Discarding that depressing subject, Keely focused on Brandon and Jenny. They seemed so damn happy, as if they didn’t mind a bit that they were severely narrowing their options with this move. Keely had always believed in keeping her options open. Any man who had dared mention the “M” word had been dropped.
By keeping her options open, she’d remained free to fly to Paris if she wanted, free to party wherever the music was the hottest, free to sleep with a gorgeous hunk who suddenly appeared on her radar. Jenny was giving up those options. And yet the life that Jenny had chosen didn’t seem so bad at this moment, and all of Keely’s options seemed to have lost their luster.
It was Noah’s fault. Seeing him again had stirred up those childish dreams of living with one man—Noah Garfield—for the rest of her life. No other guy had ever inspired those dreams, and when Noah had rejected her, she’d decided it was a stupid idea in the first place.
And it was still stupid. Jenny and her friends might think the world had changed enough to allow a woman like Keely to live happily ever after in Saguaro Junction, but Keely, who’d inherited her mother’s craving for excitement, knew better. So did Noah, which was why he’d never consider her as his life companion.
Life companion. God, did Noah have that written all over him. Any woman fantasizing about a man who could see her through all the joys and sorrows fate could dish out would recognize Noah as the real deal. He made her mouth water as he stood up there in his tux. He made her yearn for things that were beyond her reach. But early on she’d taken a clear-eyed inventory of herself, and now she had to have the courage to accept who she was…and who she wasn’t.
In the meantime, however, she could have one weekend of lovemaking. Another woman would be lucky enough to have him for a lifetime, but Keely had been allowed this weekend and she intended to make the most of it.
She was aware that the dynamics between them had changed since she’d accidentally left her cell phone on and he’d assumed that she was a call girl. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on in that fertile brain of his, but she had the definite feeling that his resistance to her was weakening. It could be the effect of the dress, of course, but she thought something else was happening.
Whatever it was, she wouldn’t question it. If thinking she was a call girl allowed him to let go and make love to her, then she’d let him think she was a call girl. She didn’t care how he perceived her, so long as the end result was hours and hours of wild sex. And then they would part. It was the only way this could end.
She blinked back another rush of tears. Damn. Maybe one of the reasons she hated weddings was that they always made her cry.
“OH, MAN, will you look at that.” Clint handed Noah one of the two piña coladas he’d brought over from the bar before turning to face the action—Keely doing the limbo in her tight, silver dress. “Tell me you’re not letting that go to waste.”
Noah took a cooling sip of his coconut-flavored drink, hoping the icy concoction would quench the fire in his belly. Or better yet, maybe the rum would short-circuit his brain. But the drink seemed to have no effect whatsoever and he was still in agony as he gazed at Keely sliding under the pole, her body moving rhythmically to the beat of the music and the clapping hands urging her on. “You have a one-track mind, son,” he told Clint, although the comment applied to him, too.
“Every other track gets shut down when a woman built like Keely does the limbo,” Clint said. “Any man with breath left in his body would respond to a sight like that. But you’re the only guy here with a chance of acting on that impulse. I just need to know you’re up to the job, so to speak.”
“You might need to know, but you’re not gonna know.” Noah kept his tone casual, disguising the fierce emotions that had gripped him from the moment the luau reception had begun and Keely had made it clear that she planned to party.
When Keely partied, sexual sparks flew in all directions. She’d drawn the attention of every man in attendance, with the possible exception of Brandon, who was understandably preoccupied with his new bride. For a solid two hours Noah had fought his own sexual bonfire. At the same time he’d tried to stamp out the smaller blazes of jealousy whenever he caught a man looking at Keely the way Clint was doing right now.
“I guess you don’t really have to tell me anything.” Clint kept his gaze on Keely while he took another swallow of his piña colada. “It’s a foregone conclusion that something’s gonna happen between you two.”
