He frowned. “Surely she didn’t say anything to embarrass you.” The woman had worked for him almost a decade, but he’d fire her on the spot if she had been rude to Bailey.
“Oh, no. She was lovely. But since you told me you’d never had a woman stay over, I felt extremely conspicuous.”
“My housekeeper is not paid to speculate about my private life.”
“People are human, Gil. She’s probably discreet, because you’re a good employer, but I know she was curious. Anyone would be.”
“Change of subject,” he insisted, kissing the side of her neck. “Tell me how soon we can be alone again.”
Her wince gave him warning of what was to come. “With this new evidence,” she said, “I have to buckle down on the case. I’ll be spending time interviewing Alex’s father and sister, assuming their story pans out. And I have to take a look at all my old notes in light of this new evidence. I can’t have any distractions. You understand, don’t you?”
She looked up at him so beseechingly, he had no choice but to swallow his disappointment and give her the support she deserved.
“I understand,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “But I don’t have to like it.”
Bailey stroked her thumb across his bottom lip, her fingertips cool against his skin. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
He backed away from her, reminding himself that he was a grown man capable of delayed gratification. “I’ll hold you to that,” he said gruffly.
* * *
Fortunately for Gil, he was a busy man with many responsibilities. Even so, the subsequent week and a half dragged by with agonizing slowness. He and Bailey talked on the phone every day. Often more than once. But it was a poor substitute for having her in his bed...for feeling her naked body pressed against his. Somehow, without him even noticing, Bailey had become indispensable to his happiness. Without her, the days seemed dull, even with the presence of his precious son.
It didn’t help that Cade asked about her constantly. The boy was single-minded in his determination to see her again. Gil made vague promises, but in truth, he had no idea when Bailey would be back under his roof.
On day eleven, he took matters into his own hands. Tracking her down took most of the morning. He finally found her vehicle parked at the courthouse...and waited with admirable patience for her to exit the building. When she saw him, her expression changed, but he couldn’t pinpoint the mix of emotions that danced across her face.
Walking to meet her when she descended the steps, he slung an arm around her shoulders and steered her in the direction of his truck. He had parked in an adjacent alley, taking advantage of the shade from a large building, a spot that had the added benefit of giving them a modicum of privacy. “When was the last time you had a day off?”
“That’s your best pickup line?” she quipped, smiling at him with joy in her eyes.
“Answer the question.” He hadn’t known for sure that she would be glad to see him. Witnessing her pleasure erased some of the misery of the past ten days.
Bailey toyed with the buttons on his shirt, her fingers warming his skin through the fabric. “I don’t remember.”
“That’s what I thought. You need a break. I know for a fact that you’ve been working dawn to dusk.”
“And what would I do with this free day?” She glanced at her watch. “Now that it’s almost lunchtime?”
Gil was getting desperate. Making love to Bailey...repeatedly...had not slaked his hunger for her at all. If anything, he wanted her more, because now he knew what it was like to have her in his bed. The memories made him sweat. Not to mention the fact that he was, at the moment, hard and hurting.
Bailey made no effort to move. Obviously she was aware that his erection nudged eagerly at her lower abdomen. He shuddered, dangerously close to ripping open the door of the truck and shoving her on the front seat.
He cleared his throat. “Cade spent the night with my friends again. I have to pick him up. In Midland. At four.” He was barely able to string words together. “Come with me.”
Her head shake was instantaneous. “Your parental instincts were good...thinking you needed to protect your son. I don’t want to do anything to hurt him.”
“I was wrong. I’ll be honest with him.”
“And say what?”
“That I like you. A lot. And I like spending time with you. But that your job and your home are in Dallas.”
“What are we doing here, Gil?”
In her eyes he saw a mixture of resignation and sadness. Both emotions hit him hard, because he was responsible for putting them there. He stroked her hair from her face, cupping her cheek in his right hand. “Let’s not analyze it, Bailey. I’m a man. You’re a woman. Let’s take a drive on a beautiful sunny afternoon and worry about tomorrow later.”
“That’s a dangerously open-ended philosophy for a man like you. Or a woman like me, for that matter.”
He made himself step backward. “I won’t coerce you. But I hope you’ll say yes.”
She waited long enough for his gut to tighten. Finally, she nodded. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt. But again, we both have a vehicle.”
He groaned. “I’ll pick you up at Chance’s place in forty-five minutes. Change into something that will be comfortable for a picnic.” The day was not as hot as it had been earlier in the week, but still wonderfully pleasant for January.
“Who supplies the food?”
“My invitation, my responsibility.”
She went up on tiptoes and kissed him square on the mouth, ducking away before he could grab her. “There’s that nasty word again...responsibility.”
Gil swiped the back of his hand across his forehead. Bailey’s kisses, even quick ones, were lethal. “Believe me, Bailey. Taking care of you and your needs is pure pleasure.”
* * *
Bailey didn’t have much time to dither over her wardrobe. But she did intend to prove to Gil that she wasn’t all business all the time. He had used the word comfortable. Men, however, were clueless at times about what was appropriate. If Bailey and Gil were picking up Cade at the home of a family friend, there was a good chance Bailey would be meeting someone. And she didn’t plan to do so in old jeans and a T-shirt.
