Hers By Request

by Karen Ann Dell

  “No problem. I can be at your place in fifteen minutes. Will that be enough time?”

  Just the sound of that perfect, soothing, wonderful voice was enough to calm her jangled nerves and slow her racing pulse. She blew out a long breath of relief. “Yes. That would be fine. Thank you so, so much. You’re a real lifesaver, you know that?”

  She heard him mumble something. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”

  “It’s nothing. I’ll be there in a few minutes, all right?”

  “Yes. Thank you again, Dev. I owe you one. Bye.”

  She hung up, then called Zoe to tell her of the altered plans. “Would you rather we came by and picked you up, Zoe?” she asked.

  “No. Don’t bother. Jeff is already on his way over here, so I’ll go with him and meet you guys out there. No point in you two driving past Mrs. W’s to get me then having to backtrack.”

  “Okay, Zo. See you there at two.”

  Amanda sighed. Thankfully she’d defrosted extra chicken tenders. She would definitely talk Dev into staying for dinner if she could. She owed him that and more for the rescue.

  She called the service station back to say she’d be gone before their mechanic could get to her house, so she would wait till she got back to get a jump-start.

  One glimpse in the mirror and she ran to the bathroom to brush her hair. She’d been running her hands through it in frustration and Dev would think she’d just gotten out of bed. A little lip gloss to replace what she had chewed off and she was set to go.

  She stood on her front porch, dressed in jeans, a black turtle-neck sweater, high black boots, and her black pea coat when Dev pulled up a few minutes later. Slinging her leather satchel across her shoulder, she locked the door and climbed into his green Land Rover.

  “Hi. You made it in record time. Thanks again for the rescue, Dev.” She glared down at her little Civic, then over at him. “I’m afraid my little baby needs a new battery. If I could impose upon you for another favor, when we get back from Mrs. Wyndham’s, could you give me a jump-start? Then I can drive into town and get a new battery.”

  “Sure. Buckle up now. You know there are some crazy drivers out there,” he added with a wink.

  Wearing an oatmeal fisherman’s sweater over khakis and with that defiant lock of brown hair curling over his forehead, he generated a flash of heat that zinged through all her erogenous zones. Squelching those feelings, Amanda smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “You’re never gonna let me forget that accident, are you?”

  “Nope. Stuff like that lasts a lifetime.”

  She liked it when he laughed. It made him appear so much younger. If he got a chuckle out of her bad driving, he could bring it up every time they got together. He needed to lighten up more, anyway.

  “And to think I was going to offer you dinner tonight,” she said with a sigh.

  “Really?”

  His surprise was seemed so genuine it made her sad. Did he think he was so undeserving of any kindness?

  “Really. I planned to make dinner for Zoe and Jeff, and we’d all like it if you could join us.”

  She could tell it made a difference that Zoe and Jeff were going to be there. His expression changed but she couldn’t get a good enough read on his profile to tell what it meant. Maybe he was nervous about meeting new people. Probably overly self-conscious about his arm and hand.

  Impulsively she reached over and put her hand on his leg and gave a little squeeze. “Please come. I know you haven’t had much sleep today but I’d really like it if you could join us. Just consider it payback for giving me this ride.”

  “Is this where we turn?” His usual velvet voice sounded strangely rough.

  Amanda peered at the street sign. Crooked Neck Road. She took her hand off his leg, suddenly worried he might get the wrong idea.

  “Yep, this is the turn. It’s about a half-mile up on the left.”

  They drove on in silence for a few minutes.

  “So, will you come to dinner, then?” She couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.

  “You don’t owe me anything for this ride,” he told her with a quick glance in her direction. “Don’t feel obligated. I’m glad to do it. It wasn’t far out of my way anyhow.”

  “I don’t feel obligated. I planned on inviting you even before I needed a ride. But I understand if you’d rather not.”

  She gazed out the window to hide her disappointment.

  He wasn’t coming to dinner. He wasn’t going to be her friend. She’d botched that up the other day, and the best she could hope for from Dev MacMurphy was politeness.

  Chivalry wasn’t dead on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Dev might help a damsel-in-distress but there wasn’t going to be any personal involvement connected with the deed. What a shame. She hadn’t felt friendship toward a man other than Danny since she was . . . well, ever, actually. She could kick herself for accidentally calling attention to his war wounds back at the radio station when it was obvious he didn’t want to talk about them. Now he probably figured that if he came to dinner she’d make another big deal out of his injury and embarrass him in front of her friends.

  Dev knew it would be a struggle to keep a cool head when he’d gotten Amanda’s phone call asking for his help.

  He had just stepped out of the shower, where his fantasy of Amanda, naked and slippery with the soap he was rubbing all over her luscious body, did more to steam up his bathroom than the hot water he was using. Heavy and aching with the desire to pick her up and slide her onto his rock-hard erection, he twisted the hot water off and let the ice-cold result drown that dream.

