Sizzling (19 page)

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

LORI WAS BOTH excited and nervous as she climbed the stairs.
She was pretty sure she knew what Reid had in mind— the concept
if not the details. While she was thrilled at the thought of being
with him again, she wondered how this time would be different from
the last. Before she'd been totally swept away by the moment. Now she
was not only aware of what they were going to do, but she had her own
growing feelings to contend with.
Making love now would
probably send her into a female frenzy of bonding. Did she want to
take the chance of connecting more? Did she have a choice?
She
reached Reid's room before she'd decided. The door stood partially
open and she stepped inside.
She was met by soft, seductive
music, lit candles everywhere and the man of her dreams walking
toward her. As he took her in his arms and kissed her, she knew the
answer to the question was no, she didn't have the strength or the
will to walk away from him. She was going to play this to the end. If
she got hurt, she would deal with the pain.
"I didn't
think you'd ever get here," he said as he kissed his way down
the side of her neck.
She wore a long-sleeved shirt. He
unfastened the first couple of buttons, then pushed the fabric off
her shoulder so he could kiss her there.
"I have
chocolate wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries," he murmured
against her skin. "Prepare to be seduced."
"Chocolate
wine?"
"You'll love it," he said. "Trust
me."
Her mind and her body fought for her attention. On
the one hand, it was impressive that the original Mr. "I take a
woman who is willing and does the asking" had put himself out
there. On the other, the warm brush of his lips made her not really
care about anything else.
He straightened and pulled her into
his arms. They began to sway to the music, a sexy, sultry Norah Jones
song that had a beat built in desire.
Reid kept one hand on
the small of her back and slipped the other through her hair, then he
kissed her.
His mouth was warm and demanding. She parted for
him. He slipped inside, his tongue brushing hers in a way designed to
excite her. His body was hard and unyielding, already aroused. The
feel of his erection against her belly sent heat and need spiraling
through her.
He wanted her. He wanted
her.
Impossibility battled with reality and reality won. She threw both
arms around him and abandoned herself to the moment.
She
kissed him with all she had, meeting him stroke for stroke, then
closing her lips around his tongue and sucking. He stiffened, his
arousal pulsed, then he nipped her bottom lip and pulled back.
"How
about the chocolate wine?" he asked.
She opened her eyes.
"Not necessary."
"But I have the whole
seduction planned. Especially the chocolate part."
Which
was sweet. He'd obviously gone to a lot of trouble. She appreciated
the gesture. "Seriously, later, I'll be all over that chocolate
wine. But not right now."
She stepped back and toed off
her shoes. After pulling off her socks, she dropped her jeans, then
tossed them onto the sofa. She moved up against him, took his hands
in hers and put them on her butt…the very butt left bare by
the thong she was wearing.
His breath caught. He squeezed her
curves, then eased one hand around to her hip. He pushed the scrap of
silk down her legs and she stepped out of it. Then he slipped his
fingers between her thighs and began to touch her with an expertise
that took her breath away.
He found her center and began to
tease it, moving slowly around the heart of her desire, but not quite
touching it. He did that again and again, until she was close to
begging. She stood, her legs parted, her hands on his shoulders,
needing him to keep her balanced and at the same time wanting him to
rock her world. Just when she was about to give in and shove his hand
into place, he slipped a single finger inside of her and pressed his
thumb exactly where she needed him most.
Sensations rippled
through her. Tension rose as muscles tensed and her breathing
increased. He knew exactly how to do that, how to circle and rub and
excite. It was as if he had been hard-wired into her brain and could
feel what she was feeling.
With each second he touched her,
she moved closer to her orgasm. There was no ebb and flow, no
reaching and hoping. It was just a steep, slick, wet, downhill slide
to paradise. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and prayed her
trembling legs continued to support her. She supposed she could have
suggested they move things to the sofa, but she didn't want to break
the mood of the moment. Not when she was already so close.
