Welcome to Temptation: A Romantic Comedy (12 page)

“Don’t you have a YMCA?”

“Yeah, but there’s not much to it. We don’t have the funds.”

“You should ask for volunteers. And more money so you can start a youth program,” she added. “If the crime rate here among kids has picked up, then you have every right to go to City Hall and ask for help with the problem. The program I’m involved with is strictly on a volunteer basis. We travel throughout the state and speak on issues concerning young people. Not just diseases, mind you. We talk about alcohol and drugs, bullying, and the importance of a good education. And it’s all done on a voluntary basis. I could check on the possibility of having your parish included in our tour.”

“That’s all fine and dandy, Mic, but I don’t want the responsibility.” At her look of surprise, he went on. “Not that I don’t want the best for this town,” he said, “but I don’t want to be the one to do it. I have other plans for my life.”

She nodded. “I know. Have you got someone in mind to take over?”

“There are a couple of good deputies who might be interested. I didn’t really have a chance to discuss it with them before the storm hit and everything went to hell around here. Before that, I was mainly concerned about finding out who’d robbed my mother. You see, I had planned to use my badge to get back at him. Throw him in jail for ninety days with only bread and water, that sort of thing.”

“I don’t think you can legally do that.”

“Yeah, I know. And it’s not a reason to take a job you don’t want in the first place. I was more interested in revenge at the time, I suppose. But my mother is all I have left in this world.”

“How come you never married and had children?” She knew she was being nosy, but couldn’t help it. She wanted to know more about the man,
had
to know more. She should have known that sleeping with him would bring out this curious, involved and caring side of her.

“I never had anything to offer a woman. And when I worked the sugar cane fields … well, there wasn’t room in my life for anything else.”

“Tell me about it.”

He shrugged. “I was just traveling through when I came upon this place, all run-down. The old man who owned it laughed in my face when I asked for a job. He said he hadn’t had a decent crop in years. We were both in bad shape. He couldn’t keep good help, and I couldn’t find a job ‘cause of my bad record with juvenile justice. So I offered to help him out in exchange for room and board. It took a long time to get the place on its feet again. I would have left long before, had I not gotten attached to the old guy. He became a father figure to me. The place started making money, lots of it. He made me a full partner.”

“Do you ever hear from him?”

“He passed away while I was still there. Left everything to me, including his house. I didn’t feel like staying after he died so I sold everything and hit the road.”

“Are you rich?”

Gator grinned. “I’m set up nicely.”

“So when do you plan to marry and start a family?” she asked.

“I haven’t thought much about it,” he said. “You?”

“I was almost engaged, but it didn’t work out.”

“To Jeffrey?”

“How did you guess?”

“What happened?”

She shrugged. “He had the ring and everything, but I told him I needed more time, even though we had been dating exclusively for almost a year.”

“Is that why he cheated?”

“That was the excuse he used, but who knows, he could have been seeing other women all along. Behind my back,” she added.

Gator frowned. “And you’re still friends with this Yahoo?”

“I forgave him.”

“So what happens after the baby comes and he wants out of his so-called unhappy marriage?”

“That’s none of my business.” Michelle decided a change of subject was in order. “You’ve heard my story. What’s yours?”

“I’ve never been engaged. I’ve never even dated steadily.” He shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t like the idea of changing and rearranging my life to meet someone else’s needs. See, I told you I was selfish. I’ve always done exactly what I wanted. A wife and family would complicate matters.”

“You’re right,” she said. “That’s what happens when you allow another person into your world.” Michelle picked up her saucer and carried it to the sink.

Gator’s chair scraped the floor as he shoved away from the table. Picking up his own cup and saucer, he crossed the room, closing the distance between them. He stood behind Michelle for a moment, his body only inches from hers. She felt him there, he knew. He could tell by the way she held herself so still. He took another step and reached around her to set the dishes in the sink. She jumped when the plate made contact with the porcelain.

Michelle could feel the heat of his body, feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She closed her eyes when he pressed himself against her. “What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly. She could hear the laughter in his voice when he spoke, could feel his need pressing into her hips.

