Passionate Bid (10 page)

She watched him lick his fingers and wondered what he would do. And then he placed his fingers in between their bodies to touch her clitoris. She knew then what he intended to do—to please her. Julian rubbed her clitoris, masturbated her until she felt feverish. The erotic motion sped up the pleasure building up inside her. It didn”t take long before she reached her first orgasm.

A distant rumble of thunder made Joanie jump, pulling her out of her musings, bringing her back to where she was—standing in front of Julian. Joanie blinked fast. Julian was watching her, grinning as if he saw what she had just imagined. Her face burned, embarrassed at the possibility. God! She was nuts.

Why couldn”t she get rid of that image? And what an idiotic time to think about it, too—standing in front of Julian.

“What the heck is so funny?”

“You. You look like you just had an orgasm while standing there.” Joanie felt like she was standing in front of bonfire. Her face heated so much she actually began to fan herself with her hand. “I didn”t have an, an orgasm.”

“I didn”t say you did. I said you look like you had one. Two different things.” His grin widened.

“Don”t talk to me like I”m a trollop.”

“A trollop. Haven”t heard of that word since I was in college.”

“Whatever. Your two weeks with Sam will start tomorrow. Come back at nine. I”ll have her ready by then.”

“I”m thinking it”s best if I stay here.”

“Not going to happen. That”s not part of the deal.”

“Yes it is. My two weeks means twenty-four hours a day times fourteen days with Sam. I”ll get to know my daughter better this way, don”t you agree?”

“This is inappropriate.”

“We”re married, Joanie.”

“Only on paper.” Rain tapped on the glass windows. Damn rain.

“It”s raining like crazy and I”m not familiar with the roads here. I”d appreciate it if you let me stay.”

She wasn”t a cold-hearted person to send him outside in weather like this.

She was about to say that he could use her dad”s room, but changed her mind. Her dad”s things were still where he had left them, and she wanted the room to stay that way—for a while at least. There was also an extra room upstairs that could be used as a guest room, but she never thought to fix and convert it into one. “Fine.

Stay if you want. You can use the couch. Bathroom”s upstairs. You know where the kitchen is. Do you have an overnight bag? You can store it in that coat closet. If you need a toothbrush, I have an extra one upstairs. Goodnight.” Julian looked at the worn man-eating couch then looked back at her. “I”ll take the toothbrush offer.”

“Be right back.” Joanie marched up the steps, keeping her neck from craning back to see if Julian was watching and still smiling. When she reached her room, it was only then that she allowed herself to look back.

A long time ago, she wished for this moment, for them to stay under the same roof together. Finally it happened, but in a totally different circumstances.

The clock struck twelve. “Damn it! I have to get up in six hours.” She thought about letting Julian sleep on the most uncomfortable couch in all of Oregon without a pillow or blanket, hoping he”d leave tomorrow and stay in a hotel somewhere. But her father didn”t raise her to be inhospitable to anyone. She walked over to her closet, pushed the sliding door to the side and grabbed her spare blanket and a flat pillow.

He knew she was still up. Not only that she was stomping like a heavy elephant, the sound of the creaking floorboards gave her away. Was she still searching for the toothbrush?

Thinking Joanie forgot about the toothbrush, he turned off the kitchen light and lamp in the living room then stretched his body on the couch. It must have been after two hours when he heard Joanie coming down the creakiest stairs he”d even seen. He supposed that was good. At least, Joanie would know if an intruder were going upstairs.

He didn”t move from his position on the couch. He kept his eyes half-closed so he could watch her. The light from upstairs shone behind Joanie, outlining the shape of her hips and long shapely legs through her thin robe. His little wife changed.

Joanie stood beside him. She was so close that he could smell her clean fresh scent. His finger itched to lift the hem of her robe to know if she smelled like soap all over, if she felt as smooth as she looked. He decided to shut his eyes instead.

Fuckin eh? Joanie was tempting, too tempting for his own peace of mind. He felt the weight of the blanket as it covered him from neck to ankles. Nice. At least she didn”t cover him with bricks. Joanie”s soft hands lifted his head gingerly before she slipped the pillow under his head. So his unwanted wife felt sorry for him and brought him a pillow. It was as flat as a board but better than nothing.

