Seducing His Heart (8 page)

“
I’m all right. Thank you.
Returning from a hot date?”

“
Business
dinner.”

“
Really?” She cocked an
eyebrow at him.

“
I’m not out
tomcatting
every
night. A man has to attend to business, too, once in a
while,” he said, grinning.

“
Goodnight,” she said,
quietly, when the doors opened. Fatigue and upset had worn her
down. She fumbled with her key in the lock. “Damn. Forgot.” She
turned the knob, and the door opened. “I never lock it.” She gave a
mirthless laugh.

“
Obviously, you’re not
fine. Is there something I can do?” Whit stood poised on his own
threshold.

“
Nope. Nothing anybody can
do. ’Night.” She slipped into her apartment and closed the
door.

* * * *

Friday morning Bess slept in, not rising
until eight o’clock. She dressed quickly and took Dumpling out for
their morning walk. Once back in the apartment, she paced like a
caged animal.

“
I can’t stay here all
day, Dumpling. I’ll go nuts. I’m sorry, girl.” Bess threw on her
fleece jacket over jeans and a light cotton sweater and hit the
street. First, window shopping. Then, brunch in a local eatery.
Followed by a movie.

She returned home feeling renewed. She
unpacked two dresses and a pair of new heels from a shopping
bag.

“
Nothing like new clothes
to make a girl feel better, baby girl,” she said to Dumpling. The
dog flopped down on the bed and curled up. Bess put her clothes
away. Then, she tackled the mail. A movie she had rented had
arrived. It was a romantic one called
Holiday. I was going to watch this with Terry.
She sighed and tossed it onto the couch.
Might as well watch it anyway.

She plucked the ingredients out of the
fridge for a salad and went to work. When it was done, she plopped
down in front of the television and put in the DVD.

“
Oops. Sorry, girl.” She
pushed to her feet and padded into the kitchen to prepare
Dumpling’s dinner. As she put the food bowl down on the floor, the
phone rang. It was her mother.

“
Hey, Mom. How are
you?”

“
As well as can be
expected. But I have good news.”

“
Yeah? Go ahead.” Bess
took a forkful of lettuce, knowing her mother would be going on for
a bit.

“
Remember that guy,
Ronnie, your sister was dating?”

“
The one with five car
dealerships?”

“
Yeah. The biggest account
at the bank where she works.”

“
And?”

“
He asked her to marry him
last night. And she said yes!” Bess could hear the satisfaction in
her mother’s voice.

The news sliced through her heart like a
well-honed knife. “That’s great, Mom. Give Janie my best, will
you?”

“
I will. I knew you’d be
happy for her. Her life is coming together. Vice President at the
bank. Soon a married woman. I hope you’ll come home for the
wedding.”

“
Of course, Mom. Wouldn’t
miss it.”

“
Are you all right? You
sound funny. You’re not sick are you?”

“
I’m fine.”

“
When are you going to
give up the little cable TV thing and come home? When Janie moves
out, what am I gonna do?”

“
You’ll figure out
something. I’m not leaving the show. I’d love to talk, but I’ve got
something in the oven,” she lied.

“
Maybe Janie can get you a
teller job at the bank?”

Bess took a deep breath and blinked rapidly.
“Don’t think so. I’m fine. Doing well. I’m not sick. I don’t want
to burn my pie, Mom. Talk to you soon.” Bess hung up and fell limp
onto the sofa. Dumpling barked then leaped up to lick her face.

Janie’s thirty. She’s getting married. I got
dumped. I’m thirty-two with no prospects anywhere. What am I doing
with my life? Not getting married, that’s for sure. Maybe it’s too
late for me, anyway. Maybe I should concentrate on my career and
forget about guys. At least for a while. I wish Whit would move
away. He’s too tempting and too close.

Bess poured herself a glass of wine and went
back to her movie. Wallowing in self-pity wasn’t her style, but
today was different. The first Friday without Terry, and then her
mother treating her like a failure, were too much at one time.

