He's All That

“Now?” Hector shot him a peeved look.

“Now.”

The other man sighed, laid down his shovel and muttered something under his breath as he shot Victoria a parting look before heading for the truck parked a good hundred yards away.

As she got closer, Jake had to force his gaze away from her breasts, the way they bounced with each step and strained against the stretchy fabric. Normally he was a leg man, had a real weakness for slim ankles. But the closer she got, the more he realized there wasn’t much about Victoria that didn’t interest him.

“Hi,” she said, smiling. “Jake, right?”

He nodded, curious as hell. What could she possibly want?

“Of course you’ve changed. And we’ve never really formally met…”

“I know who you are, Victoria.”

“Tori.” Her almond-shaped hazel eyes met his. She had one of those sultry looks that could distract a man if he weren’t careful. “That’s what my friends call me. Oh, here.”

He took the lemonade she offered, and decided not to point out that they weren’t friends. “Thanks.”

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes holding his captive. “I think this is the first time we’ve talked, isn’t it?”

He nodded, and took a long cool sip as he waited her out.

She moistened her lips, darted a look toward Hector. “How’s your dad? I haven’t seen him since I’ve been back.”

“He’s laid up with a bad back.”

“Sorry to hear about that.” She smiled. “At least he has you helping him.”

“Right.” He drained his lemonade just as Hector got back and dropped the bag of fertilizer near Jake’s boots.

“For me?” he asked Tori, glancing at the glass she held and giving her one of his lady-killer grins.

She handed him the drink. “I’m Tori.”

“Hector.”

She smiled politely and then turned back to Jake. “I know you’re busy right now. I thought maybe we could meet for a drink later.”

Totally floored, he stood there, unable to think of a damn thing to say.

Uncertainty flickered in her face and then she gave a throaty laugh. “Unless you have a wife and a dozen kids waiting for you at home.”

Hector laughed. “Jake?”

He gave his friend a warning look. Bad enough she’d taken him by surprise. He didn’t need any commentary from Hector. “You can spread the fertilizer now. Start with the pink roses along the path to the pool.”

“Sure, boss.” Hector gave Tori a parting look before setting the glass aside and heaving the bag of fertilizer over his shoulder.

Jake waited until he was out of earshot and asked, “What time?”

“I’m flexible. Whenever you’re done here?”

He looked at his watch. “In about three hours.”

“Great.” Her lips curved in a sexy smile that made him second-guess his decision. Getting mixed up with a Whitford was begging for trouble.

“Where?”

She glanced toward the house, pristine white and stately against all the lush green oak and magnolia trees. “How about Mustang Sally’s? I assume the place is still there.”

Her suggestion surprised him. The bar wasn’t a place he figured she even knew about much less patronized. And then he got it. She didn’t want to be seen with him by anyone she knew.

Amazingly he didn’t feel the old anger he would have as a kid. The idea pissed him off but it amused him, too. Hell, he wasn’t the one looking for trouble. She was.

TORI GOT TO THE BAR a little early. She sat in the parking lot, listening to a classical CD, her sporty BMW lost in the myriad of huge pickup trucks that filled the lot. She hoped the bar wasn’t too noisy so that they could at least talk. Or maybe they shouldn’t. Maybe she should hang on to the fantasy of him she’d created in her mind. The one where he obeyed her every command and wanted nothing in return. Right. She’d been surprised enough to discover that his eyes were brown and not blue. Not just brown, actually, but an incredible whiskey-brown, brimming with an intensity that made her fantasies feel tame.

Summers spent gazing out her window, waiting for a glimpse of him, had spawned some juicy stories in her head. Like the time she’d imagined that he climbed the trellis outside her bedroom window and sneaked into her bed. What he’d actually done to her was a little fuzzy at the time since she’d only been about fourteen and rather sheltered, but she remembered he’d been gentle yet demanding, and the coaxing way he’d kissed her, touched her breasts…

Damn, but she wished she’d kept a journal. It would be fun to read now but she’d been too chicken to produce any evidence her mother could find.

