Chapter Two
“Sorry,” Ella said. She watched the street lamps light up the dark night as Cade drove down the main road past the businesses getting ready to close for the night.
“You know we have to spend the weekend together, but it doesn’t have to be a date,” Cade said. “Although, Josie and Mark will have spies at the lake this weekend to make sure we’re together and having fun.”
“The lake?” she asked.
“It’s a couple hours from here,” he said. “It’s the same lake where Josie and her husband take vacations with their kids during the summer.”
“Oh.” Ella nodded. She and Greg were never invited to Josie’s lake house. She didn’t even know Josie owned a lake house. “Do you hang out with them often?”
“No, not really. They’re into things I’m not. They used to rent my guest house and bring their kids for a week or two before they bought their own last year.” He exited onto the interstate and accelerated to keep up with the flow of traffic.
A dark cloud covered the pretty, shimmering glow radiating from the stars and clung to the lower half of the moon, dimming the natural illumination on the lazy, late-spring night. Over the years, she and Greg had spent evenings like this one outside cuddled up next to the fire pit he built in the backyard before cancer changed their world. The kids gathered their friends from the neighborhood and roasted marshmallows on wire hangers she had straightened out for summertime pit fires. She’d relished the title “Domestic Goddess” back in the day.
“Do you need to call your kids?” he asked. “You should give them my number at the lake house. There usually isn’t much cell reception in the woods.”
Stop being so perfect. “Yeah, um, thanks. I’ll call them.” She liked working on him because he told her exactly what he wanted. He talked a lot but quickly relaxed so she could get deep into his supple muscles and make all his tension dissolve under her hands. He never crossed any professional lines and never lingered after the appointment.
She glanced down at the floorboards and then over her shoulder at the back for her purse. Nothing. Damn. Maddie probably took it in the bathroom with no intention of giving it back. Now she was stuck with gorgeous Cade for the weekend, a man she didn’t want to resist but had no other choice. Who was she kidding? If he made any move on her, she wouldn’t be able to resist him for an hour let alone a weekend.
“Maddie has my purse. I hate to impose, but could I use your cell phone?”
He shifted his weight to the side as he drove and reached into his jeans pocket.
Ella’s gaze locked onto the bulge in his jeans. She followed his hand as he tried to adjust the large mass obstructing the removal of his cell phone. With a little more effort and a slow shove of his cock to the right, he retrieved the cell phone from his front pocket.
She licked her lips. Her once-dry mouth was wet and ready to drool on the man she’d fantasized about every night since the day he walked into her massage room. One whole year of wicked fantasies of him as her lover. One painful choice to decline his offer for a dinner date and enforce her business policy turned into three hundred and sixty-five days of wishing she could tell him she’d love to go out with him. Screw the ethical and financial reasons not to.
He handed her his cell phone.
“Thanks.” Focus on the kids, not the hottest man on earth driving me to a secluded lake house for the weekend.Her fingers fumbled over the letters on the screen as she dialed her daughter’s number.
“Colleen Winthrop.”
“Colleen, it’s Mom.” Oddly, nothing but silence came from her daughter’s side. Usually Colleen was surrounded by friends, and they were all like her—loud and talkative.
“Why are you calling from Cowboy Corral?”
“It’s a long story, but Maddie took my purse and phone.”
“Tell her to feel free to call my cell,” Cade said. “The number to the lake house is the same number, but it ends with a seven instead of a four.”
“I heard that,” Colleen said. “Who are you with?”
“I’m with a friend. He’s a friend of Maddie and Josie’s too. ”
“Oh.” Curiosity seemed to lace Colleen’s tone. “That’s different. Is it a blind date?”
“Kind of, but not really.” Ella shook her head. “I just called to tell you I love you and to see how your final exams are going. Are you still coming home Friday?”
“I finished my last final this afternoon.” Colleen squealed, suddenly back to her usual vibrant self. “I’ll definitely be back by Friday, but I’m trying to get home earlier. I have a big surprise for you.”
