My Sexiest Mistake

by Kristin Hardy

  She glanced down, following his eyes, and saw the evidence for herself. “Wait,” she said desperately as he tossed her blouse on the floor and unfastened her bra. “We rushed into things last night without figuring out what’s going on. Let’s not do it all over again.” Then she caught her breath at the feel of his hands on her breasts.

  “I think I know what’s going on. It’s very easy,” he said, nibbling down her throat. “I want you, pure and simple. You want more rules?” He unzipped the back of her skirt. “I’ll take you to dinner tonight and we can hash out the rules to your heart’s content.”

  “Dinner?”

  “You know, where you sit down at a table and eat? Seems to me like I still owe you one.” He slid her skirt down over her hips to find nothing but bare flesh beneath. “Mmm. I see you didn’t find all of your clothes this morning.”

  At the touch of his hands, Ryan gave up her efforts to leave. “I was pressed for time,” she breathed, sliding her hands down his back.

  “Well then we need to get you showered and on your way,” he said, tugging her toward the bathroom. “Come with me. I’ll help you figure out how the bar of soap works.”

  THE HOURS HAD GONE BY so quickly since then, Ryan thought, as she dug in her desk for her purse at the end of the day. She’d never realized the entertainment possibilities of soap and water, she thought, her lips curving in memory. By the time they’d finished, only rushing flat out had gotten her to work in time to prepare for her class. And now, as she locked her office, she was heading out to meet her lover, to reap her reward for getting through another dutiful day of work.

  And what a reward it was, she thought twenty minutes later as she came up out of the underground parking and saw him waiting for her in front of the restaurant. It was hard to force herself to walk when she wanted to fly into his arms.Then she was there, wrapped around him, her mouth fused to his.

  Cade kissed her long and thoroughly, wiping away the memory of the daytime hours that had dragged by while he had been distracted by thoughts of the night just past. At some point he really needed to think about the rush of pleasure that the sight of her brought to him. For now, it was enough just to feel her against him, to smell her hair as he kissed it, to take her hand to walk her into the restaurant.

  “Who was it that had the bright idea of meeting here for dinner instead of at one of our houses where I could have torn your clothes off and had my way with you?” he asked as he held the door for her.

  Ryan slanted him an amused look. “That would be you.”

  Cade nodded. “I thought as much. Just for the record, even I am sometimes wrong.”

  The restaurant was elegant and expensive, a mix of soaring white walls, blond wood, and brushed aluminum. An enormous bronze urn held a huge palm, its fronds arching over the reception area. The maitre d’ led them to a table next to a wall of windows overlooking the avenue, where the golden light of late afternoon flowed in.

  Cade seated her, then kissed her lightly on the lips before taking his chair. Without consciously thinking about it, Ryan reached her hand across the table to link her fingers with his.

  She looked around her and sighed in pleasure. “When I was a kid I always dreamed of going to a restaurant like this.”

  “Well I’m glad that I’m able to make one of your dreams reality.”

  He’d done that many times over, she thought, locking eyes with him. Passion of the type she’d only dreamed about when she’d written her novels had come to life for her the previous night. Now, finally, she knew what it was like to make love all night, to have the desire be inexhaustible. Long seconds slid by as they swam deep into each other’s gaze, stopping only long enough for Cade to deal with the wine list.

  Cade looked at her as the sommelier walked away. “You know, you’re the most vivid person I’ve ever known.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He nodded toward the other diners in the restaurant. “Look at all of them. They’re all in the Boston uniform of black and khaki. Monochrome, or darned close. Then there’s you, dressed like a peacock. You light up every room you walk into.”

  Self-conscious, Ryan looked down at her sleeveless fuchsia shift. During the day, she had subdued it with a cream jacket, but she’d taken it off when she’d left to meet him. “Everyone’s got their weakness. Bright colors have always been mine. I must have been a parrot in a previous life.”

