She shot him an impish look. “I’ll race you,” she said, already scrambling out the other side.
Kevin stared after her for a second, then burst out laughing. Amazing, he thought as he followed. The woman was absolutely amazing.
Gracie had never been more afraid in her life than she was on that short race for the house. She knew that Kevin had doubts about her, about them. She knew that he was as commitment-shy as any man she’d ever seen, thanks mostly to the slew of family commitments he already had. Even the few yards from car to house could give him long enough to think things through, to change his mind.
He was, above all, an honorable man. She knew that as surely as she knew that the sun rose in the east every morning. Would he conclude that sleeping with her under such circumstances defied his moral code?
She waited at the back door, her heart in her throat. When he didn’t bolt after her, she was sure that his first words would be a polite and hastily concocted excuse for leaving. Then she saw the look in his eyes, the flaring of heat. His desire hadn’t waned at all. The only question was whether his head would win out over his heart.
He came through the back door and shoved it closed with an emphatic crash. All the while, his gaze was locked with hers. Gracie swallowed hard and waited, stomach knotted, pulse skittering wildly.
“I’m not starting over in the kitchen,” he warned quietly.
That was just dandy with her, as long as they didn’t waste too much time getting to…wherever. She nodded.
Honor warred with yearning. She could see that much in his eyes.
“Last chance,” he said.
Fearing he was the one who’d take the out, if she let him, she took a step closer and touched a hand to his cheek. His skin was burning hot, as fiery as the glint in his eyes. Her caress, light as it was, was apparently message enough. This time he nodded, his satisfaction and relief apparent.
And then he scooped her into his arms and aimed straight for the stairs, unerringly finding her bedroom and kicking that door shut behind him, as if he feared that the gossips might be lurking outside that, too.
It didn’t seem to bother him a bit that she probably had paint on the tip of her nose and splattered on her clothes. Nor did he seem too worried about the tangle her hair was likely in. In fact, he was gazing at her as if she were Cinderella all dressed up in a dazzling gown for the ball. Suddenly that was what she wanted to be. She wanted to come to him after she’d been polished and buffed and scented with something wickedly provocative.
“I think I should take a shower,” she murmured, touching her hair and trying effectively to rake her fingers through it.
His eyes lit up. “Could be interesting,” Kevin said. “I could join you.”
“I don’t think so. The whole purpose is to clean up so you’ll see me at my best.”
He chuckled. “Too late, darlin’. Actually, I kind of like this look. It’s…”
“Messy?”
“Approachable. Until today I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you when you weren’t at your best.”
“You seem to have forgotten the first cooking debacle.”
His eyes lit with amusement. “Ah, yes, that was a close second.”
Gracie stared at him, horrified. “I look worse than that? I really am going to take a shower.”
“Not without me.”
“Think of it this way,” she coaxed. “I’ll come out all soft and silky and smelling like something other than sawdust and sweat.”
He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her neck. His tongue touched a spot behind her ear and sent a jolt straight through her.
“No trace of sawdust there,” he assessed thoughtfully. “Maybe a hint of roses.”
Gracie stared at him in wonder. “You really think I’m beautiful just the way I am, don’t you?”
“No doubt about it.” He studied her a bit. “Actually, I’m pretty proud of my handiwork.”
“Your handiwork? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve loosened up, darlin’. Another few months and that tidy, sophisticated facade will be stripped away completely.”
“And you think that’s a good thing?”
He grinned. “Of course I do. Makes us better suited, don’t you think?”
“I suppose,” she said doubtfully. Even so, she backed out of his loose embrace. “I still think I’ll like me better if I’m all cleaned up. This ought to be an occasion, after all.”
He gave a resigned sigh. “It’s not the soap and water that will make it an occasion, but if you’ll feel more confident, I’ll just relax right here on your bed and wait.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Gracie?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t take too long, okay?”
“I’ll be back before you can blink.”
She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, then leaned against it. Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt as if she’d just finished an aerobic workout and hadn’t cooled down. Of course, the likelihood she’d be cooling down anytime soon was slim to none.
