Magical Weddings (119 page)

“And I’m secretly a redhead.”

“You are?”

“Noooo.” Lindy shifted to face him. “I want to hear more about Gunther-Wolowitz.”

“Only if you move closer.”

Lindy scooted across the sofa. “Better?”

“Closer.”

“So bossy.”

Lindy moved until she was next to him.

“Better.” Gunther worked an arm around her shoulders. He held his slice of pizza to her mouth. “Have a bite.”

Lindy hesitated but the corners of her mouth crimped with a smile.

“We could swap spit another way if you prefer.” She surprised the hell out of him when she said, “Go for it.” Gunther dropped the pizza back in the box and pulled her snuggly against him. He looked into her eyes and slowly lowered his mouth for a taste. “Mmm, Lindy,” he said against her lips.

Lindy moaned in reply which seemed to heighten the moment.

While he moved back and forth against her lips, he cupped her face, using his thumbs to stroke the tender flesh below her ears.

Lindy made tiny sounds of approval and pressed her breasts into his chest.

Desire scorched through him and it was evident in a way she couldn’t miss.

Their mouths parted and he put their foreheads together. “I never saw this coming, Lindy. I thought we would eat pizza and talk about our arrangement.”

“Is this real, Gun’? Or are we rehearsing for Saturday?”

“Both.”

Wrong answer! Lindy moved away and avoided his eyes by taking a fresh slice of pizza.

“Did I offend you with the truth?”

She shook her head. “No, Gun’.”

“Then what?”

She dropped her head but looked up through her lashes. “At thirty-three you’d think I could do what I want without over-thinking things.”

“At thirty-four you’d think I could slow down and pace things.” Gunther pulled the hair tie from her hair and shot it across the room. It took a few seconds before it registered what she’d said. “What do you want to do?”

Lindy’s chuckle was raspy. “I want to rip your clothes off but I know I shouldn’t. If we get intimate it’ll be hard to go back to being just neighbors. And it’ll be difficult to yell at you when Bankston destroys my geraniums.”

Gunther tugged her back to him. “I don’t know where we’ll land when our deal is over, but at the moment I want you more than air.” He jetted to her mouth and ravished it with everything he had. They might not make love but he was going to kiss her until they either decided to give in to their desires, or parted so turned-on it would take days to power down.

Lindy lay smiling; surprised she wasn’t emitting a soft glow in the darkness of the room from the embers of Gunther’s kisses still smoldering in her body. He’d set her ablaze with French kissing and a few intimate touches. She could only imagine what would’ve happened if they’d taken things farther. Thank goodness he’d gotten a grip. Gunther had jumped from the sofa; his eyes and body wild with arousal.

It had been jarring to have him pull away so abruptly but his explanation helped smooth things over. He’d said if they didn’t stop that very second he’d be the one ripping clothes off, not her.

Gunther’s face had been tight with restraint when he’d admitted he wanted to make love but agreed it would complicate things. When he’d bent down to peck her lips with goodbye he also cupped her breast.

He’d left a half hour ago but she was still feverish with want.

She turned on her side and hugged the pillow. Running a finger across her lips, she smiled with more happiness than she’d felt in a long time.

Scrambling off the bed, she flicked on the lava lamp and paused to watch the pink globs form different shapes. One glob in particular resembled a heart. It had to be a sign.

Lindy slid her glasses on and wiggled her toes into the pair of flip flops she kept by the bed.

Before she could change her mind, she dashed out the door. With only a tiny slice of moon to light the way, she made her way through the darkness. Almost to Gunther’s yard, Lindy’s toe caught a depression in the grass and she stumbled to her knees. “I hope he thinks grass stains are sexy.” Righting herself, she felt her way around the hedge row only to have her silky nightgown catch on one of the branches. Gently tugging the fabric loose, she was sure it snagged.

At Gunther’s back door, she adjusted the nightgown, moistened her lips and fluffed her hair. Rapping her knuckles on the glass, she took a deep breath and smiled with the exhale. “You’re really doing this.”

Lindy could see Gunther moving about in the kitchen but he didn’t look toward the door, or gave any indication he’d heard the knock. She fisted her hand and knocked louder.

