Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set

by Maddie James

  “Yeah. It also encourages participation and makes me seem less like an ogre who would continue lecturing even if the lights go out.”

  Cheris flashed him a smile that made his knees wobble. He pulled a sucker out of the bag on the desk and held it out to her.

  “What’s this for?” she asked as she took it from him. “I didn’t answer any questions.”

  “For a lively debate.” And looking like springtime in front of the Smartboard. “I’ve got a committee meeting in ten minutes. Want to meet up for lunch in the cafeteria?”

  “Sure.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Oh my ears and whiskers how late it’s getting!”

  —Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

  Obviously people had taken notice of Cheris and her connection with Geoff. He’d fielded several questions at the faculty meeting earlier in the day hoping to put off the inevitable discussion of moving to Cullsbair or the reasons for doing so. No matter what happened with him and Cheris, Geoff had committed himself to teaching in his hometown. It was a gamble he hoped would pay off, but if it didn’t, he would still be closer to family and have a great teaching and research position.

  When he walked into his Che 212 class the Smartboard displayed an Internet feed of the Hip Granny website. He watched fascinated as a video played from his parents’ anniversary party.

  Of him and Cheris kissing on the stairs.

  Hmmm. Good thing she wasn’t sitting in on this class.

  Congratulations, Geoff and Cheris, noted the script across the picture.

  Oh, boy. Had Cheris seen this?

  Another reason to despise the Smartboard, he supposed. He’d be willing to bet Cheris would be with him on this one.

  He picked up the remote and hit the power button. Turning to the men and women sitting silently before him, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote the day’s lecture topic on the blackboard.

  “Dr. Arrowood?”

  “Yes, Haley?”

  “Did you get married over spring break?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is it true you’re leaving Newbie River and moving to Kentucky?”

  Obviously nothing was wrong with the rumor mill on campus. He’d tendered his resignation only yesterday.

  “Yes. But not until the summer. Let’s get back to—”

  “I didn’t know you were getting married,” Patrick Restull commented.

  “I may have neglected to mention it since it has nothing to do with college chemistry.”

  “You know Cheris is the technology chick on that website. Does she know you don’t let us use calculators on our tests?” Carter Stein added.

  “You ought to be able to work simple equations without a calculator, Carter.”

  “It must have been a small wedding if none of us got invited.”

  “You all want a pop test? I’ll be glad to write up a few problems on the board for you to solve.” Several groans emanated from his audience. “That’s what I thought. Now, let’s get back on topic. Who can tell me what characteristics are unique to metals?”

  ****

  When Geoff drove Cheris back to his house, they found the scent of paint heavy in the air.

  “She’s still at it, I guess,” Cheris commented as they walked into the kitchen from the garage.

  Geoff hung his key ring on a hook next to the light switch. “If she’s consistent with her past behavior, she’ll paint until she’s done.”

  “I think I’ll check on her.” Setting her purse down on the floor next to the dining table, Cheris continued to the bedroom door and knocked.

  No answer.

  Pushing it open, she saw Janie standing on a step ladder stroking the wall with a brush. She still wore the clothes she’d gone to bed in the night before, and her hair was in a tight ponytail.

  “Janie? You okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Want to go get something to eat?”

  “No.” Her hand never paused. “You guys go on.”

  Cheris stepped into the room to see what she’d painted.

  “Get out, Cheris. I’m not done yet.”

  It was an outdoor scene in lush greens and plants of every color, but a large white hole remained in the center where she hadn’t painted yet. “I need to get my suitcase.”

  “I put it in the hall.”

  Cheris backed out and shut the door behind her. Geoff leaned against the wall where her suitcase had been placed.

  “I’ve been kicked out.”

  Geoff picked up the bag and carried it to his room. “You can sleep in here.”

  Setting the case on the floor, he turned to face Cheris where she stood on the threshold. With maroon walls and gold curtains lining the windows, his bedroom was unlike what she expected.

