Provoke Me

by Cari Quinn

  “No, I’ve just wised up. You and I are wrong. We’re every shade of wrong in the damn rainbow. I have no desire to turn into some sort of emotionally stifled—”

  “I came here to ask you to dinner, Kelly. Out in public. Wherever you want to go.” He cleared his throat. “An actual date, sex optional.”

  “Thanks, but I have plans.” She opened the door, shifting out of the way when he slammed it closed. She blew out a breath. “I’m not arguing with you, Spencer. You want things your way. Well, bully for you. I’m doing things my way now.”

  “I can’t stop thinking about you. What more do you want from me?”

  The quiet admission broke her. If he’d come at her with more bluster, she’d have turned her back on him without a qualm. Okay, there would have been qualms, but they would have come later. But this…she hadn’t expected honesty. And she didn’t know what to say.

  He moved closer and sniffed her hair. “You smell like fruit tonight. Not flowers.”

  “I’m a woman of many sides,” she said, hoping like hell her voice sounded normal. She was surprised he’d even noticed. “And body washes.”

  “It’s nice.”

  “No, please, the flattery. It’s too much.”

  “You look beautiful.” When she turned, his mouth curved as he eyed her from head-to-toe. “You’re so…tall.”

  She couldn’t restrain her laugh. “Why, thank you for noticing.”

  “It’s those damn short dresses you keep wearing. Your legs look long enough to—”

  “Wrap around your neck?” she asked sweetly when he faltered.

  He gifted her with one of his rare true smiles. At least they’d been rare before this week. He was smiling more and more now. She hoped it was because of her, but even assuming that seemed like too big a leap. “Something like that.”

  Her fingers skimmed up his slate-gray tie, plucked at the tidy knot. As much as she loved seeing him disheveled and sweaty, his buttoned-up look had always worked well for her too.

  She swallowed deeply. If she didn’t give him a chance, she was no better than he was. She also didn’t know how to turn him away, not when he was here in her foyer and so handsome she wanted to cry. Or laugh.

  “I’m having dinner with friends. You’re welcome to join us.”

  “You dressed up like that for friends?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” She clucked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. “Maybe I was feeling a little lonely, a little pissed off.”

  “Because we’re so wrong?” He traced his fingertip over her collarbone, barely touching her. “And if we are, why can’t we stop?”

  “Easy access to good sex addles even the best brains.” With a casual shrug, she stepped away.

  Spencer cupped her elbow and shifted her back. In the dim glow from the living room, his face was nearly unreadable. “It’s not just sex, Kelly.”

  Her heart didn’t skip and her breath didn’t catch. But her knees weakened, literally. “So come to dinner.”

  He moved in and slid his hands up her spine. Only when she heard her zipper did she realize he was closing her dress. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  Clearly amused, he nodded. “Yeah. I’ll go. Where?”

  “Retreat.”

  For the first time since she’d known him, his eyes actually lit. She thought maybe she imagined it, but when they moved into the living room, his expression didn’t change. “They have the best chocolate cake.”

  “You have a sweet tooth?” she asked, picking up her purse off the coffee table.

  “Why do you think I work out so much?”

  Now this was surprising information. She remembered the bag of Twizzlers she’d found on his desk and smiled. “Because you’re hopelessly anal?”

  He dipped his hands in his pockets. “Keep it up and I won’t share my cake.”

  “Oh you’ll share. You’ll share whatever I ask you to.” She patted his stomach and strolled past him. Did he have any clue how much effort it took for her to act as if he didn’t turn her world upside down? “You can drive.”

  * * * * *

  Spencer didn’t expect to enjoy himself. He also didn’t expect to enjoy watching Kelly quite so much. She tried to pretend she could handle anything but her knuckles whitened on the strap of her purse when they walked into the restaurant together. For an instant, nerves dimmed the flush in her cheeks as her friend Alana rushed toward her. Kelly recovered quickly but glimpsing the man at Alana’s side sent such a riot of emotions over her face Spencer had to battle back his jealousy.