Gunther plugged his cell phone into the charging cord on the counter and walked from the kitchen into the next room.

Lindy’s shoulders sagged. Either the door had sound-proof glass or he was deliberately ignoring her. She was set to knock again but stopped. The door didn’t have sound-proof glass. Maybe he’d had enough time to regret getting carried away with his kisses. Maybe he regretted everything. While she had a shred of self-respect left, she hurried away.

Climbing back in bed, she folded her glasses and placed them on the nightstand. Before flicking off the light, she gritted her teeth. “Stupid lamp.”

****

Gunther perked at the knock. He winced without turning around. “She’s delusional,” he grumbled and trekked to the bathroom. Wadding his shirt and shorts, he went to toss them into the hamper. Instead he brought them to his nose. Lindy’s clean scent lingered on his shirt. “Mmm.”

He dialed the shower to lukewarm and stepped in. Closing his eyes he pictured the stunning brunette who’d taken him to the brink of insanity tonight. She’d softly called his name but her sweet body had been more vocal. It screamed with passion. He’d been seconds away from making it happen for them, but his conscience had gotten the better of him. Thinking about Lindy aroused him all over again. He messed with the faucet. It was either cool his ardor with cold water, or march next door and make love to Lindy the way he should have. He wanted her lying beneath him with those extraordinary brown eyes swimming with need.

Gunther squirted body wash into a wash cloth and ran it over his chest. “Don’t be a dumbass, Justin. Lindy wants more than sex.” The groan of frustration that followed was magnified by the small space of the shower. It was loud enough for him to hear the truth. He couldn’t kiss Lindy, or make love to her while keeping his eye on the prize. He reminded himself the prize was Vice President of Finndley Savings and Loan.

Dropping into bed, he went over the situation again. Lindy was soft and pliable. He could easy manipulate his way into her bed. What then? After the sex, she’d be all gushy and hint about their future. He punched his pillow. The only future he could foresee involved the bank, not a wife. He didn’t want to lead her on or ask her to move in without a wedding band. She deserved better. Besides, he’d done the live-in thing with Anastasia. He was still trying to dodge that mistake. It’s why he ignored the knock at the back door. She kept showing up even though he’d made it plain they were finished.

Bankston came into the bedroom and dropped down beside the bed.

Gunther thought about the things Lindy had said about the dog being smart and expecting to be an equal partner, just like a wife. Well, he had no immediate plans for a wife or a dog who acted like a wife.

Tossing and turning until he thought he’d go nuts, Gunther commanded himself to go to sleep. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but sometime after two-thirty he must’ve dozed off. The chime of an incoming text message made his eyes pop open.

Pulling the covers over his head, he was in no mood to deal with the fallout of not answering the door. Anastasia most likely sent a book-length rant.

Another chime rousted his curiosity. He didn’t want to look but he did.

The first message read:
I was ready to rock your world but you wouldn’t answer the door. Too bad. So sad. LOL.

He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before reading the second text.

You owe me a nightgown
.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he read them again.

Instead of texting a message back, he dialed Lindy’s number.

The call went straight to voicemail.

****

Lindy laid more mail onto an already heaping stack. The envelope on top had a pre-stamped message on the front–Immediate Attention Required. She would’ve walked away if her eyes hadn’t skimmed the name of the sender, Finndley Savings and Loan. Snooping at Cerise’s mail was wrong; not to mention illegal. Lindy didn’t hold the envelope up to the light but stood over it and squinted until she homed in on the word default. She gasped, and grasped the implication of the word at the same time.

She startled with guilt when the phone rang. Picking up the receiver, she forced cheerfulness into her voice. “Cerise’s Pet Supplies and Spa.”

“What size nightgown?”

Gunther’s voice comforted her. “Small.”

“I called you and texted you at least a dozen times. Why are you avoiding me?”

“How does it feel?” Anticipating a growl, Lindy held the phone away from her ear.

He didn’t growl but there was plenty of protest in his tone. “I didn’t know it was you. I swear.”

“Who did you think it was?”

There was a long moment of dead airspace. “Anastasia.”

