“Adding a little atmosphere to your room—where are my breasts?”
“With Spencer.”
Francesca raised her eyebrows. “And where is Spencer?”
Lexi looked at her. “First tell me. Did you apply to Indiana?”
“What?”
“Did you apply for a faculty position at Indiana?”
Francesca held her gaze for a moment, then looked away.
“Frankie!” Fabulous. Great. Swell. Now she was going to lose the best roommate she ever had.
“It was only an application. What happened tonight?”
“Let’s just say that right about now, the foundation is probably throwing all their money at Spencer.”
Francesca collapsed against the doorjamb. “I can’t believe the boobs didn’t work.”
“They worked.” Lexi headed for her bedroom. “I just decided I didn’t want them to anymore.”
“Are you crazy?”
“No, I just wanted him to want me for me, and not—”
The doorbell interrupted her.
They stared at each other, then Francesca grinned. “And what was it you said you wanted?”
Lexi’s heart was about to pound through her chest. “Don’t answer that—”
But Francesca was already opening the front door. “It’s about time you got here.” She practically pulled Spencer inside.
He reached into his pockets. “I believe these are yours.”
“There they are.” Francesca breezily dropped the pads on the hall table. Pushing Spencer toward Lexi, she said, “She’s in here.”
Talk about unsubtle. Lexi cringed.
“Thanks.” Spencer looked amused. “I see her.”
Francesca smiled and kept pushing.
The only thing Lexi could do was back up all the way into her bedroom. “Frankie!”
“You two will want some privacy. Don’t be shy, Spencer.”
He gazed at Lexi. “I’m not.”
Francesca pushed him through the doorway.
“Frankie.” This was completely mortifying. Even more so when Lexi saw her bedroom. Francesca had draped scarves over the lamps, replaced Lexi’s practical cotton sheets with satin ones and must have spread around and lit every candle they owned for atmosphere.
“I’m on my way out the door. I’m going to the lab. We’re planning our New Year’s Eve party. I did mention we were having one here, didn’t I?”
“No.” Lexi glared at her.
“Well, we are.” She looked at her watch. “I won’t be back for at least two hours. Bye.” She closed the door.
Spencer looked like he was struggling not to laugh.
“She—I—”
The door opened. “Me, again.” Francesca tossed something at Lexi. “You left your purse on the hall table.” She smiled at Spencer. “We’re trying to cut back on the clutter. Bye.”
Lexi stared at the purse she’d borrowed from Francesca, until she heard the front door slam. “Subtlety has never been one of my roommate’s strengths,” she said into the silence.
“Or mine.” He stepped forward, took the purse out of her hands and set it on the bedside table. Drawing her to him, he said, “I’m in love with you. You want to talk about that now, or later?”
Lexi’s mouth dropped open.
“Later, it is. Excellent choice.” He leaned forward. She put her hand on his chest, his gloriously, over-clothed chest. “Wait a minute, wait—a—minute.” Gesturing to the room, she said, “This is all Francesca’s doing. Even the breasts were her idea.”
He moved his arms around her. “She has good ideas.”
“But that’s not me!”
“And you think I don’t know that?” He looped his arms around her. “But I have to point out that some of it’s you. Remember, I’ve seen you play the piano. Your face...” He exhaled. “I hope I can create those expressions.” Smiling down at her, he added, “I intend to try. Soon.” His fingers reached for the zipper at her back.
He loved her. He said he did, but... A tiny sound escaped Lexi’s throat.
“What’s the matter now?”
“If you’re only here for a hot celebratory fling, then forget it.”
He drew back, looking puzzled. “Didn’t I tell you I loved you? I meant to.”
“Yes, but you can’t just tell a woman you love her out of the blue.”
“Why not? I wanted you to know as soon as I figured it out.” He looked extremely pleased with himself. “Actually, I knew it right before the demonstration, but you left before I could tell you. And once I knew I loved you, then I could see that you loved me, too.”
“That is so egotistical.”
“But true?”
“But true,” she admitted, and watched him smile. She smiled, too.
He unzipped her dress. “So, is the fling still on?”
“Spencer! If you really love me, then we’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“We’ve only got two hours. I can talk and undress you at the same time.” He pulled her dress off her shoulders. “You can talk and undress me at the same time.”
“You’re not going to be listening.”
He dropped a kiss onto her shoulder. “Probably not.”
And as he worked his way across her collarbone and up the side of her neck, Lexi figured that she wasn’t going to be doing much talking.
He peeled her dress away, exposing the deflated bra. And how sexy was that? She crossed her arms over her chest. “There’s...not as much there as you were expecting.”
“Anything more than a mouthful is a waste,” he said, unhooking the bra and tugging it out from under her arms.
She still kept her arms crossed, in the grip of an unexpected attack of shyness. She hadn’t been shy with the leather underwear; why now?
Spencer only smiled and reached behind her, gathering her hair and bringing it over her shoulders to cover her. “A fantasy of mine,” he explained.
He gazed at her, letting her see the heat of his desire. Lexi felt an answering warmth growing within her, melting away the shyness.
