by Gracie Guy
Trapped in the elevator with several strangers, Kara felt Mark’s hand graze hers discreetly. Her stomach flipped with anticipation. Whoa. Must be the lack of oxygen up here. She feigned a cough just to extricate her hand without insulting him. He thinks you’re still married. Don’t let him think you’d play around, even though you know you can now.
When the elevator opened, Kara practically pushed her way through the crowd to avoid touching Mark. Ever the southern gentleman, he waited for everyone else to leave before he stepped out of the car.
Despite her chaotic feelings, Kara was smiling up at him. “We passed a place back about a block that sounds good. Kinda casual, but good.”
Mark looked down at his jeans and boots. “Do they have beer?”
“Yeah, actually, they do. Lots of it!” Kara pointed Mark in the direction of Bill’s Bar & Burger on West 51st Street. “First round’s on me.”
Two hours, a couple of hamburgers, and several beers later, they opted for a cab to get back to the hotel. Just as they’d planned, everything got split evenly, even the cab fare and tip. As the classic yellow vehicle pulled away from the front door of the Hilton, she still wasn’t ready to break the mood to tell Mark about her husband’s death. But she could feel the tension settle in. It seemed inevitable that Mark would ask for more time together, this evening.
“Hey, listen. I had a great time tonight.” She could feel her palms start to sweat.
“Yeah, it was.” Mark was quick to agree. “But between the early flight, the excitement of the show and those few beers, I sure am one tired pup.” Mark looked over Kara’s head at something across the street. “Time I got some shut eye.” His eyes returned to hers. “Can I walk you to the elevator?”
She was still in a mild state of shock when she used the card key to enter her room, alone. Wow! I guess I just got a good dose of southern charm. What a well-behaved cowboy I’ve met! She stripped off her clothes to take a quick shower. She was more than tired—she was exhausted. With fresh teeth and a clean body she’d covered with lavender lotion, she climbed in between the crisp sheets and quickly passed out.
Chapter Twelve
The next two days of the show passed in a blur. Instead of private dinners together, Kara and Mark opted to mingle with their fellow IT gurus in the hotel bar. Networking was critical and she was very good at it. In the past, the safety and security of her marriage allowed her to work closely with men. But her husband’s death changed all of that.
Surreptitiously, each night Kara watched Mark’s every move from across the room. Any time his laughter filled the bar, her eyes swept quickly to see who triggered his outburst. On the rare occasion his company was female, Kara had to force herself to stay attentive to her own conversation. When she saw him pitch his head backward in a giant mid-western guffaw, she wanted to body check any woman near him.
She still hadn’t told him about Danny. Maybe I’ll just let it go for now. There’s a show in Dallas in a few weeks, I can tell him then. But, if her ever-increasing jealousy was any indicator, Kara was only fooling herself. There was no way she could wait another month to kiss the man. At this rate, she’d be lucky if she made it through the night without pulling him into a private corner.
Excusing herself from a painfully boring conversation with an IBM consultant, Kara left the bar for some fresh air. Standing outside the hotel, she watched the frenetic energy of the city. Horns tooted, tires squealed, and clusters of people passed by—speaking in languages she couldn’t identify. Enthralled by the diversity that immersed her, she didn’t hear him come up behind her.
“Hey girl.” Mark’s Oklahoma twang enhanced his gentle greeting. “Tired of the game in there tonight?” Sometimes his pronunciation of the letter I made her giggle because it drew each word out by another syllable. But mostly, his deep baritone voice wrapped her in sweet southern syrup and she couldn’t get enough of it.
“Oh, hi there.” His presence threw Kara for a moment. “Nah, it’s part of the business. But it was getting stuffy in there.” She feigned indifference. “What about you?”
“It’s simple.” His tanned and calloused hand touched the downy side of her cheek, sending shock waves deep into the pit of her abdomen. “I was looking for you.”
Kara leaned against the marble cornerstone of the building, trying desperately to maintain her balance. She was out of practice when it came to flirting, regardless of which end she was on. And the stakes were high here, because she wanted this man.
