Exception to the Rules

by Stephanie Morris

  But he’d held on and now, in an image so vivid he could practically taste her, he continued to the thrust, pretending it wasn’t his hand.

  It was too late; he couldn’t hold back any longer. He pumped fast, and his pelvis pushed involuntarily until there…there… “Gaea!”

  “Yes, Bas! Yes!”

  Gaea removed her hand from between her thighs and turned her face into the pillow. She’d been so loud, she’d probably woken him, and that would be a disaster. She shivered as an aftershock took her, then squeezed her legs tight as she tried to slow her breathing.

  The room door was thick; he probably hadn’t heard. Or thought it was the TV. Or something. She couldn’t worry about it, not when it was so late and she had to get up so early.

  Gaea fluffed her pillow, straightened the blankets and closed her eyes. And immediately visualized Sebastian. Naked.

  This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. She reached over and grabbed the remote, turning the TV onto a late-night sitcom re-run. She turned down the sound so it was just loud enough that she’d have to struggle to make out the words.

  That should do it. Gaea hoped.

  Kallie stared a hole into the clock on her bedside table. It was almost four, and she wasn’t the least bit sleepy. She couldn’t stop thinking about the night she’d just experienced. About Dax.

  He had talked to her so much! Every time he wasn’t being interviewed, having his photo taken or doing some other stuff, he’d come right back to her and just picked up the conversation as if it had never been interrupted.

  It was simply too much. How she’d survived through it without doing something mentally defunct was beyond her. Dax Kavanagh. He’d laughed at her jokes, and most people didn’t because her sense of humor was, well odd, but he’d gotten her jokes, and it turned out his humor was also different, and even though they were different offs, they still kind of complimented each other, in which case was… Better than anything.

  They talked about his work, and how he wasn’t crazy about being a model, but they paid him so much money that he couldn’t turn it down, but now that he’d invested a good amount of it. He was going back to school to agriculture because what he really wanted was to have a big ranch in Wyoming with lots of cattle and horses. And he wanted a few cabins on his property so he could invite his friends to come and visit for as long as they wanted, which was the most wonderful thing she’d ever heard.

  He’d asked all about her, too, and she’d told him about college and how wonderful it was to work with Gaea, and that she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to stay in marketing, but she felt as if she had time to figure it out.

  While she stood talking with him, a hundred local celebs and prominent members of the community came to talk. Dax introduced her to each one as if she were the celebrity, which kind of made her nervous, but then it didn’t because he was so relaxed about the entire thing. She’d met so many people that they blurred in her mind. All of them were so famous and good-looking it made her feel dull, except Dax was, by far, the best looking guy there. Kallie could tell that people were wondering what he was doing standing by her all night, but she didn’t care. Nothing could have been better than her night, not one thing.

  Except perhaps the last few minutes, when Dax had held her hand and smiled that incredible smile that gave him dimples to die for, and this one lock of hair had fallen over his eye, and he’d said he had a really good time and he was glad the job wasn’t over.

  With the memory lingering in her mind, she turned over, fluffed her pillow, and started all over again from the beginning.

  Chapter Eight

  Gaea woke to the annoying blare of the alarm after what felt like five minutes of sleep. She’d had an awful night filled with sexual dreams, all of them starring Sebastian Fuller. Today was going to be relatively calm, and she felt certain he was going to start questioning her in earnest, which made her extremely nervous. She was already too intimate with him, and answering him truthfully was going to be tricky. Maybe he wouldn’t ask her anything that would betray her feelings toward him. Although, aside from wanting to sleep with him, she wasn’t sure at all what those feelings were. It shouldn’t matter. She’d set her course and nothing was going to make her stray, not even a man as fascinating as Bas.

  As she gathered her clothes, she thought about Ela Thomas, her roommate in college. Ela had been brilliant, top of her class. At graduation, she’d already accepted a top paying position at Smith Barney, having had to choose among a host of equally enticing offers. The first two years, she’d distinguished herself, earning the company several million dollars with a new investment marketing ad she’d created. Ela’s future seemed set for her to shoot straight to the top. Then Ela had met Paxton, a gorgeous guy from Seattle who ran a small but successful financial management firm. Within months, Ela had lost her luster, and at the end of the year, she’d quit Smith Barney to help Paxton run his company. The company had fallen apart, and Ela had been reduced to taking a position at a less prestigious company for half the pay.

  It was a lesson Gaea took to heart. Not that she thought it was fair. Men didn’t seem to have the same difficulty mixing love and career. But no one had said life was fair. If she wanted to have the kind of power and security she dreamt of, there was no way she could get herself involved in a serious relationship. Later. All that was going to come, just not for several years. Once she had an executive C-level position, she’d be open to more, but until then, she’d be a fool to let her emotions ruin her future.

  Maybe, if she was lucky, Bas would still be available, although that was a serious long shot. Gaea was amazed he wasn’t already married. But, he’d said he hadn’t had much luck with women. She couldn’t see it, unless he was sabotaging himself in some way. That was an all-too-common problem, easy to see in others, invisible to the one most affected.