The outfit she picked out was one that packed easily, but was comfy and fashionable at the same time. The short-sleeved, burgundy knit shirtdress was striped with navy and ended several inches above her knees. She paired it with navy leggings trimmed at the ankle with lace. Black espadrilles matched the black headband she used to push back her unruly hair. When she looked in the mirror after changing clothes hastily, the woman staring back at her definitely looked in the mood to play hooky.
Throwing a few things into a black tote, she gave her hair one last brushing and a warning to behave. Gil had seen her plenty of times with her hair confined for work. But because today he wanted her to let down her hair and goof off, she decided to indulge him both literally and metaphorically. The only thing left was to grab up a black cashmere cardigan in case the weather turned colder later.
Gil was right on time. No surprise there. She walked down the wide front steps of the ranch house and tried not to bounce like a giddy teenage girl. The prospect of a few hours away from work—in the company of the man with whom she had shared such dizzying intimacy—made her happy. A profound emotion, but one that was at its core plain and simple.
He helped her into the front seat of the truck and went around to the driver’s side. “There’s a belt in the center,” he said, his lips quirking in a mocking smile.
Bailey smoothed her skirt over her thighs and put her tote at her feet. “I’m fine right here,” she said, staying well toward the passenger door. Midland was fifty miles away. Boundaries had to be observed if they planned to make it on time.
As the
y pulled out onto the highway, Gil shot her a look, his expression amused. “You look cute today, Collins. I like it.”
She rummaged in her tote for a water bottle and took a long drink. “As much as I appreciate the compliment, I do want to point out that you promised to feed me.”
“Patience, woman. The hamper’s behind us, filled with all sorts of goodies.”
She peered over her shoulder at the small space behind. Cade’s little booster seat occupied one corner...a large rattan picnic basket, the other. “And how long do I have to wait?”
“There’s a spot about twenty miles down the road where Cade and I like to stop. The property actually belongs to me, but I’ve never done anything with it. A tiny wet-weather stream cuts in in half. I thought you might like to have lunch beneath a little copse of cottonwood trees.”
“You do know it’s January. And all the leaves are gone.”
“Use your imagination. I have a quilt.”
“And sunscreen?”
“I’ll cover you with my body.”
Her jaw dropped and her face flamed. She’d been holding her own until that last comment. Now she lapsed into silence, her blood pumping with excitement. Surely Gil was joking.
Without asking, she reached forward and turned on his satellite radio. Picking an upbeat contemporary channel, she hummed along, relieved to have something to fill the silence. At times like this she realized that Gil was a man with one thing on his mind.
The turnoff to Gil’s property was unmarked, nothing more than a narrow, rutted side road. The big truck handled the terrain comfortably, though Bailey was jostled rather more than she expected. If not for the seat belt, she would have ended up in Gil’s lap.
When he finally stopped, at least four or five miles down the road, he rolled down the windows and cut the engine. “This is it.”
The scene was peaceful, though remote. No one would disturb them. If another vehicle did approach, they would hear it coming long before it arrived. Above, puffy white clouds scudded across a sky the color of a robin’s egg. A light breeze stirred the occasional flurry of dried leaves. With no power lines to mark the landscape, it almost seemed as if they had been transported back in time.
Bailey pressed her knees together, her hands clasped in her lap. “Very pretty.”
Gil slung an arm across the steering wheel and turned to face her. “You look like a scared rabbit.”
Bailey lifted her chin. “You flatter yourself.”
His lopsided smile reached inside her chest and squeezed her heart. “I won’t apologize for wanting you, Bailey. You’re a very desirable woman.”
Her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg. She wasn’t accustomed to talking about sex so matter-of-factly. She had been raised by a father who never did a thing to acknowledge that his daughter might need some education about her body and other personal matters. Nor did he offer her books or anything else to guide her in the murky waters of boy-girl relationships.
She’d been forced to stumble along on her own.
But she had managed. Refusing to let Gil know she was feeling off-balance, she managed a genuine smile. “You promised me a picnic. Food first. Flirting later.”
“You’ve got your priorities muddled,” he grumbled. But he grinned as he unloaded their supplies.
Bailey hopped down from the truck and helped spread the quilt. Gil’s housekeeper had managed to put together a mouthwatering array of food, especially given the short notice. Chicken salad, fruit salad, homemade bread and oatmeal raisin cookies made Bailey’s mouth water.
She was astonished to see Gil unpack a padded container that held china plates, crystal flutes and real silverware. “Wow. I was expecting paper and plastic.”
He poured her a glass of champagne. “I may be a little rusty when it comes to dating, but I think I remember a few of the finer points when trying to impress a woman.”
She sipped the champagne, recognizing that the taste alone declared it to be ridiculously expensive. “We’re not dating, Gil.” She had information he wasn’t going to like to hear. So there was no reason to play games. “But I appreciate the effort.”
