Benjamin chuckled, and the sound vibrated inside her. “Colorful guy, your Cash.”
Delilah sighed. “Yes, he was.” She felt a pang of longing for her good friend, but shook it off. She didn’t feel like being maudlin tonight. She closed her eyes and inhaled, catching a draft of Benjamin’s aftershave. “What are you wearing?”
“Leftover shirt and slacks from an event for my brother at the Country Club. I ditched the tie when I got home.”
“I don’t mean your clothes. I mean your—” She inhaled. “Your smell. Is it aftershave or cologne?”
“Aftershave.”
“Mmmm.”
“You like it or not,” he said.
She nodded. “What is it?”
“I don’t know.”
She shot a glance at him. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
He shrugged. “My fiancée had it created for me.”
“That was creative of her.”
He gave a short chuckle. “Yeah, except she didn’t like the scent.”
“You’re kidding?” she asked in disbelief.
“No. Why?” He briefly met her gaze.
She felt a ripple of discomfort at the tension that seemed to zing between them then shook it off. Nothing was going to happen. They had a baby in the backseat, for Pete’s sake. “Because it’s yummy. It’s mouthwatering.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, the scent is,” she said.
“But not me,” he concluded.
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, closing her eyes. “But you do have that handicap.”
“What’s that?”
“Too controlling.” She waved her hand. “Now let me go back to Cancun.”
“Too crowded,” Benjamin interjected.
She frowned, but kept her eyes closed. “This is my fantasy. But I’m flexible. I’ll take Grand Cayman. The sun is blazing. A breeze is blowing over my lazy body while I lounge under an umbrella. A waiter delivers some sort of tropical drink and a masseur arrives to give me a massage. Great hands, great body,” she said with a sigh. “Great eye candy.”
“But he can’t smell like me,” Benjamin taunted.
Delilah refused to answer, choosing instead to imagine the sound of gentle waves lapping on the shore … while she inhaled Benjamin’s delicious scent. She drifted off …
An hour later, something woke her. She blinked and shifted in her seat. The car had stopped. It was parked. She glanced out the front window then looked at Benjamin.
“Why are we here?”
“It’s been one of my favorite places for years,” he said, his seat pushed back and his head leaning on his headrest. His hair tousled in an attractive manner, he stretched his legs and nodded toward the window. “Nice view, isn’t it?”
Delilah took a second look and agreed. From the top of the hill, the lights of Houston glittered like diamonds. “It’s pretty. How long have you been coming here?”
“Since I got my driver’s license,” he said, shooting her a lazy smile.
Delilah noticed the lack of other cars around and raised an eyebrow. “Something tells me you weren’t always focused on the view outside.”
“Depends if I came alone or not. I haven’t been here since I moved back.” He shook his head. “Haven’t been here in years. It’s so quiet.”
Delilah glanced into the backseat. “Until Willy wakes up.”
“He’s out.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Male thing. I just know.”
She slid him a sideways glance. “Yeah, right,” she said, not bothering to conceal her skepticism.
“You’ll see. Quit obsessing and enjoy the view.”
She opened her mouth to protest then closed it. She couldn’t deny that her moments of peace lately had been nonexistent. Her mind wandered to thoughts of the spa.
“Stop thinking,” he whispered.
Delilah stared at him. “How do you know what I’m thinking? My mind could be completely blank.”
“Your body talked. You tensed.”
Delilah met his gaze in the darkness. She had an odd feeling about this man. He wasn’t totally what he seemed, and he had an uncanny ability to read her. Since he was such a smarty-pants, she wouldn’t expect him to be so sensually aware.
And there was the way he’d kissed her until her kneecaps turned to water. She hadn’t met anyone in a long while that made her this curious. With her increasing responsibilities at the spa, she’d had little time. She didn’t have time now, but she sure had the curiosity.
She could feel her body humming like it was an electric fence. She made a rule of not getting involved with men like Benjamin. Too educated, well-bred, he was slumming. His interest would be fleeting. If she got attached … But she never did, she reminded herself. She was always careful not to get attached, not to count on a man, with Howard as the exception to the rule. But that had been different.
“It’s gonna happen,” Benjamin said.
Delilah blinked, her face heating with unusual embarrassment. For a moment she feared he’d read her mind, but he couldn’t possibly.
“What’s gonna happen?”
He leaned closer. “You and I are gonna happen.”
