Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger (41 page)

Read Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger Online

Authors: Lori Copeland

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #General, #Contemporary, #Westerns, #test

BOOK: Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger
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Page 101
Chandra harshly. ''You can help send a Girl Scout to camp this summer."
"Girl Scout cookiesgee!" Chandra turned around to Garrett and grinned wickedly. "Are you in the mood for Girl Scout cookies, Garrett?"
Garrett shot her a look that left no doubt as to what he thought she should do with the cookies.
As Garrett took a quick shower Chandra made them each a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. She still had several gifts left to buy for Christmas and Garrett had agreed to accompany her shopping that evening.
"I have to make a fast trip back to Texas," he told her as they ate their simple dinner. "My car and most of my clothes are still down in Arlington."
"Texas? Is that where you're from?" Chandra asked, realizing that until this very minute she hadn't known where he'd lived before.
"I'm actually
from
California," he told her, taking a bite of his sandwich, "but I've worked in Arlington for the last two years for a company that designs helicopters."
"That's interesting. Do you test those too?"
"I test anything that flies, and I've tested a few that didn'tunfortunately."
Chandra continued eating, her heart fluttering only slightly at Garrett's implication. "Is there someone special . . ." she paused, choosing her words carefully. "Someone you're leaving behind in Arlington?"
He looked up from his plate, his eyes catching hers silently. "Not particularly. Why?" he answered smoothly.
"No reason," she lied. "Just making conversation."
"Have you talked to Phillip lately?" She noticed he had managed to get his name right this time.
"No, he's on a business trip. I'll talk to him next week." She avoided looking at him now, spooning her soup into her mouth.
"Your big day's not far off now, is it?" Garrett's voice had dropped to a low timbre.
 
Page 102
Oh, Garrett, ask me to tell Phillip to go fly a kite,
her eyes begged mutely.
Tell me that
you
love methat you'll fight any man who tries to dispute that fact. Ask me to marry
you,
rob banks with
you
do
anything
but sit there and casually ask about my wedding day to another man
. ''No, it's not far off now." She put her spoon down, her appetite vanishing swiftly.
Garrett pushed his half-eaten meal out of the way, too, and stood up from the table. "I suppose we should get started."
"I'll get my coat," she murmured, rising to her feet as well.
"Chandra," he said, catching the sleeve of her blouse.
"Yes?" She paused, looking up at him sadly.
He seemed to be waging a war within himself, a look of pain in his clear blue eyes. They stood looking at each other in their new little kitchen, so many words unsaid between them. Chandra wanted to reach out and touch him, but she kept her hands clenched tightly to her side. If Garrett did love her, and oh God, how she prayed he did, then he had to tell her so.
His hand dropped back down to his side, his eyes dropping away from hers. "Nothing . . . just, Chandra," he said tiredly as he walked away. "I'll call a cab."
"Thank you," she answered, managing to get past the hard lump in her throat. "I'll be ready when it gets here." He wasn't going to say the words she longed to hear.
The sights and sounds downtown didn't hold their usual thrill for Chandra that night as they shopped virtually in silence. After an hour of them both brooding quietly, Chandra decided to try to change their mood. Apparently they were at an impasse, so she was going to try and make the best of it. Pulling him over to the large toy department in one of the gaily decorated stores, she put a silly, orange, glitter-covered band on her head with two big antlers flopping around on top. Resembling something from outer space (or a slightly loony twenty-five-year-old) she sneaked up behind his back and pecked him on his shoulder as he stood looking at a toy train display.
"Pardon me, mister, can you tell me when the next bus comes
 
Page 103
by here?'' She imitated Groucho Marx as she wiggled her eyebrows and flicked an imaginary cigar.
Garrett turned around to look at her blandly. "The last one left for the funny farm ten minutes ago."
"Oh my," she groaned. "I guess I'm an orphan now. Will you take me home, mister?" She dramatically threw herself into his arms.
Garrett looked around uncomfortably. "Damn, Chandra, everyone in the place is watching us."
"I know." Her hand came out from behind her back, and she extended another silly antler headgear, a ridiculous glowing-pink, and stuck it on his head. "Let's give them something to really talk about!"
They left the store a few minutes later five dollars poorer. Garrett mumbled under his breath about the cruel twist of fate that had brought Chandra into his sane, orderly lifebut she noticed he was smiling.
They spent the next two hours carefree and laughing, munching on ice-cream cones and red-striped candy canes, still wearing the ridiculous antlers.
"I sure hope there's no one from Rhodes Aircraft out here shopping tonight," Garrett told her worriedly as they walked along the crowded sidewalk sharing a caramel apple. His big pink antlers didn't exactly personify the average vice president in a large aircraft corporation.
Chandra laughed and reached up to wipe some caramel off his nose from the last big bite. "I think you look dignified," she told him sincerely, then burst out in peals of laughter.
"Chandra!" A tall, very good-looking man moved rapidly through the crowd to where Chandra and Garrett stood looking at a mechanical Christmas scene in one of the department store windows.
"Gary!" Chandra said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Gary picked her up in his arms and swung her around a couple of times before he sat her back down on her feet and kissed her
 
