by Debby Conrad
“Rob’s divorced.”
Glancing at the guy’s left hand, Gabe said, “Oh, I just assumed since you were wearing a wedding ring that you were married.”
Rob flashed a guilty look at Janie. “Actually, Betty and I are separated. Or we will be soon. We’re . . . having some problems at the moment.”
Janie’s mouth opened wide. “Well, you know what I think, Rob? I think you should take Betty out tomorrow night, instead of me. Besides, I just remembered that I can’t go out with you tomorrow night. I have to wash my hair.”
“But--” Rob was about to argue, then caught Gabe’s warning look. “Uh, maybe you’re right. I gotta go pump some iron. It was great seeing you.”
As soon as Mr. Sleaze ball rushed off, Janie removed Gabe’s hand from her shoulder and dropped to the blanket. “That jerk!”
Gabe sat down beside her. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“Well, I’m not going to waste my time worrying about him. There are plenty of other men.”
“You’re right,” he said absently, reaching for the ball of tissues. “Maybe you should stick this back in your bathing suit top and see if you can reel in a few more before we leave.”
“Give me that,” she demanded, then stuffed the wad down the front of her suit.
Gabe snorted and shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with having small breasts. Some guys even prefer small breasted women to women with big ju--” He stopped short. “You know what I mean.”
“Oh, sure. I wasn’t born yesterday, Montero. I know what men want.”
He rolled onto his stomach, made himself comfortable and rested his on his folded arms. “Janie, you don’t have a clue.”
She lay down as well and propped her chin in her hands. Gabe tried not to stare at her pert little behind.
“Well, I’ll admit I have no idea what you want. Only what you don’t want. Me,” she added.
“Like I said, you don’t have a clue.”
She rolled her eyes, then said to the kids, “Great castle. Don’t forget to build a moat.” Then a dreamy expression crossed her face. “I almost forgot about my date with Hubert Epstein tonight. Maybe something exciting will happen between us.”
“Don’t count on it.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” He couldn’t resist another glance at her. He liked the way her green eyes grew wild with emotion, then flickered with annoyance.
“If I didn’t know better, Montero, I’d say you were jealous.”
He laughed. “Hey, if you want to go out and ruin your life, that’s your business.”
“I’m not going to ruin my life. I’m simply going to . . .” She stopped mid-sentence, obviously because the kids were nearby. “I’m not going to ruin my life,” she repeated in a hushed tone. “In fact, my life is just beginning.”
Gabe stared at her. She was serious. And he was burning with jealousy.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Gertie’s gynecologist turned out to be a huge disappointment. He’d taken Janie to dinner and then talked non-stop about his mother the entire evening. Except for the times when he’d talked about his Siamese cat, Ping. Pong, Ping’s sister, had died two years ago. Hubert had wept like a two-year-old while telling her about how the cat had literally choked on a fur ball.
As Hubert eased his station wagon into a parking space in front of her townhouse, Janie tried to think of a way to cut their evening short. Faking a yawn, she said, “I’m sorry, but for some reason I’m exhausted.”
“It’s only nine o’clock. Of course, Mother goes to bed at nine every night. She always jokes about needing her beauty rest.”
Janie smiled politely and reached for the door handle.
“Wait. Let me,” he said, jumping out of the car and coming around to her side. Hubert was tall, thin and average looking, with medium brown hair and soft gray eyes. There was nothing physically wrong with him, but she knew he wasn’t going to rock her world. Not tonight. Not ever. Mostly because she wasn’t about to give him the chance.
The man did nothing for her libido. Not the way Gabe had earlier that day, parading around the beach in his swim trunks. It was all she could do not to stare bug-eyed at every inch of his nearly naked torso; his muscular chest covered in dark hair, his lean hips and powerful thighs. Gabe Montero was a character right out of one of her books.
Walking her to the door, Hubert cleared his throat, reminding her he was still there. They walked up the three porch stairs together, and when she reached in her purse for her keys, he came at her with his mouth open and went for her tonsils. His kiss was wet and slimy and it was all she could do not to gag.
“Hubert,” she said, gasping for air and squirming to be free. “I think we should take things a little slower.”
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. “But Gertie said--”
Janie interrupted. “Please don’t tell me you believe everything Gertie says. She’s such a kidder, isn’t she?”
“Uh . . .”
“The things that come out of that woman’s mouth. It’s enough to make me blush.”
“Uh . . . yeah. Me, too,” he agreed, a look of disappointment crossing his face.
She yawned again. “Well, I’d better get to bed before I collapse.”
“I’ll call you,” he said, then reached for her again.
Quickly, Janie shoved a hand at his chest. “You know, maybe the reason I’m so tired is that I’m coming down with something.” She sniffed and then coughed twice for effect.
Raising a brow, Hubert backed off the porch. “I’ll say goodnight then. I don’t want to risk getting sick and then spreading it to my patients.”
“No, that wouldn’t be a smart idea. Goodnight, Hubert. I had a very nice time.”
“Yeah. Me, too,” he said, hurrying toward his car.
