What She Really Wants For Christmas
Page 7
No more power play. They both got totally naked. The sight of his toned belly and impressive hard-on got her juices flowing again. He wasn’t overly muscled, but it was obvious he didn’t sit on his ass all the time, either. His chest was nice, too. Just a little bit of hair and lots of definition.
She ran her palm over his pecs and one small brown nipple, and then down over the slight ridges on his belly. He didn’t move until she went lower and traced his shaft. He tensed then and cupped her breast.
“A shame to be wasting this nice big bed,” he whispered and did a flicking thing with her nipple that would totally let him have his way.
To her surprise, she was the one who insisted on pulling the comforter down and getting in between the sheets. He seemed to be ready to get down and dirty, screw the comforter.
She crawled in first, while he used the opportunity to rub his palms over her backside. She wasn’t usually ticklish but he got her just so and, laughing, she hurried to the other side of the bed and flipped onto her back.
He slid in next to her. As if by magic, his hand ended up between her thighs. He got two fingers inside her before she could say anything.
“Hey.” She wiggled away. “I have some exploring of my own to do.”
“Be my guest,” he said, lying back and kicking the sheets away.
Liza smiled. Such a guy. She took his thickness in her hand and watched his eyes close. She traced a finger around the smooth, silky tip and then under the rim. He looked as if he was having enough trouble keeping still, and when she touched the tip with her tongue, he nearly came off the bed. He murmured something she couldn’t understand.
It didn’t matter. She was getting carried away, too. She used the moisture from her tongue to pump him, slowly at first, but gaining momentum with her own arousal.
He reached up, curled his hand around her neck and pulled her down for a brief but blistering kiss. “Just a minute,” he whispered against her mouth.
In an instant he’d gotten something out of the nightstand and was back, savagely taking her mouth while he took care of business. In another moment, he had her on her back, and slowly entered her. The strain of control was on his face, in the way his neck corded, how his biceps bunched.
She moved her hips upward, wanting to snap that control. Wanting him to plunge hard and deep inside her. But he stayed slow and steady, filling her nearly to completion, and then withdrawing again until she almost begged.
“Relax,” he said softly. “Just relax.”
“Are you crazy?” she murmured.
As he sunk into her again, he whispered, “Happy birthday, baby.”
Chapter 7
Liza pulled the thick down blanket up to her chin and snuggled farther into the covers. Evan had his arm thrown around her waist but he was so sound asleep he wasn’t bothered by her moving around. He stayed on his stomach, his stubbly chin close to her face as they shared the same pillow. A really great pillow. The dense kind that still managed to stay soft. She used to have one of those. Before she’d been forced to stay in a cheap fleabag apartment.
She opened her eyes and stared at his lashes resting on his cheek. She hadn’t noticed how thick or long they were, or the tiny mole just at the corner of his eye. His hair was too short and, even now, after a night of rolling around in the sheets, wasn’t very messed up. Across his shoulders was a scattering of freckles, which seemed odd because he really wasn’t that fair-skinned. Ten to one he really hated them.
God, how different he looked right now. Nothing like the geeky man she used to see at the station over a year ago. He’d changed, or maybe she had.
As much as she wanted to just keep staring at him, she had more pressing business. A soft glow came from the master bathroom from the night-light Evan kept in there. Earlier, she’d teased him about being afraid of the dark. Now she was glad for the beacon showing her the way in the unfamiliar room.
She slowly moved Evan’s arm from around her waist, and then inched her way toward the other end of the bed. Parts of her that she’d nearly forgotten how to use ached like crazy. Evan had reminded her. Boy, had he. The guy sure had paid attention in anatomy class.
There wasn’t an ounce of inhibition or modesty in the man’s genes. He’d surprised her over and over again. For hours. Stamina was another one of his attributes. She had him totally wrong. Well, not totally. He was a little obsessive about keeping things in tidy rows. She smiled. Must have driven his college roommates nuts.
Quietly she closed the bathroom door behind her. She flipped on the light and faced herself in the mirror. Ugly red marks marred the skin just above her right breast and on the side of her neck. Another beard burn claimed a spot under her ear. Damn, damn, damn. Just what she needed. Hopefully makeup would cover up the mark.
She turned on the water, waited until it was warm and then splashed her face. The air was chilly without Evan’s body heat. She hadn’t even done her business yet, and she couldn’t wait to get back into bed with him. Who would’ve guessed he could be so energetic?
The trouble was, it wasn’t just because he was a warm body. Last night, Evan had made her feel safe. Ridiculous, of course. She meant nothing to him. They were consenting adults who enjoyed sex. Period. No big deal. She doubted there’d be a repeat performance. In fact, if she were smart, she’d tell him this was it. He was too much of a distraction.
Although, one more night wouldn’t hurt.
She hurriedly used the john and then turned off the light. She was about to open the door when she realized the night-light wasn’t on. Yet light came from behind her. She turned around. Sunlight seeped through the frosted glass window.
Shit.
It was morning.
She quickly collected her clothes and purse, and then called a cab before she got dressed.
