Designed for Love

by Roseanne Dowell

  "Okay, you have a point. You shouldn't have been charged more for the room. Let's go straighten that out and grab a bite to eat. Assuming of course, the restaurant is still open."

  She grabbed her purse and motioned for him to go.

  Chapter Four

  When we got off the elevator, I saw only one clerk at the front desk, the girl who had taken care of me. Poor thing looked bored out of her mind. A magazine sat in front of her, but she didn't look like she was concentrating on it.

  This ought to be good. Women were worse than men when it came to dealing with men. Especially good-looking, sexy men like Bill.

  Now what made me think that? He wasn't at all my type. Too outdoorsy looking. I preferred intellectuals. Conservative, professionals. Someone who could carry on a conversation about topics other than football. Not that I minded talking about football, it was my favorite sport. But some men couldn't talk about anything else. Bill struck me as that type. Probably loved to go hiking and skiing too. Not my cup of tea.

  I stood off to the side while the girl openly flirted with Bill. "I can't believe we did that. Of course I'll credit your account, Mr. Johnson." She batted her big baby blues at him. I almost gagged.

  "Well, actually, Miss..."

  "Olivia." The girl interrupted.

  "Yes, of course, Olivia. Actually you're going to have to credit Miss uh...um..." Bill looked at me. "What is your name anyway?"

  I felt the color rise to my face. "Seidel, Wendy Seidel." God, I felt like such a fool. What must Olivia think of me? Spending the night with a man who didn't even know my name. Not that he needed to. This wasn't what it looked like. "If you hadn't double booked us, we wouldn't have to spend the night in the same room. Are you sure you don't have a cancellation?

  Olivia shook her head. "Sorry, Miss Seidel, we're full up. I really am sorry for this confusion. I don't know how it happened."

  "No problem, just credit our cards, and we'll be out of your way," I said.

  "Of course," Olivia said. She punched some keys on the keyboard, waited for something to be printed out and handed it to me. "There you are, Miss Seidel. One hundred and fifty dollars credited to your account."

  I ignored the printout. "That's not correct, Olivia, half of the credit goes to Mr. Johnson's credit card."

  Bill shook his head. "No, I insist on paying for the room. After all I did put you out."

  Oh, no, he didn't. Uh, uh, no way. What would he expect from me for paying for the room? "No, I'll pay my fair share."

  Olivia looked between us. "I can credit half to each account."

  "Okay, how about this?" Bill raised his hand to stop Olivia. "How about if you pay me for half the room?"

  "I don't have that much cash on me." I didn't like this at all. Why couldn't the girl get it right to begin with?

  "Fine, so send me a check later." He pulled out his wallet and handed me a business card. "Here's my address. I trust you."

  I took the card and slid it into my purse without looking at it. I still didn't like this, but I didn't want to stand here making a spectacle of myself. "Fine, let's get something to eat. The restaurant is still open isn't it?" I asked Olivia.

  "As far as I know it is." Olivia sighed and looked relieved.

  Bill took my arm and led me toward the restaurant.

  I tried to pull away, but he held my arm firmly. Not harsh or abusive, but firm enough. Shivers ran down my spine at the warmth of his hand, even through my sleeve. This wasn't good. What was the matter with me? I didn't react like this to men. Especially this type of man. Probably just tired, not to mention the stress of the situation.

  The restaurant looked full, but the hostess led us to a table in the far corner of the room. Any other time I might have thought it romantic. Another good scene for my sister's novels. I almost laughed aloud at the situation. Here I was snowbound with a hunk of a man, who was not at all my type, in a romantic corner of the restaurant. Candlelight glowed from the tables. I only hoped they didn't lose power.

  Again, as if by some magical power from my thoughts, the lights went out. What else could happen?

  A few seconds later they came back on from the hotel's generator. Thank God. I didn't relish the thought of spending a long evening alone in a dark room with Bill. At least I could linger over dinner and call it a night when we returned to the room.

  Bill's hand on my arm brought me out of my thoughts. "I asked what kind of work you do?"