“I’m trying to seduce you. How am I doing?”

She could not help but smile. “I think you’re turning yourself on at my expense.”

“Turn around, Mic,” he said softly. When she didn’t budge, he rolled his eyes heavenward. “Please,” he added.

Michelle faced him, and then wished she hadn’t. He was so close, so uncomfortably close, she could see the stubble on his unshaven face. She tried to take a step back, but her hips met the cabinet. Gator placed his hands on the countertop on each side of her, leaning forward slightly, his breath fanning her cheek.

“You make me crazy, Michelle Thurston, you know that? Even when we were little more than kids.” He pressed his body against hers as he spoke, and her pelvis cradled his. “Every time you’re near I get this urge to throw you over my shoulder and whisk you off to my cave. Yes, I said cave,” he added with a chuckle. “I guess you bring out the beast in me, huh?” When she didn’t speak, he raised a finger to her lips and brushed them gently. “Is that so bad, Mic? To want to have a little control over the woman you’re crazy about?”

“A relationship should be fifty-fifty,” she said with conviction.

He grinned. “Is that how they talk at cocktail parties and luncheons these days? All that sounds good, but there are times when a man wants to be in charge. Call it ego, I don’t care, but sometimes a man likes to feel as though he is the protector. That it’s up to him to take care of his woman.”

“You’re a man of contradictions, Gator. On one hand, you don’t want a woman setting foot in your perfect life and messing things up. But if a woman happens to catch your fancy, you want to run the show, have things you’re way. What about
her
needs? Why does
anyone
have to be in charge? Why can’t two people who love each other be on equal footing?”

The smile he gave her was slow and lazy. “You think you’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?”

She leveled her gaze at him. “I know what I want in
my
life, but I can’t speak for you.”

Gator saw the challenge in her green eyes and hitched his chin higher. “I reckon at my age I know how to keep a woman happy, Mic.”

“In the bedroom, maybe,” she replied evenly, “but people can’t stay in bed all day. What have you got to offer a woman outside the sheets, Gator? There are many facets of a woman, you know. She likes to be charmed and courted.”

“I can charm the fur off a possum at nine hundred yards, babe.”

Although Michelle liked the endearment, she realized Gator wasn’t taking her seriously. “And when you’re finished in the bedroom, there is another side to a relationship you haven’t considered; the
day-to-day
responsibilities, the grocery store, the dry cleaner, housework, yard work—”

“You sure know how to cool a man’s ardor,” he said.

“Sex is important, but it should be like a fine dessert in a relationship. Everything else has to be good between two people for the sex to be good.”

“You make it sound like a job, Mic. That takes all the fun out of it. Why can’t two people just enjoy what they have while it lasts?”

“Because the better you work at it, the more enjoyable it is, and the longer it lasts. Perhaps forever.”

“Forever?” He looked skeptical. “That’s a long time. I can’t think past next week. I don’t want my life so neatly planned, Mic.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked to one of the windows that had survived the storm and wasn’t covered with plastic sheeting. A fine mist hovered over the bayou. “I suppose the good doctor couldn’t meet all your needs after all, huh?”

Michelle didn’t answer right away. “He came closer than some.”

He faced her. “And how was dessert?”

Michelle’s face turned red. “That’s personal.”

“This whole conversation is personal, Mic. But you brought it up, and you don’t seem to mind exposing my faults. I guess I’m just trying to understand you better. Figure out exactly what you want in a man.” He had no idea why he was going to so much trouble. He obviously couldn’t come close to meeting her standards, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. The mere thought of tying himself down to one woman for the rest of his life was unnerving. And what about all those domestic chores she’d mentioned? Why buy groceries when you could eat out? And a man didn’t have to worry about yard work when he lived on a houseboat.

Michelle was still pondering his question. She sighed. “Dessert with Jeffrey was like apple pie without ice cream or whipped cream on top.”

“Meaning something was missing,” Gator said. A million questions sprang to mind, but he didn’t voice them. He had no right. Instead, he thrust one hip to the side and cocked his head. “So what is it like with me, Mic? Dessert, that is.”

“You know it was good.”

