Wanted: One Mommy (11 page)

She smiled.

He noticed her foot was tapping to the KT Tunstall song.

He was just about to make his first foray into small talk with her, when a couple walked up to her. Subsequent
conversation made it clear that Caroline had planned their wedding, for which they were extremely grateful. As soon as they left, the appetizers arrived, but the waiter forgot napkins, plates and silverware, so Jack got up to go and get some. When he returned, a good-looking guy in a business suit was sitting opposite her. It turned out to be a friend of her ex-fiancé’s, who had missed seeing Caroline and wanted to know how she was doing.

Jack felt like the third wheel on what could have loosely been considered his first date with her.

It wasn’t a great feeling. And made him realize how much he wanted her to be his date for the evening.

It just wasn’t going to be tonight.

“I
T’LL BE EASIER
if I pick you up,” Jack told Caroline the next morning.

Caroline shifted the phone to her other ear.

Save-the-date e-mails and phone calls had gone out the previous week, but the formal invitations for Dutch and Patrice’s wedding were being mailed today, and Caroline was working with the calligrapher to make sure everyone on the list was accounted for.

“Really—” Caroline pointed to a name where no corresponding invitation could be found “—I can drive myself to both weddings.”

“The first one is at a church near Bass Hall. There’s a Fort Worth Symphony concert. Parking could be at a premium.”

“You have a point.” Caroline stopped to consider.

Accepting a ride with Jack would give the evening an intimate feel she didn’t need. It would be far more difficult than meeting him at the bar last night.

She didn’t want to feel they were on a date.

Having him pick her up would make it feel like a date.

But it wasn’t a date. She knew that. So did he.

And besides, there were likely to be just as many diversions at the two weddings as there had been at the bar last night. They were going to check out the music of two live bands.

They’d do that and then pick one, since Jack had—for whatever reason—decided last night that the DJ was out. And then the evening would end, and she could go back to her life, such as it was, and he could go back to his, with no complications for either of them.

So why wasn’t she happier about the limits she had insisted upon? Why, if she were honest, would she have much preferred this were a date, albeit one that combined business and pleasure?

“Yes or no?” Jack said finally.

They were only being practical. It wouldn’t necessarily lead to anything, Caroline told herself decidedly, taking the leap of faith. “Yes.”

“There’s just one thing,” Jack said. “A friend of mine, Nate Hutchinson, is having a housewarming party to show off his new place, and I promised I’d drop by. His home is in the same neighborhood as the second wedding. Once we conclude our business, would you mind dropping by with me?”

“W
OW
,” J
ACK SAID
when he arrived to pick her up at six-thirty Saturday evening.

Wow was right, Caroline thought as she took in Jack’s appearance, too. He looked so good in his dark gray suit, striped shirt and gray-and-burgundy tie, he could have stepped right out of the pages of a men’s magazine. He smelled great, too. Like the signature cedarwood and leather cologne created just for him.

“That’s not what you say to a business acquaintance,” Caroline chided.

“Can’t help it,” Jack said, giving her the slow, sexy once-over. He shook his head in mute appreciation. “That dress…”

It was nice, Caroline had to admit. The off-the-shoulder crystal-blue silk sheath hugged her slender torso, hips and thighs, and stopped just above the knee. It was elegant, sexy and comfortable. She had worn it to a number of weddings and always felt very at ease.

Unfortunately, there was nothing easy about Jack’s gaze.

It was smoking hot.

If she looked in his eyes much longer…they’d never leave her apartment. Promising herself she was not going to let their pheromones dictate her behavior, Caroline merely smiled and led the way out the door, and down to the lobby of her building. It didn’t matter how drawn she was to him. There was business to be done tonight. And that was all she could afford to focus on.

“So this is what it feels like to crash a wedding,” Jack murmured twenty minutes later when they walked into the first reception.

The couple getting married was young and lively. And so was the music. The band was playing “Shout.”

Grinning, Jack took Caroline’s hand in his.