  "Oh, sorry, was thinking about something."

  "Do you always blush that easily?"

  I fanned my face and glared at him. Was bad enough I blushed, did he have to bring it to my attention? "I'm an interior designer." I ignored his question about blushing. "You?"

  "Architect. I specialize in old buildings and homes that people want to knock walls out of– structural stuff."

  "I see. Sounds fascinating." It really did. Maybe I had misjudged him. "So, are you going to Florida for work or play?"

  "A little of both I hope. I have to meet with a client, but I won't spend all my time working."

  I smiled. "Can't say you're a dull boy, can you?"

  "Nope. So how long are you planning on staying in Florida?"

  Bill's smile showed dimples on both cheeks and reached his eyes. A sincere smile, not fake like so many men I met. Men who pretended they were interested and couldn't care less. Only one thing on their minds.

  "I wish I knew. Knowing my boss, I'll be there through the first at least." The waiter approached and took our order. "How about you? How long are you staying?" Not that it mattered. I didn't plan on seeing him in Florida. In fact I didn't plan on seeing him at all.

  "Hard taskmaster?" Bill paused while we gave our orders to the waiter. "I'm not sure. I should finish up in a few days. But clients are funny people, and it might take longer than I expect." Bill pointed to the dance floor. "Do you dance?"

  I loved to dance but didn't trust myself in Bill's arms. The last place I wanted to be. Much too intimate. "I do, but no thanks."

  "So, tell me, Miss Seidel, what do you do for fun?"

  Taken aback by his question, my mouth fell open. "I don't have a lot of time for fun. Right now my career comes first."

  "Surely, you can't spend every waking hour working?"

  "You have no idea what's involved in planning a room, do you? It's more than just throwing fabrics and textures together. Especially when you start from the ground up." I took a breath.

  "So what is involved?"

  I stared at him for a minute. Was he kidding or did he really want to know? I'd met plenty of guys before who pretended they were interested. They yawned halfway through. Something told me Bill really wanted to know. I'm not sure what. Maybe it was the way he looked directly at me.

  "Well, for starters, on a house that's been gutted, besides taking measurements and pictures, we have to pick out floors, cabinets, appliances. The whole ball of wax. And we have to know our client's taste. To top it all off, we have to make what they like work. We have to kind of guide them. Know what I mean?"

  "I think I do. Architects are pretty much the same way. People think you can just tear out a wall and make the room bigger. It doesn't work that way. And sometimes making a room bigger doesn't work. I once had a client who wanted to knock out three walls. While doable, the room would have been so big, it would have looked like a dance hall. Not the kind of room the client pictured." Bill waited while the waiter served our drinks.

  "I convinced her to only knock out one wall, and the room turned out exactly as she pictured it."

  He understood. He actually understood my work. What's more he was sincerely interested. I could have talked all night about my work, but I wanted to know more about his. I'd only worked with an architect once before, and I didn't have much contact with him. Nick dealt with him for the most part. My job was to decorate the space he created. "So tell me more. What kinds of buildings do you work on?"

  "Historical buildings mostly. It's amazing how many peop
le are buying up old warehouses and turning them into apartments."

  "I love old buildings. Not that I have a problem with the new modern ones, but something about the old ones...I don't know, maybe it's the history. I find myself wondering about the people who lived there. Sometimes I make up stories about them." Oops, now why did I say that? I'd never told anyone that before.

  Bill stared at me, a strange look on his face. "I do the same thing."

  "No way." Was he being serious or mocking me. Something told me he meant it. Guess you couldn't judge a book by its cover. I never in a million years would have guessed we had so much in common. And he talked about stuff besides football.

  After dinner and a few drinks, I looked at my watch and stifled a yawn. I didn't want to go back to the room with him. We'd had a great evening, and I learned things about him that surprised me. Things like, he rescued a retired greyhound and planned on rescuing another. I couldn't picture him with a greyhound. More of a Rottweiler type of guy.