Male ego prodded him on. “But what would you compare it to?”

Michelle wished she’d never said anything about dessert. She had simply tried to make a point. But she knew Gator wouldn’t let up until she told him. “Well, with you it’s more like …” She paused and smiled. “A hot fudge sundae with all the trimmings.”

“Is that good?”

“Of course it’s good. You have the hot fudge on one hand, nice and warm and gooey. Then there’s the shivery-cold ice cream, the crunchiness of nuts, and the ultimate sweetness of whipped cream. It delights all the senses. What more could you ask for in a dessert?”

He chuckled and slowly closed the distance between them. He stood before her, gazing down at her and thinking how lovely she looked in the morning, her face the color of fresh cream. “I’ve never gotten aroused simply by listening to the ingredients of a hot fudge sundae,” he mused aloud. He reached for a strand of hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “What d’you say we grab a can of whipped cream and go upstairs?”

Michelle laughed, but came willingly into his arms. She had grown tired of debating relationships when it was obvious that neither of them had been particularly successful in the happily-ever-after part. He nuzzled her ear, and she shivered and slipped her arms around his waist. He pulled away, his smile gone. His expression was almost tender.

“Mic, I can’t do all those things. You know, the grocery store and dry cleaners. Parent-teacher conferences.”

She cocked her head to one side. “Who said anything about parent-teacher conferences?”

“It all leads to that, Mic. Once a couple marries, they can’t wait to have a baby, and that leads to a whole new set of responsibilities. Doctor visits, braces, play dates, first day of school. Sooner or later someone is going to have to go to a parent-teacher conference. That doesn’t mean I’m not wild about you. Hell, I think I’ve been in love with you for sixteen years, but I’m especially not good at—”

She pressed her fingers against his lips. “I haven’t asked anything of you.”

He looked surprised. “Oh, well, that’s a relief,” he said when she removed her finger. He shook his head. “Lord, I want to make love to you so bad I hurt. I can’t look at you without wanting to touch you. And I can’t touch you without wanting to taste you. You’re like an addiction, Mic.” He smiled ruefully. “I have no right to make love to you, though. I have nothing to offer, nothing that really matters to a woman like you.”

He paused and gazed down at her. Then, because he couldn’t help himself, he lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her deeply, his tongue delving into her mouth hungrily. He wanted her. He wanted to sink into her softness and bury his face between her breasts. And it didn’t matter that he’d only recently left her bed. When he raised his head, his eyes seemed to glow with passion.

Michelle snaked her arms around his neck. “I suppose,” she said softly knowing that she wanted him to make love to her again just as badly. She couldn’t get enough of the man.

It wasn’t purely sexual between them, she knew, but Gator Landry would never admit it. He opened up to her when they were in bed, something he had difficulty doing otherwise. In her arms, he revealed himself for what he truly was—kind and loving and very giving. But she knew he was hell-bent on preserving his independent, tough-as-nails image. Gator had a gentle side that tugged at her heartstrings and wouldn’t let go. And although he might balk at the idea of spending too much time with one woman, she knew he was hers in bed. For one heart-stopping moment, as he shuddered against her, he was totally and completely hers. And she didn’t need false promises from him.

Gator took her hand and led her upstairs. When Michelle was completely naked, she began taking his clothes off of him. A moment later they were both on the bed, instantly swept up in a tide of passion that left them clinging to each other afterward.

#

Gator held her for a long time, listening to the sound of his own heartbeat, interrupted here and there by birdcalls from outside the window. When he spoke, his voice was tender. “I want you to know this has been the best two days of my life,” he confessed. He squeezed her. “Thank you, Mic.” He pondered his own words. He’d never thanked a woman for sharing a bed, but she’d given him more than a good time. He sensed she’d given herself as well. Compared to that, a simple thank you didn’t seem enough.

Michelle was genuinely touched by his words, but she didn’t answer right away. She didn’t trust her voice at the moment. Her heart ached, knowing that in a matter of time she would have to leave. She felt Gator truly loved her, had loved her for years, just as she had loved him. Yes, loved him, she told herself. She was in love with Gator Landry; it was as simple as that.