Why Not Tonight?

5

Saturday, 6:00 p.m.

ADAM SAT BEHIND the computer at Picture This and typed in order number after order number, slowly working his way through the stack of invoices piled on Nick’s desk. For every big party, such as a wedding, at least four hundred proofs were taken. Each proof was numbered and from them various-size prints and albums were made up for the bride and groom, their families and friends. Based on the number of invoices and orders in the in-box, Nick’s business was booming. Weddings, anniversary parties, christenings, bar mitzvahs, sweet sixteens, graduations, private sittings-with more jobs being booked every day.

He’d just completed another invoice when a light tapping sound had him looking up and he stilled-except for his heart, which seemed to stumble over itself.

Mallory stood outside the front glass door, which Adam had locked when Nick left an hour earlier. He jumped to his feet and strode quickly across the tiled floor.

“Hi,” he said, pulling the door inward. “C’mon in.” His smile faded when he saw her pale face and what looked like red-rimmed eyes. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she said, brushing past him to enter. His body tensed at that brief contact and he pretended he hadn’t felt it. Or caught a whiff of her light, flowery fragrance. Gritting his teeth, he kept his back to her and spent a few extra seconds relocking the door, telling himself to get a grip. He shouldn’t be so thrown off balance just because she’d stopped by. Probably she just wanted some more prints made of her photos. For what’s-his-name.

But when he turned around, she threw him off kilter again. She stood less than two feet away, looking at him with an expression he couldn’t read, but one that set his blood on fire. And then she blew him right out of the water by stepping forward, pressing herself against him and tunneling her fingers through his hair. Then she lifted up on her toes, pulled his head toward hers and kissed him. Like she meant it.

If all the blood hadn’t instantly drained from his head to settle in his groin, most likely he would have wondered what had brought this on. But anything that involved thinking was going to have to wait. His arms went around her, pulling her closer, tighter against him, and he deepened the kiss she’d initiated.

She tasted exactly as he remembered. Delicious. Warm, sweet and seductive. Like melted chocolate. And felt exactly the same in his arms. Soft and curvy and feminine. A perfect fit. The erotic sensation of her tongue rubbing against his drove everything from his mind except for one single word that pounded through him with growing urgency.

More.

But before he could act upon it, she shifted gears again by breaking off their kiss. Splaying her hands against his chest, right over the spot where his heart was frantically trying to play catch-up, she leaned back in the circle of his arms. He noted with some satisfaction that her breathing sounded as labored as his. And she looked as bamboozled as he felt.

Surely some words were called for, but with his liquefied brain still engulfed in a steamy fog of lust, speech was beyond him.

Her palms glided over his chest, shooting another arrow of fiery want directly downward. His hands, which rested on her hips and kept her firmly anchored against him, involuntarily tightened.

“Figured as much,” she said in a voice that sounded like rough velvet.

There was no doubt what she meant-that the heat they’d just generated came as no surprise to her-but damn, he was impressed she could form a coherent sentence. He wasn’t there yet, so he just nodded. At least he thought he nodded. He meant to.

“I was afraid you might have already left. I’m glad you were still here.”

He swallowed twice and managed to find his voice. “Yeah. Me, too.” Damn glad.

But then his gaze searched her face, confirming what he’d thought he’d seen before she’d deep-fried all his synapses. His gut clenched at the sight of her red-rimmed, slightly swollen eyes and coherency returned with a thump. “You’ve been crying.”

“How do you know that?”

He lifted one hand and gently brushed a fingertip under her eye. “Through a wondrous process called ‘sight.’” And given the way she’d greeted him, there was no doubt in his mind that whatever was wrong had to do with her boyfriend. “What happened?”

She gently pushed against his chest and he let her go, watching in silence while she put several feet between them and drew a deep breath. Then she offered him a half smile that didn’t touch her eyes. “You told me that if things didn’t work out with Greg, I should give you a call. Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I’d stop by instead.”

Just as he’d thought. A breakup with the boyfriend. While he couldn’t deny part of him was glad, he hated to see the evidence that she’d cried. And even as his heart pounded with anticipation, his common sense issued a stern warning to proceed with caution. Clearly she’d had a fight with what’s-his-name. While Adam was glad she’d turned to him and he was happy to offer his friendship, he didn’t relish getting caught in the crossfire and left bleeding should she and the boyfriend make up.