A knock on her car window made her jump. She looked into Jake’s sexy brown eyes, and then turned the key in the ignition, shutting off the CD and air-conditioning. She grabbed her purse and opened the door. He’d straightened and stepped back, the fly of his faded jeans hitting her eye-level. It looked like that particular fantasy wasn’t far off base.

She got out and followed him across the parking lot and into the bar. Most of the tables were already taken, and all the places at the bar.

“Let’s try back here,” Jake said and led the way past a pair of crowded pool tables and a couple arguing over a game of darts.

In the far corner, it looked as if someone had recently abandoned a table, judging by the empty bottle of beer and the two dollar bills left behind.

“How about over there?” she asked, and moved to claim it before getting an answer.

It was perfect—as far away from the country and western music and the dart players’ cursing as they could get. They sat across from one another and a waitress promptly appeared to claim her tip.

She removed the empty bottle, swiped a cursory rag across the top of the table. “What can I get y’all?”

“What have you got on tap?” Tori asked and caught the surprised look Jake gave her.

The waitress named three beers and Tori ordered a Corona.

“Make that two,” Jake said, his eyes staying on Tori as the cute blond waitress walked away.

“What?” she finally asked him when he wouldn’t look away.

“You always drink beer?”

“No, sometimes I drink wine. I picked up the beer habit in college. Much to my mother’s delight.” Now, why had she added that tidbit? She sighed to herself. Obviously Freudian.

“I bet.”

“I’m twenty-six. Anything she doesn’t like about me, it’s time she got over it.”

Jake smiled. “You’ve been away at school all this time?”

“Just about. Four years of undergraduate studies, then one year of graduate school. I took a year off to go to Europe, then went back to school and finished my MBA.”

“You don’t look like an MBA.”

She laughed. “Thank you. I’ll definitely take that as a compliment.”

“Your parents must be pleased.”

Something in the tone of his voice made her uneasy. But she didn’t know him well, so she wouldn’t judge. Not yet. “Yeah, right,” she answered. “They about had cardiac arrests when I told them I wanted to take a year off. They threatened to cut me off and not pay for my last year’s tuition.”

“You didn’t back down?”

“No way. I told them I was tired of school anyway.” She leaned back to let the waitress set their beers on the table. When they made eye contact again, he had the most peculiar look on his face.

He smiled. “I take it they gave in.”

“After a mega lecture, but yes.” She picked up her beer and took a sip. She hadn’t expected to be so nervous. Of course she wasn’t in the habit of picking up guys. What if he turned her down? She took another sip, realized he was watching her and asked, “What about you?”

He shrugged. “Still in the landscaping business, as you can see.”

“Have you been here in Houston the whole time?”

“Do you mean, did I go away to school?”

She didn’t understand the hint of sarcasm in his tone but chose to ignore it. “School, traveling, whatever.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I went to California for a couple of years, and then Dallas for a short time.”

She waited but he didn’t seem inclined to give out any more information. “Think you’ll stay in Houston?” she finally asked.

“Probably. You?”

The question startled her. “Of course. This is our headquarters.”

“Ah, staying in the family business.”

Her defenses rose. “Haven’t you?”

One side of his mouth lifted as he picked up his beer. “Not exactly.”

She watched him tilt the bottle to his lips, wondering why she’d gotten so defensive. She’d be a fool not to keep her hand in Whitford Industries. The company was well-known, the name respected and recognized worldwide. No shame in wanting to stay a part of that success.

He set the beer back on the table, leaving his long, lean fingers wrapped around the bottle, stirring her creative mind and making her forget about anything to do with business.

His nails were surprisingly clean considering the type of work he did, and she easily imagined him running his palms down her bare back, over her breasts.

“So, Tori, why are we here?”

She looked up into those intense dark eyes and wondered what he’d do if she suddenly ran her foot up his leg. She smiled. “Weren’t you ever curious? For years the most we did was wave to each other.”

His brows rose slightly. “Why do you suppose that was?”

“I wasn’t allowed to talk to you,” she said, the surprise in his face giving her pause. “I had piano lessons twice a week, ballet three times, and a riding lesson on the weekend. Mother didn’t leave me much time for distractions.”

One side of his mouth went up in a cocky, almost patronizing way.

“What’s that for?”

“What?”

