A Marriage Made in Texas (The Brothers Kincaid) (6 page)

Warm. Potent, like a straight shot of whiskey on a cold winter night. He left her mouth to taste the pulse raging at her throat. “Thank God,” he managed to say. “I wasn’t sure you were ever going to let me kiss you again. I’ve been going crazy.”

She tugged his head back to hers and kissed him again. “Don’t talk. Just kiss me.”

She vibrated in his arms, tasting like strawberries and sweet sin. He backed her against the door, used his teeth on her throat, felt her pulse leap and quiver before he returned to her lips. Those lush, inviting lips that tasted even better than he remembered.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” Even as she said it, she pulled him closer, rocked her lower body against his. “I know there’s a reason.”

With one hand on her rear, pressing her near, he slipped his other beneath her T-shirt, thumbing her nipple. She sucked in a jerky breath, then moaned.

“I think my brain is fried.”

“Mine, too.” He couldn’t remember getting this hot, this fast since high school. He pushed her shirt up, and keeping his eyes on hers, cupped both her breasts. Rubbed them. They both groaned.

The door swung forward, hitting Gail in the head. She yelped and swore.

“Mommy,” a childish voice said as their eyes met and they froze. “I need a drink of water.”

“Go back to your room. I’ll bring it to you.”

He didn’t move his hands. Smiling, he took her nipples in his fingers and tugged gently.

Gail’s eyes half-closed and her head fell back against the door.

“But Mommy, I’m thirsty,” she whined.

“Mel, honey, go back to bed.” She sounded a little desperate. “I promise I’ll be right there.”

“O-kay,” she said, dragging each syllable out as she obviously shuffled away.

Jay’s smile widened as he gave her breasts one last, lingering caress, then dropped his hands. “You’d better take care of her.”

“You’re wicked,” Gail said.

“And you’re irresistible.”

She smoothed her shirt down, ran her fingers through her hair, then left the kitchen with the requested water. When she returned, she held up a hand and said, “Stay away from me.”

“Now you’ve hurt my feelings.”

“Ha, ha. I mean it. I’m not sneaking you into my bedroom with my daughters here.”

“Does that mean if they weren’t here, you would?”

“It means we have to be sensible.”

Jay smiled and closed the distance between them. “There was nothing sensible about what just happened. But I can respect your wanting to protect your daughters.”

“Good. As long as we’re clear.”

He took her face in his hands and touched his lips lightly to hers. “We’re clear. Can I see you tomorrow?”

“I have a PTA meeting. I’m not sure how late I’ll be.”

He put his arms around her and tugged her against him. “I’ll wait. Call me when you get home.”

She sighed, then pulled back to look at him. “Last time we got to this point, nothing happened.”

“My stupidity,” Jay murmured. “But that was five years ago. And I’m rarely that stupid twice.”

“Are we sure about this? What if something goes wrong? What if we wind up hating each other? Think how awkward that would be. We’ve got mutual family. We’d never be able to avoid each other.”

“Gail.” He cradled her cheek in his palm. “I want, very much, to make love with you. What do you want?”

Her mouth curved. “The same thing you want.”

“Then relax. What could go wrong?”

“You’re right. I do that sometimes. Dissect and analyze until I drive myself crazy.”

“Analyze this,” he said, and kissed her again, making sure she knew exactly how much he wanted her.

“We have to stop,” she said, eventually, but she didn’t move away.

“I know.” He forced himself away from her mouth, leaned his forehead against hers. “When?”

“This weekend. The girls are going to be with their father.”

“I think I can live that long.”

She laughed. “My boss is having a party Friday at the Omni Hotel in Corpus Christi. Command performance. Will you go with me?”

“I can’t think of anything I’d like better.” When she smiled, he added, “With one exception. And I think you know what that is.”

“I can guess,” she murmured, as he kissed her one last time.

A
S SOON AS
J
AY LEFT
,
Gail called Cat. “I have to cancel lunch tomorrow,” she told her sister when she answered.

“You’re just saying that because it’s my turn to choose. No, Max, don’t throw grapes at Buddy.”

“I’m going shopping.”

“You’re standing me up to shop? For what? What’s so important?”

