Then, with the scales balanced, she could wipe the maddening man from her mind. Forever.
When he didn’t answer right away, she pasted on a smile and met his gaze, pretending she didn’t have a care in the world. “So…you want that then? To be friends?”
“Oh, yeah.” Reed reached over and cupped her nape with his hand, that gesture he’d used before. Her bare skin prickled beneath his warm, rough palm. The throbbing between her thighs restarted.
Using that hold, he pulled her nearer. He closed the remainder of the distance himself, until they were nearly lip-to-lip. His blue eyes quirked at the corners and she suspected he was suppressing a smile. “Friends, Cleo,” he whispered. “Friends…with benefits.”
The moon hung low in the sky, like a ripe fruit ready to be plucked. A good omen, Reed thought, as he walked the short distance from his place to Cleo’s small house. She’d come through with that dinner invitation she’d promised and he was looking forward to the evening for the food, for the company, for what might happen between the two of them.
He cautioned himself about that. Not only was the woman skittish, she had two boys at home. Reed had no intention of embarrassing her in front of them. Once they were asleep…well, she might not be comfortable going beyond kisses while they were in the house. If so, he’d practice patience.
Once she pulled the door open for him, he knew immediately that was a good policy. Her eyes darted from his face to over his shoulder to her shoes, and he knew her nerves were jumping just like her gaze.
Soothe her
, he told himself.
Convince her you’re not dangerous.
“For you,” he said. Smiling, he stepped forward and pushed the door closed. Then he presented the little gift he’d brought for her. Not candy, not flowers, but a small, stuffed animal. “A unicorn.”
“Unicorn,” she said, clearly pleased as she set the creature on the flat of her palm. “But your eggcorn is perfect.” On tiptoes, she kissed his cheek.
Reed slipped his hand to the small of her back and turned his head so that lips caught lips. Beneath his palm, her body tensed, but he allowed himself another moment to appreciate her clean, flowery scent and the tender softness of her mouth.
When he let her go, she stared up at him as if she’d been dazzled.
He grinned, and slipped out the small package from the back pocket of his jeans. “Where are your boys? I brought them a special deck of cards…for magic tricks.”
Her head tilted. “Unicorns. Magic cards. Magic
potions
. You’re kind of charming, do you know that?”
Antisocial was more like it, but who was he to argue with a beautiful woman? She wore a full, red skirt that skimmed her knees and was scattered with yellow and blue flowers. A simple blue T-shirt clung to her torso. Tonight, she’d done something different to her hair. The longest of her blonde locks had been twisted into tousled curls.
“I love these earrings,” he said, setting one swinging with the touch of his forefinger. It was her macaroni pair.
“I…I wear them for good luck,” she admitted.
“Then you’re covered, honey, and there’s no reason for your pulse to be pounding so hard,” Reed said, circling her throat with his hand. He stroked the pad of his thumb over the thrumming beat in her neck. “Unless I make you anxious.”
“Of course not,” she said, clearly lying.
Once more, he stroked his thumb over her soft flesh. Instead of calming her like he’d intended, he couldn’t miss the way her nipples peaked beneath her shirt in reaction.
Shit.
His cock, half-hard after that nearly chaste kiss, came to instant, full attention.
This
was dangerous. Dropping his arm, he stepped away. “Obie and Eli?”
She’d turned to head toward the kitchen. Now she threw him a quick glance over her shoulder. “Um…they have an overnight.”
It took him a minute to process that.
They have an overnight.
“They’re not here?”
Shaking her head, she put the unicorn on a shelf over the kitchen sink. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Sure.” Then he had to make sure his hearing was working properly. “They have an overnight you said?”
She smiled at him, then crossed to the small TV sitting in an open cabinet on the other side of the room. Local news played on the screen and she muted the volume. “Alexa’s cousin, Jeanette? She invited them to have dinner and stay the night with her boys.”
Reed forced himself to keep a distance away from her. Hell. Without the chaperonage of her kids, this could go wrong. With his dick already up and ready to ride, he might scare the hell out of Cleo if he didn’t find a way to keep his cool.
“Would you like a beer? Wine?”
“Beer would be great,” he said, hoping a frosty bottle in his hand would act as a reminder.