At ten, the film finished, Bess snapped the
dog into her harness and headed outside. As soon as they returned,
she undressed, throwing on her silk robe, and made a cup of hot
chocolate. Her doorbell rang.

Bess peeked through the
peephole.
Whit.
She opened the door.

He stood in all his masculine glory wearing
nothing but a fluffy, white terrycloth robe. He was barefoot as
well. “This is most embarrassing. I took a shower and remembered
I’d left my newspaper on the mat. Like an idiot, I have all my
windows open, and when I came out, the wind blew the door shut.
Now, I’m locked out. I was wondering if you could go down and get
my key from the doorman. I can’t go down like this.”

Despite her life being in the toilet, Bess
laughed aloud. The more she did, the brighter red he blushed.

“
This isn’t
funny.”

“
Oh, but it is. It’s
hilarious.” She tugged on his sleeve. “Come inside. Don’t stand
there like that.” He stepped in, and she closed the door, still
chuckling. “Are you wearing anything under there?” she
asked.

“
What do you think?” He
arched an eyebrow. “Last time I saw you, you were practically
comatose.”

“
Thank you for cheering me
up. I’m having some hazelnut cocoa, would you like to join
me?”

“
I have a date. Where’s my
phone? Shit! It’s in the apartment.” That caused Bess to launch
into a new round of laughter. Her sides hurt, so she gripped them
and continued to guffaw.

“
It’s not
that
funny. Honestly.
I’m going to get dumped for this.”

As soon as he uttered the words, her
laughter turned to tears. Pain shot through her, and water ran down
her cheeks.

“
Dammit, what’d I say?” He
looked helpless. Dumpling ran over and began to bark at Whit. “I
didn’t do anything, little girl,” he said to the dog, but she
growled anyway.

“
Dumpling, down. It’s
okay. It’s not his fault.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. Bess
padded across the room to retrieve a tissue.

Whit followed. He came up behind and placed
his hands on her upper arms. “What happened? What’s wrong? Won’t
you tell me?” he asked in a soft voice.

She blew out a breath. “Dumped. You said
dumped.”

“
Did you break up with the
cop?”

She nodded.

“
Did he leave
you?”

Again, she nodded.

“
I’m so sorry. What a
stupid man.”

Bess turned around and raised her gaze to
his. He was but a whisper away. A tiny shiver ran through her.
“He’s not stupid. He’s protecting me.”

“
Protecting you?” Whit
raised his eyebrows.

“
It’s about his work. He
said it was too dangerous for us to continue seeing each
other.”

Whit snorted. “I thought I’d heard ’em all,
but that’s a new one.”

“
You don’t believe
him?”

“
Do you?”

“
I do. Why would he
lie?”

“
Oh, a million
reasons.”

“
You’re saying he doesn’t
want me?” Like salt in a wound, the sting of fresh pain was
sharp.

“
No, of course not. He’d
be a fool to walk out on a chick like you.”

She stepped back. “What do you mean, a chick
like me?”

“
Well, I…uh…” He reddened
anew.

“
I’m
listening.”

“
A very desirable
chick…beautiful, smart, funny, can cook like nobody’s
business…”

“
But not sexy.”

“
Did I miss that? We’re
only supposed to be friends, but yeah, hot as hell.”

A small grin tugged at the corners of her
mouth. “I do believe him. He does undercover work, and he looked so
sad to break up.”

“
Go ahead. Believe him.
But guys lie. Trust me. Guys lie…big time.”

“
Duh. I’ve been around for
a while. I’m not a twenty-one-year-old, wide-eyed
newbie.”

“
You don’t look like a
seasoned vet,” he chuckled.

“
Terry was telling the
truth. And now, he’s gone. And I already miss him terribly.” Her
eyes watered again.

“
Don’t cry. I can’t stand
it. Please.” He took a step toward her, and she was in his arms
before she knew it. She laid her cheek against his bare chest, the
dark hair there tickling her nose. He stroked her back with one
hand and held her tight with the other. “You don’t deserve to have
your heart broken, Bess.”

