A Man to Believe In (2 page)

A tremor of excitement snaked down her spine. A second later another thought struggled its way to the surface of her mind: This wasn’t the 1700s … and they weren’t in a tavern. They were at a party, playing a game of charades, and if he was trying to make them look like lovers—and she was pretty sure that was what he had in mind—she couldn’t stand there like a mannequin and let him make all the moves. He’d take all the credit if they won.

She placed her free hand on his bare arm and began with a slow caress, like the kind a lover would give, hoping he’d take a hint and realize they were supposed to be a team.

His skin was warm, almost hot, and covered with a dusting of soft dark hair. With some satisfaction she noted the way his solid muscles tensed beneath her fingers, as if he hadn’t expected such a bold maneuver. He probably didn’t think she’d catch on to his plan so quickly.

“Dancing! They’re dancing.” Georgia the clown, her red rubber nose obscuring much of her face, batted her thick false eyelashes and pointed at the couple. “They’re Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Is the movie
Top Hat
? Oh …” She sighed wistfully as she slumped back into her chair. “I loved that one.”

In response to Georgia’s guess, the pirate shook his head and pulled Cori closer.

“How about Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly,
Singin’ in the Rain
?” said a can of Pepsi to a can of Pepsi lite.

“Yeah, or maybe Sandy Duncan and Tommy Tune in
My One and Only
,” the Pepsi lite suggested.

Harry Tipton, dressed as a hobo in baggy trousers and an ill-fitting jacket, shook his head vehemently, nearly causing his crinkled bowler to topple from its perch. “Nope, that’s not a movie. It’s a Broadway play.”

This time Cori’s partner ignored the guesses. He released the hand he’d held trapped between their bodies and lightly caressed her back through her blouse. Her skin tingled as he slid his hand from shoulder to shoulder, down to her waist. And alarmingly lower.

“Just follow my lead,” he whispered so that only she heard.

“That’s what General Custer said before leading his men to slaughter,” she mumbled, trying unsuccessfully to catch his hands before they wandered farther.

His quiet chuckle told her he’d heard her remark, but it was clear he had no intention of backing off. Her first impulse was to slap his hands and tell him to keep his paws to himself. But when she saw the smug look on his face, she rejected that idea. He probably thought she didn’t have the nerve to pretend they were lovers.

Cori hesitated less than a fraction of a second—nothing would please her more than to wipe that silly grin off his face. Besides, he wasn’t the only one who played to win.

She let her fingertips begin a deliberately slow exploration up his naked chest. She skimmed his shoulders, his neck, his face and ears before her hands finally tunneled through his thick dark hair. The gentle waves curled around her fingers as she softly massaged his scalp.

Reality faded. Suddenly, she was no longer Cori McLaughlin, librarian. She was a saucy tavern wench eager to earn a gold coin by pleasuring this seafaring stranger. Instinctively, she pressed her body closer to his and felt warmed by the heat of his bare skin as it sizzled through her gauzy blouse.

Jake Tanner shivered, but not from the cool breeze blowing in through the patio door. He was on fire, aching for more than just feather-light caresses, losing control faster by the second. It suddenly occurred to him that he’d badly neglected his social life for too long. Slipping his hands around the tavern maid’s neck, he wondered if he dared kiss her with all these people watching.

She smelled like flowers, he thought as he inhaled her sweet fragrance. Wildflowers. Like the ones his grandmother used to pick from the fields behind their cottage at the lake. He mused that if she’d actually lived two hundred years ago, many a man would have gladly risked the hangman’s noose to sample her sweetness just once. He smiled. He would have been one of them. He’d always appreciated a woman who had a good mind as well as a good body. The lady’s cleverness had been obvious during their conversation earlier, and he’d already had a pleasant view of her nice feminine curves. Her short
skirt revealed long, shapely legs a Las Vegas dancer would envy. What would it feel like to have those slender legs wrapped around him? he wondered, then mentally shook his head at the direction he’d allowed his thoughts to take. He’d met this woman only a few minutes before.

