by LuAnn McLane
Reid nodded, thinking he’d been so wrong about her. “You didn’t really answer my question. But you don’t have to, Addison.”
“Reid, I can tell you with absolutely certainty that I am not in love with Garret. In fact, I never was. I realize that now. He falls into the category of what love isn’t.” She gave him a level look but remained silent when he wanted to know more. She handed him a strawberry.
Instead of taking the strawberry from her he brought her hand to his mouth and took a bite. She finished the rest of the strawberry and then reached for another one.
“So . . . have you ever been in love, Reid?”
“There were a couple of girls in college that I dated for a while.” He shrugged. “I guess I thought so at the time, but nothing became serious, much to my mother’s sorrow.” Reid shook his head. “Poor Mom. She is so anxious for a grandbaby. But twins run in her family. My grandmother is a twin. So she might get two for one after Sara gets married.”
“Well, I’m an only child, so I’m the only hope.”
It occurred to Reid that she’d make a good mother, patient and loving. He’d never talked to a woman about having kids before but, then again, he’d never really thought about marriage. He’d also never had a picnic in his bed with a woman either. Or had the urge to cuddle or massage tired feet. But he wanted all of those things with Addison.
Reid inhaled a deep breath. He wasn’t thinking; he was finally feeling. Did he have it in him to take that scary-ass leap of faith?
Yes, he did. But should he tell Addison how he felt?
“Reid, hey, don’t look so freaked-out. We can stop talking about children. I don’t know how we got on the subject but it’s clearly wigging you out,” she said in a lighthearted voice, but there was a rather forlorn look in her eyes. She fell silent.
“You’ve got it all wrong.”
“It’s a pattern with me,” she said with a small laugh. “So, are you going to enlighten me?”
Reid gave her pretty face a searching look. He decided that he’d wait to tell her what he wanted and how he felt. He wanted to give her time to forget about the past and build trust between them. Besides, showing her was much better than telling her, anyway. Reid wanted to treat her in the manner she should have been treated all along. Instead of being expendable or used, Addison deserved someone who would treasure her for all that she’s worth.
“Reid?” She tilted her head to the side.
“No, but I am going to kiss you.” He leaned in and captured her mouth in a sweet, lingering kiss. “Addison?” he whispered in her ear.
“Mmm?”
“Last one in is a rotten egg.”
She opened her eyes. “Last one . . . ? Oh, in the hot tub?”
“Yes, I’ve got it heating up.” Reid scrambled from the bed and held out his hand.
“What about the food? We didn’t eat it all. I don’t want to waste any of it.”
Reid nodded, liking that about her as well. “You’re right.” He tugged on his boxers and then started gathering up the leftovers.
Addison helped him put everything away, looking so damned cute walking around in his shirt that he wanted to scoop her up and make love to her again, but he knew she would benefit from the hot tub and so he refrained. Barely.
“Okay, now . . . last one in is a rotten egg,” he said, and took off like a rocket.
“Hey, no fair. My feet hurt,” she shouted after him.
Reid stopped in his tracks and turned around.
“I forgot.” When he hurried back with the intention of scooping her up in his arms, she scurried past him, laughing over her shoulder.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Reid quickly caught up and snaked his arm around her waist. She squealed when he picked her up, but he silenced her with a kiss. “So, you don’t play fair. I’ll have to remember that.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to be a rotten egg.”
“Baby, there’s nothing rotten about you,” he said as he carried her out to the back deck. After setting her down he folded the cover back from the hot tub. Steam rose in the air, and when he turned the jets on she sighed.
“Oh, this is going to feel amazing,” she said, but then looked at his boxers. “Oh, my swimsuit is in the cabin.”
Reid arched an eyebrow and then took off his boxers. “Naked is the only way to go.” He took a step closer to her and tugged at the shirt, exposing her body one snap at a time. He eased the shirt over her shoulders and let it slide to the deck and then pulled her in for a kiss.
“Oh my gosh. Can anybody see us?”
“Nobody but the bears.”
“Bears?” she squeaked.
