19
DAN THOUGHT about letting his answering machine get the call; he was late for his mother’s and he had serious penance to pay. His cat, the one he’d foolishly saved from a life on the streets, had not simply peed in her shoes, she’d left other…interesting…gifts in assorted drawers and cubbyholes. The mouse had been particularly odiferous, but the lizard had been the single biggest surprise. It had been a week since he’d taken the devil cat back, but his mother was still quite testy.
On the other hand, the phone call might be something important. He slammed his front door and dashed across the wooden floor to the phone, picking it up seconds before the machine would have kicked in.
“Dan, here.”
Nothing. No breathing. Odd.
“Hello?”
“Hi.”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good.”
She cleared her throat.
He wondered where she was. He could go look at the caller ID but he didn’t. Given that it was only seven- thirty, she was undoubtedly still at the office.
“How are you?” she asked.
He had to smile. The woman was hideous at small talk. “I’m fine, Jessica. I’m great.”
“Super. I’m glad.”
He decided to wait. Something had to be going on for her to break the rules. It could be that she’d decided that the whole quarterly sexathon was a foolish notion. During the long week since they’d said goodbye, she could have come to her senses, realized that he was nothing but a nutcase.
On the other hand, maybe, like him, she’d realized that three months was an incredibly long time to wait. That the only time they had was now. That love could, indeed, happen in an instant.
“I took the job at Geller,” she said finally.
“Fantastic. Tell me all about it.”
“I want to, but not on the phone.”
“Oh.” His stomach sank. So it was the former, not the latter. She wanted to end it.
“No, oh, no, don’t think that.”
He frowned. “What?”
“Everything’s still a go. It’s just that, well, I miss you.”
He grinned. Big-time. “That’s excellent. I’ve missed you, too.”
“So, uh, how about tomorrow? Lunch? One o’clock?”
“Yes, great. Sure. Anywhere.”
“My assistant will call. I have to run. See you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” he said. “I love you.” But she had already hung up.
JESSICA JUMPED out of the cab and adjusted her skirt as she hurried toward Dan’s apartment. She was late. Again. Poor Dan. So patient. And he hadn’t once gotten on her case for tossing out her master plan like so much dross. In the last three weeks, she’d gone from seeing him once a week to twice a week to four times this week alone.
They’d grabbed a sandwich in her office. Eaten hot dogs from a pushcart. He’d cooked her dinner at her place twice, followed, of course, by two breakfasts.
He’d never said a word. Whenever they got together, they talked about her work, his work, Marla and Shawn, Owen’s disgrace, his family, her family…and the odd thing about it was that her work hadn’t suffered at all. In fact, if anything, he energized her. Unfailingly supportive, he understood the pressure of her new position, and he never complained when she had to take calls or change the schedule.
He’d gotten involved in a new project himself, which was as fascinating to her as it was to him. The new topic was the resurgence of subliminal advertising, debunked years ago, only to surface again in the age of the Internet.
She smiled at the doorman as he let her into the building, and took the slow elevator up by herself. Her heart beat faster as she reached his floor. But then, she’d come to expect that. Seeing Dan was the highlight of any day, of any night. She felt like a schoolgirl with a major crush every time she saw him, and tonight was no exception.
He opened the door with a smile so welcoming it gave her the shivers. God, he looked good. White oxford shirt, rolled sleeves, khaki slacks. His hair slightly disheveled and sexy as sin. She loved the way he looked at her. And when he kissed her hello, it was the same old thing: fireworks.
“You’re stunning,” he said, leading her into the apartment.
She smiled again as she saw the table, set beautifully with china plates, a hothouse gardenia floating in a brandy snifter and shimmering candles. “Thank you.”
“Success becomes you,” he said, folding her into his arms.
She rested her head against his broad shoulder. “It’s not success yet. But give me time.”
“Nonsense. No matter what happens at the job, you’ve already won. You’ve gotten what you wanted, and done it through hard work and brilliance. What’s not to like?”
She laughed. God, how he made her laugh. “I heard from Marla today.”
He pulled back so he could see her face. “Oh?”
“She and Shawn set the date. They want us to come to the wedding.”
“In Montana?”
She nodded. “Next month.”
“Should be fun. Can you get away?”
“For a couple of days, sure. I wouldn’t want to miss that.”
“Great. I can make it, too.”
“I haven’t told you the date.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. He folded his hand over hers. “I’m there.”
She sniffed the air, fragrant with the scent of rosemary and cinnamon. “What is that?” she asked. “It smells heavenly.”
He pulled out her chair, waited until she was seated, then headed toward the kitchen. “Chicken. One of my mother’s special recipes. Why don’t you pour us some wine while I get the food.”
She did, enjoying the mellow Pinot Gris. He came back quickly, carrying a covered casserole, which he put in front of her. When he took off the lid, she sighed with contentment. “It looks fantastic.”
He leaned over until his mouth was very close to hers. “So do you.”
She kissed him back, and before she knew it, she was standing again in his arms and the enticing dinner wasn’t nearly as appealing as getting her hands underneath his shirt.
He had his own agenda, and his was the more daunting task. She had on a jacket, a blouse, a bra, skirt, slip, panties. And yet, somehow, by the time they’d shuffled into the bedroom, between kisses, giggles and gasps, she was down to bra and panties while he still had on his pants.
His hands moved toward her bra clasp but she sidestepped out of his reach. “Wait,” she said. “I want-”
He stopped her with a kiss. A long one, full of exploration and teasing. Distracting her just enough to undo her bra and slip the straps off her shoulders. It fell to the floor to join the rest of her strewn clothing, leaving her in high-cut bikini panties and black two-inch heels.
Dan stepped back, eyeing her from head to toe and back again. “Nice outfit.”
“Thanks,” she said. “How come you’re still wearing pants?”
He looked down, feigning surprise. “Damn. I wondered why I was feeling so constricted.” With a flourish, he
