Champagne Rules (27 page)

“Jaxon!” she cried and, unbelievably, he felt her body begin to spasm around him.

He let out a groan and thrust wildly, deeper and deeper inside her, as he too began to climax. He could feel his body let go, feel himself filling her, feel his seed spilling deep into her core.

Suzanne clung to him, her face buried against his neck, long tendrils of hair tumbling over both their shoulders, her breasts pressing against his chest as her breath sobbed in and out. His heart still lurched unsteadily, his hips thrust spasmodically. He bent his head, resting his forehead against her hair. His knees were weak, but he fought to stay upright and support her. 

After a minute or two, he lifted his head and she did too. Her green eyes were dazed and dreamy. “Wow,” she sighed.

“Oh yeah.”

A typical female, she regained her breath quicker than him, and her desire to talk.

“That must be some kind of record,” she said. “Even for us. I started to come the moment you entered me.”

“Me too.”

He lifted her gently, easing himself out, then set her on her feet. He bent to pull up his pants and briefs. And realized. “Oh crap, Suzanne, no condom.”

She glanced down too, so now they were both staring at his wet, naked penis. “I didn’t think either. I’m on the pill. And, uh, there’s no danger of anything else. I mean, I . . .”

“I’m clean too. Honest.”

For him, clean meant he and Tonya had been exclusive, and between her and Suzanne he’d only had sex a few times, always with protection. He wondered what clean meant to Suzanne. She was a sexy lady, must’ve had lots of lovers. They must always use condoms. None of his business. She’d said she was clean and that was all that mattered.

Again, he began to pull up his pants. A hand on his arm stopped him.

“Jaxon? Take off your clothes. Remember, I have a gift.”

Red silk boxers. Hell yeah, he remembered.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” she purred, gathering up the lacy scraps she’d been wearing when she greeted him. As he finished undressing, he glanced around her living room. Nice, but not what he’d expected. Kind of ritzy and formal. This room didn’t match his image of Suzanne. What had he expected? Red satin sheets and a mirror on the ceiling? Well, he hadn’t been in the bedroom yet. 

He folded his pants and shirt and laid them over a chair.

“Mrrrow?”

He turned, to see a fluffy gold cat stroll toward him. Okay, this fit. Of course Suzanne would have a pet. The cat twined around his ankles and he squatted to scratch under its chin. He wished Suzanne would come back with those boxers. Red silk might be embarrassing, but it couldn’t be as bad as parading naked in front of her cat. Cats. A battered black one eased into the room and surveyed him from a distance through narrowed eyes. If cats could scowl, this one was definitely doing it.

Suzanne came back, wearing that sexy ivory-colored outfit. She handed him a damp washcloth.

“You have cats,” he said, turning away slightly as he cleaned himself up.

“You’re not allergic?”

“No. But I don’t think the black one likes me.”

“That’s Zorro. He’s wary, especially of men. Poor baby had a tough life. I found him in an alley.”

“You prowl the alleys looking for stray cats?”

She handed him a tissue-wrapped package and hoisted Zorro into her arms. “I’d been out for dinner and was walking back to my car. I heard a couple of cats fighting and broke them up. One ran off. Poor Zorro had his ear half torn off. I couldn’t leave him there.”

“Guess not.” Not the girl who’d rescued all the injured animals in the neighborhood. “And how about blondie?” He gestured to the friendly cat.

“Melody’s a sweetheart. She belonged to a friend who married a guy with serious allergies. Melody’s been with me for years now. When I got Zorro last year, she was a civilizing influence.”

“Beauty and the beast?”

She smiled. “You got it.” Then she tilted her head. “Have you ever had pets?”

He unwrapped tissue and stared at the shorts. They were a red as bright as a fire engine.

“Pets? No. When I was a kid we had enough trouble feeding ourselves.”

“And now?”

He shrugged. “I’m never home.”

He shook out the boxers and stepped into one leg, then the other. “Having a pet is a commitment.” And there were only two things he was about to commit to: his career, and his mom’s well-being.

“Yes, it is.” Suzanne sounded pleased by his comment. He pulled the shorts up so the waistband rested at his hips. Could he feel any dumber? “Uh, this what you had in mind?”

“You truly are the most gorgeous man.”

The heat in her eyes said he didn’t look as silly as he felt.

“Aw shucks, ma’am, you’ve got me blushing.”

“Can I touch?”