Before she could protest, Jack tugged her out onto the dance floor among the other revelers, where there was nothing else to do but throw up their arms and kick up their heels along with everyone else.

Three high-energy dances later, Jack observed, “Their video didn’t begin to convey the energy this band has. They’re great!”

“I think so, too!” Caroline said as the two of them ducked breathlessly out of the reception hall.

“The only question is,” she continued as she worked to slow her pounding pulse, “is that band too lively for Patrice and Dutch? The bride and groom need to be able to keep up with their guests on the dance floor.”

“Good point,” Jack said.

“The next band may be more their speed,” Caroline said.

The second reception was held at a country club. The bride and groom were in their early forties, and the guests seemed much more sedate. When Jack and Caroline walked in, the band was playing “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

As before, Jack eased her right out onto the dance floor. Only this time, the slow tempo of the romantic song required she put her right hand in his. Smiling down at her tenderly, Jack pressed his other hand against her spine and drew her close.

Their lower bodies weren’t touching, but they might as well have been, Caroline noted, she was so acutely aware of him, so inundated with memories of the time when nothing had been between their bodies, except skin….

And of course, that was when it happened, when the band decided to play that proverbial oh, so romantic wedding song, “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Caroline looked in Jack’s eyes. And felt her heart melt all over again.

J
ACK BLAMED IT
on the song, the lyrics coupled with the seductive beat. He’d been doing pretty well until then, keeping the evening light and fun. But the way Caroline looked at him just then, all soft and wanting, made him realize what they’d shared had been more than just a fling.

It might not be the right time.

Or the right circumstances.

But there was something there between them. Something real. Something worthy of being pursued. And first chance he got, he was going to go after it with all he had.

In the meantime, a decision had to be made.

“This is the band,” Jack said. “I want to sign them for the wedding.”

“You’re in luck,” Caroline said as the song ended and the band ended their set. “They’re taking a break.”

Fifteen minutes later, the gig was set.

Caroline and Jack left the reception and headed out into the night.

“Only one more stop to make,” Jack said, now wishing he hadn’t agreed to stop by Nate’s housewarming, and could instead head straight for something a lot more intimate. A dinner for two. And a chance to get to know Caroline a lot better.

Instead, they got in his car and drove to Nate’s new digs.

“He’s doing well for himself,” Caroline said drily, as Jack parked in front of a multimillion-dollar mansion in one of Fort Worth’s most luxurious neighborhoods.

Jack nodded. He and his friends were all remarkably successful these days. “For him, this is just another investment,” Jack said.

That was especially evident when they walked inside.

The decor had a postmodernist edge that was not Nate at all.

The guests at the party were mostly upper-crust clients of Nate’s financial services firm, and business associates. Everyone seemed to be talking the finer points of investment and the current economy. Compared with the two parties they had just left—one incredibly fun and lively,
the other overwhelmingly soulful and romantic—this gathering was just another day at the office.

Which was, of course, where the always-single Nate felt the most comfortable. Jack could almost see Caroline stifling a yawn.

Luckily, she quickly spied Grady’s wife, Alexis, and Dan’s wife, Emily. Caroline smiled. The professional matchmaker and the personal chef turned entrepreneur were both friends of hers.

Alexis waved them over. “Caroline! We want you to meet Travis’s wife, Holly. She’s a mural artist…”

Jack left the women and headed for the bar to get drinks for both of them. Nate appeared at his side, his expression sober. “If you’ve got a minute,” Nate said, “we need to talk.”

“Sure.” Jack told the bartender to wait on the drinks. He followed Nate into the study.

“Sorry to spoil what obviously looks like a helluva romantic evening for you,” Nate told Jack grimly, clapping a brotherly hand on his shoulder. “But I finally got some information on Dutch. And you’re not going to like it.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened at Nate’s? Or am I just going to have to guess?” Caroline asked Jack when he dropped her at her door.

Jack had barely glimpsed the interior when he’d picked her up earlier. Now, she ushered him into the apartment in the midtown high-rise. The galley-style kitchen featured white cabinets, marine-blue walls, black marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. To one side was a small dining area, with a sleek glass-topped table for four. The living area featured large windows that overlooked the city streets below, and was decorated with an overstuffed ivory sofa and chairs that nicely complemented the marine-blue walls and pine furniture.

