by Debby Conrad
“Your sister just called to see if you were still breathing. She also left three messages on your answering machine this morning.”
“Is that what that noise was? I thought the building was on fire.” Carefully, she angled her head to the side for a better view of the man standing in her bedroom doorway.
The first thing she noticed was his mouth, grinning at her. Remembering those lips and the way they’d possessed her last night made her salivate.
Knowing it was extremely dangerous to stare at his mouth--no telling what she might say--she dropped her gaze. Apparently he hadn’t stayed all night, because he’d changed his clothes. Today’s blue jeans were a rich indigo and his T-shirt was white. He looked freshly showered and shaved, too. While here she lay, with mascara-crusted cheeks and matted hair, wearing last night’s skirt wrapped around her waist.
Yikes! she thought, tugging at the khaki material. But it was no use. Not only were her fingers clumsy and awkward, but her hips felt like lead balloons. There was no way she could lift them to pull her skirt down.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, groping for the sheet and pulling it over her hips and thighs.
“I wanted to make sure you were all right. And last night I noticed you didn’t have anything in the way of a hangover remedy, so I did a little shopping for you.”
Bless this man, she said silently, looking up at the ceiling. “Well, as you can see, I’m just peachy,” she lied, forcing a brilliant smile. “In fact, I was thinking about jogging.”
“Uh, huh,” he muttered, as if he didn’t believe her. Entering the bedroom, he treaded carefully across the room, occasionally stopping to pick up a piece of clothing or a shoe in his path. Then, he did the unspeakable.
He opened the blinds.
Jane squeezed her eyes shut against the morning brightness. “Did you have to do that?”
“Yes. The sooner you get up and get moving, the sooner you’re going to start feeling human again.” She heard her dresser drawers being opened and shut, and then his voice boomed out again. “I grabbed some clean clothes for you. After your shower, you’ll feel a little better.”
Peeking out of one eye, she saw a pair of denim shorts, a red tank top and a pair of pink bikini panties tucked under his arm.
“Go away,” she said, closing her eye again. She figured all she had to do was wait a minute or two and then he’d probably get the hint and leave. But when she opened her eyes a few moments later, he was still there. He must be deaf, she thought.
“Come on, Cinderella. Let’s turn you into a princess.”
“Oh, so that’s why you’re here! You’re my fairy godmother.”
He chuckled. “Sure, whatever. It’s your fantasy.”
Rather than fight when she felt herself being lifted, Janie merely wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder. He smelled clean, like soap and toothpaste, while she probably smelled like a zoo animal. Maybe a shower was just what she needed.
In the bathroom, he set her gently on her feet, placed her hands on the vanity and said, “Hold on.” Then, laying her clean clothes aside, he pulled the shower curtain open and turned on the spray. “You don’t need any help getting undressed, do you?”
“No,” she said firmly. “Go away.”
“Breakfast in twenty minutes,” he said before shutting the door.
“Breakfast?” she said, then opened the door a crack and peeked her head out. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” Normally, she’d be jumping for joy over a man who could cook. But this morning, the last thing she wanted was food. Still, it was nice of him to offer.
“Well, I’m going to go ahead and make something anyway. By the time you finish with your shower, you’ll probably be hungry.” With that he turned and headed for the stairs.
Janie watched as he walked away, her gaze fixed on his delectable behind. “What is wrong with me?” she mumbled and quickly closed the door.
Before yesterday, she’d never much thought about Gabe Montero in a sexual way, or any way. She’d always thought he was rude and sort of incorrigible. But this morning he was acting civil, like they were friends. And last night he’d behaved like a perfect gentleman. Even when he’d kissed her, he’d used restraint. He could have taken advantage of her, especially after the way she’d practically thrown herself at him.
God, she’d almost forgotten about how she’d made a complete fool of herself last night. Although she didn’t regret asking him to kiss her, she couldn’t believe she’d asked him to have an affair with her. What on earth had she been thinking?
CHAPTER THREE
In spite of the way Janie’s stomach was churning, something smelled awfully tempting as she emerged from the bathroom. Gabe was right. The shower had helped tremendously. She was actually starting to feel slightly human. But just slightly. Her head still throbbed and she was still a little woozy. Leaning against the wall for support, she inched her way down the hallway and toward the stairs. But when she reached the top, she grasped the handrail for support as she stared down at the landing. She’d descended these steps hundreds of times, but never with a hangover. Suddenly, she lost her nerve, and afraid she might lose her balance and fall, she sat down. Then using her hands for support, she took the stairs slowly on her butt.
“I like resourceful women,” Gabe said, coming around the corner.
Janie shot him a look, but didn’t bother responding.
“Hungry?”
“A little. Do I smell coffee and bacon?” When she reached the last step, Gabe held out his hand and helped her to her feet. He ran his gaze over her tank top and denim shorts, lingering on her bare feet a moment before meeting her eyes again.
“Yes. And I made you a cheese omelet.”
He’d obviously gone shopping, because her kitchen wasn’t stocked with things like bacon and eggs. She mostly lived on take-out, or whatever leftovers Sara pushed on her. “Not so fast,” she said when Gabe started to pull her along. “This is my first hangover, you know. Hey, wait a minute! What happened to my living room? And where’s all my stuff?”