"Look
at me," he whispered.
Startled, she did as he requested,
opening her eyes and staring into his.
Fire lurked there.
Bright, hot need that excited her more.
"I like doing
this," he said, his voice low and heavy with his own need. "I
like touching you, arousing you. I like how wet you are and how I can
feel you shaking. I like everything about your body. The softness of
your skin, the way you start to contract even before you're totally
over the edge. I want you, Lori. I want you bad."
His
erotic words quickened her breathing. She started to close her eyes,
but then forced them to stay open.
"Come for me."
It
was more of a request than a command, but it was enough. She crashed
over the edge, her body convulsing in perfect pleasure. He kept his
thumb on her even as he mimicked the act of love and thrust two
fingers inside of her, in and out. Contractions shuddered through her
and she groaned out her surrender.
She had barely come back to
reality when he leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back and
savored the feel of his body against hers. This was only the
beginning, she thought happily as he unfastened the last few buttons
on her shirt, unhooked her bra and tossed both on the floor. Then his
hands were on her breasts.
He cupped her curves before
touching the very tip of her tight nipples. After a couple of
seconds, he broke the kiss and bent his head so he could take her
right breast in his mouth.
He sucked deeply, pulling at her
skin while his fingers caressed her other breast. The connection
between her sensitive breasts and her still throbbing center
strengthened. She felt each stroke, each lick, each circle of his
tongue deep inside. Despite the extraordinary orgasm of a minute or
two ago, she found herself getting aroused.
Suddenly she
wanted him naked. She wanted their bodies pressed together, joining
and staying that way until they were both exhausted. She tugged at
his sweater.
"Get your clothes off," she insisted.
"Now."
"I like it when you're bossy," he
said with a grin, then obliged her request. His feet were already
bare so all that was required was for him to pull off his sweater,
jeans and briefs. Then she could see all of him.
He had a
perfect body, she thought as she walked around him, touching whatever
interested her most. His shoulder, his back, the curve of his
butt.
She did what he had done that first time they'd made
love. She snuggled up behind him, pressing her body against his and
began to touch him everywhere.
He was too tall for her to see
over him, so she closed her eyes and imagined what he looked like.
She explored his chest, paying particular attention to his nipples.
She stroked them, then squeezed them. He groaned softly. At the same
time she trailed kisses across his back, punctuating them with
little, soft nips.
She moved her fingers lower, down his flat
belly, then out to his narrow hips. She brushed across his muscled
thighs, before taking him in both hands.
He was hard—
that always unexpected male combination of impossibly rigid flesh
encased in the softest of skin. She explored his length, then circled
the head, running her fingers along the sensitive underside before
returning to the base and dipping her fingers to explore his
testicles.
She wanted him as much as she'd ever wanted anyone.
Okay, if she was going to be honest, she wanted him more. She wanted
him inside of her, taking her, claiming her.
There it was—
her secret truth. She wanted to be claimed by this man. Nothing
between them but naked flesh and desire. And hearts, she thought,
emotions welling up inside of her. She wanted him to care with a
desperation that took his breath away.
The longing, deeper and
more powerful than any she'd ever known, threatened her arousal. So
she pushed it away to be dealt with another time. She dropped her
hands, moved around to stand in front of him and kissed him.
He
responded like a starving man. He kissed her hard and hot, touching
her everywhere. He also began nudging her backward, toward the
bedroom.
His hands were on her breasts, between her legs.
Frantic, urging and she soon found herself just as eager. Then she
was on the bed. There was a second's delay as he slipped on a condom,
then he was inside of her, filling her, taking her with an intensity
that gave her no choice except to give herself to him and enjoy the
ride.

* * *

"DISASTER," Dani said as she sank into the chair
opposite Gary's at The Daily Grind. "It was a total disaster. I
loved everything about the place. Valerie was great, her staff was
charming and happy. Martina, the chef, is someone I would love to
work with."