  He came from a big family. Family seemed important to him. He loved woodworking, and he was remodeling an old fixer-upper Victorian – my favorite type of house. Things I never would have guessed. And surprisingly, he didn't like skiing or hiking.

  And I revealed a lot of things about myself that I never told anyone before. Partly because no one was ever interested. Things like how I admired my Aunt Sophie who managed to have a career and still raise a family. That one of my biggest goals was to start my own interior design business. I even had the name picked out – Simple Elegance. I'd never divulged that to anyone. Not to my sisters, not to my best friends. So what made me tell him?

  I sat back and studied him. I liked the way his wavy black hair curled into a widow's peak on his forehead. And I liked the dimple in his chin. This wasn't good. I wasn't supposed to like a man this much. I even liked the way he touched my hand across the table while we talked. It did things to my insides. Things I'd never experienced before. Wouldn't allow myself to experience. And the way his gray eyes looked into mine. Like he really was interested in what I was saying and not just placating me. Nope, this wasn't good. Not good at all.

  "You're tired. I think we should call it a night. Hopefully, the airport will be up and running in the morning."

  I stood up and followed Bill out of the restaurant. At the doorway, he turned and took my hand. Something inside me quivered from his touch. I didn't like this. Didn't like it one little bit. Yet, I liked it way too much.

  Chapter Five

  "Let's get one thing clear right now." I stepped into the elevator and pulled my hand away. It was time to put a stop to this before it got out of hand.

  Bill lifted an eyebrow and looked at me. "Okay, what's that?"

  Something about his voice sounded teasing, almost bantering. He thought this was a big joke. Probably thought because he wined and dined me, he could get me into bed. "When we get to the room, you go in the bathroom and wait while I get undressed and into bed."

  The smirk on his face annoyed me. "You don't think I'm going to sleep in my clothes, do you?" No way was I going back to the airport in wrinkled clothes. He could if he wanted. In fact I hoped he would. The thought of him lying in the next bed without clothes didn't sit well with me.

  "Actually, I hadn't given it any thought. No, I guess you wouldn't want to sleep in your clothes. Nor would I. So how do you propose I get undressed and in bed?"

  His grin sent shivers up my spine. Darn him, anyway. Like I wanted to watch him undress. "I'll turn off the light when I get into bed. You don't have a problem undressing in the dark do you? And I promise I won't look." Like heck I wouldn't, but at least I wouldn't be tempted to touch. At least, I didn't think I would. Darn it, no one ever made me feel this way before.

  "Nope, not at all."

  His bantering tone continued as did the silly grin. Did he think I was joking? Well, he had another thought coming. The elevator doors opened, and I stepped off ahead of him and went straight to our room. I inserted the card in the slot and pushed the door open. Inside, I waited for him to go to the bathroom. He stood there, looking at me.

  I picked up my bag, walked to the far end of the room and pulled the bed covers down. "I really am tired, so if you don't mind." I motioned toward the bathroom and heard his soft chuckle as he turned and left.

  He poked his head out. "I thought that was my bed."

  "Well, you thought wrong." I waved him away and turned my back to him. I had forgotten he'd claimed this bed when we first came in. Too bad. He'd have to make do. What was I going to do if he made a pass at me?

  I shuddered at the thought. Problem was half of me wanted him to. After checking to make sure he was in the bathroom, I took off my blouse, folded it and put it on the chair. Next came my skirt. When I was down to my bra and panties, I crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin, reached up and flipped off the light. "Okay, you can come out now."

  A thought about morning suddenly hit me. No wonder he laughed at me. How was I going to get out of bed without him seeing me or me seeing him in the daylight? Stupid, I hadn't thought about it until now. Guess I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. What else could I do? Right now I was tired and needed sleep.

  A sound from across the room caused me to open my eyes. Even in the dark, I could see Bill's muscular physique. He unbuttoned his shirt, removed it and folded it, then laid it on the chair near his bed. I watched mesmerized as he unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants and slid them off. God, he had gorgeous legs. He seemed to take his time folding his pants, making sure the creases were just right. He laid them neatly across the back of the chair, then turned, pulled the covers down and sat on the edge of the bed.