“That look.”

“Admit it, your mama didn’t want you hanging around with anyone the likes of me.”

“That’s not true.” Indignation rose in her voice. “Of course you were so much older.” She paused. “Mother isn’t a snob.”

“You know her. I don’t,” he said, shrugging.

Tori sighed. “Okay, sometimes she is. But I don’t think—” She broke off, sighing again, unable to defend a position of which she was uncertain. A thin line existed between snobbery and concern for the Whitford name and business.

“Hey, it doesn’t matter.” He gave her a crooked smile. “You were brave enough to break the barrier. Go where no Whitford has gone before.”

“Very funny.”

He laughed, reached across the table and covered her hand with his rougher palm. The contact jolted her, and when their eyes met she knew he felt the spark, too. He didn’t retreat, but ran the pad of his thumb along the side of her wrist. A small innocuous movement that shouldn’t have driven her crazy. She sucked in a breath, and then let it out slowly. His sexy gaze fell to her lips and her mouth went too dry to swallow.

He released her, grabbed his beer and leaned back in his chair. “So, what now?”

Tori took a deep breath. She didn’t want to sound too obvious or eager, but no sense wasting any time, either. “Have you eaten? We could have dinner.”

He smiled. “I meant, what will you do now that you’ve finished school?”

“Oh.” She gave a breezy laugh, not about to show her embarrassment. “I’ll be staying in Houston. I haven’t found an apartment yet, though.”

He seemed surprised. “You’re moving out?”

“Of course. You don’t still live with your father, do you?” She paused, recognizing her gaffe. “Not that it would be a bad thing if you did.”

“Relax. I don’t, but if I did live with my old man, I wouldn’t take offense. He’s a pretty okay guy.”

The look of genuine affection on Jake’s face warmed her. Sadly she couldn’t say the same for her parents. She loved and respected them, but she didn’t like either of them much. Then again, maybe she’d like her father if she’d really gotten to know him. He’d always been working or away on business. Often their schedules clashed. When she’d be home from boarding school for the summer or the occasional weekend, he’d be away. Mostly she wouldn’t see him for months at a time.

When she finally slipped out of her musings, she found Jake watching her with open curiosity. His gaze lowered briefly to her breasts, rose to linger on her lips before meeting her eyes. And then it narrowed slightly. “What exactly do you want from me?” he asked finally.

She’d rehearsed all the way over here. Her e-mail buddies were behind her a hundred percent. They’d all voted for the direct approach. She breathed deeply, and said, “Sex.”

3

THE BAND, just back from a break, started playing an energetic Garth Brooks song when Jake thought he heard Tori say the most bizarre thing. He smiled just thinking about her reaction if he were to tell her what he thought she’d said.

She smiled back and leaned forward until her breasts grazed the table, her clingy V-neck shirt showing off a mouthwatering amount of cleavage. “Is that a yes?”

He sobered quickly. “I didn’t hear you.”

She straightened, her smile disappearing. “Look, it’s either yes or no. You won’t hurt my feelings if you aren’t interested. But it isn’t necessary to toy with me. Because that won’t happen.”

She’d lied. He had hurt her feelings. It was in her eyes, and the defensiveness of her body language as she crossed her arms and shrunk back against the scarred wood chair.

“Seriously,” he said, “I thought I heard you but you couldn’t have said what I think you did.”

Her mouth began to curve again. “I probably shouldn’t have put it that way.”

Jake stared back. Man, she had a set of balls on her. Not a bad thing, but damn if he knew what to say.

She blinked, looking a little uneasy, and then picked up her beer and finished it off.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “I’m thinking you want to tangle the sheets a little. Am I on the right track?”

She nodded, breaking eye contact to signal the waitress for another beer. She looked back at him, moistened her lips and said, “No strings attached of course.”

It wasn’t hard to keep a straight face. He was still blown away. “For your benefit or mine?”

“For both of us.” She shrugged. “I doubt you’re looking for a relationship, and neither am I.”

Not with him anyway. He wasn’t in her league. No blue blood to pass on to the kiddies. The idea pissed him off. “What makes you think I’m not looking for a relationship?”