  Apparently she, Alana and Carter had been friends in high school. The way she and Carter, or “Nicky” as she called him, hugged he half expected her to start fumbling for a tissue. Whatever Kelly was, “emotionally stifled” wasn’t it. She shared herself openly. Not with everyone, and she still employed methods to keep people at a distance—men, specifically. Why else would she make her relationships so cut and dried by making a list? And then ranking the guys as if they were consumable goods.

  Nice ass. Plus one. Bad breath. Minus two. Not that he knew her system—nor would he lower himself to ask—but he could only imagine. With her friends at least she seemed genuine and willing to bare all.

  He wasn’t her friend yet. She didn’t trust him and he definitely didn’t blame her. Oddly enough, seeing her act so freely around Carter and Alana loosened him up too. Somehow being with her and her friends he felt as if he were in some sort of safe zone. And this one didn’t involve losing his clothes or standing by while others dispatched theirs.

  The four of them commandeered a corner table and conversation flowed smoothly. He noticed Alana throwing a couple speculative looks in his direction, but otherwise they all talked as easily as if they’d known each other forever. Soon dinner had been ordered and eaten and all that was left was the rest of the bottle of pouilly-fuisse and dessert.

  And quite possibly a trip to the ER if Kelly didn’t stop rubbing her bare toes along his calf.

  At first he’d thought maybe the move was unconscious. Then he’d caught her watching him from under her lashes and he’d gone rock-hard.

  That was two hours ago.

  “Do you really want to see my pictures?” Alana asked Spencer, leaning forward so her generous breasts were an inch from indecency. She wasn’t trying to flirt—her attention had been solidly on her boyfriend all evening—but she couldn’t help being amply endowed. “I have some on my phone.”

  “Sure,” Spencer replied, not quite sure why Carter seemed to be smothering a smile as he dabbed his napkin over his mouth. “I’m a bit of a photography buff myself. I used to take pictures years ago.”

  “Really?”

  “Of what?” Kelly asked at the same time.

  “Well, actually it was in college.” Good move, bringing up this subject. “I answered an ad in the paper.”

  “And?”

  He slanted a glance at Kelly. “And it was from a studio that specialized in a certain kind of art photography. Nudes,” he said finally, expecting shocked silence to descend over the table.

  “Oh my God. No way. You’ll love my pictures then.” Alana let out a bawdy laugh.

  “You took pictures of nude people?”

  “No, nude household pets.” Spencer shook his head. “Yes, Kelly. People. Women.”

  Amazing her eyes hadn’t boggled right out of her head. “You? Really?”

  “Yes, really. Is it that shocking? You do remember where we hooked up, right?” He was so caught up in defending himself he belatedly realized what he’d said. Alana, he knew, hung out at Kink. But Carter—

  “It’s okay. We met there too. Well, met again.” Carter grinned and poured more wine for him and Alana.

  “Hold up.” Kelly rubbed her temple. “Way too much information at once, people. Nicky, you were at Kink? Why?”

  “I could ask you the same question. Except I already know the answer.” He gestured at Alana. “This one’s always making you do crazy stuff.”


  “Maybe so, but I’m not the one who keeps pulling her back there.” Alana wiggled her brows across the table at Spencer. “That would be the fault of the nude photographer over there.”

  “I can’t believe you went to Kink,” Kelly muttered, still looking at Carter. “I thought you would be one of the last holdouts for normalcy.”

  “I was working on a story.”

  “And I was working on getting laid.” Alana laughed and sipped her wine. “Lucky for me, Ramon found someone else and I was lonely and needing a friend.” She hooked her free hand through Carter’s arm. “And obviously more.”

  The look that passed between Carter and Alana was so heavily charged Spencer felt as if he was intruding by witnessing it. He picked up the dessert menu. He didn’t dare look at Kelly. What if she was making gaga eyes like that at him?

  What if she wasn’t?

  “Anyone else want to try the chocolate cake?”

  “The cake can wait.” Kelly thumped his menu. “I’m still stuck on you taking titty shots of chicks.”

  With a heavy sigh, he set the menu aside. “Leave it to you to bring something down to the most base level.”

