Have Bouquet, Need Boyfriend (18 page)

ready to make love with him, when he had just left another woman?

By noon the next day, Thomas had enough food for an army. Everything

from black-eyed peas and collard greens to fried chicken and homemade

apple pie. But not one dish had come from the woman he’d left behind the

night before.

What had he been thinking, almost making love to Rebecca in an exam room

with a metal table pressing into her back?

He hadn’t thought, he realized. He’d simply been reacting. Letting his

body think for him.

Rebecca might hate him now for his abrupt withdrawal, but when he left

town, she would be glad he hadn’t followed through and taken her to bed.

Then some other man would be her lover….

He pumped the weights harder, desperately trying to alleviate his

anxiety and purge himself of the irrational jealousy the images brought.

His body ached from lack of sleep and his unsated desire for her, but he

hadn’t been able to rest last night after he’d left Rebecca.

Had she dreamt of holding him the way he’d dreamt of sleeping with her

in his arms?

Rebecca woke from a deep sleep and sat up, her body shimmering with

perspiration. She glanced around the dark bedroom to make certain she

was alone. That she had indeed been dreaming.

Of course she’d been dreaming.

She’d been in Hawaii on a moonlit beach with a

housand stars glittering above an inky sky. And she’d been doing the

hula dance completely naked.

In front of Thomas.

Pulling her velour robe around her, she glanced at the hope chest and

wondered if her dream had any significance, if the hope chest had

somehow triggered these wild dreams she’d been having.

Curious, she scanned the book on dream analysis until she discovered two

notations. According to the book, dreaming about being naked was

supposedly a good omen.

“Performing the undulating dance form of the hula means you’ll have

exciting romantic adventures in your future.”

In light of the night before and her close encounter with Thomas, she

laughed at the dream interpretation.

Confused and still tingling from wanting him, she lay back on her

pillows and tried to plan her day. It was a new year. She should set her

goals. Start over with a fresh attitude.

The sooner she finished the murals the better. Then she wouldn’t have to

see Thomas any more and be tempted to beg him to finish what they’d begun.

Her heart squeezed at the thought of never having his lips touch her

again. Of never having his hands trail over her.

The phone rang and she stared at it for a long moment. Maybe Thomas

would suggest they meet and continue their romantic interlude from the

night before.

No, it was Suzanne.

“I hope your New Year’s Eve was better than mine,” Suzanne said.

Suzanne sounded as if she’d been crying.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nick.”

“I thought you two already broke up.”

“We did.” Suzanne sniffed. “But we’ve been on again for a couple of

days. It’s definitely over now.”

Rebecca pulled at a loose thread on the afghan at her feet, weaving it

back into the pattern. She only wished she could smooth out her own

problems as easily. “Did you love him, Suzanne?”

Suzanne sighed. “I don’t know what I felt. But I’m so tired of the

dating game. And my job…it’s so demanding.” Another long sniffle.

“You’re so lucky to be living in that small town. You have Hannah and

Mimi and Alison there. Everyone knows you and loves you. I bet that doc

is already planning to propose.”

Ha! “I wouldn’t say that.”

“Why not? Didn’t you two get together?”

“Not exactly.” Rebecca sighed. “Look, I’m not like you. You’re good with

men. For heaven’s sakes, you’ve been entertaining Dad’s colleagues since

you were a teenager.”

“I only took over the entertaining because you hated it,” Suzanne said.

Rebecca frowned into the phone. She had hated it, but she’d always

assumed Suzanne enjoyed the attention.

“It was obvious you were mortified by all those people in the house,”

Suzanne continued, “but you were great in the kitchen, so I just jumped

in and did what I do best. Talk.”

Rebecca laughed. “You are good at conversation.”

“Yeah, so why can’t I hold a guy?”

They both lapsed into silence. Rebecca felt a closeness to her sister

she hadn’t felt in years. Why had she spent so much time being jealous

of Suzanne?

“Now, tell me about Thomas.” Suzanne made an exaggerated sound. “I know

he has the hots for you. What on earth is holding you back?”

For the first time in her life, Rebecca told her sister her problems.

Relaying the painful story from the night before only magnified her

doubts, though. “He keeps getting close, then pulling away. I don’t know

how to handle the situation.”

Suzanne let the silence linger for a minute. “Well, if you want my

advice, you should go after him. He probably thinks you won’t sleep with

him without a ring on your finger, and he’s not ready for a commitment yet.”

She would like a ring and a commitment. But heck, she’d almost given in

to passion in an exam room the night before. “He did say he can’t make

any promises.”

“There you go. You need to be assertive, Rebecca. Let him know you want

him and that you’ll accept the relationship on his terms for now.” She

whistled. “Of course, sooner or later, you’ll warm him to marriage, but

just let him know you’re not pushing too hard too fast.”

“But I thought I did that last night, then he started acting all noble.”

“Seduce him,” Suzanne said matter-of-factly. “Be bold about it. Show up

wearing nothing but a raincoat. Then he can’t possibly turn you down.”

Rebecca wasn’t so sure.

“Oh, and don’t forget to take protection. The last thing you want to do

is end up pregnant.”

She didn’t want to end up pregnant?

