked bottle of red wine.
“Service with a smile,” he said.
“And a little background music. That’s a nice touch.” Her eyes, the color of rich Tennessee bourbon in the lamplight, brightened, kicking his pulse rate up a notch.
After she set the tray on the coffee table, she sat on the center cushion, just an arm’s distance from him.
Yes, he decided, they were clearly on the same page.
He reached for the bottle of merlot and poured them each a half serving, then handed one of the goblets to her.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
He lifted his wine to her in a toast. As she clicked her glass against his, the crystal resonated crisp and clear.
“To...friendship,” he said. “And whatever that might bring.”
She smiled, giving him reason to believe that she’d heard the subtext behind his words.
As much as he’d like to take things slow and easy, his feelings for Selena had gone beyond friendship. And he wanted to have a sexual relationship with her—perhaps even one that was lasting.
Of course, his future would one day include his babies, so there was still that hurdle to cross. But they had plenty of time to discuss kids, family and anything else that the coming months might bring their way.
As he savored a taste of the merlot, he pondered the decision he’d just made, the strength of his feelings for her, the possibilities that laced the pheromone-charged air. It had been a long time since he’d had to take the romantic lead, but it seemed natural to do so now.
In the background, a Michael Bublé CD played softly. Rather than risk an awkward attempt at conversation, Alex set his glass on the table in front of them and reached for her hand. “Dance with me, Selena.”
Her intoxicating gaze locked on his, as she let him draw her to her feet.
He led her around the coffee table and to an empty space in the center of the room. When he opened his arms, she stepped into his embrace.
As they moved to the music, he held her close, their bodies pressed together. What he wouldn’t give to have this night last forever, but the song ended long before he was ready to release her and return to the sofa for more small talk.
Instead, he wanted to kiss her senseless. And that’s just what he set out to do.
While his arms remained around her, he drew back long enough to see the unspoken emotion in her eyes, to watch her lips part, to hear her breath catch.
That was all he needed. He lowered his head and placed his mouth on hers. As their tongues met and mated, his blood pumped strong and steady. His hands slid along her back, stroking, caressing, exploring each womanly curve.
Finally, when they came up for air, he asked the question that had been burning inside him for days. “What are we going to do about this?”
“I’m not sure. I can tell you what I’d like to do.” The glimmer in her eyes convinced him they had the same idea.
“I hope you don’t plan to send me home,” he said, his own eyes glimmering, no doubt.
“No, I don’t want to do that. Not yet.” She took his hand. This time she did the leading—to her bedroom.
He was glad he’d thought to bring a condom with him, even though he hadn’t been sure if they’d have need of one.
If he hadn’t been so caught up in the heat of the moment, in the desire to make love with her all night long, he might have told her they were in luck. But then again, maybe she was prepared, too.
Once in the bedroom, Selena made her way to the bed, then turned to face him.
Damn, she was beautiful. And tonight, she was all his.
He took her in his arms again and kissed her, long and deep. As he explored the curve of her back and the slope of her hips, a surge of desire shot through him, reminding him just how long it had been since he’d had sex. And if truth be told, it had been months before Mary’s death.
She’d been so afraid of losing the babies that she hadn’t wanted to make love once the implantation had taken place.
And he’d been okay with that. He’d understood the maternal hormones that had been at work. But right now, his male hormones had built to the bursting point.
If the kisses he’d shared with Selena meant anything at all, making love with her was going to be amazing—the kind of thing dreams were made of.
When the heated kiss demanded they move on to something more intimate, Alex drew his lips from hers, only to find Selena’s gaze riveted on him. Rather than speak, she began to peel off her T-shirt, revealing a white lace bra, an expanse of skin...
He watched as she slid the fabric over her shoulders and removed her arms from the sleeves. She dropped her top to the floor, then unbuttoned her jeans and peeled them over her hips.
Before he knew it, she was standing before him wearing only her pretty, delicate undergarments.
“You’re even more beautiful than I’d imagined, Selena.”
Her cheeks flushed at the compliment, yet she still didn’t respond. Instead, she reached for his shirt and tugged it out of the waistband of his jeans. Then she helped him remove it altogether.
When he stood before her, his chest bare, she skimmed her fingers over his skin. One of her nails sketched over his nipple. His gut clenched in reaction to the arousing touch, and he sucked in a breath.