He opened his eyes and found Joanie staring down at him. For a moment, he just looked at her. Something, something deep inside him that resembled regret stirred. He regretted hurting her and not knowing they had a beautiful child together. But he didn”t regret leaving her. Nope, he didn”t.

“Thank you.”

“You”re welcome. Here is your toothbrush. Goodnight.” He took the toothbrush from her outstretched hand. “Goodnight. Don”t let the bed bugs bite.”

“We don”t have bugs here that bite. There is only one bug here. She”s asleep, and she”s as harmless as an angel is. See you tomorrow morning.” He watched her go back up the steps, noticing the gentle sway of her hips.

Suddenly, he didn”t think the idea of staying with her in the same house was a good idea at all. Joanie, he admitted, was a temptation. Yes, Joanie didn”t possess regal posture and height models like those that Georgina boasts about. She must be about five-feet-three inches or four, with skin obviously exposed to the sun a lot, walked as if trying to beat every tick of the clock, and served burned hotdogs.

Still, there was something about her only a man would notice on a woman. Sex appeal.

Julian sighed. His thoughts were rambling. He looked at his new toothbrush. The handle felt too small. Peering closely at the handle, he burst out laughing.

“Dora the Explorer toothbrush.” Neat. He could hardly wait to use it. Maybe he and Sam could brush their teeth together.

He adjusted his position to something more comfortable, but the couch”s cushions were too thin, and he could feel the frame poking on his back. Fuck, lying on this couch was worse than being on a hammock. His legs were too long and dangled off the end. He tried a fetal position, but his neck bent on an odd angle he was sure he”d have a hell of a kink to deal with in the morning. Releasing a frustrated sigh, he stretched on his back again and crossed his arms on his chest.

The floorboard upstairs creaked again. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine Georgina”s face and what they could be doing if they were still together.

But as hard as he tried, it was Joanie”s face that stared back at him. Hell.

The sound of banging pots and pan woke Julian up. Disoriented, he opened his eyes. It took him a long, full minute before he remembered where he was.

Groaning, he tried to get off the couch, but his lower back screamed from a bad kink. He should have made a pallet on the floor instead of sleeping on this couch.

The last time he”d felt like this was when he had a fight in a bar over a woman. A fist made contact with his spleen and the pain lasted for two weeks. This time though, his lower back hurt too as if someone beat him with a baseball bat. He straightened his back and heard it pop. “Ahh…that”s better.” Joanie”s laughter made him look toward the kitchen. His dear wife was up and must be cooking breakfast. He sniffed the air, caught the smell of bacon, and freshly brewed coffee. Nice. He almost forgot how the aroma of breakfast affected one”s head in the morning. What a wonderful way to welcome a new day.

But he found that it was even more wonderful to watch Joanie move in the kitchen. There was something about a woman and a kitchen that he found so appealing. Before his grandma suffered from macular degeneration, he remembered watching her hum while cooking in her kitchen, too. He had enjoyed every minute of it. Was it because he knew there”d be food when a woman worked in the kitchen?

Joanie was facing the stove. He heard eggs crack followed by the sizzling sound. She looked so domesticated.

Julian leaned against the doorjamb and watched Joanie work. With her back toward him, he had the opportunity to assess her. For a woman who already bore a child, she looked fit. Even in the checkered red dress she wore that reminded him of his grandma”s picnic tablecloth, he could see her well-rounded ass and small waistline. The back of her knees were exposed and no signs of varicose. Like yesterday, she tied her hair in a bun exposing her long neck. A few short hair strands coiled on her nape. She looked delicious from behind. Julian wondered what her front looked like this morning. There was only one way to find out.

“Good morning.”

“Eekk!” Joanie jumped and whirled around. Her eyes were round and registered shock, at least until she realized it was just him, then her eyes turned murderous. “You scared me.”

“Didn”t mean to. Sorry.” His eyes immediately focused on the V shape of her neckline. Damn, the blouse barely covered her breasts. Front and back are equally tantalizing, he decided.

He felt himself stir. What the hell? No. This wasn”t attraction at all. No way he”d feel attracted to his unwanted wife. The only reason his dick quickly thickened was because he just woke up. Men his age still suffered from annoying morning erection. To keep his mind off his wife”s tantalizing figure, he looked at the gurgling coffeepot “I smell coffee.”

