The Charmer (17 page)

“I
T’S BETTER THIS WAY,”
Tenley murmured to herself. She paced back and forth across the width of the studio, her nerves on edge, her mind spinning endlessly. She wasn’t supposed to fall in love. She’d never meant for it to happen. But now that it had, Tenley needed to find a way to stop herself.

Though she’d heard of people who’d fallen in love at first sight, Tenley never believed it was possible. Lust at first sight, maybe. But love took time to grow. How could you possibly love someone you didn’t know?

“That’s right,” she muttered. “You can’t love Alex. You don’t even know him.”

She pressed her hand to her heart. It wasn’t love. But it sure felt like something she’d never experienced before. And she’d never been in love in her life.

Tenley stopped in front of the table and picked up the new drawing she’d done for the second chapter. It was as close to perfect as she could make it and it was good. Even she was proud of the effort, and Tenley was her own worst critic.

The fact that she was able to believe in herself as an artist was Alex’s doing. She owed him a huge debt of gratitude. But did she owe him her heart? It seemed to be the only thing he wanted from her. Tenley’s heart was a mangled mess, shattered in a million pieces and stuck back together again with duct tape and school paste and chewing gum.

Who would want a heart like that, a heart so close to breaking again? A heart that wasn’t strong enough to love. Tenley sat down in her chair and cupped her chin in her hand. Slowly, she flipped through her story.

And it was her story. Cyd was everything she’d wanted to be—strong, determined, blessed with powers that could alter the past. But as she looked at the pictures she’d drawn, Tenley saw that Cyd was just ink on paper. Every move she made was part of an intricate plot planned out ahead of time. She had all the answers.

Real life was a different matter. Tenley had no control over the plot. There was no plan. Nothing was black and white. Instead, she was left to navigate through a world filled with shades of gray.

Did she love Alex or didn’t she? The answer wasn’t that simple. Perhaps she had the potential to love him. Maybe there was a tiny part of her that loved him already. But if asked for a yes or no answer, Tenley couldn’t give one.

She shoved the papers back and stood, the walls of the studio closing in around her. Grabbing her coat, Tenley ran down the stairs and out into the cold night. She wrapped her arms around herself and tipped her head up to the sky, staring at the stars.

What came next in her story? Would she let it unfold in front of her? Or would she try to manipulate the plot? Though it might be nice to possess a superpower or two, Tenley suspected there was no power in the world that could make Alex love her if he didn’t want to. She had to be prepared to let him go and to do it without any regrets.

The snow crunched beneath her boots as she walked back to the cabin. The great room was lit only by the fading fire and the light from above the kitchen sink. Pup and Dog came out to greet her and she gave them both a pat on the head. Tenley tiptoed down the hall and peeked into her bedroom. A stab of disappointment pierced her heart when she saw Alex wasn’t waiting in her bed.

The door to the guest room was closed and she could only assume he was sending her a signal. She wasn’t welcome. Tenley walked back to the kitchen, her wet boots squeaking on the wood plank floor. She kicked them off at the door and shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it over the back of the sofa.

A survey of the refrigerator yielded nothing interesting to eat, but she felt compelled to munch in an effort to take her mind off the man sleeping in her guest room. They’d spent the past four nights in each other’s arms. It didn’t seem right, sleeping all alone.

Tenley grabbed an apple from the basket on the counter, then walked back to her bedroom. She took a huge bite, then tossed the apple on the bed and began to remove her clothes. But in the end, exhaustion overwhelmed her and she flopped down, face-first on the sheets, still half-dressed. She found the apple and took another bite, then carefully considered her options.

She could do the sensible thing, crawl beneath the covers of her own bed, close her eyes and pray she’d fall asleep before giving in to her impulses. Or she could do the reckless thing and strip off all her clothes,
walk into the guest room and get into bed with Alex. Or she could lie here and think of other options.

The cats were curled up on her pillow and she rolled over and pressed her face into Kittie’s fur. Kattie opened her eyes and watched Tenley for a moment, then nuzzled her face into her paws and went back to sleep. This was what she’d be reduced to after Alex left—searching for affection from her pets.

