SATISFACTION
The Collection
Includes Satisfaction Guaranteed, Perfectly Satisfied, and Finally Satisfied
by Tori Scott
Copyright 2011
Smashwords Edition
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Lean on Me
Blame it on Texas
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SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
By
Tori Scott
Book One of the Satisfaction series of Novellas
(Cara and Gray)
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
CHAPTER ONE
"You have got to be kidding. Reggie, I don't think I can do this." Caramia Kensington stared at her best friend, wondering how Reggie had gotten mixed up in this crazy idea. "It doesn't feel right."
"Come on, Cara. It’s for Sam. Cut him a little slack, would you?" Regina Baker faced Cara, hands on her hips, looking like she was ready to do battle on Sam’s behalf.
"That’s what is making me so uncomfortable. Setting up a seduction scene for a stranger is one thing. But Sam? He's almost like my brother."
"And exactly why you should go all out on this one. Spare no expense. Sam can afford it, and he deserves it."
"And this doesn’t bother you at all?" Cara had always thought Reggie had a thing for Sam, but she maybe she was wrong.
Reggie shook her head, making the crop of short red curls bounce around her face. "Nope, not at all. Unless the woman breaks his heart. Then I’d be upset. Besides, Sam and I are just buddies. He has no interest in me."
Cara noticed Reggie didn’t say she had no interest in Sam, but she let it slide. She knew all about unrequited love. She lived with it every time she ran across Gray Montgomery with one of his tanned, athletic blondes hanging on his arm.
Cara sighed. "Fine. I’ll take Sam’s job. And you’re right. He can well afford anything I come up with, so I’ll do it up in style and charge him accordingly. Maybe he’ll pass the word along to his rich friends."
"You never know. He's referred me to a few people. Here, I have a list of his preferences--food, drink, music--that you can either choose from or do some of everything." She handed Cara a sheet of paper, and pulled another one from her back pocket. "And this is what he wants in lingerie and the woman's size. He's leaving everything else to your discretion."
"Since he already knows the size, I guess he has a woman in mind already." Cara looked over the lists and whistled. "He didn't happen to include a sizable deposit check, did he?"
"As a matter of fact…" Reggie dug into her front pocket and handed Cara a check. "He said to let him know if you need more."
When she unfolded the check, Cara's eyes widened. "I think this will cover it. Tell Sam I said thank you."
"I will." Reggie hugged Cara. "Gotta run. Hot lunch date."
Before Cara could even say good-bye, Reggie was out the door and out of sight. Oh well, Cara had a lot of planning and shopping to do before Sam's big night. She glanced at the list for the date of the big event. The night before her birthday. That would work out well. She'd have money in her pocket and the job completed before her birthday rolled around.
She’d ask Reggie to help with the cleanup on Saturday and then maybe they could find something fun to do to celebrate. She could always count on Reggie to be there for her, no matter what. They’d had each other’s back since kindergarten.
There was a time when they'd all been inseparable--Cara, Gray, Reggie, and Sam. They'd been the three Musketeers until Sam had joined them in third grade. His arrival had changed the dynamics a bit, but they'd adjusted and made room for the poor little rich kid who'd never had a friend before he found them.
Reggie was right. Sam did deserve the best, and Cara was going to make this set up spectacular.
But if Gray ever asked her to do this for him, she'd kill him. Reggie was being a lot more open minded than Cara would be in the same situation.
***
Cara glanced around the lush hotel room and let out a sigh that was one part satisfaction and two parts jealousy. Satisfaction in a job well done. Jealousy that the only thing she’d get out of it was a paycheck.
She’d created a seduction scene fit for a king, a sheik, or, in this case, the heir to a banking fortune. The room glowed with the flickering light of a hundred small candles, pulsed with the low background of sensual music, heavy on the bass as requested, and enticed with the heady aroma of ylang-ylang and rose. As Cara checked last minute details to ensure everything was perfect, she wished once again that she could be on the receiving end of such decadent attention. Then she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and laughed.
Blonde hair caught back in a pony tail, all-American girl-next-door complexion totally void of makeup, and a red and white striped t-shirt barely tented by her average B cup--the wholesome package didn’t exactly equal the kind of woman who would drive a man wild and make him willing to spare no expense to see to her pleasure. She felt a little like Cinderella dreaming of going to the ball.
But since her check ran into four figures for setting up tonight’s little scene, she couldn’t complain. Much.
Cara ran her finger down the edge of her list, mentally checking off each item. Chocolate-covered strawberries: check. Champagne: check. Powdered sugar for dipping...or licking: check. Bubble bath and rose petals near the Jacuzzi: check. Edible body paints: check. Sex toys: check. Large box of condoms: check.
She grinned at the last item. Sam either liked to think positively, or he thought he had a reputation to maintain. Okay, what else? Fruit tray, vegetable and cheese and bread trays, bottles of red and white wines, whiskey, and vodka. Soft drinks in the mini-fridge. Bowls of various kinds of chocolates and nuts placed around the room. Soft porn DVD’s stacked on the TV stand. Vases of flowers, brilliant with color and heavy with fragrance, blended rather than competed for attention.
