by Seton, Cora
Ready to close the album and call him to invite him over, she flipped to the last page. Her heart stopped for a second, then raced onward.
The last page was a black-and-white picture of Derek in his crisp white uniform, down on one knee with his hands cupped together and holding a jeweler’s box. Resting inside was a sparkling diamond ring. A solitaire. Something simple, just as she’d always wanted. And not small. He’d saved for it. Probably for a long, long time.
A tear slid down her cheek. This album was another proposal. She knew it. Now, she had a choice. Did she acknowledge it, or pretend she hadn’t found the picture on the last page?
The phone rang, and she set aside the album to find a handset. It rang several times, and she grew anxious as she searched, sure the caller was him. When she found it on the kitchen counter, she clicked quickly clicked talk, but then held silent because they hadn’t parted on the happiest note.
“Callie?” By his tone, he was amused.
“Derek.”
“Okay, so we remember each other’s names.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t thinking about you at all,” she blurted, and then realized she’d admitted she had been because it was the first denial she could get out.
He grunted. “I was eating pie at Katie’s place.”
“Pie?” she said, her voice rising at the end, and her grip tightened on the phone. Rumors flew around town about Ellie Harker’s pies. That she’d seduced two men into loving her because her apple pie was so irresistible.
“Apple. Ole Win sends his regards.”
“Good Lord, did he ask if you were gonna propose again?” He chuckled, and the rich sound sent a shiver down her spine.
“He did. Gave me some advice, too.”
“What kind of advice?” Relief he was back to teasing her relaxed her muscles.
“He recommended I throw you over my shoulder and gun my engine. That I shouldn’t stop until it was too damn far for you to walk back to Two Mule.”
“He really say that?”
“In as many words…”
“Uh-huh. Sounds like him.” She shook her head but couldn’t fight the emerging grin. “Man’s the biggest gossip in town.”
“You don’t think wisdom comes with age?” he drawled.
“You think he’s right? That you should kidnap me and carry me away?” Callie knew she sounded a little breathless. The idea appealed. If he forced her, she wouldn’t have to decide.
“I’m not kidnapping you, Callie,” he said, his voice deepening. “You’ll choose me when you’re ready. Of your own free will.”
What free will? The way his voice continued rumbling in her ear, she had none. If he’d just keep telling her what she was going to do, maybe subliminally, she’d begin to accept. Only hadn’t she already? Her gaze went to the album still resting on a cushion of her sofa. “Are you too full of pie for dinner?”
“You want to eat?”
“Most people get hungry toward the end of the day,” she said, returning his rumble with her own sultry voice.
“Damn, Callie. I’ll pick you up at six. Be ready.”
He hung up so quickly she didn’t have a chance to ask him how fancy she should dress, but then she simply smiled. Knowing what was at stake, she’d dress to kill.
Chapter Five
‡
Derek didn’t dare let his attention stray where he wanted it to be, or they’d have a wreck.
When he’d seen her open her front door, he knew his jaw had sagged for a second before he’d clipped it closed. If she was trying to kill them both, she’d chosen just the right weapon.
From the front, the little black dress was sweet and demure—sure, it hugged her lovely breasts, but the neckline was high, the skirt only to mid-thigh. But when she moved, the light, silky fabric molded and clung to her curves. In an instant, he could tell she’d foregone any scrap of underwear. She carried a warm shawl, but it remained bunched in one hand. Obviously, she hadn’t wanted to take anything away from his first glimpse of her daring dress.
After locking her door, she’d preceded him to the car. A move that provided him with a sight that made his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. A deep, scooped expanse of slender back was exposed, all the way down to the twin dimples at the tops of her hips. Good Lord, was she trying to start a riot? Add the sleek blonde ponytail that fell to the middle of her creamy back, and he knew he was toast. Already, he imagined a dozen ways he’d use it, winding it around his fist as he held her still for a deep, slow kiss.
His plans to take her to the cafe in town crumbled. No way in hell would he let anyone they knew see her dressed like this.
She paused beside the car and looked over her shoulder, a gleam of challenge in her blue eyes. “You didn’t say where we were goin’, so I dressed for any eventuality.”
Her flirty drawl pulled at his groin, and he grimaced, fighting the urge to adjust his dick, which was quickly filling. “We’re goin’ to Caldera for dinner,” he said, hoping they wouldn’t need a reservation, but because it wasn’t a high school football night, chances were good they’d be seated quickly.
“The Gentlemen’s Club?” she asked, naming the best steakhouse in the surrounding counties.
Pricey, but filled with tall booths that would give them a little privacy. “Yeah,” he muttered, wondering how he’d take back control when she’d raised the stakes with only a little scrap of silk. His gaze slid down her long tanned legs, feet enclosed in heels that had to be hurting but which arched her feet and did things to her toned calves that had him wishing they were wrapped around his neck.
The tall heels gave him some unintended leverage. Made her vulnerable, impossible to escape him. His confidence grew as an idea formed.
With an easy grin, he held open her door, noting the narrowing of her eyes as she stared at his smile. His mouth stretched again. “Gettin’ nervous?” he asked, leaning close and bending his head.
