Needing Nicole (The Cantrelle Family Trilogy Book 2) (19 page)

“No, wait until this afternoon. I’ll be at Nicole’s by noon. You can call me there.” He gave her the number.

After talking to Jenny, Jack called a friend of his in Houston—a private investigator named Paul O’Malley. He briefly explained the situation. “Paul, I want you to watch Derek Arnold. The minute he makes a move toward New Orleans, I want you to let me know. I’m not sure if Jenny will get in touch with him this afternoon, but I’ll call you as soon as she does.”

“You’ve got my beeper number, haven’t you?” Paul asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, if I don’t answer at home, beep me.”

Jack gave Nicole’s name, address and phone number to Paul. They said goodbye, then Jack finished packing up his things. Before he left the apartment, he opened the refrigerator and cleaned out the few foods he thought might spoil. Then he turned out the lights, picked up his one suitcase, slung his hanging bag over his shoulder and walked out.

* * *

Nicole had been a basket case all morning. Even her call to Aimee didn’t succeed in settling her down for very long. By the time Margaret and Caldwell had kissed her goodbye and given her all their last-minute instructions concerning the house, she was so nervous and so excited she thought she might burst. As soon as their Lincoln pulled out of the driveway, she dashed into her cottage, stripped off her clothes and took a fast shower. She’d spent the morning cleaning, so the inside of the cottage sparkled. She’d even picked some of Margaret’s fall roses, and they now sat, spreading their fragrance, in a crystal vase on her coffee table.

After her shower, she stared at the clothes hanging in her closet. She wanted something special, but she didn’t want to look as if she’d spent time trying to make herself look nice. She shoved one garment after another to the end of the rack. Then spied her gold corduroy jumpsuit.

Perfect, she thought, once she’d zipped up the oversized front zipper and stood barefoot, looking at her reflection in her full-length mirror. She blow-dried her hair, spritzed herself with perfume. She dug out her black flats, and had just finished putting on big gold earrings when she heard the doorbell.

Her heart gave a little flip.

Jack.

When she opened the door, she hoped her face didn’t betray how excited she was. Even though she’d decided to go for broke, to fight for him, to try to make him love her, she had to retain some measure of pride.

Because if she lost this gamble, her pride would be all she’d have left.

“Hi,” he said, pleasure lighting his eyes. Dressed in khaki jeans, an olive T-shirt, and dark green linen jacket, he looked so sexy and so handsome, he nearly took her breath away.

She led him to Aimee’s room, where she’d cleared out some space in the closet for his clothes. “Here’s two drawers for you, too,” she said, pointing to a white chest in the corner.

She avoided looking at Aimee’s youth bed, which was obviously much too small for a man of Jack’s size. She wasn’t sure what she’d say if he asked where he was going to sleep.

He didn’t.

She left him then, and walked out to the kitchen, wiping her clammy hands against her thighs. Her heart pounded. Lordy, she was nervous.

“Nicole...”

She jumped, putting her hand over her heart. When she turned around, she saw Jack leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. He had removed his jacket, and his T-shirt molded against his chest in a way that emphasized his well-developed muscles. He gave her an apologetic smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I just didn’t hear you, that’s all.” She managed a shaky laugh. “If you’re going to be staying here, you’re going to have to make some noise—otherwise, you’ll give me a heart attack.”

He nodded, his smile fading.

Why was he looking at her like that? “Uh, are you hungry?” she said, her gaze sliding away from his. She had to calm down. Tension was a killer.

“No. I ate a huge breakfast.” He straightened, walked into the room, pulled a kitchen chair out and straddled it, leaning his arms on the back of it. The noonday sun streaming through the kitchen windows lit the hair on his forearms, turning it to burnished gold. “Don’t you want to know what Jenny said when I called her?”

“Yes,” Nicole said gratefully, tearing her gaze from the appealing sight of those bronzed arms, those clean, strong hands. She walked to the refrigerator, took out a can of diet soda. “Want some? Or a beer?”

“A soda is fine.”

She pulled a can from the refrigerator, and as she handed it to him, their fingers brushed. He popped the top and took a long swallow while she seated herself across the table from him and opened her drink.

