The Best Man (5 page)

“That’s good enough for me. So are
you going to come?”

She smacked her lips. She sure as
hell wanted to. “If I leave the construction site now, and depending on
traffic, I should make it by three. Will that be soon enough?”

“That’ll be great. We’ll grab a bite
to eat after the races. I’ll wait for you at the main entrance around three. Bye.”

“I’ll be there.” She clicked her
phone shut and puffed her cheeks up, then slowly released the air.

This was it. Damn, she loved the
chase. She slid in behind the steering wheel. And she loved those initial bouts
of lovemaking—getting to know a man’s body and teaching a man what she liked.

She drove down the street a short
distance and parked. She reached for her bag, pulled out a brush and ran it
through her hair, then freshened her lipstick. She smiled at her reflection in
the hand mirror. It would have to do. Hopefully he wasn’t an old fashioned man
turned off by hip huggers. Kitty smoothed out her top.

She tilted her head at her
reflection and flashed an eyebrow.
What the hell.
She glanced around,
discreetly slid her hands up under her cardigan, and unsnapped her bra.
Laughing hard, she stuffed it in the glove compartment.

Kitty settled back behind the wheel
and drove off. She was ready for the races. She was surprised he’d come to Chicago for her. The racehorses were an obvious ruse.

Now that he was here, she saw no
point in sending him home without getting a little of what he hoped for. She
checked her speedometer and slowed. It was difficult not to get excited about
their next gift exchange.

CHAPTER THREE

“Hot damn,” Jared mumbled as he
recognized the tall blonde in hip huggers and a yellow top picking her way
through other spectators towards where he stood.

He swallowed hard, his penis
immediately springing to life.
Cripes.
He’d remembered her as a vision
in yellow, but with sunshine bouncing off her pale hair and yellow top he was
sure his eyes were playing tricks on him. Vision or real, he inhaled and rubbed
his hands together. This woman was definitely worth the trip.

Her gaze never swayed from the
doorway as she neared. She looked like a determined woman on a mission. He
coughed slightly—he liked the idea that
he
was her mission. The only thing
that bothered him was knowing she hadn’t dressed that sexy specifically for
him. So who the hell else was she trying to impress with her curves? Sorenson
hadn’t been able to identify a regular lover.

Whoever it was had better step aside
while he was in town. He might tire of his women quickly, but he wasn’t ready
to share her. She’d be free to roam soon enough. He waved a beckoning hand at
her. Smiling broadly, she waved back when she spied him. His heart skipped a
beat. The damn woman made him feel half his age.

“Hi,” she breathed, kissing him on
the cheek. “I hope I’m not too underdressed for you.”

 He groaned and hugged her close,
relishing the feel of her braless breasts crushing against his chest. He slid
his hands down her spine until his fingers rested on her bare skin above her
jeans. Even her skin felt warm like sunshine.

 He blinked and broke away, taking
her by hand. “Lady, I can’t imagine you ever being too undressed for my tastes.”

She squeezed his fingers without a
hint of a blush. “We may have to see about that. So where is this horse I’m
supposed to be a good luck charm for?”

He laughed easily. “Damn, it’s good
to see you. I’ve got a box reserved. My trainer doesn’t like me to drop by
before the race. He’s sort of superstitious about that. He figures owners make
the filly nervous.”

“It’s difficult to imagine you
making a filly nervous.” She smiled evenly and checked her watch. “So do you
have a favorite in the next race?”

She made no effort to retrieve her
hand from his as he guided her up a ramp to their box.

- o -

Kitty peeked at the man sitting next
to her studying the
Daily Racing Form
. While she’d frequented the track
often enough to know the
Form
was considered the biblical source for all
things important about the horses on the day’s racing card, she’d never
bothered to learn how to read the coded numbers charting a horse’s past
performances. Given her recent purchase, she might need to master that arcane
art.

Jared Jacobs wasn’t fooling her by
his apparent nonchalant attitude as he seemingly paid more attention to the
Form
than to her. His knee casually rested against her thigh. Was that his heartbeat
or hers she could feel pounding where they touched?

His eyes had rounded when she’d
drawn close enough for him to see her taut nipples pushing against the fabric
holding them in. His fingers tracing the line of her jeans across the small of
her exposed back had sent chills everywhere.

He liked her in yellow. Wasn’t he
lucky she’d chosen that particular top for the day? She hid her grin under her
program. Maybe
she
was the lucky one.

He’d surprised her, too. The last
time she’d seen him, he’d filled out a tux as well as any man she’d seen. He’d
appeared suave, sophisticated, the master of his own destiny. This Jared was
quite the contrast. From his western boots, to his form-fitting jeans, to his
white shirt, to his corduroy sport coat, to his bolo tie, to his dark brown
western hat, he exuded a breathtaking masculinity. She’d creamed almost as soon
as she’d recognized him waving at her.

She inhaled deeply, catching a whiff
of his cologne.
That
was the same, and so was his mustache. Again, she
couldn’t help but wonder if he took as much care with his women as he did with
that mustache.

She was determined to find out. Soon.
She glanced down the track to see the first horse entered in race seven make
its way onto the track for the post parade. At least she’d made it in time for
the big race. He hadn’t complained about having to wait for her. She’d tried to
get there as quickly as she could, but the traffic was atrocious.

“Is it number three I’m supposed to
bring luck to?” She placed a hand on the inside of Jared’s thigh half way
between his knee and his crotch. She knew it was—Jared’s name appeared in the
program as owner of the number three horse.

He turned his head and gave her a
devilish smile. “That, and number one,” he said, reaching under his newspaper
to slide her hand up to rest against his crotch.