He ignored her insistence on clinging to reality, choosing instead to serve a plate and hand it to her. “Dig in. I don’t want you passing out from hunger on my watch.”
They ate in silence for several minutes. A comfortable silence that acknowledged the beauty of the day and their unspoken contentment in sharing a stolen moment in time. Bailey sat cross-legged, her plate in her lap, while Gil sprawled on his side, his big body ranged comfortably as he propped himself on an elbow and ate one-handed.
The food was good. But after a while, it sat like a stone in her stomach. She believed in the concept of carpe diem, she really did. But she was also a realist. For every wonderful minute she spent with Gil, there would be a corresponding experience of pain when this whatever-it-was came to an abrupt end.
It was foolish and self-destructive to ruin a lovely interlude with such maudlin thoughts. Life didn’t have to be perfect to be enjoyable. Happiness came in snatches, sometimes almost unnoticed. She wouldn’t ask of Gil more than he was able to give.
When they were done eating, she helped him pack everything back in its spot. They had barely spoken a dozen words during the meal. Gil stood and carried the hamper and the dish tote back to the truck. Bailey pulled her knees to her chest and encircled them with her arms. For one brief moment, she allowed herself to wonder what it would be like if Gil were hers. Permanently.
She already knew he was an incredible father and an intuitive lover. It wasn’t a stretch to imagine him as a loving husband, as well. He had softened toward her, given more of himself than she had expected. Closing her eyes, she entertained the fantasy of a rosy future.
Gil sat down beside her, his hip inches from hers. “Whatever you’re thinking about must not be too pleasant. You have a tiny frown between your eyebrows.” He rubbed the spot with a fingertip. “This picnic was supposed to be fun.”
Shaking off her weird mood, she laid her head on his shoulder. “It is fun,” she said honestly. “I get so wrapped up in my work, I sometimes forget how nice it is to do nothing at all.”
“You’ve given a lot of yourself to your career.”
Was there a veiled criticism in those words, or was she being overly sensitive? “I suppose I’ve let my job act as a substitute for family. I do have many good friends, but we all work together, so that has a downside. I’m rarely able to leave my cases when I go home at the end of the day. Not like someone who works in a factory or a department store. I’m always thinking about the next step.”
“You care deeply about things, Bailey. I like that about you.”
She linked her fingers with his, resting their hands on his thigh. Today he wore dark dress pants with a lightweight cotton pullover sweater in a shade of blue that echoed the hue of the sky.
His words of praise made her uncomfortable. Perhaps because she had grown up without that kind of verbal support. But also because she was hiding something from Gil. News she had received only today.
“Did you bring me out here so we could have sex?” she asked, the words far more calm that the riotous emotions pinballing inside her.
He squeezed her hand, his thumb massaging her palm. “It might have crossed my mind.”
This would be their last chance. She knew it, and she was pretty sure Gil knew it, too. Their lives were too complicated to carry on an affair, clandestine or otherwise. Especially in a place like Royal where even the walls had ears. Turning to face him, she cupped his neck in her hands and pulled him closer for a kiss. “I was hoping you would say that.”
Her blunt statement sent shock skittering across his face before it was replaced by hunger and determination. He reached into his pocket and extracted a series of condom packets hooked together
. “I wasn’t making any assumptions, but it never hurts to be prepared.”
“Don’t tell me. You were an Eagle Scout.”
“Guilty as charged.” He unbuttoned the top two buttons of her dress. “I also learned how to unhook a girl’s bra with one hand, but that wasn’t a Scout badge. More of an extracurricular activity.”
“You’re not such a straight arrow after all, are you Mr. Addison? I’m seeing you in a whole new light.”
He eased her down onto her back with her cooperation. The sun blinded her, so she was forced to close her eyes.
His lips caressed her ear as he whispered. “You have no idea.”
Twelve
Gil studied Bailey’s face...the creamy skin, feminine nose, stubborn chin. In the broad light of day, her hair caught every ray of sun and glowed red with fire. Her slightly parted lips were the color of pale pink roses. Beneath her soft dress, her chest rose and fell rapidly.
In his head, the clock was ticking. He’d called his friends and asked for an hour of grace. Cade was having a blast and wouldn’t begrudge the later arrival time.
Selfishness. All selfishness. Because Gil couldn’t bear to let her go. Not without one last chance to bury himself in the tight, hot clasp of her body. To hear her cry out when he sent her flying. To lie with her in the aftermath and count the beats of his heart.
She had kicked off her shoes when she sat pretzel-fashion to eat her lunch. Now he studied her narrow, highly arched feet, bemused that the sight of them made him wonder for the first time if he had such a fetish. Her small toenails were painted the same color as her lips.
A tiny smile curved her lips. “I have my eyes closed, so I can’t be sure. But it seems as if you’ve lost your way.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Your skin is turning pink. Let me move the quilt.” With trembling hands, he dragged it into the patch of shade cast by the truck. “That’s better.”
When he turned back around, Bailey had pulled her dress over her head and stood facing him clad only in a lacy black bra and the leggings that clung to her shapely limbs.
Beneath the Stetson Page 11
