Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger (48 page)

Read Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger Online

Authors: Lori Copeland

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #General, #Contemporary, #Westerns, #test

BOOK: Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger
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Page 145
''That's not love, Garrett. What you're suggesting is lust! There's a big difference."
"Oh, lust my foot!" Garrett snorted in aggravation. "I don't feel just
lust
"he dropped his voice dramatically as if she thought he was some dirty old man"for you, and you darn well know it."
"Have you ever stopped to think what might happen if I turned up pregnant at the end of six months?" Chandra asked him in a reasonable tone of voice.
Garrett's face went blank for a moment. "I don't know. I never stopped to think about it." He stopped, a cocky grin breaking over his face. "I wouldn't mind devoting some extra time to it, but don't you think we could take precautions against that possibility?" he asked in the same reasonable tone.
"We sure haven't been!" she reminded curtly. "I suppose I could always explain to our baby, 'Sorry, little Garrett No-name, your daddy loved me, but the reason you have such a weird last name is because he didn't believe in the sanctity of marriage.'" Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"That's not fair" His voice broke off in exasperation. "How do I make you understand? I've never thought in terms of marriagenever even let it enter my mind . . . until lately." Garrett's eyes pleaded with her to understand his position. "Look, wouldn't you rather have . . . say, a trial marriage, get to really know each other before we take such a big step?" He had decided to rephrase his proposal more discreetly.
"No, I would not!" Chandra stared at him stormily. "If you really loved me, Garrett, you would trust me enough to know that I would never do anything to hurt you. At least with Phillip my future children will have a legal name!" She whirled and started to walk away furiously.
"You are
not
going to marry that jerk!" Garrett followed her hurriedly along the snow-covered path, trying to keep up with her short, angry strides. "If I have to come down there and personally break his damn neck on your wedding day," he ground out between clenched teeth.
 
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Chandra stopped suddenly and spun around to face him, her patience clearly at an end. ''Don't you dare threaten me," she warned ominously as she reached down for a wad of snow. "And I've warned you for the last time about that cussing!" She meticulously rounded the snow into a firm ball. As politely as a lady fresh out of finishing school, she reached up and very slowly ground the snowball into his stormy face.
A look of utter astonishment crossed his features as he sputtered disgustedly, "Well . . . damn, Chandra!" He reached up and wiped his face off crossly. "Now, that was a childish thing for you to do," he scolded heatedly. "We are two adults and should conduct" His last words were cut off by another snowball hitting him squarely in the face.
All of a sudden the air was alive with flying snow missiles. Chandra scampered behind the large oak tree, her bombs hitting their target with amazing accuracy. She worked frantically to stockpile her arsenal as Garrett systematically bombarded her.
"You could at least give me a chance to get caught up on my ammunition," she yelled at him breathlessly, her hands flying.
"You think I'm crazy?" he shouted back through a heavy line of fire coming from her side. "I plan to show no mercy. Prepare to fight to the death."
"You're nothing but a big bully!" Standing up, she lobbed a gigantic ball of snow at him.
"And you're nothing but a spoiled brat who needs her fanny whipped!" Another barrage of snowballs came whizzing by his head. "You keep it up and I'll be just the man to do it!"
"Oh, yeah?" She stood up and put her hands on her hips arrogantly. "You and whose army?" Instantly she was knocked flat on her back by a hurling snow-packed projectile. "Garrett!" she groaned weakly. "Give me a chance!" Although he was definitely winning the war, she wasn't ready to haul down the flag.
"Nothing doing, lady. Do you want to give up?" His side of the fort was deceptively quiet at the moment.
Chandra frantically began to roll the snow in hard-packed
 
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balls once again. ''Yes, I surrender," she lied, snickering smugly under her breath, working even faster. There was still a disquieting silence from Garrett's end. Chandra kept her eyes peeled on the tree he was behind, her snowball pile gaining momentum. When he stepped out she was definitely going to lower the boom on him.
"Then I suppose you won't mind eating those snowballs you're rolling?"
Chandra froze as she hastily glanced behind her, her heart leaping to her throat. Garrett was towering above her, his hands on his hips in an angry stance. Chandra looked up at him and smiled sheepishly. Then with all the speed she had ever possessed she ran like the cold winds, streaking over the snow-covered park, dodging in and out of trees with Garrett in hot pursuit. The harder she ran the faster he pined on her. She developed a disgusting fit of the giggles, slowing her speed down to nil. Trying to run, looking behind her, and giggling uncontrollably at the same time was her downfall. With a violent lunge Garrett tackled her, coming down hard on top of her. They rolled over and over in the snow, Chandra's clear laughter ringing out into the cold night.
They finally stopped tumbling, Garrett coming to rest on top of her. "What's so damn funny?" he heaved, his breath coming in short gasps. "You'd better be cringing in terror. I plan on shoving those snowballs down your throat."
"Why?" she gasped innocently, a tremor of excitement running through her as he lay on top of her. His weight felt very familiar, very intimate, bringing a lot of unwanted memories to her mind.
"Why?" he mimicked nastily, his eyes fastening on her rosy lips.
Chandra's laughter died in her throat as she saw his eyes spring alive with unconcealed desire for her. With shaky hands she tried to push him off her, every fiber in her body calling out to him. Grabbing her hands he pinned her down on his broad chest. "Lie still," he grunted.
 