He began to tell her about his phone call to his sister. For the next hour they talked, and gradually Nicole relaxed. When they had exhausted the subject of Elise, Jack said, “I don’t want to interrupt your normal schedule. You go ahead and do whatever it is you usually do, and I’ll try to stay out of your way.” He stood. “Do you mind if I watch the LSU game?”

“No. I have to go to the supermarket, anyway.” She stood, too. “What would you like for dinner? Want me to get a couple of steaks?”

“I thought I’d take you out for dinner.” His warm gaze held hers.

She felt breathless and as excited as a girl going on her first date. “That sounds nice.”

He took her to Antoine’s. Nicole had only been to the fabled restaurant once. This time was much more memorable. They were put in a little private alcove upstairs, and everything about the evening was magical.

Jack looked breathtakingly handsome in his dark suit paired with a striped shirt. Everything about him seemed bigger than life, she thought. His eyes seemed bluer, his smile seemed sexier, his voice seemed more seductive. All he had to do was look at her, and shivers raced down her spine. Every time she thought about going home, closing the door, and having him there—in her home—for the entire night, and for many more nights to come—she could hardly breathe.

Nicole knew they made a handsome couple. She was wearing a short clingy black crepe dress with a draped bodice and a deep V in the back. She’d pulled one side of her hair back from her face, securing it with a rhinestone comb, and long rhinestone waterfall earrings glittered from her ears. With the outfit she wore sheer black stockings and black satin evening shoes with very high heels.

She wondered what Jack was thinking. All through dinner he was attentive and charming, but he was holding something back. Several times she caught him looking at her with a peculiar expression in his eyes.

“What?” she finally said. “That’s the third time you’ve given me that look. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” His blue eyes glittered in the subdued lighting of the restaurant. “I was just thinking, that’s all.”

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” she insisted.

His mouth twisted. “I was thinking that you are completely irresistible.”

Nicole swallowed. Her gaze locked with his.

“You look sensational tonight. Every man in the place is jealous of me,” Jack said softly.

Nicole could feel her cheeks warming. But she didn’t drop her gaze. For long moments, they looked into each other’s eyes. Finally, in a low, rough voice, he said, “Eat your dinner. It’s getting cold.”

The meal was superb, but Nicole was so keyed up it was hard for her to do it justice. She kept thinking about the expression in Jack’s eyes.

During dessert, Jack said, “I hope Jenny’s able to contact Derek Arnold tomorrow.” Before they’d left for dinner, he had talked to his sister again, and she’d told him she hadn’t been able to get in touch with Derek. “I don’t want this situation to drag on too long. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

After dinner, when they left the restaurant, Jack took her hand. The simple act caused more flutters in Nicole’s stomach, and she wondered how much tension a person’s system could stand.

“Would you like to walk awhile, or maybe take a carriage ride?” He squeezed her hand. “Or do you just want to go home?”

“Let’s just go home.”

Jack put the top down on the Miata, and Nicole nestled into her velvet jacket and enjoyed the cool night air as they cruised through the New Orleans streets. He found a radio station playing adult contemporary music and when the hauntingly beautiful strains of “The Music of the Night” from
Phantom of the Opera
played, he turned up the volume so that the music swelled around them.

Nicole was so full of anticipation and the thrilling newness of her love for Jack that she wasn’t sure she could stand it. In no time at all, it seemed, they were home. Nicole got out and waited while Jack pulled the Miata into the Reed-Douglases’ side of the garage, then they walked together up the path to her cottage.

Soon. Soon. Soon.

Her heart pounded in time with her thoughts. A fine tingling trembled through her body, and she shivered.

“Cold?” He put his arm around her, drawing her close.

Nicole closed her eyes. Oh, God. She wanted this. She wanted this so much. He kissed her cheek, and her heart leaped into her throat.

They reached her door, and she extracted her keys from her purse. She had forgotten to leave any lights on, so she fumbled with the lock, her fingers clumsy from nervous tension.

“Here, let me,” he said softly, taking the keys from her hand, but he kept his arm around her. She could smell his cologne, something clean and tart, reminding her of a crisp autumn day. The door swung wide, and together they walked into the house.

Moonlight streamed through the big front window. She could hear the mantel clock ticking, and the chirping of crickets outside the door, and the distant hum of the refrigerator.