  It did feel strange helping a man she found so attractive gain the skills necessary to find another woman. But she’d promised, and she was a woman of her word.

  Gaea had all her things together and she left the safety of her bedroom to head for the shower. Her gaze went immediately to the dining table by the wet bar. Sebastian was dressed handsomely in a blue golf shirt with casual jeans. Her flushed face spoke as much for her troubled sleep as it did for her immediate and powerful reaction to seeing him. The man was a walking aphrodisiac.

  “I hope you enjoy it,” he said.

  Gaea followed his gaze to the table, spread out with a large and plentiful array of breakfast. The plates were covered so she couldn’t tell what he’d ordered, but she could see orange juice, coffee, toast and a syrup container. “What’s all this?”

  “I figured we’d share a quiet meal before we had to do the photo shoot thing.”

  She made her way toward the table, touched by his thoughtfulness. “It looks wonderful.”

  “I didn’t know what you liked, so I ordered a little bit of everything.”

  Gaea uncovered a plate of pancakes, then another of scrambled eggs. The aroma reminded her of her hunger and she set her clothes on one of the chairs and sat in another. “This is very nice of you.”

  “It’s no trouble.” He sat down opposite of her and started to fix his plate. Sausage, hash browns, crisp bacon. She took the other half of the scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. For a while, they ate in silence, drank coffee and juice.

  Then she became aware of his silence, not of word but of gesture, and caught him looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite name.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing,” he responded, attacking his food again.

  “Come on, I know you want to ask me something. It’s okay, ask away.”

  Sebastian finished chewing, then stared at his fork for a minute. When he looked up, she found her stomach in knots.

  “Why don’t you want a relationship?”

  Gaea relaxed. This was an easy one. For the next few minutes, she laid out the argument just as it had come
to her such a short time ago. He didn’t interrupt, just listened attentively, taking the occasional bite or sip. When she’d finished, she drank some juice, debating the wisdom of having pancakes instead of toast.

  “I know women with very successful careers who are married.”

  She knew it wouldn’t be that simple. “I’m sure there are, although I don’t know any. The myth is that women can have it all. It’s not true. Something has to give. I don’t want to have to choose between my career and a man.”

  “I don’t blame you. That would be tough. But I don’t believe the choice would be difficult between a career and love. I think you can have both. In fact, I think that with someone there in your corner, someone who cares about you and what you do, the career would change into something more meaningful. And, at the end of the day, you wouldn’t be alone for your successes, or your defeats.”

  “Being alone doesn’t bother me. And I might add, for a man your age, you certainly have an idealistic view of relationships.”

  “Believe me, I’ve thought a lot about that. You’re right. I’m being idealistic. But I lived my entire life with two people who loved and respected each other. Watching them together made it impossible for me to settle for anything less.”

  She put down her cup. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why?”

  “Because what you saw with your parents is the exception to the rule. I don’t know a single couple like that.”

  “I not only saw it with my parents, but several of their friends.”

  “You were lucky.”

  “So you think I should just give up? Settle for someone just because?”

  “No. I don’t think you should pick someone mediocre. Maybe just adjust your expectations.”

  “To what? What are your expectations?”

  “I’m not certain how to answer that. I haven’t thought about it that much.”

  “Seriously?”

  “No. I’ve been pretty focused on my job. Building a career.”

  “But surely you’ve thought about getting married. Having a family.”

  “Only in the vaguest terms.”

  “What was your family like?”

  “Nothing like yours. That I can assure you.”

  “Tell me.”

  She looked at her watch. “I still have to shower and get dressed.”

  “We have plenty of time.”

  Gaea supposed she owed Bas something, although it wasn’t her idea of a good time. “My parents married young, after my mother got pregnant in high school. She ended up with her diploma, but barely. My father did a couple of years of college, but never had the life he’d dreamed of. He wanted to be a Physician, but he ended up settling for a job as an underwriter for a medical insurance company. My mother had two more children, a boy and a girl, and then she and my dad divorced. My mother worked for years as a bookkeeper, which she hated. Most of the people I grew up with came from similar backgrounds. No grand passionate romances that lasted past a few blissful years.”

  “Wow. It makes sense that you’ve focused on your career above all else.”

  “Yes, I guess it does. But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy.”

  “Are you?”

  “Yes. I take a great deal of pride in my accomplishments. I’ve already got a nice portfolio started, and by the time I’m through, I expect to be very comfortable.”

  Bas leaned forward in his chair, which made her very aware of her body, leaning back, crossed arms, crossed legs. Gaea made an effort to loosen up, but the best she could do was hold on to her glass of juice.

  “All on your own, right?” he asked.

  “Yes. I learned very early on that there isn’t a knight in shining armor out there waiting to rescue me. If I want a secure future, I’ll have to earn it myself.”

  “That’s wise.”

  “You agree with me?”

  He reached for his cup of coffee. “With the knight theory? Yes I do. I don’t think it’s smart for anyone to wait to be rescued. It puts too much pressure on the rescuer. It can only lead to heartache and disappointment.”