Leaving her hair in place, she dropped her hands. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”
“I wondered when you’d notice.”
She stepped toward him and unknotted his tie, dropping it in a silken pool next to the bed. “We might need this later.”
“Ah, later. Before we go any further, I’ve thought of something else we’ll definitely need. I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight—”
“In the purse.” She pointed to the beaded bag on the nightstand.
He raised his eyebrows.
“Francesca,” Lexi explained.
Spencer slowly smiled. “I like your roommate.” He helped her with the buttons on his shirt. “A lot.”
“She has her moments.” And Lexi didn’t feel even the tiniest pang of jealousy.
“And you definitely have yours.” He shrugged out of his shirt.
There was his chest. The calendar chest. In full, living color. She spread her hands across his skin, feeling the warmth, feeling his heart beat. “This is much better than the picture.”
He laughed, the rumbles vibrating against her hands. “I love watching your face. It’s so expressive.”
“Is it?” she asked absently, and kissed him near his heart. Resting her lips against his skin, she could feel his pulse.
He splayed his hands over her naked back and she smiled when his heart rate accelerated.
She lifted her face and he kissed her forehead, each eyelid and her nose before lightly taking her lips. “I’ve never made love to a woman before,” he whispered against her mouth.
“What?” That startled her.
“I’ve never told a woman I loved her.” The look he gave her managed to be both tender and hot. “Therefore, I’ve never made love.”
Ever the scientist. “You’re doing just fine.”
He ran his hands over her hips. “I intend to do better than fine.” And he kissed her as
he’d never kissed her before, exploring her mouth with a sensual confidence that made her knees week.
I’ve hit the big time, she thought just before she couldn’t think anymore. When his hands began to move over her skin, her knees gave out.
She flung her arms around his neck to keep from falling, but her sudden movement sent them tumbling backward onto the bed covered with Francesca’s peach satin sheets.
The fabric was cool and slick against her back. She was pillowed in softness and covered in Spencer, who continued to kiss her. All in all, a good position to be in.
He laced their hands together. Stretching her arms wide, he lifted himself to one side, then gently blew the strands of hair off her chest.
“That tickles.”
He smiled. “Tickles good, or tickles bad?”
“Tickles with potential.”
His smile faded and he turned serious. “That’s what I see for us, Lexi. Potential. I never thought I’d find a woman like you, and even then, I thought it would be years before I could take the time to love her. I thought I had to be somebody first. But with you, I’m already somebody.”
She felt the same way and only now realized it. “We’re both trying to prove something. I’m trying to get out from under Emily’s shadow, and you want to show up those kids from your boarding school. But with each other, we don’t have to prove anything.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He released her hands and tugged off her shoes. “I wouldn’t mind proving my exceptional prowess as a lover.”
She was surprised into a laugh even as his words sent a thrill through her. “All right. Prove it.”
He gave her a heavy lidded look. “Gladly.”
Levering himself off the bed, he slowly and deliberately finished undressing.
The flames from a dozen candles caressed his body with a warm light.
The flames from a dozen candles weren’t one-tenth as hot as his dark gaze. It scorched its way over her body, leaving her mouth dry.
He was perfectly gorgeous with sculpted muscles and flawless proportions. And he was hers. All hers.
She sat up, swung her legs over the side and stood, preparing to undress, too, but he shook his head.
“Let me.” He knelt and kissed her stomach before pulling off her slip. He made quick work of the panty hose—quicker than Lexi usually did, until all she was wearing were the white cotton panties Francesca scorned.
But between his mouth and his hands, Spencer made even white cotton sexy.
And then they were gone, too.
“I’ve dreamed of seeing you like this,” he whispered. “Dressed only in your hair.” Then he drew it away and put it behind her shoulders. “You’re beautiful.”
“You make me feel beautiful.” She gave in to temptation and pressed herself against his body, reveling in the feel of skin against skin.
His sigh echoed hers, and they stayed in each other’s arms for long moments. Then with a groan, he pressed urgent kisses against her mouth, her neck and her breasts.
They tumbled back onto the bed with the sheets as cool as their lovemaking was hot.
For Lexi, it was more than making love, it was feeling completely accepted as she was by another human being. It wasn’t something she’d been aware of craving until the need was filled.
But that’s what Spencer’s touch did—it drew out emotions she’d never before experienced. His every caress demonstrated the depth of his feelings for her. The awe on his face was as seductive as his mouth and his restrained desire was as arousing as the stroking of his fingers.
He was very much a man, and made her feel like that much more of a woman. Even watching as he opened Francesca’s purse did nothing to mar the image. His caring and his love nearly made her weep.
And when he joined with her, she did weep, her emotions at the breaking point.
“Hush, love,” he whispered, kissing her temple, smoothing her hair.
“It’s so... I feel...”
“I know. Me, too.” And he began to move, carrying her with him, urging her onward with whispered endearments, until she shuddered, moaning his name. Seconds later, he gasped, “Lexi!” and she clutched him as his tremors rocked them both.
