Finally (Mature Men, #3) (3 page)

He nodded. "It's a tossup as to whether she's just pretty or beautiful," he said.

A surge of jealousy assailed my senses and shamed me.
You're only here on Janine's behalf. Like Darkwater, he's probably the kind of man who likes a slender, beautiful blonde bimbo on his arm. That leaves you out on both counts but gives Janine a fighting chance to capture his attention.
While aware that an average-looking, plus-sized woman didn't generally have an abundance of dating choices, I'd always felt secure in my own skin. I'd captured Don's heart and for a brief time Darkwater's sexual interest. If I were patient enough, I knew I'd meet another man I could fall in love with.

Until that happened, I was more than ready to fall into lust but it could not be with the handsome Shane even though he made me feel as if I had his complete attention. "She's gorgeous," I said.

He surprised me by reaching across the table to place his hand next to mine, almost as if he knew I had a thing for a man's hand.

I stared at his. It was big with short nails and long fingers that would feel wonderful gliding across my bare flesh on its way to cupping my breasts or sliding down my belly to...

I caught myself. During my fling with Darkwater I'd enjoyed nights of incredible passion. Without a man in my life, my body craved the sexual release and pleasure I'd gloried in with him. After enjoying wonderful sex nearly every night for six weeks, the ten weeks since our relationship had ended left me lonely and horny. But I couldn't afford to center my attention on Shane. He was already spoken for.

"So what do you think? Isn't she beautiful?" I asked.

"Probably."

"So?"

"The more I think about it she's probably pretty but not quite beautiful."

I frowned. "What am I missing? Since when is being merely pretty a liability?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't exactly call it a liability, but I have to tell you that I think beautiful women are a dime a dozen. Pretty women are even more common."

Oh damn. "What?"

"Why should I want to go out with your pretty friend?"

"Because she's as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside. She's a great person."

"She must be to inspire such loyalty in you."

I relaxed. "So you'll go out with her?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Why not?"

"I told you. Women like her are a dime a dozen. Been there, done that with beautiful women. These days a woman needs to bring more than superficial looks to the table to catch and hold my interest."

I stared at him, impressed. "A man who doesn't judge a woman strictly on her physical appearance is a rarity."

"I'm flattered you think I'm rare."

I shook my head. "That's not what I said."

He smiled, revealing nice, but not artificially straight teeth. "Maybe not, but that is what you meant. Isn't it?"

It was but I was not about to admit it. "No."

"Now I'm crushed. What's your secret?"

"Secret? What secret?"

"It's a rare woman who can manage to both flatter and crush a man within a matter of minutes."

"Are you calling me rare?" I teased.

He nodded, his dark eyes seeming to smile at me. "I think I just did."

"Are you flirting with me?"

He shrugged. "Why not? You intrigue me."

Call me delusional, but I believed him. Flattered, I smiled.

His gaze shifted to my mouth. "You have an interesting smile."

"Interesting as in strange or–"

"Interesting as in very nice...sweet, yet so much more."

I longed to ask how much more but decided I needed to remind us both why I was there. "You are flirting with me."

He nodded. "Yes, I am, but I thought we'd already established that fact."

"Why?"

"You intrigue me. I thought we'd established that fact as well."

Lord knew I wanted to run head long down the path that invited him to tell me more. But I couldn't. Janine had talked of little else but him for the last three weeks until I'd finally agreed to do what I'd done several times before–talk her up to a man she was too shy to approach herself. "It's Janine you should be flirting with."

"I'm forty years old. I think that's old enough to determine who I want to flirt with. Don't you, Sherlyn?"

I liked how he made my name sound exotic and sexy. "Yes, of course, but—"

"There's no butts about it. I'm old enough. Now, have you considered the possibility that I have absolutely no interest in your very pretty friend?"

"That's only because you haven't met her. If you'll give her a chance, I know you'll like her."

He lifted his gaze from my mouth to my eyes. "How sure are you of that?"

