The Cover Model (16 page)

She bit her lip, hating to end the call. "Mitch?"

"Yeah?"

Well, crap.
The words almost slipped out but hung up at the last moment. "I miss you."

He paused a second before replying. "I'll see you tonight, Fancy."

Chapter 25

Mitch knocked on the door, waiting patiently for Fancy to answer. He noticed the well-manicured lawn, the cute cottage home and nodded in appreciation. While she didn't live in a mansion, she appeared to take pride in her belongings.

The door opened. Fancy stood before him in a black dress, matching flats, and her long blonde hair pulled back in a clip. Her hazel eyes sparkled with excitement and happiness. The sight stole his breath.

"Hi."

"Hi." He grinned down at her, still reeling from the transformation he'd seen over the past few days. From prim and proper to a beautiful vixen. He counted his lucky stars.

"Come on in. I just need to get my purse." She retreated back into the living room.

He followed, shutting the door behind him, and eyed the room. An old flowered print couch sat in the middle of the room, a matching chair to one side. A wooden coffee table sported a couple of magazines, encouraging someone to lounge around and browse. The bouquet he had sent claimed the center portion of the table, brightening and somehow blending into the interior decorating perfectly. To his left, the room transitioned into the kitchen, the beige carpet replaced with natural-colored tile. The area proved large enough to hold a small dining table bracketed by two chairs. Her purse perched on the table right beside the brown woven basket from the convention, still loaded with goodies.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he strode across the room and peered into the container. "I didn't realize how much stuff you won."

Fancy nodded. "I'm still amazed with the free trip next year."

He noted the gift cards, but another item wrapped in plastic caught his eye. Plucking the vibrator from the bottom, he lifted the blue phallic-shaped item up for inspection. "Interesting."

Fancy blushed beet red. "Umm. Well, I didn't…"

He replaced the toy back in the basket, smiled, and stalked toward her. "I don't think you'll need that."

She blinked up at him.

"You have me, instead." He enveloped her with his embrace and settled his lips over hers. Gently, teasingly, he meshed their mouths, then licked her bottom lip. When her lips opened on a gasp, he delved deeper, eager for another taste of the woman who turned his world on end.

As much as he wanted to remove her clothes and savor the beauty underneath, he dared not. She deserved romance, courtship. Besides, she'd dressed up for just this occasion.

He couldn't let her efforts go to waste. "You ready?"

"Yep."

Thirty minutes later, they sat in a corner booth at a small Mom and Pop restaurant specializing in sandwiches and soup.

He took a big bite from his sub and watched Fancy blow on her spoonful of hot chicken noodle soup. "Tell me more about yourself."

She sipped the contents from the utensil and smiled up at him. "Not much to tell."

"I don't believe that." He grinned at her. "What about family? Friends? I know you've had a fascinating education."

She blushed prettily. He hadn't meant the comment as innuendo, but he couldn't deny how much her response zipped straight for his manhood.

"My parents live in Kansas. No siblings. Education? Let's see. Bachelor degree in microbiology from the University of Kansas. Masters in genetics from the University of Colorado."

"Impressive."

She shrugged. "Not compared to you. A lawyer." Her head tilted. "Why do I think your law partners don't have a clue about your side job?"

"That's because they don't." He shook his head. "Not even sure they know what romance novels are, but I'm definitely not going to show them one with a half-naked image of myself on the front."

"They'd dare tease you?"

"Oh, yeah. And them some." He smirked. "That's okay. I like my side job, and I'm in a hell of a lot better physical shape than the rest of them are."

"I can vouch for that." Her hazel eyes sparkled as she sipped her soda.

He soaked up the compliment.

"I bet you were an athlete in school."

"Yep. Water polo in college. Actually, that's when I started modeling. A buddy's girlfriend invited us to give it a try. The photographer liked my shots and called me back. Next thing I knew, I started appearing on the covers of books and all kinds of agents found my phone number." He sank his teeth in for another bite.

"Wow. I'm sure it pays well, especially if you're a hot item."

"I'm not complaining. It put me through law school." Right now, he set aside the generous pay for an early retirement. Working as a lawyer proved interesting and a solid occupation, but he didn't want to live at the office or die in his desk chair still working at the age of seventy-five.

"Do you like your job?" She ladled more soup into her spoon.

"Yeah. For the most part. I specialize in contracts, realty, wills, mostly paperwork issues. Less drama and more stability than dealing with criminals or warring spouses in the middle of divorces." He grabbed a potato chip and dropped it in his mouth. "How about you?"

"I love genetics. All I ever wanted to do since discovering the field was to advance the science along. Find something new, isolate a disease-causing gene, in order for other scientists to use the information to come up with a cure." She wiped her fingers on the napkin. "I always thought work was my life." Her gaze met his. "Then I attended this convention…"

He arched an eyebrow. "And?"

"Thanks to this hunky cover model, I learned I'd been missing a huge chunk of fun." She smiled wide enough to show even, white teeth.

His heart stuttered. Every time she looked at him like the sun rose and set with him, his ego grew, his cock followed suit, and he couldn't wait to take her in his arms once again.

"Speaking of fun, do you have any plans Friday evening?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Good. Write me in."

"What did you want to do?"

"Oh, lots of things." He lowered his voice to a near purr.

Judging by Fancy's sharp intake of breath and splotch of color on her cheeks, she wanted the very same thing.