“I have to find the perfect dress to begin a passionate affair.” Something she’d imagined, but never really believed would happen to her.

Cat choked, then swore. “Damn it! No, I mean, darn it! I just spilled my tea everywhere. Hold on a minute.”

Muffled background noises indicated her sister had handed the baby to her husband, informed Max he wasn’t to repeat bad words, and then took the phone into another room.

“Okay, repeat that. I thought I heard you say you’re going to have an affair.”

“I did.” A thrill of anticipation ran up her spine. “And I need a dress that will bring him to his knees. Something that will make him crazy.” Gail wasn’t
certain why that was so important. Maybe because she needed to feel strong and in control, unlike she had five years ago.

“Do I get to guess the identity of this mystery man or are you going to tell me?”

Getting comfortable on the couch, Gail tucked her feet beneath her. “If you don’t know who it is, then motherhood has drained all your brain cells.”

There was a long pause. When Cat finally spoke, her voice sounded troubled. “I was afraid of that. It’s Jay, isn’t it?”

Gail held the phone away from her ear and stared at it before bringing it back. “What do you mean, you were afraid of that? Isn’t this exactly what you’ve been pushing for?”

“Well, yeah, but—” She hesitated before adding, “I hadn’t thought it through before. Maybe it’s not such a hot idea. Mark said—”

Infuriated, Gail interrupted. “How nice of you and Mark to decide what I should do with
my
personal life. It might have escaped your notice, but I’m a grown woman. Older than you, as a matter of fact.”

“Don’t get all huffy with me,” Cat fired back. “Mark and I love you both, so of course we’re concerned. You and Jay are connected. We’re family. What happens if something goes wrong and you wind up hating each other?”

Exactly what she’d asked Jay, but she wouldn’t tell Cat that. “We can handle it. I have an ex-husband I have to deal with, remember? Awkward situations are my specialty.”

“So you’re just going to plunge into this affair with no thought for the future?”

Her fingers tightened on the receiver. “I have thought about the future.” And the past and how dull her life had been the last few years…until Jay showed up. “Besides, I’m not planning on marrying him. We’re just having fun. There’s no need for you and Mark to get your panties in a wad.”

“So what are you saying? That this thing between you and Jay is just about sex?”

She sounded disapproving, which considering what Gail knew about Cat and Mark’s romance struck her as a tad hypocritical. Gail blew out an exasperated breath. “Since when have you gotten so stuffy? No, it’s not just about sex.” A lot of it, maybe, but not all of it. “I like him. We have fun together. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, as long as it doesn’t get messy. But these things have a way of getting messy. Especially when you’re talking about family. You’ll be thrown together all the time, like it or not. Right now that’s fine. But what about when you break up?”

“You’re just going to have to trust us. And Cat? Butt out.”

Cat laughed at that. “Okay, I can take a hint.”

“Good. I thought I was going to have to slap you upside the head.”

After a moment, Cat said, “One last question, and I promise, I’m done.” Gail didn’t speak, figuring it was better to go ahead and let her sister have her say.
This time. “Does Jay know this is just fun? Is that what he wants, too?”

They hadn’t discussed it, but Gail thought she knew his sentiments. “He’s just come out of a long-term relationship that didn’t work. I can’t imagine he’s looking for serious any more than I am.”

G
AIL SMOOTHED DOWN
the skirt of her sleeveless midnight-blue cocktail dress and eyed herself critically in the mirror. The glittery material caught the light and shimmered, picking up a hundred different hues. It hadn’t looked like much on the hanger, but the saleslady had talked her into trying it on. And she’d been absolutely right.

Her skin glowed creamily above the low-cut bodice, where the material molded to her figure, then flared at the hem to swing above her knees. Perfect, Gail thought, even if it had cost a small fortune.

But she didn’t feel guilty. Not much. She deserved to have some fun. In the years since her divorce, she’d dated, of course. She’d even had sex. Not very often, but she’d had it. After a couple short relationships, she’d decided she just wasn’t cut out for that part of the singles scene and she hadn’t been even tempted for a very long time now.

Until Jay moved to town.