“Just kidding.”
“Okay,” she said, but looked right and left, making him chuckle.
Reid stepped into the tub and then held out his hand to assist her. “Careful, it can get slippery.”
Addison took his hand. “Ahh, you were right—this feels heavenly,” Addison said after she sat down in the bubbling water. She eased onto the bench seat and leaned back. “Oh yeah, this is the ticket. I feel as if my bones are turning to Jell-O.”
“You can thank me later.”
Addison laughed. “Oh, I plan on it,” she said with a smile that held all sorts of promises. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the edge of the tub. Moonlight caressed her face and shoulders and the delicate column of her throat. The gurgling water played peekaboo with her breasts, giving him tantalizing glimpses. Her mouth looked pink and wet from the spray of the water and her cheeks were flushed from the heat. She’d piled her hair up in a sloppy bun but loose, dark tendrils clung to her neck. Reid watched her, drinking in the sight but allowing her to relax, when he wanted to scoot over there and slide his naked body against hers.
The feelings he tried so hard to suppress seemed to grow deeper by the minute, expanding and reaching into places he didn’t know existed. He’d been semiserious a couple of times, like he told her, but what he left out was that no one brought out the feelings of protectiveness, possessiveness, and flat-out desire. He’d never had a woman occupy his thoughts the way Addison did or make his heart race just from looking at her.
Addison opened her eyes and their gazes held, locked. His heart thudded when, without speaking, she closed the gap between them and straddled his lap. Her skin felt like wet silk sliding against him. She came up on her knees and held on to his shoulders, offering her breasts. Reid cupped them in his hands licking, sucking, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples until her breath came in short gasps. He felt her thighs tremble and she sank into the water, wrapped her arms around his neck and fell into a long, hot kiss.
Reid wanted to thrust upward and take her right there, but he didn’t have protection and so he held back. She kissed his neck while moving erotically against him, letting her breasts slide against his chest, and then slid her fingers in his wet hair, kissing him once more. Reid caressed her back, cupped her ass, letting his hands explore her wet, warm body.
The jets suddenly went silent, leaving only the light sound of water lapping with their movements. Moonlight spilled over them and the music of the night lingered on the gentle breeze.
“Let’s take this inside,” Reid said in her ear.
“Yes . . . please.”
“Ah, sexy and polite too. What more could I ask for?” Reid teased, and she laughed. But, truly, what more could I ask for? He felt his guard slipping away. Where she had come from and who she had been engaged to no longer seemed to matter. “Uh, unfortunately, I forgot towels. Do you want me to run inside and get you one?
“No, I’ll brave it,” she said, “but we’ll get the floor wet.”
“A small price to pay,” Reid said and then scooped her up.
“I can walk!”
“I like having your naked body in my arms.”
“Just hold on tight, huh?”
“And never let go.” He hadn’t meant to say that part out loud. Instead of giving her time to think about it
he hurried into the cabin, dripping wet and laughing all the way. After grabbing two big, fluffy towels out of the linen cabinet he handed her one. “I brought your bag in here in case you needed anything,” he said. “I’ll give you some privacy.” He cleared his throat and said, “You’re welcome to spend the night.”
“Do you want me to?”
“Absolutely.”
She smiled.
“Good, I’m going to turn off the hot tub and lock up. Do you want anything?”
“You.”
God . . . he thought but leaned over and gave her a kiss. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”
Addison nodded, and he saw a flash of something in those big brown eyes that looked like hope. Over and above anything else he didn’t want to be another man who disappointed or hurt her. The increasing intensity of his feelings for Addison caught him by surprise. He was a guy who liked to think things through, study, analyze, so it left him feeling a bit vulnerable and exposed. But with it came an odd sense of freedom. After so many years of holding back from taking even a little risk in both his professional and personal life he was really ready to listen to Sara’s advice and take a leap of faith.
When Reid returned Addison was curled up beneath the covers, sound asleep. He gazed down at her and smiled. She looked angelic, lying there with one hand tucked under her chin. Her bare shoulders reminded him that she was naked and his blood stirred. But he wouldn’t wake her. She needed the rest.
