Exception to the Rules (23 page)

They, too, had met this week. Kallie had told her this afternoon that Dax had asked her to go with him on a trip to Wyoming, and that she’d agreed. While Gaea was happy for her, she wasn’t sure that the two of them would work out. Sure, he seemed perfect, he appeared to care deeply for Kallie, and Gaea felt sure that in his heart Dax believed that were meant for each other. But how could they know? It was insane for anyone to think that after a few unrestrained, extraordinary days, love could happen. Real love. Not lust, but love.

Her gaze moved back to Bas. How could he know? It didn’t make sense, it wasn’t rational, and it wasn’t even wise. Love was difficult enough when all the circumstances were right. Her father’s best friend had been married over thirty years, then found out his wife was having an affair. Their divorce had been an astronomical battle full of hatred and malevolence.

Gaea’s mother’s best friend had been madly in love with a singer and had left her own career as a software developer to follow him across the country. Less than a year later, he’d burned through all of her savings and dumped her for a twenty-one-year-old
Playboy
model.

Sipping her champagne, she headed toward the trio even though she should be mingling with the heavy hitters all around her. At the very least she should be schmoozing her boss.

 “Hey, it’s the woman of the decade!” Kallie exclaimed, smiling broadly. “Have you accepted yet?”

“Accepted what?” Gaea asked, her gaze switching back and forth from Bas to Kallie and back again.

“The executive V.P. position at Begum and Guinn?”

“The offer has been made, but nothing’s official.”

“Sweet.”

Gaea grinned. “If I do accept, that’ll mean a big promotion for you.”

Kallie’s smile dimmed and her gaze traveled to Dax. He tightened his hold on Kallie, which she acquiesced with a nod. A sense of dread filled Gaea. This wasn’t going to be good news.

“Uh...well...yeah.” Kallie cleared her throat. “Gaea, the thing is, I’m not certain I’m going to come back to work. After my vacation, that is. Not that I wouldn’t love to work with you again, but I could be, um, moving, to Wyoming, with Dax.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. It’s sort of sudden and all, but see, he’s been planning for this for some time and there’s this ranch for sale. It’s basically his dream place, and there’s no guarantee anything better will come along, so he’s probably going to make an offer on it.”

“And he’s made you an offer as well?”

Kallie nodded, looking incredibly contrite. “I’m sure no one better is going to come along.”

Kallie kissed Dax.

“I don’t want to move without her,’’ Dax stated. “I’m head over heels in love, and I want to start out new life away from all this chaos.”

Gaea leaned forward and kissed Kallie on the cheek. “I’m happy for you.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

Kallie’s grin lit up her face. “What about you and Bas? Are the two of you a legitimate couple?”

Bas chuckled. “No, more of an unofficial couple. Your soon-to-be-ex-boss has some interesting plans about the future that I’ve decided to explore with her.”

Gaea spun around to look at him. Was that truly his answer? “Really?”

He nodded. “Really.”

She felt dizzy with relief. “That’s great.”

Bas stepped closer to her, slipped his arm around her waist, and kissed her on the forehead, then he moved his mouth close to her ear. “This doesn’t change how I feel about you,” he murmured. “I love you. I want to marry you. But I can wait. At least for a little while.”

Gaea closed her eyes, wishing she could be more like Kallie, but she wasn’t. She was Gaea. Obtuse, excessive, ambitious Gaea. She simply couldn’t be any other way.

Chapter Nineteen

Bas contemplated allowing his answering machine catch the call. He was late for his mother’s and he had serious reparation to pay. His dog, the one he’d idiotically rescued from a shelter, had not simply chewed up several pairs of her shoes, he’d left other...intriguing...presents in assorted corners and dark places. The bunny had been particularly mephitic, but the bird had been the biggest surprise. It had been two weeks since he’d taken the misbehaving dog back, but his mother was still quite pissed.

On the other hand, the phone call might be something important. And with him waiting on a phone replacement, another courtesy of Harley, he didn’t have much of a choice. He closed his front door and ran across the carpeted floor to the phone, picking it up mere seconds before the machine would have come on.

“Bas here.”

Silence. Nothing. Strange.

“Hello?”