Everything was ready, and her latest client was due any minute. She flipped off the overhead lights, switched on the miniature lights--and turned the room into a fairy land.
Oh my. It's gorgeous. She took a couple of photographs to add to her website before she backed out of the room and eased the door closed behind her.
"Hello Beautiful."
Cara spun around and saw nothing but a broad expanse of silk-covered muscle. She recognized the voice, the scent, the rock-hard body. But it couldn’t be. She looked up. "Gray! What are you doing here?"
Grayson Montgomery wrapped his work-roughened hands around her arms and set her back far enough to look down into her eyes. "Happy Birthday, Cara."
"My birthday isn’t until tomorrow." And she really didn’t want to think about it before then, either. She’d be--omigod--thirty! A small gasp escaped before she could stop it.
Gray grinned, showing perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth that were the result of years of orthodontics and caps--the latter thanks to his love of contact sports.
"I see you remember our agreement, Caramia." He made her name sound like a lover’s caress.
Cara tried to back away, but the closed door at her back blocked her retreat. "No, I’d totally forgotten that silly promise. Really. I thought you had, too."
His head dipped and she turned her face to avoid the kiss. Gray didn’t miss a beat. He kept going until his lips grazed across her collarbone, sending heat flaring through her midsection. Damn him. Why did he insist on teasing her like this? She wasn’t his type, really, so it couldn’t be true interest on his part.
He went for the outdoorsy types; the rock climbers, skydivers, and parasailers. The closest she got to the outdoors was her one true love--swimming. Put her in water, and she was in heaven. Saltwater or fresh, lake or ocean. So long as it was clear and wet, she was happy.
Try to get her to hike a mountainside or climb a cliff face? Forget it. She hated heights, snakes, and unrelenting heat, not to mention putting her life at risk unnecessarily.
Since Gray loved all those things, except maybe the snakes, she was totally unsuited for him. He couldn’t be serious about holding her to that old, outdated promise. Could he? But he’d turned thirty last week. She turned thirty tomorrow. And he was here.
Cara’s breath caught as his lips trailed across the swell of her right breast. Her heart pounded in a frantic rhythm that sounded like "retreat, retreat!" to her inner ear. She fumbled with the door at her back and, quick as lightning, lunged backwards into the room.
Quick as thunder, Gray followed. And shut the door behind him. And turned the security lock. His eyes lit with appreciation at the scene before him. "It’s perfect. Just what I ordered."
"What do you mean, you ordered? This room was reserved and paid for by Sam Hyatt."
Gray smiled, this time without the teeth. Somehow, it seemed cunning.
"Gray, what did you do?"
"Sam asked me what I wanted for my thirtieth birthday, and this was it."
That was disgusting. "I suppose he’s providing the girl, too?"
He shook his head and took a step closer. "No, the girl I had to get on my own."
Cara looked over his shoulder at the closed door. "So, where is she?"
The gleam in his eye told her more than she wanted to know. A shiver worked its way down her spine at the heat in his steady gaze. Was he really feeling hot and bothered, and did she have anything to do with that, or would he have the same reaction to any female? It had to be the latter. She’d never inspired lust in anyone before. And she and Gray had been friends since the third grade.
"I...I...I have to go. I have things to do." It was lame, and his raised eyebrow spoke volumes.
"You are mine for the next twenty-four hours, Caramia. Just you, me, and those thousand-thread-count satin sheets."
"You aren’t serious about this. This is just a joke for my birthday, right?" Please, please let it be a prank. But she knew in her heart it wasn’t. Gray wasn’t the type to let anyone spend that kind of money on a birthday gift as a joke.
"I’m as serious at this moment as I was when we made the promise. I nearly died when you almost married that Dickass jerk."
"Dickens, dammit. Dickens. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"Dickass fits him better. But you didn’t go through with it. I wondered why."
Cara still wondered about that herself sometimes. Dennis had been great, a really nice person with a really good job and a really pretty house in the foothills outside of Austin. Maybe he was just too really...or something. "I don’t know why. It didn’t feel right. The closer we got to making real plans, the farther I wanted to run. Calling it off seemed the kindest thing to do."
Gray reached out and pulled the Scrunchie from her hair, combing his fingers through the loose waves and causing goose bumps to break out on her skin. "There. That’s better. Now, why don’t you go put on something more comfortable?"
Cara grabbed the Scrunchie and pulled her hair back into a haphazard ponytail. "You’re kidding me, right? I suppose that satin and lace gown in the closet was ordered for me and not someone else? What happened? Your hot date get cold feet?"
Gray slid his fingers into her hair, cupping her face and tilting her chin up so she had to look him in the eye. "Of course it was ordered for you, Caramia. Don’t you remember the size?"
Dammit. It was her size. She’d had to work hard to resist the temptation to try it on. It was lusciously soft and outrageously short. The crimson shade complemented her bronzed skin. It finally began to sink in that Gray had gone to all this trouble specifically for her. She wasn’t a last-minute stand in for someone who hadn’t shown up.
The question now was...why?
Gray tried not to let Cara see how much her hesitation bothered him. Was she really going to back out on the promise? He’d waited fifteen years to get what he’d wanted from her on his fifteenth birthday. She’d hesitated then, too, and had finally come up with a compromise. She had dreams and plans, beginning with college and starting her own business. Having sex and risking pregnancy hadn’t figured into those plans. But she’d promised him that if they were both still single at thirty, she’d have sex with him--and she’d make sure it was worth the wait.