“I just made a pot. Sit down. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Thanks. Need help? Looks like you”re busy cooking.”

“No thank you. This kitchen is too small for two people. Not enough room to maneuver here.”

“I hear Wal-Mart is missing a tablecloth.”

“What? How did you know?”

“Cause you”re wearing it.”

“Oh my God! You”re horribly mean.”

“Why are you wearing that? It”s not Halloween yet.”

“Funny. I”m going to work. Can”t you tell? I am wearing my ugly uniform.

And I am running late.”

“Ahh. When I spotted you this morning, I thought you wrapped yourself with a tablecloth.”

“Doctor Ravenwood, you better not make fun of my uniform if you want breakfast.”

“Okay. But your uniform is—”

“I know. Ugly.” Joanie looked down at herself and smoothed her hands on the side of her skirt.

“You look pretty in it though.”

Her cheeks turned the color of her dress. “Breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, coffee and toast. Want all of them?”

“Sure. Where is Sam?”

“Outside.”

“Alone?”

“Of course not. She”s with Mark.”

“Mark?” Who the hell was Mark? He walked to the window and peered outside. Sure enough, Sam was out there skipping over a small puddle of water.

The man laughed as he scooped Sam up when she slipped and tossed her up in the air. Sam laughed, telling him to do it again and again. “Who”s Mark?” An ass. The kind that preyed on single moms with young children.

“Sam”s godfather. He comes here on weekends when I work late—like today.”

“How long have you known him? Can he be trusted around children?

Around women? Did you run a background check on this prick?”

“I”ve known him since we moved here. He was the one who drove Dad and me to the hospital when I was in labor with Sam. I broke my damn water in his brand new car. But he didn”t mind at all. He”s been a part of my family since then.

Sam likes him. And Mark is not a prick. He”s a pilot.” A pilot my ass. He looked outside. Mark had Sam on his shoulders jumping over puddles. Couldn”t this guy see the ground was slippery? What if he slipped and dropped Sam? Damn idiot.

Seeing his daughter laughing with a man made him gnash his teeth, but when Sam leaned forward to kiss Mark”s cheek, pain like no other slashed at his heart. Obviously, Mark was playing dad with Sam. Damn it, he should be the one playing with Sam, not this dick. He pushed away from the window. “We made a deal. I”ll stay here until Sam”s birthday. While I am here, I want Sam with me. I”ll watch her while you go to work. Starting today.”

“Sam”s been looking forward to staying with Mark today. He promised to take—”

“I want to know my daughter, Joanie. And I want her to get to know me.

We made a fucking deal.”

“I know and I will not renege on my words. Things happened so quickly.

You just dropped in on me like a meteor. So unexpected. I forgot to look at my calendar to check on Sam”s play date schedule. Today”s trip to the Woodland Park Zoo with Mark slipped my mind.”

“I”ll take her.”

“Doctor Ravenwood, if you want to win Sam”s or any kid”s affection, I suggest you don”t interfere with their social life—including trips to the zoo. She”s a child, Julian. She”d think of you as a man who said no to her going to the zoo with her friend.”

“I”ll take her and her friend to the zoo, Disneyland, San Diego Zoo, Paris, London. Wherever. I don”t give a fu—”

The back door opened and in came Sam with her cheeks bright red, curls flying everywhere and a big smile on her face. Mark followed behind her. As soon as his eyes met Mark”s, he knew right away that Mark didn”t like him. Well, the fucking feeling was mutual.

“Hi, Doctor Julian. I skipped over the puddle many times and didn”t get wet.” Sam beamed. She didn”t get wet, but her shoes were muddy.

“Good girl. You had a great time skipping?”

“Uh-huh. Uncle Mark helped me, and I want to do it again. Uncle Mark, will you do it again?”

“Sure, bug. After breakfast.”

“I”m going to see animals and butterflies today.”

„Sure, bug?” So Joanie gave this prick right to call Sam bug. “You”re going to the zoo, I heard.”

“Yup, I looove the zoo. I like the penguins and the tent with lots of butterflies.”

“Hey, beautiful,” said Mark to Joanie. “Breakfast ready?” Julian wanted to punch Mark in the nose. How dare he call his wife beautiful? Endearments were saved only for couples. He scowled at Joanie, who scowled at him in return.