  He considered the idea then rejected it. “No. Parrots are too raucous. I see you more as a tropical fish, the sleek kind that swirls around coral reefs and flirts with divers.” He ran his fingers over the palm of her hand, teasing the sensitive skin there.

  “And what kind of an animal were you in a previous life?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it. Maybe an eagle or something. Some kind of a loner.”

  “No, you’d be something more feral. A panther, maybe. One that sits on a branch all sleek and coiled, waiting to spring.”

  The measured stroking was pulling her down into a sensual haze and she began to tremble. Just then, the sommelier approached with their wine. The next few minutes were occupied with the ceremony of label, cork, and tasting, affording her a chance to get her heart rate down where it belonged. Then they were left with their wine and a basket of breads.

  Cade raised his glass to her. “To tropical fish.”

  “And panthers.” They clinked glasses and she savored the cool, crisp taste of the wine on her tongue.

  Cade grinned. “Seems like we’ve been going at this backward.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, usually a dinner date is the first thing on the agenda in an affair, not the last.” He took a drink of wine.

  “And are we having an affair?” she asked, with a quick flip of nerves.

  “After last night you ask that?”

  “There are such things as one-night stands. We said we’d burn it out.” Her face flamed, but she forced herself to continue. “I thought that might have been enough.”

  “Enough?” He considered. “Nope, not by half.” He raised her fingers to lips and lingered over them, his eyes on hers. “I want you. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep wanting you for a while.”

  Butterflies whirled and danced in her stomach. “Same goes for me.”

  “Good. That saves me the time of convincing you.” He wanted his hands on her, he wanted her against him.

  “You had me convinced last night.” The words came out in a husky whisper.

  The waiter cleared his throat. “Hi, I’m Troy, I’ll be your server tonight.” He flashed brilliant white teeth and rattled off a list of specials so quickly Ryan could barely keep up.

  She opened her menu. “I haven’t even had a chance to look at this thing yet. Could we have a little more time?”

  “Sure thing. Take as long as you like.” He nodded and left.

  Cade glanced down at his menu and made a selection. Then he closed it and set it aside. He had much better things to look at than a menu. “So what are you doing over the weekend? I’m trying to figure out exactly how much of it we can while away in bed.”

  “That’s three days from now.”

  His teeth were very white as he smiled. “I’ve already got plans for you each of those nights.”

  “You’re nothing if not efficient.”

  He drew her hand to his mouth and sucked on her fingertips. “Efficiency is the least of my talents.”

  A warm tide of arousal washed over her at his words.

  “So you didn’t answer my question,” he said in amusement.

  “What?” she asked blankly. “Oh, um, this weekend. Well, Saturday I’m going to the Boston Corporate Games for Charity. We’ve got a team in the run.”

  “We’re going to be there too. You should bring the team to have lunch with us. We’re a sponsor.” He brushed a kiss over her fingers.

  “I know. Barry specifically asked me to look you up and bond with you.” She rolled her eyes. “He seems t
o think it will impress you.”

  “Anything you do impresses me, darlin’, but I’m glad to hear that Barry’s turned matchmaker.”

  “A matchmaker who will remain blissfully ignorant of what’s between you and me, thank you very much,” she said primly.

  “Of course.” He gave a short laugh and shook his head. “Patrick, now, Patrick’s going to have a field day with this one.”

  “Why does he need to know?” Anxiety tightened her voice. “I think we should keep this off the work radar. You own your company. I don’t. It could be a problem for me.”

  “I wouldn’t do anything to compromise your work situation. Patrick will keep quiet. He may take some of my hide off, but he’ll keep quiet.” Cade broke off a piece of bread from the loaf in the basket and buttered it. “He’s my partner and we go too far back for me to lie to him if he asks.”

  “Why would he ask?”

  “He’s been telling me to stay away from you for the past two weeks.”

  “From me?” she asked blankly. “Why?”