Delilah gulped. She sucked in a quick breath and felt his aftershave seep into her bloodstream. She needed an antidote. “You may be going to happen, but you and I are not going to happen.”
He lifted his thumb to her bottom lip. “You’re right about one thing,” he said with sexy wryness. “Until you and I happen together, I’m going to happen by myself.”
A searing hot visual of Benjamin pleasuring himself singed her mind and made her feel as if she were burning from the inside out. She shouldn’t feel aroused. She absolutely shouldn’t feel aroused. “Well, don’t make yourself go blind,” she told him.
He chuckled and the sound was low and intimate, too inviting. His tone said,
come have some fun with me
. Delilah didn’t have time for fun. Since she’d left her father’s house, she’d always lived by the mantra that nothing was so serious or terrible that a girl couldn’t have a little fun. Between Howard’s death, pressures at the spa, Willy, and sleazoid Guy, Delilah felt overcommitted and overwhelmed.
“If I had time, I might spend some with you,” Delilah admitted. “But I have too much else to do right now. I don’t have time to play.”
“Everybody needs a little playtime, Delilah.”
“I agree, and trust me, I’ll get mine later.”
With some man who’s easier to manage
.
The memory of the pain of childbirth may fade quickly, but the memory of changing a messy cloth diaper sure doesn’t.
—D
ELILAH’S
D
ICTUM
R
obert checked his watch for the tenth time as the Treasurer for the Ruritan Club droned on and on. He’d invited Lilly to attend this meeting where he was guest speaker, but she’d been busy.
Robert frowned.
He’d called her at the last minute, which he supposed was part of the problem. Except it hadn’t been a problem before last week.
Her voice had been breathless with apology as she’d explained that she’d already agreed to join Greg for a swim at the country club followed by dinner. It was too easy for Robert to imagine Lilly frolicking in the pool with Greg the shark. He’d probably lure her into the hot tub. Maybe they would skip dinner.
Robert felt his temperature rise. Lilly was cavorting with another man and he was stuck here with a bunch of old farts. His father would immediately correct him. They weren’t old farts. They were potential voters, potential constituents.
As the president gave him a glowing introduction, Robert stifled a sigh and put on his game face. He was here to discuss social security and he would damn well do it in the shortest speech on record.
Forty-five minutes later, Robert walked through the front doors of the country club and headed for the swimming pool. He knew the club housed two swimming areas. The first larger pool was filled with competitive swimmers and two water aerobics classes. It was busy and noisy and he looked in vain for Lilly.
His gut twisted as he walked toward the smaller swimming pool. It was older, smaller, and not as popular as the other well-lit Olympic-sized pool. Heat and humidity steamed the windows to the pool area, hindering his ability to spy— To see the occupants.
Robert pushed open the door and heard low voices and feminine giggling.
“No, Greg, I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Lilly said with an edge of discomfort to her voice.
“It’ll be fun. No one can see. Let’s get back in the pool. If you’re too shy, I can help you,” Greg offered.
Alarm shot through Robert. He’d been right. Greg was a shark.
“No! Greg, stop! I don’t want—”
Robert had heard enough. He wouldn’t allow that sleazeball to pressure Lilly. Striding into the pool area, he spotted Greg crowding Lilly against the wall as she pushed fruitlessly at him. A primitive urge roared through him and he jerked Greg away from her.
Greg gaped at him. “Wha—”
“Robert!” Lilly cried in surprise.
“She said no. She said stop,” Robert said and pushed Greg into the pool.
His heart pounding a mile a minute, he turned at the sound of Lilly’s gasp. He gave his jacket a sharp tug. “Are you ready to go?”
She swallowed audibly and nodded. “Yes, I just need to change into dry clothes.”
He looked at the black two-piece suit she wore and noticed her nipples puckered against the clinging fabric. Her skin was white and she was slim, her legs long, her thighs inviting. Surprised at the direction of his thoughts, he grabbed a towel and pressed it into her hands. “Be quick about it. I’ll wait outside for you.”
As soon as she left, he turned toward Greg. “Leave her alone.”
“Or what?” Greg asked. “It’s obvious you two aren’t exclusive. She was with me tonight, not you.”
Robert’s blood pressure climbed another notch. “Whether Lilly and I are exclusive or not, I won’t let her be manhandled by slime like you.”
“Maybe she wants to be manhandled,” Greg said with a sly look.