She stripped off her clothes, jumped into the shower and lathered up in record time. She shampooed her hair. When she emerged, she slathered lotion over her body, then ran a brush through her hair. She eyed the dryer, but guessed that Kevin wouldn’t wait patiently for her to blow-dry her hair. She fluffed it into damp curls with her fingers instead, added a touch of lipstick and a swish of mascara and left it at that.
Only then did she realize that she hadn’t brought a single piece of clothing into the bathroom with her. Nor was there a sexy robe hanging on the back of the door. There was no way in hell she was climbing back into the filthy clothes she’d just removed. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. Her entrance was going to be very provocative. She hoped Kevin hadn’t had second thoughts while she was gone.
She wrapped herself in the most voluminous towel she owned, but the truth was, it barely made her decent. Nor was there any truly secure way to assure it would stay on for more than a heartbeat. She could only pray the makeshift knot would hold long enough for her to cross the room, otherwise she was going straight from sophisticated to scandalous.
Drawing in a deep breath, she opened the door.
Sunlight spilled across the bed, bathing Kevin in gold and shadows. At the sound of the door opening, his gaze shot to her.
“Holy…kamoley,” he murmured, his voice ragged.
“Worth the wait?”
“Better than any ballgown I’ve ever seen. Get over here.”
Gracie crossed the room very carefully, one hand locked on the knot of terry cloth between her breasts.
Kevin drew a little circle in the air. “Turn around.”
Gracie’s cheeks flooded with heat, but she dutifully turned.
“If Cannon knew what you did for one of their towels, they’d hire you for an entire ad campaign.”
“The towel as fashion statement?”
“Something like that.” He reached up and touched the hand securing the knot. “What happens if you let go?”
“I’m afraid to find out.”
“Come on. Be daring. Let’s check it out.” He gently pulled her hand away. The towel stayed where it was. Kevin regarded the knot with a disappointed gaze. Then he slipped a finger into the twist of fabric and gave a little tug. The towel slowly parted and slithered to the floor.
Gracie swallowed hard, but forced herself not to look away. Kevin looked awestruck.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “I think I like this look best of all.”
“It might not be appropriate for church on Sunday,” she pointed out, her voice shaky.
“Darlin’, this look’s not appropriate for anyone but me to see. Remember that, okay?”
“Agreed.” She surveyed him slowly, boldly. “I’ve noticed something, though.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m standing here stark naked and you have on way too many clothes.”
“I can fix that in a heartbeat,” he promised, stripping off shirt and jeans and briefs before she could blink. He beckoned to her. “Now, come on over here, so I can touch you.”
He held out his arms and Gracie moved into them. It was odd, she thought, as their naked bodies came together, fit together. It felt as if she’d just come home.
There was only a moment to savor that stunning sensation, though. Kevin knew all sorts of wicked and wonderful things to do to her body. Maybe that’s how he spent all those lazy hours in the hammock, dreaming up new and inventive ways to drive a woman crazy. Gracie was relatively certain that no other man on earth was quite as clever or adept with his fingers, that no other man had discovered quite so many erogenous zones. Her senses reached new limits, then topped them, and all the while Kevin took nothing for himself.
To her frustration, he kept her hands pinned idly over her head while he worked his magic. Only when she had come apart once, twice, three times, the incredible tension dissolving into shuddering waves of pleasure, did he finally heed her pleas and slowly enter her, shattering her all over again with his deep, penetrating strokes.
This time, though, he was with her, his body shuddering as forcefully as her own, an exultant cry ripped from deep in his chest.
In the aftermath of that, the feelings that stole over her scared Gracie to death. Contentment, powerful and soul-deep. Wonder. Joy.
And love. That was the most terrifying of all, because
when she looked in Kevin’s half-shuttered eyes, she wasn’t sure she saw anything to match it.
No, what she read in his eyes was satisfaction, delight, maybe even a touch of masculine smugness. Warmth. A trace of affection, perhaps, but no more than that. He looked like a man who had made love, thoroughly and enjoyably, but not one who was
in
love.