Colleen always came home from college with some kind of surprise she and her friends made for her and the boys. Her surprises became a tradition of sorts over the last year.
“Sounds exciting. I love your surprises. And, sweet pea, congratulations on surviving your freshman year.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ve got to go. I’m heading to a late dinner. Love you.”
“Have fun. Love you too. ” She hung up and dialed Kyle.
“Hello?” Kyle answered on the first ring.
“Hey, it’s Mom.”
“Why are you calling from Cowboy Corral?”
“I’m with the owner, not at the bar. I mean, I’m out with. No. I’m in the car… Maddie and Josie know him.” She blew out an exhale. “It’s not a date.”
“We know you don’t date. We’re at Maddie’s.”
“Let me speak to her,” Jason shouted in the background.
“No. So, is he nice?” Kyle asked.
“He’s nice.” Ugh.
“Give me the phone,” Jason said.
“No,” Kyle said.
She heard a struggle on the other end. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. We love you,” Kyle said as the connection got muffled.
“Love you too?”
“Tell him, I’ll kick his ass if he tries—” Jason shouted.
“—Have fun, Mom. Call us tomorrow,” Kyle’s voice rose. The call abruptly ended.
Ella cringed and dialed him again.
“Have fun, Mom.” Kyle was breathing hard but steady.
“Maddie and Mike are in charge. No staying up past ten-thirty and—”
“—be respectful. Got it,” Kyle said. “I can’t speak for Jason, but I’ll try and keep him in line.”
She rolled her eyes. Kyle was just like his father, calm and analytical, while Jason epitomized his uncle, passionate and adventurous. “I love you. I’ll call tomorrow.”
“Love you too, Mom. Bye.”
“Goodnight.” She ended the call, thankful Jason hadn’t interjected himself into the conversation again. She wasn’t up for the third degree, not that she had anything to hide. She and Cade hadn’t done anything. Wouldn’t do anything.
“They sound like nice kids.” Cade kept his gaze on the road.
“They’re pretty great.” I’m so lucky to be their mom. “I think the boys are sick of me babying them, but I can’t help it. They’re my boys.”
“They’ll miss it when they’re adults and don’t have you doing it all the time.” He turned on the radio to the local country station. “Hope you like country.”
“I do.” Maybe she wasn’t a total Yankee and had a little bit of cowgirl in her. She’d genuinely liked country music ever since her husband introduced her to it, and even said “y’all” on occasion.
Cade stroked the top curve of the steering wheel like he was caressing the curve of a woman’s hip then tapped it three times as if he made a decision about something important.
“Ella, you know a lot about me, my medical history, all my aches and pains.” He paused as if he wasn’t sure he should continue.
“I am your massage therapist.” She smiled. “Are you having some kind of trouble I need to know about?”
“No. Not me.” He inhaled. “It’s time for full disclosure for you. Do you have heart disease? Diabetes? STD’s?”
Laughter rolled off her tongue like a sweet song, making her cheeks warm and her heart lighten. “Okay. Seems fair since I do know a lot about you, and you don’t know too much about me. No heart disease, diabetes, STD’s, cancer, or anything other than the normal aches and pains of being a single mom and working a physical job.”
She loved the easy way he asked uncomfortable questions. Probably learned the skill from owning a bar. A player’s bar. Quite possibly, the rowdiest singles bar in town. Her handsome, polite businessman who traveled for work had a wild side or used to. She never would have picked him for a bar owner.
“When was the last time you went out on a date?” he asked. He clenched his hands around the wheel then methodically unclenched them, one finger at a time. He seemed to be exercising a relaxation protocol where he tensed muscles from his head to his toes. He would accept the tension in order to release the contraction and breathe in the peace of true tranquility. She taught the technique to some of her clients but not him.
“The truth?” she asked.