“Not if she’s saying
no, stop
, but I guess you’re not bright enough to figure that out.” Robert stalked out of the swimming area.
Pacing back and forth outside the women’s locker rooms, he struggled with his reaction to seeing Lilly with another man. It had bothered the hell out of him. He’d thought of Lilly as sweet and attractive, but not overly sexual. In fact, part of her appeal was her innocence.
Maybe she wants to be manhandled
.
Robert scowled. He seriously doubted that Lilly wanted to be manhandled. If any man was going to handle her, it should be him.
The thought knocked him sideways. He swore under his breath as Lilly, her hair still wet and her cheeks pink, appeared from the women’s locker room. “Are you ready?” he growled.
She bit her lip. “I guess.”
He escorted her to his car in silence. As he drove toward her home, she asked a few questions about his appearance at the Ruritan Club. Still disturbed, he delivered one-word answers.
“Would you mind stopping here please?” she asked.
So busy brooding, he almost didn’t notice her request. He glanced at the fast-food sign. “Why?”
“I’m hungry. I didn’t have dinner.”
She was hungry because Greg had given her a workout. His gut twisted as he pulled into the fast-food drive-thru lane. “What do you want?”
“Single with cheese, mustard and pickles, no onion or mayo, fries and a frosty.”
“That was the most decisive I’ve ever seen you,” he said after he repeated the order to the drive-thru attendant.
She shrugged and gave a small smile. “I guess starvation will do that to you.”
He gave a small grin in return then picked up her order. As he drove the rest of the way to her house, he couldn’t help thinking about the many kinds of starvation a person could experience. For example, Robert’s father had told him no sex until the campaign was over. Robert didn’t have much sexual experience, so he was used to taking care of himself every few nights to keep himself from going nuts.
Part of the reason he’d chosen Lilly as his escort was because she didn’t tempt his carnal nature all that much. He’d felt protective of her, almost the same way he suspected he would feel about a little sister. After seeing her with Greg and getting a good look at her nearly bare body, he suspected he would be thinking carnal thoughts about sliding between her legs and playing with her nipples the rest of the night. He wondered what she looked like when she had sex. Did she make noises? Did she moan?
Feeling himself harden at the forbidden visuals, he swore under his breath as he parked the car.
“Thanks for the ride home,” Lilly said and unlocked her door.
“I’ll walk you to your door,” he said and joined her.
“Thank you again,” Lilly said when they arrived at her front door.
“Would you like me to sit with you while you eat?” he asked.
Not really
flickered in her eyes. She sighed. “I don’t see any point in it. You’re obviously angry. You haven’t stopped glaring at me since you arrived at the country club tonight.”
“I haven’t been glaring at you.”
She shot him a look of disbelief.
“Let’s go inside,” he said. “We need to talk.”
“Okay,” she said as if she weren’t at all thrilled with the prospect.
He followed her past the formal foyer into the kitchen where she flicked on the light. “You could have asked your housekeeper to make something for you to eat, couldn’t you?”
“She’s not staying overnight anymore. Felt too much like a baby sitter.” Lilly sat down and lifted a french fry to her lips.
“Go ahead and eat,” he said, unsettled by the fact that she didn’t want a baby sitter.
“I’d rather you go ahead and say what’s on your mind.”
He adjusted his tie and nodded. “Okay. Greg said something after you left that made me wonder.”
“Wonder what?”
He shrugged. “Just wonder. He said maybe you wanted to be manhandled.”
She turned quiet and he studied her carefully. Her cheeks heated with color and she cleared her throat. “I’m not sure I would use that term. Of course, every woman wants to be treated like a woman,” she said, her gaze sliding away from his.
“What do you mean, treated like a woman?”
She lifted her hand to her throat. “Well, I want a man to find me attractive.” She hesitated. “Desirable,” she said in a small voice.
Robert digested her response. “Is that how Greg treated you?”
She moved her shoulders in an uncomfortable gesture. “He called me and flirted with me. He asked me out days ahead of time,” she said.
He would have sworn he heard an edge to her voice with that last comment. He supposed he deserved it, he thought sourly. “Did you really like the way he was treating you?”
She bit her lip. “I might could,” she said. “With the right man.”
Robert felt a mini-explosion of heat race through him. Little Miss Lilly White wanted a little action. He felt an odd mix of hormones and guilt because he suddenly wanted to be the one to give it to her. “Did you want him to kiss you?” he asked, reaching for her hand and pulling her against him before she could respond.