* * *
Liza got to her attorney’s office, her legs still shaking from the scene with Rick. Half an hour after she’d gotten home from Evan’s, Rick had shown up at her door, yelling and screaming and demanding to know where she’d been all night. Good thing one of the neighbors had threatened to call the cops. That had shut him up fast. But he wasn’t done with her yet. She knew that all too well from past experience.
No more sneaking out. No more seeing Evan. He was a nice guy, and he had amazing hands that made her forget. But Rick was becoming more volatile and she couldn’t afford him finding out about Evan. He didn’t deserve being Rick’s target. And sadly, she didn’t deserve someone as nice as Evan.
She shut off the engine and noticed that the gas was close to the empty mark. Great. Just great. She’d used nearly all her cash on the cab from Evan’s house to her car. Sighing, she climbed out and smoothed her sensible wool slacks. It hadn’t been easy to get Kevin Wade to take her case. She knew he’d thought she was some kind of crackpot at first. The least she could do was look like a normal person. Maybe he’d even have good news for her today.
The offices of Kregel, Fitch & Devine were on the twelfth floor. Liza swore the damn elevator had stopped at every floor before she finally got to theirs. Topping things off was the big Christmas tree sitting in the middle of the foyer. God, she couldn’t wait for all the holiday crap to be over.
Recognizing her immediately, the receptionist picked up the phone and called for Kevin’s secretary. Liza had made a total pest out of herself for the past two months, and pretty much everyone on the floor knew her.
Too bad.
“Just go on back, Ms. Skinner,” the receptionist said, and then went on with her typing.
Liza followed the corridor toward Kevin’s office. Along the way were numerous other offices belonging to junior associates. She got two doors down from Kevin’s office and heard a familiar voice. Talking to an older woman was Jenna Hamilton, CATL-TV’s attorney. She was the same attorney being used by Eve and Jane and the rest of the lottery winners.
Did this mean good news? Was there another offer on the table? Liza’s heart pounded as she entered Kevin’s
office. He looked up from his computer screen and smiled. Unfortunately, not a good-news kind of smile. She took a deep breath.He motioned to the brown club chair opposite him. “I have news.”
“Yeah?” Hope soared again.
“We have a court date.”
“Oh. I thought—I just saw Jenna Hamilton.”
Kevin shook his head. “That was nothing to do with your case.”
“They aren’t countering?”
He narrowed his dark brown eyes on her. “What counter? You flatly refused their offer.”
“I know that.” She put two fingers to her throbbing temple. Too little sleep. Too much stress. “I just thought maybe they’d come up with another amount.”
He leaned back in his chair and looked sternly at her. “You can’t have it both ways. You told me you were firm on the seven-way split.”
“Right.” She cleared her throat. How could she possibly be offended that Eve and Jane weren’t willing to settle, or that they were willing to drag her to court? What irony. To them she was no longer a friend. She cleared her throat again. “When’s the court date?”
“On the twenty-second.”
“Of this month?”
He nodded.
Her pulse raced. “Is it good to go before a judge so close to Christmas?”
“It could go either way. But you told me you wanted this over with as soon as possible.” He paused. “Your friend Rick called.”
“He what?” Oh, no. She’d been careful not to leave a business card around, hoping he’d forgotten the law firm’s name. But she’d underestimated him. This was bad. He was getting desperate. She had to watch herself, not give him a reason to be suspicious or feel insecure. “When?”
“Yesterday.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing, of course. He’s not my client. You are.” Over his long brown steepled fingers, Kevin regarded her with a kindness he hadn’t shown before. He didn’t have to tell her that Rick had been angry and vile. “The man is a liability to you, Liza. I recommend he not be in court with you.”
Anger, sarcasm, hatefulness—all of that she could take. But not kindness. She lifted her chin. “I hope you didn’t call me all the way over here to tell me that.”
He smiled. “Actually, I wanted to see for myself how you’re holding up.”
“Yeah?” What nerve. She got to her feet.
“You’re a wreck.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m serious, Liza. You don’t want to go into court looking like some desperate druggie who dropped off the face of the earth for nearly a year, and then pops up and sues her friends.”
She winced. “I don’t do drugs.”
“Appearance is everything. Dress smart, look alert. Take care of yourself.”
She swallowed. Okay, so she’d been up all night. Lost a few pounds. None of his business. Self-consciously she raked a hand through her hair. There were so many tangles she couldn’t get all the way through. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “You just worry about winning the case.”
* * *
Bad enough she hadn’t left a note yesterday morning when she snuck out of his house, Evan still hadn’t heard from Liza.
If she’d wanted, she could’ve easily contacted him yesterday at the studio, or even been waiting in the parking lot. But she’d chosen to leave him hanging, and he was getting more than a bit irritated over her rudeness.
Hurt, really. The sex had been great. He really felt as if they’d connected on some level. He’d been moved that she’d even confided in him about her father. And then, poof. The disappearing act.
“Dr. Gann?”