  Listening to her worried voice on the phone, it was easy to imagine her biting on that bottom lip and peeking up at him through her lashes, her eyes twin pools of twilight. And he was right back to ready, the cold water forgotten as his cock sprang to attention again. He’d cursed under his breath at his inability to stay in control.

  When he pulled up in front of her little house, she stood on the porch waiting for him, so beautiful his heart stuttered for a beat or two. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, framing the face that lately haunted all his dreams. Those long, long legs in tight jeans and boots had him stiffening yet again and he shifted in the seat trying to ease the tightness in his pants. Christ, what was he doing here? Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition couldn’t have come up with torture like this.

  When she climbed in and her fresh scent wafted across the cab, his deep breath was a reflex he couldn’t control. Perfume? Shampoo? He had no idea what the scent was, but to him it was an aphrodisiac like no other. He kept his hands locked on the steering wheel or he knew he would reach out, slip his hand behind her neck, through all that gold, silken hair, and draw her close, the little ‘O’ of surprise on her mouth all the invitation he’d need to cover it with his own and feast on the soft lips he’d been dying to taste.

  She’d asked for a jump-start when they got back from this meeting, and he swallowed his first response and managed a single word reply. Then he teased her about ‘crazy drivers’ and made her buckle up. She rewarded him with a girlie punch on his shoulder and a million-dollar smile that delighted him enough to make him laugh out loud. Her offer of dinner took him by surprise, but when she explained that she was having her friend, Zoe, and another guy over as well, he knew he’d leapt to the wrong conclusion.

  Like she was going to invite him over for a cozy dinner for two. Yeah, that was going to happen. Right after he won the lottery. No, she was simply being kind to a lonely misfit she felt sorry for.

  When she’d put her hand on his leg, he bit his tongue to stop his body’s reaction and quickly distracted her by asking for directions. He wanted to be able to get out of the rover and walk without embarrassing himself. If she touched him again, he’d be toast.

  CHAPTER 10


  Old Lady Wyndham wasn’t such an old lady after all. With a husband celebrating his seventy-fifth birthday, Dev didn’t expect an attractive woman in her early sixties. Slim and well-preserved, Mrs. Wyndham could easily pass for a woman in her fifties. She had the carefully maintained appearance that spoke of frequent spa visits and a masseuse on retainer. If this was the first marriage for them, he suspected the Admiral had taken a fair amount of ‘robbing the cradle’ ribbing before they tied the knot.

  Once Amanda introduced him, Mrs. Wyndham was gracious, charming, and happy to flirt a little as she showed them all through the living room to the deck.

  Dev had a difficult time staying focused on the task at hand as he followed Amanda’s long-legged stride down the walkway toward the pavilion overlooking the bay. The day had warmed up in the unpredictable way March had of changing its mind and Amanda had slipped out of her heavy pea-coat, unknowingly letting the close-fitting black turtleneck and snug jeans keep them both warm. The knee-high boots had him imagining her whipping out a riding crop to point out the placement of speakers and lighting. Visuals of horseback riding devolved into steamier fantasies where the animal plunging between her legs had only two legs but more than enough enthusiasm to have her panting with desire.

  “Nice working for the rich ones, isn’t it?” Jeff swung a leg over the railing of the pavilion and balanced on the narrow edge of decking on the other side.

  “Hmm?” Dev snapped his attention away from Amanda and watched as Jeff held on with one hand while he examined the underside of the decking.

  “I mean, it’s a nice set-up. The pavilion is already wired for electricity and sound. Did you notice the speakers up in the rafters? Must be hooked into the house’s audio, so I’m hoping you and the band can tap into that so we don’t have to run our own wiring down here.” He did a neat vault back over the railing and brushed his hands off. “It’s about a six-foot drop into the sea oats and saw grass, and I for one will be glad not to have to slog through it unrolling speaker wire, you know?”

  “I’m with you there. I don’t know what kind of amplification they’ve got up at the house, but if the band doesn’t bring an amp with them, I’ve got one that will handle all the output we’ll need for this shindig.” He kept his eyes on Amanda while she and Zoe measured for the dance floor.

  Amanda snapped the measuring tape shut and jotted down something in her notebook, then came over to join Dev and Jeff.

  “Hi, Beautiful,” Jeff greeted her with a wink. “I hear you’re going to feed us all tonight.”

  “Well, I’ve got to do something to pay you for all the help you’re giving us.”

  The easy way Jeff called her beautiful set Dev’s teeth on edge. And the sparkle in Amanda’s eyes didn’t sit too well either. Could they be . . .? No. He couldn’t bear to think about it. Even if it would be good for her.

  “Please change your mind and say you’ll join us,” Amanda coaxed, turning her warm, friendly gaze on him.

  “Man, don’t miss out on her cooking,” Jeff encouraged him. “She can put some dynamite meals together.” He slung an arm over Zoe’s shoulders. “Unlike some other females I could name, who can’t make toast without burning it.”