She had a pretty big fantasy to live up to after all this time. He’d had fifteen years to practice his technique, to learn as much as possible about a woman’s body, about how her mind worked, what her fantasies were. Tonight he would get the chance to put it all to the test, to see if his teachers had been as good as they’d seemed.
But what had she been doing the last fifteen years? He’d kept in touch through the years, staying fairly close since she’d moved back to Austin and opened Satisfaction Guaranteed. But she’d been closed-mouthed about her love life, refusing to discuss her near-marriage or anything to do with sex.
For all he knew, she was a virgin.
Nah. Not even a possibility. Not in this day and age.
But was she ready for a twenty-four hour round of non-stop sex? Because he was. More than ready.
Doubts built as she stood in the center of the room, looking uncertain and a little overwhelmed. He’d never forgotten those early days when they’d pledged their undying affection and devotion. Innocent kisses had progressed to some serious petting before she’d put her foot down and said "no more." The pain he’d suffered the day she’d left for college without a backward glance was still a vivid memory.
But she’d come home ten years later, smarter, more beautiful, more confident than when she’d left. They’d kept in touch by letter and email at first, by instant messaging later. He’d flown out to California for a visit a time or two, and she’d come home to visit family at least once every two years.
It wasn’t the same as having her close by, where he could stop by and see her when he wanted to, where he could touch her when he needed to. But he’d kept the touches innocent, biding his time while she went through the near-marriage phase and the "I hate men" phase. It wasn’t until he overheard her talking to her best friend Reggie about how she wished someone would treat her the way her clients treated their women that he realized what he really wanted, needed, from Cara.
He wanted her to keep her promise.
In return, he’d do his damnedest to make her fantasy come true.
***
Regina Baker pushed the heavy stairwell door open a few inches and looked down the long hallway to room 2102.
"Has she bailed yet?" Sam Hyatt sat on the bottom step of the emergency stairway. They were both anxiously waiting to see if the evening was going to turn into a fiasco, and both were prepared to deal with the fallout, if necessary.
The door remained tightly closed. "Nope, and it doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere tonight. Guess Gray was more persuasive than I thought."
"So you owe me a twenty." He held out his hand until Reggie handed over the cash. He tugged a money clip from his front pocket, pulling the denim tight over an impressive package.
Reggie swallowed--hard. Man, oh man. She had to reign in this hankering for Mr. Moneybags Hyatt. He wouldn’t look twice at a poor preacher’s daughter. "We need to get out of here. If either one of them catches us, we’re dog meat." Reggie stood and dusted the bottom of her jeans, her hands falling to her side at the glazed look on Sam’s face. She snapped her fingers an inch from his nose. "Hey, snap out of it, hotshot. Time to hook-'em."
"I love it when you talk football." Sam gave her a Texas Longhorns two-fingered salute.
Reggie returned his salute with one of her own--of the one-fingered variety. "I’m an Aggie, you dumb jock."
He grinned. "I know. Right down to the dirt under your fingernails. So, when are you going to come fill up your hole? I’d do it, but I don’t want to make you mad by doing your job for you."
Reggie tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. Her giggles followed her all the way down the flight of stairs and out onto the 20th floor hallway.
Sam pushed through the metal door. "What did I say that was so funny?"
"Nothing, Sam, not a thing." The man was totally hopeless. He saw everything in black and white, one-dimensional, neat and orderly. If he said something, he said exactly what he meant, no innuendo or subtext whatsoever. Reggie loved word games, teasing, sexual banter and loaded questions. She loved trying to figure out what someone actually meant rather than what they said. Too bad Sam was an open book--and a first edition Emily Post at that. "I’ll come by in the morning and take care of it, okay? The tree is supposed to be delivered this afternoon."
"Fine. I don’t want someone to fall in that hole and get hurt."
"I don’t either. That’s why I put a barricade around it."
"That barricade isn’t enough to keep a child out, if one were to get too close."
Reggie stopped and turned to look at Sam. He was seriously worried about this. But he didn’t have any children, not even any nieces and nephews. She doubted a child had set foot on that property since he himself had outgrown short pants. "You had a really repressed childhood, didn’t you?" The words were out before she could stop them, and they hung in the air.
Sam stood there, silent, until Reggie thought she’d go mad. What was he thinking? Was he going to walk away, never speak to her again? She’d broken the cardinal rule...never, ever mention Sam’s childhood.
Then he laughed.
CHAPTER TWO
"Gray, I really appreciate all the trouble you’ve gone to for me." Cara shook her head, making her pony tail wag side to side, giving her the appearance of an overexcited puppy. Gray grinned and took a step toward her. She took a step back.
"Or rather, all the trouble I’ve gone to for me. No, that doesn’t sound right either." She set her fists on her hips. "Damn it, you idiot. Stop laughing at me."
"I’m not laughing at you, Caramia. I’d never do that. But you look so darned cute in that pony tail and those shorts--just like you did at fifteen." He took two steps forward, startling her. She tried to move back, but her legs hit the edge of the bed and she fell onto the mattress. "If only I could have gotten you into this position back then."
