by HELEN HARDT
Holly couldn’t help but return his grin. "It’s Simone, if you must know. It’s my mother’s name. She’s French."
"Very pretty." He replaced the credit card and handed the wallet to her. Her skin tingled when his fingers grazed hers.
"Listen," he said. "You’re never gonna convince me the sex wasn’t amazing that night. I know you felt it."
She shuddered. His voice was like hot silk. "I n-never said it wasn’t amazing."
"Truth is, Holly—" He emphasized her name. "—nobody’s gotten under my skin like that in…well, ever." He advanced toward her like a wolf stalking its prey. She backed away, not paying attention to her whereabouts, until she found herself trapped against her own refrigerator. A fairy magnet dug into her back.
"When I saw you sitting in that class today, all fresh and beautiful, I was both ecstatic and angry at the same time. You know what I mean?"
"N-no."
He placed his palms on the refrigerator, on either side of shoulders, trapping her. His scent drifted around her—cedar wood, spice and male musk. She could inhale it forever and never tire of it.
"I think you do." He looked above her head for a moment, as if composing himself, then gazed back into her eyes. "When I woke up that morning and you were gone, I turned that suite inside out searching for something—anything—that would lead me to you."
"I’m sorry—"
"I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind." He pressed his lips to her forehead and she ignited. Blazes trailed over her skin from one little kiss.
"I dream about your nipples, you know that?"
She gulped. Moisture trickled between her legs.
"I dream about suckin’ them raw like I did that night. I dream of you suckin’ my cock with those sweet lips of yours. Then I dream about fuckin’ you hard and fast, then makin’ slow sweet love to you."
Holly writhed under his steady and scalding gaze. Her nipples puckered against her bra. Want—pure, raw want—screamed through her.
His mouth closed over hers. The kiss was gentle at first, tiny licks around the corners of her lips, his tongue like smooth cream. Then he probed with slightly more force and her lips parted. Again, he was gentle, even as he sank into her mouth and kissed her with a slow hunger. It was sweet and sexy at the same time. Nothing like the frenzied passion of their first kiss, but incredible all the same. A soft groan left his throat and vibrated into her mouth, giving her chills.
Holly was vaguely aware of Jack fumbling with the buttons of her blouse and pushing her bra upward. Her ample breasts fell gently against her chest.
His lips left her mouth and she sucked in a much needed breath. He trailed moist kisses over her cheek, her neck, down her chest, across the swollen flesh of her breast, until he caught a nipple between his teeth.
She couldn’t stop her shriek.
He looked up. "Too much?" His word hummed against the wrinkled flesh of her areola.
"God, no, but—"
He took the nipple again and tugged. Lightning flashed to her core and she jerked backward, the magnet digging farther into her flesh.
He let her nipple go with a soft pop. He stood, touching his forehead to hers, his hands cupping her breasts and his fingers gently kneading the tight buds. "Let me back in your bed, Holly." His voice was husky, primal. "Please."
Oh, she wanted to. The thought of another night of unbridled passion with Cowboy—no, Jack, what a perfect name for him—sent ripples through her.
But another one-nighter wasn’t possible. That wasn’t who she was. Jack didn’t want her for the long haul, and who could blame him?
She pushed him away and ducked under his arms.
"Sugar?"
"I’m sorry," she said, standing next to the door. "I really need you to go now."
"Holly—"
"Please, Jack."
He walked toward her and smiled. "That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name. I like that."
Why was he so damn sweet? How was she supposed to get rid of him when he made her skin tingle and her heart race?
There was one way.
"I’m forty, you know."
His eyebrows arched. "No, I didn’t know. You don’t look a day over thirty."
"So you can see the problem."
"What the hell problem are you talking about?"
"Well, clearly I’m a lot older than you are."
He shook his head, his eyes wide. "You really think I give a rat’s ass about your age?"
A prickle of defensiveness speared into Holly. "How old are you anyway? Thirty-two? Thirty-three?"