  “I can’t take your bed.”

  A nice bed it was, too. The antique mahogany four poster topped with a brown and gold comforter dominated the room. A matching bureau with mirror was the only other piece of furniture.

  “Sure you can. I’ll be at the observatory most of the night anyway.”

  “Do you go out every night?”

  “When it’s a new moon, yes, and especially with no cloud cover. Tonight it’s supposed to be clear. A good night for viewing.”

  Cheris walked over to the bed and ran her hand over one of the posts, admiring the carved wood. “This is beautiful.”

  “It was my grandparent’s bed. When I bought the house, Grandma gave me her bedroom suit.”

  Cheris’ bed at home had been a mattress on the floor. When she’d moved to Cullsbaeir she’d bought a second hand bed from a consignment store. She’d never owned anything as exquisite as this.

  Glancing up, she caught Geoff’s reflection in the mirror. Behind his glasses his gaze caressed hers, made her heart beat hard in her chest. Gripping the post, she turned to face him wanting.…

  What?

  Before she could name the emotion, Geoff left the room without a word.

  Don’t go.

  Why not?

  I want him to stay. Here. I want to….

  You want to…?

  Cheris closed her eyes in frustration. The voices were back. She shushed both of them and followed the sounds of the faucet running where Geoff filled a pasta pot full of water in the kitchen sink.

  “Spaghetti okay with you for supper?” he asked without looking up.

  “Sure.”

  “Great. There are fixings for salad in the fridge. Want to put one together?”

  Cheris dutifully opened the refrigerator door and pulled the crisper to retrieve the ingredients. By the time they sat down together at the table, the tension she’d felt in the bedroom was gone. Cheris quizzed Geoff about the other projects his class had presented and what he expected for tomorrow’s small groups. Janie was a no-show for the meal as Geoff had predicted though Cheris did fix her a plate and took it to her. Sitting it inside the room, she noted the other woman asleep in the bed, the light still on.

  Closing the door softly behind her, Cheris returned to the kitchen as Geoff began to wash dishes.

  “You’re good to her,” he commented. “She appreciates it though I’m sure she’s never told you.”

  “How do you know?” Cheris wet a sponge and wiped the table.

  “For close to a year she’d been telling me about you. ‘Cheris brought me something to eat today.’ ‘Cheris gave me balloons for my birthday.’ ‘Cheris came to pick me up when I got drunk at Crazy Eddie’s.’”

  “She was really drunk that night. I took her home with me and woke her up every two hours to give her water to drink.” Cheris wiped down the counters and the stove. “That’s a trick my mom told me about. If you drink plenty of water after getting drunk, your hangover isn’t so bad the next day. I guess it helps to have a lush for a mom.”

  “That kind of knowledge is more useful than what my mom taught me.”

  “What was that? Which fork to eat your salad with?” She paused in her task to look
at Geoff.

  He quirked an eyebrow. “How many forks did you see me eat with tonight?”

  “One.”

  “Then obviously it wasn’t that. It was the Foxtrot.” He wiped his hands on a towel and pulled her into his arms.

  “What’re you doing?” Cheris gasped.

  “Showing you how much smarter your mom is than mine.” Geoff adjusted her arm by nudging it with his. “This is a proper dance so no grabbing butts. Rest your arm on mine.”

  Cheris rested her hand on his shoulder as he held her other hand in his.

  “Good. Now, I’m going to step forward with my left foot so you have to step back with your right.” With his thigh, he pressed into hers. “Then my right foot, your left and we move to the side.”

  Cheris stepped on his foot as they moved out of the kitchen. “Sorry.”

  “No problem. Try it again. Back right, then left, now to the side. Let’s do a corner step to get out of the way of the table. Back right. You always go back right first. Then left.”

  Cheris stepped on his foot again. “Sorry.” She looked down to watch their moves. “Maybe I should take off my shoes.”