He glanced over at her. “The massage therapist I know wouldn’t tell anything but the truth.”
She exhaled. She wrestled with telling the truth. The truth sounded exactly like what it was—depressing. “I know Maddie and Josie told you about my late husband. I haven’t been out on a date with anyone else since the day I met him. How about you?”
He scrunched his mouth to the side and tilted his head seemingly contemplating his next explanation. “I date a few times a month. Usually ten minutes at a coffee shop is all it takes. Why endure a lengthy dinner when there’s nothing to warrant a second date? Coffee is noncommittal”
Safer too. “When was your last second date?”
“Three years ago. It turned into a relationship that lasted two months before we broke it off. We didn’t want the same things, and as much as I tried, I didn’t love her. She remained an afterthought. I had to put her name on my daily calendar just to remember it.” He dropped his shoulders and shook his head. “I sound like a jerk.”
“No, I get it. Sometimes you want something so badly to be different, but, in reality, it will never be what you want it to be.” She had wanted her husband to get better so desperately, she denied the fact he was getting worse until he passed on and reality without him set in. She hadn’t want to give up the dream of being healthy and happy with him again, instead of dealing with the ugly reality she lived in. Her dream was gone now because he was gone. “It sucks to let go of the dream, but it’s honest.”
“Yeah, but do you want to hear the biggest problem I have?” He smiled and turned his head, facing her. His eyes twinkled as brightly as the stars.
“Sure.” She smiled along with him.
He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I have a crush on my massage therapist. I’ve had it for more than a year, and it shows no hope of fading. I think about making more appointments during the week just to see her.”
“Cade.” She sighed. “I…” Her mouth opened and closed. She couldn’t bring herself to explain she couldn’t afford to pay her utilities if he wasn’t a client anymore. She was already behind in payments because of some not—so—good clients’ checks bouncing. The electricity at her house was probably getting turned off right then. There was no guarantee she would get another client as good and reliable or who paid in cash.
“Tell me,” he said. “I’m a big boy, and it’s not going to affect our business relationship.”
“Well, the thing is.” She tugged at the hem of her skirt. “There are ethical reasons not to date clients. If you’re a client, I won’t date you. Period. There is also the fact that I’m a single mother of three teenagers, although one is in college, and the other two are about to graduate high school. Much to the surprise of Josie and Maddie, that’s not a real benefit to potential love interests.”
“So if I stopped being a client, we could date?”
“Well, yeah, but I can’t lose a client in order to date one. I have a good clientele, but I can’t turn away business.”
“What if I found a replacement for my time slot? Or you worked on me off the clock, under the table so to speak?”
She shook her head. “I won’t work on you for money if we’re dating. You should probably take me home.” She sighed. “This is too complicated. I’m sorry.”
“I can’t take you home.” He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. “I’ve been friends with Josie, Mark, and Maddie since high school. If I take you home before Monday night, they will make my life miserable, and yours too. ”
“I really like you. I would date you in a second if it weren’t for the fact that I’m your massage therapist.”
He relaxed his grip on the wheel. “Not anymore.” He tapped his fingers three times. “You’re no longer my massage therapist. I am officially firing you. I’ll pay you until I find a suitable replacement for my time slot. That’s settled. Let’s move on. What would you like for dinner?”
“Cade, come on. I have three kids, two of whom are seventeen-year-old, identical twin boys. You’ll want a bunch of kids someday, and my biological clock is running out of time.” This can’t be real. He wants a date more than a massage? “Is a weekend with me worth ending our business relationship?”
“I can’t have kids,” Cade said. “Got a vasectomy five-years ago while I worked on a business project in France. And no, I didn’t put that on the health history form. No one except my doctor knows about the procedure, besides, of course, you now. I love kids, but I don’t want children at my age.”
“You’re forty, not eighty. Maddie just had a baby, and she’s forty.”
“I’m not Maddie, and babies are a lot of work. Are you up for having more kids?”