Page 104
soundly. The antlers came off Garrett's head in record time, his face turning to a cold, stony mask as he watched Chandra being kissed by this strange man. When she showed no signs of protest, he stepped forward and literally jerked her out of the other man's embrace.
''Look, fella, the lady's with me," he said coldly, pulling Chandra up next to his side.
"Hey, sorry, old man, but Chandra and I go back a long way. I ran around with her brother all during high school, and she's been like a baby sister to me." Gary grinned, not the least bit intimidated by the glowering stranger before him. "You must be Phillip." He reached out and grasped Garrett's hand soundly.
"Gary," Chandra said, laughing nervously, "this isn't Phillip. This is a good . . . friend. Garrett Morganson. Garrett, this is Gary Norris," she smiled, "anothergood friend."
Garrett reluctantly shook Gary's hand, then stood back as he and Chandra chatted about old times.
Chandra tried to hurry the conversation along as Gary repeatedly reached out and hugged her or gave her brief little kisses. To Chandra this wasn't unusual, he had always been overly affectionate, but judging by the look on Garrett's face she had better get rid of himand fast.
A few minutes later they walked away in the other direction after Gary gave Chandra one final kiss. Garrett pulled her close to him roughly. "That guy's got one hell of a nerve, mauling you like that in public. He's lucky he's still able to walk out of here," Garrett ground out tensely as they walked along the lighted sidewalk.
Chandra was thrilled at this blatant show of jealousy from Garrett. Even though she knew it was wrong she couldn't help goading him just a little. "Well for goodness sake, Garrett, we're just friends. He's almost like a brother," she said innocently. "Why should you care how Gary treats me?"
"Brother myYou're engaged to be married, Chandra! That guy knows that, but he still had his hands all over you. His kind burns me to a crisp." He was practically dragging her down the
 
Page 105
street now, his temper boiling over. Chandra had to smother a cry of outrage. He was worrying about her fidelity to Phillip. After what she had done with himthat was a big laugh.
''Well, excuuuuuuse me! I'll certainly make it a point to tell Phillip how well you protected my virtue," she hissed nastily.
Garrett stopped and jerked her around to face him. "Make a joke out of it if you want to, lady, but when you're in
my
company, other men damn well better keep their hands off of you." He pulled her to him, his mouth coming down hard on hers in a kiss of undeniable possessiveness. He ground his lips into hers roughly, grasping her hair with both hands. Chandra fought to break his hold, but as quickly as the violent kiss started it rapidly turned into a hungry, passionate exploration. Chandra moaned softly as his hands released their punishing grip on her and gently began to stroke her hair lovingly, his hands trembling violently. He broke away murmuring her name incoherently as he kissed her eyes, her nose, her cheeks. "You're driving me crazyI don't know what's happening to me, Chandra. Ever since you walked into my life I can't think straight." He brought his mouth back down to hers pleadingly. "What kind of curse are you, lady?"
"Oh, Garrett, don't you know? Maybe, just maybe, I'm more than a passing fancy in your life." She cried as they exchanged brief, desperate kisses.
"No, Chandra, no! Dammit! I don't want marriage. . . . Yes, I'll admit I want
you,
but I've seen marriage tear up more than one good relationship. Isn't what we've got together enough?" he said looking down at her, his eyes pleading for understanding.
The cold night wind caught them in its breeze as tears rolled down Chandra's face. "No, that isn't enough, Garrett. That could never be enough."
"Don't do this to us, Chandra." His lips kissed away the salty tears, his arms enfolding her gently. "Let me love you."
"That isn't love, Garrett. When you love someone you feel secure. You want to be with them forever," she sobbed painfully.
 
Page 106
''Is that what Phillip's offering you?" he said, still holding her close. "Security for eternitythat's a tall order, you know."
Chandra leaned against him weakly, wanting so much to give in to her love for him, wanting so much to tell him that she would live with him, follow him to the ends of the earth if that's what he wanted, but she couldn't love that kind of life. She would be torn apart living in limbo like that. Yes, that was what Phillip was offering and maybe, just maybe, she should accept it.
"Yes, that's what he's offering," she whispered tenderly, her heart breaking. "The same thing offered in every
good
marriage that you see."
"Then I guess we don't have anything more to say to each other, do we?" Garrett said, releasing her slowly.
Chandra reached in her purse for a tissue, wiping her nose shakily. "I think it would be better if I went back home in the morning." She paused, watching for his reaction. "I think it would be best that way."
Garrett turned his back to her and she saw his broad shoulders tense slightly. "Yes, I think that probably would be the best."
Chandra held back a sob at his words. Well, there it was. He wanted her to go. It was finally over and she felt a strange sense of relief that it was. All she had to do now was go back to her old life and forget there ever was a Garrett Morganson.
Oh Lord,
she cried silently as she followed the tall, handsome man striding impatiently to the waiting cab,
this time you gave me a mountain
.
A cold, fine mist of rain had started to fall as they rode home in heavy silence. Chandra had tried unsuccessfully to engage Garrett in polite, impersonal conversation, but he had stared moodily out his side of the cab, barely responding to her words. After the first few tense minutes she had stopped even trying.
She could never recall feeling as miserable as she did at this very moment. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't want their relationship to end on such an antagonistic note. Not only did she love Garrett, she liked him as well. She liked him very much. The time they had spent together held special meaning for her. When they were not at each other's throats they had devel-

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