Noah had pretty much concluded the same thing, but he wasn’t happy about it. He should be stronger, nobler, wiser. Then he’d be able to keep his hands off Keely and be in a better moral position to help her turn her life around.
But he’d been forced to admit his own weakness and her greater strength. Before much longer, she would get her way. He couldn’t hold out anymore. He’d tried to justify it as a pleasure that Keely deserved, after all those times when she’d only been doing her job. As a justification it didn’t work very well. In his heart he knew that this would be about his needs, not hers.
By the time he’d finished his piña colada Keely had won the limbo contest, adding her prize to the one she’d picked up for taking first place in the hula contest. She turned in Noah’s direction and blew him a kiss.
Clint chuckled. “Like I said, a foregone conclusion. At lunch I wasn’t sure about the chemistry, but tonight she’s on your trail, buddy.” He clapped Noah on the back. “How does it feel to be the envy of every guy here?”
“Just wonderful.”
“Funny, but you don’t look as happy as I would expect you to. Is there a problem?”
Noah looked at his friend. Clint had no idea how many problems were connected to this situation, but Noah wasn’t going to enlighten him. Instead, he grinned. “Clint, Keely’s a woman. Of course there will be problems.”
Clint nodded. “Point taken.” He glanced at Noah’s empty glass. “I think we need a refill. Let’s—”
“Ladies and gentleman,” Greg crooned into a wireless microphone, “may I have your attention, please.”
“Damn, but he loves that mike,” Clint said. “I think he believes he’s the next David Letterman.”
“Don’t complain,” Noah said. “Better him as the emcee than either one of us.”
“True.”
Greg glanced around at the crowd. “It’s now time to play a special version of that old favorite, musical chairs, better known in this case as musical laps!”
Noah remembered having fun playing the game at Greg’s wedding. The guys sat in a circle and the women moved around the circle ready to grab a lap when the music ended. But Keely hadn’t been a part of the game a year ago. He didn’t want Keely sitting on any lap but his.
“Finally something I can do,” Clint said. “Come on, Noah. Grab yourself a chair.”
He was going to hate this. Really hate it. He picked up a chair and set it beside Clint’s. Greg organized the women, making sure there was one less man in the circle than there were women walking around it. To the melody of “Ukelele Lady,” the women started to move around the group of seated men.
Whenever Keely passed Noah, she slowed down and gave him a secret smile. Then he watched helplessly as she cruised by with that killer walk of hers. The music stopped.
Amid breathless squeals from the contestants, Keely settled quickly in another man’s lap. Noah didn’t know him, but that didn’t matter. He hated his guts.
Sharon plopped down in Noah’s lap. “Hi, cutie,” she said, turning to smile at him. “Having a good time?”
“Sure.” He unclenched his jaw and smiled back. “How about you?”
“I’m having a great time watching you watch Keely. I’ve never seen you with that look on your face.”
“It’s indigestion. I should never have eaten that poi junk.”
“Uh-huh. Indigestion and lovesickness look about the same on a man. I can see where I could get confused.”
“You’re confused, all right.”
Lovesickness? He’d better not be coming down with that disease. Catching it from a woman like Keely could be fatal.
Greg commanded the microphone again. “Okay, ladies, that’s enough lap dancing for this round. On your feet.”
Sharon slid off Noah’s lap. “We all like her, you know,” she said.
He played dumb. “Who?”
She rolled her eyes and glanced at her husband sitting next to him. “Did you find out anything interesting?”
“He’s not talking,” Clint said. “I did my best, but—”
“We have to eliminate a lap,” Greg said. “Clint, come on out of there.”
“Aw, man,” Clint grumbled as his wife began to laugh. “I never get to have any fun.” Muttering to himself he hauled his chair off to the side and Greg started the music again.
Once again Keely passed by Noah, her hips swaying in time to the music. He ground his teeth and suffered. The tune continued and she approached for the second time, still wearing that secret little smile. When the music abruptly ended, Noah reacted without thinking. Grabbing her around the waist, he pulled her down to his lap.