“Nicole...”

She swallowed, turning slowly into his arms.

Shyness, and fear, and uncertainty, paralyzed her.

His voice was a whisper, a caress. “Nicole, look at me.” With his right hand, he lifted her chin. His left hand moved unerringly to her back, and his fingers slowly stroked her bare skin, sending delicious shivers throughout her body. “I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he said huskily.

Her heart felt as if it might jump right out of her body as his right hand trailed down her neck, back up to her ear, then settled under her hair. With gentle pressure, he nudged her toward him.

“I’ve also wanted to kiss you all day,” he said against her parted lips, their breath mingling for a tantalizing moment before his mouth settled onto hers.

The shyness vanished.

The fear vanished.

The uncertainty vanished.

Jack,
her body cried.
Jack,
her heart cried.
Jack, I love you,
she thought as her evening purse slid to the floor and she lifted her arms and wrapped them around him.

She breathed him in, absorbed him, tasted him. Sensations pummeled her, exploded within her, transported her. She felt as if she were in the middle of a whirlwind, and the only thing holding her rooted to the earth was Jack.

She wasn’t sure where one kiss ended and another began. There was only Jack and the steady pounding of her heart. Only Jack and the heated demand of his mouth. Only Jack and the insistent driving force of their mutual desire.

The room was very quiet. Only the sounds of their ragged breathing and Nicole’s soft moans interrupted the silken silence.

After a long time, Jack tore his mouth from hers, put his hands at the sides of her face and muttered, “Nicole, are you sure?”

“Yes,” she whispered, and she was. This might be all she’d ever have, but it would be enough. She’d rather have this than nothing.

Wordlessly, he lifted her in his arms and walked unerringly back to her bedroom. He kicked the door open with his foot, then set her on her feet. The shades in the room were down, so very little light penetrated. “We need some light,” he whispered. He moved toward the bedside lamp.

“Wait,” Nicole said. Earlier, hoping, shamelessly planning, she’d prepared. For this and for every other contingency. She wanted this. She wanted to make love with Jack. But she didn’t want another pregnancy. Not unless she had a husband to go along with another baby.

She walked to her chest of drawers, fumbled for a moment, then found what she was looking for. Lifting the pack of matches, she struck one, and lit the three candles in their crystal holders sitting on top of the chest. Then she opened the top drawer and removed a foil packet.

The candlelight danced over the room with delicate sorcery. Nicole slowly walked back to Jack. A little hesitantly, she held out the packet.

“It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’ve already got one. Don’t you know I’d never jeopardize your well-being?”

Their gazes met, and she smiled. Slowly, she reached for his tie, but her fingers fumbled as she tried to undo it. His eyes were like two brilliant gemstones in the candlelight. “Let me help you,” he murmured, covering her hands with his and guiding them.

Nicole could feel the blood rushing through her veins, pumping through her heart, fueling her body with life. She knew she would remember this night forever.

They undressed each other slowly. First his tie. Then her shoes. Then his jacket. Then her dress. Then his shirt. Then her slip. Then his belt and pants. Then her stockings.

When all that was left to remove were Nicole’s filmy bra and panties and Jack’s cotton briefs, Jack drew her into his arms once more. His hands whispered over her body, caressing her arms gliding over her back, trailing slowly around to gently brush her breasts.

Nicole’s insides turned to liquid as her breasts tightened under the tender assault. A pulse beat deep within her, settling into her core.

While he touched her, his lips grazed hers, then dropped to the hollow in her neck. When his moist mouth dropped lower, trailing teasing kisses across the swell of her bosom, Nicole gripped his upper arms, feeling the hard muscle flex under her palms.

Very slowly, very gently, he backed her up toward the bed. When they were lying side by side, he propped himself up with one arm, and smiled down at her.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he whispered, fingers tiptoeing over her skin.

“I’m not beautiful.” She touched his chest, ran her fingertips through the crisp hair, felt its texture, its resiliency. His palm closed over one breast, and its heat undulated through her body in slow waves. Deep within, a steady pulse throbbed, and an ache spread from the center of her being to encompass her entire body. Catlike, she stretched, pushing toward him. His hand tightened, moved, touched, stroked, teased, caressed.