Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (82 page)

“
Lust may motivate the man, but romance woos the woman.”

“
Not this woman. I’ll take lust over romance any day,” she declared.

“
You’re not Cheris. Changing the subject here, do you know the route Cheris takes when she comes to visit you?”

“
Why?”

“
She told me about a house she likes, but I can’t find it. She said it’s on the way to your apartment.”

“
Huh. She’s never told me about a house.” Janie clucked her tongue in thought. “I bet it’s on Mary Jane Road. She always takes that street when she’s driving me home. Bugs the crap out of me because it’s out of the way.”

Geoff grinned.
“I’ll check it out. Thanks, Sis.”

Chapter Nine

He had not yet learned that the only safe male rebuke to a scornful female is to stay away from her—especially if that is what she desires. However, he did not wish to rebuke her; simply and ardently he wished to dance the cotillion with her. Resentment was swallowed up in hope.

—
Penrod
by Booth Tarkington

“You’re not peeking, are you?”

From behind her hands, Cheris rolled her eyes.
“No, I’m not peeking, but I feel really stupid. Why can’t I see where we’re going?”

“
Because I want it to be a surprise.”

The smooth motion of the car made it impossible for Cheris to guess where he was taking her for their one week anniversary. Not that Geoff had said anything about an anniversary, but when he
’d picked her up this afternoon, the air around him had nearly crackled with excitement. He hadn’t told her where they were going for the second time in their short courtship. Then in the car, he’d suggested she put her hands over her eyes.

“
I told you before. I don’t really like surprises,” said Cheris referring to their trip to the planetarium.

“
But you enjoyed the star show, or am I mistaken?” The car stopped, and Geoff shut off the engine.

“
Yes, I did like it. Can I look now?”

“
Yes.”

Cheris lowered her hands and saw it through the windshield.

Her dream house sat so pretty in her dream yard with her dream tree and hanging from it, of course, the dream swing.

All there. All real.

Cheris blinked at the brick structure with its recessed porch and low wrought iron gate. Long windows with real white painted shutters bookended the front.

Cheris opened the door and slid out of the SUV and regarded the house as if it might vanish. She crossed her arms as she stood there for a moment before stepping onto the freshly mown grass.

“Is it okay for us to be here?”

“
Yes.”

Cheris walked toward the tree and sat on the swing. She held the chains and swayed with her toes against the packed dirt.

“How did you figure out which one it was?”

“
A little investigating. Unfortunately, it’s no longer listed.”

Cheris moved a shoulder in dismissal.
“Still a nice dream house. Wonder who bought it?”

“
No one. The contract with the realtor ran out, and the owner didn’t relist it.”

“
It’s a shame for it to be empty.”

“
Real shame especially when you see the inside.”

Cheris
’ eyes widened at his statement. “Have you seen the inside?”

Geoff held up a key between thumb and forefinger.
“I have. Would you like to?”

She shook her head in disbelief.
“How did you get a key?”

“
My dad has a friend who’s a realtor so I called him. He pulled some strings.”

“
Wow.” Cheris stood, and side by side they approached the house. “It’s nice to have connections.”

“
Sure is.”

Cheris opened the gate running her fingers along the smooth metal as she did so. The empty porch testified to the house
’s vacancy.

Sad.

Geoff slid the key into the lock and turned it. With his hand on the knob, he looked at Cheris. “Ready?”

Cheris bounced on her heals in anticipation. She nodded, resisting the urge to open the door herself.

Geoff waited another second, then two, and pushed it open. She crossed the threshold and stopped in amazement.

Oh. My. Gosh.

There was a pool. An indoor pool.

Cheris
’ studied the lines of the large room lit mainly from the late afternoon sunlight through its glassed back wall. Spiral wrought iron stairs led to a walkway which connected the second story rooms to each other from opposite sides of the house. With their open space, both ends of the house reminded of Cheris of a miniature house without a back wall allowing some lucky girl to put her dolls in all the rooms.

Her shoes clicked as she crossed the tiled floor to a patio table set for two, a picnic basket on the floor next to one of the chairs.

“I can’t get over this.” Cheris glanced back at Geoff, but his warm gaze held hers. “Can you believe this?”

“
You begin to understand why the cost is so exorbitant.” He indicated the front wall, reminiscent of the front porch outside. “These are two houses connected by the pool room. Here’s one house.” He pointed to the open walls near the front door they had entered. “And that’s the other house.”

“
What about that end of the pool over there?” Downstairs was a bedroom and above it another bedroom visible through sliding glass doors.

“
That used to be the garage. It jutted out to the side. The one on the east side still has its garage on the front.”

“
Why in the world would someone leave this? It’s gorgeous.”

“
One house belonged to a woman, the other to her adult daughter. The woman died, and her daughter is divorced with children and grandchildren who live in Nevada and Florida respectively. I think she’s living close to the one with the most grandchildren.”

Cheris stepped to the rail on the porch leading into the east house.
“How many bedrooms total?”

“
Seven. Much too large for one person.” He followed her as they entered the door and walked through the unfurnished rooms until they passed through a door which must have been an exit before the addition. It led to the western side of the pool room with three bedrooms each with their own bathroom. From the back bedroom they walked on the catwalk over the pool and leaned on the railing overlooking the cavernous room.

“
Are you sure it’s okay for us to be here?” Cheris watched Geoff as he rested his elbows on the metal banister.