He stopped, running a hand through his thick, dark hair. “I straightened it up. As challenging as it was, I managed to find mates for all the shoes, and I tossed the clothing items in the hamper in your bedroom. It’s full, by the way. I got rid of all the old newspapers and fast food wrappers, too. And I loaded the dishwasher and ran the vacuum cleaner.” When she only stared at him with her mouth open, he rambled on. “I hope you weren’t planning on eating any of the furry leftovers in your refrigerator because I deep-sixed them. And while you were showering, I changed the sheets on your bed and cleared off your bedroom floor. Did you know you had carpeting under all those piles of clothes?”
“Very funny. So, how am I supposed to find anything now?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
She stuck out her chin, met his gaze. She found him irritating and pragmatic at the same time. “I happen to like the messy look. It’s in right now.” He was still holding her hand, she noticed as she leaned against him for support. “Besides, when I’m in my writing mode I’m totally absorbed in my characters and my story. I can’t be bothered with little things like cleaning. So I’m a little messy. So what.”
“Jane, you’re not a little messy, you’re a slob. Maybe you should take a few lessons from Sara. It amazes me how you and your sister are so different from one another.”
“You should talk.” She was referring to him and Alex, and he knew it.
“Point taken. C’mon, the food’s getting cold.”
He walked slowly this time, his big hand--with those long fingers--wrapped around hers, and led her to the kitchen. There should be a law against men wearing jeans that looked that good, she thought. He’d set two places at the table and had already filled their plates with bacon, eggs and buttered wheat toast.
“This looks heavenly,” she told him. The sound of the chair scraping against the vinyl floor made her wince
, but she didn’t complain. Gabe nodded for her to sit. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a meal at the table before. This will be a real treat.” Then she eyed the tall glass of red liquid in front of her. “What’s this?”
“A great hangover remedy. Don’t ask what’s in it, just drink it.” He picked up a bottle of aspirin from the kitchen counter and shook two out into his palm. “Here, take these.”
Janie picked up the glass and sniffed. It smelled like tomato juice. So, it couldn’t be too bad. She popped the aspirin in her mouth and took a huge swig of the thick, red liquid. “That’s disgusting!” With a sour face, she pushed the glass aside.
“Drink it down,” he ordered, picking up the glass and holding it in front of her face. “C’mon, don’t be a baby.”
“I’m not a--”
“That’s a good girl,” Gabe said, pressing the glass to her lips until she had no choice but to drink.
The second swallow wasn’t quite so lethal, and by the time she’d drained the glass, the mixture had started to grow on her. She’d forgotten all about the sour, slimy taste. “There, happy?” she asked.
“Ecstatic.” He plucked a napkin from the center of the table and ran it over her mouth as if she were a child. “Now, eat,” he said, taking the chair across from hers.
He could certainly cook, she decided, savoring every last bite of the tasty omelet. Gabe smiled at her, then gathered the dirty dishes and took them to the sink. Her insides were no longer queasy, though she wasn’t sure if it was the juice mixture or the food which was responsible. And, thanks to the aspirin, her headache had already started to fade.
“Since you’ll probably want your car, I can give you a ride over to your sister’s. I promised Travis and Livvy I’d take them to the beach today, so I’ll need to leave pretty soon. Not that this hasn’t been great fun.”
“Thanks. You didn’t have to come back here this morning and . . . well, I just want you to know that I appreciate it. Really. And I’m not mad at you for cleaning my apartment.”
He held a hand to his heart. “Gee, that’s a relief.”
She smiled, even though it still hurt a little to smile. “So, you’re taking my niece and nephew to the beach?”
“Yes.”
“That’s nice,” she said without any kind of enthusiasm.
“You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
She feigned surprise. “No. Why should I?” What do I care that Travis and Livvy will talk non-stop about Uncle Gabe taking them to the beach for at least the rest of the summer? She’d just have to think of something more exciting to do with them. Maybe she’d take them to the amusement park and the water park. Surely, they’d have more fun at both of those places than at the beach. Or at least, she hoped so.
“Last night I sort of got the impression you were jealous of the fact that I spend a week with them each summer.”
“Don’t be silly,” she told him, waving a hand for effect. “And besides, I don’t really remember anything about last night. Although I’m sure I must have said or done some pretty crazy things.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re trying to say you don’t remember anything about last night?”
“Not a thing,” she lied between her teeth, while she prayed her forced smile didn’t falter.
“Interesting,” he said, and she refused to break eye contact.
Only cowardly liars couldn’t look someone in the eye. Better to keep her gaze locked on his, so he wouldn’t see through her.
“So you don’t remember asking me to kiss you?”
“No.”
“And you don’t remember asking me to have an affair with you?”
She laughed. “In your dreams. You must have had more to drink than I did.”
“Uh, huh. So, you probably don’t remember asking me to tie you up and spank you either.”
Janie stumbled out of her chair, ignoring the dizziness, and jabbed a finger at his hard chest. “I did no such thing, Montero. I asked you to have an affair. I never said anything about bondage.” The sound of her own voice throbbed in her head.