Her chin tilted up, her eyes met his with a challenge. "You wouldn’t have known what to do with me back then."
"Wanna bet?" He nudged her legs apart with his knee and moved between them. He didn’t touch her, content to look for the moment. He’d had to be careful these last few years to not let her catch him looking. She’d been so sure that Dickens character was "the one" that Gray had stepped back to give her a shot at happiness, even though he knew she was making a mistake. But now there was no one between them, and he could look as much as he wanted.
"Look, I made that promise a long time ago. Things have changed. We’ve changed."
He nodded as a slow grin spread across his face. His gaze locked firmly on her breasts. "Yep, I’d say you’re right. You’re even more beautiful than you were then. You’ve filled out, in all the right places."
Cara tried to scoot backwards across the bedspread, but Gray held her firmly in place with one hand on her arm. Heat sizzled where he touched her. Why was she fighting him? He could tell by her flushed cheeks and rapid breathing that she wanted him.
And it was obvious how much he wanted her. There wasn’t much way a guy could hide something like that.
But he wasn’t getting anywhere with her at the moment. She was skittish as a newborn foal. He’d come on too strong, too fast. He needed a distraction, something to take her mind off the eventual destination. She needed to enjoy the trip first.
Gray glanced around the room at the twinkling lights and flickering candles. He was more impressed than he’d expected to be at the sensuous scene she’d set. His gaze fell on the buffet of food on the table, a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice at one end. Bingo.
He reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her up and off the bed before she could protest. She landed against his chest and he took a moment to just hold her. She trembled in his arms. God, what he wouldn’t give to take her right now, but she wasn’t ready. He wanted her to be an eager partner, not a resigned one.
"Let’s try some of this food you worked so hard to fix." He led her to the table and breathed a sigh of relief when she gave him a grateful smile.
"I’m starving. I never had time to eat today." She filled a plate with veggies and dip, and after a moment’s hesitation, she added two chocolate-covered strawberries and a dollop of cream cheese dip.
"You don’t nibble while you’re putting this stuff out? I don’t think I could resist."
"No. The customer pays for all this. It wouldn’t be right to eat it."
"Well, tonight you’re the customer, so eat all you want." He scooped a strawberry through the cream cheese dip and popped it into his mouth. "M-m-m. This is good."
"They’re organic, specially grown for sweetness. And the chocolate is organic, too."
Gray picked up another and held it to her lips. "For tonight, forget the sales pitch. Just close your eyes and taste."
Cara looked into his eyes for a moment, as though to see if she could trust him. Then her lids drifted closed and she took a bite. He watched the expressions flit across her face as she savored the explosions of flavor and texture--the tart sweetness of the berry, the rich chocolate, the sweet, creamy dip. He was determined to put that same look on her face when he finally got her into bed.
When her eyes opened and she smiled up at him, all traces of her former nervousness had disappeared. She leaned into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and snuggled closer. "Who would have guessed you were a closet romantic?" she whispered, almost to herself.
It finally hit him. What Cara wanted wasn’t the fancy trappings of candlelight and wine. She wanted romance. She wanted to feel like the most important woman in a man’s life, to know he cared enough to spare nothing to make her happy.
He might only have twenty-four hours to give her that romance, but he would do his level best.
***
Don’t get carried away, Cara. Remember, this isn’t love. You’re unfinished business for Gray, that’s all. As soon as he gets what he wants, he’ll be on his way. That’s what Sam had told her back in high school, when Gray had confided his plans for that Saturday night when she’d nearly lost her virginity. That much probably hadn’t changed. It was the way most men operated.
If she needed proof, she only had to look as far as her own family. Her mother and sister had both ended up pregnant at sixteen. Her own father hadn't bothered to stick around.
At least she wasn’t a naive virgin who didn’t know any better. She’d had her college fling, only to be dumped within a week. An office romance had ended badly, though she had hung on to him for a whole month before he tired of her. Only Dennis had lasted, and that was probably because she’d refused to have sex with him. She’d thought he might be the one and hadn’t been willing to ruin a good thing.
As soon as she gave Gray what he wanted, he’d take off too. And she’d really hate that. He’d been her friend for too many years, and she didn’t want to lose him.
But, oh God, she dearly wanted to make love to him.
And she did promise...
"I can almost hear those wheels turning in your head. Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?"
"Yeah, you, as a matter of fact. And I was right. Can you imagine where we’d be now if I hadn’t thought about the possible consequences?"
"Married, with three kids and a house in the suburbs?"
"Maybe. Or you might have had to drop out of school and work at McDonald’s to support a wife and baby, and neither of us would have gone to college. We’d have ended up poor, and probably divorced."
"Like I said, you think too much."
When she started to pull back, Gray held her close and began to move with the music. One of her biggest regrets was that she’d never had a chance to dance with him before they broke up. Her mother had been strict, too strict, and hadn’t allowed Cara to date until she was sixteen. For some reason she’d allowed her to go with Gray to the library, probably because he’d been around so much she didn’t even notice him anymore.
