Impatient, he slipped a hand beneath her and eased the zipper down, past her hips. He drew away the bodice, revealing a pale yellow, strapless bra. Her pink, jutting nipples were visible through the transparent lace. Lust poured through him, along with something else a lot more difficult to quantify. The need to touch…more than just her body. The need to possess…more than just her momentary will.
Reassuring himself this was only physical, he dipped his head, kissing the swell of her breasts through the cloth. With a low moan of pleasure, she arched her back, offering herself up to him, with a purity and innocence that rocked him to his core. Refusing to acknowledge how much this would have meant to both of them under other circumstances, he pushed the dress lower, past her navel, over her thighs.
Her panties, in the same pale yellow, were cut high on the thigh, revealing an expanse of fair, smooth skin. Pulse racing, he dispensed with the dress, slid his hands beneath her hips and lifted her to him. “Incredible,” he murmured, loving the way she opened herself up to him.
And then she was shifting, pushing him back, rising up to kneel beside him. Still clad in panties and bra, she reached for the buttons on his shirt. His belt. His fly. Minutes later, he was naked. Seconds after that, she was, too. “Protection,” she murmured.
He stopped as reality crashed upon them once again. “I don’t suppose…”
She shook her head.
Aching, but no less determined to have her, he said, “So we won’t do that.” Eyes locked with hers, he drew Alexis back down beside him. Wrapping an arm around her trembling body, he draped her thigh over his and guided her against him for a long, leisurely kiss. “There are other ways….” he promised.
The last thing Alexis had expected to be doing was lying naked with Grady on her bed, making out like two teenagers, but as they continued to kiss and caress each other, the frustration at their lack of foresight was replaced by a steadily building pleasure.
Grady was right. There were other ways to be close.
Ways that felt just as good. Just as satisfying. He hadn’t just led her into a firestorm of heat. Grady knew how to touch her, how to caress her just so, how to make her feel as if she was the only woman on earth for him. And her own instinct was just as strong. Before she knew it, the pleasure was soaring out of control. She was coming apart, and so was he. He caught her to him. Their hearts thundered in unison. Together, they climaxed, and just as slowly and inevitably, drifted back to earth.
ALEXIS’S EYES WERE CLOSED. Grady was not entirely sure that was a good sign. He wished to hell he’d had a condom with him. A box of them. But the truth was, it had been so long since he’d been with someone he hadn’t even thought about it. He kissed her shoulder, making a mental note to stop by the drugstore at the first available opportunity so they wouldn’t be limited to a hot and heavy make-out session. “Next time…I’ll have more foresight,” he murmured.
Alexis stiffened.
Obviously, Grady thought, the wrong thing to say.
She pushed him away and sat up. “There isn’t going to be a next time, Grady.”
O-kay. Maybe, under the circumstances, he should have expected this. Still, being iced out only moments after lovemaking was a kick in the groin…. He watched her grab the blanket and wrap it around her, toga-style. “Mind telling me why?” He forced himself to sound casual as she disappeared into the tiny bathroom.
She came out seconds later, wrapped in a pink, jersey knit robe that clung to her slender curves with just enough accuracy to get him hard again. “Because we don’t love each other.”
What could he say to that? Grady wondered, tearing his eyes from the hint of breast exposed in the V neckline. Except what he had already repeated to Alexis and every other woman who had crossed his path since his wife died? He steeled himself against unnecessary complications. “That’s not in the equation for me.” He didn’t want to be hurt like that again. Didn’t want to hope that this time it would be different—this love would last. It felt too much like tempting fate.
She sat down next to him on the bed, looking impossibly composed for a woman who had just given herself to him with no reservation. “I know that. You were perfectly clear on the topic from the very beginning.”
“So?” His frustration mounted.
She turned away. “So this was cathartic, in that neither of us has been with anyone in a very long time.”
Too long, Grady was beginning to conclude. Otherwise, he would have done the smart thing and kept their relationship platonic, so the two of them could remain friends.
“Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed it,” she admitted. “But it can’t happen again.”
ALEXIS WASN’T SURE how she did it—behaved as if her whole world was not crashing down around her. But somehow she got Grady dressed and out of there in record time.
When the door closed behind him, she went back to her rumpled bed. She had turned the window unit on high when she came home, and cool air was still blasting out of it. Shivering, she climbed beneath the covers and closed her eyes. The overwhelming guilt she expected, at having made the first real attempt to move on after her husband’s death, was nowhere to be found.
For the first time in a very long time, there was no sorrow. There wasn’t really even any loneliness. There was just the warmth of their bodies, still in the covers. The smell of Grady—that unique mixture of soap, man and aftershave lotion—mingled with the muskier scent of their love.
Thinking about the unabashed way they had pleasured each other filled her entire body with heat. She couldn’t believe they had gone at it like teenagers. That she had very nearly risked pregnancy and more, for a moment’s pleasure with a man she knew in her mind—if not her heart—was all wrong for her.
Instead, all she had been able to think was about the way he made her feel. So completely, wonderfully alive. So impatient for more. For the first time since she could remember, she was ready to get on with her life.