“
You don’t think I’d break in to your dream house just to impress you, do you?” His mouth crooked in a smile making Cheris wonder.

She shrugged.

“I wouldn’t. Larry Preston, my dad’s friend, he
knows people
.” Geoff made brackets in the air with his fingers. “He’d do anything for a friend, and if it eventually leads to a commission on a sold house, all the better.”

Cheris
’ mouth dropped open. “You aren’t thinking of buying this house, are you?”

Geoff laughed and shook his head.
“I don’t think so. My dream house has more bookshelves in it. Maybe a moat with an alligator or two to keep out the unsavory characters.”

“
Alligators in a moat?”

“
What? You like a tree swing, I like a reptile-fortified security system. We’re talking about ideal here.”

The room was darker now as the sun dipped below the tree line in the back yard, and the lit sconces on the walls inside became more prominent.

They strolled further along the walkway to the eastern side of the house. The bedroom they walked into was nearly as large as Cheris’ apartment. She could fit her car in the walk-in closet with room to spare. She cast one last longing glance at the sunken tub in the bathroom which could easily accommodate an alligator before they ventured down the stairs to the living room.

Cheris sighed.
“This really is a dream house.”

“
Would you want to live here?”

“
I don’t know. The size is overwhelming. It certainly doesn’t look this big from the outside.”

Geoff nodded sitting on the oversized leather chair and propping his feet on the matching footrest.

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to sit on the furniture?”

“
Sure. The furniture comes with it. Larry said she took what she wanted with her, but still left enough to furnish this side of the house.”

Cheris sat on the matching couch and sank into the butter soft comfort of the cushions.

Oh my. I need this couch.

“
Nice, huh?”

Cheris ran her hand along the armrest.
“Very nice.”

Geoff didn
’t reply, but the silence was comfortable. In their time together this week, there had been several quiet moments. If conversation happened, it wasn’t forced then, but another facet of the budding relationship.

And it was feeling like a budding relationship.

Geoff had tempered his time with her. If they spent a marathon of hours together one day, the next day he’d wait until the evening to see her. Each night he’d ask her plans for the next day, and if she had none, he’d suggest a place to visit, an idea to hang out at her apartment, or a plan for spending time together. Yesterday morning she’d been surfing web when she’d received an invitation to play an online game with him. They’d played nearly two hours before he’d called it quits via an IM and asked her out for dinner at the Riverfront Inn.

“
I’m going back to Georgia in the morning.”

Disappointment ballooned at his words.

“I’d rather not go, but classes start up again Monday, and I’ve got some things to do to get ready.”

“
I understand.”

“
Certainly you’re welcome to go with me, or come visit if you get bored during your…vacation.”

Honeymoon, actually.
Not that they’d done much honeymooning. They hadn’t kissed since she’d jumped him at her apartment for his mother’s sake.

Hadn
’t even touched.

Well, except for when they had gone to see a Sci-Fi flick. They
’d both reached for the popcorn, and her leg had brushed his a few times as they sat next to each other.

Her cat Timmy had gotten more action even, settling on Geoff
’s lap like they were best friends while Geoff scratched his neck and smoothed his thick white fur.

Cheris would have shut the cat in the bathroom, but Geoff insisted he didn
’t mind. Cheris had minded. She hated to admit she’d been jealous of Timmy as she watched Geoff’s fingers caress the animal.

“
Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

“
Are you hungry? I brought food.” Geoff tented his hands and waited for her answer.

****

Lovely. She was so lovely
.

Cheris sat across the table from Geoff and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. She couldn
’t have known how enticing the gesture was, how the copper of her hair reflected the flame from the tabletop candles, how the smell of chlorine from the pool elicited images of them swimming in it—bathing suits optional. In this moment, he’d mortgage his soul to give her this house if he could live with her here and share the gigantic bedroom upstairs for the next fifty or sixty years.

The king sized bed had looked inviting though when Geoff had pulled the comforter back earlier today, it revealed a bare mattress.

Not that he had plans for that bed.

Well, not exactly.

With so many sleepless nights this week, he’d about decided the bed—sheets or not—was looking good for actual sleep.

He suppressed a yawn and took his glasses off to wipe his eyes.

“Ready to go?” Cheris asked. “You look tired.”

Geoff shook his head.

She held out her hand. “Let me see your glasses.”

He handed them to her, and her gauzy figure moved.
“Oh, my. Your eyesight is not very good, is it?”

“
No.”

“
How well can you see me?”

Uneasiness niggled at him. What was she doing?
“Not very.”

“
How many fingers am I holding up?” She teased.

“
Give me my glasses, and I’ll tell you.” He held out his hand, but the glasses didn’t materialize. “Cheris.” He crooked his fingers.

“
Interesting,” she murmured. “Geoff Arrowood seems to be at a disadvantage.”

“
Come on.”

“
So, if I do this, you can’t even see me, can you?”

He couldn
’t be sure, but it looked as if she had put his glasses down the front of her shirt.

So, should he go after them, or play dumb?
“Are you teasing me?”

“
Perhaps.” Her suggestive tone left little doubt. He weighed his options. He could sit here on this side of the table conversing to her Monet image, or he could risk breaking his nose with a surprise attack.

Geoff skirted the table, but by the time he had jumped to her chair, she had vacated it scrambling around the table giggling all the while. With a quick retrieval, she now held her arm up and over the pool.