“So, Mark.” She looked at the sidewalk a second before continuing. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Mark shoved his hand into the pocket of his jeans. “Sorry if I overstepped my bounds.”
“Well, not really. That’s what I wanted to talk about.” Kara pointed up the street heading to the west side of Manhattan. “Maybe we can walk and talk?” Without waiting for his reply, she started toward 7th Avenue, confident he would follow.
“Whoa, darlin’. Is this a race?” Kara was moving at such a rapid pace they were on Broadway in minutes. Instinctively she turned left and headed downtown, not quite ready to tell him her story. But before they passed the Ed Sullivan Theater, Mark pulled her to a stop by wrapping his left arm around her shoulder.
“Hey.” His powerful right hand cupped her chin, gently turning her face up, waiting for her to look at him before continuing. “What’s up?”
Kara felt the tears begin to well. God you are such a wimp. What is wrong with you? When his hand released her face she blurted out, “The day after the Atlanta conference I got some bad news.”
Mark seemed to panic. “It’s not your health, right?”
“No, not mine. Someone close to me.”
He moved his arm from her shoulder, picking up her hand instead. “Come on. You’ll do better if you’re moving.”
For the next nine blocks, Kara told him about everything. Holding back no details, she described what John Harley told her. She even threw in her conclusion that Danny had evidently been unfaithful to her anytime she’d been out of town. They stopped occasionally for her to blow her nose and regain her composure. Each time, Mark waited patiently. Sometimes he hugged her, others he simply stood with his hands at his sides, giving her space.
Kara let out a long, weary sigh, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. “So now I’m starting over.”
She watched his eyes flash before responding. “Well you picked a fine place.” Gently he turned her to face the brilliant marquis of Times Square. She felt her own smile blossom at the sight of the red and white scrolling lights twinkling before her eyes. Unexpectedly, he leaned down lightly kissing the trail where her tears had recently been.
Reflexively, Kara turned to face him, allowing his lips to find hers. She steadied herself on his arms as a mad rush of heat coursed from her lips down through her body. When he finally leaned back from their kiss, she was dizzy with desire and her lips felt swollen.
Swept up in the heat of their own romance, neither of them noticed the increased crowd surrounding them. Thursday night in the theater district, curtains had fallen and the viewers were deep in conversation as they headed for a late dinner, or to catch the subway home.
“It’s gettin’ late. Shall we head back?” He wrapped his arm around Kara and began to retrace their steps.
When they reached the hotel, Mark took the lead when Kara handed him her card key. “Tomorrow’s the last day of the show. How ’bout we catch some breakfast before we hit the floor?”
Does this mean he’ll still be here in my room in the morning? The fiery sensations of his kisses were still fresh on her lips, teasing her with the promise of what his lovemaking would bring. Mark opened the door, slipping his booted foot to hold it open, and handed the key back to her.
“Thank you for a wonderful walk. Call me when you’re ready to go to breakfast. I’m in 537.” His big hands gently cupped her face, effectively trapping her. His tongue started with slow, lazy circles on the outer e
dges of her lips. Nipping her bottom lip, he surprised her a second time, quickly slipping inside her mouth. Darting around, his tongue teased Kara into a frenzy of expectation.
An instant later, he abandoned her mouth to lightly kiss the lids of her closed eyes. Then, she looked up at the deep cobalt of his.
“You, angel.” Desire turning his voice husky as he gently pushed her through the doorway. “Time for bed.”
Chapter Thirteen
Before Kara could fully absorb her sudden feelings for Mark, the conference was over and she was on a northbound Amtrak train, scheduled to arrive in Rensselaer at eight o’clock at night.
As the wheels clacked in comforting repetition barreling up the east side of the Hudson River, Kara found herself smiling. Breakfast, despite its brevity, was another storybook scene. He met her at the door of the hotel restaurant, carrying a single red rose. After the waitress led them to a table, Mark’s hand gently grazed her neck and shoulder as she sat in the chair he offered. She couldn’t remember the last time Dan had been as courteous to her. She tamped down the jagged thoughts that now came with memories of her late husband. Instead, she concentrated on the handsome southern gentleman who was asking her if she would go to the show in Dallas. Pulling her trench coat over her shoulders, Kara dropped into a light sleep, still wearing a grin.
