A Night of Misbehaving (3 page)

Standing on tiptoe, she linked her arms around his head, her fingers threading through his silky hair. He explored the recesses of her mouth, their stroking tongues establishing a rhythm that didn’t ask but demanded. Didn’t promise but delivered. He made a circular movement on her lower back, and her bones turned into Play-Doh. Oh, God. This was getting out of control. Fast. His fingers bit into her dress, as if there was a way they could get even closer.

What am I doing?
She opened her eyes with a start, glimpses of reality breaking through. No matter how charming Sexy Dad was, he’d been the guy who hurt Alice. It didn’t matter that it had been a few months ago. Right?

Before she used rationalization to break a girl code, she jerked away from him and fought to stay upright. “No.” To reinforce her point, she nudged his chest to keep him at a safe distance.

“No?” he repeated, furrowing his eyebrows and taking a step back. “Why not?”

She sucked in her breath and lifted her fingers to touch her warm cheeks. The dance floor was no place for talking. Gesturing with her hand for them to go back to their table, she took the first step and he quickly followed her. He touched her waist to guide her through the crowd, but, perhaps noticing the stiffening of her spine, took it away. Phew.

She’d get over what just happened. Yes. She promised herself, even as a voice inside her laughed.

Chapter Three

Why the hell did she stop? And what did that “no” mean? Not right now? Not ever? He shifted in his chair, his eyes skimming over the sourdough bread and butter untouched on the table. All that talk about food, and the one craving consuming him couldn’t be delivered on a silver tray. “What’s wrong?” He raised his eyes to hers.

Georgia chewed on her plump lower lip. Her sweet taste was still fresh in his mouth, their kiss the warm-up to what he hoped would be a languid, long, exhausting workout session with a woman who didn’t cease to surprise him. Didn’t cease to make him both welcome and dread the instant connection flaring up between them.

She parted her lips to speak, hesitated, then clamped her mouth shut. He reached into his pocket and touched his coin. He had never tossed the old piece of metal before tonight, because leaving important things up to chance wasn’t his style. The urge to dance with her and the discouraging look she’d given him when he asked had changed his mind.

He sighed. Each passing second added a pound to the dumbbells weighting his chest.

“I’m friends with Alice.” She lifted her chin, pride gleaming in her eyes.

“Alice?” he repeated, trying to make sense.

“Alice Sommers.” She raised her voice and leaned forward. “Her niece is in Ella and Grace’s class.”

The chatty girl from the party committee. “Of course. I know who she is.”

“I can’t make out with you and have a clear conscience, knowing she asked you out and you gave her a resounding no. She was crushed.”

Leaning forward, he scratched his chin. “She didn’t ask me out. She asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner to talk about the barbeque party, and I said I was busy. Then she asked how my other nights looked and I told her it was easy to settle by email.” Energy faded in his voice toward the end. “She was asking me out out?”

“Out out.” Hers fingers drummed on the table. “A guy like you should know the difference.”

He straightened his posture. “I do. The women who ask me out are much more aggressive.”

“Alice worked up her courage to ask you out, you know?”

“Look, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware; I didn’t see her in that way. She was always so nice. I figured she just wanted to make sure we got everything taken care of. And that maybe she meant a dinner for everyone involved, not just me.” He raked his fingers through his hair and let out a long sigh. “I’m an idiot. Should I talk to her and explain?”

She upped an eyebrow. “No. If you bring this up, you might embarrass her and make her feel even worse. Unless you plan to take her out.” She framed her chin with one hand, elbow propped on the table, assessing his reaction. Maybe…waiting for his answer?

He shook his head. “I just want to make it better. I didn’t realize…” During the months following his divorce, a couple of moms from school had hinted they’d love to warm his bed, but he’d brushed their advances off. Those women were like a bag of Cheetos, colorful packaging but not enough substance inside. They saw him as a hot commodity and assumed a fling was what he wanted. Georgia, on the other hand…she’d always kept her distance. “Wait. That’s why you’ve asked me to drop out of the barbecue party, isn’t it? God. She probably hates me.”

She shrugged. “She doesn’t.”

“No wonder you didn’t like me all this time.” He sighed.

