Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger (42 page)

Read Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger Online

Authors: Lori Copeland

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #General, #Contemporary, #Westerns, #test

BOOK: Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger
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Page 107
oped an easy, warm relationship with each other, laughing at the same things, disagreeing respectfully over small things. He had never tried to force his likes on her, nor had she resented him when he hadn't seen eye to eye with her on different occasions. They both accepted each other as they were. As far as Chandra could see they only had one ''small," insurmountable problem. Garrett didn't view their relationship in the same light. He was willing to let it go.
The rain had turned to a freezing, light sleet as the cab deposited them in front of their house. Chandra left Garrett to pay the fare and hurried ahead of him to unlock the door.
Determined that they wouldn't part in the morning with bad feelings, she tried one last time to clear the air between them.
"Would you like some hot chocolate?" she asked brightly. "Nothing tastes better than hot chocolate on a cold night like this."
"No, thanks. I'm going to bed. I have to be at the plant early in the morning," he answered curtly and walked straight into his room, not even glancing in her direction. Chandra sank tiredly down on the fireplace hearth and reached out to lovingly touch one of the yellow petals of the roses. He didn't even want to talk it out with her. She knew that he would be gone in the morning before she woke up, so if she didn't talk to him tonight she wouldn't have the opportunity again. A streak of resentment began to build in her as the sleet intensified, pinging its ice crystals at the windows loudly. How dare he be so rude that he couldn't at least give her a decent good-bye? Even though they had their differences,
she had
helped him out of a bad spot. True, she'd put him in that spot, but she'd certainly not had to get him out of it.
She stood up abruptly, a look of rebellion in her stubborn hazel eyes.
Well, test pilot, you're not going to get away with it. The least you owe me is the courtesy to say good-bye decently!
With the zeal of an invading army she marched briskly down the hall to the master bedroom. The sound of running water told her exactly what she wanted to know. The enemy was taking a
 
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shower, so he could hardly walk out on her if she confronted him in there. Stripping off her clothes rapidly before she lost her nerve, she threw them in a heap by his bed and walked bravely into the small bathroom. She forced her hand to reach for the shower door handle, then taking a deep breath she jerked the door open and stepped in.
Garrett stepped back in momentary astonishment, his hair and face lathered heavily in white soap. The steamy water beat down on Chandra as she wiped the strings of wet hair out of her eyes and began casually as if they were sitting in the parlor drinking tea. ''Garrett, I want to talk to you."
He cracked one eye open, his large hands pausing in their vigorous rubbing. "I'm using this shower right now, Chandra. I'll be out in a minute," he said dryly.
"I know you're using it," she shot back. Surely he didn't think she was that dense. "I said, I
wanted
to talk to you."
With a disbelieving shake of his head he went back to his lusty scrubbing. "I'm busy right now." He reached for the bar of soap.
"I won't take but a minute of your time," she said stubbornly, and politely jerked the soap out of his hand and pitched it over the shower door. It landed in a wet plop on the other side. "Now, first of all," she continued purposefully, "I want to tell you that I'm perfectly aware I have been nothing but a thorn in your side from the first night we met."
Garrett leaned back arrogantly in the shower, his hair and body still thoroughly soaped, and crossed his arms. "You hit the nail on the head there," he agreed shortly.
"And I know that you don't want any permanent ties in your life," she continued, trying to ignore the broad, naked expanse of his body in the tiny shower stall, willing her eyes to stay on his face and not wander elsewhere, "and I want you to know I don't blame you for that. I just feel that since I won't be seeing you before you leave in the morning"her voice broke, her bravery slipping fast"I just wanted to tell you good-bye." She looked at his familiar face, love filling her eyes along with stray rebel tears. "No matter what you think of me, I'll never forget
 
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you. You'll always be a special . . . friend to me. I didn't want to leave with you mad at me,'' she finished hurriedly, relieved that she had had her say.
The heavy spray of water was washing the remainder of soap from Garrett as he still stood with his arms insolently crossed, listening to her gush the words out, his face giving no indication of what he was thinking.
"Friends? You want me to consider you as a friend," he finally answered above the sound of the water.
"Yes, I would value that very much," she told him truthfully, aching for him to discard his aloofness toward her.
Garrett reached around her and shut off the stream of water, then with both arms on either side of her, he backed her against the wet, tiled wall. His face was very close to hers in the confines of the small, quiet stall. Blue eyes searched her face for a moment before he spoke in a low voice. "Well, that's too damn bad, Chandra, because for some reason I just can't feel that way about you!"
Chandra stifled a sob at his harsh words, her heart sinking low. He wouldn't even consider her friendship, let alone anything else between them.
"Why do you dislike me so," she whispered miserably. "I made an honest mistake the night we met. I've tried very hard to make it up to you, Garrett."
"You think I
dislike
you?" he asked seriously, his face moving still closer to hers.
"Well, don't you? You're always yelling at me," she reminded him.
He let out a short snort of disgust, shaking his head slightly. "Women," he muttered under his breath. He brought his face back up to look at her intently. "Yes, I like youtoo much for my own damn good."
"You do?" Hope flared up in her eyes. "You don't know how much better that makes me feel, Garrett," she glowed. "Now I can go on with my life knowing that at least you don't hate me. If I marry Ph"
 