But when she tipped her head back to gaze up at him like a seductive tigress, his control slipped another precious notch. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? He tried to search her face for an answer, but she jerked her head down. Still, he’d caught the triumphant gleam in her aquamarine eyes.

So, she did know. And hell, if she wasn’t doing it on purpose! Only a blind man would have missed the silent challenge she’d issued.

Well, his vision had always been excellent.

And he had never been able to resist a challenge.

He mimicked her actions, knocking her cap to the floor as he swept his hands through her hair, kneading her scalp as expertly as she had his. There’s a million dollars’ worth of silk here, he thought. Soft, luxurious silk.

He wound a thick reddish-gold strand around his hand and pulled slowly, forcing her eyes back to his. He’d started this game, but it was obvious she wanted to call the shots. He was more than willing to go along with her, but he wanted her to see what she was doing to him. He wanted her to know, without a doubt, that they
shared
the responsibility for whatever happened next.

Cori watched the pirate’s grin dissolve into a look
of raw desire. So, he’d accepted her dare, she thought, feeling as though she’d climbed into a cage with an untamed lion. Maybe she was being foolish, but she had no desire to run for safety.

She watched, fascinated by his intimate perusal. This man had met her only minutes earlier, yet he looked at her as if he were seeing his lover after a long separation, as if he were hungry for the sight of her. As if he knew her most private thoughts—because they mirrored his own.

Caught up in the fantasy, she surrendered control. Maybe she’d pay for the impulsive decision later, but for now she allowed herself to enjoy the moment without worrying about the consequences. And with each second that passed, she fell deeper under his spell, more and more content to let him set the pace. She heard the whistling and clapping in the background. And ignored it, channeling all her efforts into concentrating on the way his mouth descended toward hers with maddening calm.

But instead of capturing her lips, he placed several soft kisses on her cheeks and eyelids, then moved on to the sensitive hollow behind her ear.

His gentleness surprised her. Pirates were supposed to be criminals. They took what they wanted without asking, caring little for the feelings of others, boldly risking punishment for the pleasure of the moment. This man would never do time for his crime. He was guilty of torturing her with tenderness. He teased and tempted her with carefully placed tiny kisses. She had never felt so alive, or so desirable.

Cori felt herself melt against him as he left a trail of kisses across her forehead, then finally traced a path to the lips he had deliberately avoided.

“I get it. They’re lovers.”

The words penetrated Cori’s fantasy. Her eyes fluttered open, and she caught a glimpse of Andrea. The dark-haired witch stood off to the side, twisting a paper cup in her neatly manicured hands until it faintly resembled a small dagger.

“Is the movie
Love with the Proper Stranger
? Or … how about … 
Lovers and Other Strangers
?” she asked, her tone disgustingly sweet.

For Cori, the spell had been broken. Andrea had guessed the right movie title—and not a moment too soon.

But the pirate didn’t pull back.

His lips hovered over hers, a breath away. He wouldn’t try to kiss her now, would he? The game was over. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she pushed him back.

“They guessed our charade.” Her breath came in short gasps, and she was surprised at how difficult it was to talk.

“That’s too bad,” he replied, his breathing as labored as her own.

“But that’s the object of the game.”

“Not the game I was playing.”

His suggestive tone hit her like a slap in the face, wiping out the memory of his tenderness moments earlier. She felt like an idiot for letting him goad her into putting on that performance.

“True,” she conceded, “but for
that
game you’ll
need a different partner. Starting right now.” How could she let herself get carried away like that? And what would have happened if Andrea hadn’t guessed the movie title when she did? Cori shuddered. “I need to get away from this smooth-talking son of Sinbad,” she muttered to herself, and turned to leave.

Before she’d taken two steps, the pirate captured one of her hands in his and easily drew her back to his side. “Let’s see how we did.”

Reluctantly, Cori pretended to listen to Marsha as she announced their time and called the next couple to the front, but all she could think about was getting away from this man. Every time she tried to pull her hand from his, he tightened his grip.

“I was right,” he whispered into her ear.

“About what?” The question popped out of her mouth before she could stop it.