She wanted, she realized belatedly, to put an end to the long, lonely nights. She wanted someone to talk to. She wanted children. She wanted a real home, with a yard, and a backyard swing, instead of the cheapest apartment she could find.
She wanted Grady.
It was just too bad he wasn’t available. Not the way she needed him to be.
ALEXIS DIDN’T HEAR FROM Grady McCabe again that night. She told herself it was for the best. She had asked him to leave. His parents were still in town. Tomorrow was a school day….
Still, when Monday morning dawned, and she received a short e-mail indicating that he still intended to meet with kindergarten teacher Pauline Emory for breakfast, as scheduled, Alexis breathed a sigh of relief.
Or at least she told herself it was relief, not despair. What had she expected? That one hot and heavy tryst would lead him to some great epiphany about wanting romance and commitment, after all?
Telling herself to grow up, she dressed and went to the office. No sooner had Alexis booted up her computer than her boss strode in. “How’s it going with Grady McCabe?” she asked.
Alexis pushed the image of Grady making love to her from her mind. She forced a smile. “He’s seeing a potential candidate this morning.”
Holly Anne frowned. “You’re usually so quick to find the perfect someone for a client. I was hoping you’d have Grady matched by now.”
Same here. The less time I spend with the sexy heartbreaker, the better…
Alexis struggled to keep her emotions under wraps. “It’s not a typical case. Usually romance is involved.”
“He’s rich. Successful. Handsome. He has an adorable daughter in desperate need of a mommy. How hard can it be to get women lined up to marry him?”
“Not difficult at all.” Sad to say. Alexis was disappointed at how many women were perfectly willing to throw love out the window, if they could have everything else.
She took a sip of iced coffee. “The problem is Grady. He’s proving very difficult to please.”
Hol
ly Anne checked her messages on her BlackBerry. “How many clients has he met thus far?”
“Pauline Emory is the third,” Alexis replied.
Her boss sent a text and looked up. “That’s not so bad, is it?”
“It wouldn’t be if he weren’t in such a hurry.” If I hadn’t lost all sense of propriety and succumbed to him. Alexis gulped and pretended to look at her computer screen. “He wants this wrapped up in the next two weeks.”
“Or sooner,” a familiar male voice said, “given the fact that Savannah’s summer break starts July first, and I’m going to need someone by then.”
Well, if it wasn’t the man of the hour.
Doing the best to ignore the jump in her pulse, Alexis glanced at her watch as Grady strode in the door. “I thought you were supposed to be with Pauline Emory.”
If he was thinking about the passion that had flared between them the last time they’d seen each other, Alexis thought, he was definitely not showing it. “I met with her after I dropped Savannah off at school,” he said.
“And?” Alexis prodded.
Grady flashed an inscrutable smile that did not reach his eyes. “Pauline’s great,” he said, his tone devoid of emotion. “I think Savannah will like her. Her experience as a kindergarten teacher should help her connect with my daughter.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Lamenting her sudden hoarseness, Alexis reached for her iced coffee and took another long sip. What was wrong with her? She was supposed to feel happy about his interest in Pauline, not sad and rejected.
Grady continued matter-of-factly, “Pauline’s off for the summer—she teaches at a school on the regular calendar—so I asked her to tutor Savannah after school every day for the next week and a half. See if she can’t get Savannah enthused about doing her homework, so it’s not such a hassle.”
Tutoring wasn’t exactly the same as dating with a view toward marriage, Alexis thought. She could tell that Holly Anne was having the same troubled reaction. “And Pauline agreed?”
Grady’s contained expression told Alexis that Pauline Emory hadn’t exactly been thrilled about it. He shrugged his broad shoulders. “She understands I’m doing this for Savannah, not for me.”
So nothing had changed, Alexis realized pensively. Grady was still keeping every woman who was interested in him at arm’s length. He was only looking for a suitable mother for his daughter. And while that might work in the short run, she knew it would not work in the long run. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her decision to make. Her job was to cater to Grady’s whims.
“In the meantime, do you want me to keep presenting you with other candidates?”
Grady shook his head. “Not until I see whether this works out.”
It sounded as if he was getting serious, Alexis noted with alarm.
“I can only juggle one potential wife at a time,” Grady said flatly.
Which means I’m out of the picture entirely, Alexis thought with a sinking heart. Not that I was ever in the picture…except as a means to an end.
She forced herself to meet his gaze. “That’s good to know.”
Holly Anne beamed, obviously seeing this as progress. “Sounds like you’ll be in Galveston before you know it,” she whispered to Alexis.
Seeing her secretary appear in the doorway, Holly Anne asked, “Problem?” At the answering nod, she hurried out.
Once again Grady and Alexis were alone. A brief, uncomfortable silence fell between them. Finally, he raised his brow. “Are congratulations in order?”
Was it her imagination or was there the faintest hint of concern—and maybe even disappointment—in his eyes?
She shrugged self-consciously to let him know any such talk was way premature. “I haven’t been offered the job. The four partners still have to vote on it at the end of the month.” And there was no way of telling how that would go, particularly if Grady remained as hard to please. ForeverLove.com was an agency that prided itself on results. Unsatisfied customers hurt—not helped—profits. Holly Anne and her partners were all about the bottom line.