Those library trips had become an excuse to be together as they got older, but they’d never been on an official date. No proms or winter formals. No homecoming dances. Just stolen moments at his house when his parents were out, or in the woods by the creek. But it was never enough.
Cara sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. At least she had this moment. And it would have to be enough.
***
Reggie followed Sam to the parking lot, wondering if he’d say good-bye and walk away like he usually did, or if he’d notice her for once. Really notice her. There’d been a spark back there in the stairwell, but if she didn’t find a way to fan the flame, it would go out from lack of interest. Lack of interest on his part, not hers. She’d been in lust with Sam for years.
Too bad she couldn’t say the same for him.
"So, um, do you think we should stick close by for a bit? Maybe grab some dinner across the street where we can watch the hotel?" God, that was so lame. And from the look on Sam’s face, dumb.
"Why? Gray will call me if things go south."
"Never mind. Forget I said anything. I’ll catch you later." Reggie turned and headed for her car. When would she learn? Sam only had eyes for platinum blondes with perfect teeth who drove BMW convertibles. It was the way he was brought up. From the time he was old enough to walk and talk, his parents had drilled him on his responsibilities. He had to carry on the family name, and absolutely mustn’t dilute the gene pool with an undesirable mate. His job was to fund charitable foundations, but not give to individuals lest he be taken advantage of. He must be aware of who he was at all times. Appearances were everything.
She could remember him back when he was just a little guy, standing behind the fence watching her and her friends playing baseball in the park. He’d looked so damned lonely that she’d asked him if he wanted to play. His face had lit up as he nodded, but before he could make it to the hole in the fence, his nanny grabbed his hand and dragged him away, scolding him for talking to trash. Sam had watched Reggie over his shoulder all the way to the big, black Lincoln that waited to whisk him away from temptation.
"Hey, Reggie. Wait up!" Sam caught up with her as she reached her car. "You’re right. I’m hungry, and we really should stick around a while longer. Want a hamburger?"
She looked up at him with a grin. "What? Just a plain old hamburger? No champagne and caviar?"
"I gave up caviar for Lent. Can we go, or do you have a few more insults to throw first?"
Reggie could tell he was teasing, but she felt a bit guilty for needling him like that. But she couldn’t help it. She’d never forget the year he’d talked his father into letting him attend public school. Watching him arrive at the local elementary school in a chauffer-driven limousine had started a love-hate relationship for Reggie. She’d managed to give him a black eye before lunchtime that first day, and they’d been friends ever since.
Instead of being mad at her, he’d thanked her. The black eye had made him seem more approachable and had gone a long way toward easing the tension his arrival had created. From that day forward he’d insisted on walking to school with them, with the ever-present nanny trailing behind, much to his mother’s dismay. Mrs. Samuel Clayton Hyatt III had tried in vain to sever those friendships right up to the day she died.
Reggie pushed away from her car and followed Sam into the twenty-four hour diner across the street from the hotel. She should tell him she had better things to do, better places to be. But there wasn’t any place else she’d rather be. If she couldn’t be the love of Sam’s life, she’d settle for being his friend.
God knew, Sam needed a friend.
They settled into a booth in front of the wide plate glass window. Reggie watched Sam over the top of the menu, hiding a smile as he tried to choose between French fries and tater tots.
He caught her watching him. "What? I can’t have ketchup on my tie, since I'm not wearing one."
She tucked the menu back behind the napkin holder and shook her head. "You’re really out of your element here, aren’t you?"
"Of course not. I’ve eaten in diners before."
"Really? I would have bet you’d never had dinner in one. A milkshake, maybe. But you always go home for dinner, or out at one of your fancy-schmancy restaurants." She knew she’d scored a point when his ears turned red.
"What difference does it make? I’m here now. George never has to know where I ate my evening meal."
"Ah, yes. Good old George. How is your darling butler these days?"
"He’s not a butler." Sam’s eyebrows drew together in a scowl.
Reggie leaned forward on her elbows. "Right. Let’s see. He has a British accent, opens the front door, keeps out scum like the landscaper, lays out your suits every morning, and makes sure you have a brandy waiting when you walk in the door at night. He oversees the household staff and makes sure you eat properly. Sounds like a butler to me."
But Sam wasn’t listening. "When did George keep you out of the house?"
Reggie’s face flushed with remembered embarrassment. "It’s not important."
Sam leaned forward, his jaw set. "It damned well is important. You’re not just the landscaper. You’re my friend. He has no right to keep my friends out of my home."
"It’s okay, Sam. I just stopped by to talk to you about the fund raiser for Missy Larsen. George didn’t realize I was more than hired help. He probably thought I wanted a draw on the job."
He leaned back, but his jaw didn’t relax. Reggie had a feeling George would hear about this when Sam got home, and he would blame her. The man was formidable even when he liked someone. She couldn’t imagine ever being allowed in Sam’s house again.
"Why were you raising money for Missy Larsen? That’s Karen’s little girl, right? Does she need money for camp or something?"
Tears sprang to her eyes as they did whenever she thought of Missy. "No," she said, barely above a whisper. "Missy has ALL. It’s a form of childhood cancer. Karen and Mark have no insurance, so they need to take her to St. Jude’s for treatment. We’re trying to raise enough money to let them both go with her and stay as long as they need to."