"Very sure."

"Then put your money where your delectable looking mouth is."

My delectable looking mouth? Oh, God, I wanted so much to be able to go with the flow with him. "What do you mean?"

"I don't have any one special in my life at the moment and I've been feeling a little lonely lately."

He didn't look like a man who ever needed to be lonely. "I'm sure there are scores of women who'd love the opportunity to do something about that."
Including me.

"Possibly, but the days when I wanted to date several women at the same time are over. While I'm not looking for anything super serious I am interested in meeting one special woman I can build a possible long-term relationship with at some point."

The lucky woman he chose would fall on her knees each night and gives thanks while she tried to capture his heart. "Janine is special."

"So you keep telling me, but I'm not convinced."

"You would be if you'd only give her a chance."

"Tell you what. Let's make a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"Why don't you join me for dinner tonight and convince me how special your friend is?"

I blinked. "You want me to have dinner with you tonight?"

"Yes. There's a new restaurant in Old City I've been meaning to try. I hear the food is great and the atmosphere is conducive."

"Conducive to what?"

"Have dinner with me tonight and decide that for yourself."

Sweet temptation, stay away from me.
"I can't go out with you."

"Of course you can. You can spend the evening convincing me what a great catch your friend is."

The thought of having dinner with him got my juices flowing in a biblical way. I knew I was with a man capable of doing what Don had done—remove all thoughts of Darkwater from my mind. In fact, the desire I felt for him was so powerful I couldn't refuse the opportunity to spend a few hours with him. I nodded before I could change my mind. "Okay, but you'd better be prepared for a full court press."

He looked amused. "I'll gird my loins accordingly."

I'd rather you bared them.
Dismissing the thought, I nodded. "Well, see that you do because I'm determined to convince you of Janine's worth."

He leaned forward slightly and looked directly into my eyes. "I look forward to your best efforts."

My heartbeat quickened and my pussy pulsed.
You have to stop imagining there's some hidden sexual meaning in nearly everything he says. Get with the program. He belongs to Janine.

"No sassy comeback, Sherlyn?"

I shook my head. "My friends call me Sher."

He frowned. "Cher? Like the entertainer?"

"They pronounce it Cher like the entertainer but we spell it S-h-e-r."

He inhaled slowly. "Interesting. We have an endearment in my family that is spelled c-h-e-r but we pronounce it sha."

I sighed, recalling the tone and look in my best friend's fiancé's eyes when he called Amber cher. One of these days some man was going to want to call me something special and sweet. Despite my best efforts, I thought of Darkwater calling me sweet girl when he was aroused and blushed.

Shane studied me in silence for a moment before nodding. "I'll bear that in mind. As for tonight, I'll pick you up at—"

"I can meet you there," I said, deciding that sitting in the confines of a car with him was probably not going to be a good idea. Not that he would attempt to do what Darkwater had done the night our relationship begin—finger fuck me to an orgasm.

"I'm sure you can, but I'm old-fashion. I prefer to pick my woman up for a date."

"You...your woman? Did you say your woman?"

He nodded. "I'm glad to see you have excellent hearing. Yes, Sherlyn, I said my woman."

Didn't I wish?
"That's old-fashioned and charming, but I'm not your woman."

"Where do you live?" he asked, ignoring my statement.

"I'm not your woman and tonight won't be a date."

He shrugged. "Call it what you like while you give me your cell number and your address."

I hesitated before giving him both.

He entered the information in his phone before glancing at his watch. "I'd love to stay and continue this conversation, but I have a meeting shortly."

Just when things were getting interesting.

"Have you had lunch, Sherlyn?"

"No."

"What can I order for you before I go?"

My throat felt so constricted, I'd probably choke if I tried to eat a bite. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not hungry."

"I like the sound of that."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Because I hope that means you plan to save your appetites for tonight with me."

