Roping the Wind (4 page)

‘OK, I’ll think about it,’ she said, standing up.

He went still, his hat in his hand. She fought a smile. Had he assumed she would refuse? What would he do now that she’d called his bluff?

‘Great.’ He continued putting on his jacket and placed his Stetson on his head.

She frowned. ‘I’m not going to bed with you.’

‘On a first date?’ He grinned. ‘That would be tacky, and tacky definitely isn’t your style. I’ll wait for you in the lobby. What time do you get off?’

‘Six.’ She automatically formed the words before her brain caught up with her. ‘But I haven’t said I’m definitely coming . . .’

‘You’ll be coming all right.’ He took her by the shoulders and moved her gently to one side. When the door shut quietly behind him, she still hadn’t managed to move.

Chapter Three

Jay studied the clock over the elevators in the pristine lobby. It was almost six. Would Dr Know-it-all come down and face him or was she already creeping down the back stairs and heading for the parking lot? After leaving her office he’d had his X-ray taken and got a coffee from the nearest Starbucks before returning to the hospital.

Her news about his injured knee hadn’t hurt as much as he’d anticipated. After all, he’d had several months to get used to the idea. Subconsciously, he’d known the moment the bull stamped on him that he was done. Maybe it was better to have it all out in the open and finally deal with it. He snorted.
Yeah, it was that simple, right?

He automatically checked his new cellphone and realized it wouldn’t help. Of course there were no messages; he hadn’t given anyone his new number yet. She wasn’t a coward. He reckoned that if she didn’t want to go out with him, she’d come and tell him herself. The rational part of him wondered what the hell he’d asked her out for anyway. The purely male part wanted to touch her again in a more primitive way.

Kissing her had turned out to be an unexpectedly erotic experience. She’d tasted so good he’d had a hard time letting her go. Beneath that ice was pure fire. He could sense it with every male cell in his body.

The elevator chimed and he looked up to see Dr Helen approaching him. She’d taken off her white coat and wore a simple blue pants suit and green blouse. Her blonde hair lay in soft waves around her shoulders.

Jay almost swallowed his tongue. She always looked so calm and in control. He had an absurd desire to kiss her until her hair was mussed and her body wrapped around his.

He got to his feet and touched the brim of his hat. ‘See, I knew you’d show up. Are you ready to go?’

She stared up at him, her blue eyes untroubled by the difference in their height and the way he deliberately crowded her personal space.

She jangled her keys. ‘Do you have a car or shall I drive?’

‘I usually use BART when I’m in the city, so I reckon I’ll have to put up with your driving.’

‘I’m a good driver. I’ve never had a ticket in my life.’

He followed her back into the elevator and down to the garages below the building. ‘Now why doesn’t that surprise me?’

‘Because you think I’m a goody two-shoes.’ She shifted her purse higher on her shoulder as the doors opened.

‘I bet you were a cheerleader too.’

She stopped beside a new silver BMW convertible and hit the button on her key. ‘Nope, too plain and too poor.’

He raised his eyebrows as he carefully slid into the passenger seat, inhaling the luxurious scent of new leather and her unique spicy perfume. She didn’t seem too plain or poor now. And did he really want to know her personal history? He’d always avoided that trap with the women he’d slept with on the rodeo tour. Too afraid of them getting up close and personal and starting to expect things from him.

He leant back in his seat as Dr Kinsale reversed smoothly out of the parking space and headed toward the exit. She spared him a glance as they approached the barrier. ‘Where are we going?’

‘The Ritz-Carlton on Stockton and California.’

She kept staring at him until he had to grin. ‘What’s up? Did you think I’d take you to Burger King?’ He enjoyed the way color flooded her cheeks. ‘We can go there if you’d rather.’

She swung into the flow of traffic and immediately came to a dead stop. ‘I’m just surprised you managed to get a reservation at such short notice.’

Jay pretended to look out the window. Dr Kinsale didn’t need to know that being a resident in the Ritz-Carlton Club on Market, even if it was courtesy of his brother, came with a few attached benefits such as priority dinner reservations in any of their hotels.

Despite the traffic, it wasn’t long before they approached the imposing entrance of the hotel. A valet whisked away the car and they were ushered into the cool luxury of the restaurant.

