by Rita Sawyer
She’d been told numerous times her eyes expressed whatever she was feeling. He’d even mentioned it once, and she didn’t want him to see what she really thought. If he did, they may never get around to eating. That would be a pity because she truly was hungry, and for more than just food.
* * * *
“Well then, I should get back to work. I wouldn’t want you to starve, now would I?” He turned back to the stove, basking in the smile she sent his way.
“I have to say, so far I’m impressed.” She sounded surprised.
“You’re not one of those women that think if a guy is single he can’t cook, are you?”
“Hell no!” She laughed. “I’m one of those women who tends to burn boiling water. So your kitchen skills are something I will consider a positive.”
“Would you like me to list my other skills?” he joked.
“I’m more of a hands-on, visual kind of girl, so we’ll just have to wait and see what you show me.”
“Will this be an I’ll-show-you-mine-if-you-show-me-yours type of thing?” He hoped so.
“Not really. You’re the one on the hot seat, not me.”
“So you’re saying what I see is what I get with you?”
“Wrong again.” She shook her head, which sent her ponytail swaying. “A woman, well a smart woman, knows she should never reveal all her secrets. If she did what would keep a guy interested?”
Gage wanted to tell Dianne that even if he knew everything about her he’d never get tired of them spending time together. But he didn’t think she wouldn’t believe him. And he was afraid it would turn into some kind of debate.
He knew better to than to pick a fight over something so stupid. Then again, arguing with a woman was usually an exercise in futility, especially a hungry one. Not that he hadn’t tried. He just hadn’t won very often. His father had taught him the finer points of conceding. Unless it was something he’d felt really strongly about, it wasn’t worth pissing his wife or daughters off. Gage had taken the lesson to heart, which is probably the reason he had such good relationships with his mom and sisters. It probably helped him connect with his niece, too.
“Does that mean you have secrets? Are you a spy? Do you use your travels as a model to covertly gather intelligence?”
“Please. Most of my work has been local. I’ve only done a few national campaigns. I’ve never gone international.”
That surprised him. From the way she dressed and her flashy sports car, it was obvious she was making plenty of cash. And though he’d be the first to admit he knew nothing about the modeling industry, he did know enough about market campaigns to know the bigger the account was, the more she would make. She could be unique enough that people were willing to pay for her look.
“I remember Lainey saying you went to Kentucky a few months ago for work. Was that for a national ad?”
“No, it was for a charity event.”
“You’re philanthropic, huh?” If he kept her talking, maybe she’d spill a few more tidbits about her that he didn’t already know.
“At times, but if you burn that garlic bread, I won’t be.” She sniffed the air, and he laughed.
Gage was no fool. This woman wasn’t going to let him in until he proved himself. He took the garlic bread out of the oven without burning himself like he had with the tart shells he’d taken out earlier.
“So tell me about this charity event.”
* * * *
Dianne had to be careful just how much she told Gage about her trip. She managed to skirt a lot of his questions while he finished cooking. Once they sat down to eat she decided to change the subject all together. By the time they were sitting on the couch ready to watch the movie, she was sure Gage had forgotten all about their earlier conversation.
The second he dimmed the lights, Dianne slid her shoes off and leaned against his side. She let Gage wrap his arm around her shoulders. The move was so natural that neither of them commented on it. It was five minutes into the movie before Dianne was actually able to focus on anything but how good it felt being pressed against his side. She turned and looked up at him, surprised to find him staring at her instead of the TV.
He didn’t make a move, so she decided it was up to her. She reached up and pulled his head down to hers. Their kiss was electric, literally. She gasped and pulled away from the static shock.
“Wow! Let’s try that again.” He chuckled, easing his mouth back to hers.
There was no zap this time, but it was replaced with an urgency she just couldn’t ignore. She twisted her body as he plundered her mouth until she had straddled his lap. His cock bulged behind his fly, forming a thick, hard ridge that pressed against her pussy. Dianne rocked her hips, creating a delicious friction that had her pussy growing wetter. Gage lifted his hips and flipped her onto her back, coming down over her.
Dianne tried to squeeze her hand between them to undo his pants, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “I want this more than I can say, but I planned on taking things slow.”
“Do I get a vote? Because though there are times for slow and steady this isn’t one of them.” She pushed her heel into the couch cushion and raised her ass, pressing her crotch against his dick.
He groaned and let go of her hand. Dianne dropped her hips and slid it between them. She struggled with his button. Before she could get it undone, he lurched to his feet and held out his hand. She put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet.
“Where are we going!” she squealed as he scooped her into his arms.
“To my bedroom where I plan to ravish you until you can’t take anymore. And then I’m going to do it all over again.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck leaned in and whispered, “Promises. Promises.”