"How much do you need?" Sam was already pulling out his checkbook.
"Our goal is a hundred thousand right now. We’ve raised over forty thousand so far."
Sam filled in the blank check, signed it, and handed it to Reggie. She glanced down and gasped. "But Sam, that’s too much."
He shrugged. "Tell them to put whatever they don’t use into Missy’s college fund. She’ll need it after she beats this thing."
Now she really regretted the good-natured insults she’d tossed his way. She’d still been smarting over being turned away by George, not that it was any excuse. And now here Sam was being generous to a family he barely knew. "You’re a good guy, Sam."
He grinned. "Don’t let that get around. I’m trying to maintain my reputation as a shark."
CHAPTER THREE
Cara felt drugged, relaxed from swaying to the music, wrapped in Gray’s arms, snuggled against his warm chest. The memories threatened to drown her. He smelled just like she remembered--of fresh air, sunshine, and aftershave. His body was more muscular, but oh, so familiar. The erection pressing against her belly that once terrified her now made her damp and needy.
But she was still afraid she wouldn’t live up to his expectations. He’d been Austin High’s heart throb, and even the older girls vied for his attention. Cara was way out of their league and had stepped back into the shadows, watching as he moved from one girl to the next. Plenty of them were willing to give him whatever he wanted, girls much more experienced than she.
She suspected he was still out of her league.
As one song slipped into the next, Gray maneuvered them across the room and through the French doors to the balcony. He propped one hip on the balustrade and pulled her between his legs. "I've missed you, Cara." He kissed her forehead, and she sighed.
She propped her chin on his shoulder and looked out over the water. Lights from the houses along the shore sparkled on the calm water. The light breeze carried the scents of backyard barbeques. "I've missed you, too. Sometimes I wish…"
Her voice trailed away and Gray leaned her back until he could see her face. "Wish what?"
What did she wish? That she'd let him have his way back then? That she'd taken the risk, knowing her family history? "I wish we hadn't let so much time go by. I know I said I wanted to finish college, get my business going, but what about the years since then?"
"You could have promised to have sex with me at twenty-one. Or twenty-five."
She tilted her head back. "Is that all this is? Just the fulfillment of a desperate promise? Because if it is, I'm out of here."
"Shhh." He held her firmly when she tried to step back, rubbing one hand up and down her back. "That's not what I meant. I was trying to give you time to know what you wanted. I didn't want to mess things up again. And there was Dickass in there, too. You were with him nearly a year and I thought I'd lost you. I nearly decked him once."
"You didn't! He was a really nice guy. I can't imagine him making anyone that mad."
"Just seeing him hold your hand made me want to knock him out."
Cara smiled at that. In the beginning, she'd only gone out with Jeremy Dickens to make Gray jealous. She'd thought it hadn't worked, but she'd been wrong.
He pulled her close again, wrapping his arms around her to keep her warm in the cool night breeze.
Her stomach chose that moment to growl.
Gray chuckled. "You weren't kidding when you said you were hungry. Want to go see what else is on the menu?"
"You know," she said, shaking her head, "as fancy as all that food is in there, I’d rather eat a good old-fashioned hamburger any day."
Gray chuckled. "Don’t tell me I could have had you for the price of a burger and fries after poor Sam paid so dearly for that fancy food."
That over-used line from Jerry Maquire popped into her head..."you had me at hello."
"Guess you’ll never know, will you?"
His hands slid down her back and cupped her bottom, pulling her tight against his erection, reminding her once again that he might be more than she could handle. In more ways than one.
His hands moved lower, his fingers teasing the skin beneath her shorts. She resisted the temptation to tug the material lower. But the seemingly mindless caress set her nerve endings on fire. Who knew the upper thigh was an erogenous zone? His hands slid higher, over the back of her shorts, setting nerve endings on fire and putting her in closer contact with his body. All she had to do was open to him…
***
It took considerable effort to pull his hands away from that luscious backside when he could feel the muscles tightening in response to his light caress. But pull away he did. Gray wanted more than one night of sex. He’d been in love with Cara since high school, though he hadn’t realized it until he learned she was engaged to Dickass. Almost losing her opened his eyes, and he wasn’t about to lose her again. He needed to take this slowly. They had twenty-three hours left, and he planned to make sure she fell in love with him before their time was up.
Gray took a step back and tipped her chin up. "How about we back up a bit, take it slow and easy? The last thing I want is to force you into anything. Let’s go get that burger, talk for a while, then see how you feel. No sex, just conversation."
"No sex?" Cara shook her head, a confused look on her face. And what looked like relief.
"No sex, unless you change your mind." God, that was gonna cost him. How in the hell could he spend the night with her and not take her to bed? He’d just have to find a way to convince her that she wanted him.
This was all his fault, anyway. He’d been so full of teenaged pride that he’d pushed away the best friend he’d ever had when she’d rejected him. And then later he’d gotten so caught up in starting his business and dating all the wrong women, he’d lost sight of the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He was an idiot.
But he was here, she was still here, and he had twenty-three hours to make her see they belonged together.
He held out his hand and she slipped hers into it. "Come on. Let’s go to the diner and eat some real food. I’m starving."