Kitty wet her lips and held his
gaze. He was definitely a right cock man. His rapidly growing bulge lay against
her fingers. She wasn’t about to back down from his daring. No one sat near
their box—crowds were seldom huge on weekdays—and his paper screened his crotch
from any prying eyes. She poked the tip of her tongue between her lips and curled
her fingers around his now very alert penis. Her eyes must’ve given away her
surprise at his size because Jared chuckled.

“You two weren’t properly introduced
the last time.” He covered her hand, pinning it to his cock. “I hope you stick
around for introductions this time.”

Kitty didn’t hesitate. She leaned
over, brought her lips to his ear, and whispered, “I thought you only wanted me
to come out here to bring your horse some luck.” She dipped her tongue in his
ear before settling back in her seat. Neither one of them did a thing to move
her hand.

He raked his gaze slowly over her
body, inhaled and shook his head. “Better keep your tongue to yourself, woman,
or I’ll drag you down to shedrow, find an empty horse stall and fuck you
senseless.”

Trying to ignore the burning
sensations in her own body, Kitty smirked. “That’s not exactly the ambiance I
had in mind for our first time.”

He opened his mouth as if to speak. They
were both startled by the ringing of the starting gate and the call of the
track announcer, “They’re off.”

Kitty jumped to her feet to stand
alongside Jared. He wrapped an arm around her and held her tight. Was he afraid
she was going to escape during the race? Not likely.

She laughed as Jared’s horse moved
to the front. She crossed her fingers, willing it not to look back. To her
surprise, number three continued increasing her lead over the pack. By the time
they reached the eight-pole, there was no doubt about the outcome. Number three
won by seven lengths.

“Hot damn,” Jared said, smiling
broadly and taking her in his arms. “You
are
a lucky charm. She’s good,
but I’ve never seen her that good.”

Kitty kept her eyes open as his
mouth settled over hers. His were watching her with renewed intensity. She
parted her lips and drew his tongue into her mouth. His hands cupped her jean-clad
butt. This was intoxicating. She broke away, noting his surprise as well as her
own. Their first kiss—what had she expected, something dull? The earth might
not have been thrown off its axis, but to look at Jared,
he
might’ve
been, and she wasn’t at all certain about herself. She almost suggested they go
find that horse stall.

“Do you want to see any more races?”
she asked, squeezing his fingers.

He shook his head. His eyes
twinkled. “What did you have in mind?”

“Do you have a car?”

“No, I came by limo.”

“I’ll drive.”

“I’m staying at the Drake.”

“We’re not going there.” She rose on
her toes and kissed his chin. “It’s time for me to collect my reward.”

“Reward?”

“You didn’t think good luck charms
came without a price?”

He tipped back his head and
chortled. “And you’re going to exact payment, whether I’m willing or not.”

She shook her head. “Oh,” she said,
looking as innocent as she could, “I do plan on being fair about this. I expect
you won’t be disappointed with your just desserts.”

“Jesus,” Jared growled, breaking
their bantering spell. “Let’s get the hell out of here. How long will it take
to get to your place?”

“And I thought you were a patient
man. My house is only about twenty minutes from here.” She eyed his bulging
jeans. “Thank goodness my car has bucket seats. Can’t have you pawing me while I’m
driving. Besides, you can keep your eyes peeled for cops.”

“One eye,” he corrected her. “The
other is going to watch carefully to see if your nipples can grow any larger.”

Fifteen minutes from the time they
got into her Mercedes, they were clambering out of the car. Kitty fumbled with
her keys but finally succeeded unlocking the front door. She led Jared into her
grand entryway and closed the door on the outside world.

 “Welcome to my house,” she said,
leaning against the door. She reached out and traced the length of his
mustache. “Would you like a tour?”

He shook his head. His eyes darkened.
“Not of the house. Later.”

She undid the top button of his
shirt. “Would you like a drink?”

Again he shook his head and kept his
gaze on her fingers as they moved to the next button. She watched him and undid
one more button before lowering her head to nibble on his chest hairs.

“Damn,” he muttered into her hair, “this
is as good a spot as any.”

She chuckled against his chest as he
tried with little success to slip his fingers inside the back of her jeans. She
reached between them to undo the snap. His hands immediately seized the
advantage, sliding under her panties to cradle her rear. His fingers kneaded
her butt cheeks and she purred against his pecs.

She used both hands to work on his
buckle. This was proving to be a damn good spot. He might as well learn right
away she didn’t require lace and frills, not that she didn’t enjoy them from
time to time. She’d introduce him to her bedroom later. Right now there was a
more important introduction she wanted to make.

With his buckle free, she fumbled
with his zipper until she’d worked it down as far as it would go. She rested
the top of her head against his chest and watched her hands slide out her
reward. As expected, his cock was hard and thick. Her eyes rounded with
pleasure when she unfurled its length. “Oh my,” she moaned. “We are going to
enjoy getting to know each other better.”

She didn’t bother with any more
shirt buttons but slid his jeans down over his butt, giving herself an even
better view. She encircled his cock with both hands and slid them slowly up its
length, enjoying its feel and his gulping for air. Was a man ever more
defenseless than when a woman had both hands around his cock?

She slid down his chest until she
was eye level with his penis. His hands eased up her back, caressing her
shoulders and neck. She rubbed a thumb over his cock’s velvet head and smiled
at the slight pressure Jared’s fingers applied to her shoulders. He wasn’t
asking her for something she wasn’t willing to give.

She flicked out her tongue, tapping
the soft crown. Jared rose on his toes and settled back. She cradled his balls
and ran her tongue the entire length of his shaft.