Roping the Wind (15 page)

She collapsed over him and he slid out of her. She sighed and buried her face deeper against his shoulder. Jay put his arms around her and held her close. Five minutes to relax and then a shower . . .

A loud gurgling noise woke Helen. It was followed by the wailing of a starving cat. She opened one eye and realized that her mattress had developed a swath of fair chest hair and a fine set of abs. She sat up carefully, trying not to disturb Jay. How long had they slept? It couldn’t be the next morning, could it?

She located the clock, saw with a burst of relief that is was only just past nine and still quite light outside.

‘Can we put off the shower and focus on food?’

Jay’s gravelly voice in her ear made her jump. ‘Of course we can.’

She tried to roll away from him and found their legs entangled. His erect cock brushed against her thigh and she moved quickly off the bed. She hadn’t had this much sex in years. Instinctively she knew that if she didn’t get out of bed pretty damn quick, she’d be under him again.

Her muscles protested as she thrust her arms into a dressing gown and hurried toward the kitchen. Tiger immediately entwined himself around her legs, almost tripping her up in his frantic attempts to attract her notice. She found a box of opened cat food and filled up his bowl. Without sparing her a single glance, Tiger launched himself at the food and started to eat.

‘That’s one fat cat you have there.’

Helen stared at Jay, who had managed to pull on his jeans but not button them. God, he looked like every teenage girl’s sexual fantasy come to life lounging at the end of her countertop.

‘Tiger is not fat. He’s just big boned.’

‘Bones wobble like that?’

Helen tried to stare him down but found herself fighting a smile. ‘He’s a very important part of my family. If he doesn’t approve, I’ll have to stop seeing you.’

His answering smile disappeared. ‘Does he like canned tuna?’

She nodded.

‘I’ll bring him a few cans next time I come over. I’ve never liked it myself but my brother loves the stuff.’

‘Your brother who owns the penthouse?’

‘Yeah, that’s the one.’ His gaze strayed around the kitchen and adjoining family room. ‘I don’t see any pictures.’

Helen crossed her arms. ‘Of what?’

‘Of your family. Most women have a million cute photos on their walls.’

‘Well, I don’t.’

‘Don’t have pictures or don’t have a family?’

She held his gaze before shrugging. ‘My family doesn’t approve of me.’

‘Why the hell not? You’re a fricking doctor. My father would be over the moon if I was anything remotely as qualified.’

Helen busied herself with the coffee and got out some mugs. She also took the opportunity to place the lasagne Carol had made for their belated dinner in the microwave. ‘I left home when I was eighteen.’

‘You did?’

‘I did.’

He regarded her seriously. ‘They kicked you out?’

‘I chose to leave. I made some mistakes. It was kind of a mutual decision.’

She tensed, waiting to see what he’d make of that. The coffee perked and she automatically handed him a mug.

‘And yet you still managed to become a doctor?’

‘Yes.’

He held up his mug. ‘Well, good for you. That showed ’em, didn’t it?’

‘You did much the same thing.’

His smile died. ‘I didn’t make the grade, doc. I was a fool.’

‘You were one of the top ten rodeo stars in the country. Don’t you think that makes you a success?’

‘At what? Staying on a fucking bull for eight seconds?’

‘It’s an amazing talent, Jay. Don’t put yourself down. How many guys try to achieve what you mastered and fail?’

He gazed into his coffee mug. ‘Perhaps it would’ve been better if I’d failed earlier and done something useful with my life.’

‘You’re not exactly old. You have plenty of time to start something new.’ Helen reached forward to stroke his arm and he flinched away from her.

‘Don’t feel sorry for me, Helen. I can’t deal with that right now.’

She stepped back and pulled her robe closer around her breasts. ‘Trust me. I don’t feel sorry for you. I’ll go and put the shower on. It takes a minute to warm up.’

She grabbed her coffee and retreated back down the hall. The unmade bed smelt of sex and Jay. She resisted the urge to change the sheets and headed for the bathroom. Her bare feet sunk into the soft pink carpet. Not the most sensible floor covering for a bathroom but the most luxurious for her often overtired feet.