Once he drove off, Janie breathed a sigh of relief. She stuck her key in the lock, opened the front door and froze. “What are you doing here, Montero? And how did you get inside?”
Gabe lowered the newspaper, placed it on the sofa beside him and grinned at her. “Gertie let me in.”
“What for?” She kicked off her black patent leather heels, walked across the room and dropped into the recliner. Tucking her legs beside her, she pulled her dress down over the expanse of thigh showing, then looked up at him expectantly.
Gabe had obviously been watching her every move. Slowly, he raised his gaze to her face. “I just wanted to see how your date with the doc went.” He picked up a glass of red wine from the coffee table and took a sip. She had no idea where the wine had come from, except that it hadn’t come from her kitchen.
“It went swell,” she lied, smiling at him. “Hubert turned out to be every woman’s fantasy.”
“You don’t say? Why didn’t you invite him inside? How are you going to seduce him if you don’t take the initiative? Or did he turn you down?”
“He didn’t turn me down, Montero. He would have hopped in bed with me in a minute if I’d asked him to.”
“Oh, so you didn’t ask him to.” He stared at her through mischievous eyes, then set his empty glass aside. “He wasn’t exactly Mr. Wonderful, was he?”
She was irked by his cool, aloof manner. Where did he get off thinking he could bust into her apartment and intimidate her this way? Lowering her feet to the floor, she leaned forward in her chair. “How do you know we didn’t do it already? We could have stopped along the road somewhere and let the heat of the moment take us.”
His stare drilled into her. “You want to know how I know nothing happened? Because your face would be aglow right now. And your hair tossed, and your clothes wrinkled. And if that kiss he gave you on the porch is any indication of the kind of lover he is--”
“Oh, all right! Nothing happened. Are you happy?”
“Yes.”
And he was. She could tell by the smirk on his face. What was with him? “And why were yo
u spying on me, anyway?”
“I wasn’t spying. I heard a noise and was worried someone might be trying to break in.”
“Very funny. Can I ask you something?” He answered her with a shrug of one shoulder. “Why is it you won’t help me? What are you really afraid of?”
He laughed. “I’m not afraid, Janie.”
“Really?” Slowly, she got to her feet and moved toward the sofa, easing her way between the coffee table and Gabe’s knees. She stared down at him and tossed her auburn curls over her shoulders, using her most seductive look on him. She’d worn a short black sheath and black thigh-high stockings with the anticipation of jumping into bed with Hubert. She’d even bought fancy underwear--a black, lacy bra and black, silk, thong panties. It seemed like such a shame to waste them. Raising her arms overhead, she felt a hint of satisfaction knowing her dress climbed her thighs about two inches.
Gabe hadn’t missed it either. “Janie,” he said, raising his gaze from her thighs to her face, “you’re starting to tick me off. You’re behaving like a dog in heat and it’s not very becoming. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t like it when a woman comes on to me. I like to be the one who does the chasing.”
“But how can you chase me when I’m not running?” She gave her hair another toss for good measure, seeing the way his gaze raked over her. Like she was a giant ice cream cone and he wanted a lick. Yet he still didn’t make a move.
Giving it one last shot, she thrust her chest forward. “I still think you’re afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” he said, punctuating his words this time.
“You could have fooled me. You keep using the excuse that we’re related, but we’re not, and you know it.”
“There’s still Sara and Alex to consider.”
“Since when have you ever given two hoots about what Alex thought?”
Scowling up at her, he didn’t answer. Janie watched as a muscle twitched in his jaw. Heat rippled through her, thinking about the way his five-o’clock shadow would feel against her skin, her breasts in particular. She studied his face, feature by feature, slowly, appreciatively, before moving her gaze over the rest of him. He was all man. Hard, muscular and potent. A shiver of ecstasy ran up her spine, wondering what it would be like to have Gabe buried deep inside her. Would his strokes be slow and deep? Or fast and hard?
Either way, she knew without a doubt he was the right man for her. Well, not for her exactly, but he was certainly the right man to help her with her mission. And maybe he was the kind of man who could give her not just one orgasm but multiple orgasms. Smiling, she let her mind drift. The thought was heavenly.
God, what had gotten into her? she wondered, quickly coming to her senses. She’d never been so bold and brazen before in her life. And looking down at Gabe, she decided it simply wasn’t working. But as she went to move away from him, he grabbed hold of her wrist and yanked her onto his lap.
He took her mouth with a savage intensity. His kiss was hard and punishing, slamming shock waves through her entire body. She was surprised by her own eager response, but that didn’t stop her from lifting her hands around his neck and digging her nails into his shoulders. Moaning softly, she encouraged him to take what he wanted. And to give her more.
She felt his thumbs circling her nipples, felt their reaction to his touch. Her dress moved higher onto her thighs as she tried to get closer to him. He toyed with the skin above the tops of her stockings, caressing her with whisper soft strokes. And then his hand crept higher, seeking, searching for her. He touched her there, then ripped his mouth free. His breath came in shallow gasps. “You’re wet.”
His vivid words penetrated deep into her soul. Her mouth and body burned with fire and she was aching for more of his kisses. Moaning softly, she drew his face to hers and devoured his lips.