Panic crossed her face giving him enormous satisfaction. But then she relaxed and met his eyes with a smugness that ruined his fun. “What are you, about thirty now?” He nodded, and she said, “No wife and kids yet, and when I mentioned the possibility, your friend laughed. Tells me I’m not far off base in my assumption.”

Friggin’ Hector. “Okay, so I’ve been busy.”

“How busy?”

He felt something near the top of his boot. Her foot, he realized. She ran it up his calf over his jeans to his knee, paused and then went to midthigh.

The waitress appeared with two more beers.

Jake straightened when he realized he’d unconsciously been leaning over the table toward Tori. He’d even shifted his hips forward.

“Thanks,” he muttered when the woman set the Corona down in front of him, glad he didn’t have to look at Tori. She had to be laughing, knowing how she’d gotten to him.

The waitress stuffed her order pad into the back pocket of her jeans and then shifted her tray to her other hand. “Y’all want anything else? We’ve got chicken wings, hot or mild, or jalapeño poppers. They’re pretty good. Not too spicy.”

Tori shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m in the mood for something else. How about you?” she asked Jake, the twitch at the corners of her mouth unmistakable.

“I’m good,” he told the waitress. “I’ll take the check, though.”

Tori frowned at him. He wasn’t sure what that was about. Maybe she wasn’t ready to leave. Maybe she’d been bluffing. Maybe she got off on getting him horny and then kicking him to the curb.

The waitress set the tray on the table and got the order pad out of her pocket. After she ripped off the top sheet and set it in front of Jake, she picked up her tray. “Y’all be good, and come back soon.”

Tori tried to grab the check but Jake snatched it first. “I’ll take that,” she said. “I asked you out, remember?”

He smiled. “How politically correct of you,” he said as he dug into his pocket. “You get it the next time.” He flipped through the folded bills, withdrew enough to cover a generous tip, and then looked up. “Assuming there is a next time.”

She blinked. “I hope so.”

“Good enough.” He picked up his beer and tipped the bottle to his lips.

Tori played with the wet napkin under her bottle, lightly sucking in her lower lip, looking as if she had a big decision to make. Or was trying to figure out how to get herself out of this scene gracefully.

Finally she picked up the beer and took a long pull. When she set the bottle down again, her pale pink lips glistened with moisture. Her tongue slipped out to swipe her lower lip, the action sexy as hell. He didn’t think it was deliberate, though. In fact, she seemed nervous.

She shook back her hair and smiled. “Okay, where were we?”

“I believe you were playing with my leg.”

She sputtered, and then started laughing. “Me?”

“I hope it was you.”

“I was minding my own business.”

“You mean you didn’t do this?”

She jumped when the toe of his boot made contact. “No, I believe my aim was quite a bit lower.”

He hadn’t meant to land between her thighs, but he wasn’t quick to withdraw, either. “Ah, my mistake.”

The surprise wore off and she gave him a playful glare as she removed his foot. “Right.”

“Damn, I was just getting comfortable.”

She laughed. “I’m glad I like you.”

“Huh?”

“Having seen you all those years is like following your favorite actor in a TV series and thinking you know him. Then you see him on an interview show and think, oh, my God, he’s a geek. Or he’s arrogant, or dumber than dirt. Know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I know you saw me over the years, either running to the stables, or even simply leaving in the car. What did you think of me?”

He avoided her probing gaze and flashed back to the time when he’d first seen Tori at a window, hiding behind a curtain where she thought he couldn’t see her. She’d watched him for hours, would disappear for a while and then return, sometimes changing windows to track him. She’d been young, too young to interest him, and mostly he’d ignored her.

Except one day, while in a shitty mood after being chewed out by his father for something, Jake had almost gestured to her. He’d wanted to make her aware that he knew she hid at the window. He’d wanted to embarrass her. But at the last moment he’d caught a glimpse of her face and the unhappiness he saw had stopped him cold.

He thought about it for a moment and then said, “I thought you were lonely.”

She reared her head back. “What?”

“Sometimes when you stared out your window, you looked—I dunno.”

“You saw me at the window—” She briefly covered her mouth. “You never let on.”

He shrugged. “You would have been embarrassed.”