“Hey.”

Holy shit.
Bas staggered backward to his chair and flopped down. She wasn’t supposed to be on the phone. They weren’t supposed to talk for at least several more weeks. Her rules.

“Are you okay, Gaea?”

“Yes, I’m good.” She cleared her throat.

He wondered where she was. Bas could go peek at the caller ID, but he didn’t. Given that it was only seven, she was probably still at work.

“How are you?” she asked.

He bit back a chuckle. The woman was terrible at small talk. “I’m fine, Gaea. Doing great.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

He decided to wait. Something had to be going on for her to make an exception to the rules. It could be that she’d figured out that the entire occasional sexual interlude scheme was insane. During the long two weeks since they’d said goodbye, she could have come to her senses, realized that he was nothing but a complete lunatic.

Then again, maybe, like him, she’d realized that two months was an awful long time to wait. That the only time they had was now. That love could, indeed, happen in the blink of an eye.

“I took the job offer,” she said finally.

“Wonderful. Tell me all about it.”

“I would love to, but not over the phone.”

“Oh.” His stomach pitched and rolled. So it was the former, not the latter. She wanted to make a clean break.

“Oh, no. No, no, it’s not that.”

He frowned. “Not what.”

“We’re still on. It’s just that, well, I’ve missed you.”

He smiled. Hugely. “That’s fantastic. I’ve missed you, too.”

“So, um, how about tomorrow? Lunch? Noon?”

“Sounds good. Definitely. Where?”

“I’ll have my assistant call. I have to go right now. See you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he responded. “I love you.”

But she had already hung up.

* * * *

Gaea hopped out of the car and she adjusted her clothes as she raced toward the front door of Bas’s home. She was late. Again. Poor Bas. And he hadn’t once confronted her on throwing out her shoving aside her grand plan without a second thought. In the last month, she’d gone from seeing him once a week, to twice a week, to everyday this week alone.

They shared a pizza in her office. Eaten sandwiches from a local deli near her job. He’d cooked her dinner at his home twice, followed, of course, by two breakfasts.

  He’d never brought it up. Whenever they got together, they talked about her job, his job, Kallie and Dax, Arnold’s disgrace, his family, her family...and the weird thing about it all was that her work hadn’t faltered at all. As a matter of fact, if anything, he energized her. Unwaveringly supportive, he understood the demand of her new position, and he never protested when she had to take calls or change the schedule last minute.

He’d become involved in a new project himself, which was as thrilling to her as it was to him. It also meant that there were times when he was busy and couldn’t get away himself.

She smiled and her heart beat faster as she reached the door. But she’d come to expect that. Seeing Bas was the high point of any day, of any night. She felt like a teenager going through her first major crush every time she saw him, and tonight was no exception.

He opened the front door with a smile so welcoming it made her quiver. Boy did he look delicious. Gray button down shirt, rolled sleeves, black dress pants. His hair slightly unkempt and sexy as all get out. She loved the way he looked at her. And when he kissed her hello, it was the same effect—Roman candles.

“You’re breathtaking” he said, pulling her into his home.

She smiled again as she spotted the table, stunningly set, votive candles floating in brandy snifters.

“Success becomes you,” he stated, tugging her into his embrace.

Gaea laid her head on Bas’s broad chest. “It’s not success yet. But give me a few months.”

“Baloney. No matter the outcome at your job, you’ve already won. You’ve achieved what you set out to do, and did it through diligence and excellence. What’s not to like?”

She laughed. He had a knack for making her do that. “Kallie called me today.”

He pulled back so he could see her face. “Oh?”

“Dax proposed to her. They are having an engagement party and want us to come up for it.”

“In Wyoming?”

She nodded. “In a couple of weeks.”

“Should be a grand time. Can you get away?”

“For a few days, definitely. I wouldn’t want to miss it.”

“Excellent. I can make it, too.”

“I haven’t told you the date.”

“No need to,” he replied. He enclosed her hand in his. “I’ll be there.”

She inhaled deeply, the air fragrant with the scent of basil and pesto. “What is that?” she asked. “It smells delicious.”

He pulled out her chair, waited until she was seated, then headed toward the kitchen. “Salmon. One of my father’s special recipes. Why don’t you pour us some wine while I grab the food?”