Off one door, Jack could see a bedroom with an elegant bed, strewn with clothing. An equal number of discarded shoes decorated the floor.

Caroline caught his glance. “So I had a little trouble deciding what to wear,” she told him, then moved to shut the door. She folded her arms in front of her. “You still haven’t told me what’s going on.”

Jack debated whether to downplay the situation or confide in her. Deciding he needed a sounding board, he chose the latter. “I asked Nate to use his contacts in the South
Padre real estate investment community and see what he could find out about Dutch.”

Caroline sank down into one of the overstuffed armchairs and crossed her legs at the knee. “And?”

Diverting his gaze from the spectacular view of her legs, Jack moved to sit on the sofa. “Nate found out that Dutch has been frantically trying to raise money for about six months now.”

Caroline met Jack’s gaze. “How much money?”

“He wants five million, cash, but would settle for four.”

For a moment, Caroline looked like she had been sucker punched. She held Jack’s eyes for a long time. “Why?”

Jack grimaced. “No one knows.”

Caroline let out a slow breath and leaned back in her chair. “Is he a gambler?”

Jack watched the way her fingers had curled tightly over the upholstered chair. “Not that anyone knows. Nor does he have any criminal connections.”

Caroline’s eyes narrowed. “So it’s not like he owes money to the Mob or anything.”

Jack shook his head. “No. Dutch has always been a respected businessman with an ethical reputation and sound judgment.”

Caroline made a face that showed she was struggling to understand the situation. “So maybe all Dutch wants to do is invest in something else.”

“Which would be where my mother comes in,” Jack said grimly, wishing it weren’t so. He was actually beginning to like Dutch.

Color blushed Caroline’s cheeks. “I don’t follow.”

Reluctantly, Jack reported, “My mother elected to take ten million in cash and company benefits—like life, health
and disability insurance—for life instead of a much smaller signing bonus and ongoing royalties.”

Caroline narrowed her gaze. “So she could…?”

“Give Dutch the four or five million in cash and fund whatever it is Dutch wants to fund,” Jack retorted impatiently.

“Assuming he’s able to talk her into it,” Caroline countered. “Your mother is a sensible woman.”

Jack wished he could feel as positive. Painful experience had taught him otherwise. “I was a sensible person, too, until I fancied myself in love and started acting on emotion instead of cool reason.”

Caroline crossed her legs, cupped her joined palms over her knee, and leaned toward Jack persuasively. “First of all, Jack, I don’t care what it looks like,” she said softly and sincerely. “Every instinct I have tells me that Dutch is an honorable guy who cares deeply about your mother. He has already made her very happy. And in her own words, brought her back to living a full life again. Which I gather, after the heartbreak of your father’s illness and death, wasn’t easy.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Jack agreed, loosening the knot of his tie and the first two buttons on his shirt. “Which is why I don’t want to see her hurt again.” His mother had already been hurt enough. To see her lose another spouse, for whatever reason, was more than Jack could bear.

Caroline rose gracefully and moved toward him. “Second, acting on pure emotion isn’t all bad, Jack.”

Hoping she wasn’t about to show him out, Jack got to his feet, too. “Isn’t it?”

Caroline went toe to toe with him. “No.” She angled her chin at him. “It’s not.” Her crystal-blue eyes glittered with feeling. “And if you would just stop and think a moment…”

Jack didn’t want to think. All he wanted to do was react—and put an end to anything that might hurt or in any way threaten his loved ones. Caroline was preventing that. He wrapped his arms around her waist, tugged her near. “We can’t all go around doing what we want to do at any given moment,” he told her gruffly.

Caroline’s lips curved in a half smile. Her gaze tracked the open collar of his shirt, the loosened knot on his tie, the jacket he’d wanted to take off, but hadn’t. She surveyed him thoughtfully. “Because if you were doing that right now, you’d be kissing me,” Caroline surmised, surprising the hell out of him.

