In Your Wildest Dreams Page 24

  Impulse drew her closer to him. She simply leaned up against him, taking in his warmth, studying St. Michael busy vanquishing evil on his arm.

  He stirred, sliding that arm around her, pulling her against him. She went willingly, her stomach swirling with how good he felt, how she wished she could somehow press herself into him, be a part of him, find a way to diminish his pain.

  Their eyes met in the morning light, his sleepy but warm as he leaned to kiss her forehead. He spoke softly. "I shouldn't have told you all that."

  "Why not?'

  "I shouldn't have dumped it on you. It's too much." "I don't mind. I'm glad I know. And I kind of twisted your arm."

  He sighed. "You're sweet, beb, but even so ... me and you, this, it's just..."

  She bit her Up, waiting, tensing, praying he didn't feel her body go rigid.

  "It's ... fun, easy. I like things the way they are, and I shouldn't have muddied it up with such serious shit."

  "I've told you some pretty serious shit, too."

  'True. But what you told me enabled us to have some really good sex, so it doesn't count against you." He winked.

  She smiled at him, but didn't feel it inside, because even though she knew what they had had was only fun, easy, casual sex, there were moments—like every time he looked in her eyes, every kiss, certainly every time he was inside her—when it felt like more. Just now, wanting to be so close to him—it was a nearly overpowering need.

  Could easy fun be so intense? She didn't know. Maybe she was blowing this out of proportion. But while last night on the way to meet him she'd been able to smile about having an affair, and a lover, this morning the words didn't hold such grand appeal. They sounded far emptier than what she felt when she looked into his eyes.

  Relax. Your body, your muscles. She couldn't let him know she was going schoolgirl and romantic on him. To turn it into something it wasn’t would only make her look foolish and ruin everything good they’d shared. She had a feeling Jake Broussard didn’t do romantic.

  Except maybe with his wife.

  She could deny it, she’d heard the gentle cadence of true romance in his voice when he’d spoken of her. Hence the irrational jealously.

  What was the problem here? Now that she knew Jake could do romance, she suddenly wanted that with him?

  “Help me shop for Shondra today?” he enquired, eyebrows raising slightly.

  She blinked. “Shondra? Oh, the runaway? Of course.” Her heart warmed at simply being asked, just as it had last night. You’re a silly, silly woman, Stephanie.

  “Now,” he said, “a much more important question. How do you think Mrs Lindman will feel about you bringin’ your lover to breakfast?”

  There it was again, lover. Sexy-sounding, especially coming in his deep drawl, but still…suddenly…she wished the word meant more than “guy I’m having sex with.” Damn it, she’d been doing so well with the affair concept. Yet maybe this was inevitable. Maybe it was impossible not to feel something serious for the first guy since college to inspire real passion in her. It had been easy to be worldly and mature with other men, who made her feel so little, but this was the opposite end of the spectrum.

  She smiled anyway and forced herself into the moment. “I think it’s breakfast in bed for us today.”

  He grinned. “Suits me just fine.”

  She eased out from under the covers, still in his T-shirt. “I’ll go grab us some muffins or something.”

  “Don’t forget to wear panties.” He winked. “The indiscretion might be a little more obvious in the light of day.”

  She laughed—for the moment, drawn back into the easy, fun part. "I'll have to see if I can find any you haven't ripped to shreds."

  He put his hands behind his head and watched her as she dug in a drawer, and she liked feeling his gaze bum through her. "Maybe while we're out shopping' today," he said, "we'll buy you some new ones."

  "These." Jake held up a tiny pair of flesh-colored thong panties.

  She cast a skeptical smile. She liked nice lingerie, but she'd never worn a thong before. "That looks a bit like a torture device. Don't suppose I could ask you to look for something more comfortable."

  "Fact is, chère, I've heard they aren't as uncomfortable as they look."

  She laughed. "Surveyed the girls at Sophia's, have you? Or is it a more personal study?"

  He raised a wicked grin. "Let's just say I'm a connoisseur of fine panties and leave it at that." He leaned closer then, and spoke low. "Although I wasn't thinkin' about comfort when I picked these out. I was bein' far more selfish—thinkin' about how hot you'd look."

