“Georgia,” he murmured. “I want you now, right here. Please.”
“Yes,” she whispered, amazed that he didn’t know how much she wanted him in return.
He groaned with anticipation, and bunched the skirt of her dress around her waist. Georgia teased them both by rubbing the tip of his manhood against the front of her panties, and was rewarded when his excitement oozed through the thin fabric. From behind, he skimmed her underwear down to her knees, then picked her up and carried her a few feet, settling her on what appeared to be the back of a couch. She clung to his shoulders, feeling the play of his muscles beneath his shirt as he slid her panties down her legs and nudged open her knees. Georgia felt boneless when his shaft trailed along her inner thigh, leaving a path of moisture. In the back of her mind, a tiny alarm sounded, and at the same instant, he hesitated.
“I have protection,” he said, his voice low. She felt foolish for not inquiring sooner, and relieved that he shared her concern. The few seconds that passed as he fumbled in his wallet for the condom and rolled it on seemed agonizingly slow. The scent of her own readiness wafted up to tease her nostrils. She urged him to hurry with her hands and her knees, anxious beyond words for their union. At last, he returned to her, wrapping one arm around her back to steady her as he sought entrance to her threshold. Once, twice, three times he probed her wetness, stroking the tip over the heart of her desire until she writhed with expectation. At last he entered her, taking her breath, then filled her slowly.
The rush of adrenaline rose in her body like the mercury of a thermometer thrust into hot water. Inch by inch, she became engorged with white-hot passion, a helpless but intoxicating feeling that made her limbs loose and her mind languid. When they were fully joined, Ken’s head fell forward with a great rasping sigh. He kissed her collarbone and murmured erotic words about how good she felt around him, how much he wanted to give her pleasure.
As if the incredible feeling of him pulsing inside her weren’t enough, he began to massage her sensitive nub with his thumb in time to short, jolting thrusts that awakened every nerve center. Her climax broke unexpectedly, shattering around her with the force of a sudden thundershower. She groped at his back, crying out as her ecstasy peaked higher and higher, then emitting a long breathless moan as it drained away. His completion came on the heels of hers, a release that wracked his body with powerful spasms that shook the piece of furniture she rested upon. He gasped her name and gathered her to him, holding her as if she were the source of his energy. Georgia felt utterly desirable and fulfilled, and for the first time, understood the French expression for “orgasm”—little death. For one vibrating moment, she wished she could stay locked in his embrace forever, this man who had proved reality could surpass decadent fantasies.
But as their breathing quieted and their pulses returned to normal, the outside encroached. Voices rose and fell, and strains of the live band reached their secret hiding place. Georgia became aware of the stickiness of her skin—perspiration and perfume and sex. And unused muscles in her hips and legs screamed. She squirmed and he loosened his grip on her, leaving kisses on her shoulder before he pulled away.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he set her gently on the floor.
“Yes.” As he removed the condom, the shallow light from the window danced off his powerful frame, sending a new, yet familiar wave of awareness through her. She averted her gaze, then struggled to right her clothing while struggling to pinpoint her emotions. She was at a disadvantage because she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel. Grateful? Self-satisfied? Awkward? Somehow she had reached the ripe old age of thirty without the sexual savvy that most women took for granted.
Her dress billowed at her waist, her bra and panties were missing and not visible in the darkness. Ken pulled up his boxers, but otherwise seemed in no hurry to redress or even to leave, for that matter.
Not that they could leave, since the doorknob had fallen off. They were going to have to pound on the door until someone came. She wiped her hand across her forehead. And how would they explain that they had both wandered into a dark supply closet? She closed her eyes and knelt to find her clothing, trying to cover herself, yet realizing how laughable her modesty must seem at this point. What did he think of her character? Remorse slammed into her with enough power to force her to clutch the back of the couch. What would she think of a woman who would have sex in a closet with a man she’d known for mere days?
Not much.
“Here,” he said softly, and extended a white object to her in the dark. Her bra.
She turned around to put it on, but he came up behind her and said, “Let me,” then fastened the tricky hook for her. After murmuring her thanks, she buttoned her dress hurriedly.
“And here,” he said, then extended another white object.
Her panties. Those she could manage on her own. She heard the slide of a zipper and assumed he was repairing his own clothing. Suddenly a dark question darted through her mind: How many closet trysts were on her father’s disreputable résumé? Lingering gratification and nagging guilt warred within her. She wouldn’t soon forget the physical bliss she’d shared with Ken Medlock, but what kind of place would the world be if everyone went around doing whatever made them feel good? Sex without love was…empty. Disappointing. And, inevitably, destructive.
Her mind reeled. Was it too late to start over with Rob? At least they could build on a foundation of friendship, instead of animal lust. Georgia cast about frantically for a diplomatic way to extricate herself from the lure of Ken Medlock…and her own weakness.
KEN HAD HOPED that their remarkable lovemaking would mark a turning point in their fledgling…association, but within seconds Georgia seemed to be slipping out of reach once again.
He cleared his throat, willing words into his head to salvage anything he could out of his abominable lapse in judgment. After all, Georgia wasn’t privy to the other facet of their “relationship.”