Georgia rubbed her arm and glanced around before offering him a bitter smile. For the second time that night, a need to reach across the table and hold her struck him.

“Alice and I, we have each other’s back.”

He smiled. “She’s lucky to have you.”

She blinked. “Brent, even if Alice wasn’t in the picture, our kids go to the same school. I don’t want Ella to know about us and fantasize things in her head.” The firmness in her voice made his heart tighten. “Poor thing’s been through enough with her absent dad.”

“I would never hurt you or Ella. You’re overthinking. Bottom line is: do you want to change what just happened?” He stretched for her hand, the brush of his fingers on hers shooting a powerful zing up his arm. “I don’t.”

She jerked away, and he spotted the soft bob making its way down her throat. “Look, this whole thing was just a bad idea. It’s not right. I should go.” She rose to her feet and grabbed her bag.

“Wait—”

He started to stand, but the waitress appeared with their dinners. “Something came up. Sorry.” He reached into his wallet and retrieved a few bills. The waitress took the money and offered him a sympathetic smile. Brent strode away and glanced around. Shit. Georgia had disappeared from sight.

Great rapport building,
a bitter part of him mocked.
Rapport my ass.
Somehow, that woman he’d exchanged snarky comments with, the woman who melted in his arms during the dance, the woman whose kiss drove him
crazy…achieved what Stacey hadn’t in all the years they were together.

Georgia Taylor, Sexy Mom, had turned his mind off work.

…

Georgia stood in line, wishing she hadn’t valet parked her car. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Could she pretend none of it had happened? Brent’s question rang in her ears:
do you want to change what just happened?

She touched her lips, still tender from his kiss.

“Georgia.”

Her heart stilled. She didn’t have to turn around to know the male voice didn’t come from Brent. With a deep breath, she placed her hands on her waist and swung on her heels to face Shawn.

It had been three years since the last time she’d run into him. But time didn’t erase his dark blue eyes, the same as Ella’s. Not the same. Ella’s had a happy gleam about them, unlike the dishonest flicker surfacing in his eyes.

“It’s been a while,” he said, his gaze roaming over her face and dress. “You look good.”

“I’m not interested in small talk, Shawn.” She hoped the once-over she gave him was colder than an Alaskan winter. Considering his loud, pretentious Christian Audigier shirt and ripped jeans designed for someone much younger, she asked herself the same question she had when he bolted after learning about her pregnancy:
what did I ever see in this loser?

“How’s Ella?”

The name of her child on his lips brought sourness to her mouth. “You don’t get to ask that question.”

“Just curious.” He threw his hands in the air, his lips thinned. “I’m her dad, after all.”

Dad?
The need to punch his face tingled her fingertips. Shawn ended their relationship via text message not long after she told him about the pregnancy. Idiot that she was, she gave him another chance later, when he showed up in her life only to mess with her head and leave again. He’d insisted on taking Ella out a couple times, using her as bait to establish rapport with his new boss, a single dad, and ensure a promotion. Now he wanted common courtesy?
Rise above.
She curled her fingers into a fist, her nails biting into her palm. “We have nothing to discuss, Shawn.”

He took a couple of steps toward her, and she didn’t move an inch.

“Still so abrasive, Georgia. And you wonder why men never stick around.”

She lifted her hand and punched him, hard and strong, just like the resentment she’d tried to suppress all those years. The anger she’d let out on other people. Other men.

He jerked back and produced a wimpy sound. Moving his hand to the reddening cheek she’d just hit, he was about to open his mouth when another voice came from behind her.

“Georgia,” Brent said softly, striding to her side.

She blinked, toying with her purse. Shit. A quick scan around them, and it dawned on her that people in line were all looking at her.

“Are you okay?” Brent gave her a sideways glance before raising an eyebrow at Shawn.

“I am now,” she managed to say.

“Get ready, buddy. This could be you tomorrow.” Shawn pointed at his face, scorn lacing his voice.

“If you know what’s good for you, get out of our way. Now,” Brent said with a growl. He stretched to his full height, jaw clenched and hands perched on his waist.

Shawn gave them a dismissive shrug, the confidence fading from his eyes. Georgia glared at him as he strode away. A long-awaited sigh left her lips.