He looked up from the chart he’d been reading in his office. Normally his desk was organized and nearly spotless. Today it was a total mess of folders and journals. He hadn’t even hung up his jacket. It lay across one of the black leather-and-chrome chairs sitting opposite him that were used for patient consultations.
“Is something wrong?” Betty asked with concerned blue eyes. She’d been his nurse from day one. He’d played tennis with her husband numerous times, and he’d even been to her kids’ birthday parties. Other than his brothers, she was as close to a friend as he had.
But he couldn’t tell her about Liza. Betty would get excited and want to meet her. That wouldn’t happen. “Just a little tired. What’s up?”
Her frown told him she wasn’t convinced but all she said was, “The lab work came back for Mrs. Gardner. You might want to have a look at it before lunch. Her appointment is in two hours.”
“Lunch?” He looked at his watch. It was already after two.
“I can order something for you.”
“No, I’m not hungry.” Damn, he’d planned on sneaking out for an hour. Try and catch Eve. See if she had Liza’s cell number. “What have you got?”
She handed him the lab results and went to the door. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, turning around. “A woman called earlier, she’s not a patient…”
His entire body reacted. His pulse raced, his palms started getting clammy. Liza. Finally.
“She was hoping to get squeezed in today. Carolyn Sager recommended her.”
“Anything serious?”
She smiled. “No. And I told her you had a tight schedule. She’s coming in next week.”
“Thanks. I’d like to get out of here by five.” He went back to scanning the lab results, effectively avoiding Betty’s inquiring look. She knew he didn’t have a life. Normally he’d stay until seven, if necessary.
Not tonight. He had to figure out this thing with Liza. He seriously had no clue why she’d ditched him like this. If something had happened, or if she just wasn’t interested, he wanted to know. Eve might be able to enlighten him. In fact, he had quite a few questions for her.
* * *
“I’m glad you called,” Eve said, gesturing for him to sit. “Or you would’ve missed me. As it is, I’m sorry but I only have ten minutes.” She was pretty and charismatic, with a dynamite smile, and he could see why her show had become such a huge success.
Yet Liza was the one who’d caught his eye from the beginning. No explaining it. His lab partner in medical school would have explained the attraction as pure chemistry. Evan didn’t buy that stuff.
“As I told you on the phone, I wanted to talk to you about Liza,” he said, accepting the seat she offered.
She gave a small nod of her head, her face perfectly masked, except for the sadness in her green eyes she failed to disguise. “I’m not sure I can tell you much. I haven’t seen her for some time.”
“I know. She told me.”
One of her eyebrows went up. “You’ve talked to her.”
“We’ve met for dinner or drinks a couple of times this week,” he said.
She blinked, surprise written all over her face. “How did that happen?”
“I saw her out in the parking lot one afternoon, and we got together.”
Eve pressed her lips together and looked away, but not before he saw the hurt in her eyes.
“I think she was waiting to see you,” he offered. “That day in the parking lot.”
“I doubt it. We have nothing to say to each other.”
“You were friends for a long time.”
“Since we were eleven. Apparently that means nothing to her.” Eve turned back to him, anger replacing the hurt. “Did she send you here?”
“No.” He wanted to laugh. “Actually, I’m trying to find her.”
“She pulled a disappearing act on you, too?” She shook her head and sighed. “Don’t expect much. She has a habit of doing that.”
“I guess that means you don’t have her phone number.”
She looked at him as if he’d asked her to moon her audience tomorrow. “Since I have nothing to say to her, no, I do not.”
“I think she’s in some kind of trouble,” he said, watching her closely. Despite her attitude, Eve wasn’t nearly as angry as she was sad and disappointed.
“Tell me what happened to split you guys up.”
She warily raised her gaze to his. “Didn’t you ask her?”
“You know Liza.”
She started to smile and then sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. The show was going great, largely because of her creativity. Then one day we disagreed on a segment, like we’d done many times before, and she blew up. Stormed out of here like we’d personally attacked her. I didn’t call her, or anything. That was a Friday. I figured she’d cool off and everything would be okay by Monday morning.”
“You never saw her after that?”
With a bitter laugh, she said, “Not until after the lottery win.” Then she turned pensive. “If she’s in trouble it’s because of Rick.”
“Rick?”
“Her boyfriend. He was trouble from day one but Liza couldn’t see it. Toward the end we thought he was maybe using some kind of drugs, even drinking a lot.”
“She said she isn’t seeing him.”
“I sincerely hope you’re right.” She got to her feet. “I’m sorry. I really do have to go.”
He stood, too. “Thanks.”
“You might try her attorney, Kevin Wade.” She walked him to her office door. “He’d know how to get ahold of Liza.”
“Right. Thank you.”
“I don’t know his number but he’s with Kregel, Fitch and Devine,” she called after him.
He was already headed down the hall, fishing his cell phone out of his pocket.
* * *
Liza found a parking spot right near the stairs to her apartment and pulled out her bag of groceries. If Rick saw her car there and thought she’d stayed home all night maybe he’d back off. The ordeal was almost over. Two more weeks and a judge would decide her fate. She was so damn tired that no matter what the outcome, she was getting to the point that she’d just be glad when it was over.