“Georgia, I know what just happened was spontaneous, but I have to admit I’ve been thinking about it since the first time I saw you.” When only silence met his words, he conjured up a small laugh. “In fact, I haven’t been able to get you off my mind.” He swallowed. “I’ve been meaning to tell you—”
“Ken, stop.” Her voice sounded less than receptive. “I—I don’t know what came over me. I know you don’t believe this, but I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”
Make love in a closet to a virtual stranger? Or let down your guard and carry your lover with you to the moon?
Her determined sigh was not encouraging. “I think it would be best if we didn’t see each other again.”
“Georgia—”
“Ever. I know these meetings have all been coincidental, but—”
“Georgia—”
“—our paths simply can’t keep crossing. There’s something—”
“Wonderful?”
“—dangerous about this, this, this—”
“Attraction?”
“Temptation,” she amended, and he could hear the frown in her voice. “What just happened was a fluke, a, a, a freak accident.”
Apparently the experience hadn’t been quite as mindblowing for Georgia. Still, dammit…“Falling in the bathtub and breaking your arm is a freak accident. What happened between us was very deliberate, at least on my part.”
She gasped. “You planned this?”
He held up a hand, then realized she probably couldn’t see him in the dark. “No, ma’am! I meant once we started kissing…” Ken sighed, knowing he was making an even bigger mess of things, and tried a different tack. “Is this because of your feelings for Trainer?”
She shifted away from him and bumped into something. “Yes,” she said finally. “Rob is a good man.”
He opened his mouth to tell her what kinds of things Rob was good at, but he stopped short of crossing that line. If Georgia was in love with the man, she probably knew about his past. And if she didn’t k
now, he wouldn’t be the one to tell her out of what might be construed as sour grapes.
Besides, he was the first to admit he found the woman irresistible, but what could he really offer her if she broke up with Robbie Boy? He wasn’t ready to settle down, to offer her a committed relationship, and certainly not a home in Knox Ridge and a six-figure salary.
“Can we just get out of here, please?” she asked. “I need to find a phone.”
Ken recognized yet another opportunity to confess his deception, before she humiliated herself in front of her boyfriend. But imagining the look on her face when she realized the terrible thing he’d done stopped him. And although her hating him would be the best insulation from the woman’s unexplainable appeal, he simply couldn’t bear the thought of Georgia Adams hating him.
“Sure thing, ma’am.”
She sighed. “Must you call me that?”
“What?”
“Ma’am.”
He was at a loss. “It bothers you?”
He thought he heard her sniff. “It makes me feel like a…stranger.”
“I’m sorry. I was only being respectful.”
“Well…don’t.”
He clamped his mouth shut, sobered by the abrupt change in atmosphere. Misunderstandings. Awkwardness. Complications. All the reasons he’d avoided becoming involved with a woman. And he was foolish to imagine things would be different with Georgia Adams just because his desire for her had reached unbearable proportions.
Feeling worse than lousy, he picked his way back to the door, sized it up, then listened for foot traffic on the other side. Hearing none, he stepped back and, pretending the door was his own backside, kicked it open.
Georgia strode out, leaving behind the scent of her perfume and her body. Ken realized with a sinking feeling that a peaceful sleep did not appear to be anywhere in his near future.
20
THE FOLLOWING DAY was Sunday, so Georgia dragged herself from her disheveled bed and attended late morning Mass, fervently hoping to assuage some of her enormous guilt for her behavior at the wedding reception with Ken. And she did—to a tiny degree. But afterward, during the bus ride to the electronics shop to pick up her phone system, she still battled with inappropriate feelings for the man. The trouble was, her body could not so easily forget the way he had made her come alive. Unbidden, images of their lovemaking would pop into her mind, sending warmth to her cheeks and thighs. And when she thought of Rob, she felt even worse.
After Ken had kicked open the supply closet door, she had run like a spooked doe in search of the office. She’d found it, two doors down, and closed herself off from everyone else, but especially from Ken. And although she had picked up the phone to call Rob at his office where he was probably working late, she hadn’t finished dialing, partly because she was still so shaken from the closet incident, she was afraid of what she might say, and partly because Rob deserved more than a hurried call or a quick visit while another man’s scent was on her body.
So she’d decided to wait until her head was clear and her outlook objective, although judging from the way she felt this morning, that could be some time.
She looked out the window, seeing little of the passing landscape. Ken was Catholic. She’d recognized at least a couple of confirmation ceremonies in the family photos in his apartment. Such a nice-looking family, too—big and smiling, their arms around each other. Just the kind of family she wanted to be a part of, wanted to add to. She wondered briefly why Ken didn’t seem to want the same thing for himself. Then she swallowed hard. Perhaps he did want a big family someday, just not with the kind of woman whom he could have in a supply closet.
She closed her eyes, telling herself she deserved the self-derision. Ken Medlock hadn’t forced her to do anything against her will. It wasn’t his fault that she’d been thinking about him, fantasizing about him since they’d first met. It wasn’t his fault that he had been an attractive, convenient outlet for her raging hormones. It wasn’t his fault that she was seeking something he couldn’t offer.