The wave of relief didn’t last long. She turned her focus to Brent. No more threats in his countenance, just curiosity making his eyes spark.
Crap.

“Come with me.” He stretched out his hand to her. “We never got to eat. My car is parked on the street, and we can go somewhere casual and talk.”

Talk? She bit her lower lip. A different type of anxiety rocked her. Her insides were still shaking from her past and present colliding. What present? She was about to go to her house and scavenger hunt the fridge for an obscene amount of carbs.

“Georgia, no pressure. We’ll just talk.” A genuine smile formed on his lips.

“Okay,” she whispered, wondering which was more dangerous. Kissing him or talking to him.

Chapter Four

“Not bad, huh?” Brent asked before he brought the monster hot dog to his mouth. They strolled away from the busy, neon-lit food trailer and onto South Congress Avenue, Austin’s trendiest street. She’d pretended to look at the hip vintage stores and hole-in-the-wall restaurants while she munched on her own chili dog, but the lingering tension remained, no matter how he’d tried to make her feel comfortable.

“How many calories are we chowing down?” she retorted in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“About a thousand.” He took another big bite. This time the thick sauce stayed on the corner of his mouth, and he slid his tongue out to fetch it. The quick appearance of the tip of his tongue sent a thrill of excitement through her. The image of Brent licking her neck, grazing her skin, fondling her breasts… “I’m not the food police. I just care about exercising, because I lost both my parents way too early.”

“I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat and willed her intrusive thoughts away. Far, far away.

He pulled a small bottle of water from his pocket and took a drink. “They both had high cholesterol and high blood pressure and didn’t do anything about it,” he said with a quiet voice, his eyes remote.

“I’m sure they’d be proud of you for not following the same path,” she tried, unsure of what to say. She ate the last bite, wiped her mouth with the napkin, then tossed it in the trash. They reached the end of one street but had to wait for passing cars and the light to continue.

Unable to tear her eyes from him, she studied his Greek-like profile, the strong planes of his handsome face. Somehow, the beauty she’d held against him had demolished her every reserve as the night wore on. Who knew it only took a couple of hours of getting to know someone to crush carefully built preconceptions?

He nudged her arm, and she blinked, then saw pedestrians crossing the street. The light was green. Green. She wished selfishly that color meant a lot more than just the right to cross.

“Georgia, I overheard you and that guy—”

“Shawn,” she said as they reached the other side of the street. “Ella’s father.”

He shrugged and slowed his pace. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She let out a long sigh.
Yes and no.
“We dated for almost a year. Then I accidentally got pregnant, and the rest is history.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t he have any relationship with Ella?”

“He visited her a few times during her first year. Randomly. Being a dad is not his thing.” She tried to say it naturally, but it came out strained anyway.

“That has to be hard.” He patted her on the back, and the light brush had her walking faster. Only for a moment. No, no, no. She could do without his pity.

“I prefer it that way, if he’s going to break her heart by drifting in and out of her life.” With those words, her heart contracted. “Family isn’t always like a fairy tale. Take you, for instance.” She regretted the defensiveness in her voice immediately.

“I wasn’t a good husband, but I would never abandon my child.”

Georgia nodded in silence. Tucked under her mild reaction lay disappointment in his confession of sucking as a partner—but it clashed with the belief he was a good father. She shouldn’t care, really. “Did you cheat on her?”

“No,” he answered quickly, and she hated herself for the warm relief making waves inside her. “Not the way you think. I never went out with another woman, but I didn’t give Stacey the attention she needed. We got married, and she wanted to start a family right away. My gyms started taking off just before Grace was born.”

“I heard it’s tough to manage married life with kids.”

“I thought by growing my business and ensuring a future for all of us, I was doing the right thing. But Stacey had a tough time and fell into postpartum depression… I didn’t see the signs soon enough and didn’t give her the care she needed.” The muscle in his jaw flicked. “By the time she opened up to me and I tried to make it work, it was too late. We had grown apart. We were married for almost four years, and in the last two I had no idea she was so miserable. Now we’ve been divorced for over a year and she’s doing great.”