She awoke as the train slowed to pull into the station. Thinking back to the last time she’d come home from a business trip, Kara decided to grab a hotel room in Albany instead of driving to Lake Placid, even if it was on her own dime. With the dogs at the kennel, she found no appeal in driving two hours to an empty house.
She snuggled into bed just in time to catch the start of the second quarter of the Thursday night NFL game. But the week of activity caught up with her right after she saw the adorable Aaron Rodgers lead his team to the locker room at half-time, up by a touchdown. She made a mental note to check the sports scores in the morning’s paper.
Friday’s early sun awoke Kara before she had planned, since she’d forgotten to close the blinds on the windows of her third story hotel room. She traipsed back and forth between the bathroom and the mini-coffee pot a few times before it started perking. She ran the bathtub water a few seconds, then pulled the lever, sending the flow upward for her to happily step in.
As the surge of warm water sluiced between her breasts and down her abdomen, she tried valiantly to find the edges of the dream from the night before. Running her favorite lavender soap over her body, creamy bubbles covered her nipples, peeking out as they hardened. Oh my gosh, it was about him. His touch. His freaking touch was so awesome. She couldn’t believe how real the dream had seemed.
Kara looked up at the showerhead and smiled. “Come to momma!”
She deftly removed the hand held portion, adjusting the flow from broad spray to a rapid pulse. Propping one foot on the side of the tub, she teased the inside of her upper thighs with the water. Her free hand massaged gently, separating the lips of her clean-shaven mound. Moaning softly, she flicked her wrist a few times, splashing her rapidly swelling nub. Then, she held the pulsing and unforgiving water perfectly still. Leaning back against the wall, she braced herself for the overwhelming sensation to come, only lowering the water once her shoulders convulsed uncontrollably with wave after wave of her release. Sliding down the tile, she sat in the tub for a few minutes while her breathing slowed.
“Oh my God. This is how you react to a dream?” She ran her hand through her wet hair, biting her lower lip. “What are you gonna do when it’s the real thing?”
With her own unanswered question in her head, Kara stepped out of the bathtub and began drying herself off. Her mind wandered to the next time she would see Mark—the Dallas conference in a few weeks. “Eh, that’s right around the corner,” she tried to convince herself, but right now, it seemed like a very long time to wait.
Kara wrapped the towel around herself, knotting it over her breasts, and crossed the room to pour a cup of coffee. Most of the techie salespeople attended the full run of government-based shows that were held each fall; October and November were high travel months for all of them. Cradling the steaming cup, she swallowed the strong morning nectar and grinned, thinking about Mark. “Dallas. Yeah, I’ll be there.”
###
Kara left the office by one o’clock in the afternoon. The unintentional early start to her day allowed her to unpack all of her conference materials before she met with Dave. The signed contracts she dropped on his desk thrilled him. In one trip she’d guaranteed over ten million dollars’ worth of work for the company in the next year. Just as she left his personal office, he called her back.
“Hey, kid.” Dave had always been a stand-in big brother for Kara. “Go home. Take a few days off.” He held up his hand to prevent her inevitable protest. “I don’t want to see you back in here before Wednesday of next week.” He waved his right hand at her. “Buh bye!” His eyes dropped to the pile of papers on his desk. The conversation was over.
Driving north on I-87, the days spent with Mark kept playing in Kara’s head. She thought she could hear his deep laugh and feel his arm around her shoulders. The sexy boldness of his kiss still lingered on her lips. Unconsciously she outlined them with her fingertips, remembering how gentle and sweet his touch was.
Passing the first exit for Lake George, jolted Kara back to reality. You shouldn’t be feeling like this. It’s too soon. Mark Shelton was definitely easy on the eyes and the past few days were fun. But she still had complications from Danny’s death and unresolved issues about her marriage. She needed to take care of those things before she saw Mark again.