At least this time she’d remembered not to push him too far. As soon as he’d backed off, she’d let him. Of course, he’d also learnt more about her past than any man she’d dated since her divorce. She opened the glass door and turned on the shower. Had she hoped to get him to talk by revealing something personal about herself? If so, it hadn’t worked.

Steam billowed from the shower and she decided to start without him. For all she knew, he might have gathered his belongings and left. The lasagne would take a while to reheat and after all that activity she was hungry enough to eat it all if Jay wasn’t there.

She closed her eyes and allowed the scalding water to drift over her head. The door clicked open and a cold draft of air announced Jay’s arrival as he fitted his large frame into the narrow shower.

‘Give me the sponge.’

He took it from her hand and started soaping her breasts. She luxuriated in his touch as he carefully tended to her. Water slid over his hard muscled chest and sculptured abs as he moved around her. She licked his warm skin and he sighed, his erect cock brushed her thigh.

‘I’m still not too good at this sharing crap, am I?’ he said.

‘Not very, but then I’m pretty bad at it myself.’

He bent to kiss her nipple, his tongue swirling around the soap bubbles to expose the glistening red tip. ‘My cock’s sore and yet I still fucking want to be inside you.’

She took his hand and guided it between her legs. ‘If it makes you feel any better, it’s the same for me.’ He slid one long finger inside her and she shivered.

‘I haven’t done a fraction of the things I want to do to you yet.’ His soft murmur made her heart rate increase. ‘When can I see you again?’

‘How about Sunday?’

‘Yeah, that sounds good. You can tell me how it went with the dickless wonder.’

She slid her hand around his muscled biceps. ‘He never satisfied me. He always made me feel like a slut for wanting more.’

Damn, where had that come from? Was she trying to make him feel sorry for her? She ducked her head to stare at their entwined feet. He caught her chin.

‘Don’t hide from me.’ His gray eyes were intense and focused on her face. ‘I’ve never met a woman who could keep up with me sexually before.’

She had to smile. Now he looked as embarrassed as she felt. She placed a hand over his chest, felt the hammer of his accelerated heartbeat.

‘I don’t know how far I can go yet.’

His slow smile was breathtaking. ‘Well, honey, we’ll just have to find out.’

Chapter Thirteen

Even though she was bored to tears, Helen kept smiling. The drinks party was the same as any other faculty event she was forced to attend. A whole series of ass-lickers trying to outdo each other while simultaneously fawning over the professor. In some ways it was worse because the prize was so much bigger.

The small conference room was a bland brown shell, that reeked of coffee and stale food. The wine was warm and cheap and half a box of cheese crackers scattered over a dozen small plates didn’t really count as cocktail snacks. But she’d done her duty and spoken to all the search committee. She glanced at her watch and headed stealthily toward the door. Surely no one would notice if she left.

‘Helen, my dear.’

With a barely suppressed sigh, she turned and faced her two least favorite men in the universe: Professor Hart and her ex-husband, David Campion. She inclined her head.

‘Peter. David.’

‘You look very professional tonight, Helen.’ David’s smile was as proprietary as the professor’s.

‘I try to fit in the best I can.’ She glanced down at her black pants suit and crisp white blouse. The only thing missing for her to blend in completely was a tie – oh, and a penis. She’d learnt early on that anything too feminine was frowned upon. In the early days if they’d sold a fragrance made out of testosterone she’d probably have tried that too.

Peter Hart put his arm around her and she tried not to shudder.

‘Helen is always professional, David. That’s why she is such a valued member of my team.’

Peter squeezed her hard before walking across the room to accost another candidate.

David’s gaze sharpened. ‘I hope you’ll contribute just as well to my team when I accept the position of department head.’

‘You think I’d work for you?’ Helen raised her eyebrows. ‘And I didn’t know you’ve already got the job.’ She glanced around the room. ‘Have you told anyone else that this evening is a complete waste of time? I wish I’d known. There are much better things I’d rather be doing.’

‘Really? Like what?’

She thought about Jay’s body moving over her, the slick taste of his sweat and his come.