How little her sister understood her, Rebecca thought, as she primed

herself with Suzanne’s encouraging words while she worked on the mural.

By dinner she’d nearly completed the waterfall scene and rallied her

confidence and determination.

It was a new year. The beginning of a new attitude. The start of a new

life for her.

A new Rebecca was emerging.

Out with the shy, dowdy girl and in with the bold,

go-after-what-you-want woman!

So, why was her stomach sitting in her throat and her knees shaking so

badly she thought they might literally pop in two like thin twigs?

Because she was naked beneath her dark-blue raincoat, and she was

sitting in front of Thomas’s house, knowing he was only a few hundred

feet away. And she was deathly afraid she’d make a fool out of herself

and he would order her to go home where all good girls belonged.

He was such a nice, intelligent, decent man. Would he think she was

crazy for doing such a drastic thing?

No, he had admitted last night he wanted her. He was trying to be

honorable because he couldn’t commit. She would show him that he didn’t

have to commit right now. That she was a modern woman, not some

old-fashioned girl who required a ring on her finger before she’d let a

man touch her.

She’d prove she could take a chance on a great guy like him and wait for

promises of a permanent relationship. After all, would she ever find a

man if she didn’t take chances?

Snow fell in a light blanket around the massive brick house, dotting the

thicket of evergreens and thick grass. The cloud cover painted pale-gray

lines in the sky while the wind whistled a soft melody through the

trees, adding to the romantic atmosphere.

Believe in yourself. Follow your dreams.

She inhaled, took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Grabbing the

bottle of wine with one hand and checking for the condoms in her pocket

with the other, because, although she did want a baby, she refused to

trap a man without his knowledge, she wobbled on the new gold heels that

Mimi had insisted she buy, up the azalea-lined sidewalk to Thomas’s

house. She had never been there before, but her stomach was twisting and

turning so badly that she couldn’t quite appreciate the porch entrance

or the impressive arched doorway or the elaborate Palladian windows in

front.

He lived here alone?

Passages from the erotic poetry book Grammy had given her flitted

through her mind.

Hands gently gliding across bare skin, fingers teasing, lips tasting,

one body offering bliss….

She wanted to experience that bliss with Thomas. Releasing a labored

breath, she raised her shaking hand and punched the doorbell.

It bellowed out like a gong, reverberating through the huge house and

echoing in her mind like a siren.

Goose bumps shimmied up her arms and legs. She could not go through with

this. He would take one look at her and laugh, especially when she

removed her coat and he realized there was nothing beneath.

Nothing but bare flesh and a scared, lonely girl who loved him. As much

as she didn’t want to admit she loved him, she did.

Wishing her nerves would dissipate like the fallen snow that wouldn’t

quite stick to the ground, she turned to run but caught her heel in a

crack between the bricks. She was stuck.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Thomas stood on the other side,

wearing gym shorts and a sleeveless muscle shirt with dark hair covering

his chest and legs and a light coat of perspiration dampening his

glorious body.

Thomas had avoided answering the door all day.

He’d also avoided the clinic because he’d suspected Rebecca would be

there painting. Instead, he’d read his journals and did some research on

the Internet, holding thoughts of Rebecca at bay.

Now she stood on his doorstep with light snow falling around her like

some kind of angelic vision that had drifted down from the clouds.

“Rebecca?”

She shivered slightly, and he realized she must be cold.

Logic warned him not to invite her in, but she

looked so damn nervous and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

“Come in. I…I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I know.” She lifted her hand in offering, and he immediately thought of

chicken casseroles. Instead, she held up a bottle of Chardonnay. “I

finished the waterfall mural and thought I’d drop you off a New Year’s

Day gift.”

“Thanks.” He took her arm to guide her inside, but she squeaked a reply,

and he noticed her shoe wedged in the bricks. He stooped to loosen it,

his hand brushing bare leg as he yanked her heel from the crevice. He

silently groaned. Trying to forget the way her bare leg felt on his hand

and the allure of those sparkly shoes, he stood and ushered her in out

of the cold. What was she so dressed up for? Did she have a date after

she dropped off his gift? “Can I take your coat?”

She hugged her arms around herself. “No… not yet. I’m still a little

chilly.”

Hell, who was he kidding? He had wanted to see her all day.

“Come over by the fireplace.” He led her to the great room with its

cathedral ceiling where he’d been working earlier and onto the

overstuffed throw pillows on the floor by the brick fireplace. “This

should warm you up.”

“Thanks.”

“You want a glass of that wine?”

“Sure.” She darted a glance around the room. The roaring fire. The

overstuffed leather sofa. The oil painting of some Civil War figure. The

TV blaring a football game. What was she thinking about his lifestyle?

Did she like his house? Was she comparing it to her homey, artsy little

abode? A place that was so full of Rebecca….

“Listen, I’m all sweaty from working out, let me hop in the shower while

you warm up, then we can talk. Unless you were on your way somewhere.

You look like you’re all dressed up.”

Her face colored slightly. “No, I’ll wait.”

He opened the bottle of wine, poured her a glass, then handed it to her,

their fingers brushing. He could have sworn her hand trembled as she

gripped the glass and sipped. His heart pounding, he jerked his eyes