There went the lazy half-smile again. The one that made her heart go pitter-pat. "Twenty-nine, actually."
"Dear God." Holly’s body thudded against the wooden door.
"What?"
"What do you mean ‘what?’?" That’s a difference of over ten years!"
He let out a chuckle, then said in an exaggerated drawl, "I done figured that out. Even a cowpoke like me knows how to cipher, ma’am."
"Stop making fun of me."
"Why not, Holly? You’re bein’ silly."
"Silly? You’re young. You’re...well, I’ll just say it. You’re freaking hot. You can have anyone you want."
"Right now, I want you."
"What about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, I’m pretty sure I’ll still want you. And the next day."
"And after that?"
"Christ, Holly. You want a fuckin’ commitment here? It’s not going to happen, at least not yet. I’m attracted to you. I’m hot for you. I’m so damn hard right now I think I could cut through diamonds. I’d like to get to know you—inside and outside the bedroom. If that isn’t enough for you, well, maybe I should go."
Now he was talking sense. As much as she desired him, wanted him, nothing could ever come of it, for reasons she wasn’t ready to tell him or anyone else.
"That’s right. Go."
"Look—" He gripped her shoulders, and his touch sparked a shiver between her legs. "I spoke quickly. I don’t want to go. If you don’t want to go to bed, I can accept that. But can we talk? Have a drink? Or a cup of coffee? We don’t have to stay here if you’re not comfortable. We can go to a bar or a coffee shop."
Her body was on fire, and she was tempted to spend the evening with this handsome stranger—for that’s what he still was, a stranger. However, it couldn’t lead to anything good, and she’d just be heartbroken when it ended.
Holly had already experienced enough heartbreak for this lifetime.
"I’m sorry, Jack. Just go. Please."
"Aw, damn, sugar. Why won’t you let us get to know each other?"
"Because..." Her voice trailed off and she cleared her throat. His dark beauty left her breathless. He was a sweetheart and he deserved the best—better than she could give, anyway. She gulped in some courage. "Because I have nothing to offer you, that’s why."
"I disagree."
"You don’t know me."
"I’d like to change that."
She opened the door and looked at the floor. "I’m sorry."
Tears stung the inside of her eyelids as he walked away toward the elevator.
He didn’t look back.
Chapter Five
He was waiting at her law office the next day.
He looked luscious, of course. He was still wearing jeans and a western shirt. This time the shirt was a creamy beige that accented his golden skin tone. Could he be any more tempting?
"Mr. Sherwood’s been waiting for a while, Holly," Cindy, the receptionist, said. "Said he had an appointment."
Holly let out a harsh breath. Reprimanding Cindy would do no good. The young woman took phone calls and manned the lobby, and each tenant contributed to her salary. But each tenant who rented an office here kept his own calendar. Executive suites, the offices were called, and many sole proprietors found them an economical way to do business while keeping the professional air of a downtown building. The situation usually worked just fine.
I don’t miss an appointment…when I have one. Holly smiled at the receptionist. "Just running late is all." Now, what to do with Jack? He’d already been waiting and to keep him any longer would look bad to Cindy. "Come with me, Mr. Sherwood."
She opened the door to her office, gestured him in, and closed the door.
"Don’t you have a home to go to?"
"Yup." He took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. He looked completely comfortable and at ease. And absolutely edible.
Damn him.
"Then why aren’t you there?"
"I have a legal problem."
"How’d you find me?"
"A little bird." He chuckled. "With a raspy voice and smoke on her breath."
Holly rolled her eyes. "Sheila. One day I’m going to revert to my teenage years and kick that woman’s ass. I could take her, you know."
Jack’s smile lit up the room. "Aw, leave her alone. Poor thing’s gonna be on oxygen in ten years anyway."
"That’s her own doing."
"True enough, but don’t blame her. I was persistent."
"Of course I blame her. She should keep my private information private."