Unable to hold off any longer, he lifted her in his arms and placed her on top of the bed. Then he reached into his front pocket and removed the condom he’d placed there earlier.
“You don’t need that,” she said.
He was glad to hear it, because he preferred not to use protection if he didn’t need to.
“I’m not going to get pregnant,” she added.
She seemed so certain that he assumed she was on the pill. Either way, she was a doctor; she obviously knew best.
“If you haven’t been with anyone since...” She paused, her
eyes searching his, clearly asking if he’d been with any other women after Mary had died.
He hadn’t. No one had interested him until he’d met Selena. And because he and Mary had been tested for everything imaginable during the in vitro process...
Alex dropped the packet on to the floor. “We don’t have anything else to worry about. We’re safe all the way around.”
After removing his jeans and boxers, he joined her on the bed and continued right where he’d left off, kissing, stroking, exploring...
When they were both overcome with need, he entered her. Her body responded to his, giving and taking, until they both reached a peak. As she cried out with her release, he let go with his at the same time, shuddering at the sheer pleasure of being one with the woman he...
Loved?
He didn’t know about that, but it sure seemed like a possibility—and an amazing one at that. He could certainly get used to sleeping in Selena’s bed, wrapped in her arms for the rest of his life.
As the last wave of their climax ebbed, he rolled to the side, taking Selena with him. He didn’t have to ask if it had been good for her. He’d heard her passionate whispers, seen the pleasure in her eyes. Still, it had been more than sex to him. And he hoped it had been more than that to her, too.
* * *
As Selena lay stretched out on the bed, facing Alex, his arms around her, the sheets tangled, the sweet scent of their lovemaking fresh, she savored the amazing afterglow, unable to believe how good they’d been together.
In spite of her earlier apprehension, she couldn’t help thinking that she’d finally met the one man she’d been waiting for all her life, a man who could give her everything she’d ever wanted—true love and a family, whether they adopted a baby or chose to use the embryos he’d created with Mary.
Of course, Selena would have to be convinced that she wasn’t just a convenient replacement for the woman who’d died.
She had no way of knowing that, of course—unless she laid her heart on the line and allowed a relationship between them to develop. But she couldn’t tell him what she was feeling.
Not yet.
She’d just experienced the night to end all nights, and while she longed to hear him say he felt the same way about her, she still feared that he wouldn’t.
That he couldn’t.
He pressed a kiss on her brow, then ran his hand along the curve of her hip and back up again. “It’s only going to get better.”
Her heart soared. So he wasn’t content with just one night together either. He, too, knew that they’d found something special in each other’s arms—a blood-stirring attraction, an awesome sexual connection and maybe even...love.
She placed her hand on his face, trailing her fingers on his cheek. “I can’t imagine anything being better than that.”
He smiled. “Neither can I.”
She read sincerity in his expression, truth in his eyes. He either hadn’t made any comparisons between her and his late wife, or if he had, Selena had come out on top.
“Do you have to go back to the ranch tonight?” she asked.
“Do you want me to?”
“No, I’d like you to stay for breakfast.”
A grin slid across his handsome face. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
He kissed her then, and she found herself wanting to make love with him all over again. But it was more than a physical response to sexual stimulation going on. Her feelings were involved.
She nearly told him that she was falling in love with him, when in truth, she feared that she’d already toppled head over heels. And while she believed all the signs, sensing that he was falling for her, too, she just wasn’t ready to admit it to him—or even to herself.
It’s too bad they didn’t have the entire weekend to explore their new feelings. She was on call tomorrow morning at eight, so in a few short hours she’d have to drive to the medical center and relieve the colleague who’d been covering for her.
But that was okay. Maybe after another bout of lovemaking tonight, she’d find the courage to tell Alex how she was feeling about him.
* * *
Somewhere around two o’clock, Selena had gotten out of bed and set the alarm so she wouldn’t oversleep and run late for her shift. But she hadn’t needed to do that.
Alex apparently had a built-in biological clock that woke him each day at the crack of dawn. So just like Sleeping Beauty of fairy-tale fame, Selena found herself awakened by a kiss.
“Good morning,” Alex said as he sat on the side of the mattress.
Her lips slipped into a sated smile, even before her eyes opened.
“Coffee’s ready,” he added. “And breakfast will be on the table soon.”
Selena glanced at the clock on the nightstand and realized the alarm was set to go off within the next ten minutes. “I didn’t mean for you to do the cooking. I was going to do that.”