After firmly telling his heart-and his fully aroused hormones-to chill out, he reached out and took her hand then led her toward the corner waiting area where a sofa, two comfy chairs and a coffee table were located. “Let’s sit down for a minute.” After she’d settled herself on the sofa, he pulled up one of the chairs to sit facing her. “Okay, tell me what happened.”

She stared at her hands, which plucked at the handle of her purse. “Do you know the three words you most don’t want to hear while you’re making love?” When he shook his head, she looked up and said, “Honey, I’m home.”

A spurt of white-hot fury roared through Adam. The damn bastard had cheated on her. Not only did that infuriate him, but he could only shake his head in stunned disbelief. How could any guy possibly be so stupid? To have a woman like Mallory then lose her-

Hey, nine years ago you were that stupid guy, his inner voice reminded him.

Well, yeah, he’d been stupid-but out of fear. He sure as hell hadn’t cheated on her. How could any guy who had Mallory in his bed want anyone else?

Reaching out, he clasped both her hands and squeezed. “I’m sorry something so hurtful happened to you, sweetheart.”

“Thanks.” She blew out slow breath. “It was a pretty shocking-and unappealing-sight, let me tell you. And the woman he was with…” She made an exclamation of disgust. “Give me a break. She’s a twenty-year-old lawyer wannabe with badly bleached hair and a boob job that looks as if she used Velcro to stick two cantaloupes to her chest. They’re in luuuuuv.” Her upper lip curled à la Elvis Presley. “You might want to move back. I think I’m gonna hack up a hair ball.”

He brushed the pads of his thumbs over the soft backs of her hands. “I’ll take my chances.”

A sound that resembled a growl rumbled in her throat and she abruptly stood. Her hands slid from his and she paced in front of him. “I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say things weren’t going all that well between me and Greg for the last few months. I blamed most of it on our hectic schedules, although I was coming to realize that we didn’t have as much in common as I’d originally thought. And that those differences were really…irritating. Of course, I wasn’t aware that there were three of us in the equation. I’m certainly glad I found out now as opposed to later.”

“Did you…do you love him?”

She halted and turned to face him. “I wasn’t sure exactly what my feelings were before, but now I am, and the answer is a definite no. But I cared for him. Enough to give the relationship some more time and effort. Still, there was always something lacking between us-especially recently. Of course, any caring I may have had is now well and truly extinguished. I just wish I didn’t have the visual in my head of him and Melon Boobs together.”

She resumed her pacing and he sat quietly, letting her gather her thoughts. Finally she continued, “It’s not that I’m heartbroken. Far from it. I’m actually relieved. But damn it, I’m angry. At him for being such a lying cheat, but mostly at myself for hanging in there way too long. For believing he was the sort of stable, steady, dependable guy I was looking for. For being so stupid.”

He snagged her hand as she walked by him, then rose to stand in front of her, biting down his own anger at the bastard who had made her feel this way. After lightly clasping her by the shoulders, he looked directly into her eyes and said, “You are not stupid, Mallory. You did nothing wrong.”

“I was too trusting.”

“You were lied to. That isn’t in any way a reflection on your character. The fact that you were willing to go the extra mile for a relationship shows the sort of person you are. You’re loyal. You have integrity. And you’re not a quitter.”

Her chin quivered and she gave him a shaky smile. “You’re making me feel much better.”

“I’m glad. But you should feel good. Even though the circumstances were crappy, look at it this way-you were just freed from a relationship that, based on the facts that you feel relieved and didn’t love him, you obviously no longer wanted to be involved in anyway.”

“You’re right. I know. It’s just that it’s so discouraging to be tossed over for someone who looks as if she just breezed into town between Playboy centerfold modeling assignments.”

“There’s absolutely no reason for you to be discouraged. Clearly the guy is an ass. And supremely foolish. And unbelievably blind.”

Unmistakable gratitude flickered in her eyes. “Well, thanks. I appreciate the outrage on my behalf. But jeez, the guy is a thirty-four-year-old Ivy League graduate. You’d think he’d at least have the sense, the taste to dump me for someone who’s old enough to buy her own beer and who has more going for her than an enormous pair of fake knockers.” She heaved a sigh. “But maybe she’s very nice.”