Since her meeting had run late and she’d been exhausted, she hadn’t seen him the evening before. But she’d talked to him on the phone, and she knew that if they had been together, they wouldn’t have managed to keep their hands off each other for long.

The doorbell rang as she sprayed on a mist of cologne and twisted the back of the small gold and pearl earring dangling from her ear. Luckily, Barry hadn’t canceled, but as usual, he was late.

She heard shrieks of “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy” and the pounding of little feet as the girls ran to answer the door. They adored Barry, particularly Roxy. Gail admitted, albeit grudgingly, that Barry seemed to love his daughters. Since he’d come back to town and begun sharing custody, he swore he was a different man, but Gail didn’t believe a person could change that much. Not deep down.

Roxy and Mel had been so young when he left the first time. If he did it again, how much worse would it be for the girls now that they had grown to know him and love him?

Barry was smiling, trying to listen to both girls at once when Gail entered the room. Seeing him like that reminded her of why she’d fallen for him in the first place. With his light brown hair, hazel eyes, and lean, fit body, he was a very good-looking man. And Barry could be very charming when he wanted to be.

He looked up just then and saw her. His eyes widened and he smiled. “Looking good tonight, Gail. Hot date?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” she said, pleased when the smile turned to a frown.

“Mommy.” Roxy tugged insistently on her skirt. “Daddy said you could come with us tonight. We’re going to eat pizza and then Daddy said he’d take us to a movie.”

Gail ruffled Roxy’s hair. “Thanks sweetie, but I have a date.” She’d told the girls about it, seeing no reason to keep them in the dark. Especially not if she intended to keep seeing Jay for a while.

“You can come on a date with us. Can’t she, Daddy?” she persisted. “You don’t need to go out with Jay.
Daddy
can be your date.”

Mel picked that moment to interrupt with a chant of “Mommy’s got a da-ate,” repeating it until Roxy pulled her hair. Mel started to cry, but her tears dried magically when Barry promised her ice cream on the way home from the movie.

“Sounds like your mom’s busy, Rox,” Barry said, with a smile for Gail. “Maybe next time. Why don’t you two go get your bags. We need to get moving if we’re going to catch the movie.”

Still looking mutinous, Roxy left the room with her younger sister in tow. Disturbed, Gail stared after them. She didn’t date often but it wasn’t as if she never went out. What had gotten into Roxy?

“Who’s the lucky guy?” Barry asked, taking a seat on the sofa. “Anyone I know?”

Knowing her girls and how long they took to gather their things, she sat in a chair to wait for them. “I doubt it. Jay Kincaid.”

“Kincaid? Any relation to your brother-in-law?”

She nodded. “His brother. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Whoa, a little defensive, aren’t you?”

He was right. Roxy’s reaction must have bothered her more than she realized. But she wouldn’t let on
to Barry. “I don’t happen to like my ex-husband grilling me.”

Barry lifted his hands, palms up, then leaned closer to her. “Roxy’s right, you know,” he said, his voice dropping to an intimate tone. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Confused, Gail stared at him. “What wouldn’t be a bad idea?”

“You and me. Dating.” He smiled at her, leaned even closer and skimmed his hand down her bare arm. “In fact, I think it’s a great idea.”

Dumbfounded, Gail couldn’t speak for a moment. She jumped up, away from that caressing hand. “Well, think again. It’s not going to happen. Not ever.”

“Why not?”

He was smiling indulgently, as if he knew she’d fall into his hands like the proverbial ripe plum. And the pitiful thing was, she’d done it once. She’d taken one look at that handsome face and fallen for him head over heels. But she’d been young then, and stupid.
And what about those years of marriage you endured when you suspected he didn’t love you anymore? You weren’t so young then, were you?

No, she hadn’t been young, but she’d felt trapped all the same. She’d wanted the marriage to work, for the children’s sake. It still galled her that Barry had been the one to leave, and not her. She brushed aside those thoughts, as she brushed aside their past.

“We’re divorced, remember?”

“So? Lots of people who are divorced date.”

She parked her hands on her hips and gave him a good, long stare. “You’re crazy. I wouldn’t date you if you were the last man on earth.”

His assurance finally cracked and he frowned. “How long are you going to punish me for one lousy mistake?”