She brought it to him, setting it on the small island where he’d taken one of the two stools. As she moved back toward the refrigerator, her hand trailed casually, lightly over his shoulders.
His muscles tightened. Then he deliberately forced himself to relax.
Think of something to talk about,
he ordered himself.
Something innocuous and safe.
“So…the boys are going to be gone all evening.” Instantly, he wanted to kick himself.
Way to find an innocent topic. Way to show her you’re not a maniac obsessing about getting her into bed.
She glanced over her shoulder. “If Obie can make it through the night. This will be his very first sleep-away.” Then her gaze shifted from his face to somewhere over his shoulder. Pink color infused her cheeks and her mouth fell open.
Reed turned his head to see what had caught her attention. A commercial was playing on her TV, a man and woman floating in the ocean, holding each other close. It could be advertising an online dating service, a tourist destination, or even toothpaste. Now the camera panned close for their kiss and Cleo continued to appear riveted.
“What’s caught your interest?” he asked.
She started, blinking, then hurried to the refrigerator. “Online courses,” she said, reaching in to bring out a salad. “I’m thinking about going back to school.”
Huh. He glanced again at the TV, then returned his attention to her. “To study what?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t go to college.”
“Me neither.”
Her surprise was evident in her wide eyes that she turned his way. “Really?”
“I was never much of a student.”
“Ironic, that your stories take place at a school, then.”
“Mmm.” Now wasn’t the time to discuss his literary influences. He sucked down some beer so that memories of Oceanview Army-Navy wouldn’t intrude on their evening. “You said you worked at a construction company?”
“I did, and enjoyed it.” She set a platter in front of him.
Stuffed mushrooms, celery ribs filled with some cheesy goodness, crackers topped with what appeared to be minced olives. He popped one in his mouth. Oh, yeah, minced olives and another ingredient—artichoke hearts?—both delicious and savory. “Good,” he said. “You’re very accomplished, you know. Great cook and baker. Not to mention wrangler of young males.”
She slipped something in the oven. Chicken breasts, he guessed. “I learned everything I know about that from the guys in hard hats.”
This sounded interesting. “Do tell.”
“There are three rules to remember when it comes to managing men. “ Coming closer, she ticked them off with her fingers. “Have plenty of food on hand. Insist they never skip soap and water. Go deaf when the conversation turns to dirty talk.”
He frowned. “What kind of things did the hard hats say to you?”
“Not to me.” She waved a hand. “In front of me, sometimes. They’d forget I was there, you know? They didn’t see me as a woman.”
“Cleo—”
“Because I’m a mom.” She had poured herself a glass of wine and she sipped from it now. “You know.”
“I certainly don’t.” Was this why she was so nervous when he got close? She’d been fooling herself for so long that men overlooked her that she went jumpy when he made it more than clear he saw her very well indeed. “Cleo…”
Six strides and he took her wine glass from her hand to set it aside and then towed her toward the antique armoire sitting in the alcove between the kitchen and the short hall leading to the bedrooms. Stopping in front of the oval mirror, he pulled her back to his chest. “What do you see?” he asked.
She met his gaze in the mirror and shrugged. “Uh…me?”
A mom, he thought, shaking his head. He slid one arm around her waist and lifted his other hand to her face, where he could trace the arch of her golden, downy brows, then follow the straight line of her nose with a fingertip. “You’ve forgotten how beautiful you are,” he murmured.
Her arm closed over the one of his that circled her waist. Not in protest, he decided, but for support.
Watching in the mirror, he followed the line of her lips. “How desirable,” he added, his voice low.
Her nipples poked at the fabric of her T-shirt again. With the back of his knuckles, Reed followed the side of one swelling breast. She jerked, her ass pushing into his groin. That made her still, because his cock was straining behind his jeans. He ducked his head so his cheek was against hers.
“You can tell I’m speaking the truth, right, darlin’?” He pressed his lips to her hot flesh. “Definitely desirable.”
Her eyes closed and he trailed his mouth the short distance to the shell of her ear. He grasped the small hanging earring between his teeth and tugged, causing her to squirm in his hold. His dick loved the contact.
Reed fucking loved how she was heating up in his embrace.
With the tip of his tongue, he followed the whirls and folds of her small ear, finally dipping in and out of it with a shallow penetration. “Reed,” Cleo whispered, her body shuddering.