  “If you take off your shoes, it will really hurt when I step on your feet. Now slide.” He moved them to the right. “And we turn a bit. You see how lame this is? What good did it do me in college?”

  “Like I’m sure you partied there,” Cheris commented as she tried to follow Geoff’s lead.

  “I tried. The first time I drank, I was so sick, I couldn’t eat for three days. Your little tip could have saved me a lot of trouble. As far as what my mom considered necessary knowledge, I never danced with a woman. Never.”

  “Until when?”

  “Until now. Pathetic, right?” Geoff dropped his hands and stepped away from her.

  “Probably when your mom was dating, it was necessary knowledge. You know, with cotillions and the country club and such. But with our generation, it’s different.”

  “Different how?”

  “How we socialize. Date.” Cheris folded her arms. “Think about what we’ve done since the gala. Movies. Watching television. Swimming. Eating. The Park. Playing games on the Internet. Texting. Even though…” Cheris dropped her gaze in embarrassment. “The dancing was nice.” Doing her best Groucho Marx, she quipped. “I could dance with you until the cows came home. On second thought I’d rather dance with the cows until you came home.”

  Geoff laughed, and Cheris smiled in response. For a moment they studied each other.

  “Do you…want to dance? There’s more to the Foxtrot I could show you if you’re interested.”

  “Okay.”

  Geoff moved the recliner from the middle of the room next to where the other one sat against the wall.

  “There. That’ll give us some space.” He grasped her fingers and placed his other hand on her shoulder blade. Remembering her stance, she settled her arm on his and tilted her head back to watch him.

  “One thing to remember is if you slide your feet as we’re going forward and back, you’re less likely to step on your partner. Not that I mind, but this part of the dance is more of a shuffle than a step. And it’s slower, too. When we move side to side, then we’ll step and pick up the pace. Ready?”

  Cheris nodded wondering if the butterflies in her stomach were from learning to dance or being so close to Geoff. As they danced to bluesy music from the Bose and Cheris became more comfortable with the steps, she relaxed into him.

  “You’re a good teacher,” she said as she slid her hand further up his shoulder.

  “Maybe there’s some use in knowing the Foxtrot after all.”

  “What? Something to do because you don’t own a TV?”

  “Yeah.”

  Leaning in a bit more she rested her head against his chest. This was nice. “It is weird that you don’t own one.”

  “What?”

  “A TV.” His heart beat against her ear.

  “Oh.” His fingers flexed against hers.

  “How come you don’t?” Cheris stopped moving her feet and leaned back to see his face.

  Still embraced, Geoff stared down at her. He shrugged. “It’s a distraction I don’t need although…” His caramel eyes sparkled warming her.

  Tingles began in her stomach and radiated outward.

  His face lowered a fraction.

  He’s going to kiss me.

  Okay?

  Yes.

  “Although?” Cheris whispered and lifted her face.

  “Although there are probably a few things worth watching.” Geoff’s lips punctuated hers at the last word. His mouth opened, and she tasted his warmth, the tingle of pepper and oregano which lingered on both of their tongues. Dropping her hand, Geoff wrapped his arm around her body and brought her flush against him.

  Cheris felt the corded muscle of his shoulders and back beneath his Oxford shirt examining the curves and planes of this man. The well-defined body she’d seen the night they’d swum in the pool attested to the fact that he frequently worked out on the exercise machines in the third bedroom of his house. Geoff also sought contact for his fingers kneaded the skin of the small of her back as his mouth left hers to rain kisses down to her neck.

  Cheris arched her shoulder to accommodate the attention to her skin he’d pushed her shirt aside to reveal. Fire licked at her wherever he touched. She even heard….

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Beep? Beep? Beep?

  “Geoff, I hear something,” she whispered.

  “Ignore it,” he said against her collarbone. He must have undone a few of the buttons. Yes, he had. One hand was cupping her bare shoulder now.