  “He could tell that you were on my mind. Sometimes Patrick knows me a little too well.” He raised his glass again to drink. “He’s just concerned that something might happen between us to impact the project. Is it going to be a problem for you, working together?”

  A smile tugged at her lips. “It’s a little late to ask that now, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I figured you’d want to set some rules.”

  “We keep the two separate. It’s as simple as that. Otherwise, I kind of liked your rules from last night. Especially the part about getting to be naked together whenever we want.”

  “I liked that one, too.”

  She looked at him consideringly. “Do you suppose it would be really bad form to take the bottle of wine to go?”

  “It might be a first for them, but I’ve always been one for blazing trails.” His eyes gleamed as he rose and held out his hand for her. “Your place or mine?”

  14

  RYAN SHIVERED AS SHE stood with Becka near the starting line of the Boston Corporate Games’ 5K. The day had dawned sunny and clear, but the morning air still held a chill as they waited amid a crowd of runners. The nasal honk of the air horn shattered the quiet and the pack broke away.

  As with most 5Ks, it took a minute or two for the foot traffic to disperse enough for them to move beyond a slow jog. The delay didn’t make Ryan as impatient as it usually did—her mind was on waking earlier that morning with Cade.“You’ve got that I’ve-got-a-man-on-my-mind kind of look, girlfriend,” Becka said. “Come back to Earth and tell me what’s going on. Did you have a talk with our boy?”

  Ryan gave her a sidelong glance. “Nah, I figured I’d just jump him, instead.” At Becka’s astounded look, Ryan broke into a delighted laugh.

  “I can’t keep up with you.” Becka shook her head in amazement. “One minute you’re doing the solo chick thing, the next you’re tying the guy up, and now you’re taking him to bed.” Becka gave her an admiring look. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Donnelly, when you decide to break out of a rut, you do it right.”

  Ryan nodded, waiting for the pack around them to thin out until there was some privacy. “It’s wonderful. He’s wonderful. I haven’t a clue why I waited so long.”

  “Now do you understand why I’ve been hounding you to have an affair all these years?” Becka bounded along in high good humor. “So when do I get to meet him?”

  “Today, if you want to.” Ryan glanced over her shoulder before moving to pass a runner ahead of her. “He’s invited our team to have lunch at the eTrain tables.”

  “Oh this is excellent. I can’t wait. Ryan’s got herself a man and I want to meet him.”

  “It’s only temporary,” Ryan cautioned. “We just agreed to try it out for a while. It could be over tomorrow for all I know.”

  “That’s true of any relationship,” Becka reasoned. “Don’t borrow trouble—enjoy it while it lasts.”

  “Speaking of borrowing trouble, how did the breakup with Scott go?”

  “Ugly in a very Scott-like way.” All the exuberance drained from Becka’s face, leaving her uncharacteristically subdued. “It was all how could I leave him, how could I abandon him just when the muscle show season is getting going, didn’t I care about his career at all.” Becka’s jaw set as she upped her speed a notch.

  Ryan looked at her sympathetically. “No ‘I want you,’ ‘I love you,’ ‘I need you’?”

  “Nope. I don’t think considerations like that enter into his head.” She shook her head as though warding off disappointment. “I still can’t believe I stuck with him for so long. It was just empty. I feel really good that I’m out of it, though. I just want to be on my own for a while, not make another mistake by rushing into something.”

  “I know everybody says the same thing, but the right guy is out there for you, Becka. Now that you’ve broken up with Scott, you’re free to find him.”

  “And have you found the right guy, hmm, Ms. Romantic?” Becka asked teasingly.

  Ryan flushed. “It’s too soon to even begin thinking that way. I feel good when I’m with him. I’ll take that as enough for now.” But part of her wondered if it already felt too good to be with Cade. In just a few short days, he’d become a fixture in her life. When he was around, she felt light enough to walk on air, free enough to be herself, and amazingly, that was what he wanted.