David’s fingers clenched on the plastic stem of his glass of cheap Chardonnay. ‘We all know I’m going to get the job, Helen. It’s just a matter of time.’

‘I admire your confidence. But I wouldn’t be so sure you’ll succeed.’

‘Why, because you think you’ve got it all sewn up?’ His smile was ugly. ‘Not every man thinks with his dick.’

She let her gaze stray to the front of his well-cut black pants. ‘Are you sure about that? It always seems to work well for you.’ She turned away but he caught her arm and pulled her into the corner.

‘Sleeping your way into a job isn’t going to work this time.’

Helen went still. ‘This time?’

‘Sweetheart, everyone knows you only married me to advance your career and then turned me over when the professor made you a better offer.’

Helen drilled her fingernails into his wrist until he released her arm.

‘Number one, don’t call me sweetheart. Number two, you’re the guy who sucks whatever he has to to get promoted, not me.’ She looked him right in the eyes. ‘If you spread any trash about me this time, I’m not going to take it like I did before. I’m not married to you anymore and I’ll fight you on every word.’

He backed off, hands held high. ‘Calm down, baby. There’s no need to get so emotional. I was hoping you’d be able to deal with this situation in a professional manner but I suppose your jealousy has to come out somewhere.’

Helen struggled to breathe. ‘My jealousy of you?’ She laughed in his face. ‘I’m more jealous of that potted plant over there than I am of you.’

He took her hand, his palm moist and warm. ‘It’s OK. I know it must be hard for you seeing Carrie-Ann having my babies and sharing my life.’

She immediately broke free, wiping her palm on her jacket. ‘It’s not. Honestly, she’s welcome to you. Our past has nothing to do with this present job opportunity. I promise I’ll treat you exactly the same way I treat all the other candidates – with professional respect.’

‘If that’s how you want to play it, fair enough.’ He pressed his hand to his heart. ‘Only I’ll know how much you are crying inside.’

Her hand fisted as she stared at his smooth unlined forehead. He never listened to her. He had his own crazy little world running inside his head and he lived it to the fullest. She’d never been able to get through to him and he hadn’t really wanted to get to know her. God, she wanted to get away. Jay knew more about who she was and what she needed than David ever would.

Reaching forward, she shook David’s hand.

‘I hope Carrie-Ann is well and that I’ll finally get to meet her with her clothes on.’ She could tell from David’s blank stare that he’d completely missed her reference to her first encounter with Carrie-Ann, naked and on top of David in Helen’s study.

‘Oh right, Carrie-Ann. You’ll get to meet her sooner than you think. I’ve arranged with Professor Hart for all the candidates and the search committee to come and barbecue with us this Sunday.’

‘In LA?’

‘I’ve bought a house in the Oakland Hills area.’

‘Wow, you are confident you’ll get the job, aren’t you?’

He held her gaze. ‘I’m the best candidate, Helen. You know that.’

Helen couldn’t bring herself to speak so she compromised by nodding and inched toward the door.

‘I’ll send you an email with the directions, baby. And, don’t worry, you can bring a friend with you.’

‘Boyfriend?’

David smiled indulgently. ‘No pressure. You can bring one of your girl friends instead, although I think that makes you the only candidate without a partner.’

‘Fine. I’ll do that.’

Helen turned sharply on her high heels and headed out the door before she gave in to the impulse to leap on David’s back and rip his artfully highlighted hair out by the handful. How dare he be so . . . She stared at the set of doors in front of her, willing them to magically part . . . so . . . David?

The sterile white hospital hall felt cool after the stuffy room. Why had she expected him to be different? Just because she’d moved on didn’t mean he had to. What puzzled her most was how no one else seemed to see through his charm to the shallow selfish individual underneath.

Helen dug into her purse for her keys and opened the car door. Inside the car, she rested her hot forehead on the steering wheel. When she first met David, he’d been so charming and attentive she had not seen his flaws. She knew he was cold-blooded about his career and at first that had turned her on. She wanted a man who was as ruthless in the pursuit of what he wanted as she was. He also had class and money, things she aspired to and wanted to learn how to use.