She laughed softly. “Yeah. So you knew I had a crush on you all along.”

“I really didn’t think about it,” he said and she frowned. He hadn’t meant the comment as a dismissal, but if she took it that way so be it. “Look, you want to get out of here. It’s getting noisy.”

She nodded, and then took a final sip of beer. He let her lead the way, enjoying the snug fit of her low-riding jeans and the seductive sway of her hips. About an inch of skin showed between the hem of her shirt and her waistband. In the center of her back just above the swell of her butt, it looked as if she had a small tattoo, but more likely it was a birth-mark. He couldn’t imagine that Ms. MBA would have done anything so whimsical or foolish.

They got outside and the blast of hot, humid air made him think again about why he’d chosen to return to Houston. Granted, he generally didn’t work outside much anymore, but the heat could be brutal when he did. Damn, he wished Pop would consider retiring. What kind of hold did the Whitfords have over him?

Tori hesitated and turned to him while pushing the hair away from her face and off her neck. “You’d think I’d be used to this heat by now.”

“You’ve been away,” he murmured, more interested in the graceful curve of her neck. Normally he liked long hair, but he wanted to see hers swept up. Off her neck and the slope of her shoulders. “Where to now?”

Her startled eyes met his. “Tonight?”

Shit, he should have known. “Yeah.”

“I can’t tonight. I only meant for us to have a drink. I have a—” She glanced at her watch. “I have to be home within the hour. My mother has plans for me.”

“Ah.”

She narrowed her gaze. “You think I’m making that up.”

“Actually, I think you’re chickening out.”

Her brows rose. “Tomorrow night. The Westin Hotel at the Galleria. I’ll be there by seven.”

He dug in his pocket for his keys and led them in the direction of her car. “I’ll make the reservation.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

He smiled. “Under Whitford?”

That wiped the smug look off her face. She nibbled her lower lip. “How about…?”

“Use Conners. I have nothing to hide.”

They arrived at her car and she turned to face him, her chin lifted in defiance. “I’m not going to debate my desire for privacy with you.”

“Good. That’d be a waste of time.” He slid an arm around her waist and hauled her against him.

Her mouth opened in surprise and he took full advantage by slipping in his tongue. Her body tensed and then she touched her tongue to his, her ample breasts pressing against his chest as she slid her arms around his neck.

He deepened the kiss and she moaned softly, working her talented fingers into his hair, over his scalp. Cupping her bottom, he pulled her against his erection. She wiggled seductively.

The parking lot was dark and jammed with cars and he thought about opening her car door and laying her down right there. He got as far as the door handle when the nearing sound of laughter stopped him.

Slowly he released her, moving his hands to her hips, gentling the kiss and finally stepping back. She seemed reluctant, but then lowered her hands to her sides and sagged back against the car. One of those two-seater foreign jobs, he realized. No good for what he’d had planned.

They said nothing as the laughing couple stumbled past them. Tori softly cleared her throat. He shifted, trying to adjust the snugness of his jeans. The jangle of keys drew his attention. She’d pulled them out of her purse.

“Thanks for the sneak preview,” she said, her mouth curving slowly, her gaze lingering on him as she opened her car door. “I look forward to tomorrow night.”

She slid inside, her long, shapely legs molded by the tight denim, holding his attention captive. Reluctantly he closed the door. She started the car and the automatic window smoothly slid down.

“Tomorrow night,” he said, and thought about kissing her again but stepped back instead.

“Around seven, right?”

He nodded. “Under what name?”

Her mouth lifted in a mischievous grin. “Lady Chatterly.”

The tinted window slid up, obscuring her face, and then she drove away, leaving him in the parking lot with a smile and a hard-on.

TORI MUTTERED A CURSE when she pulled into the driveway and saw the parlor lights on. Of course her mother could have gone to bed and just left them on for her. It was after eleven.

Another light flickered on and Tori sighed as she navigated the circular driveway around to the east garage where she kept her car. She had a good mind to wander out into the garden and make her mother come out and look for her. No way would she put up with a grilling over where she’d been all night. Tomorrow, after she went to the office, no matter how many appointments were on her calendar, she was looking for an apartment.