She’d survived on their love before he’d walked into her life. So why did the prospect seem so unsatisfying now? “I love you,” she murmured to the cats. “I do.” But they didn’t open their eyes. “I know you love me. You don’t have to say the words. I can tell by the way you’re lying there that you love me.” She paused. “God, am I pathetic.”

With that, Tenley sat up and raked her hands through her hair. Then she grabbed a book from the pile on her bedside table. But as she flipped through the pages, one by one, she couldn’t find anything that might occupy her mind. She could bake some cookies. Or clean the fireplace. Or scrub the bathroom floor. Tenley drew a deep breath. Or she could walk into Alex’s room and do what she really wanted to do—make love to him for the rest of the night.

She crawled out of bed and tiptoed to his door, then slowly opened it, wincing at the squeaky hinges. The room was dark, the only light coming from the hall. Tenley stood next to his bed, then silently knelt down beside it, her gaze searching his face.

There were times when his beauty took her breath
away. Men weren’t supposed to be beautiful, but she could look at Alex with an artist’s eye and see the perfection of his long limbs and muscled torso. This was the kind of man the Greeks sculpted in ancient times, the epitome of the human form, from his well-shaped hands to his lovely feet.

She thought back to the sketches she’d made of Alex. For the first time in her life, she’d felt like an artist. And she’d understood the need for a muse. Drawing Alex brought out her passion for her art. When she looked at his naked body, everything she saw through her eyes came out on the sketchpad.

Her fingers clenched and she longed for a pencil and pad, wanting to capture this scene in front of her. The frustration she felt earlier was gone and now she felt nothing but regret for her sharp words. He didn’t deserve them. Alex had been nothing but kind and encouraging. No matter what those other women claimed, he’d been a perfect gentleman.

Tenley didn’t know how much longer this would last. She suspected the feelings might fade once he returned to Chicago. But they still had three more days together. The least she could do was put aside her insecurities and make their moments together count for something.

Holding her breath, Tenley crawled into bed beside him, still dressed in her jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt. She felt him move behind her and then his arms circled around her waist and he pulled her against his body. His soft sigh tickled the back of her neck and a moment later, he pressed his lips to the same spot.

Tenley smiled, holding on to his hands and allowing her body to relax. He didn’t need to say a word. Just his touch was enough to know that she’d been forgiven. And though Tenley wanted to strip off her clothes and make love to him, there was something wonderful about just being in his arms, lying next to him in his bed.

They had three more days and two more nights. There would be plenty of time to reignite the passion between them. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take the last of her tensions from her body.

But the noise in her head refused to quiet. Tenley drew a deep breath and then let it out slowly, before turning in Alex’s embrace. Facing him, she smoothed her hands over his features, memorizing the feel of them in the dark.

When he brushed his mouth against hers, Tenley realized he was awake. She touched her lips to his and slowly the kiss grew deeper and more passionate. But there was an edge of desperation to each caress they shared, as if they both knew that the clock was ticking down on their time together.

With each soft sigh and each whispered word, Tenley grew more frantic to feel him inside her. When he began to undress her, she impatiently tore off her shirt and kicked out of her jeans. Once she was naked, Alex pulled her beneath the sheets, into the warmth of his body.

He was already hard and as he moved against her, his shaft pressed into the soft flesh of her abdomen. This was all she needed in life, this wonderful warm feeling
of anticipation. Alex could smooth his hands over her skin and she’d lose herself in a wave of sensation.

There was more at work here than just physical attraction. She ached for that moment when she felt most vulnerable, when their souls seemed exposed. At that instant, the past melted away and Tenley felt alive and aware. Though she’d had men in her bed, not one of them had ever made her feel a fraction of what Alex did.

She reached for the box of condoms on the bedside table, surprised to find just one left inside. He smiled as she smoothed it over the length of his shaft, his breath coming in soft, short gasps.

He rolled her beneath him, then pulled her leg up alongside his hip. Probing gently, he found her entrance and in one sure motion, he slipped inside of her. Tenley groaned at the thrill that raced through her body.