“It wasn’t one mistake. It was a series of them, and the last was the
mother
of all mistakes,” she said.

Thank God, the doorbell rang. “This conversation is over. And in case you decide to bring it up again, don’t.” She turned her back and stalked to the door, yanking it open more forcefully than she’d intended.

“Hi. Sorry I’m late, I got held up at the office. You look great,” Jay said appreciatively. He wore a lightweight summer suit that stretched elegantly across his broad shoulders, and tailored slacks covering long legs. She’d seen him in dress clothes before, at Cat’s wedding. If possible, he looked even better now than he had then. Perhaps it was the added maturity that five years had given him. There was nothing boyish about Jay now. No, nothing boyish at all.

Realizing she’d been all but drooling, Gail stepped aside, motioning him to come in. “Thanks. And you’re not late. The girls haven’t left yet. Let me introduce you to their father.”

She made the introductions. Roxy and Mel came in as the two men shook hands. Jay turned to them and smiled. “Hi, Roxy. Hi, Mel. How’s it going?”

Mel ran to him, bombarding him with questions about the puppies. He laughed. “Yes, they’re still digging holes,” he said in answer to one of her ques
tions. “I’m not sure when I’ll be able to break them of that.”

Roxy, standing beside her father, broke into the conversation. “Mommy, are you sure you can’t come with us? Please?”

Gail’s gaze met her ex-husband’s. He shrugged, apparently as perplexed as Gail. “Your mom already said no, Rox. Come on, let’s go.”

Roxy looked at Jay, a clear challenge in her eye. “Daddy’s taking us for pizza. And a movie,” she added, her manner implying that whatever Jay’s plans were, they ran a clear second to her father’s.

Jay’s lips twitched but he spoke to her solemnly. “That sounds like fun. Have a good time.”

“We will. We
always
have fun with Daddy.” She glanced at her father, then back to Jay. “Mommy would have lots more fun with us than with you. Except she already told you she’d go with you.”

“Roxy, that’s enough,” Gail said, wanting to sink into the floor with embarrassment. Thank God, Jay looked more amused than offended.

“Roxy’s being a poop-head,” Mel confided in Jay.

“Am not!” Roxy said, starting toward her sister.

“Are too!”

Gail broke in before they could erupt into full battle. “Stop it, girls. Give me a kiss and go get in the car.”

She opened the door for them and kissed each in turn. Barry said goodbye to Jay, then paused on his way out, putting his hand on her arm. “A little young for you, isn’t he?” he murmured. “Have fun.”

“Don’t worry, I plan to,” she said, giving him her brightest smile instead of shoving him out the door as she wanted to do.

After Barry left, she breathed a sigh of relief. That had been a lot more uncomfortable than she’d imagined it would be. She wasn’t sure whether to apologize for Roxy or ignore the whole thing.

“That was interesting,” Jay said. “I seem to have graduated to the top of Roxy’s shit list. Any idea why?”

Gail started to deny it, then shrugged. “No, but I don’t intend to worry about it. Whatever it is, it will blow over.”

But she knew exactly why. Roxy wanted her parents to get back together. She couldn’t have made it clearer if she’d held up a neon sign, and Gail didn’t doubt Jay knew it as well. Obviously, Gail was going to have to have a talk with her eldest daughter. Tonight, though, it was out of her hands.

“Let me get my purse and we can go.”

“Did I mention you look fantastic?”

Her lips curved upward. “Thanks. I think you said great earlier.”

“Yeah. That too.” His gaze caressed her like a warm breeze. He looked at her as if he wanted to start at the top and lick his way down her body.

Heat climbed into her cheeks at the image that brought to mind. But she had a plan, and she intended to follow it.

“Are you sure you want to go to this party?” Jay asked. “I can think of a lot of—” his gaze lingered
on her mouth, dropped to her decolletage, then slid back up to her eyes “—intriguing things we could do.”

Gail laughed. “I’ll bet. But my boss will kill me if I don’t show up. Come on, let’s go.”

Once inside his car, Jay leaned over her to pull her seat belt out, snapping it into place. His hand brushed her breast as he did so, and they both drew in a breath. Their eyes met.