“Cleo,” he returned, smiling against her cheek.
Then the oven timer dinged.
She froze. Groaning, he hung his head, gently beating his brow against her shoulder. “I should let you go,” he said.
The timer sounded again, answering for her.
Reed dropped his hands. Without looking at her reflection or at him, Cleo scuttled into the kitchen. He followed more slowly, found his beer, and drained it with one long swallow. Probably screwing before dinner would not make her feel safe, he told himself, and half-turned so he could adjust the fit of the damn denim without her noticing.
Eschewing further conversation, she served up two plates. Reed noticed her movements were jerky, as if she didn’t have complete control of all her muscles. That made two of them. His cock certainly had its own agenda.
When she dropped a serving spoon and just stood looking at it, he took pity on her. “Darlin’,” he said, striding over to get it himself. “There’s nothing to get worked up about. It’s just me, Reed.”
She looked at him. “Just you, Reed,” she repeated, as if that was the dumbest remark ever made.
“Yes, Reed, who is ‘champion at the bit’ to eat this meal you prepared.”
Her eyes squeezed shut and she groaned as if in pain. “That one is terrible.”
“I know,” he said, swiping up the plates and walking them to the dining table. “They can’t all be a reference to a luxury car in need of constant repairs.”
Following him, she asked, “What’s that?”
He held out her chair. “A lemonzine.”
She slipped into it. “I’m on pinsy needles that you’ll come up with something better than either of those.”
Taking his own seat, he narrowed his eyes at her. “We need to quiet while we’re ahead.”
Her mouth twitched. “I heartily agree.”
And like that, the immediate tension abated.
But it was still there, simmering, waiting to bubble over. When he offered her a choice piece of avocado from his salad, she leaned across the table to take it from his fork. Their eyes met as she pulled it into her mouth. Blood rushed from his head to his lap and he sucked in a deep breath.
Cleo lowered her gaze as she re-settled against the back of her seat. “Let’s talk about…I don’t know. You mentioned you have a grandfather.”
Thoughts of the old man should be able to wilt a flagpole. “He’s an unforgiving martinet. He drove his daughter out of his house when she was barely eighteen, tried to pluck me out of the compound and make my childhood his vision of ship-shape, and ultimately washed his hands of me, telling me I’d come to nothing.”
She blinked. “He seems nice.”
He laughed, maybe the first time ever when the specter of the SOB was in the room. “Yeah. Not.”
“You’re lucky you have all the rest, then. Your brothers, Cilla, Ren…those that were raised with you. You seem close.”
“I…” Reed shut his mouth on the instant denial. He’d considered himself—with the exception of Beck, who was physically absent—the most remote of the Rock Royalty. But he’d been joining in with them lately…and even reaching out. Hadn’t he gone to Alexa’s bridal salon for help?
Now he’d agreed to a dinner with a beautiful, sexy woman, completely prepared to postpone the physical side of things indefinitely because she had kids…and doubts. He liked her just that much.
That felt, if not dangerous, downright risky.
Rising from the table, he grabbed up both empty plates. “I’ll get these in the dishwasher,” he said. Immediately after, perhaps he should go home.
They worked together at the clean-up. It was nearly done when he caught her staring at the television again, worrying the dishrag she held in her hands. He glanced at the screen took another look at her face. She was transfixed by yet another commercial. This time a couple was dancing, the woman in a strappy sundress, the man in nothing but a pair of slacks. The male half of the pair nuzzled the woman’s neck.
Reed touched Cleo’s shoulder. She jumped, and whirled away from the TV.
“Are you all right?”
Wetting her lips, she nodded. “Fine,” she said, but her color was high again.
“Are you coming down with something?” he asked, placing the back of his hand against her forehead. She jerked again. Reed saw goose bumps break out on her neck. Though she crossed her arms over chest, it wasn’t before he noticed her nipples had once again pearled.
With a frown, he checked out the screen again, but now a sleek car was racing through rainy streets. He didn’t think that was responsible for her stirred-up state. But that half-naked couple… A lightbulb went off and his lips twitched. It appeared his neighbor might be riding a sharper edge than he’d suspected…which was surprising and amusing and hellishly exciting, all at once.