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A large hand reached out and clamped over her mouth harshly. ''I don't want to hear that name mentioned in my presence again. I am sick to death of hearing about your fiancé," he snarled between clenched teeth.
Chandra was surprised at the venom in his voice at the mention of Phillip. "I'm sorry, Garrett," she apologized hurriedly. "I didn't know you resented Phillip."
"Resent him." Garrett leaned in closer, pulling her wet, slick body up against his. Chandra gasped softlyhaving forgotten their state of undressas her soft curves met the hard lines of his manly body. She became aware of his stirring manliness pressing into her side. "Resent him," he repeated again almost hatefully. "It tears my guts out, lady, every time I hear his name! When I think of Phillip being the one in your bed, Phillip taking what I want" His voice broke off angrily as he slammed his fist into the wall next to her head in heated defiance of his words.
Chandra reached up and lovingly stroked the line of his clenched jaw. "Garrett, I had no idea. . . ." She searched for something to say, confused by the intensity of his words. "You never told me. . . ."
He jerked her up tightly to him, his fingers biting into the tender flesh of her arms. "Told you what? That you've got me just where you want me? That I go crazy inside every time you turn those innocent eyes toward mine? That I wake up nights thinking of youwanting you? Is that what I haven't told you?" he ground out, his eyes burning angrily into hers.
"Don't be angry with me," she pleaded, drawing his lips down to meet hers, trying to make up for whatever had angered him so. "I don't want you angry."
"Damn you, damn you," he groaned helplessly as his mouth captured hers in agonizing, searing kisses. Chandra arched hopelessly against him as he hungrily devoured her mouth. His tongue reached out for hers, and as they met she felt an uncontrolled shudder assault his trembling body. She didn't know what unknown devils Garrett Morganson was fighting, she only
 
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knew that she loved him and she would be there if he ever needed her.
His hands searched her body with frenzied urgency, his mouth and lips telling her of his overpowering need for her at that moment. He lifted her tenderly in his arms, his mouth finding her breasts as he held her close to his heart. Gently he kissed the rising peaks to a taut hardness, his tongue flicking over them, claiming each one as his own. Chandra drowned in a world of love and longing as her hands played across the broad, wet expanse of his back, her fingers trying to ease the taut, straining muscles that rippled tightly as he held her slight frame off the floor.
''I love you, Garrett," she gasped deliriously against his compelling mouth. The words of love came pouring out of her mouth, tumbling over each other. If only he could admit his love for her, she thought miserably as his hand moved caressingly between her legs to passionately touch her warmth. She knew men could be casual about sex, but she also knew that what Garrett was experiencing at this moment was much more than casual sex. No, fight it as he may, he was in love with her whether he knew it or not.
His desire had become overwhelming. She heard him moan her name, suddenly sliding his body into hers. All semblance of control evaporated for Garrett as he became lost in a wild, fiery burst of scorching intensity, unable to wait for her to join him. Chandra buried her face in his broad neck, holding him tightly as his body convulsed in deep shudders.
"I'm sorry . . . I'm sorry," he whispered apologetically, burying his face in her hair. "I didn't expect that to happen. . . ."
"It's all right," she soothed, stroking his wet hair lovingly, her desire for him still flaming brightly. "I understand."
His mouth found hers again eagerly as he let her slide back down to the shower floor. "You don't have to understand, sweetheart," he murmured huskily. "I'm taking you to bed now where I plan on spending the night making it up to you." He lifted her
 
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in his arms, his mouth hotly proclaiming that he'd lost none of his desire for her as he pushed open the shower door and stepped out anxiously, eager to carry her to his large bed.
All of a sudden Chandra was flying through the air, the sound of Garrett's angry swearing filling the small bathroom. She landed in a tumbled heap in the middle of the floor and sat up stunned, wondering what had happened. A loud groan from Garrett snapped her out of her state of shock. He was lying sprawled on the bathroom floor holding his back painfully. ''Oh, my gosh!" she exclaimed, crawling rapidly over to him on her hands and knees. "Garrett, darling, are you hurt?"
"I think my back's broken," he grimaced in agony, trying to sit up.
"Ohhhh . . . let me help you," she offered quickly, tugging at his arm.
"Wait!" he gasped, knocking her hands away hurriedly. "Just give me a minute to catch my breath."
"Sure, darling. Here, let me get you a cold rag to wipe your face with. What happeneddid you trip?" she asked, crawling over to the bottom of the shower stall to retrieve Garrett's washcloth.
"No," he gritted out between clenched teeth. "I slipped on that damn bar of soap you threw out!"
Chandra stopped dead in her crawling tracks. Darn it! Every time she thought she was getting somewhere with him, something like this always cropped up to show her stupidity. Why had she thrown that soap? Wringing out the washcloth, she crawled back over to tenderly wipe his perspiring brow. "There, does that feel better now?"
"My head doesn't hurt," he told her crossly, "it's my back that's killing me. You know, Chandra, I used to fly bombing missions when I was stationed in Vietnam. I've had to ditch three planes in my career as a test pilot. I've been in numerous helicopters that malfunctioned. I've lived through two plagues and one severe drought while I was in Texas." He paused and took a painful deep breath. "I was even in the middle of an outbreak

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