In fact, Ken had been up-front about the fact that he wasn’t looking for a commitment. Georgia sighed. No, she couldn’t fault the man’s honesty.
When she alighted from the bus, she hadn’t yet worked out the emotional dilemma in which she had mired herself. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had to sort things out with Rob, and soon. She’d been hurt when he hadn’t shown up for the wedding, but on the other hand, he’d warned her that he might have to work late. She couldn’t very well blame her ghastly mistake with Ken on Rob not showing up. The men weren’t interchangeable—at least not to a woman with an ounce of self-respect.
She sighed as she pushed her way into the store. The customer service line was already backed up, so she had to stand in line for several long moments before she could talk to the same kid who had taken her phone system for repair the previous day.
“Oh, yeah, I remember you,” he said with a little smirk. “You were mad because you didn’t have any messages.”
“Is my phone ready?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“Got it right here,” he said, removing a box from a shelf behind him. “The guys and I had a real laugh over this one.”
Georgia worked her mouth from side to side. “And why is that?”
“Because,” the kid said, plugging her system into an outlet on the counter. “Turns out this recorder is a little quirky. In addition to pressing the ‘1’ button, you got to adjust the volume in one direction or another to get rid of that welcome message.”
“What does that mean?”
He gave her a goofy grin and indicated the flashing light. “It means you got tons of messages, lady.” He pressed the button and the mechanical voice announced, “You…have…twelve…messages.”
“Twelve?” Concern gripped her stomach. What if she’d missed an important call from the hospital, or from her family?
“Message…one…Tuesday…eight…thirty-four…p.m.”
“Hey, Georgia, it’s Rob. Sounds like you got your new machine. I guess you’ve already left for the bachelorette party. Wanted to let you know that I’ve been called to Columbus, Ohio for a meeting—not sure how long I’ll be gone. I left a message at the hospital today with someone named Melanie, but I wasn’t sure you’d get it. Hope you have a good time tonight with the girls. I’m on a late flight out tonight. I’ll call you, okay?”
She frowned. Melanie hadn’t given her Rob’s message until Wednesday. But then again, maybe he hadn’t called the hospital until after she’d left on Tuesday. Wait a minute. Had Rob just said he was flying out Tuesday night? That was weird. He’d been home when she called after coming home from the club.
“Message…two…Wednesday…six…forty…seven…p.m.”
“Georgia, hey, it’s Rob again. Just wanted to let you know it looks like I’m going to be here for a couple of days. If you need to reach me, call my messaging service at the office. Sorry I missed you.” He laughed. “Hope you didn’t do something crazy last night after leaving the club.”
Georgia frowned. Was Rob so disturbed by her initiating phone sex that he was going to pretend it hadn’t even happened? And he must have fallen ill soon after he left the message if he’d made it back to Birmingham by the time she’d called him Wednesday night.
“Message…three…Wednesday…seven…twelve…p.m.”
“It’s Toni. Just wondering if you’ve talked to Rob yet about you-know-what and what he had to say. Call me.”
Message four was a telemarketer.
“Message…five…Thursday…five…nineteen…p.m.”
“Hey, it’s Rob. Was hoping to catch you. I see on the news that Birmingham is still under a heat wave, though, so you’re probably working overtime in the E.R. I’m still not sure how long I’ll be here, but I hope to be back in time to go to Stacey and Neil’s wedding. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Georgia’s heart sped up. Something was wrong. Rob didn’t sound ill. In fact, he s
ounded as if he were still in Columbus. She swallowed. But that was impossible—she’d called him at home Wednesday night and Thursday night.
“Look, lady,” the clerk said. “The line’s backing up. Maybe you could finish this at home?”
“Shut up,” she said, her mind racing.
Messages six and seven were from telemarketers. Message eight was from the personnel department at the hospital telling her she could pick up a copy of her file update at her earliest convenience—Dr. Story’s report on her stint as a veterinarian, no doubt.
Message nine was from her super saying he would try to fix her thermostat, again, on Monday.
“Message…ten…Friday…six…twenty…p.m.”
“Hey, Georgia, it’s Rob again. Looks like I won’t be able to make it back for the wedding. Give Stacey and Neil my best. I’ll call you when I get back, probably Sunday afternoon. Looking forward to seeing you.”
Her collar had grown moist, and her breathing rapid. The newspapers stacked up on his stoop, his overgrown grass. If she hadn’t talked to Rob herself, she’d be tempted to think he was still in Columbus when he made that call. Was he playing some kind of joke? She rubbed one throbbing temple. If he was, it wasn’t funny.
“Message…eleven…Friday…ten…sixteen…p.m.”
“Georgia, it’s Mother. Just wanted to tell you to have a wonderful time at the wedding, dear. And do try to catch the bouquet. Toodleoo.”
Georgia closed her eyes briefly, thinking she probably wouldn’t tell her mother than when the bouquet was being thrown, she was making animal love in a supply closet to a man who had no intention of ever walking down the aisle.
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