“So, you do remember what happened last night?”
“No!” Quickly, she dropped her hand and took a few steps backward. This time she couldn’t look at his smug expression.
“You’re not a very good liar, Jane. I think I liked you better last night when you were baring your soul to me.”
Slowly, she lifted her head. “Don’t go getting so full of yourself. Last night, I was feeling desperate, but now that I’ve had a chance to think things through more clearly, I realize I made a terrible error in judgment. I should never have trusted you with . . .”
“Your little problem?” he asked, finishing her sentence for her. He was staring at her, his mouth twisted into a crooked smile, as if he might erupt into a fit of laughter.
“Look, you might be a great kisser, but I don’t think you’re the man for the rest of the job, if you know what I mean.”
“No, I’m not sure I do,” he said, moving toward her. “Why don’t you explain?”
He was much too close, she thought, backing away from him until her butt hit the kitchen table. Just as she was about to go around him, Gabe closed the distance between them, coming to stand directly in front of her. Now, she had no choice but to tilt her head back to see his face more clearly.
He brought a hand to her hair, toying with the ends. “You know what I think? I think that you’re afraid I’ll be too much man for you.”
Janie swatted his hand away, then grabbed hold of the front of his white T-shirt to keep her balance. “Stop it.”
“Stop what? Stop with the truth? Last night, you were all but begging me to take you. Why the sudden change of heart?”
She tried to move around him, but he stopped her, placing both hands on the table on either side of her hips and pinning her in. Her heart raced, her palms tingled, and she’d never been so confused in all her life. As much as she wanted to slap his face, she wanted to kiss him even more. “You had your chance, and you blew it.”
“You’re such a cruel woman,” he teased, then a serious expression crossed his face. “Last night, you’d had too much to drink. I didn’t want to take advantage. But now that you’ve nearly fully recovered, I wouldn’t mind another taste of you.”
His dark, penetrating eyes were sharp and assessing and glowed with a savage inner fire. And no matter how hard she tried to look away, she couldn’t. She wondered what kind of a hangover remedy his lusty kiss would be.
“Tell me no,” he said, his mouth a fraction from hers. “Tell me this is crazy, that I have no right to kiss you.” His last words were smothered on her lips, his mouth covering hers hungrily. Their tongues met and swirled together in reckless abandon while she swayed against him for support. He tasted like coffee and sweet cream.
Lifting a hand to her breast, he molded it to his palm. Her nipple firmed instantly under his touch as tiny shock waves zinged through her entire body.
Raising her arms, she played with the silky strands of hair at his nape, while his free hand roamed intimately over her back and finally settled on her hip. He urged her body closer to his, finding a fit that suited them both. Against his mouth, Janie gasped with pleasure, feeling his erection grow thick and hard against her belly.
Memories of the previous night entered her mind and brought with them longings. She needed to touch him, needed him to touch her, and she didn’t care if it was crazy. “Gabe,” she whispered, tearing her mouth from his. “You were right. I lied. You’re the right man. I know it. I want to make love with you. I--”
He backed up, breaking all contact. “Whoa. Slow down a minute,” he said in a raspy breath. Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at her. “Look, I--” But before he could say anything more, a knock sounded at the back door.
“Saved by the bell,” Janie said, and went to open it.
* * * * * * * * * *
A white-haired, elderly woman, as ro
und as she was tall, stood on Janie’s back porch, holding a foil-covered plate.
“Gertie!” Janie threw her arms around the woman’s shoulders and hugged her. “Is that for me?”
The woman winked. “Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I figured you could use some help in the energy department. Just thinking about all that mind-blowing sex you’re going to be having soon has to have you tired out. I know my heart’s been racing ever since we had that little conversation. In fact, you look a little flushed yourself.”
“Uh, Gertie . . .” Janie slowly tilted her head in Gabe’s direction, as if the simple movement had caused her pain.
“Oh, my!” The woman’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as she pushed the plate at Janie. “I didn’t realize you’d already found someone. And here I set up a date for you tonight.” Smoothing her white ringlets away from her cheek, she smiled politely at Gabe, then leaned toward Janie and whispered loud enough for him to hear, “Nice buns. Wherever did you find him?”
Gabe felt his face and neck grow warm. A first for him.
Setting the plate on the counter, Janie pulled the woman inside the house. “Gertie, this is Gabe Montero. Gabe, this is my friend and neighbor, Gertrude Leopold.”
Gabe walked forward, stuck out his hand. “Mrs. Leopold, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Batting her eyelashes like a bashful schoolgirl, she said, “Please, call me Gertie. Everyone does. Gertrude sounds so . . . old-ladyish.” She waved a hand and straightened to her full height of five feet. The poppy-colored dress she wore made her look like a giant beet.
Gabe nodded and dropped her hand. “Gertie, then.”
“So, where did you say you met Janie?”
Glancing at Jane, he said, “We’ve known each other awhile now. We’re sort of related.”
“We’re not related,” Jane butt in. “Gabe is my sister’s husband’s brother.”
“Oh! You’re the ex-con! How exciting!”