"Sugar, your business name and address are hardly private. I would have found you eventually. Sheila just sped up the process a little by telling me you were an attorney. It was easy enough to find you after that." He leaned toward her and whispered. "I coulda googled you and found you myself."
Holly moved away. Being too close to him kept her from thinking straight. She sat down behind her desk, inhaled, and looked right at him, determined not to be mesmerized by his dark gaze.
"What is it that you want, Jack?"
"Besides you in my bed?"
A rush of heat crept over Holly’s skin. She cleared her throat.
"Yes, besides that."
"I told you. I have a legal problem."
"Which is?"
"I need a document drawn up, giving me sole custody of my son."
An anvil landed in Holly’s stomach. He had a son?
"You have a son?"
"Sugar, you look like someone just told you pigs could fly. Surely this can’t be that surprising."
"Well, I just—"
"If you’d have had that drink with me last night, so we could get to know each other, I would’ve told you all about Sam."
"And his mother?"
"Was a mistake I made seven years ago. No, I take that back. She wasn’t a mistake, or I wouldn’t have Sam. She came to me a year later. He was only a few months old. Said she couldn’t take care of him, that he was mine. So I took him."
Holly stomach was churning. Jack was not who she thought he was. He wasn’t a player, wasn’t just after sex. "Did it occur to you to have a paternity test?"
"Yep. I had it. He’s mine."
"Whatever happened to your...uh... his mother?"
"Never heard another word from her."
"Is your name on the birth certificate?"
"Yes."
"Then there shouldn’t be any problem. The mother clearly abandoned him. If you haven’t heard from her in six years, why are you worried about it now?"
"It’s something I’ve put off long enough. I need to tie up some loose ends."
"Good enough. I have to tell you though, this really isn’t my area. If you had googled me, you’d have found that I’m an estate planning lawyer. I write wills and trusts. I don’t dabble in family law."
"I want you to handle it."
"I’m not qualified. I have a rolodex full of great family attorneys who will be more than happy to help you."
"I want you."
She let out a sigh. "You’re not hearing me, Jack."
"Correction, sugar. You’re not hearing me." He stood, walked around the desk and turned her chair to face him. One long finger gently nudged her chin upward and she met his gaze. "I’ll take the referral to a qualified attorney. I want this done right. But I’m still going to be here every morning until you agree to have coffee with me. Just coffee. No alcohol. No dinner. No kisses, no sex. Just one hour, Holly. That’s all I’m asking. One hour to get to know a little about me, and I’ll get to know a little about you. If you still want to say good-bye after that, I’ll walk away."
"But I’m too old for you."
"Bullshit." His fingers glided over her jaw line to cup her cheek. The calloused pad of his thumb stroked her bottom lip lightly.
She closed her eyes. His touch felt so wonderful, so perfect.
Would it really hurt to have coffee with the guy? They had no future, but heck, some caffeine and a heavy dose of cowboy drawl sounded pretty good right about now.
Oh, she’d regret it. Spending time with him would make it all that much harder to say good-bye. God knew, though, she’d been through worse.
"All right." She placed her hand over his, still holding her cheek. It was firm, warm and masculine and made her heart flutter.
Okay, that was a mistake. She brushed his hand away from her face and dropped her own to her side and stood. "Let’s go."
They ended up at the coffee shop across the street, a little Mom and Pop Shop called Mocha Dreams that had, so far, stood up to Starbucks. Jack bought Holly a Vanilla Latte and he had black coffee.
"I’m a purist," he said and she couldn’t help but smile.
"So," he said, handing her the Latte and pulling out a chair for her at one of the little round tables. "Tell me about Holly Taylor."
"There’s a loaded question." Holly tried to sound nonchalant. There was both nothing and everything to tell. Her life hadn’t been that exciting.
"I’m from here originally. Where are you from?"
His grin split his face. "Texas."