Chapter 26

Mitch stared out his office window, saw the large flakes of snow drifting down, and cursed. Friday had arrived with a weather forecast of heavy snow and outright blizzard conditions after dark. If the predictions came true, the city would grind to a halt until the road crews could dig everyone out once more. Most of the time, he actually enjoyed the white powdery precipitation, today was the exception. He had a date with Fancy tonight and didn't want to miss spending time with her for anything. Yet no way would he risk both their lives trying to navigate through this mess for a nice dinner out. Food deliveries would soon cease, and they'd be stuck.

A sudden inspiration hit. If they had to be homebound, better together than apart. He plucked his cell phone from the desk and punched in her number. She answered on the second ring.

"Fancy?"

"Mitch!"

"It's snowing to beat all. Is your lab closing shop early?"

"Yeah. In fact, I'm getting ready to leave right now." She sounded disappointed. "The roads will soon be too treacherous to travel." A sigh carried to his ears. "We should probably just reschedule."

"Actually, that's why I'm calling. How would you like to hang out with me at my house all weekend?"

"That would be wonderful." Her tone picked right up with excitement.

"Great. Go home and pack a bag." He checked the clock on the wall. Three pm. They could make it to his house before dark and the storm intensified, but they had to get a move on. Luckily, she lived about a mile from her work, making the trip to her house fairly quick. From there, his four wheel drive might come in handy, but he thought they could arrive in plenty of time. "I'll be there soon to pick you up."

"Okay. Be careful."

"You, too. Give me thirty minutes."

"Will do. Bye."

He clicked off, grabbed his coat from the hanger on the back of his door, double checked that everything was put away, his computer turned off. Then, without further ado, he headed out of the office and to the parking garage below.

Twenty-five minutes later, he pressed her doorbell, pulling his coat tighter around him against the frigid wind. The streets weren't bad yet, but at the rate of the snowfall, the highway department wouldn't be able to stay ahead of the game, especially with temperatures dropping by the minute.

Fancy opened the door, gestured him in, then shut the wooden barrier behind them. "It's coming down hard."

"Yep. Don't worry. We'll make it just fine."

She grinned, hugged him, then shivered. "Brrrrr."

He chuckled and kissed her in welcome. "You won't be cold for long." He waggled his eyebrows for emphasis.

Her cheeks pinkened.

"You ready?"

"Almost. I just have to zip my suitcase and grab my purse." She strode across the room and down the hall to presumably do just that. Mitch glanced around, found the flowers he sent her Monday starting to fade. Yet she hadn't tossed out a single one. Right next to them stood a small stack of paperbacks. He walked over and picked up a couple, grinning when he found himself on the cover.

They'd read to each another one night in the hotel room. He recalled her soft voice, the inflections, the cadence. Impulsively, he flipped both books over, read the back, then replaced one of the table. The other he slipped into his coat pocket as Fancy emerged, carrying her suitcase.

"Why are you bringing that?" She nodded toward the book he'd just slipped away for protection from the dampness outside.

He noticed how Fancy moved, lithe and graceful, her jeans and sweater pulling snug now and again, just enough to give him a glimpse of her curves hidden underneath. He couldn't wait to strip her down, reacquaint himself with each and every inch of her delectable body with his hands and mouth. Sink balls deep into her savory core. Send her straight to rapture calling out his name.

"Mitch?"

He pushed away the image. For now. "I thought we could read together like before." This time nude, cuddling together in bed. She sitting in front of him as he wrapped his body around hers, nibbled on her ears, and played with her delicious tidbits.

"I'd like that." She smiled, and her eyes danced.

Me, too.
He didn't know if her words pertained to reading or his fondling of her while she read. Either way, he'd make it happen. "Then bundle up, and let's hit the road."

He took the suitcase from her hand, led the way out the front door, stowed her travel bag behind the passenger's seat in his truck. By the time he climbed in, she'd already settled in the seat, pulled her seat belt on, and watched him with interest.

"I hope you've stockpiled some food. While I don't mind cooking, I draw the line at tromping through the woods to hunt my own food."

Fancy's persnickety side came through. He grinned in welcome and started the engine, getting them on their way.

"Where are we going exactly?"

"To my house."

She snorted. "I knew that already. Where is your house?"

"Cherry Creek North."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my. Ritzy."

He shrugged and turned onto the highway leading north. "Less ritzy, more natural comfort with a few amenities." He hoped she liked his version of a house. Personally, he loved the place and never intended to move.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"How many woman have you brought home?" Fancy asked almost sheepishly, as if she hated to voice the thought but simply couldn't help herself.

Reaching over, he took her hand in his, then squeezed. "You're it, Fancy girl. You'll be the first."
And only.

She smiled.

"How thick does moss grow?"

"I don't know. Why?" Puzzlement crossed Fancy's face.

"Because I intend to grow on you for a long time to come." He lifted their joined hands to kiss hers.

"I'd like that. A lot."

Chapter 27

"Wow. This is amazing." Fancy gaped at the large living area on the second floor. A stone fireplace occupied most of the front wall, while to the right a double picture window encouraged visitors to peek outside, watch the outdoors from the vantage point of a tree house. Right then, the storm raged, not allowing her to see much of anything past the first couple of treetops closest to the house.

Every corner she turned at Mitch's home, she became more impressed. While not a mansion, the house could easily make twice of her small cottage, not to mention the full workout room in the walkout basement directly below them and the lavish expansive areas. Though the solid brick house boasted only three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a walkout basement, and an office, the sheer square footage impressed her the most. Ample room existed for whatever furniture, decoration, or activity a person wanted to pursue.