Dr Kinsale took off her sunglasses and stared at his jeans.

‘Will they let you in wearing those?’

He shrugged as they approached the reservations desk. ‘I sure hope so. I’ve already sacrificed one pair of jeans for your benefit. I’m not planning on losing these.’

The maître d’ looked down his long nose as Jay approached him and didn’t smile. He obviously felt the same way about jeans as the good doctor did.

‘Good evening, sir. Do you have a reservation?’

Jay smiled. ‘I sure do. Turner. Two for six-thirty.’ His smile disappeared as the guy ostentatiously ran his finger over the page.

‘Are you sure about that?’ His gaze lingered on Jay’s faded T-shirt. ‘Perhaps somewhere less formal might suit you better. There are several fast-food restaurants nearby.’

Jay stepped in front of Helen, took out his wallet and flicked the Ritz-Carlton Club card Grayson had given him onto the open reservations book.

A flush spread over the man’s face. ‘Of course, sir. Please come in, madam.’ His bad French accent miraculously disappeared. He turned to bow to Dr Kinsale. ‘We’ll have our best table ready for you in just an instant.’

Jay picked up the card and didn’t move. He waited until the guy stopped blabbering and turned back to face him. ‘What’s your name?’

‘It’s Foster, sir, Charles Foster.’

Jay nodded as he took Dr Kinsale’s arm. ‘I’ll be sure to mention you when I let the hotel know about the service here.’

He thought he heard a choke of laughter and looked down to see Dr Kinsale struggling not to smile. He might be the black sheep of the Turner clan but he’d been around powerful men long enough to know how to deal with bad service.

By the time they were seated and Mr Foster had practically prostrated himself at his feet, Jay had recovered his equanimity.

Dr Kinsale gave him a suspicious look.

‘What did you do to make him seat us so fast?’

He shrugged. ‘I dunno, doc. Perhaps he recognized me. He’s just the type to be a big PBR fan.’

She smiled as she unfolded her napkin. ‘Somehow I doubt that.’ She sipped at her lemon-flavored water. ‘Can we drop the “doc”? My name’s Helen.’

‘And mine’s Jay. To be honest, calling you “doc” reminds me of all the painful hours I’ve spent in hospital this year.’

Her expression changed. ‘It makes me remember all the painful hours I’ve spent there, too.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘I would’ve thought you loved it. Being the hero in the white coat who comes along and saves everyone.’

‘Like the guy in the white cowboy hat?’

He found himself grinning at her. ‘That guy no longer exists. I believe he got run out of town by Clint Eastwood.’

The waiter arrived to take their order and Jay took the opportunity to study Dr Helen up close. She had the severe kind of beauty that kept men at a distance. He wondered how it must feel to be a woman men wanted. Was that why she looked so remote? Was it a deliberate ploy to put horny men like him off?

He knew where he wanted her. Naked and in his bed. But how was he going to persuade her it was a good idea? He wasn’t even sure it was himself. She wasn’t the kind of woman you could fuck and forget. What did he have to offer her that a million other men didn’t?

Helen finished her fourth glass of Chardonnay and placed it carefully on the linen tablecloth. She didn’t normally drink much on a date but, to her surprise, Jay Turner had proved a relaxed and attentive dinner companion. He’d asked a bunch of questions that actually made sense and then listened to her answers without using them as a springboard to talk about himself.

He sat back, one arm draped over the back of his chair, his attention fixed firmly on her face. ‘So how come you were free this weekend? I assumed you’d be the kind of woman who had only to snap her fingers to get a date.’

She sighed and rested her chin in one hand. She felt oddly lightheaded and chatty. ‘I dumped a guy this morning. I was supposed to spend a weekend away with him and I realized I couldn’t stand the thought of it.’

His gray eyes crinkled with amusement. ‘Why?’

‘Because he was too old, too rich and too respectful of me.’

‘I would’ve thought you’d like that.’

She held his gaze. ‘I thought I would too, but I’m bored. I’ve spent my whole life making men bow down to me. At work and in my personal life. I’m fed up of being in charge. I want something different.’

He sat forward and took her hand. ‘Is that why you agreed to have dinner with me?’