Georgia knew a part of her should just nod and move on with the evening. Go home and go to sleep. To do that, she’d have to overcome her racing heart. She wanted to tell him postpartum depression was a disease, and perhaps he should have done more, but he could not have caused it.

What advice could she give him on marriage and divorce, anyway? She’d never even been engaged. Before Shawn, all she had were a couple of relationships in college. After Shawn, she went out on a few dates, none of them very encouraging.

She offered him a half smile. “I’m sorry it took all of that for you to realize what was wrong.”

“It’s okay.” He shrugged. “I know now not to make the same mistake twice.” He shot a warm glance her way, accompanied by a boyish grin that no man in his thirties should be allowed to display. She felt her pulse beat in her throat.

Her cell phone buzzed and she fetched it from her bag. “Just a second,” she said, and he nodded. She looked at the screen, worried it was her mom saying something was wrong with Ella. But no. Although her heart skipped a beat just the same, cold sweat slicking her palms.

A text from Alice.
How’s your date going?

She glanced at Brent, who pulled out his own cell and checked his messages. Her glance became a stare, and his eyes met hers and held. An invisible current of desire traveled between them, and her body hummed. How was the date? Horribly wrong…and deliciously right.

Entranced by his magnetizing eyes, she almost jumped when another buzz shook the phone in her hand. Another message from Alice. Oh, crap.

I just met the cutest guy at the bar. *wink*

The tension wrapping her like a straitjacket began to loosen her bones, her limbs, the frown on her face. Did that affect the girl code?
Of course it does, you idiot.
If Alice was moving on and meeting people, why couldn’t she give him a chance? Give them a chance? She toyed with the phone. Would Alice care?

“Good news?” He stepped closer, sliding his phone into his back pocket.

“A text. Alice met someone.” She lifted her phone, her stomach fluttering. She tried to restrain the shred of hope coursing through her.

“Does this mean the night’s not over?” He upped an eyebrow with a smile, and she forgot all the warning bells that had come earlier.

She bit back a smile. “Why? What do you have planned?”

He stepped toward her, and her stomach fluttered. “I’m guessing I’m not quite the horrible guy you imagined, right?”

She nudged his arm, wanting to plaster her palm to his skin. “You’re all right.”

He snickered, the light in his eyes a hint he would take whatever he could get for now. “I’m bowing out of the barbeque party. But I’m also pulling my wild card, for proving you wrong.”

Wild card. Her nipples hardened. “Wild card? What is it?”

“You’ll see soon. Trust me, it’s a win-win.”

…

Win-win. His words still echoed in his mind several minutes later. What would she say if she found out he’d gone on the date in Carl’s place in order to protect his business deal? That he’d done it to act like the nice guy so she’d recommend his idea to the board at A.W. Enterprises?

He gave her a sideways glance. She sat in the passenger seat of his Mercedes, her cheeks relaxed and her eyes twinkling. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, the sweat from his palm slicking the cold leather. The dumbbells sat on his chest again. Now they were heavier.
I’m a selfish bastard
for not telling her I came in Carl’s place.
A part of him wanted to latch on to every minute in her company, to grow and develop the emotions overpowering him.

Emotions that had nothing to do with establishing a professional rapport. He liked her and wanted to get up close and personal. To tell her about his reasons for going on the date now would jeopardize the chance to explore that connection. He’d tell her in the near future, and they’d both laugh at it. Together.

Together. The word calmed his nerves, and a strange harmony loosened his limbs.

“Brent, the park is closed.” She pulled him from his thoughts at the sight of a closed gate to the parking lot. He’d canoed and kayaked in the lake surrounding Zilker Park, and nearly every day jogged on the endless trails of the huge stretch of green in the heart of South Austin. Tonight, there were no joggers or families. No musical events. Just the two of them, and for what he had in mind, that was fine.

He let the car idle as he slid out in front of the gate and punched in the password Antonio had given him when he’d called. He’d promised the security guard a free membership for his family for breaking the rule. All worth it.

“Isn’t this trespassing?”

“Relax.”

He drove to the empty lot and parked the car. They headed to Barton Springs pool, the swimming pool that was a hit during summer and even brought members of the polar bear club during the winter. Another gate, and another password.