***
Reggie glanced up from her burger just in time to see Gray and Cara emerge from the hotel and stop at the crosswalk to wait for the light. "Oh, geez Sam. They’re headed this way." She looked around and spotted a booth in the far corner of the diner that would give them some measure of cover in case Gray or Cara looked in the window. "Come on. Grab your food."
Before Sam could argue, Reggie picked up her tray and drink and headed for the corner booth. He shrugged and followed suit. Only one raised eyebrow let her know he thought there was anything strange about her behavior. But then, Sam was used to strange when it came to her.
Reggie settled on the side of the booth facing the room so she could see if Cara and Gray passed by. To her surprise, Sam slid in beside her instead of across the table. "Are you sure you saw them? I didn’t see anything."
Reggie nodded. "That’s because your back was to them. I wonder what happened? I didn’t think they’d come up for air before morning."
Sam took a bite of his burger, dabbing the corner of his mouth with his napkin to mop up any potential drips. "Told you this was a bad idea. Told Gray too. But would either of you listen to me? No, of course not."
"It wasn’t a bad idea. They’ve been in love with each other for years. They just needed a little nudge to get them together."
Sam looked at Reggie, puzzled. "What’s love got to do with it? You don’t marry for love. You marry for partnership, someone who can bring certain qualities to the union. Love is for romance novels."
Reggie’s fingers curled into a fist in her lap. Of all the stupid, asinine… "Oh, boy, do I hear your mother’s voice in that statement. Please tell me you don’t honestly believe that crap? It might have worked in the nineteenth century, but--hello--we’re in the twenty-first century now, pal."
Sam’s ears turned red. "It has served my family well in the past."
"Oh, yeah, right. Your mother was totally fulfilled by her bridge and garden club, your father kept a mistress, and you had your nanny. How’d that work out for you, Sam? Seriously. You need to break away from the trappings of tradition and try to live for yourself for a change."
Sam dropped his hands to his lap, his jaw set. "I did all right."
Reggie started to shoot off a snarky reply, but his quiet, serious tone stopped her. And then Gray opened the door and ushered Cara inside. Reggie grabbed Sam’s hand and whispered, "Duck!"
***
Cara and Gray opted to eat outside on the covered patio, not wanting to listen to the conversations of the other diners. The only voices they wanted to hear right now were their own.
Gray ordered double medium-rare burgers for both of them, with fries and chocolate shakes. They’d shared the exact same meal dozens of times in high school.
Cara wiped her mouth with the corner of a paper napkin. "That was wonderful. I guess some people really enjoy eating goose liver, but I’m not one of them."
Gray laughed and leaned back, sipping his shake. "To be honest, when Sam asked me what I wanted from the list you gave him, I told him to choose. I figured he’d know what was good. Next time, I’ll know better."
"Poor Sam. It must have been hard for him, growing up in that house with no other kids to play with. Remember when Reggie gave him a black eye his first day of school?"
"Yeah. And I remember when you kissed it to make it better. I nearly gave him a second shiner."
"You didn’t!"
Gray nodded. "If it hadn’t been for that bodyguard of a nanny he had, I’d have laid him out after school."
Cara rested her chin on her hand and studied his face. He was dead serious about being jealous all the way back in third grade. That surprised her. While they’d been hot for each other for a time in high school, she’d since written that off as raging hormones. She’d thought any girl would have been fine for Gray; she’d just happened to be handy. She could see now that she’d been wrong.
Why hadn’t he told her? They’d wasted so much time.
"You look awfully serious. Anything I should know? Like maybe you’re contemplating my untimely demise, or about to call the cops to tell them you’ve been kidnapped by a sex-crazed maniac?"
Cara smiled and shook her head. The breeze from an overhead fan caught a wisp of hair and blew it into her face. She pushed it back. "No. Just marveling over the fact that I’ve gone all these years without inspiring serious lust in anyone, and now all of a sudden here you are, telling me you’ve lusted after my body since elementary school."
"Well, I have to admit that back then I lusted more over your ponytail than your body."
"My ponytail, huh? That’s a new one." Cara put her napkin over her plate and sighed. "I’m stuffed."
"Are you ready to go?"
Cara nodded. "Sure. Where to?"
"Let’s take a walk along the lake shore." He took her hand and helped her from the chair, but instead of letting go once she was on her feet, he tucked her hand in his elbow and led her off the patio onto the sidewalk.
They walked in companionable silence until they reached the water’s edge, where they stopped to admire the sight of the lights reflected on the still water. "It’s beautiful," Cara whispered.
"Yeah. I love the view. That’s why I built my house out here."
She turned to look up at him. "You have a house on the lake?"
"Why so surprised? Where did you think I lived?"
She shrugged and said, "I don’t know. I guess I’ve always pictured you living where you grew up."
"I’m a little old to live with my parents." He slid his arm around her shoulders and turned her toward the south, pointing. "See that string of lights over there, the one with the red light at the end?"
She nodded.
"That’s my boat dock."
"When did you buy the house? Recently, or have you been there a while?"
"I built it two years ago. Designed it and built it myself."
"Really? I didn’t know you could build houses."
He pulled her in close and turned her to face him so they were toe to toe, nose to nose. "Haven’t I already told you I’m multi-talented?"