There was nothing in the world that had ever felt this good. And Tenley knew this was what it was like to want a man so much her body ached for his touch and her soul cried out for his love. If this was all she had in the world, she could be happy forever.

But happiness didn’t always last. It could be snatched away in the blink of an eye. At least she knew when the end would come. And she’d be prepared.

T
HE RINGING WOKE
Alex up from a deep sleep. He opened one eye, searching for the source. It wasn’t his watch. That was still in the refrigerator.

“What is that?” Tenley murmured, turning her face into the pillow. “Turn it off.”

“I can’t find it. Where’s the clock?”

“It’s not an alarm clock. I don’t have an alarm clock.”

Alex sat up and searched the room, then noticed the sound was coming from his pants, which were tossed over a nearby chair. He stumbled out of bed and picked them up, then found the new BlackBerry in his pocket. He pushed the button and put it to his ear.

“What?”

“It’s Tess. I’m sorry to call you so early but we have a huge problem. The new press just went down and we’re in the middle of the Marberry project. It’s Saturday and none of the techs are answering their phones. We’re supposed to deliver this job on Monday and we’ve still got to run it through bindery. I need you to come home.”

“Aw, hell.” Alex rubbed his face with his hand, trying to clear the sleep from his brain. “It’s going to take me a while. I can probably make some calls from the road. I’m going to call Marberry first and see if we can’t push back delivery. How much of a hit can we take on our price?”

“Five percent at the most. But don’t offer him a discount on this job. Tell him we’ll discount the next one. At least we know we’ll get him back as a customer, then.”

“Do you have to talk so loud?” Tenley groaned. Alex sat down on the edge of the bed and put his pillow over her head.

“Who is that?” Tess asked. “Oh, my God. Are you with a woman? Good grief, Alex, send her home, get in your car and point it toward Chicago. I’ll see you in…five hours.”

“I’ve got to pick up my car from the garage and they won’t open until eight or nine. It’ll take me at least six hours to get back, so schedule a meeting with the production team at three. We’ll get this sorted out.”

Tess hung up and Alex flopped back down on the bed, the phone still clutched in his hand “I have to go,” he said.

Tenley pushed up on her elbows, her hair sticking up in unruly spikes. “Go where?”

“Back to Chicago. We’ve got an emergency with one of our presses at the Elgin plant.”

“No,” Tenley moaned. “You’re supposed to stay until Monday.”

Alex rolled over and drew her into his embrace. “I know. Maybe I can come back. I’ll take care of business and if everything’s all right, I can drive back late tonight. I could be back here by midnight.”

She closed her eyes and for a long time didn’t speak. Alex thought she’d fallen asleep again. But then, she opened her eyes. “You have to go,” she said. “We only had a few days left anyway. It’s all right.”

“No, I’ll come back,” Alex insisted.

Tenley shook her head, then pressed her finger to his lips. “No. It’s better this way. You need to get back to work. And I need to work on the novel. I can’t do that with you here.”

“How about next weekend? I could drive up on Friday night.” All Alex needed was a promise that there would be a next time. He didn’t want to leave without knowing exactly where they stood.

Tenley reached out and smoothed her hand over his cheek. “Alex, we both knew, going in, how difficult this would be. You’re down there and I’m here. Throw in the whole business thing and it gets too complicated. I’d like to believe we’re both smart enough to see that and save ourselves the pain of trying to make a relationship work.”

Alex couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d never been dumped in his life and this sounded suspiciously like the big heave-ho. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and turned her face up to his. But all he saw in her eyes was complete honesty. Had he misread the depth of her feelings for him?

“So this is it?” he asked.

“I know you’ve done this before,” Tenley said with a small smile. “A guy like you doesn’t stay single for as long as you have without breaking a few hearts. It’s easy.”

“This doesn’t seem easy to me,” he said.

“It will get better.” She leaned forward and brushed a kiss across his lips. “At least I didn’t break your heart and you didn’t break mine. I think we both got out of this feeling pretty good.”