Jack saw no reason to lie. “That’s exactly what I’d be doing.”

Caroline’s eyes sparkled unexpectedly. “Then let’s get to it,” she said.

C
AROLINE TOLD HERSELF
all she was doing was saving Jack, his mother and Dutch a lot of heartache, by passionately distracting Jack and keeping him from acting on his suspicions.

It had nothing to do with the fact she’d been wanting Jack all evening.

She paused, her lips just under his. She was certain if Jack would just allow himself to be vulnerable he could fall in love again, the way she was starting to fall in love…. “You’re resisting,” she noted, grinning flirtatiously, already rising to the challenge that was this man.

“You noticed,” Jack murmured back.

It was at this point that a lesser woman would have thrown in the towel and called it a night. Let him go wreak havoc on his life with no further interference from her.

Then Caroline thought about the way he had looked at her the night before when she had walked into the bar to
meet him. The fun they’d had tonight at the first wedding, when they’d hit the dance floor and really cut loose. The tender way he’d held her close at the second wedding, when they’d slow-danced to all those romantic songs. The way he’d made love to her, days ago. What a good team they made.

They might not want to admit it, but something was happening between them, and she could no more deny it than she could deny the desire welling up inside her.

If Jack were honest, she knew he would not be able to deny it, either. And if it took an event like this to prompt them to come together, then so be it. “Then I’ll just have to work harder to tempt you,” she whispered playfully. Going up on tiptoe, she fit her lips against his.

To her frustration, the fireworks remained muted, and the barrier between her and the tender recesses of his heart remained.

Amused at the role reversal going on here—wasn’t this supposed to be his move, instead of hers?—Caroline deepened the contact by pressing her lips even more ardently against his.

Emboldened by the evidence of his desire, Caroline stepped farther into the embrace. Her breasts rubbed up against his chest, as did the rest of her from shoulder to knee. She eased the tip of her tongue along the seam of his lips. Loving the taste and feel and scent that was uniquely him.

Her pulse pounding, she caressed him from shoulder to spine, to waist, to hip, again and again and again, putting everything she’d been holding back, everything she had dared not express into the embrace, until Jack finally relented with a groan. He went from passively participating to actively pursuing in a flash, clamping his
arms around her, hauling her closer still, and opening his mouth on hers.

The touch of his tongue to hers was hot, electric, mesmerizing. The enveloping heat of his body gave new urgency to hers. It no longer mattered how or why they were together like this, just that they had found reason to come together again. To talk and laugh and argue and look in one another’s eyes. To know that there was so much more to life than either one of them had been experiencing….

Finally, Caroline tore her mouth from his. “Let’s go to my bed….” she coaxed, spreading her hands across his shoulders, chest.
Let’s get rid of the differences between us…and instead, focus on all that is right
.

His eyes darkened. He searched her face. “You’re sure…?”

“Very.”

Jack took her hand. Together, they went into her bedroom, where the soft lamp next to the bed had been left on. Caroline blushed when she saw the dozen dresses and matching undergarments still scattered across her bed.

“That must have been some wardrobe crisis,” Jack teased as Caroline scooped up the garments and tossed them onto the upholstered bench at the foot of her bed. She knelt and swept her shoes out of the way, too.

When she rose and turned back around, Jack had his suit coat off. With one hand, he was removing his tie. Feeling more seductive than she ever had in her life, she toed off her heels. Pulse racing, she walked toward him with the rolling hips of a runway model. “Let me do that for you.”

Their eyes locked and held as she put his tie aside, unbuttoned his shirt, pulled the edges apart. Undressing him felt extraordinarily intimate, pleasurable. She had wanted to be here with him like this for days now. Finally, it was
happening and his chest rose and fell with each slow, sensuous breath. She eased off his shirt, exposing his broad shoulders and muscular arms and the mat of dark brown hair spreading across his chest before arrowing down to the waistband of his trousers. She went up on tiptoe, kissing him yet again, the fabric of her dress brushing his hard muscles. She relieved him of his shoes, socks, undid his belt, released his pants. Leaving the boxer-briefs for last. When she had finished undraping him, she could only stare. He was more beautiful than she recalled, so aroused, so in need of her she felt her mouth go dry.