But tomorrow? Now, that would be a different story.
After brushing his teeth he slid beneath the sheet and pulled her close. She stirred, mumbled something, and then sighed. While making love to her again would have been awesome, Reid acknowledged that having her sleeping in his arms was a close second.
21
Flower Power
WHEN THE BELL OVER THE DOOR DINGED MAGGIE looked up from the model home plan she’d been studying.
“Look what I’ve got for you!” said Gabby Goodwin, the cute little owner of Flower Power. She had to lean her head to the side to see beyond the big bouquet of colorful spring flowers.
Maggie took off her reading glasses and stood up. With a hand to her chest she asked, “For me?”
Gabby wiggled her eyebrows. “Yes, indeed. Someone sure does like you.” She put the vase down on the desk and smiled. “Care to elaborate?” She tucked a golden curl behind her ear and waited.
Maggie took the small envelope from the tall plastic tong and then opened it. “Looking forward to dinner and dancing in the moonlight tonight. Richard,” she read silently. “Oh, just a client,” Maggie said, but felt a warm glow slide across her cheeks.
“Sure, he is,” Gabby drew out the comment with a smile. “Dinner and dancing in the moonlight? That sounds incredibly romantic if you ask me.”
“How did you . . . Oh right. You wrote this down for him when he called it in.” Maggie tried to make light of it.
“Is he hot? “
Maggie felt her blush deepen. “Yes . . .” Her voice turned into a small squeak.
“Sweet! This is when I love delivering flowers. Men . . .” Gabby rolled her eyes. “They think the best time to send a lovely bouquet of flowers is when they’ve messed up. Wrong.” Gabby wagged her fingers.
Maggie laughed.
“Yeah, I’ve had flowers handed back to me— No, make that thrust back at me. One woman walked over and tossed them out the back door! Right in front of me! I wanted to tell her to just give them to someone else . . . a neighbor or something, but you don’t want to mess with that kind of crazy.”
“So, you’re saying that the time to send flowers is for no reason at all.”
“Absolutely.” Gabby nodded slowly. “I mean, it’s great to do that too, you know, on Valentine’s Day or your anniversary. Even then they should put some thought into it. Just a simple thing like a favorite color or a special note. Guys just don’t get that women are pretty easy to please.”
“Sounds like you’re talking from experience.”
Gabby scrunched up her cute little nose. “I’m the poster child for dating douche bags. Oh well . . .” She smiled and pointed to the arrangement. “But this guy sure has got it going on. Flowers for no reason? Dancing in the moonlight? Damn, girl . . .”
Maggie laughed again. “Oh, Gabby, someone’s missing the boat by not snatching you up. Someday your prince will come.”
Gabby raised her arms akimbo. “Tell me about it. I sure have kissed some frogs.”
Maggie chuckled. “The arrangement is lovely but you didn’t have to personally deliver it to me.”
Her bright smile faltered. “Well, I’m the only one in the shop today. Until business picks up with weddings, I’m a little bit slow. I do have prom coming up so that will help.” She shrugged. “I put a be-back-in-ten-minutes sign on the door. And besides, I wanted to ask who the mystery man was. Actually, I think he had an assistant call in the order because the credit card name wasn’t Richard but some company name.”
Maggie laughed. “No mystery—just a client renting a cabin down by the river.”
“Right, and he sent you a huge bouquet of flowers? Dancing in the moonlight? I sure wish I had clients like that. Well, I’d want something other than flowers,” Gabby added with a tinkle of laughter. “I have enough of those. Give me chocolate!”
“Chocolate is the cure for anything!” Maggie smiled. She’d frequented Flower Power, loving the fresh scent and beauty of fresh flowers in her loft. Plus, she knew that until Wedding Row was up and running full steam ahead the shop was struggling a little bit. She’d gotten to know Gabby over the past few weeks. “You do wonderful work, Gabby.”
“Thanks!”