Page 148
''No, Garrett," she pleaded, knowing her resistance would desert her if she lay there any longer with him.
Garrett jerked her up tighter against him, his voice low and miserable. "Yes, Chandra. I haven't had you in my arms for four long, lonely days. Now just stop your damn squirming and let me enjoy it. I'm not going to force myself on you." His hands held her in an ironiclad embrace, his clean, warm breath fanning her face.
With a sigh of resignation she ceased her struggles, relaxing in his arms. The snow fell on the two figures clasped tightly together, their breath making frosty puffs in the frigid air. Garrett's eyes finally managed to capture her gaze once again as he pulled her face up to meet his. "Why are you so darn stubborn?"
"I'm notit's you who's the stubborn one." Without thought she reached out and touched his face lovingly. "Why didn't you just let it be, Garrett? Why did you have to come looking for me?"
Garrett wasn't listening to her words, his eyes were watching the way her lips moved when she talked, desire for her surging hotly through his veins.
"Don't look at me that way," she moaned, her fingers gently tracing the outline of his lips now.
"I want to kiss you, Chandra," he said huskily. "I want to do a lot more than that, but I'll settle for just being able to kiss you right now."
Their eyes were locked, silently basking in each other's beloved faces. Chandra knew she could never let him touch her or she would end up going back home with him tonight. Her hands shook as she brokenheartedly brought his smooth cheek down next to hers, the closest gesture of love she would allow herself. "No, I don't want you to kiss me, please. You said you wouldn't do anything I didn't want you to," she pleaded, holding his face close to hers.
Garrett groaned, burying his face in her fragrant neck, breathing deeply of her scent. "Have I ever told you how good you
 
Page 149
always smell?'' he breathed hoarsely, his hands tangling in her blond hair wet with snow.
"I . . . don't . . . know. . . ." She couldn't speak as wave after wave of desire washed over her while he seductively placed eager kisses along her ear. He began to work his way around her cheek, his mouth searching ardently for hers.
With one unexpected push she shoved him off her and jumped unsteadily to her feet, a strange weakness invading her body. "I have to go home now, Garrett. My parents will be worried about me."
Garrett rolled over in the snow, burying his face in his arms. He didn't answer her for several moments as she backed away from him hesitantly, her face a mask of torture.
"Wait a minute," he said resignedly as he rolled to his feet. "Walk back to the car with me, I have something for you."
They both walked to the street where his car was parked, neither of them speaking. Chandra was too locked in her grief to try to make idle conversation, and she couldn't tell what Garrett was thinking. He simply walked beside her, their bodies never touching as he guided her to a late model Trans Am parked at the curb. Reaching into the front seat he extracted a small bundle and placed it in her hand.
"What is it?" she asked as their hands touched briefly.
"Your dad's shirt I borrowed. I'm sorry I took so long to return it." He leaned forward, placing both arms on the top of the car, staring down at the ground.
"Thank youyou didn't need to bother. I had forgotten about that day," she spoke quietly.
"Did you? Funny . . . I've thought about that day a lot."
Chandra hurt inside as she heard the defeated tone of his voice.
"Well, I guess I'll be going home," she said, clutching the small bundle close to her heart, imagining that it was Garrett she was holding.
"Get in, I'll take you back." His arms dropped from the car and opened the door, then he went around to the driver's side.
 
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Too tired and cold to argue, Chandra slipped into the passenger's side as he started the car's powerful engine. The trip home was made in a few short minutes, the sports car taking her right to her front door.
Garrett reached out and turned the ignition off, staring at the lighted dash for a moment before speaking.
''Are you sure this is what you want, Chandra?"
"Yes." She stared out the window, feeling cold and miserable.
"Couldn't you at least let me kiss you good-bye?" He lifted his head, bringing his agonized face up to meet hers.
"Garrett . . ." She could feel all the will power ebbing out of her now as his blue eyes pleaded mutely with her.
As he sensed her weakening resolve, he reached over and clasped her behind her head gently with one large hand. "I won't cuss right now, if you won't be stubborn," he whispered coaxingly.
"You're impossible," she whispered back hopelessly, her love for him shining in her eyes. Her mouth moved to meet his halfway.
Garrett's mouth touched hers lightly, teasing her with his lips enticingly. "I'm going to let you take this kiss where you want it to go," he said between agonizing brushes of his mouth against hers.
"What if it's gone as far as I want it to already?" she tantalized, bringing her tongue out to moistly trace the outline of his lips.
"I don't think it has," he reasoned, content to let her do the seducing now.
They sat in the dark car, their mouths teasing each other until they both were tense with desire. It was a rigid test of willpower between two strong spirits to see which one would break first.
Control seemed to snap for both of them simultaneously. With an agonizing groan, Garrett's mouth slipped over hers. He seared her mouth with hungry, penetrating kisses, pulling her closer and more intimately to him, letting her feel his growing need. Chandra couldn't get close enough to him to satisfy her.

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