  “What is it?”

  Geoff lifted his head. “It’s my watch. It’ll stop in about thirty seconds” He kissed her again.

  Cheris’ fingers moved to his shirt buttons and had three undone by the time the watch was silent again.

  He was wearing an undershirt.

  What a shame.

  She wanted to see his chest, this time close enough to touch. Maybe she’d even get to the BVDs. Oh, he’d looked gorgeous at the edge of the pool trying to entice her out with the blanket. If she hadn’t freaked out because of the cops, she could have appreciated the view a little more.

  Another button, and she was nearly to his waistband. Pulling the material from his pants, she had the shirt completely open all without breaking contact with his lips. She grinned against his mouth in triumph.

  Progress.

  Sliding her hands up, she peeled the Oxford away from his shoulders and tugged it off his arms.

  The watch beeped again, and she glanced at the clock on the wall. Twenty after nine. Why was his watch beeping now?

  He pulled off the shirt and pressed the side of his watch until the sound ceased.

  “Why is your watch beeping?”

  Cheris loved the undershirt. James Dean with glasses.

  Geoff shook his head. “Don’t ask.”

  Skimming under the material, she splayed her fingers on his stomach gazing at him to gage his reaction. “Is it bad?”

  “Really bad.” Geoff worked on her shirt now, his hands fumbling over her breasts as he slid the buttons through their holes until he pulled her blouse aside to kiss her shoulder.

  “You have to take your medicine?”

  “No,” reverberated against her skin.

  “Appointment?”

  He growled and pushed down her bra strap. Cheris closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure when he nibbled at the tender skin at the inside curve of her arm. His mouth sought hers again, and she realized his glasses were gone now.

  What had Annie said about taking the glasses off?

  That simple gesture demonstrates a deliberate willingness to show your deep affection.

  Deep affection.

  Lovely.

  Cheris reaching behind her to unhook her bra, but Geoff’s hand grasped hers.

  Hugging her to him, his mouth whispered in her ear, “Don’t.�
�

  “But—”

  “If you take any more of your clothes off, I’m going to stay here and love you for the rest of the night. And I can’t do that because people are depending on me to be somewhere else right now.” His fingers traced a pattern on her back and ran under the elastic cloth.

  From his pants pocket, his cell phone rang.

  His sigh rustled her hair and tickled her ear.

  “Is that call from the people depending on you?”

  “Most assuredly.”

  Cheris stepped back and out of his embrace. “A new moon and no cloud cover.”

  “Yes, dammit.” He picked up his glasses from the bookshelf behind him. Adjusting them on his face, he grimaced. “I’ve had this set up for months. Way before…”

  “Way before me.” She nodded as she smiled at him enjoying his reluctance to leave.

  “If it were only me, there would be no question about staying.” His gaze traveled over her. “I don’t want to go.”

  “I know. I’ll be here when you get back.” Cheris walked toward him and placed her hands on his cheeks. She brushed her lips against his. “Maybe a big ol’ thunderstorm will come up and you can get back sooner.”

  “Yeah. That’d be good. We’ll hope for that.”

  She gently pushed him away, picked up his shirt, and handed it to him. She retreated to the other side of the room so she wouldn’t be tempted to wrap herself around him and ask him to forget about the people depending on him. “Go on then. See you after while.”

  He shrugged into it. “In my bed, right? You’re not sleeping in the recliner again, are you?”

  Cheris smiled and shook her head.

  “Good.” Striding to her, Geoff cupped her waist with both hands and kissed her. Drawing back he sighed then brushed her lips again. “Last one,” he muttered against her mouth and withdrew. Heading to the kitchen he began buttoning up his shirt. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  He disappeared into the other room. Cheris heard the clink of his keys and the squeak of the kitchen door. Immediately the mechanical sound of the garage opening reached her.

  Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh.

  What had happened?

  She pulled her shirt together and took several calming breaths.