He carried her up the stairs and down a hall into a room. She lifted her head and looked around. Her eyes were drawn to the huge bed, but she only had a few seconds to take it in before she found herself tossed onto it. She couldn’t hold back her giggles as she bounced. They died instantly when Gage stripped his shirt off. His jeans were quick to follow. He stood there in his boxer briefs, looking sexier than any man she’d ever been alone with. Granted, there hadn’t been many for her to compare him to.
She realized he was waiting for her. Not wanting to be outdone, Dianne yanked her shirt over her head and threw it at him. He caught it midair, crushing it in his fist. His gaze was locked on her bare breasts, thankful he hadn’t realized she wasn’t wearing a bra early. That little tidbit of knowledge would have driven him crazy. He stared until she started to slide her pants down over her hips. He dropped her shirt and strode to the bed. He slid his hand up her legs and grabbed the pants and tugged them off.
Dianne felt a little self-conscious sitting there in just her black lace panties, but she didn’t have much time to worry over it. Gage knelt on the foot of the bed and quickly covered her body with his. His hands teased and taunted as he kissed her senseless. She was just as ruthless. Somewhere during their wrestling match, her panties got stripped off and thrown aside. They were both breathing heavily by the time she got his boxers down to his knees. She used her foot to push them the rest of the way off.
Gage reached into the nightstand beside the bed and pulled out a condom. She helped him get it on and he instantly settled between her thighs. She felt the head of his cock press at her opening. Their moans mingled in the air as he slid into her. They met each other stroke for stroke, and Dianne hoped he didn’t think she was too eager.
“Come on baby, just let go and enjoy it,” he murmured in her ear.
The sound of his voice pushed her over the edge. She clutched his shoulder and her inner muscles clenched around his thick cock. He kept pumping into her over and over. She gasped for air as the tension began to build again.
“Oh my God!” she moaned, tossing her head from side to side.
Her nails dug into his shoulders and she didn’t feel a bit of guilt that she was marking him. She wrapped her legs
around the back of his thighs and tried to pull him closer. Her reactions to him seemed to spur him on. Gage’s strokes got deeper and harder. Dianne told herself not to scream as she came for the second time, but she couldn’t stop herself from making noises all together.
“Fuck me!” Gage shouted as plunged into her as deep as he could.
Her legs were shaking, and her breasts heaved as she tried to breathe under his weight. He groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder for just a few seconds. Gage rolled them both on their sides, pulling the comforter over them.
“I’ll be right back.” He climbed from the bed and disappeared into a doorway that either led to a bathroom or walk-in closet.
She heard the water turn on and decided it was a bathroom. Dianne closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself. She’d just had the best sex of her life, but wasn’t going to let it affect her heart. Sex was sex, not love.
Chapter Five
Gage hung up the phone knowing he should be feeling pretty damn good, but deep down he was unable to shake the feeling Dianne was just playing with him. Last night they had made love—maybe more like had sex, in her opinion—until the sun came up. She left before he woke up, which pissed him off, until he found a note written in red lipstick on his bathroom mirror.
CALL ME was scrawled with a flourish he recognized as hers.
Following her orders, he’d called, but there was no answer, so he left a message. Even though he didn’t expect her to call him back, he couldn’t stop himself from checking his phone every few minutes. If anyone found out what a pathetic fool he’d become, he’d never live it down.
“I can’t believe you’re blackmailing her.” His best friend Jace hadn’t stopped expressing his disbelief all morning.
“I would have let her off the hook if she balked, but it was worth taking a chance.” Gage knew that Jace might not understand, since he wasn’t a big risk taker.
“She’s one of my wife’s best friends. This could backfire in a huge way, for all of us.” Jace sounded way too serious.
Gage gave his shoulders a shrug, trying to act calm when he was anything but. “Or it could all work out.”
“Yeah, well, if doesn’t, my wife and the rest of her friends will probably make you wish you never met them.”
“After all I did to help with the wedding, I’m hoping Lainey will cut me some slack.” Gage knew she could probably sway her friends if she wanted to.
Actually, since they all knew what was going on, there was no reason why he couldn’t explain his side of things to Lainey. Still, he decided to stop by and see her at the bakery where he’d have the safety of her display counter between them. Jace grabbed the file they were supposed to have been going over and stuffed it into his bag.
“Dude, relax. I promise that Dianne has complete control of the situation. She might not want to admit it, but she knows it.” Gage wished there was something else he could say to reassure his friend.
He didn’t think it would be wise to tell him about last night. What happened between him and Dianne needed to stay between them until she was ready to say otherwise.
* * * *
“Are you going to call him back?” Amy asked.
“Eventually. You know work comes before play.” Normally Dianne was the one to try and mix a little play into her friends’ workdays, but not today.
Today Dianne needed to be focused, and she knew once she talked to Gage that was going to be damn near impossible.
She slid the calendar back to Amy. “Okay, so Karen already called the last three. They’re up near where her grandmother lives, and we’re going to squeeze in a visit. I figured maybe you could come with me to the first three readings. And maybe Jillian could handle the next three since they’re local.”