He tucked a stray silky dark curl behind her ear. “Not as nice as you.”

“And really smart.”

“Not as smart as you.”

“Probably she’s prettier than I thought-I wasn’t exactly concentrating on her face.”

“She couldn’t possibly be prettier than you.”

Her lips twitched. “You know, you’re really doing an outstanding job soothing my wounded ego.”

“Good.” His gaze searched hers. “So that’s what that kiss was about. An ego stroke.”

A rosy blush stained her cheeks. “I guess I needed a little reassurance that I wasn’t a troll.” Doubt flickered in her eyes. “You’re not angry with me, are you?”

“Angry? At being kissed by a gorgeous sexy woman? A kiss that made me feel like you’d tossed me into an oven and hit Broil? Hell, no. But surely it was obvious that anger was not my reaction at all.” He cupped her face in his hands and stroked his thumbs over her smooth cheeks. “Consider me more than willing to give you all the reassurance you need.”

Whoa, hold on there, dude, his inner voice yelled. What are you saying? Have you forgotten why Mallory isn’t right for you?

No, he hadn’t forgotten. He’d just…reassessed. Just because she was a “forever” sort of gal didn’t mean she had to be his forever gal. Just because she was the kind of woman who could wreak havoc with a guy’s travel plans, didn’t mean he’d let her mess up his plans-again. If she wanted an ego-stroking fling, hell, who better for the job than Bachelor Number One?

Besides, it wasn’t as if anything could come of this. He’d just be the rebound guy. Everybody knew Rebound Guy never ended up being permanent. Which, given the fact that he was leaving for Europe the day after tomorrow, made their timing perfect-a first for them.

“Hmm. Reassuring me…” she repeated. “I might just take you up on that offer.”

“Might? I guess I’ll just have to see what it’ll take to change that ‘might’ into a definite.” Another wash of color stole over her cheeks and he brushed his thumbs over that enticing blush. “Here’s something that should help reassure you. Our lunch today? An exercise in torture. You have no idea the enormous amount of self-control it required not to touch you. Kiss you.”

“You did touch me. You did kiss me.”

“Not the way I wanted to.”

The ghost of a smile flirted with the corners of her mouth. “I have to admit, I came here with the hope that you’d possibly be willing to give my wilted self-esteem a boost.”

“Sweetheart, there is no possibly about how very willing I am.” Shadows still lingered in her big brown eyes-shadows he wanted erased. His gaze dipped to her mouth and he barely squelched a groan of pure want. The need to kiss her was unbearable. Yet he wanted to do a hell of a lot more than kiss her. But for now…

Just one more kiss, he promised himself. Just to reassure her of how incredibly desirable she is.

His hands slipped from her face to draw her slowly into his arms. His heart pounded as if he’d run around the entire island of Manhattan. Lowering his head, he brushed his lips softly against hers. And instantly realized his mistake. Just one kiss would not be possible.

He feathered his lips over hers again, a whisper of reacquaintance that only begged for more. She responded by parting her lips and gliding the tip of her tongue over his bottom lip. And in a flash of fire he knew that one hundred kisses wouldn’t be enough.

With a groan, he pulled her closer, tighter against him and slipped his tongue into the silky heat of her mouth. In a heartbeat he was lost, all sense of time and place overwhelmed by the need to touch. And taste. Her delicious feminine scent invaded his head and his rapidly vanishing control slipped another notch. One of his hands smoothed up her back to tangle in her soft hair, while the other hand skimmed lower to cup the luscious curve of her buttocks. And suddenly the years faded away and he was flooded with that same wild, reckless feeling she’d once inspired in him. When they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Couldn’t get enough of each other.

Her arms tightened around his neck and she shifted against him. His erection jerked, and if his eyes had been opened, he knew they’d have glazed over. As it was, she had bells ringing in his head.

Breaking off their kiss, she gasped, “Phone.”

Phone? A loud ringing permeated the haze of arousal surrounding him.

“Do you need to answer it?” she asked, nipping little kisses against his jaw.

He wanted to say no, but damn it, it might be Nick. “Yeah, I should,” he said, reluctantly releasing her. He was so hard he couldn’t walk without wincing. When he made it to the desk, he shot the phone a baleful glare at the interruption and snatched up the receiver.