  So, Jeff had already eaten some of Amanda’s home-cooked meals. How many? Dev knew he shouldn’t, but when he opened his mouth, “Sure, I’ll come. Sounds too good to pass up,” came out in spite of his best intentions.

  Amanda beamed at him. “Great. Oh, I’m so glad you changed your mind. We’ll try to eat early so you have a chance to get in a couple hours of sleep before you have to work tonight.”

  “Nah. Sleep’s overrated. Dinner with you beats a few hours in the sack any day.” Unless, of course, she was in there with him. He held her gaze for a second, then turned to Jeff. “Let’s get back to the house and check out the sound system.”

  “Yeah. Then we have to figure out where we’re gonna park all those pricey cars.”

  They trooped back up the walkway to the main deck. Amanda asked Mrs. Wyndham where the sound system for the house was. She led them down a short hallway off the living room and into a media room furnished with theater seating and a huge projection screen. A small room at the back held a front-projection TV and the electronics for the audio system. Dev and Jeff were attracted like iron filings to a magnet and deep into audio-speak in thirty seconds.

  Amanda and Zoe left the men to check out the sound system and went back outside.

  “I know there’s another driveway just a little further down the road from here,” Amanda said. “The Wyndham’s bought two pieces of property side-by-side when they decided to build here. I remember my dad talking about how one lot just wasn’t big enough for Mrs. Wyndham’s ‘Grand Plan’.”

  They walked down the curved driveway and turned left to continue down the road. It dead-ended in a hundred yards or so, ‘The Cottage’ taking up most of the land ending at the tip of Blue Point Cove. A narrow, rutted driveway angled toward the water and another cottage, much like Amanda’s, sat off to the side.

  “They tore the house on the other property down so they could build theirs. As you can see, it took up most of this lot too. I remember they actually stayed in this little house while the big one was being built,” Amanda reminisced.

  “I bet that was a hoot.” Zoe laughed.

  They continued down the driveway and peeked in the window. White sheeting covered a few pieces of furniture, but most of the space was empty. The driveway disappeared around the side of the house and ended in front of a ramshackle shed almost completely overgrown with lantana vines and mossy plants.

  “That must have been a garage in its better days,” Zoe guessed.

  “Or maybe a boat shed,” Amanda added. She turned and went back around the house. “I think we could clear out enough space on either side of this driveway to park some cars. There are no big trees or shrubs, just a lot of vines and grasses. Once we get a weed-whacker in here and spread a few inches of mulch over the area, it ought to be good to go. At least for one night’s parking.”

  Zoe dug through the ground cover with the toe of her boot to test the soil. “Feels pretty firm. As long as we don’t have a week of rain right before the party, I think it’ll do.”

  They walked back out to the road and turned toward the big house.

  “So,” Amanda said with studied casualness, “what do you think of Dev?”

  “Woman, you need to snatch that man right up. He’s a keeper.” Zoe fanned herself. “And sexy as hell, too.”

  A little smile quirked Amanda’s lips. “He’s nice, isn’t he?”

  “Nice? He’s nice? That’s the best you can come up with?” Zoe huffed. “He’s a fine specimen, and it’s a damn shame he got injured like that. I bet he used to play a mean piano. Those long, slender, strong fingers and all.” She slid a coy glance at Amanda. “Betcha those hands have lots of talent.”

  “Getting past the physical, which, I agree, is noteworthy, I’m glad you’ll get to see what a genuinely nice guy he is at dinner tonight. You should see him at the radio station, Zoe. He’s hired a bunch of veterans who all have some kind of problem and he’s given them a place to work and recover without putting a lot of stress on them. They all worship him and he doesn’t even know it.”

  “You seem pretty impressed yourself,” Zoe commented, eyebrow arched.

  “Don’t read anything into it. I’m not . . . interested . . . in anything like that. And I don’t want to fall in love again, anyway. Someday a fling, maybe, but no more love. I couldn’t risk losing someone else I loved.”

  Zoe made a sad face. “Oh, honey, you don’t want to spend the rest of your life alone? That would be a terrible waste. You’ll feel differently in time. You’ll see.”

  Amanda didn’t bother contradicting her friend. Zoe wanted everyone to have a happily e
ver after, but that didn’t happen in her life.

  They walked back up the curving driveway to the house where Mrs. Wyndham was chatting with Dev and Jeff on the front porch. It was obvious she enjoyed the attention of two handsome males as she flashed a smile at one then the other.

  “It appears these gentlemen have everything worked out as far as the music and lighting goes. I can see I made an excellent choice when I hired you and Zoe to manage this party,” she said as Amanda and Zoe climbed the porch steps. “The Admiral will be pleased. He had plans to have the channel and approach to our dock dredged this spring but I made him wait until after the party. Who knows what kind of mess they’ll leave behind, and I didn’t want our guests having to deal with anything ugly or smelly on the big night. Once he sees how professionally you’re handling things, he’ll finally stop grumbling about putting the dredging off.”