“You
are
delicious,” he answered, his voice soft as velvet on bare skin. “We make a great team, don’t you think?”

A wonderful team, she acknowledged silently, remembering the way their bodies fit together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, then bit her bottom lip to keep from agreeing. He didn’t need her to boost his already overblown ego.

“I think we would have done better if you’d given us a chance to plan a strategy before you started the charade.”

His eyes swept over her, taking in her disheveled hair and the heated flush in her cheeks. “Sweetheart,”
he drawled, “my strategy worked exactly the way I planned.”

Lord, had those words really come out of his mouth? he wondered. He’d sounded like a complete jerk. It wouldn’t surprise him to find out his partner was thinking the exact same thing, and he could hardly blame her. Obviously he was taking this pirate bit too seriously. If he kept it up, he wouldn’t stand a chance with her.

He glanced down at her hair, noticing the way it fell in a mass of curls down her slender back. He remembered the feel of her smooth skin beneath his fingers, and bit back a groan. She’d felt so good nestled in his arms, as though she belonged there. And even though he’d just met her, he sensed his attraction to her was more than purely physical.

He liked the way she’d neatly put him in his place after his bold introduction, the way she’d caught him staring at her and had refused to let him get away with it. Most of all, he liked the way she’d refused to meekly follow his lead, instead challenging him to take his cues from her.

Not bad cues, either, he remembered with a grin, deciding he had to find a way to show her the pirate role he’d been playing was just an act, that he really wasn’t like that at all.

Completely frustrated, Cori tried one more time to pull her hand free from his. This time he surprised her and let her go. For half a second she thought maybe he looked a bit sheepish, but dismissed the idea. Nothing about his behavior so far had given her the impression that he would feel bad about anything,
least of all the way he’d acted with her. Once again she turned to leave.

“Hey, stick around.”

“Nature calls.” She shrugged her shoulders, trying to make it look as though she regretted having to leave his side. Right. As far as she was concerned, the sooner she got away from him the better.

“Hurry back. We’ll go get a cup of coffee when this is over. Get to know each other.”

She shot him a bright smile and waved, hoping the noncommittal gesture would satisfy him, then headed for the bathroom.

It was a good ten minutes before she rejoined the party. Another team was in the middle of their charade, and Cori found a seat between a cowboy and a football player on the opposite side of the room from the pirate, determined to ignore him, hoping he’d forget about his invitation.

As the evening wore on, though, she was surprised to find her eyes kept straying in his direction. She told herself she was keeping track of him just so she could be sure to avoid him, but that wasn’t really necessary. He never tried to approach her. Several times their eyes met across the room. Each time, he smiled, raised his glass in a silent salute, or merely fastened his gaze to hers in a way that told her he hadn’t forgotten her or lost interest. That was all. He never even came close to her.

Finally, she was fed up with the cat-and-mouse game he was playing and she made up her mind to forget him. She spent the next hour dancing and
mingling, not once allowing herself to worry about his whereabouts.

Suddenly, a woman’s scream broke through the blare of music. Along with many of the other guests, Cori ran to the kitchen to see what was wrong. Pieces of broken glass lay scattered on the floor. The pirate stood with his arm around Georgia, the clown, and she was clutching her index finger in her hand.

“I don’t know what happened,” Georgia cried. “One minute I was drying the glass, the next minute it slipped out of my hand and was on the floor in pieces. I tried to clean it up. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay. It was just a drinking glass. Don’t worry about it,” the pirate told her quietly as he led her to a chair and sat her down. He gave her a smile and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Let’s take a look at your finger, okay?” Nodding her head, Georgia drew in a ragged breath, then held out her hand.

“Get me a paper towel,” he ordered without looking away from the jagged gash. Someone handed him several sheets, and he wiped the blood away to get a better look at the cut. “I’ll need some gauze and adhesive tape too.” Two guests went in search of the bandages.

Cori noticed the way Georgia was trembling and, wanting to do something to help, she pushed her way through the crowd, knelt down, and held the woman’s hand steady for the pirate’s inspection.