“Picture This,” he said, his voice coming out in a husky rasp.

“Adam, is that you?” asked Nick through the phone.

“It’s me. What’s up?” He looked down at the bulge behind his fly and hoped Nick wouldn’t ask him the same question.

“You sound funny. You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Except for the strangulation occurring in the front of my jeans. “How ’bout you?”

“Good. Listen, my neighbor just called asking if there was any free studio time next week, and since the schedule’s on my desk there, I thought I’d take a chance and see if you were still around. Can you check it for me?”

“Sure.” Adam opened the appointment book and flipped the pages. After rattling off the trio of openings, Nick picked one and asked that Adam write in his neighbor Audrey Shay’s name. “Taken care of,” Adam said, closing the book.

“Thanks, dude. See you tomorrow afternooon.”

“Bye.” Adam hung up the phone, then tunneled his hands through his hair. His gaze shifted to Mallory, who stood exactly where he’d left her in front of the sofa. His heart thumped at the arousal that still lurked in her eyes, and the way her mouth looked plump and delicious and well kissed.

The sound of muffled laughter reached him, and his gaze shifted toward the door. Two couples walked by, each arm in arm. Probably going to the movie theater two blocks down. Their presence reminded him that a lot of people walked by the glass storefront. A private spot this definitely was not. And privacy was definitely going to be necessary.

Walking back to Mallory, he lightly clasped her hands. “You okay?”

“Yes.” A wry grin curved her lips. “Just suffering from a bad case of kissus interruptus.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Me, too. Still, we were most likely literally saved by the bell. If that kiss had continued…” He raised their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Well, given our goldfish-bowl location, better that the kiss was interrupted by the phone than having what would have happened next interrupted by an arresting officer.”

He released her hands then drew her closer. When their bodies touched from chest to knee, when the hard ridge of his erection pressed between them, he said, “Still harboring any doubts that you’re incredibly sexy?”

“I’m definitely feeling less troll-like.”

“Good-but still in need of further reassurance-I hope.”

“A girl can never get too much reassurance.”

“I can’t understand how you could ever see yourself as anything other than beautiful and desirable.”

Her blush deepened. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You want me to punch what’s his-name?”

Her lips twitched. “Would you?”

“Gladly.”

“What if I told you he was six foot five and weighed two-forty?”

“I’d say that would make things more difficult, but at the end of the day, I’d make damn sure he looked worse and hurt worse than me.”

“As much as I appreciate the offer, he isn’t worth the time or effort.”

“All right. But the offer stands.” Leaning forward, he touched his lips to the soft bit of fragrant skin just below her ear. “You, on the other hand,” he whispered against her neck, “are very much worth my time and effort. As I recall, I promised to treat you to another bacon cheeseburger if things didn’t work out with what’s-his-name. Since two of those artery-cloggers in one day would probably land us in the hospital, could I interest you in dinner somewhere a little nicer than the diner?”

“Actually, I came here to invite you to dinner. As I recall you like seafood and I make a mean pasta with shrimp.”

“You’re offering to cook for me?”

“I am. Interested?”

“Absolutely.” He straightened and looked into her eyes. Just to make sure there was no misunderstanding of his intentions, he laid his cards on the table. “But in a hell of a lot more than just pasta. Interested?”

Her eyes darkened and she didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely.”

That single word sizzled a bolt of wild lust through him. “When did you have in mind?”

“Why not tonight? Or do you have other plans?”

He smiled. “It seems I do-with a beautiful woman and a bowl of pasta and shrimp.”

A layer of the shadows lurking in her eyes vanished and she smiled. “Great.” Her gaze cut to the stack of papers on the desk where he’d been working when she’d arrived. “Do you have things you still need to finish up here?”

“A few. Shouldn’t take me much more than an hour.”

“Actually that’s perfect since I need to stop at the supermarket.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s six-thirty now. Why don’t we say around eight o’clock, and if you can get there earlier, fine.”

“Sounds great. I’ll bring the wine.” He released her, reluctantly, but consoled himself with the fact that they had the entire night ahead of them.

She slipped a card from her purse and handed it to him. “Here’s my address. It’s only about six miles from here.” She gave him directions, then added, “My cell and home numbers are listed on the card. Call if you get lost.”

“Not to worry, Mallory. Believe me, I’ll find you.”