“When we said we’d be with you every step of the way, you took that pretty literally,” Amy teased as she read the itinerary.
“Since you guys talked me into doing this book tour I decided you can hold my hand and keep me from running away.” Dianne wished they’d be able to keep her from throwing up.
Just the idea of getting up and talking in front of a crowd made her stomach churn. Her publisher had pretty much insisted she do it, but she’d been ready to balk until her friends talked her into going. Now she had no other choice, or she’d be letting down a whole bunch of little kids who wanted to meet her. That was something else she didn’t think she’d ever get used to.
When she modeled there was never any talking involved. Modeling let her hide behind a façade. Heck, in most cases, the companies that hired her only used specific body parts. Her most popular features were her eyes, feet, and silly enough, her ears. She doubted that anyone—other than the people who really knew her—would even guess it was her in the ads.
There had only been a few times where her whole body was used at once. That had been when she was much younger. Modeling was a young woman’s game, which is why her grandmother had insisted she get an education like her sister. Unlike her sister, who had decided to get a nursing degree, Dianne had tried to steer away from any field of study that would lead to a job where she would have to interact with sick or loud people. Instead, she’d decided to get her degree in library sciences. The quiet calmness of a library was a better fit with her personality, and that way she could indulge in her love of reading.
A few of her professors had notice her flair for writing and suggested she take a couple of creative writing courses. It had been a turning point in her life she hadn’t known was coming. She’d gone on to get her degree, but she found herself unable to stop writing. Who knew that all the stories she’d been making up since she was a child were a sign that she was meant to be an author?
“We’ll be there with you,” Amy’s cheerful tone eased some of her fears, “but I don’t know what you’re so worried about. You’re great with kids, and they love you.”
Any other time, Dianne would have basked in the compliment. “I’m good one-on-one. Heck, even five-to-one, but an auditorium full of kids is a little over my limit.”
“Still, every kid is going to be so excited to see you and ask you questions. They’ll probably be just as nervous as you.”
“I doubt it,” Dianne scoffed.
“Just think, if you barf, all the boys will think you’re cool. Just kidding.” Amy held up her hands in surrender.
“Yeah, well, it’s not funny. What if I start reading then throw up all over them? I may never sell another book again.” Dianne really wasn’t worried about that, but she’d die of embarrassment, so it would be a moot point.
“Oh come on, you’re going to be fine. All those little girls, and probably half the boys, would give anything to get an autographed copy of your book. Now can we talk about what happened between you and Gage?”
“That’s it!” Dianne almost shouted.
“What’s it?” Amy asked.
“The gift for Gage’s niece.” Dianne didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it before. Most likely because she was enjoying watching him struggle to find a gift. “Amy, you’re brilliant, did you know that?”
“Of course. My brothers tell me all the time just how smart I am. Especially my ass.” Amy flashed her a cocky smile.
“Honey, when they call you a smartass, I don’t think that’s what they mean,” Dianne teased.
“Sure they do. They just don’t know it.” They both laughed. “Now stop stalling and tell me about last night.”
“There’s not much to tell. We had dinner at his place. He cooked. And we watched a movie.” Dianne did her best to sound casual.
“Did he try to make a move? Did you?”
“Amy!” Dianne chided her friend, but she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Come on, I’d tell you.”
“Really? I heard Jace’s friend Slade called you the other day. Want to tell me what that was all about?” Dianne countered.
Amy narrowed her eyes, and Dianne thought for sure she would concede, b
ut instead she growled and said, “He didn’t call me. His sister did. Her car broke down and he was out with Jace when she called him. Jace told her to call the garage. Then Jace drove her home while he waited for one of my brothers to get there. But it was Wednesday so I had to go, because it was their bowling night. Okay, now it’s your turn.”
“I made the first move. And that’s as much as I’m saying for now. You’ll find out the rest when we all meet for lunch tomorrow, because I’m only going through the story once.” Dianne knew her friends were going to have plenty of questions.
Her phone rang again and this time she answered it. “Hello.”
“Where are you?” Gage asked.
His brusque tone had her ready to hang up, but something made her hesitate. But she didn’t respond either.
“Shit.” She heard him mutter.
She decided to cut him a break, but just this one time. “I’m at Amy’s. Where are you?”
“I’m at work, where I just got the third degree from Jace, again.” She figured that was supposed to account for his earlier harshness.
“About what this time?” She already had a pretty good idea.
“Whether or not I was going to break your heart. Then he figured it was his job to set me straight on what would happen if I did.”
She knew she shouldn’t laugh, but there was no stopping it. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him you were the one in charge, so if anyone’s heart is in danger it’s mine.”
“Sure it is.” She laughed harder.
“Well, just to show him and all your friends they can’t scare me away, would you like to go out tonight?”
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“Something fun.”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“I want it to be a surprise.”
“Okay. Pick me up at seven.” This time she did hang up on him, and it served him right.
She started counting in her head and only got to three before Amy said, “I take it that was Gage.”