She closed her eyes, drinking in the scent
of him fresh from the bath, smelling like soap and spicy
aftershave. He smelled good, damn good. She flattened her palm on
his pecs and learned how strong he was. His chest was like iron. He
kissed her hair and folded his arm around her shoulders. The heat
from him warmed her, softened her. When she realized they were both
naked under their robes, a thrill shot through her.

I should move away. We’re
only friends. He’s being nice, no more than that.
Tilting her head back a little, she looked into
his eyes. The clear gray, so cool before, had turned hotter. He
stared at her, his gaze traveling down to settle on her lips. Her
throat felt dry, and her mouth parched. When she licked her bottom
lip to moisten it, his mouth came down and brushed hers. When she
didn’t resist, he kissed her harder.

The silk of her garment was so thin his
hands on her hips felt like they were resting directly on her bare
flesh. His fingers pressed in, giving her goose bumps. She opened,
and his tongue possessed her mouth. She eased the lapels of his
robe aside, sliding her hands inside. She flattened her palms
against his skin.

He glided his hands down over her rump and
squeezed. His thumbs massaged her as his fingers curled over her
roundness. The pressure he exerted shot heat through her body like
lightning. The knot in his sash pushed against her belly. As they
stood hip to hip, with only their robes between them, her desire
took off. His slow, sexy kiss seduced her. Her will slipped away,
and her consciousness grew hazy, as his hand came up to close
around her breast.

When his thumb found her peak, Bess’s breath
hitched. The ache for him grew. While his mouth worked its magic,
she slid her hands up his chest, giving him easy access to her.

Then, as quickly as mutual need had skirted
on the edge of control, it stopped. Whit lifted his head, his eyes
filled with lust. She stared at him, licking her swollen bottom
lip, pulling her hands away. He fastened his firmly on her waist to
set her back a few inches.

“
I’m sorry. I keep
apologizing, but I shouldn’t have done that.”

“
Why not? I don’t belong
to Terry anymore.”

“
You’re the kind of
girl…the kind who…I can’t date.”

“
Why?”

“
You’re the kind of girl
who wants forever. A girl who wants…and deserves…more than I can
give. You want it all—a husband, a home, kids…”

“
How do you know
that?”

“
Come on, Bess. You can’t
fool me. You run a warm, inviting place here. Your cooking…damn.
It’s like a family kitchen. Are you saying you don’t want those
things?” He shifted his weight.

“
I’m not. I mean, I do. I
do want that. Do I have ‘Wanted—husband, kids, and home’ taped to
my forehead?”

He chuckled. “There’s something about you.
That’s all. Something nice...warm. Like the way you treat your dog,
your friends. Everyone gathers here.”

“
That’s bad?”

“
It’s wonderful. But it’s
not for me. I can’t do that...live that. I’m never going to get
married.”

“
What? How can you say
that?”

“
I have my
reasons.”

Bess was stunned. She knew he was a player,
but had never expected this. He moved quickly to the intercom and
spoke with the doorman.

“
Crash is coming up in ten
minutes with my keys.”

Bess sank down on a stool. Her mind swirled
with feelings, emotion warring with reason. He’d left her wanting
him, aching for him. But the idea of a broken heart scared her.
“You’re a ‘love ’em and leave ’em’ type, aren’t you?”

“
I don’t hurt anyone. I
date girls who aren’t interested in forever.”

“
Those skinny
models?”

“
Yeah. They sure don’t
have what you’ve got,” he snickered, glancing at her chest. Bess
pulled her robe tighter around her body. “They’re career women. The
thought of their bodies distended by pregnancy scares them
shitless. They aren’t looking for anything more than a couple of
nights or a couple of months of fun, dancing, sex, and a famous man
on their arm. I help them get publicity—their favorite
food.”

Bess sat with her mouth slightly open as she
listened.