His movement forced her head up and a soft gusting breath eased between her lips. She wanted a kiss. Expected it.
Instead, he arched a brow, ignoring the frown line that formed a line between her pale brows, and indicated with a wave she should slide onto the seat. Then he slammed her door, whistling as he took his time to make the circle to the driver’s door. When he was settled inside, he caught her looking at his dark trousers, his crisp white shirt. “You look amazing, by the way,” he murmured, and flashed her a smile.
The crease between her eyes eased, and she grinned in return. “So do you.”
Turning his attention back to the road, he steered onto the highway. “May as well relax, it’s a bit of a drive.” From the corner of his eye, he watched her fidget, tugging at her skirt and crossing her legs. “If you’re worried about wrinkling your dress, you could pull it up so you’re not sittin’ on it.”
Her head swung toward him, eyebrows pulling together in another suspicious frown. “I’m not worried.”
“Have it your way.” As casually as he could, he turned on the radio, finding a channel that played light rock. Then, without hesitating, he laid his hand on her bare knee.
Not anything he hadn’t ever done before. But the stiffening of her body told him she was every bit as aware as he was that if he inched his hand upward, he’d be touching her bare pussy. His cock stirred. So did her legs, uncrossing with the softest whisper of skin, which he decided was a calculated move to slide his hand away, but he simply cupped the thigh she’d bared and gave it a squeeze. “This is nice,” he said, his gaze going to the horizon, rimmed in red as the sun fell behind it. “Just you and me…”
Her head shook, lips pursing. “Yeah, it’s nice. But we could have stayed in Two Mule and hit Katie’s Diner. Then we wouldn’t have this long drive.”
“Trying to cut our night short?” he asked, widening his eyes. “Or are you eager to get back to your place?”
After flashing him a sideways look, she gave a feminine snort. “I wouldn’t have bothered with dr
essing up if I intended for us to stay in tonight.”
“So, you wanted to be seen in that dress?”
“Something wrong with it?” she asked, batting her eyes innocently.
Derek shrugged and let his gaze skim her body. “There’s not much to it.”
“It’s comfortable,” she said, glancing down at her dress. “This is my go-to dress. I wear it all the time.”
Her lie was apparent with her breathless delivery. He grunted. “Callie, tell the truth. That dress says you’re beggin’ for it.”
“Begging?” she said, her voice rising. “I don’t have to beg for a thing. You’ve got a dirty mind is all.”
“No need to get all worked up,” he drawled. “I’m right here, baby. But you might want to do as I suggested and pull up your skirt.” Without glancing her way again, he slid his hand up her firm thigh, relishing the warmth of her skin.
She wriggled, stuck in her seatbelt, and clamped her knees together. “Stop that. We’re not kids anymore.”
“If you don’t want a big ole wet spot shining on the back of your dress, do as I say.”
Her lips pouted.
He glanced in the mirror to read her expression in the dying sunlight. Her teeth nibbled her bottom lip as she stared at his face, which he kept turned away while she made up her mind about what she really wanted.
The easing of her thighs was his signal. She unclipped her seatbelt, making little noises like she was annoyed, but silk rustled as she peeled her skirt upward. When she was nude from the notches of her hips downward, she rebuckled and sat back, her gaze angled toward the passenger window.
Derek glanced at the mile markers and settled back, slouching slightly in his seat as he gently massaged her inner thigh, his fingers moving slowly upward until he nudged against her moist folds.
With her breaths shortening, she opened her thighs a little more.
The angle wasn’t optimal, but he had no intention of bringing her to orgasm. Not yet. He stroked her lips, rimmed her feminine opening, coaxing more moisture to wet his fingertips. He stayed clear of her clit, something that had her squirming before long.
After a few minutes of him playing with her, she let out a groan. “You’re not gonna let me come, are you?”
“What?” he asked, wiping his expression clear of mischief. He darted a look downward at her splayed thighs. “Sorry, old habits.”
“Right this minute, I could scream,” she said, her voice tight. “You’re makin’ me crazy.”
“Not sure we have time. We’re almost there, sweetheart. Unless you want to screw in the back seat…”
She shook her head and pushed away his hand. “You do know there’ll be payback.”
His mouth twitched and then stretched into a wide grin. “Think I’m not prepared?”
Callie quivered. That deep, teasing drawl was as keen a sensual tool as his wicked fingers. Arousal spiked. How the hell would she make it through dinner without begging for him to make love to her?
They pulled into the well-lit restaurant parking lot, and Callie quickly eased her skirt down, sitting at the edge of her seat to keep from wetting her dress. Why had she been so bold? Still, panties alone wouldn’t have wicked away the copious moisture between her legs.
She waited, cursing him under her breath as he came around her side of the car, acting the gentleman while they both knew he was anything but. She stood beside him on wobbly legs, and he slid an arm around her back to lead her to the restaurant door. Tingles raced across her skin where his hand rested.
Inside, she blinked at the lights in the foyer. They passed the coatroom on their way to the hostess, who gave Derek a brilliant smile.
“A table for two, sir?”