“I don’t know. If I fell in love, I might.” I always wanted a big family.
“And if he couldn’t have children?”
“Then we wouldn’t have children.”
“Perfect. That’s settled. No babies. So, yes, I want this weekend with you over being your client. Decision on dinner? A big, juicy steak? Pulled-pork barbecue? Fish?”
Ella turned away and gazed at the night sky. He wants to spend the weekend with me. I’m going to sleep in the same house as sexy Cade Jackson. Her heart fluttered, and her flesh heated. Thoughts of waking up with gorgeous Cade in her bed filled her mind. Rumpled sheets. Tangled legs. His mouth on hers. His hot body gliding over hers.
Shaking her head, she rid the images of sweaty and naked Cade after an incredible round of… Oh, no, I’m not sleeping in the same bed with him. Mr. Singles Bar owner. Bad call to get her heart or body involved with a man like that. But damn, she wanted to rub all over his hot, sexy self. What had Maddie and Josie gotten her into?
“Steak, pork, fish.” She shrugged. “Whatever you want is fine.”
“You really don’t care?”
“I really don’t. Did you plan the weekend? Did you see what Josie packed for me?” What kind of weekend had he planned for a stranger? Sex? He probably expected sex. God, what if he made a move? A real move. She hadn’t been in a sexual situation in years. Greg had been so sick for so long…
“My momma told me never to dig through a woman’s purse, and her luggage was considered an extension of that rule.” He glanced at her with a crooked smile then looked back at the road.
“So you looked?” She let out a tiny giggle.
He smiled. “Heck, yeah. Nice swimsuit.”
“I don’t even want to know what Josie bought.” She covered her face with her hands and peeked at him through her fingers.
“I bought the swimsuit. Josie told me what size.”
She closed her fingers, covering her burning face once again, and groaned. “You had no idea it was me?”
“None, or I would have bought a skimpier bikini.” His large hand wrapped around hers and brought it to his lips. “If I had any idea it was you, I wouldn’t have brought you to the lake. I would have taken you to an exclusive retreat in the desert for pampering—clothing optional.”
With her chin down, she peeked through her lashes to her hand hovering at his lips. Instead of the kiss she expected, he rested his lips on her palm and licked the smooth flesh.
“Cade,” she whispered. “What are you doing?” She crossed her legs to keep the cream heating up her sex from leaking onto the thin strip of panty. She needed her granny panties because of him. Gorgeous Cade Jackson made her body come alive.
“I’m going to do everything I can think of while I have you all to myself,” he whispered. He adjusted his hand under hers. “We’ve known each other for more than a year. Now that I know it has only been money holding you back… Ella, it’s not holding you back anymore.”
His tongue slid over her first knuckle and dipped into the crevice between her index and middle finger. Images of him dipping his tongue down the center folds of her pussy stirred butterflies in her belly.
“Please, don’t do this to me.”
“I have to.” His teeth grazed over her middle knuckle; then his tongue laved over it, soothing the slight sting on her skin. “You’re the reason I’ve only had coffee dates. I’ve compared everyone to you.”
“I have teenagers.” She moaned. She had to find an excuse for him to stop before she combusted with an embarrassingly loud orgasm. “My boys are in hormonal overload. I’m part of a family package.”
“I love being around teens. It keeps me young. I volunteer at church with them.” He brushed his lips across the top of her hand to her wrist. “I usually help chaperone trips to the lake or the mountains for skiing. A few weeks ago we all went camping. Remember all those bruises I had on my back?” He rubbed her hand over his smooth cheek.
“Yeah.” She remembered the bruises on his ass too. The man took care of his body. Not an ounce fat on him, just pure, unadulterated, delicious muscle.
“I raced a kid up a tree to win a bet I’d made with the other chaperones. But I fell and lost.” He chuckled. “One of the best weekends I’ve ever had.” He flipped his turn signal on and reduced the speed to a crawl.