As was Grady, apparently, Alexis noted.
“Will you take it if offered the position?” he asked her casually.
Pack up and move several hundred miles away? A week ago, thinking the change of pace, not to mention the extra money, would be helpful to her, Alexis would have said yes unequivocally. Now?
Honestly, she didn’t know.
But if she told Grady so he’d think she was only staying in Fort Worth because of him.
And if he thought that, he’d think she was ripe for a continuation of their never-to-be-repeated encounter.
She wasn’t.
So, for both their sakes, she told him what she knew he least wanted to hear, even though she was no longer sure the statement was accurate. “From a financial standpoint, I’d be a fool not to.”
Chapter Eight
“Grady?” Pauline Emory paused in the door of his study. “We’ve got a bit of a problem.” She glided on in, looking every bit the suburban mom. Smart, energetic, friendly, the slender brunette was everything most Texas men would want in a potential wife.
Except him.
Despite her many laudable qualities, when he looked at her, all he could see was what she wasn’t. Namely, Alexis.
If only Alexis were willing to settle for what he could give her…instead of what he couldn’t.
But she didn’t want to settle.
And he couldn’t pretend he would ever believe in happily-ever-after again.
Grady sighed, forcing himself to listen to what Pauline was saying as she paused next to his desk, the bangle bracelet sliding down her wrist, drawing his attention to her expertly manicured hands.
Which was another thing he didn’t like, Grady thought.
Acrylic nails.
“We’ve been at this for over an hour now….” Pauline heaved a distressed sigh. “Savannah absolutely refuses to finish her homework. She said she can’t do it.”
Not couldn’t, Grady thought. Wouldn’t. He looked at Pauline, recalling from the file he’d read on her that she had twice been named Teacher of the Year at the elementary school where she worked. He lifted a brow. “Surely—”
Pauline cut him off. “I’ve tried every pre-k method I know. She’s not budging.”
No one had to tell him how stubborn his daughter could be, especially when she had it in her mind not to cooperate. Grady pushed away from his computer keyboard, lamenting the fact that his plan had already hit the skids. He headed for the door. “Where is she?”
“On the swing set.” Pauline touched his arm before he could get past the portal. “Listen, I think I should go,” she said gently.
This was a surprise.
“Savannah’s in no mood to spend time with anyone new today. I don’t think we should push it. Maybe just try again tomorrow. With the three of us.”
That wasn’t what Grady had had in mind. He could see Pauline had reached her limit, however. He walked her to the front door. “I’ll call you later,” he said.
She smiled. “I’m sure Savannah will do better if it’s the three of us,” she repeated.
Or not, Grady thought.
He said goodbye and headed to the backyard.
Savannah was sitting on the swing. She was still in her school uniform. Surprised that she hadn’t changed into one of her princess costumes, as was usually the case, Grady leaned against the tall wooden post just to the right of her. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers. “What’s going on?” he inquired.
Savannah looked up at him. “I want Alexis,” she said.
“WHAT’S GOING ON?” Alexis asked Grady, the moment she arrived. She had been on her way home from the office when she got the message that he had some sort of emergency at his home and needed to see her ASAP. “Where’s Pauline?”
“She left.” Briefly, Grady explained.
“You don’t look thrilled,” Alexis noted.
“To be truthful, I’m not
sure it’s going to work out with her. She and Savannah didn’t really seem to hit it off. Not the way the two of you did. And that kind of rapport is what I’m looking for.”
Alexis couldn’t blame him. Anything less would not hold up over time. “How’d the tutoring go?”
“Terrible. Savannah wouldn’t cooperate. Pauline gave up and went home.”
Alexis made a face. That wasn’t good. “How much did they get done?”
“Not one problem. Which is why I sent out the SOS to you. Savannah said only you could help her with her math.”
Alexis shook her head in silent remonstration. She propped her hands on her hips as the mood between them lightened considerably. “And you fell for that?”
A guilty-as-charged-but-so-glad-to-see-you grin tugged at the corners of Grady’s lips. “You’re always so good with her,” he answered wryly.
Not exactly a reason to set her heart to pounding. Although, Alexis admitted reluctantly to herself, it felt kind of good to know that Savannah missed her as much as she missed the little girl. And, truth be told, it warmed her heart that when in trouble, Grady didn’t hesitate to call. She hadn’t been needed—or wanted—like that in someone’s life since her husband died.
“Alexis!” Savannah came running into the room. She was still in her school uniform and a pair of purple cowgirl boots, a tiara perched precariously on her head. “Daddy, you didn’t tell me Alexis was here! Where’ve you been? How come you didn’t come and see me? Do you want to go upstairs and play Fairy Princess?”
Alexis grinned—she couldn’t help it. Knowing full well she shouldn’t be encouraging this “little diva” behavior, she wrapped her arms around Grady’s daughter and returned her exuberant embrace. “I’ve been very busy working, sweetheart.”
Still holding on tight, Savannah looked up at her. “Did you miss me as much as I missed you?”
“Yes,” Alexis told her sincerely. “Very much.”
Savannah beamed.
“I hear you have homework to do,” she continued gently.
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