“Oof!” she gasped, startled.
Heat climbed up from Noah’s starched tux collar. He really hadn’t meant to do that. On the other hand, he was very glad to have that silky silver bottom planted firmly on his lap instead of another guy’s. Maybe a little too glad. In fact, a certain part of him was getting way too glad.
“I want a ruling on that!” Jenny, the woman left with no lap, stomped over to Noah and Keely. She attempted to look disapproving, but a grin was trying to break through. “I think that was some kind of interference on Noah’s part.” She turned to Greg. “And possible collusion on Keely’s part. How would you call it?”
Greg nodded soberly. “Definitely a lap violation, and possibly a moving violation, as well.”
“I’m innocent, Mr. Judge, sir,” Keely snuggled down a little deeper.
“It’s all my fault,” Noah said. And his automatic reaction had also been a mistake. Not only had he telegraphed his feelings to everyone in the immediate vicinity, he wasn’t going to be able to hide his erection if Keely didn’t stop shifting her weight around.
“I say they’re both guilty as sin,” Jenny said, her lips twitching with laughter. “Throw the book at ’em.”
Greg’s eyes twinkled as he stroked his chin. “The bride has spoken, and tonight she’s the law around here. I’m afraid I have to eliminate both of you from the competition.”
“Sounds fair, right, Keely?” Noah stood immediately, hauling Keely up with him.
“If you say so,” she said cheerfully.
He released her and backed away, hoping to hell nobody would notice the bulge in his pants.
“No hard feelings?” Jenny asked, winking at him.
“Uh, no.” He just knew she’d used the word hard on purpose, and no doubt his face was pink as a flamingo.
“Then I have a favor to ask,” Jenny said. “Would you two please go find the caterer and ask her to bring out some more fresh pineapple for the buffet table? I noticed we’re running low. Just go behind the waterfall and straight down the hallway to the end and you’ll find her. Her name’s Julie Osaka.”
“Uh, okay,” Noah said, not sure he should venture anywhere with Keely at the moment.
“Let me get my purse,” Keely said.
“All right.” He couldn’t very well order her to stay at the reception, so he waited until she’d retrieved her purse before he headed toward the waterfall at a brisk pace.
“Are we going to jog all the way to the caterer’s office?” she asked, hurrying after him.
“Can’t have Jenny running out of fresh pineapple.”
“Okay, but if the two of us arrive in her office panting like racehorses, no telling what the caterer will think we’ve been up to.”
He realized he was overreacting, besides behaving like an uncivilized jerk. He slowed down. They were going in search of the caterer. Surely he could keep his act together for a simple errand like that. “Sorry.” He held the glass door open for her.
“That’s better.” She linked her arm through his as they strolled down a carpeted hallway. Then she glanced up at him. “All that work to get your bow tie together, and you’ve spent the whole reception with it hanging loose and your collar unbuttoned.”
“I was hot.” He quickly backpedaled. “I mean, warm. The night’s very warm.”
She slipped in closer so that the side of her breast nudged his arm. “Actually, I think a guy looks sexy with his tie undone. It’s a tease, like the first stage of undressing.”
“Hmm.” He didn’t dare try to carry on a conversation. Even though they were strolling at a leisurely pace now, he had trouble breathing normally. The most outrageous ideas stampeded through his fevered brain. She was wearing nothing more than that dress. All he needed was a dark corner. Surely there was one of those nearby. He’d already noticed a couple of places where the hallway branched off. God, he was depraved. And she’d done that to him.
A trim woman with Asian features came out of a doorway and started toward them.
When she was close enough for Noah to read her name tag, he realized they’d been lucky enough to run into the caterer. “Excuse me,” he said. “We’re from the wedding party, and the bride asked if you could see about putting out more fresh pineapple.”
The caterer smiled. “Of course. You can’t have a decent luau without plenty of fresh pineapple. I was just heading down there to check on things. I’ll stop by the kitchen and take care of that first. Anything else?”