  “Oh I apologize. Nude photography is only art. You probably didn’t even notice they had nipples, right?”

  A couple days ago he would’ve swiftly changed topics, especially in mixed company. But he’d been around Kelly just long enough he enjoyed teasing her back. “Oh I definitely noticed. You’d be surprised what you can learn about a woman from her nipples.”

  “Listen up.” Alana elbowed Carter. “Really? Like what?”

  “Do not encourage him,” Kelly muttered, lips twitching.

  “Oh my photos! I almost forgot.” Alana dug through an enormous tote. A moment later she pushed her cell toward him. “Those are from the latest series of articles I’ve been working on.”

  He picked up her pastel-pink phone, assuming the pictures would be human interest shots or maybe Roanoke landmarks. Instead the photos were of sex toys arranged in artful positions. His eyebrows lifted as he scrolled through the album. “Ah, well, these are nice.”

  Kelly peered over his arm and huffed out a breath. “You fit right in with my friends, Spencer. Bunch of perverts, the lot of you.”

  He turned his head and skimmed his lips over her temple. “Guess I shouldn’t bring up what we did last night then, hmm?”

  Her cheeks suffused with color and he laughed. Again. Being around her had that effect on him.

  “Good use of light,” he said, returning the phone to Alana. “They’re actually great compositions, whatever you think of the subject matter.”

  “Thanks. I’m applying for a new job, see if I can expand my repertoire a bit.”

  “Love how I’m always the last to know,” Kelly said, her voice a little lower than usual. Whether that was because of his reference to their threesome at Kink the night before or because her foot had again found its way up his pant leg, he couldn’t say.

  “If something good happens, you’ll be the first person I call. Well, second.” She shot Carter a sly glance. “Since this guy helped me get a line on the position, he deserves to know first.”

  “She’ll get it. No doubts.” Carter slipped his arm around Alana’s shoulders. “You’d have to be a fool not to see how talented she is.”

  Again that vaguely uncomfortable veil of intimacy fell around them, separating the table into two distinct halves. Except this time he and Kelly exchanged a glance of their own, one full of innuendoes and promise. His hand crept onto her thigh, his fingers stretching until they were millimeters away from her center. He didn’t move away when the waitress came to take their dessert orders or when a mini-tower of chocolate cake dripping with a thick raspberry sauce was set before him.

  Kelly reached for her silverware. “Oh you’re so sharing that.” Before she could dig in, Spencer forked up a heaping wedge of cake and lifted it to her mouth. “Or this way’s good too,” she said, letting out a startled laugh just as he slipped the bite between her lips.

  Crumbs clung to her chin as she licked up the dark pink sauce and it took everything in him not to whisk them away with his tongue. The others at the table must’ve noticed because Carter chuckled.

  “Maybe we should leave you two alone.”

  “We’ll be alone soon enough,” Kelly murmured, offering a bite of cake to Spencer.

  “Thank God,” Alana chuckled. “Don’t want to have to visit you in jail if any more of those smoldering looks fry the tablecloth.”

  Somehow the conversation drifted back to Alana’s job prospects, eventually circling around to the bookstore and the new stores opening in Virginia.

  “One of them’s right next to The Edge’s offices. I’ll make sure I use my discount to set up your advertising campaign before I leave.” Alana’s generous mouth pursed. “If I leave.”

  “I can’t believe you’re moving home again. That’s so awesome.”

  “Well, things are just falling into place. I’ve wanted to for a while, but I thought I needed to stay and clean up my messes. Then I bumped into Nicky, and well…” Alana’s smile bloomed. “Home’s where I need to be.”

  “I can’t believe this either.” Kelly waved her fork between Carter and Alana. “I never in a million years would’ve thought this would work. You’re so completely different.”

  “Opposites attract,” Spencer said, hoping he could just eat his cake and avoid partaking in anything resembling relationship chatter.

  “Maybe so, but long-distance relationships are beyond tough,” Kelly said. “A state apart doesn’t seem like a big deal at first. But then it gets harder and harder to make time to see each other. You end up growing apart if you aren’t really vigilant. The phone and email aren’t good enough substitutes.”