  “But isn’t that your goal?”

  “No, not in the least. I expect that the right woman for me will have found what makes her happy. I want to share in that, just as I hope she’ll share in mine.”

  “Don’t you read? The statistics alone tell you that you’re dreaming.”

  He frowned. “God, I hope not.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a downer. It’s just that my experience has clearly been different than yours. You’ll probably find what you’re looking for.”

  “I’m going to try,” he responded.

  “What do your parents think of this research project of yours?”

  “My father died a few years ago, but my mother thinks I’m certifiable.”

  Gaea smiled. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. It seems like you two were close.”

  “Oh, yeah, we were. I am certain my father would have shared my mother’s sentiments, but neither of them would discourage me. They believe in life by trial and error.”

  “So far, you seem to have done very well.”

  Bas grinned. “No complaints. I’m about as happy as a man has a right to be.”

  “The statistics on that are pretty daunting, too.”

  He picked up a piece of sausage from his plate, ate it slowly. “I wonder why that is,” he replied after he finished chewing. “So much anxiety. It never made sense to me.”

  “Speaking of anxiety, I’d better get my butt in gear. We have to be at the shoot in about an hour.”

  “You don’t want any more breakfast?”

  “Yes, I do, but I can’t. It was great. Thank you.”

  Bas smiled before he sipped some coffee. She gathered her things and headed for the shower, wondering if she had left because of the time constraint of the conversation.

  As soon as she was naked, her thoughts went to last night. The power of her desire for him. Breakfast had been wonderful, but not filled with that same lust, although she still found him completely yummy. This was different. She’d never experienced this kind of balance before. Her past flings, and she knew that’s all they were, had been like Roman candles. High intensity, but now the flame had dimmed, simmering while her focus had been on the conversation. She climbed into the shower, all the while stewing on the current situation.

  Sebastian found himself an empty chair and settled in for a long day. They had set up the shoot in a relatively quiet section of Caruth Park, closed off from the public. The photographer was some hot shot with a bunch of major campaigns in his portfolio, and the models were just as recognizable, including Dax Kavanagh and Trisha Granger.

  It was interesting to observe Kallie around Dax. She was clearly interested, and Dax seemed enthralled right back. Surprisingly, Bas was worried about her. Even though he was fully in agreement of tasting all that life had to offer, he liked Kallie and didn’t want to see her get hurt. Although he didn’t know Dax, Bas had known some male celebrities and models, and those hadn’t been the kindest or most caring people he’d ever met. Mostly they’d been so self-absorbed there was no room for anyone else in their lives. But he’d give Dax the benefit of the doubt. For now.

  His gaze shifted to Gaea as she spoke with the photographer. Arnold lingered near, but so far, he hadn’t been a real pest. Gaea was at her best, arranging, planning, making things happen. He like watching her work. She wore her confidence like a comfortable shirt, and it made her even more radiant. Today she wore a pair of khakis with a pale blue top. The outfit would have looked plain on another woman, but it complimented her skin tone.

  Sebastian kept wanting to touch her. On the way down to the car awaiting them, he’d place his hand on the small of her back. She’d reacted with a little quiver, which was intriguing, but the flush at the base of her throat was more telling.

  There was definitely something between them; the attraction w
asn’t one-sided. He saw a lot of the signs, the sideway glances, the fidgeting with the hair, those telltale blushes. Tonight, if they finished the shoot at a reasonable hour, they would have the evening free. Sebastian was going to take her to dinner, and he felt certain that he could take the conversation in one of two directions. He could keep it intellectual, or he could just as easily swing it to the hot and heavy. Given free rein with the questions made either option viable. Of course, what he should do is stick to the original plan. But the plan hadn’t taken into account how much he wanted her.

  “Do you mind?”

  Bas looked up at the voice, startled. Standing close to his right was Trisha herself. She was dressed in a large man’s shirt with shorts peeking from the bottom. Her shoes were slip-ons, the outfit serving the purpose of being able to change into whatever wardrobe they had planned for her with ease.

  Her hair was up in very large curlers, which did nothing to distract any attention away from her breathtakingly gorgeous looks. Naturally, her makeup had been applied liberally, but still, he could see the flawlessness of her face, the perfect symmetry that was so prized. Her smile, however, suggested that her want of a seat wasn’t just about available chairs. There was an invitation there, or at the very least, a question.

  He stood and held the back of the chair. “Please, sit.”

  She did, and her smile broadened. “I’m Trisha.”

  “Sebastian Fuller,” he supplied as he sat down in a less comfortable chair.

  “I saw you last night,” she replied. “But I didn’t have a chance to come over and introduce myself.”

  “I’m sorry for that, but pleased you have some time today.”

  “Yes, unfortunately, I have too much time. I have five changes, and no one can decide where to start. It’s always like this. They should just be quiet and let the lady call the shots.”

  “You mean Gaea?”

  “Yes. At least she has a plan. But everyone else wants to be the boss.”