Without waiting for his answer she stepped closer and ran her hands over his silk-clad buttocks, then around to the front, down his fly, checking out his package. He had to admit, the silk did feel sensuous against his skin, especially when her warm fingers pressed against it. He began to stir to life and she gave him a pat. “Later, my friend.”

She turned away and bent to pick up the discarded tissue paper. Oh man, she was wearing a thong. Her creamy ass peeped out below the lacy hem of her skimpy top. He stepped forward and pressed his silk-clad front against her backside.

“What about now, and later too?”

She pressed back against him, gave an erotic wriggle, then pulled away. “Dinner’s all ready to go.”

“Give me a minute, and I’ll be ready too.” But her mention of food made him realize he was starving. All he’d had to eat was a bagel after racquetball, and a couple of bags of peanuts on the plane.

He stepped away from her and retrieved one of the packages he’d brought in. “I got you something too. I was planning to buy a red silk thong, but then I saw this and it said Suzanne.”

Her eyes sparkled as she took the pink bag. And her whole face lit up when she pulled out the green silk robe.

“It matches your eyes,” he muttered.

“It’s lovely. So elegant.” She stroked the fabric. “Thank you, Jaxon.”

“Put it on. I hope it fits.”

It did, draping her curves, framing her throat, revealing her chest down to the lacy top of the garment below. And it ended above her knees, baring those knockout legs. She threw herself into his arms. “Oh Jaxon, I love it.” Then she spun away. “I have to go look.”

In Ann’s bedroom, Suzanne stared into the floor-length mirror. Who was this woman, with her fiery hair, rosy cheeks and slim, silk-wrapped body? She looked classy, but also sexy. It was the first time in her life she’d looked in a mirror and thought of herself as sexy.

Jaxon had done this for her.

When she walked back into the living room, he was squatting down murmuring to Zorro. Her alley cat tilted his head to let Jaxon scratch under his chin. She’d never seen Zorro give his trust so readily to a man.

Her heart threatened to go all mushy on her. She cleared her throat. “You guys ready for dinner?”

Jaxon rose easily to his feet. “Can’t speak for Zorro, but I’m starving.” He handed her a paper bag. “Thank God for your carpet, or this might have broken when I dropped it. It’s red wine. I hope that’s okay. I knew I wouldn’t have an opportunity to chill it, and I remembered you drank both colors.”

He paid attention and he was practical. Except, he could be so overcome by passion when he saw her that he’d drop a bottle of wine on the floor. She felt like holding up her fingers, counting off the man’s attributes.

If she ran out of fingers, what would she do?

“Red’s great.” It was a zinfandel from a California winery called Ridge. “I don’t know this wine. Is it a favorite of yours?”

“I’m no connoisseur. I asked an expert’s advice. My ex-wife Tonya. She’s in the restaurant business.”

“Oh?” She was happy he got on so well with his ex. Really she was. How could a girl respect a guy who bad-mouthed his ex? Damn it, she’d have to overcome her stupid jealousy and give the guy another point.

She led the way to the kitchen and he followed.

“Her dream has been to open her own restaurant,” he said,

“and she’s doing it now.”

She handed him Ann’s corkscrew. “Good for her. I imagine that’s a tough business to get into, in San Francisco. There are lots of good restaurants, aren’t there?”

“She’s done her research. She’s creating something a little different, and she’s hired a young chef she thinks is wonderful.”

He chuckled. “She’s even brought my mom in, as a weekend co-hostess and minor partner.”

“Oh?” His mother and his ex were good friends too? This was sounding just a little too cozy.

No, that was jealousy speaking again.

As Jaxon poured wine, she took a platter of chicken satay from the fridge. “I thought we’d eat outside. I made an Asian salad and we can barbecue these while we’re sipping wine.”

“Asian salad?”

“Cabbage, red pepper, noodles, sesame seeds, almonds, soy sauce, ginger. Lots of goodies. Sound all right?” It was Jenny’s recipe.

“Sounds wonderful.”

He followed her to the patio door and glanced out toward the building across the street. “Shouldn’t I put on some more clothes? It’s not dark yet.”

“Soon will be. Besides, you’re just as covered as if you were wearing a bathing suit.” Her lips twitched. “A red silk bathing suit.”

She lit the barbecue. He still hovered in the doorway.

“Are you chicken?” she challenged.