Several kisses later, he pulled his mouth away from hers, leaving her weak and confused. Then he took her hand and placed it over his erection. “Is this what you want?”
Janie sucked in a breath, loving the feel of him. Gabe was long and thick and hard.
And oh, God, this was all wrong.
Pulling her hand away, she scrambled off his lap and fell onto the floor, bumping her shoulder against the coffee table. When he reached for her, she swatted at him, and scooted around the table and across the rug, as far away from him as possible.
Gabe started to stand.
“Don’t come near me,” she said. “I need to think.” She lowered her head in her hands and waited for her breathing to slow down. “I can’t do this. I know you probably think I’m crazy. Or that I’m some kind of tease.”
He didn’t answer. Not that she expected him to. She knew what he must be thinking. That she should probably be committed. One minute she was begging him to take her, and the next she was pushing him away. She barely understood it herself. The only thing she knew for sure, was that she couldn’t possibly sleep with him. When she’d first thought about having an affair with a stranger, the man was to be just that--a stranger. How could she climb into bed with Gabe Montero and then have to see his smug face year after year. No, that wasn’t at all what she’d had in mind. Even if she knew the man could put a smile on her face that would last a lifetime.
“I think it would be best if I had an affair with someone I don’t know,” she said, lifting her head. “No offense or anything.”
“None taken.”
“Good. I mean, I appreciate the offer to--” Oh, God, what was she saying? She gave her head a tiny shake. “I really wish you’d leave now before I make an even bigger fool of myself.”
“Janie--”
“Please, Montero. Just go.”
He stared at her for a moment or so, then got to his feet and walked out her front door without another word.
* * * * * * * * * *
Gabe sat in his Camaro, his gaze fixed on the living room window of Janie’s townhouse. Her smell was still on the tips of his fingers, sweet and musky. A memento of her silky, moist heat. A reminder of what had almost been. It was all he could do not to march back in there and beg her to go to bed with him. To finish what they’d started. He’d never wanted anyone so badly in his life, and it surprised the hell out of him. She wasn’t his type. Not even close. He liked buxom blondes and leggy brunettes. He didn’t go for cute, freckled-face redheads.
And if he kept telling himself that, he might actually believe it.
She’d been goading him. Nothing more. Trying to break down his barriers and restraints, and he’d had plenty. But somehow she’d wormed past his tough exterior and found the way to his soul. Now the woman was embedded in his mind, in his senses, and it was going to be hell trying to forget about her. The way she’d tasted when he kissed her. The feel of her satiny skin. The way her nipples had responded instantly to his touch. And the sound of her throaty purr when she’d moaned with pleasure.
Swearing, he punched the key in the ignition and tore out of the parking lot. Whoever said ‘life was full of promises’ should be shot.
* * * * * * * * * *
Inside, Janie paced the floor of her living room, wondering what she should do now. Still suffering the after-effects of her interlude with Gabe, she could barely breathe. She’d almost given in to his charms. For a while, she’d been totally mesmerized by him. By the way he’d kissed her and touched her, and by the way he’d made her feel wonderfully sexy and alive. But then, thank God, she’d remembered who she was with. Gabe Montero. How could she have let things go that far?
He’d made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in sleeping with her, and yet she’d all but thrown herself at him. Well, she wasn’t about to apologize for her aggressive behavior because the man was a liar. He was interested, all right. He’d been thoroughly aroused when she was on his lap. He’d even placed his hand over his erection. “Is this what you want?” he’d asked.
Yes, she’d wanted it. Wanted him. But all of a sudden those nice-girl feelings had seeped their way back into her
system and she’d lost her nerve. That and the fact that if she had gone to bed with Gabe she didn’t know how she would have looked him in the eye afterward.
Why was it when men hopped into bed with a woman they scored? And when women did the same thing they were considered easy? When did a woman ever get a high five for seducing a man and scoring with him? It just didn’t happen, at least not in this century.
Wrapping her arms around her middle, she continued to pace and think. Thank God Gabe had picked up all the junk that had been lying around or she would have tripped by now.
So, where did she go from here? she wondered. She still had to find a man to solve her little problem. Gabe Montero was no longer a contender. Hubert Epstein was a throwback. And Rob Strauss was a cheating loser.
“So now what?” she mumbled. If she didn’t sell another book soon, her career would be down the toilet. She supposed she could always try to write science fiction instead of romance. Robots and aliens didn’t have to engage in hot, steamy sex in order for the book sales to do well.
Hearing the phone ring, she headed for the kitchen and grabbed the cordless from the counter. “Hello?”
“Hi, Janie?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“This is Brad Carpenter. We met at the beach today.”
Brad. The cute lifeguard. He was a little young, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was inexperienced.
“Yes, I remember,” she said, smiling.
“I was wondering if you might like to meet me for a drink tomorrow night.”
Her mood improved suddenly. “I’d love to. Just tell me where and when.”
They made plans to meet at Rudy’s, a local country-western bar, at eight o’clock the next evening. Brad seemed like a nice guy, and she was looking forward to her date with him. “Gabe Montero, eat your heart out.”