“My turn,” he groaned, reaching around behind her and easing the zipper down, past her waist, to the small of her back.

He hooked his hands inside the sheath and eased it down, helped her step out of it. A rush of desire sweeping through her, clad only in a pale blue lace demibra, matching panties and thigh-high stockings, she faced him. There was no need to say anything. He obviously liked what he saw as much as she did.

She was trembling as he removed the rest of her clothing. She marveled at how someone so big and strong and male could have such a tender touch. And then his lips were on her breasts, drawing deep. Everything else in their world fell away. It was just the two of them, just this, as her body thrilled and tingled with everything he offered, everything she yearned to have.

Caroline moaned, running her hands through his hair, bringing him closer still, wanting more. He replaced his lips with the pads of his thumbs. Straightened, took her mouth with his, and kissed her some more.

Together, they danced backward toward her bed. Arms wrapped around each other, they tumbled onto it. The next thing Caroline knew, she was lying on her back. Jack parted
her knees and lay between the cradle of her thighs. She arched up off the bed as his lips drifted lower, suckling gently. Her thighs fell even farther apart as Jack touched and stroked. She was teetering on the edge…loving the way this felt…loving him…even as she quivered and nearly shot up off the bed with the sweet, hot ferocity of her response.

When she’d recovered, she turned to look at him, and saw the satisfaction in his eyes. He eased between her legs with a masculine resolve that had her surrendering to him all over again.

Jack had thought he was far too suspicious and jaded to ever enjoy falling for a woman again. He’d been wrong. The process of becoming Caroline’s lover was far more enticing and absorbing than he had ever dreamed anything could be.

For one thing, even though she was sophisticated as hell outside the bedroom, she seemed like a complete innocent in the bedroom. To the point, making love felt new to him, too.

As their eyes locked and the air between them charged with escalating desire and excitement, Jack felt more open to love and passion than he had been in his entire life. Yearning swept through him as he pressed up against her, luxuriating in the heat of her soft, silky skin. And he knew he would never be satisfied with just another roll or two or three in the hay. Despite the disparity that remained between them, he wanted more from her.

Much more…

Sending him a provocative look, she smoothed her hands over the muscles of his thighs, up his spine, back down to the small of his back and the curve of his buttocks, before guiding him onto his back and moving her palms to the most sensitive part of him.

Aware of the need that seemed to grow in him, even as it was met, Jack closed his eyes, lost in the feel of her sensual exploration of his body, the way she was taking possession of him, as surely and completely as he planned to take possession of her. Kiss followed kiss. Caress followed caress as she created an urgent need only she could ease. Sensations ran riot. Needing to possess her the way he had never possessed any woman, Jack moved so she was beneath him yet again. He stretched out on top of her, length to length, pulling her knees to his waist. Gently, he moved up and in, pushing his erection into her trembling wetness, until they fit together as snugly as a lock and catch.

Caroline cried out and arched against him, tempting him to move with tantalizing slowness…filling and retreating…seducing and taking…going ever deeper, ever slower…finding meaning…encouraging her to give back, even as she, too, demanded more. Until at last everything merged. Passion, tenderness, need and surrender. And the two of them held tight to each other as they soared, found release, and continued to hold on to everything they wanted, everything they had found.

Long minutes later, Jack still lay against the pillows, Caroline nestled against him. Her lower body rested between his legs. She had her head on his chest, one hand on his shoulder, the other on his waist. Their bodies were hot, and damp, and sated.

Jack had never been much for cuddling. But tonight he couldn’t get enough of it. The feel of Caroline in his arms, all pliant, giving woman, satisfied him like nothing else he had ever experienced. He didn’t know why or even how she had become such a big part of his life. He only knew that when she was with him, the sun shone a little brighter. And without her, the days seemed dull and long.