She stared at him. Was it? If only her brain was working properly instead of fizzing with sexual excitement like a teenager’s. ‘You’ve never treated me like a fragile glass ornament.’

‘That’s because I want to fuck you and I know glass breaks.’

‘You want me?’ She stroked his thumb, which then curled possessively over her fingers. To her distant surprise she was too relaxed to resent his blunt statement. Her whole body heated in a lustful rush. ‘I thought you hated me.’

He laughed. ‘Hell, I thought I did too, but now I realize I was looking at it from completely the wrong angle.’

The waiter brought their coffee but Jay didn’t release her hand. ‘If you’re serious about this, I’d like to make you an offer.’

Helen couldn’t resist stroking his lower lip. He shuddered and turned the caress back on her by sucking her thumb into his mouth.

‘What offer is that?’ She sounded breathy. She never sounded breathy.

‘I want to be your lover, but there are certain conditions attached that you have to agree to up front.’

He smiled at her with such sexual promise that she felt her panties flood with moisture.

‘I’ve only had a few glasses of wine. I’m perfectly capable of making a decision now.’

He shook his head. ‘I’ll tell you what I want and then I’ll give you the night to think it over. It’s better that way.’

Helen took a deep breath. Her whole body hummed with excitement and anticipation. All the years of being responsible, of being the boss, suddenly seemed meaningless.

‘Tell me what you have in mind.’

He studied their joined hands before looking back up at her. ‘It’s simple really. You promise to give up sexual control to me. You do what I say, when I say it. No arguing, no pleading, no changing your mind unless you walk right away from me and never come back.’

She gazed into his eyes, realizing he was serious.

‘How do I know you won’t hurt me?’

His fingers tightened over hers. ‘Don’t you know that in the right circumstances pain can also be pleasurable? As I said, if you agree to this, you’re going to have to trust me with your body completely.’

She shivered, imagining what he might have planned for her. Squeezed her thighs tightly together against the aching tension building between her legs.

‘OK, I want to think about it.’

He brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed them. ‘I’d offer to drive you home, but you’re the one with the car.’

She smiled at him. ‘I’ll drop you if you want.’

He shook his head as he scribbled his name on the check and got to his feet. ‘There’s no need. I can walk from here. My doctor says it’s good for me.’

He stood with her at the hotel entrance while the valet retrieved her car. Soft tendrils of fog from the bay floated overhead, caught in the gathering darkness. She noticed he still favored his uninjured leg. She touched his arm.

‘You don’t have to wait. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you tomorrow.’

‘No, you won’t.’

She glared up at him. ‘Even if I decide not to take up your offer, I will still call you.’

He bit back a grin. ‘That’s good to know, but it’s not what I meant. I changed my cell today. You don’t have my new number.’

She fussed around in her purse until she found a pen and one of her business cards. ‘Write it down for me then and we’ll have no more misunderstandings.’

‘Yes, doc, whatever you say, doc.’

He handed her back the card and she slipped it into her pocket. The valet appeared with her car from underground parking. ‘I’ll call you.’

He dipped his head and kissed her, only his mouth in contact with hers. He kept kissing her until the valet’s voice dissolved into a meaningless blur. If he could make her feel like this with a simple touch of his lips, what would his lovemaking be like?

When he finally raised his head, her knees were shaking.

He touched her swollen lips. ‘Call me,’ he said.

Chapter Four

Helen’s alarm clock went off with all the fury of an atomic bomb. In her haste to stop the noise, she knocked the clock to the floor and had to lean over the edge of the mattress and scrabble around to find it. She groaned as blood roared into her skull, fueled by the alcohol she’d consumed on the previous night.

By the time she silenced the clock, her head was pounding. She lay still, the clock clasped to her breasts, and tried to open her eyes. Dammit, she’d had four glasses of wine, not four bottles. Images of Jay Turner’s erotic kisses flooded her mind and made her blood rush to other sensitive parts of her body. She slid a hand between her legs and cupped herself. Had he really suggested she give up sexual control to him? She squeezed her thighs together against the rush of heat. He’d done her a favor by refusing to accept her answer last night. In her drunken state, she feared she would’ve jumped at the chance.