She pulled into the kennel in Lake Placid while the dogs were out for exercise. She heard their joyous howls long before she saw them. Ha ha. They must have recognized the sound of my truck! Kara smiled at the knowledge of the unbridled love the dogs always showed for her. She came around the back of the building to find them standing on their back legs, front paws dangling over the top of the chain link fence, practically grinning as they whined, chirped, and howled with their happiness at having her back.
They bounced around in the backseat of the truck on the ride home—especially when she slowed down to enter her driveway. By time she pulled up to the post-and-rail fence in front of the house, they were nipping at each other in anticipation. Kara stepped outside the truck, giving them the command to jump out. They were a pair of whirling dervishes, racing from the porch to the barn, to the flowerbeds and back to Kara, clearly overjoyed to be home.
“God, I wish life were so simple!” Kara laughed as she roughed up their heads, rubbing an ear on each dog simultaneously. “Come on.” She called them to the porch. “Let’s get this stuff unpacked.” She unlocked the door and followed the charging German shepherds into the kitchen. Dropping her laptop and briefcase on the table, she took her suitcase a few more steps to the washing machine. Almost every article of clothing was dirty, so she threw it all in a load and walked away as the machine started to fill.
“I suck at laundry.” The dogs cocked their heads quizzically. “Apparently I suck at being a wife, too.” The dogs were still listening as they followed her down the hall.
She stopped in front of the large cherry dresser she shared with Dan, picking up a framed picture from their wedding. At first, the sadness was just a trickle down her cheeks. But the longer she stared at his incredible brown eyes, his mustachioed grin radiating warmth, they became a deluge. Countless tears plopped on the glass, distorting her view; his smile seemed to be mocking her.
Kara spun around and threw the picture against the wall. “I hate you. You dirty, rotten, cheating bastard!” The dogs jumped off the bed and landed at her feet, startled by the screaming rage emanating from her. “Why? Why wasn’t it good enough for you?” She kicked at the broken frame, the wooden pieces separating as they slammed against the baseboard. “Why wasn’t I good enough for you?”
Kara hugged herself as she stared down at the picture. Shards o
f glass littered the floor, but it felt like they were stabbing her heart. More tears fell. “You bastard, you bastard…” Her words became lost in a jumble of tears and snot, causing her to cough. She stumbled to the king-sized bed, rolling herself into a fetal position in the middle. The dogs flanked her, protectively laying their heads on her hips and legs, waiting while she cried herself to sleep.
It was nearly dark when Kara awoke to their low growling. She sat up to see Robin’s car park in front of the house. Hanging her head, Kara rubbed her eyes. Ugh. I should have called her. She reached the kitchen door in time to save her company from the dogs.
“Hi.” Robin’s smile quickly faded when she saw the swelling around her friend’s eyes. “Sweetie, are you alright?” Stepping through the open door, Robin pulled Kara into a hug. “I couldn’t remember if I was doing the horses tonight.” Instinctively she patted Kara’s head and back while she talked. “My mom’s with the kids. We got lots-a time to talk.”
Robin released Kara to put the teapot on. She looked out at the rapidly fading daylight. “Hey, maybe we should get the animals done first.” She pulled Kara to the back door. “Here’s one of your barn shirts.”
“Robin, I’m okay.” Kara shook her head. “I’m not one of the kids you have to dress.” She hung the shirt back on the hook. “Besides, it’s not cold out.”
The two women walked in companionable silence to Kara’s barn. Robin took the stairs to the hayloft while Kara filled the grain tubs and water buckets. When the stalls were ready, without speaking a word, both of them headed through the back door to retrieve the mares from the paddock. Minutes later, they shut off the lights and walked out into the bath of white thrown by the sodium fixture mounted on the side of the barn. When they reached the porch, Kara whistled lightly; the dogs came careening around the house, stopping at her feet, waiting to go inside.
“How was your trip?”