  Her whole body went warm as she snatched the panties from his hand. "All right—for you, I'll wear them."

  He bent for a quick kiss, his eyes so sexy that for a second she couldn't believe she got to sleep with this gorgeous man. "Only two more to go," he said, switching his gaze to the 3 for $20 sign.

  Lowering her shopping bag to the floor, she began rifling through stacks of underwear on the same table Jake continued perusing. She liked that he wasn't one of those guys who stood around Victoria's Secret with his hands in his pockets, looking sheepish. It thrilled her to let him pick out something sexy for her.

  It was to be their last stop at the Riverwalk Marketplace, as they'd already bought Shondra a bag full of clothes from both The Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch. Stephanie had enjoyed picking out cute shorts and summery tops for the girl, as well as finding a simple black skirt and low-heeled sandals that would work for job hunting. They were guessing at sizes, but figured some exchanging could be done if necessary since the mall that hugged the Mississippi was within walking distance of Jake's place.

  Within a few moments, each of them held up another pair of undoes. Stephanie's were lavender, while Jake's were black and predictably ultraskimpy. So skimpy that she laughed when she saw them. "Do they even serve a purpose?"

  He blinked. "Of course. Pleasin' your lover."

  There it was again, that word. God, it did sound sexy rolling off Jake's tongue. And that—being his lover— would have to be enough. It wasn't as if she really had a choice anyway. She'd have to view it as she had in the beginning, and as Jake undoubtedly did—as a pleasant way to pass the nights while they searched for Tina.

  She smiled, taking them from his hand. "All right. With my pair, that makes three."

  In response, he grabbed away the lavender panties and held them up, looking at the regular bottom as if it didn't quite meet his approval.

  Giggling tightly, she snatched them back. "These are very much like the ones I was wearing last night. And I didn't notice you complaining about those."

  One corner of his mouth tilted upward. "You're right, beb. You look real pretty in anything you wear, or in nothin' at all." He reached for her hand and lowered a slower, more lingering kiss to her mouth. When it was through, leaving her stomach filled with happy butterflies, he spoke softly. "We'd better go get lunch before I'm tempted to have my way with you right here."

  She bit her lip. "That makes lunch sound pretty boring."

  When had she become this woman who wanted to be ravished in the middle of a mall? she wondered, laughing. When had she become this wild thing eager to squeeze into naughty lingerie for her man's pleasure?

  Mmm, this was fun. Easy. Just like Jake said.

  Keep it that way, she warned herself.

  "Oooh, chère," he said, reaching past her for a hanger holding a transparent, flesh-colored negligee trimmed in bits of mauve lace. "You look pretty in anything, but you'd look damn fine in this."

  She bit her lip, studying it. Much more revealing than any of the standard lingerie she'd ever owned. Imagining how it would feel to have Jake's eyes on her when she wore it—and Jake's hands peeling it off her—made her tingle. "I think so, too," she said, gazing up at him.

  "Now, that's what I like to hear," he purred before taking the handful of undoes from her fist and heading toward the cash register to pay.

  W
hen an earlier conversation had revealed to Jake that she'd not yet tried a po'boy, he'd put that on the menu for lunch, so they soon settled at a table with a river view after grabbing some sandwiches from Messina's, to which Jake added a side of red beans and rice. View or not, though, Stephanie couldn't quite take her eyes off Jake as they ate and chatted.

  "Have to work tonight, beb," he said. "And after that, I'm drivin' out to the bayou house for a couple days."

  For a moment, Stephanie forgot to breathe, but at least she didn't gasp. Given all their sexy talk while shopping, she just hadn't envisioned ... But she held in her sigh and tried not to be hurt. "Guess my sexy new panties will have to wait." She only hoped she sounded as natural and unaffected as she wanted to be. Easy and fun. That's what this is. Get that through your head.