Derek leaned toward the woman and whispered something, which brought a bright blush to her cheeks. Bills changed hands, and then, out loud, the woman said. “A table will be ready in twenty minutes, sir.”
Derek didn’t glance at Callie, but pushed at the small of her back, ushering her toward the coatroom.
“Seriously?” she hissed, her heels digging into the oak parquet floor, but still sliding forward.
“If you don’t make a fuss, no one will notice.”
“She knows.”
“And she’s been paid to keep anyone from opening the door.”
Excitement moved through her body, but she needed to make one final protest. “Again, seriously?”
They swept through the door, and he closed it, plunging them into darkness. The room was musty and smelled of cedar and Pinesol. Not unpleasant, but the thought of anyone who might be curious about what they were up to opening the door set her heart rate skittering.
Hands landed on her hips and pulled her forward, right against his hard body. Her breasts mashed against his chest and her belly rubbed against the burgeoning ridge between his thighs.
And just that quickly, her objections melted. He’d played her like a fiddle, tweaking her strings until she’d been seconds away from begging for release in the car, and now, they were alone in the darkness. “Twenty minutes,” she whispered.
“Think it’ll take that long?” he asked, laughter in his voice.
She pushed at his chest to make room, and then went straight for his belt, opening it with shaking hands, unbuttoning his pants and yanking down his zipper in her haste.
“Easy,” he hissed.
And because she wanted to take back a little control, make sure he was just as hot, just as eager for this as she was, she went to work, rooting inside his pants, freeing the strong column from his underwear. Relief flooded her when she discovered he was already rock hard. Urgency tightened her core, and she couldn’t stop a whimper. She needed his taste in her mouth, his scent in her nose. Needed them like the stale, cedar-scented air she breathed. She dropped to her knees, opened her mouth, and wrapped her lips around the smooth cap, sucking while he loosened his pants further to sag around his thighs, reacquainting herself with his intimate, manly parts. Lord, she’d missed his cock.
With a gentle hand, she cupped his balls and tugged, gripped his shaft and bobbed forward, taking him deep, wetting him tip to root, before giving him several more slick glides to ensure he was ready to take her. Then she stood, scraped up her skirt to her waist and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her breaths were shallow, her body quivering.
“Easy,” he whispered. “Almost there, baby.”
His hands cupped her ass and hauled her up his body. She encircled him with her legs while he placed himself at her soaked entrance and shoved upward with a firm flex of his hips.
She groaned loudly as he drove home.
“Shhh…” he said, giving her nose a kiss before he found her mouth. “Management might think they’ve got a rodent problem and come lookin’.”
“Only rat they’ll find in here is you,” she said, easing down his cock.
Then conversation became impossible. His mouth locked with hers, effectively smothering any more complaints.
Callie couldn’t believe they were doing this, just feet away from people entering and exiting the restaurant, but she really didn’t care. His hands molded her buttocks, gripping them firmly to move her up and down his shaft. She loved the hardness of his clenching hands, the steel-like texture of his rippling muscles. Derek was a high-T, Eveready sex god, and she’d been dying for him to take charge like this since the moment she’d opened her door and seen the determination gleaming in his narrowed blue eyes. After just half a dozen strokes, she was ready to blow.
Lord, she loved the way he handled her. Loved his strength, his focus. His thrusts were short, targeted to rake the ridge surrounding his glans against the spongy spot of nerves inside her channel. His crisp hairs raked her clit each time he ground her against his groin.
Thrusting her fingers into his hair, she glided her cheek against his, loving the rasp of his beard. He nuzzled her, pushing up her head to deliver gentle bites to her throat.
Then he took two steps forward, shoved her agains
t an open space on the wall, and all hell broke loose. Her legs scissored behind him, her hips pumped, and she braced her arms on his shoulders for leverage. His fingers bit into her ass, and he leaned into her, pushing her hard against the smooth paneling as he ground and pounded against her.
Her orgasm rushed through her body like a firestorm and she cried out.
“Shhh, baby. Shh,” he whispered, covering her mouth again. But then his hips pistoned—quick, sharp thrusts that had her climbing his hips, dragging air into her starved lungs as he grunted one last time and spilled himself into her.
They held each other, trembling and panting. Kisses rained across sweaty cheeks.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Love you…” Their murmurs were a chant that slowly faded as they both fought to recover their breath.
Derek sighed and his forehead sank against her shoulder. “We’re so fucking good together.”
“Mmmm,” she hummed. “No arguments there,”
At last, he hitched her up, his softened cock slipping from inside her, and then he set her gently on her feet.
She swayed and leaned into his body, hugging him again. “My makeup’s gone.”
“It’s a good thing you wore black.”
Her mouth stretched in a smile he couldn’t see. “Just point me to the bathroom. I’ll do my best to repair the damage.” But she knew anyone looking at her would know. Her skin was hot and sticky. She felt the sting of his rough beard on her cheeks and neck. Her nipples were tight beads and her folds were wet.
Thank goodness, it was highly unlikely that anyone they knew would see them.
Chapter Six
‡
When she exited the bathroom after doing the best she could with paper towels and the limited bits of makeup she’d stuffed into her clutch, she felt more composed. Her body was relaxed, her mood sweet.