  Spencer reached up to loosen his tie. Had it suddenly gotten hotter? “You do what you have to,” he said, not realizing he’d spoken aloud ’til three sets of eyes swiveled toward him.

  “And the King of Romance weighs in yet again.” Kelly rolled her eyes and took another bite of his cake. “Have you ever been in a long-distance relationship?”

  Not yet. He cleared his throat. “No. But sometimes there’s no choice.”

  “There are always choices, if people want to make them badly enough.”

  “For a new relationship, it’s not always feasible to move heaven and earth.”

  “If no one’s willing to stretch farther than for the remote, nothing’s feasible.”

  “Do you get the feeling they’re not discussing us anymore?” Carter asked Alana.

  “Of course we are.” Kelly laughed uncomfortably and finished off her wine. “Who else would we be talking about?”

  Spencer remained silent. Couldn’t they enjoy even one nice evening without the elephant in the corner raising its damn trumpet?

  The next half hour passed quickly. After finishing up dessert and paying the bill, the four of them walked together to the parking lot. As they reached Carter’s car, Alana glanced at Spencer. “We had a terrific time tonight. It was great to finally meet you.”

  He didn’t question the finally. Truthfully he didn’t want to know what Kelly had told her best friend about him. “Same here. This was fun.”

  More fun. Christ, he’d had a banner week.

  “You guys should come out with us tomorrow night. We’re going to a comedy club. Try to get some laughs in before I have to leave.” Though her voice sounded cheerful, her eyes lost some of their sheen. “What do you say?”

  He nearly agreed. From the look on Kelly’s face, she clearly wanted to go and they’d had a great time tonight. Then he remembered the Sinclairs.

  “I have plans I can’t break. I’m sorry,” he said, and meant it.

  “Oh yeah. I forgot. That work dinner.”

  “Yes.” He rested his hand on the small of Kelly’s back. “Next time you’re in town, definitely.”

  Only once the words were out did he realize their implication. Ala
na might not be back for a month. Two. What exactly was he saying? Did he think this thing with Kelly would last that long? He’d be in Virginia by then.

  “There are always choices, if people want to make them badly enough.”

  “It’s a date.” Alana leaned in to hug him. Surprised, pleased, he hugged her back.

  “Take care. You be good,” she said to Kelly, wiggling her pointer finger as if she were a schoolteacher. “I’ll call.”

  He watched the two of them embrace, whispering to each other. Kelly and Carter did the same, again whispering. Spencer balled his hands in his pockets, feeling completely left out. And for the first time in recent memory, he wanted in.

  After Kelly and Carter made plans to have lunch, he touched her hair and shot Spencer a considering glance. He extended a hand to him, his smile friendly even if his gaze remained cool. “Nice meeting you. Take care of my girl.”

  Ordinarily, he would’ve become annoyed at being assessed as openly as Carter was doing. The “my girl” part didn’t help. Resisting the urge to call Kelly his girl, which would be akin to tussling over her as if she were a choice piece of meat, he shook Carter’s hand. “You too. I’ll do my best.”

  With a wave, Kelly slipped her arm through Spencer’s and they walked to his car. He unlocked the doors with the remote, eventually realizing she was studying him.

  “What?”

  “You lied.” She gripped his belt, pulling him closer. “You never give me your best. Only fragments.”

  He brushed his fingertips over her cheekbone. It would be easy, too easy, to toss off a sexual innuendo. But she wasn’t talking about sex and they both knew it. “Maybe I don’t have as much best as you think.”

  “Or maybe,” her lips caught his for a brief kiss, “you don’t see what I see in you.”

  “Oh no.” He groaned softly. “Are we already at the stage where the woman starts complaining about all the guy’s potential?”

  She laughed and the momentary awkwardness dissipated. “Nah, I’ve never been one to take on projects.”

  “Good. Because I’ve never liked being worked on.”

  “Sure about that?” Her nails skimmed his stomach above his buckle, scraping lightly. The corner of her mouth lifted when his cock rose between them. “I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy the way I’d like to work on you right now.”