  He gave her a slow smile, enough to bury her in desire if she let it. "Gives me somethin' to look forward to," he said, then changed the subject to a topic much more important than her sexual urges. "I'll check with Tony before I go, though, and let you know if there's any news on Tina. And I'll give him your number at the LaRue in case he needs to reach you. Otherwise, I'll get down to checkin' out some spots in the CBD myself when I get back. Think you can stay put 'til then?"

  Despite wanting to be totally cool about his departure, she took a saucy attitude. "Frankly, you're testing my patience. What am I supposed to do with myself for these days you're away?" And these nights, too.

  He gave her a chiding grin. "Go see a movie. Go to the aquarium. Take the ferry over to Algiers—you'd like it over there, real quaint. Just do anything besides what you know you're not supposed to do."

  She sighed. She'd promised, and she'd truly intended to keep the promise this time. But New Orleans sounded dreadfully boring without him. "You're a tease," she accused.

  He rubbed his knees against hers under the table as he cast an apologetic smile. "Even so, you'll be a good girl while I'm gone, no?"

  "I guess I could do some work while I'm waiting for news on Tina." Although the truth was that she no longer even cared if they got the phone company account. Trying to make one long-distance service seem better than the next had somehow ceased to seem important. The only thing motivating her at this point was her sense of responsibility, the fact that other employees depended on her, that her work reflected on her entire team.

  "You, uh, don't sound too excited about that, chère."

  "I suppose my work doesn't hold the thrill it used to."

  He tilted his head. "That surprises me. You seem like a woman who'd be all about work."

  "I suppose worrying about my sister has made the corporate rat race seem... a bit like a rat race," she said on a soft laugh. So much so that the revelation startled her. Whereas a few weeks ago her job had been everything to her, she realized that she didn't miss going into Grable & Harding every day—at all. She didn't miss her power suits or her power meetings, she didn't miss the high-tension atmosphere, she didn't miss all the glad-handing and executive fakery that was part and parcel of that world.

  "Well, no rat race down here for you, beb."

  You can say that again. The life she'd led since coming to the Big Easy, and the things she'd done with Jake, both in search of Tina and in bed—it was like having entered an entirely new universe. And it was suddenly hard to imagine that old world seeming like enough.

  On the way toward the mall's exit, Stephanie stopped in front of another lingerie shop, this one featuring bath products in the front window. "I bet Shondra could use some new underwear, too," she said, the idea just striking her.

  He gave her a look of caution. "Uh, no—I'm not buyin' the girl underwear. She's a cool kid, but she's a little skittish sometimes about me bein' a man, and... just... no way."

  She bit her lip, smiled up at him, and proceeded into the store anyway, knowing he'd follow.

  "What are you doin' ?" he asked over her shoulder as she quickly grabbed up two pairs of good cotton panties—pink and yellow—as well as a bottle of peach body wash.

  "What size bra do you think she might wear?"

  He blinked at her disbelievingly. "How the hell do you think I'd know somethin' like that?'

  She laughed. "You're right. Sorry. Guess we'll have to forgo that item." Then she headed toward the checkout, laying her purchases on the counter.

  "Didn't you hear me, beb? I'm not givin' her panties."

  She smiled up at him as the sales associate wrapped the undoes and body wash in yellow tissue paper, placing them in a dainty matching shopping bag. "Just tell her this bag's from me. She can open it privately and you can pretend you have no idea what's inside." When he still looked skeptical, she peered up into his eyes. "A girl needs these things, Jake." The truth was, just since mentioning Tina's name over lunch, she couldn't help but wonder if her sister had fresh underwear to put on, soap to wash with, wherever she might be. Making sure another down-on-her-luck girl had them was the least she could do. "Just tell her a... lady friend helped you shop and wanted to add this."

  He gazed down into her eyes, his expression going warmer, until he said, "You know something, chère! You're a pretty damn sweet lady friend."

  The truth was, he didn't want to go to the bayou house after work. He wanted to stay here, with Stephanie. He wanted to make love to her 'til they were both breathless.