"So how was it a disaster?"
Dani
glanced around, wanting to make sure no one from Valerie's Garden
happened to be lurking in the area, then spoke in a low voice.
"The
food was hideous. Seriously awful. I hated everything. Even the iced
tea. Apparently I don't have an upscale vegan palate. If only they'd
given me a regular cheese quesadilla, I would have signed up in a
heartbeat. Or if it had been nearly any other kind of food. Even if
I'd only sort of liked it, I probably would have tried to make the
job work, but I'm telling you. What they served bordered on
nasty."
Gary chuckled. "They probably won't want you
in their ads."
"Probably not. I'm seriously bummed.
Why did it have to be like this? I feel like Goldilocks. So far,
nothing is exactly right."
Gary reached across the tiny
table and patted the back of her hand. "You'll find something. I
know you will."
"I hope so," she grumbled, even
as she tried to figure out what she felt about him touching
her.
"I'll keep looking," she said. "I'm
determined to further my career. I'm getting calls, so that's good. I
just have to be patient."
"That's the attitude,"
he said. "Did you talk to the private investigator?"
"Yes.
Thanks for giving me her name. She's great and we got along, but she
said without some more information, she can't help me."
Dani
wasn't surprised. She knew absolutely nothing about her father except
for the fact that at one time he'd existed.
"I haven't
got a clue about him," Dani said. "No name, no address, not
even a description. I've asked my oldest brother Cal if he remembers
anything but he doesn't. He was pretty young and I'm sure my mother
was careful to keep him away from the man she was having an affair
with."
Gary pulled back his hand and took a sip of his
coffee. "What about papers from your mother? Letters? Notes? A
date book?"
All good ideas, she thought. "I don't
know of anything like that. I'll ask my brothers, but I don't hold
out too much hope. There's only one person who might know something
and getting her to talk would take a miracle."
"They
happen."
"Not in my world."
Gloria? Help
her? Her brothers swore the old woman had changed, but was it enough?
Gloria had made it clear she loathed Dani.
"I don't want
to give her the pleasure of going to her and asking," Dani said
flatly. "She doesn't deserve it."
"What do you
deserve?" he asked. "If there's a chance of getting what
you want, isn't that worth an awkward conversation?"
She
smiled. "Oh, sure. Be rational."
"I'm a math
teacher. What did you expect?"
She sighed. "I know
you're right. I just can't stand the thought of going begging, which
means you're going to say then I obviously don't care enough about
finding my father."
She drank more of her coffee. "Maybe
I'll talk to Reid. He's living in Gloria's house and spending the
most time with her. If he says she's really willing to help, then
I'll ask."
"Now you have a plan."
She
looked at him. "You think I should go face the dragon."
"Our
fears get bigger than they should be if we don't see them in the
light of day."
"That would be the theology teacher
speaking," she said.
"Maybe, and a little of the
man."
"We never talk about your life very much,"
she said, realizing she didn't know that much about him. "You're
very good at asking questions."
"I'm very interested
in your life," he told her. "My days are often
similar."
"And I'm living in the middle of a soap
opera. I'm thrilled to know I can at least entertain my
friends."
"We appreciate it," he said lightly,
then leaned toward her. "Dani, would you like to go to dinner
with me sometime?"
He was asking her out. She'd wondered
if he would and how she would feel about the invitation. But now that
it was here, there was no sense of panic or the need to avoid taking
things to the next level. Gary was a great guy. She really liked him.
He was kind and honest. The total lack of physical chemistry might be
a good thing. She'd been burned by passion enough lately.
"I
would love to go to dinner with you," she said.

* * *

REID WAS FEELING LIKE pretty hot shit. It was sunny and
relatively warm, he'd decided what to do with his life and last night
he'd seduced the hell out of Lori. He hadn't taken what was offered,
he hadn't gone along with what was easy. He'd planned the evening,
reduced her to a puddle and then he'd made her scream.