“That should do it,” Noah said.
“So the reception’s going well?”
“It’s lovely,” Keely said. “Everyone’s having a great time.”
“Good. Then I’ll let you get back to the party.” The caterer headed down one of the side hallways.
Keely gazed up at him. “Mission accomplished.”
“Right.” He looked into her green eyes and found heat simmering there. The accessibility she’d built into that dress was driving him wild. “Now we can go back.”
“Right.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “Would you mind if I stopped by the powder room first?”
“I’m…not sure where it is.” His heart pounded. He didn’t think the powder room was what she had in mind, but he couldn’t be positive.
“I’m not sure, either. We can explore.” She tugged on his arm, leading him back down the hallway. Then she turned right down another long hallway that ended in a bank of windows looking out on a tropical atrium. “Maybe this way.”
He didn’t think so. The doors they passed looked like offices to him. At this time of night, no one was working in them. But maybe there was a rest room down here, and maybe that’s really what Keely hoped to find.
As they neared the end of the hallway, he couldn’t see any door marked Women. But he did notice the hallway widened at the end. Two private nooks on either side had been turned into conversation areas, and they each contained two armchairs, an end table and a potted palm. Probably a place for the office employees to take a short break.
His pulse quickened. Behind that chair. Up against the wall. It was the darkest corner he was likely to get. He doubted anyone came down this hallway at night. His mouth grew moist, his penis hard. No. This was insane.
He cleared his throat. “Nothing’s here.”
Keely eyed the two shadowy nooks. Then she glanced at Noah. “Pretty deserted spot, isn’t it?”
“We need to get back,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“We will.” She tossed her purse on one of the chairs before turning to face him. Then she took the ends of his bow tie in her fingers. “In a little bit.” Slowly she drew him closer until a bare inch was left between them.
He could feel the heat of her body and smell the scent of raspberries mixed with a more basic, musky aroma of excited woman. She’d been taunting him with this possibility all night. He’d never d
one something like this, never been driven to try. But then no woman had ever announced to him at the beginning of an evening that she wasn’t wearing underwear.
Something within him snapped. With a groan he pushed her past the chair and into the corner of the tiny nook. With one hand he held her head while he plundered her mouth. With the other he found the slit in her skirt and reached inside. He encountered lace panties. He’d been had.
He gripped her lace-covered bottom and lifted his mouth from hers. “You’re wearing panties,” he said, breathing hard.
“Am I? I must have forgotten,” she murmured.
“You were bluffing.”
“I was teasing.”
“I call it bluffing, and lady, I’m calling your bluff.” He looked into her eyes as he reached down and grabbed a section of her skirt in each fist. Then he yanked it up over her hips and bunched it around her waist.
Her eyes burned with green fire. “Right here?”
“Right here.” He held the skirt high while he used his free hand to pull down that underwear she’d promised she wasn’t wearing. Then he slipped his hand between her legs and his mind reeled. She was drenched.
“Do you…have a condom?” she asked, her voice ragged.
“No,” he whispered, allowing her skirt to ripple down around his wrist while he continued to caress her.
Her eyes fluttered closed and she began to pant. “We…need…one.”
“Well, maybe you should have thought of that. You’re the one who bought two boxes,” he murmured before he claimed her mouth in another searing kiss.
12
NOT MUCH OF KEELY’S BRAIN was functioning, but she had to admit Noah was right. She should have thought of condoms. But she hadn’t, and now…now he was driving her insane, using his fingers and thumb to create mind-altering pleasure. In a matter of seconds she’d lost all control of the situation.
Sensation rocketed through her, making her thighs quiver and her breasts tingle. Her nipples grew hard and thrust against the material of her dress. Oh. Yes. There.
She clutched his shoulders and arched toward him, craving more, craving deeper. If he chose to take her now, she wouldn’t have the will to resist him. If he kept caressing her like this, she might beg him to take her, condom or no condom.
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