“Maybe next time. I knew you had to work, and because I was the one who kept you up half the night, it only seemed fair to let you sleep as long as possible.”
“That’s amazing,” she said, stretching and biting back a yawn.
He smiled, his eyes as bright as the morning sun. Then he brushed a kiss on her brow. “You probably ought to hold the compliments until after you’ve eaten.”
“Okay, I’ll do that.” She returned his smile. “Do I have time to take a shower?”
“You bet.”
Ten minutes later, Selena was dressed for the day and seated at the breakfast nook with Alex, tasting a fluffy batch of scrambled eggs and ham.
“This is wonderful,” she said.
“You’re just hungry.”
“That’s true. But my taste buds are still picky. Who taught you how to cook?”
“My housekeeper.”
“Lydia?”
“No, the one we had when I was a kid living in Dallas.” He took a sip of coffee.
“She taught you well,” Selena said.
“That she did. She was a nice lady, and we were pretty close. My mom and dad traveled on business more times than I could count, so I spent a lot of time with her.”
How sad. If Selena was ever blessed with children, she’d covet the time she had with them. Of course, as a doctor with a busy practice, she might have to leave them with a sitter more than she’d like.
Maybe Alex’s parents had had careers, too.
His father certainly had. Would he have spent more quality time with his son if he’d known his days were numbered?
The question gave her something to consider.
“It must have been tough to lose your dad when you were so young,” she said.
“Yes, it was. But my uncle was good to me. He was strict, though, and didn’t put up with any nonsense. But he wasn’t as stern and demanding as my father had been.” Alex dug his fork into the eggs and took a bite, as if the childhood memories no longer mattered.
Still, Selena hurt for the lonely little boy he’d once been. “Did your mom spend more time with you after you moved to the ranch?”
“Yes, but by that time, I preferred to spend time with my uncle and the ranch hands.”
As she reached for her coffee cup, Alex glanced up from his plate and blessed her with an unaffected grin. “Actually, you would have liked my uncle.”
“I wish I could have met him.”
“He was one of a kind, a real cowboy with a dry wit.” Alex sat back in his seat and slowly shook his head. “One day, a stray dog showed up on the ranch, and I was determined to adopt him. My uncle agreed as long as I promised to keep him out of trouble. I figured it would be easy, but later that afternoon, one of the chickens got out of the coop, and the dog, Bear, took off after it. By the time I caught up with them, Bear had cornered the thing and che
wed off its tail feathers.
“My uncle heard the commotion, came out of the barn and gave me heck.”
“What did you do?”
“I stuck up for the dog, of course, saying it wasn’t his fault. If the chicken had been in the coop where it belonged, it wouldn’t have happened.” Alex chuckled at the memory. “My uncle said, ‘That chicken lives on the ranch, and that dog doesn’t.’ Then he shook his finger at me and said, ‘Boy, if you don’t get that mutt under control, he’s going to be history.’”
“Did you get to keep the dog?”
“Yep, I sure did. Good ol’ Bear was the proverbial boy’s best friend.”
“Whatever happened to the chicken?”
“That’s the funny part, at least looking back on it. I told my uncle that I thought those tail feathers would probably grow back. And he said, ‘They’d better. If I have to call the vet out here to see about that chicken, you’re going to have to work a month of Sundays to pay the bill.’”
“Did he call the vet?”
Alex laughed. “He was just pulling my leg. If the dog had really hurt the bird, he wouldn’t have bothered calling the vet. We would have had fried chicken that night for dinner.”
She smiled, finding the story heartwarming. Still, she was sorry that Alex’s early years had been sad and lonely, but it was nice to know that it had eventually worked out for him, that he’d found happiness on the ranch.
And with Mary.
Her heart twisted at the thought, but she did her best to shrug it off, to hold firm to the belief that he’d set memories of his late wife aside, that he was ready to embrace a new and maybe even better relationship with Selena.
“I hope I can be a loving and understanding father,” he said.
“I’m sure you will be.” She glanced at the clock on the stove, making sure she wasn’t running late and realizing she’d have to go soon.
They finished breakfast in silence, and she wished that she had the guts to bring up the future, to ask when they’d see each other again.
Was he wondering the same thing? Was he considering the logistics of having a lover who lived in town, while his ranch was at least fifteen miles away?