  She thought of it again after the run, as she sat watching the softball tournament with the rest of the team, nibbling on a banana and bobbing her head to the reggae music playing over the loudspeakers. Only a few hours had passed since she’d left Cade, yet she was already wondering how soon she could discreetly go find him.

  Next to her, Becka stirred. “So what time is lunch? I volunteered to help out at the rubdown table, so I should get over there.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Ryan said, hopping to her feet with alacrity. She glanced at her colleagues. “I’ll see you guys in a little while. Barry wanted me to check in with the new clients, so I have to go and make nice.”

  “That was slick,” Becka said admiringly as they walked toward the massage area, passing the rows of booths from corporate sponsors. “I take it you and Cade are in stealth mode?”

  Ryan nodded. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them. I’ve got to find his booth. Come with me?”

  Becka grinned. “How old did you say you were again?”

  “Two months older than you, Landon,” she retorted, “and still big enough to make you cry uncle.”

  “In your dreams,” Becka scoffed.

  “Probably so, the way you work out.” Ryan seized Becka’s wrist abruptly. “Oh, there’s their booth, over there.” It took her a conscious effort to amble up casually, taking her time. It was a letdown to realize that only Patrick was there.

  “That’s him?” Becka whispered in a disappointed tone.

  “Shh. No, that’s his partner.” Ryan gave Patrick a little wave as they walked up to the table.

  “Ryan Donnelly, right?” Patrick asked before she could speak. “I didn’t know anyone from Beckman Markham was here.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said easily, and introduced Becka. “Becka was part of our team in the 5K. How are you guys doing?”

  “We had some people in the run. Our softball team got eliminated last weekend, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. We kind of sucked. It was still fun, though,” he said, without visible regret. “And hey, our volleyball team is kicking butt. Cade seems to think we might make it into the semifinals.”

  Ryan picked up an eTrain leaflet and flipped through it idly. “Oh yeah? Is he around?” she asked in an offhand tone.

  Patrick’s gaze sharpened. “Cade, you mean?” He gave her a penetrating look. “He’s on the team. Check over at the volleyball courts if you want him.”

  If she wanted him? She was beginning to do nothing but. With Becka in tow, Ryan walked over to where string and nets ma
rked the four volleyball courts.

  “What does he look like?” Becka asked. “You’ve never told me.”

  “Oh, you know, tall, dark, good looking…” Ryan’s voice drifted off as she scanned the teams playing, trying to find the group from eTrain. Then she saw Cade and the breath left her lungs.

  Even though she knew what he looked like naked, somehow it was even more provocative seeing his rangy body half clothed. He wore beat up khaki shorts that just accentuated his muscled legs. His dark blue T-shirt draped over a torso that tapered from muscled shoulders to lean hips. Sweat darkened the cloth in an oval circle on his back. Sunglasses hid his eyes.

  As they watched, the eTrain team got the ball and Cade moved into serving position. His forearm muscles flexed as he tossed the ball up in front of him, then brought his other arm around in an arc, open hand smashing the ball into the opposite court. Players on the opposing team made stabs for the white sphere as it flew past, but it thumped into the grass before they could react. Cade’s teeth flashed white as he grinned.

  “Which one is he?” Becka asked.

  Ryan merely pointed. It was too hard to talk with her tongue hanging out.

  “Good god, that’s the man you were telling to take a hike?” Becka watched Cade ace another serve. “What were you thinking of?”

  “Shh. Try to be a little more discreet, will you?” Ryan asked without turning her head. “I work with him, remember?”

  The referee called game point, and Cade served again. A furious volley ensued, punctuated by grunts and thuds, both teams grimly intent on victory. The ball nearly hit the ground on the eTrain side of the net but Cade dove for it, pounding it back up into the air so that the front line could drop it neatly over the net for the final point.

  There was a chorus of triumphant cheers from the eTrain team. Cade stood up grinning, brushing grass off the front of his shirt. Slapping high fives, they all walked off the court.