  But good sense had prevailed. He couldn't get in any deeper with her. Didn't mean they couldn't keep getting together while she was here, but it couldn't be every night, and he sure as hell couldn't go confiding any more secrets in her. He had to keep it light, casual, fun—just like he'd made a point of mentioning this morning in bed. That had to be enough.

  He'd decided not to panic over whatever it was he felt for her. His thoughts while failing asleep last night had been ... well, crazy, that was all. An example of what great sex, bad memories, and exhaustion could do to you.

  Yes, he felt something for her that turned him warm every time she came to mind—but he just wasn't ready for anything more than what they already had. Having fun with a woman, that was good. Sharing hot sex—also good. Definite steps in the right direction for getting his life back on track. That very concept had seemed impossible until just a few days ago, so being with Stephanie wasn't something he would deny himself. He just had to keep her at a certain distance. And putting some miles and time between them would do that—help him put all this in the right perspective. Then, in a few days, he'd come back to town and they'd be together again.

  Sounded like an eternity.

  Too damn bad.

  The apartment was quiet when he came in. He lowered the shopping bags to the floor just inside as Shondra's mutt came trotting across the old linoleum to meet him, furry tail wagging, tongue lolling.

  "You keep forgettin' I don't like you, mangy dog," he said as he bent to give the pooch a quick scratch behind the ears anyway. "But don't be lookin' to me for anything to eat. If I know little miss Shondra, she's keepin' you well fed."

  Speaking of which—where was she? He made his way down the hall, pausing in the doorway when he found her asleep on his bed. He didn't wake her, knowing she was used to sleeping during the day.

  When the phone rang, he hurried to grab it. "What's up, pard?" he asked when he heard Tony's voice.

  "Slow day, so I started checking around for leads on this Raven girl. Quite a few people in the CBD seem to know her, but nobody's seen her lately. And I found another guy who might have seen Tina, too."

  "No shit?" In a way, Stephanie's sister had begun to seem spectral to him, a ghost of a girl who would never turn up.

  "Doorman at the Courtview, little old hotel that caters to businessmen traveling cheap."

  "I know the place," Jake said—he'd once broken up a fight there back in his early days in blue. "What'd he

  say?"

  "Didn't remember her by name, but the pictures and the association with Raven made him think he'd seen her pass through the lobby, looking for a pickup."

  "Ho
w long ago?"

  "A few weeks, at least. Said she and Raven were together, and it was probably the last time he'd seen Raven, too."

  Jake nodded to himself. "Okay. That's something anyway." But not much. "Listen, I know I gave you Stephanie's number, but don't call her about this. No need to get her hopes up until there's somethin' more concrete."

  "Got it."

  "And by the way, I'm headin' out to the bayou house tonight, so I gave her your cell number, too—in case she wants to check with you while I'm gone."

  "That's fine," he said, then slowly added, "About Stephanie..."

  "Uh, what about her?"

  Tony only laughed and Jake wished he were better at playing dumb. "I'm your best friend. Come clean with me."

  "She's a nice woman who needs my help."

  "Dude," Tony said, "you two looked like you were about to do it on the dance floor."

  Jake couldn't help chuckling softly at the reminder. He'd sort of forgotten Tony had witnessed all that heat, and he supposed it made his lies even more useless. "Okay—yeah, we got together."

  Tony stayed quiet for a moment, and Jake could almost feel his friend's smile. "So you got yourself laid by a pretty girl, huh?"

  "I just said so, didn't I?" Jake grumbled, but neither of them would deny this meant way more than just some regular guy getting lucky. He knew Tony would see it as a return to the land of the living, and he couldn't refute it.

  "Well, that's some damn good news, man."

  "But it's just... you know ... casual. Fun in bed."

  "That's good enough, dude. I'm glad you're back in the saddle."

  He laughed. "Yeah, me too. I mean ... it's good." He was quick to add, "Only fun, but good."

  He looked up to see Shondra enter the room with a sleepy-eyed yawn.

  "Listen, pard, thanks for helpin' me out with Stephanie's sister, but I gotta take off. I'll call when I'm back." He hung up and gave Shondra a small smile. "Hey there, 'tite fille. You finally wakin' up?"