Of course. The drawl, the persistence, the raw male beauty, his size. Everything about Jack Sherwood was big.
"Okay, I’m dying to ask. Why were you modeling nude last night?"
His laugh filled the room. "I was doing a favor for a friend."
"For who?"
"Mark Fleming, the teacher."
"You know Professor Fleming?"
"He’s my godfather."
This just kept getting better and better. Holly shook her head and took a sip of latte.
"So you were out late last night and up with the birds this morning. Where’s your boy?"
"Sam’s with my mom for the week, having some grandma time. Mom knew I was helping Mark out, knew I’d be out late. I’m modeling for all his classes this week, not just yours. Some are during the day."
"What do you do otherwise?"
"I run a small ranch about an hour from here, so I’m used to getting up early."
Holly shook her head again. "You’re not anything like I expected."
"What’d you expect?"
"I don’t know. Kind of a cad, you know? A guy who’d bed a woman without knowing her."
"Seems I recall the whole thing was your idea, sugar. Who was I to say no?"
"You’re right." Holly couldn’t deny it. That night had been her idea. She’d used him, really. It hadn’t been a nice thing to do. "I’m sorry."
He grinned. "You hear me complainin’?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Sugar, the only complaint I have is that you left without saying good-bye. I wanted to see you again."
"Like I said, Jack, I was in a bad place then. I needed something. Someone. You were there and you gave me a nice memory. It meant more than you know."
"I don’t want to be a memory, Holly. I want to see you."
"I’m too old for you."
"That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard."
"It’s not dumb. You’re just starting out in life, and I’m—"
"For Christ’s sake, Holly, you’re forty. You’re not dead!" He looked around and lowered his voice. "I got a bigger bang out of being with you than I’ve ever had with a woman. I haven’t been able to get
you out of my mind. Yeah, the sex was great. It was earth moving. I won’t lie to you. I want more of it. But I want to get to know you, too."
"Now you know me. I’m Holly. I’m forty. Single, never been married. I’m a lawyer who wants to draw. Enough said."
"Why don’t you want me?"
Holly’s mouth dropped open and she stared at his chiseled face. "Are you serious?"
"Well, something’s keepin’ you from seein’ me again."
"It’s...it’s the age thing, Cowboy." She swallowed. "That’s all."
"Not good enough, sugar." He stood and tossed his empty coffee cup in the nearby wastebasket. "We’re going out tonight."
"Jack, I have class."
"Mark doesn’t have a class tonight."
"It’s not Mark’s...er, Professor Fleming’s class. It’s a different class. Conceptual drawing."
"Skip it."
"No. Drawing is my passion. I don’t want to skip it."
"I’ll make it worth your while."
"Damn it, Jack. Why are you so determined?"
"I do whatever I can to get what I want, sugar. Right now, you’re it."
Holly sighed. "Tomorrow night?"
"Don’t want to wait. But tomorrow it’ll be, if that’s what it takes. The day after, I pick up Sam from my mom’s and my time’ll be more limited." He grinned. "In fact, tomorrow’s perfect."
"Perfect?" What did he have in mind? And why did tomorrow sound like it wouldn’t work? "Oh!" She clapped her hand to her mouth. "Tomorrow’s no good. I have to go to Professor Fleming’s—"
"Exhibit," Jack finished for her, still smiling. "I figured you’d like that idea so I’ll be takin’ you. We’ll have dinner first. Deal?"
Warm tingles spiraled through Holly. He understood how much the exhibit meant to her. Maybe, just maybe...
She sighed.
No.
This was only temporary. Once Jack found out the truth about her, he wouldn’t want her anymore.
Chapter Six
"How am I supposed to walk through Professor Fleming’s exhibit after that meal you just fed me?" Holly patted her full tummy. "You’re going to have to roll me out of here."
Jack’s husky chuckle was too low to resonate over the din of the restaurant, but Holly felt its vibration. Very sexy. Then again, everything he did was sexy.