Suddenly overcome with regrets, she slammed the door on her own emotions, hoping that nothing of what she felt was visible on her face or in her eyes. For some idiotic reason, she had leapt to the conclusion that this afternoon was about the future. Now she knew without any doubt at all that it had only been about the here and now.
She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and turned away before Kevin could spot them and see her for the fool she’d been. When the phone beside the bed rang, she was only too eager for the distraction. She grabbed it, even as Kevin protested.
“Yes, hello.”
“Is Kevin there?” a man demanded roughly.
“Yes. May I tell him who’s calling?”
“Bobby Ray.”
She rolled over and handed the phone to Kevin, who was regarding her with a watchful, worried look. “ Bobby Ray,” she mouthed silently.
He took the phone with obvious reluctance. “This had better be good, Bobby Ray, or I’ll have to break every bone in your body.”
Bobby Ray was shouting now, cursing Kevin. Gracie could hear just about every bitter word, enough to know that Bobby Ray was blaming him for something.
“If you don’t calm down and tell me what the hell is
going on, I’m hanging up,” Kevin said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed, his back deliberately toward Gracie.
“Sara Lynn’s gone,” Bobby Ray said bleakly, but still at full volume, which suggested he’d been drinking for some time now. “She’s run off with that son-of-a-bitch jeweler.”
“I warned you,” Kevin began. “I suppose they made off with all the money, too.”
Gracie shut him off with an elbow to the ribs. “This is not the time for a lecture,” she whispered fiercely. “Tell him to come over.”
“Here?” Kevin asked, whipping around to stare at her incredulously.
She nodded, already scrambling out of bed and searching for clothes to put on. Kevin stared at her for a minute, then sighed heavily.
“Come on over, Bobby Ray. We’ll figure out something.”
He slowly replaced the receiver on the hook. “Mind telling me why you’re so all-fired interested in having my cousin drop by to spill his guts?”
“He’s upset, drunk most likely from what I heard. He needs to talk. He needs our help.”
“He needs
my
help, you mean. This is my problem, not yours.”
She regarded him wryly. “Actually, it’s Bobby Ray’s problem, don’t you think? What he needs from us is moral support. I’m as good at giving that as you are. Better, more than likely, since you seem to think he’s an idiot for marrying Sara Lynn in the first place.”
Kevin stood up and jerked on his pants. “My opinion of Sara Lynn is no secret. That doesn’t mean I’m incapable of being sympathetic.”
“We’ll see,” Gracie responded.
“The minute Bobby Ray gets here, I’m going to take him out to Greystone Manor. There’s no reason for you to get mixed up in this,” he repeated, his expression grim, his jaw set determinedly.
“Is it that you think I can’t offer a shoulder to cry on?” Gracie demanded indignantly. “Is it that you don’t want me to know the family secrets? Or do you just like carrying all those burdens around singlehandedly?”
He glowered at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I think you enjoy having everyone lean on you. It’s the only kind of intimacy you understand.”
“Don’t be absurd.” He turned his back on her and went scrambling for his shirt and shoes.
“I think I’m right,” she persisted. “I think you’re afraid if they start to solve their own problems, they won’t need you anymore and you’ll be left all alone.”
“I have never in my life heard such worthless psychobabble,” he said, and stormed out of the bedroom without a backward glance.
Gracie stayed right on his heels. “Prove me wrong,” she said.
He sat on a chair in the darkening kitchen and yanked on socks and shoes. “I don’t have to prove anything to you or anybody else,” he muttered.
“Maybe not to me,” she agreed quietly. “Maybe you just need to prove it to yourself.”
20
B
obby Ray was weaving and bleary-eyed when he stumbled his way onto Gracie’s front porch twenty minutes later. At least he’d had the good sense to call the area’s only cab for the ride over. Kevin watched his arrival with a mixture of disgust and trepidation. He had a feeling this was a very bad idea, in more ways than one.
Gracie had turned his cousin’s crisis into some sort of test, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what she was up to. It was absolutely absurd to think that these incidents gave him some sort of perverse pleasure, which was what she was implying. He wanted Bobby Ray—all of them, for that matter—to stand on their own two feet. It just hadn’t happened. In all these years, they’d run to him every time they’d so much as stubbed a toe.