His lips descended, his tongue teased at the corners of her mouth until she gave in and granted him access. As his tongue swept across hers, inviting her to join him in an erotic dance of the senses, she had to admit he was right. He was a man of many talents. When he finally let her up for air, she sighed and snuggled against his chest.
"I’d love to see your house someday," she murmured.
He hugged her tightly, then released her. "There’s no time like the present."
They took his vehicle, a sleek, black crew-cab truck that looked more like a luxury car on the inside. Deep, soft leather seats, a gleaming wood console and dash, even a built-in cooler. He helped her up into the passenger side and closed the door.
She watched him as he rounded the front of the truck, his strong profile lit by the streetlights. Why hadn’t she noticed before how ruggedly handsome he’d become in the last few years? She’d deliberately kept things casual when their paths had crossed, and now she couldn’t remember why.
He drove like he did everything else--with confidence and boldness. He was polite, letting people in line ahead of him, but he didn't hesitate to pass when someone was lagging below the speed limit. Bold, yet polite. Yep, that was Gray in a nutshell.
He glanced her way, then back at the road ahead. "How's your mom? I haven't seen her in years."
"She's fine. I think she's missed you. She asks about you every once in a while."
He signaled, moved into the right lane, and slowed. At the next crossroad, he turned. "I've missed her, too. I've especially missed her cookies. She might have seemed like a pain in the ass to a horny teenaged kid, but she made the best cookies I'd ever had."
"She bugged me a lot as a kid, because she was so over-protective. But I understand more now that I'm older, and we get along pretty well. Better than I get along with Angel."
"Your sister? Why don't y'all get along? I thought you were pretty good friends, once."
"It's more that we have nothing in common. She spends all her time online when she's not out shooting pictures. She has no friends, never goes out. I worry about her. She's become something of a recluse since high school."
At the end of a winding road, Gray turned into a wide driveway flanked by brick pillars. Cara forgot all about her sister when she saw the native stone house, lit by spotlights in the shrubs along the front. "It's beautiful."
***
"I wonder what happened?" Reggie asked Sam once Cara and Gray had left.
"I guess they didn’t like the food," Sam said. "Though I can't imagine why. It was the best stuff I could think of."
"Damn. It was expensive, too. And I didn’t think they’d ever get around to eating, anyway. Shouldn’t they be in bed by now?"
Sam checked his watch. "It’s only six-thirty. Too early for bed."
"Come on, Sam. You know what I mean."
"Yes, I do. But there was never any guarantee this scheme of yours would work, you know."
Reggie bit her lip. "It has to work. Cara loves Gray. She just needs a chance to remember."
"There you go with that love stuff again. What makes you think there is such a thing? It's all hype built up by movies and romance novels until people have impossible expectations."
"By people, I'm guessing you mean women?"
"Well, they're the ones who write most of it, aren't they? Bored housewives who wish their lives were different, so they make up this fairy tale where everything's perfect."
"Oh, you’re impossible." Reggie shook her head. "You wouldn’t know romance if it bit you in the butt."
"I know romance. I just don’t see the point. I mean, you don’t need it for sex, it doesn’t pay off in dividends, does it? So what’s the big deal?"
"You know nothing about it." She rounded on him, hands on her hips. "And for your information, most of those writers are career women with advanced degrees, who have very fulfilled lives of their own. And quite a few of them are men." Reggie tossed her napkin on the table, grabbed her purse, and stormed toward the exit. "You can pay the bill, you idiot. I’m outta here."
Sam tossed a fifty on the table and hurried to catch up with her rapidly retreating figure. Quite a nice figure, too, from this angle. Funny he hadn’t noticed that before.
***
Cara felt at home as soon as she stepped through Gray’s front door. The entry opened into a large multi-purpose room with a rock fireplace at one end and floor to ceiling windows framing a stunning view of the lake. He’d furnished the room with comfortable leather couches and chairs grouped around the fireplace, and more chairs facing a plasma television on the opposite wall.
Cowboy art decorated the walls and exquisitely-carved statues of horses and riders were scattered on shelves around the room. What looked like an original Bill Anton pencil sketch hung above the mantle.
"It’s perfect," she said, wandering around the room to examine the statues more closely. "Are these Red Mars sculptures?"
"Yes. I’ve admired his work for years, but only started collecting his pieces after I built the house."
Gray led her through an arched doorway into a gourmet kitchen with black granite countertops and gleaming stainless steel appliances. Those might have been stark in another setting, but he’d softened the look with warm oak cabinets and a polished hardwood floor. "Want something to drink?"
When Cara nodded, he pulled two Shiner Bock’s from the fridge. "Beer okay?"
"That’s fine."
He popped the lids and handed her a bottle. "Let’s go sit on the deck."
The deck consisted of three levels, the bottom one only yards from the lake. A pristine white sailboat bobbed softly in the water at the end of a short pier. "Can I walk down to the boat?" she asked.
"Sure." He steadied her with a hand under her elbow as they navigated the steps to the sidewalk and covered the short distance to the pier.
"It’s beautiful." Cara walked to the end of the pier to admire the sleek craft. "I can’t see her name. What do you call her?"