So engrossed in his sensual exploration of her hand, she hadn’t noticed they’d switched from the interstate to back roads. The tires rolled onto a gravel road, changing the smooth drive to a rough and bumpy slow ride heading into the woods. The bright constellations disappeared from view as they drove under a canopy of huge pine trees. The headlights of his black luxury sedan provided the only light through the heavily forested path.
Had they been on the road driving that long? Surely they hadn’t talked for hours.
He placed her hand on his thigh and unbuckled his seatbelt.
“We’re almost there.”
The gravel path turned into a cobblestone drive, easing the rocky ride into a rhythmic thumping. The woods opened to a clearing, revealing a large, log cabin surrounded by lush, green grass. An old timer’s porch with a white lover’s swing and rocking chairs welcomed them.
To the right, beyond the house, the moon reflected off the dark water of the lake calling for a brisk evening skinny dip. Maybe he would lead her to the lake, and take off his clothes, and…
She swallowed down her naughty thoughts. “This is yours?”
“It is.” He guided her hand closer to his cock. “There is a guest house a couple acres away to allow for privacy from the main house but close enough to walk to and visit.”
He parked at the side of the house and released her hand.
Damn. So close to finally touching your cock and you stop.
“Sounds nice.”
He opened his car door. She opened her door and slid out of her seat onto the cobblestone drive.
Over the years, she’d seen pictures of Josie and Maddie in their college days with the house in the background but none with Cade. He probably photographed them.
He opened the trunk, pulled out the luggage, and set everything on the ground.
Ella casually walked over and picked up the pink shopping bag Josie packed her. He did not need to see the contents before she inspected it for anything risqué. She’d almost had an orgasm from his skillful mouth on her hand. She’d really lose it if he got to one of her sorely neglected spots hidden underneath her skimpy lingerie.
“I’ll take my luggage too,” she said.
“I’ve got it.” He handed over a key. “You get to open the door.”
He led her to the back of the house. She opened the door to the screened-in sun porch and held it for him. Once through, she walked past wooden Adirondack chairs and ottomans over the creamy travertine-tiled floor to the handcrafted wooden door. She slid the key in, and the door clicked unlocked. A constant beeping resounded from inside the house as she opened the door.
“One, four, three, two is the code on the left wall,” he said.
She punched in the code, and the beeping stopped.
“Thanks. The light switch is on the right of the security panel.”
She flicked the switch, and golden light filled the room.
A chocolate-brown, leather sectional sofa with clean lines and cream chenille throws brought a family quality to the designer-styled room. She envisioned her kids hanging out and watching a movie on the large, flat-screen television. A Persian rug lay underneath the furniture, covering the same travertine tile of the sun room.
“This is really nice,” she said.
“Thanks.” He led her onto the soft carpet of the master suite filled with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the lake. The comforting aroma of wood and whiskey in the air surrounded her. A platform, king-sized bed sat waiting to be used in the middle of the room.
Her gaze stuck like glue to the big bed. It was big like him. Masculine like him.
She wanted to be in it with him.
He dropped their luggage on the cream, velvet-cushioned bench at the end of the bed and turned to her. “Are you hungry?”
She swallowed down the big-as-the-bed lump in her throat. “Yeah. I was really busy at work today and didn’t have time to eat lunch. I could eat a…” Cade Jackson “…cow.”
Brown eyes traveled along her body like a heated caress. “Dinner is at the guest house. Do you mind walking?”
Her leg had been bothering her lately with the spring storms frequently moving through the area, but a stroll in the country would get her out of his bedroom with that gigantic bed staring at her. Why would he have the same kind of bed that was in her fantasies? Maybe she was dreaming. No. They rarely talked in her dreams. Well, she rarely talked in her dreams. He talked all the time.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
He strode toward her, his chest rising and falling in short, steady waves. “Great.” He reached for her hand.