She did, enjoying the light flavor of the Chardonnay. He came back quickly, carrying a large tray weighed down with covered dishes, which he placed in front of her. When he took off the lids, she exhaled deeply with excitement. “It looks wonderful.”

He leaned over until his mouth was very close to hers. “So do you.”

She erased the rest of the distance and kissed him. Before she knew it, she was standing again in his arms and the alluring dinner wasn’t as desirable as getting her hands underneath his shirt.

He had his own plan, and his was the more overwhelming task. She had on a blouse, a jacket, a bra, pants, panties. And yet, somehow, by the time they’d staggered into the bedroom, between kisses, chuckles and gasps, she was down to a bra and panties while he still had on his pants.

His hands traveled toward her bra clasp, but she wiggled out of his reach. “Hold on a second,” she rasped. “I want—”

He interrupted her with a kiss. A long one full of exploration and teasing, distracting her just long enough to undo her bra clasp and slip the straps off her shoulders. It fell to the floor to join the rest of her discarded clothing, leaving her in satin bikini panties.

Bas stepped back, eyeing her from head to toe twice. “I love your outfit.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. “Why are you still wearing pants?”

He looked down, pretending to be shocked. “Oh hell. I wondered why I was feeling so confined.” Bas undid his belt, his zipper, and after he stepped out of his pants, he kicked them across the room, leaving him in a pair of boxer briefs.

“Wow. You’re really excited to see me, aren’t you?”

“I would have to be out of my mind not to be. Now, why is it that you still have clothes on?”

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk, Bas. Every time I come over, you’re always anxious to get me naked. I’m starting to think you’re trying to form a nudist camp.”

“I am. Wait until you see what activities I have planned.”

She looked at his huge bed, which looked awfully alluring with the comfy tan cover and overstuffed fancy pillow.

“Scuba diving?”

He moved closer to her as she slipped her panties down until they fell around her ankles. “Nope, too predictable. I thought we’d have a fashion show.”

Her head snapped up. “Oh? Sounds interesting.”

With a salacious grin, he walked over to his nightstand and opened the drawer. He brought out two silk scarves. “I think so too, and hopefully, you still will after you find out how I want you to model them.”

Gaea’s eyes widened. “Now wait a second—”

“Do you remember the first question I asked you that night at Pescatore’s?”

“Um, yes, I do.”

“I was going to do this after dinner, but I’m willing to reverse the order.”

Her gaze stayed on the silk scarves. They looked soft. But being tied up?

He walked back over to her, and his arms slipped around her waist. “It’s going to be magnificent,” he murmured. “All you have to do is lie back and let me take care of you.”

“I don’t know about this, Bas. I like having my hands free.”

“Which is a good thing. You have lovely hands. However, tonight is going to be about you. All the pleasure you can handle. Nothing but earth shattering things are going to happen to you. I swear.”

She stared up into his eyes, but she already knew that he was telling her the truth. He would never do anything to hurt her. Completely the opposite. Bas was the most caring lover she’d ever had. Which didn’t mean he couldn’t take on his dominant persona on occasion. She liked it a lot. He was considerate and without restraint, and boy, he had some stamina.

“Okay then,” she said, caressing his back. “I’ll agree to this. Do with me what you will.”

He tried for a wicked chuckle, but the effect was ruined when he kissed her. She felt the hardness of his erection against her hip and it occurred to her that they probably should speed things up a little.

Bas clearly had the same idea because he led her over to the bed. She went to sit on the edge, but he stopped her, instead lifting her up into his arms and placing her carefully in the center of the humongous bed. 

After she was settled, naked, exposed, he lifted her arms up and over her head, toward the posts. Her heartbeat sped up as he secured her right wrist, making sure that the scarf wasn’t too tight, but that she couldn’t escape. She tested it a few times, almost called it off, but then figured she had nothing to lose by taking a chance.

When he wrapped the scarf around her other wrist, she realized there had never been another lover in her past she’d trusted enough to do this. And definitely no other man had made her this aroused and antsy. Gaea squeezed her thighs together, but it didn’t help. Only one thing would ease her ache.