Her eyes were wide with surprise. “I—I—”
“Did you want him to touch you? Everywhere?”
If possible, her eyes widened even more.
“I saw your nipples standing against your bathing suit,” he told her.
She blinked. “I’d just gotten out of the warm water. I was getting cold.”
“Do you want someone to keep you warm?” he whispered.
She met his gaze, but couldn’t seem to find the words. He glimpsed a loneliness that mirrored his own at times and lowered his mouth to hers. She tasted salty then sweet when he slid his tongue inside. He wanted to taste her thoroughly, every centimeter, to feel her and to make sure she felt him. She curled her tongue around his in invitation and he felt himself grow harder. She might be inexperienced, but she was hot. His for the taking.
He felt another stab of guilt at the thought of taking advantage of her. It would be so easy. And he’d feel like crap afterward. An odd tenderness tightened his chest. He didn’t want Lilly to feel used. She was sweet and so eager to please.
Maybe marrying her wasn’t a bad idea after all.
The idea rocked through him like an earthquake and he immediately pulled back. Mentally swearing, he stared at Lilly. He was going to have to think about this.
“I should go.”
She swallowed. “Okay.”
“Don’t see Greg anymore,” he said then grimaced at his arrogant tone. “I’d prefer you not see Greg anymore. Will you join me tomorrow night?”
“Yes. What are you doing?”
“I don’t know,” he said, his head suddenly cloudy. “It’s probably some boring dinner or party. Maybe we can do something afterward.”
She licked her lips and he swallowed a groan. “That would be nice.”
She had no idea how nice things could be, Robert thought as he walked out the door with an erection harder than the head of a hammer. But he liked the idea of being the one to show her.
“The first shipment of books has been delivered and put on display,” Sara announced from the doorway.
Shifting Willy on her lap as she studied a financial report, Delilah glanced up, pleased. Since the spa guests sometimes had to wait between appointments, Delilah had decided to add a couple of racks of books. “Oh, that’s great. What came in?”
“A smattering of everything. Mystery, romance, literature and some of the Dummy books you mentioned. You know,
The Idiot’s Guide to Shakespeare, Opera for Dummies
.”
“We’re putting them at the beverage bar and in the waiting area, right?” Delilah asked, thinking she might take a peek at
Opera for Dummies
after she finished reviewing the reports and inventory.
“Just like you said,” Sara told her. “Why don’t you go take a look? I’ll hold Wills for you.”
Delilah smiled. Sara had begun to refer to Willy as Wills like England’s hot prince. She stood and passed him to her assistant. “If you’re sure you don’t mind. Just remember you offered if he has a big royal poop.”
“You forget I’ve been dealing with a different kind of crap for years. In comparison, this is a breeze,” Sara said, nuzzling Willy.
“You should have had children.”
“Not with the man I married,” Sara said firmly. “Talk about bad seed.”
“Did I hear a request for a sperm donation?” Paul Woodward asked from the doorway.
Sara gasped.
Delilah smiled and shook her head at the bone-melting massage therapist. He was such a flirt and she loved him for it. This was the kind of man she should date. He wouldn’t give her headaches. He would just use his amazing hands and body to provide release. Oh, heaven. If only she could generate some good old-fashioned lust for him.
“There you go, shocking Sara again with your wicked innuendos. One of these days someone is going to take you up on your offers. What are you going to do then?”
His eyes glinted with mischief. “I’ll try to come up with something.” He glanced at Willy. “Who’s my competition with Sara?”
Sara blushed and rolled her eyes. “This is Wills. Delilah is his guardian.”
Paul’s eyes rounded in surprise. “So you’re going to have to be a responsible type now. How’s it going?”
“Fighting it every step of the way. Walk with me to look at the new displays in the beverage area. I won’t be long, Sara.”
Delilah and Paul left the office suite. “What’s with Sara?” he asked in a low voice. “She always looks at me like I’m the big bad wolf even when I say hello to her.”
“She was in a bad marriage. You probably bowl her over. Like you do the rest of us,” she added, flirting a little. God, it felt good and Paul was safe.
“I keep trying, but I swear I can’t get the time of day from anyone in the manager’s suite. I’ve offered complimentary massages, drinks—”
Delilah did a double take. “You didn’t really offer Sara a massage, did you?”
“Well, yeah. Her neck looked a little stiff one day. I told her I could fix it and—”