“What made you go into the flower business? Other than you have quite the eye for color?”
Gabby’s eyes misted over. “My mama. She was a single mom and worked so hard waiting tables at Sully’s just to make ends meet. I would bring her wildflowers I’d pick because I knew they’d make her smile. I’d put them in a mason jar and set them on the kitchen table so she’d see them as soon as she walked in.”
“That’s such a lovely reason, Gabby.” She smiled. “Tristan used to bring me dandelions. There’s nothing sweeter than getting flowers from a child, even if they’re weeds.”
“True, but it’s also pretty doggone nice to get flowers from an admirer,” Gabby said with a grin. “I sure wish my Prince Charming would come along.”
“Oh, he will. Most likely when you least expect it.”
“Ah, so there’s hope for me yet?”
Maggie nodded. “There’s always hope. Now get on back before you miss a customer.”
Gabby hugged Maggie and then stepped back. “I will. And make sure you come over for coffee and tell me all about Mr. Dancin’ in the Moonlight soon. Okay?”
“I promise.”
“Good,” Gabby said with her usually bubbly smile back in place. “See y’all later.”
After Gabby left Maggie tried to go back to the home plans but her eyes kept drifting back to the flowers. This time there wasn’t a twisted ankle or any reason other than Richard was anxious to see her. The knowledge sent a flutter of excitement dancing around in her stomach. They had been taking things slow but the pull of attraction was undeniable, even when they talked for hours into the night. Richard listened and seemed to really care about her, but she realized that there was so much more that she wanted to learn about him. Once in a while she sensed an edge of sadness and she vowed that tonight she would draw him out and learn more about his past.
Over the years Maggie had felt a pull of attraction here and there. She’d been on a few dinner dates, but while Tristan was young she didn’t want to upset the apple cart, since except for being studious and quiet he was well adjusted and excelled academically. Tristan’s well-being and making enough money to live a modest lifestyle had been Maggie’s main concerns. After Tristan had left for college Maggie could have made changes in her social life but the insecurity of not d
ating for so long made her incredibly gun-shy.
Maggie reached over and touched the soft petals of a purple iris. She supposed that her mother’s desertion and her father’s lack of love and affection had something to do with her reluctance to seek a relationship. When you felt unloved it was difficult to put your heart on the line to take a beating.
Maggie sat back in her chair, toying with a pen. Fear was such a powerful emotion and so tough to stifle. She inhaled a shaky breath. She needed to shake off the shackles of the past and conquer her fear of rejection. A trickle of fear slid down her spine, but then she sat up straight and tossed the pen down. She needed to stop being wishy-washy! She was attracted to Richard Rule and he obviously felt the same way. She needed to just go for it. Determination melted the cold ball of fear. After all, she and Richard were just two middle-aged people looking for companionship, and if it became more than that she needed to embrace it rather than run. This was her chance. She’d be crazy not to take it.
After all, thoughts of Richard had occupied Maggie’s daydreams all week long. Lunch with him on Monday when he’d brought the paperwork to her only made her think of him more. Long conversations on the phone lasted into the night, creating an intense sensual longing that had her tossing and turning in her bed. The vision of him shirtless, however, plagued her the most.
And the kiss . . . Oh, the kiss.
Maggie heard a groan and then realized it had come from her own throat. She’d relived the sweet, sensual kiss over and over. That one kiss had the power to reach inside her heart and open something she’d kept locked tightly away for such a long time.
Desire.
“Oh, my . . . my.” The need to fan her face wasn’t from a hot flash.
Maggie finally gave up and shut down her computer. She locked the door and flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED. Instead of trying to work she might as well head on upstairs and take a long, hot bubble bath. She planned on exfoliating, shaving, plucking, smoothing, and primping. In anticipation of seeing Richard again she’d purchased some sexy lingerie. A trip to the cosmetic counter at Macy’s resulted in a sultry new fragrance and the knowledge of how to create a smoky eye. The eyeliner still proved tricky but she thought she’d finally gotten the method down. Blending, she had been instructed, was the key.