  A hot searing flame started deep in my stomach as he fluffed the pillow. I swore I could see the muscles ripple in his back as he sat there, before he pulled his legs up and got under the covers. I let out a soft groan and wondered what it would feel like to have that sexy, masculine body next to mine. Good Lord, what was the matter with me? I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep.

  * * *

  Bill sensed Wendy watching him as he got into bed. He wanted to look at her but didn't trust himself. He could hardly keep his hands off her in the elevator. If he looked at her now, he'd lose it completely. Nope, better to look the other way.

  He could hardly wait until morning to see what she suggested about getting out of bed. He'd much rather be there in bed next to her. He wanted to touch her ever since he first laid eyes on her. Never had a woman affected him this way. Hell, maybe he'd been too long without a woman. It'd been what almost two years since he had a serious relationship. Still, he'd seen beautiful women, and none did things to his insides the way Wendy did. He had enjoyed dinner and listening to her talk about her job. Had she been teasing him when she said she loved old homes? No, she couldn't possibly know how he felt about the old houses he worked on. He'd never met anyone like her before.

  Wendy Seidel, why did that name sound familiar? He'd heard it someplace, but where. He turned over, punched the pillow and closed his eyes. He'd think of it eventually. She was an interior designer, maybe he'd read it in a magazine or something.

  Chapter Six

  I woke before the clock went off, opened my eyes and looked at the green digital numbers on the clock. Almost seven o'clock already. Sunlight streamed through the edges of the drapes. Hopefully, it had quit snowing and we'd be able to get out of here today. I'd better get up if I wanted to catch a flight out. I turned and looked at Bill. Still sawing logs. Good. Okay, now, how to get out of bed? I pulled the sheet loose from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around me. There, that ought to do it.

  I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stood up and adjusted the sheet so I could walk. On the way to the bathroom, I grabbed my clothes and stopped at the foot of Bill's bed. I nudged it gently. Guess it was only fair to wake him up too. Besides, he could dress while I was in the bathroom. "Hey, sleepy head, you might want to get up."

  He rai
sed his head and looked at me. "What time is it anyway?"

  "Almost seven. You can dress while I'm in the bathroom." I hurried into the bathroom and closed the door before he exposed anymore of that gorgeous body. Thank God, we'd thought to buy toothbrushes and toothpaste last night.

  * * *

  Bill swung his legs over the side of the bed and slid out. Figured she'd think of something to get out of bed. Smart woman. He chuckled. She looked damn sexy with that sheet wrapped around her. Too bad he hadn't been awake to watch her. Knowing her, he probably wouldn't have seen even an inch of skin. He pulled on his pants and left his shirt until after he brushed his teeth. If she didn't like it, too bad. Something told him she wouldn't mind. He wasn't sure why. She really hadn't sent him any signals. At least, none that he noticed. Sure, he sensed her watching him last night, or was that just wishful thinking?

  When he took her hand it trembled slightly. Was that because she liked his touch or was she afraid of him? Repulsed by him? He had no way of knowing. Yet, they had an interesting conversation at dinner. They had confided in each other. He'd told her things he'd never told another woman. She admitted she'd never told anyone about her dream to own her own business. He turned on the TV to the weather channel and sat down on the bed to wait.

  The bathroom door opened, bringing his thoughts back to the present. She looked as sexy in her clothes as she had in that sheet. Well, not quite, but damn, she looked good.

  "Okay, I'm ready." She tossed the sheet on the bed. "I'd like a cup of coffee before we go. I think the first flight to Florida is around nine a.m."

  When she turned to face him, she caught her breath and let out a little gasp. Obviously, his naked chest startled her. More than likely she expected him to have all his clothes on. She stared at him for a minute and a smile played about her lips. What he'd give to feel those lips on his. Already heat flared deep in his stomach. She turned away quickly, grabbed her watch off the nightstand and busied herself with it.