My face burned. It was only later that I remembered he'd said appetites and not appetite–as if he knew of my sexual desire for him. With his looks and charm, he probably did. "I'm fine. Thanks."

He smiled. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He rose and stood by my side of the table until I looked up at him. It seemed a long way up to meet his gaze.

He stared down at me for so long I half-expected him to caress my face or touch my breasts. I wanted him to. If he did, I would burst into a million happy pieces. Thankfully he didn't. He inclined his head. "I look forward to seeing you and having you run a full court press on me tonight, Sherlyn." He smiled and walked away.

Intrigued, I turned to watch him.

When he neared the table where Janine sat, he nodded to her but didn't stop or speak to her. Just before he left the food court, he turned to look at me.

And I felt incapable of doing anything but staring back until he left.

When he had, I sank back against my chair, taking slow deep breaths
. You have to get a grip. You cannot keep fantasizing about him and imagining he's interested in you. If you have to let lust have a free rein, better you should fantasize about Darkwater again. At least he's not Janine's crush.

I tried to rein my thoughts in by reasoning with myself.
He's bored and probably views getting under your skin as a way to kill a couple of evenings until he finds someone he wants to date. And even if he is really interested in you, you can't afford to be interested him. Period. End of discussion and story as the damned Darkwater would say.

* * *

S
herlyn

Janine rose and quickly joined me at the table. She clutched my hand. "So? What happened? What did he say about me?"

"He...I think he's so used to pretty women that he's no longer...he agreed that you were pretty—"

"But what, Sher?"

I shrugged. "But he said he'd need some convincing to ask you out."

She frowned. "How am I supposed to do that unless we go out?"

I moistened my lips and made myself meet her gaze. "He asked me to go out with him and talk you up."

"When?"

"Tonight."

"Are you going?"

I nodded.

"Wait a minute. What am I missing, Sher? You set out to help me catch his attention and end up with a date with him while I get a silent nod? How does that work for my benefit?"

"I'm going to spend the night telling him what a great person you are." Even to my own ears, my reason for agreeing to see him that night sounded suspect.

She stared at me.

I stared back for a few seconds before looking away. "He's not exactly easy to talk to."

"Why not?"

I could hardly admit I'd found talking to him about her difficult because he kept flirting with me. I shrugged, shaking my head. "He just isn't."

"What's his name?"

"Shane."

"Shane what?"

I frowned. I'd been too busy flirting with him to ask. "He didn't say."

"I like the sound of his name as much as I like him," she said.

Lord didn't I know the feeling?

"Do you think you can get him to ask me out?"

"I'll do my best."

She suddenly smiled and nodded. "Of course you will. You always do."

"But this is the last time I'm doing this," I reminded her.

She nodded. "That's okay because I think he's the one."

I stared at her. "You do?"

"Yes. I do."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up too much," I warned.

"Why not?"

"Because he looks like the type who likes blondes."

"Maybe I'll change his mind," she said. "Thanks for paving the way for me."

Even as she squeezed my hand, I felt like a fraud and a traitor because I couldn't deny that I wanted him for myself and I had a feeling that nothing I could say would rev up his interest in her.

* * *

S
hane Reddorn

My grandfather taught my brothers and I that good things can happen when you least expect them but need them most. That's what happened when Sherlyn walked up and introduced herself to me. I was at a point in my life where I was bored, lonely, and starting to wonder if I'd ever meet a woman I could love for more than a year or two. At the same time, I was wary of getting involved with any woman whose interest extended beyond a very casual relationship.

My almost immediate interest in Sherlyn surprised me because she didn't appear to be the kind of woman who engaged in casual affairs. Admittedly, her plus-size body and average looks wouldn't turn many male heads. In fact, despite her lovely dusky skin tone and beautiful eyes and lush lips, most men I knew would call her plain. And maybe she was, but after two failed marriages to beautiful women I'd quickly grown tired of, a lack of physical beauty was no longer a deal breaker for me.