Dazed by the truth, Lindy put her hand on the desk to steady herself. “You thought I was your ex?”

“She stopped by the other night.”

Fear about the future of the pet store mixed with the fear of Gunther getting back with Anastasia, making Lindy downright nauseous. “She’s discovered she loves you?”

“She’s discovered I’m convenient.”

“Soooo no love?”

“You’re toying with me.”

“You have it coming.”

“The bit about wanting to rock my world. Is it true?”

Lindy couldn’t reply.

“Lindy?”

“I came over in my nightie because I wanted for us to finish what we started. There I said it.” She hung up the phone. Tapping her fingers on the desk, she waited.

The phone rang again.

“Cerise’s Pet...”

Gunther cut her off. “What size ring?”

“Six,” Lindy replied meekly.

“Be at my house as soon as you get off work. We can take a shower together. You’ll put on the new nightie. I’ll slide a size-six ring on your finger and then you’re mine. Every last inch of you. Do you have any problems with the plan?”

“Just one.”

Gunther grunted. “You’re killing me, woman.”

“What am I supposed to do with Greta?”

“For god’s sake, bring the cat.” Gunther hung up.

****

Gunther watched the clock strike five. He was out of his office and almost to the exit when Clive stepped in front of him.

“Hurrying out. I wonder why?”

There was a particular nuance to Clive’s voice that involved humor and something else Gunther couldn’t quite identify. “What can I say? I’m a man in…” He almost said heat. “…love.” The four-letter word drew an inward scoff. Love took months. Technically, he’d known Lindy for well over a year, but he didn’t know-know her until the last few days.

Clive waved a handful of papers in Gunther’s face. “We have something to address before you take off.”

He’d arranged a private meeting with Emmett’s Jewelry, which was supposed to happen at five-fifteen and then he had to make a fast trip to the mall to buy a nightie. “I can give you ten minutes.”

“It’ll only take five.” Clive inclined his head to the office marked
President
.

Seated behind his big mahogany desk, Clive shoved the stack of papers to Gunther. “This is a delicate matter but I know you’ll handle it the right way.” He combed his eyebrow with his thumbnail. “I’m afraid it will put you in a difficult position with Lindy tonight.”

Gunther looked over the papers and flung out a curse word. He stretched his neck from side to side to work out some tension. “You’re a buzz kill, boss.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“Why will this affect my plans for tonight?”

Clive pointed to the bottom of the first sheet of paper. “Instead of in the arms of an angel, you’ll be on a flight to Orlando.”

Lindy stood in front of the full-length mirror in the black lacy bra and panties she’d gotten a few months ago from Victoria’s Secret. Sexy undergarments were the one extravagance she afforded herself on her tight budget. She posed for a side view.

She tented her hands over her mouth and nose, giddy with excitement. Tonight promised unimaginable pleasure. She wanted to make love with Gunther but in the back of her mind she wondered what would happen afterward. Would she be okay with maintaining a companionable relationship after being intimate? Would she be able to give her body without also giving her heart? Doubtful.

Dropping her hands, she conceded her true feelings. “This isn’t just about lust and you know it. So tread carefully.” She reached for her bottle of Rapture perfume; also from Victoria’s Secret. Misting the inside of her wrists and behind her knees, she avoided spraying the parts she hoped Gunther would kiss.

Lindy looked out the bedroom window and saw Gunther’s Lexus pull into his driveway. Anticipation made her tremble. Pulling the brush through her hair, she hurried into a pair of white Capri pants and a V-cut black top that offered a peek of cleavage. She posed again to see if the black undies showed through the white Capri’s.

Her phone plinked on the nightstand.

Where are you?

She typed a reply:
On my way
.
It’ll be me at the back door.

Ha. Ha. You’re a riot. There’s been a change of plans. I’ll be over in a sec.

Lindy’s mind did double-time. Had the bank announced Gunther as their choice and eased the prerequisite of a spouse? And now everything was done?

She heard Gunther’s knock. Before leaving the bedroom, she touched the lava lamp. “Don’t fail me now.”

The second Gunther was inside he dropped a Victoria’s Secret bag on the counter, grabbed her hand and guided them to the sofa.