“Is this your way of telling me you’re a nature lover?” She glanced at her surroundings, at the huge oak trees reaching toward the star-filled sky. The glow from a seductive full moon spilled over the mirror-smooth pool of water. “Because, really, I would have believed you.”

A smile formed on his lips. Her halter dress sparkled as she moved, her spiky heels tapping on the cement pathway to the patch of green grass he pointed out. An ache tingled in his groin.

Canopied by decades-old oak trees, that carpet of grass would guarantee them maximum privacy.

A light breeze swept the falling leaves from the branches. The buzzing from crickets and insects, along with sounds from birds and squirrels moving in the bushes offered him momentary tranquility. Momentary. It only took a glance her way for his blood pressure to spike as if he were on anabolic steroids.

How could that be? He’d always searched for an instant connection with someone. Not just pure lust, but that gut feeling there could be something more. Which was crazy, because until recently Georgia was keeping him at arm’s length. But, damn it, that didn’t change his reaction to her eyes. Her smile.

He pulled his shirt over his head and quickly dropped his pants to the ground. A brisk breeze brushed over his skin, raising the hairs of his legs.

“What are you doing?” Though they were the only ones there, she whispered and glanced to both sides, the silver flecks around her irises sparkling.

“Taking off my clothes.” He signaled to his body, like stripping in front of her was the most natural thing in the world.

“What?”

“You heard me.” He pulled down his boxers, tossed them on the grass, and stepped closer to the edge of the pool. She watched him walk, studying his physique, and he wished his enthusiasm for skinny-dipping wasn’t so obvious. “I’m calling my wild card.”

He dove right in, the cold water smacking his body. He quivered and invisible needles stung him.

From a few feet away, he could see her chewing on her lower lip. “Seriously, you can’t expect me to get naked here,” she said.

“That was our agreement: I’d call a wild card. You have me out of the barbeque party.”
And now, I’m about to have…you.
His libido stirred violently, and to entice her to join him, he swam a couple of laps, back crawling.

She stood with crossed arms and a slight shake of her head. Her eyes still told him
No way, Jose.

“C’mon, Georgia. Don’t make me get out and search for the coin.”

“Is that how you get girls to drop their clothes?” She leaned back, studying him. “With the help of a coin?”

He suppressed a nervous sound that floated up his throat. “Not really. That coin…belonged to my late father.”

She unfolded her arms and shuffled her feet. Her fidgety hands hovered over her dress.

“My old man used to toss it all the time. Even when he was in a hospital bed, he tossed it when the nurses took his vitals. He believed he’d get better,” he said, his voice carried by emotion. No time or space stole the memories of the nurses laughing at Joe Turner’s jokes, the antiseptic scent from the hospital hallways, the deep breath the doctor took after updating the heavy charts.

“I’m sorry.”

He reached for his pocket, and when his fingers touched his bare skin under the water, he laughed.

She took a couple of steps toward the pool. “Do you believe in luck, too? Is that why you carry it with you?”

“Luck? No. I believe in hard work. I carry it with me because I like to keep him close.”

Georgia frowned. “Why did you use it on me, then?”

He swallowed hard. “Because…” he started, the words trapped in his throat. He lifted his hands to his wet hair and ran his fingers through it, desperate for enlightenment. “For once in my life, I was scared hard work alone wouldn’t do it.”

She worried her lower lip, and after a moment’s hesitation, she held the hem of her dress with her hands.

In a blink, she took off her dress and wiggled out of her G-string until it pooled at her feet. After kicking her high heels to the side, she walked to the metal stairs and dipped her feet in the water.

The sight of her sensual, fit body made his heartbeat drum in his ears. He couldn’t tear his stare from her gorgeous breasts, the perfect size for the palms of his hands. He licked his lips, anxious to taste her. Treading water, he fought to pace his breathing. Years of intense workouts, and for what? To be knocked out by a gorgeous woman with endless legs and a thin strip of hair dusted between her smooth thighs. He groaned.

With a sigh, she sank underwater and swam under the surface for a bit, occupying the lane next to his. Enjoying the intimacy, he opted not to ruin it by talking. Or addressing his aching, throbbing erection.