He
liked knowing he could do that to her. He also liked that there was
no pretending. He could read her body nearly as easily as he read his
own and he knew exactly how to please her. Being with her made him
feel good. He found himself wanting things he hadn't thought about in
a long time.
The realization should have scared the crap out
of him. Instead he found himself thinking about the future. Playing a
serious round or two of "what if."
What if he didn't
walk away from Lori? What if things developed between them? What if
she fell in love with him?
He knew she liked him. Not just the
crush she'd admitted to, but real liking. She wouldn't have slept
with him otherwise. He wanted to take credit for her physical
transformation, but he knew it had very little to do with him. She'd
used him as the excuse, but in truth she'd wanted to make a change
for a long time. Lori wasn't comfortable hiding anymore. It had just
taken a while for her outsides to figure that out.
But could
she fall in love with him? Was she willing to take that ultimate
risk? He knew that on the surface he was a great catch. Healthy,
good-looking and rich. But what about on the inside? He'd never
committed to a woman in his life. He'd only offered once. As Lori had
pointed out, he'd then used that moment as an excuse to stop
trying.
That wouldn't be enough for Lori. She had high
standards and he wondered if he could measure up.
He poured
more coffee from the pot on the credenza, then turned back to the
stack of letters on his desk. He'd pulled out the ones that bothered
him the most and had gone over them again. He had to be able to do
something for these kids.
One caught his eye. The one from the
boy whose twin brother had died. Reid had grown up close to Walker
and Cal. His brothers, along with Dani, had meant everything to him.
If something had happened to one of them…
He picked up
the phone and dialed the number on the letter. A woman
answered.
"Mrs. Baker?"
"Yes."
"Good
morning. My name is Reid Buchanan. I used to play baseball."
"What?
Oh. Really? I know who you are. My son is a huge baseball fan. The
sport and the players are his world. Even more so since…well,
recently. He hated to see you retire. He talked about it for
days."
If the kid knew Reid had screwed up his career
himself, he would think a lot less of him.
"Mrs. Baker,
your son wrote me about your loss. I'm terribly sorry."
There
was a moment of silence followed by a strangled, "Thank you.
It's been difficult."
"I can imagine. I was thinking
about what I could do for Justin. To take his mind off of things for
a little while. I have some friends on the Seattle Mariners and I've
been talking to their general manager. How would you and Justin like
to spend a long weekend with the team at spring training? You'd be
flown down first-class, put up in a nice hotel. You'd have a car and
a driver at your disposal, along with money for meals. The hotel has
a spa. You'd have free use of the facilities. I'd make sure there was
someone to keep an eye on Justin while you were relaxing."
He
heard her breath catch. "I don't know what to say," she
admitted. "Why would you do this?"
"Because I
can. You and Justin have already been through too much."
"You're
being incredibly generous," she said quietly. "I don't know
what to think."
"I would very much like you to let
me do this for you. If you need a little time to think it over, then
let me give you my phone number. You can call me back."
She
gave a little laugh. "Mr. Buchanan, I might have trouble getting
through the day, but I'm not totally crazy. Justin would love this
and honestly, so would I. Of course we'll go. Thank you."
"You're
welcome. I'm going to have a travel agent call you in a couple of
hours. She'll make all the arrangements. But I want you to take my
personal number as well. If you have any trouble, anything at all,
you call me."
"This is amazing. Thank you."
"Just
take your boy and have a good time."
"We
will."
They hung up. Reid leaned back in his chair and
stared down at the list of arrangements that had to be made. While
the travel agent he'd spoken with had promised to stay on top of
things, he knew he would be calling around and checking himself. He
didn't want another repeat of the no return tickets disaster.
He
pulled out a pad of paper and added to the ongoing list. If the
foundation wasn't going to have an in-house travel agent, then he
wanted to make sure there was someone who would follow up on the
arrangements made. There weren't going to be any more screw-ups on
his watch.