Page 68 of Tuxedos and Tinsel

“What if I said I didn’t care?” she asked. “What if I’m okay with here and now?”

She reached down and entwined her fingers with his. “Houses and kids are nice dreams, but sometimes a woman just wants to feel wanted.”

Her heart was in her throat when she finished. Talk about laying it all on the table. It was up to Lewis now. If he rejected her, so be it. At least she’d know.

Lewis’s hand was cupping her cheek again. The whites of his eyes were brilliant in the dark as he searched her face. “Are you sure?”

Could he not see the certainty on her face? Releasing his hand, Susan slid her palms upward along the padded front of his jacket until she reached the point where the zipper stopped. He was layers of darkness. Navy jacket, black sweater. With a deep breath to steel her nerves, she slipped her gloved hand under his jacket. “What do you think?” she asked.

What felt like the longest beat of her life passed. Susan kept her eyes locked with his; the knot of nerves in her chest twisted.

There was the rustle of nylon and suddenly, Lewis’s hands were at the front of her wool coat. One by one, he undid the buttons, his eyes never leaving hers, until her coat hung open.

“I think,” he said, playing with the hem of her sweater, “that we should go inside.”

“This is new,” Lewis said later, wrapped together with her in a cocoon of blankets, in Susan’s king-size bed. Her cheek was resting over his heart and the taste of her kisses was still on his lips.

“What’s new?”

“Staying awake.” He buried his nose in her curls, inhaling the vanilla scent of her shampoo. “Usually I fall asleep.” Or start planning his escape. Pulling a woman close to savor in the afterglow wasn’t his style.

And yet, here he was, with Susan curled against his body, drawing lazy circles on his torso.

“You romantic devil.”

“Never said I wasn’t a player, luv.”

For some reason he was determined to hammer that shameful point home tonight. He immediately regretted the statement when Susan’s hand stilled. There was no reason to be harsh. She knew this was a temporary arrangement.

“Did you know that you’re the first woman I’ve slept with stone-cold sober?”

“Seriously?” She lifted her head. Even in the dark, he could see her surprise. “You mean you haven’t…?”

“Nope. Been too busy keeping my head down, proving I’m a good boy.”

“Oh, you were good…”

“I know,” he replied. Her laugh vibrated through him, and he pulled her close. Could you feel someone rolling their eyes? “You weren’t so bad yourself, you know.”

“Glad I didn’t disappoint.”

“Definitely not.” Being with her was…well, it was amazing. He’d mapped every inch of her soft curves with his hands, and then went back and did the same with his mouth. Something else he’d never felt the need to do: savor the experience.

All this newness made him uneasy. Different was turning out to be unnerving.

“You didn’t tell me your brother and his wife were renewing their wedding vows.”

Her hand stilled again.

“Linus told me. He seemed surprised I wasn’t attending.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to go,” she replied. “You can, of course. If you want.”

Gee, with that kind of enthusiasm… “Don’t worry about it. I only mentioned it so you wouldn’t be caught off guard if Linus mentions we talked about it.”

Honestly, he didn’t know why he’d brought it up. Maybe he was looking for further affirmation that she wasn’t looking for more.

Or was he hoping for the opposite?