She never wanted to move, never wanted to break the spell that bound them together. When he tried to pull away, she gripped him harder.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He gazed down at her with a possessiveness that thrilled her. “I never want to be with another woman, and I can’t stand the thought of you with another man. Marry me.” It was a demand, giving her no choice.
Not that she wanted one. “Yes.”
LONG AFTERWARD, as she lay with her head pillowed against his chest, Lexi thought to ask about the demonstration. “You had to have left right after I did. I hope you didn’t tick off the trustees.”
“I said everything that needed to be said. Mush man actually helped.”
“His name is Mischa.”
She felt him smile. “When the trustees started talking specific dollar amounts, I told them that while you and Francesca had graciously worked with us, for full-scale development of a robotic hand suited to the particular needs of musicians, I’d have to affiliate with a university that had better facilities to test it. Otherwise, I’d have to decline any offers of funding and concentrate on our original medical applications.”
“You turned down the money?” She tilted her head until she could see his face. “Are you crazy?”
“It was never actually offered. But that’s when Mush—Mischa pretty much trashed the Littletree music department, I’m sorry to say.”
Lexi frowned. “I didn’t think my performance was that bad.”
Laughing, Spencer dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “He’d toured the building with the Robards. Let’s just say he was underwhelmed.”
Lexi drew her breath between her teeth. “I didn’t know he’d already seen the building. How embarrassing. I was trying to get him to consider being our artist-in-residence in hopes of prying money out of the board of regents. Oh, well. Scratch that.”
“I don’t know. There were a lot of red faces in the crowd. That’s when I left. But you may come out of this better than you thought.”
“Speaking of red faces... Francesca should be back soon. We ought to get dressed.”
Spencer began tracing ever-widening circles on Lexi’s shoulder. “She doesn’t strike me as the type of woman who is easily embarrassed.”
“She’s not.”
“Then there’s no reason for us to get out of this bed, is there?”
She smiled. “I can’t think of a single one.”
“In that case,” he said, shifting beneath her, “how would you like eggs for breakfast?”
“THIS is THE BEST New Year’s Eve party we’ve ever had.” Francesca drifted back into the kitchen and opened another bag of chips. “The male-female ratio is killer. Bob and Gordon have fixed the VCR and Dan and Steve are working on the stereo hookup for the big-screen TV we rented.”
“It’s the only New Year’s Eve party we’ve ever had,” Lexi told Spencer.
He murmured something, smiled and kissed her. They’d been doing a lot of that lately.
“Are the fajitas ready yet? The guys are hungry.”
Lexi and Spencer were in charge of assembling the condiments, but had gotten into an argument over the seasoning for the guacamole and had been kissing and making up ever since.
“You haven’t even put out the sour cream! I’m convinced that love makes people worthless for anything else,” Francesca said in disgust.
“Speaking of, Murray called and said he was on his way.”
“Oh? Isn’t he here?” Francesca asked with elaborate casualness. “I hadn’t noticed. Rip and I have been star gazing.”
Spencer grinned at Lexi. “Murray had to stop by the chemistry department chairman’s party. He was in charge of dry ice.”
“Well, I don’t care if he prefers that party to ours,” Francesca said
with a toss of her head.
“Frankie, it’s only eight o’clock. He’ll be here.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, followed by knocking. In spite of her professed indifference, Francesca practically ran to the door.
“Spencer!” Murray burst in. “I just found out—whoa.” He’d seen Francesca.
Lexi happened to know that she was wearing the heavy artillery—her tiger cat suit—and she was regarding Murray like a predator.
“Happy—” That was as far as he got before she kissed him.
“I better bring him up for air,” Spencer said. “Hey, Murray, what were you going to say?”
Francesca released him and he blinked. “Say? Oh. When I got to the party, they were all talking about the grant and the music building redo.”
“What?” Lexi and Spencer asked in unison.
“Yeah, it was just voted on and a couple of the regents were there. Have you heard anything?”
“No,” Spencer said, shaking his head, when there was a knock against the still-open door.
“I think I can shed light on the mystery,” said a familiar voice.
Lexi stared. “Mom and Dad?”
“Happy New Year, Alexandra.” Her mother kissed her on both cheeks. “Lawrence?”
Her father smiled the widest smile Lexi had ever seen from him. “We thought we’d run into you and Spencer at the Wainright Inn, but you aren’t playing tonight.”
“No,” a bemused Lexi said.
“We must get back there, but we wanted to give you this first.” Lexi’s father withdrew an envelope and handed it to Spencer.
He ripped open the letter and looked stunned. “It says the foundation is awarding us a continuing grant subject to the refurbishment of the Littletree music facilities.”
“I don’t believe it.” Lexi leaned over and read the words—twice—and they still didn’t sink in. “They’re going to redo the building?”
“The regents voted this afternoon,” her father confirmed.
“About time,” Francesca said, and led Murray to the den.
“This is...this is...” Wordlessly, Spencer shook his head.
Lexi knew exactly how he felt. Now he could forget raising money and get back to doing what he loved.
Mr. December Page 17