Closing her fingers around the side of his large palm, security, peace, and another dose of desire filled her.
“I chose steak for tonight, but we can change it.” Holding her hand with the perfect amount of gentleness and strength, he gazed into her eyes.
“Whatever you want,” she said. Kiss me. Forget dinner.
He turned on a dime and guided her out of the bedroom. They strode through the living room and straight to the beautifully crafted front wooden door. He turned the pewter door handle and paused. “Were you being polite when you said you’d eat anything?”
“I’m not a picky eater,” she said. “I’ll try almost anything once.”
His chest expanded, and his lids dropped slightly. “That’s good to know.” He opened the door to the oak-stained, wooden porch with four handcrafted, rustic, wooden rocking chairs and tables, and a porch swing.
“I love your rockers.” Her late husband, Greg, had worked with his hands. He built almost her entire house with his identical twin brother, Garrett. Was Cade good with his hands? In her fantasies he was incredible with his hands, lips, tongue, hips, legs, always bringing her closer and closer to ecstasy, until he thrust his—.
“Thanks.” He lifted her up from her waist and swung her up as he walked down the steps, then gently set her feet on the dimly illuminated, cobblestone path leading into the woods. “It gets pretty dark at night, but it’s safe.”
She stepped into his personal space. She shouldn’t be so close to the man driving her every depraved desire, but she couldn’t stop. “Okay. We’ve known each other for a while. I believe you, or I wouldn’t be here.”
Even with his player status, she trusted her instincts. He exuded integrity. And Maddie and Josie wouldn’t be friends with him, if he wasn’t a good man.
“I can call and have dinner brought up here. Would you prefer that?”
“You said it wasn’t too far, so let’s go to dinner.” She raised her gaze to his luscious lips. “The stars are out, and it’s peaceful here.”
She was going to be a heap of ashes if he didn’t stop looking so gorgeous and smelling so good. Those darn lips were ripe to kiss, and he was probably a great kisser from owning a player’s bar. He’d probably kissed thousands of woman, millions with the way he looked. She would kiss him. She would do a lot more than kiss him.
No, she teetered on her mind’s seesaw back to reality. She wouldn’t do more than kiss him. This wasn’t one of her fantasies. It was a blind date. She would sleep alone, in the guest room. No kinky action in that super-sized, king bed.
The licking in the car was an anomaly. He hadn’t touched her besides holding hands and carrying her down the stairs, since they got out of the car. Until he got too sick, Greg used to carry her down the stairs. His twin brother Garrett had too. Cade showed off his gentlemanly southern roots, nothing more.
“Yes, ma’am,” he whispered. “The path leads to the guest house.”
“Then show me the way.” She lowered her gaze to their intertwined hands and walked into the woods with him.
****
Ready to lead his way right out of his clothes and into her, Cade slowed his pace.
What was he thinking, taking her down to the guest house for dinner? She wasn’t the usual blind date where he would take her to the guest house for dinner and leave her there for the night while he walked back to the main house to sleep.
He didn’t need to show her there would be no future dates or sex and avoid her like he did all the others. He needed to keep her in his bedroom and set up dinner, drinks, and dessert there. Hell, he needed to see what kind of adventures they could find together. He had a full list he’d been working on all year.
If she hadn’t noticed his erection on her table every Tuesday for the past year, she was blind. He hadn’t had sex in forever because he only wanted her. He almost made a mess in his pants licking her hand, dreaming it was her sweet pussy. If he let loose and kissed her, it would be all over. It would be…
“So you don’t come here often?” she asked.
“No, ma’am.” He needed to slow it down, or he wouldn’t get the lifetime he wanted with her. He needed to follow his father’s advice for a long and lasting relationship. Rule One. Keep quiet. Two. Don’t brag. Three. Ask about her life. Four. Take it slow. I don’t want to take it slow. I never take things slow. But I want forever.
“Why not?” she asked.