“Oh hell.” He strode outside, put the two wineglasses on the patio table and flung himself into a chair. She took the other chair, enjoying the soft, humid ocean air on her skin. “Nice?”

“Yeah.” He smiled a little sheepishly, then his eyes began to sparkle. He lifted his glass and raised it toward her. “A toast. To slow, lazy, sensual lovemaking. Tonight.”

She touched her glass to his and was just lifting it to her lips when he said, “I’m not finished.”

“There’s more?”

“Tonight, on this patio.”

“Oh! Oh yes, I’ll drink to that.”

She took a sip and had to admit the wine was great. Tonya’s choice. His ex. His friend. “Jaxon? You said something earlier, about a pet being a commitment?”

“Uh-huh?”

“You got married, then divorced. Don’t you view marriage as a commitment?”

He drank a little wine, seeming to reflect. “Not in the same way. A pet’s dependent on you. A spouse isn’t—unless there’s a bad illness, disability, something like that. But normally marriage involves two completely self-sufficient adults.”

She wouldn’t have said
completely
self-sufficient. “It is a partnership of equals.” But still, if you swore a solemn promise to each other, you should keep it. Not rationalize that it was okay to leave because the other person would survive on their own.

Not wanting to argue, she said, “Kids, though, they really are dependent.”

“Sure, they’re like pets.” He gave a short laugh. “Sorry, that came out badly. What I mean is, having a child is the strongest commitment you can make. I’m not sure a parent ever stops feeling responsible.”

“Mom says your child is always your child, even when they have kids of their own.”

He nodded, then sniffed the air. “It’s smelling good.”

She checked the skewers and brought the salad, plus plates and utensils, from the kitchen. “It’s not very fancy.”

“Looks and smells great.”

They took their time with the meal, and to Suzanne’s surprise Jaxon asked her a lot of questions about her work and her career plans. Either he was exceptionally polite or he didn’t find Suze the sensible twin to be a waste of time. The sun set, lights twinkled in windows across the street, the stars sparkled above. The evening was relaxing—and yet Suzanne couldn’t forget Jaxon’s toast. Soon, they would be making slow, sensual love. Right here on the patio.

The silk of her new robe caressed her arm when she lifted her wineglass. It slid across her legs, baring her thighs. As for Jaxon—well, she had trouble keeping her eyes off that gorgeous athlete’s body. Her nerves hummed with a frisson of arousal, subtle, yet as undeniable as the salty tang of the ocean air.

She finished the last sip of wine. “I’ll clear up. It will only take a moment.”

“I’ll help.”

The kitchen was bright after the balcony. Melody and Zorro pattered in to see if there were any leftovers. She’d brought the cats, not wanting to leave them alone at her place. Mouse had promptly found the computer keyboard in Ann’s home office and likely would never emerge, but the other two had been exploring. Suzanne tidied away leftovers while Jaxon loaded the dishwasher. Then she opened the fridge. “Remember that ice wine?”

She turned, and found he’d squatted down and was gently scratching around Zorro’s good ear. The cat, who never purred, had his eyes slitted in bliss.

Something in her chest squeezed tight. Damn. Ann and Rina had warned her, and she’d blithely sworn she’d never put her heart at risk.

But this man understood Zorro. He believed that having children was a serious commitment. He’d bought her an elegant robe that matched her eyes, he’d fucked her like she was the sexiest woman alive and he’d asked intelligent questions about her work. He’d seen Suzanne the sexy twin and Suze the sensible one, and seemed to like both.

She pulled out the wine and fumbled with the corkscrew. She liked him too. She respected how far he’d come, from such humble beginnings. And she trusted him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here in Ann’s apartment.

They’d definitely departed from the Champagne Rules, and so far she was feeling good about it. Just a little scared. She’d always been a sensible girl who planned things out, and now she had no idea where she and Jaxon were heading. She eased out the cork. “Ice wine?” Her voice came out choked.

“Sounds great.” He bent his head over Zorro and murmured something she didn’t catch, gave one final caress, then rose. He accepted a glass of wine, then took her hand and tugged her gently out the patio door. He spread the two cotton chair pads on the floor, sprawled on one and raised a hand. “Join me?”

She sank down beside him. What now? He’d promised slow and sensual.

He reached up a hand to slide the silk robe from one of her shoulders, then the other. It dropped to her waist, revealing the ivory camisole she’d bought specially for him. She reached for their glasses and handed him one. “You haven’t tasted it.”