He exhaled. What were we talking about? The lake house. Rule Two. Don’t brag.
“I don’t know why I don’t come here more.” He preferred his retreat in Nevada or his beach house in Florida. If he had a family, he’d vacation here more instead of renting it out.
A cold breeze swept over them, cooling off skin drenched with the heat of lust. No woman had ever affected him so intensely. No woman had ever refused to date him. No woman but beautiful and sweet Ella Winthrop.
She shivered.
“Are you cold?” He stopped in the darkness of the forest. He should have thought about the cool nights here and brought dinner up to the main house. He needed to be more considerate. “I can give you my shirt.”
He let go of her hand and lifted his tee. He was boiling walking next to her. He was more than eager to take off his shirt or anything else he could get off for that matter. He wanted to be naked between the bed sheets, or up against a tree, or in the grass, or hell, anywhere he could get her into a compromising position. But he had rules for a lasting relationship. Take things slow.
“No, no.” She shivered again. A pink blush filled her cheeks. “I’m not cold.”
She reached for the hem of his dark T-shirt halfway up his chest, but her warm hands touched his bare abs. She told the truth. She wasn’t cold. Maybe her reluctance in the car was because she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
He breathed in and slowly exhaled as her hand glided down to the waistband of his jeans. Please, a little farther. Unbutton them. Make the first, big move. Show me you want me so I can take over.
He tightened his abs, showing off the top and middle of his eight-pack.
She shivered again. Her breathing turned shallow. She stepped closer, and he swore she made a soft, moaning sound like she had in the car. He wanted to hear her moaning under him so badly he could barely think straight.
He sucked in his abs, wishing he had worn loose-fitting jeans, so she could slip her hand down and touch his dick. The magical hands that massaged his body every week would be on the places he fantasized about having them.
Her fingers lingered near the top button of his jeans.
He waited. His eyelids drooped. Please, do it. Do it, Ella.
“Ella.” His voice lowered to a breathless rasp.
She quickly removed her hand and stepped back, startled.
Damn it. He talked, breaking rule number one—keep quiet. Damn it. He always talked. It’s what he did, but to get her for more than a night, he needed to keep his damn mouth shut. She seemed so close, so close to opening up the door for sex. He was going to have one hell of a time getting that moment back.
“Sorry,” she whispered in her sultry, Zen-massage voice. “Um.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry.” She licked her sumptuous lips. “You’ve added some definition to your abdomen. Have you been trying?”
“I’ve been focusing on my abs and ass.” Crap. No bragging.
He avoided her eyes. He kept breaking his father’s rules with the only woman he actually cared about. He wanted her for more than an evening. He wanted her for a lifetime. “My dad told me I was getting soft.”
She laughed. Her mouth held an adorable smile on her lickable lips. “You and soft don’t really go together. You’re in fantastic shape.”
He tucked his T-shirt into his jeans and adjusted his rock-hard cock as her gaze followed the path of his hands down the front of his pants. “Thanks. It’s nice to know you noticed. You’re in great shape yourself. Do you work out?” Please don’t be a die-hard exerciser. He liked a woman to take care of herself, but not one who went overboard.
“I run, but I’m taking a little time off my morning routine to rest. Work is pretty physical.”
He nodded. She worked hard during his sessions. She often perspired a little by the end of it, giving off a lovely ginger scent like the wonderful soaps she sold. He bought the ginger soaps from her shop so he could bathe in her aroma.
“We’re almost to the guest house.” He held out his hand, hoping she would take it again before they walked the rest of the way.
She took off at a sprint, slapping his hand as she passed him. “Beat you there.”
He stood frozen for a minute, surprised she ran off down the path with only the stars and moon for light, trusting his directions to the guest house. Why the hell didn’t Josie tell him her name when she set this mystery date in motion? He would have changed everything about tonight.
He gathered his thoughts and ran after her. “Game on, Ella.”