Lori Foster Read online

  “That’s it?”

  “No. There’s been a handful of times, but it’s usually only because I’m able to take him by surprise. Like when I turned twenty-one and he gave me my necklace.” Instinctively, her fingers curled over the small, glossy black pearl on the delicate silver chain that she never removed. It felt warm to the touch. “I threw myself against him that time and tried kissing him. He laughed, but only until I caught his mouth. Then he kissed me back.”

  “Ahh. Progress.”

  “For about three seconds.”

  “Let me guess. He ran again?”

  “Yep. Like someone had scorched his very sexy backside.”

  “Men can be so difficult.”

  Since Lace was not only a sex therapist, but married to Annie’s brother Daniel, Annie figured she knew all about difficult men.

  “He’s not like that with other women, you know.”

  “He’s thirty-five, Annie. Surely you don’t expect him to be a monk.”

  “No. I’ve heard plenty of women talk! According to them, he’s a fabulous lover, but I can’t even get a second look out of him.”

  Annie picked up the book on top of the stack and flopped back onto the couch. “I’m dying here. All my sexuality is going to atrophy if Guy doesn’t take notice soon.”

  “I have a feeling he’ll come around.”

  “And I’ll turn into an old dried-up loaf of whole wheat while I’m waiting.” Annie opened the book, surveyed a few pictures, then tilted the book for a better angle. “Good grief!”

  “Looks interesting, doesn’t it?”

  Actually, it looked more than interesting. It looked downright seductive. And enticing. “Is that even possible?” She turned the book, trying to figure out what body part belonged to which person.

  “Trust me, it’s possible.”

  “It doesn’t look very comfortable.”

  Lace peered over her shoulder, then shrugged. “It’s…creative, I agree.”

  “Guy will never go for it.”

  Lace burst out laughing. “He’ll go. Trust me.”

  Annie desperately wanted to be convinced. Not a day went by that she didn’t imagine what it would be like to be married to Guy, to sleep with him every night, to have the right to touch him however and whenever she wanted.

  The thought of however and whenever had kept her awake many a night.

  She wanted them to share a life, to share everything. “You’re the therapist.”

  “Only a sex therapist, Annie. And since you haven’t gotten to the sex part yet, I have to admit I can’t predict people’s reactions about situations. I’m only going on good old female intuition when I tell you Guy must be somewhat interested. If he really thought of you as a little sister, as he claims, none of those hot kisses ever would have happened. Even you have to realize that.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Yes, but honey, wanting and loving are worlds apart. Do you think you can handle it if Guy makes love to you, but isn’t in love with you?”

  This was where it got tricky. Unlike Annie, Guy had no problem dating—frequently. He had his pick of women and most of them were more like Lace—sophisticated, sexy businesswomen with a style all their own and lush bodies and self-confidence oozing out of every feminine pore.

  Annie’s body wasn’t something to brag about. She was built okay, and she wasn’t ashamed of her body, but it certainly hadn’t driven Guy into a lustful frenzy yet. And though her small bookstore was a source of pride for her—something she loved dearly—it was far from a glamorous job.

  It seemed to her that if Guy was going to fall in love with her, he’d have done it by now. But she couldn’t simply give up. And at the moment, she only wanted to concentrate on one thing at a time.

  “The truth is, Lace, when I imagine going my whole life without ever getting to be with him, I feel miserable. I want something, even if it doesn’t last. And who knows? Maybe if we do make love, and he doesn’t want me after that, I’ll finally be over him. It could be a sort of exorcism. But I have to at least try.” Then she winced. “If you really think he’ll want me, that is. I don’t relish the idea of making a complete fool of myself.”

  Lace lifted her brows. “Men are pretty basic in some things, Annie. Guy’s already shown a physical interest, and even though you’re always denying it, you’re a real cutie. I’m guessing—but it is only a guess—that he’ll want you once you give him a proper nudge in the right direction.”

  “Maybe,” Annie allowed. She was used to emulating the men in her life, going after what she wanted with full force, unwilling to let incidentals discourage her.

  She said aloud, “But…seduction. I don’t know anything about seduction.” The idea tempted her, getting to explore the long length of Guy’s lean body, getting to touch him and kiss him to her heart’s content.

  It would take forever.

  But there were drawbacks. If she bumbled it and lost Guy’s respect, on top of everything else, she didn’t think she could bear it.

  Lace reached out and patted her arm. “That’s my field of expertise. So with my help, and the books, you’ll ace it. I promise, most unattached, interested men are not too difficult to seduce. The only problem now is going to be picking the time and place.”

  Annie had her mouth open to offer a suggestion—such as the sooner the better—when the doorbell rang. She looked at Lace, her brows raised. She didn’t want any interruptions now, not when they were just getting to the best part. She scowled at the door. “Sorry. Let me see who it is.”

  The second she opened the door, her brother Daniel burst inside in a very uncharacteristic way. “Listen up quick. Guy is right behind me. He’ll be here any minute. Don’t tell him I just got here, but I had to talk to you before he did. I knew he was coming here, so I raced to beat him.”

  Annie stared owl-eyed. “What in the world is the matter?” Daniel, her levelheaded, oldest brother was definitely in a dither about something.

  He drew a deep breath. “Guy’s getting married.”

  That blurted comment had Annie groping blindly for a chair as the world seemed to tilt beneath her. “What?”

  Obviously frazzled, Daniel roughly ran a hand through his hair. “He said he plans to ask Melissa to marry him.” Before Annie could find a response to that, Daniel raised his hands in immense frustration. “I know. I know. She’s all wrong for him. I tried to tell him that, but he’s not listening to me. So this is where you come in, sis. You’re close to Guy, in some ways more so than I am. Make him think it over, Annie. Reason with him. Try to get him to take some time…”

  Daniel suddenly stopped talking, as if only then realizing how quiet she was. “What’s the matter? You look ready to faint.”

  Annie tried to answer him, she really did. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out. Marriage? All her plans were disintegrating before she could even try them out. Her soon-to-be-learned excellent seduction skills would never find fruition?

  Thank goodness for Lace, who stepped into the breach. “Your delivery needs work, Daniel.”

  “Lace!” He eyed his bride with ill-disguised suspicion and just a hint of lust. “I thought you were out shopping today.”

  “I was. I bought a couple of up-to-date books that your little sister’s conservative bookstore doesn’t carry.” She flashed her patented wicked grin, guaranteed to make him wary.

  Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “Books on what?”

  Annie loved her brother dearly, and she knew he loved Lace. But to him, Lace was everything Annie wasn’t, sexy and seductive and mature and totally female from the top of her platinum blond head to the bottom of her long sexy legs. When they’d first met, Lace had thrown Daniel for a loop, driven him crazy, then to Annie’s relief, she’d returned Daniel’s love. The two of them were perfect together, but Daniel was still skeptical about Lace assisting in Annie’s transformation from tomboy to femme fatale.

  He didn’t want her to transform.

 
; Lace shrugged her shoulders. “Books on sex, of course.”

  “What?”

  With a taunting grin that had Daniel’s glasses fogging, Lace said, “We’re gathering modern info on seduction, sweetheart.” Then she leaned close to him to whisper, “Annie’s seduction as a matter of fact.”

  Into the quiet that followed that statement, Guy suddenly appeared in the open doorway. “Who the hell is trying to seduce Annie?”

  Not a blessed soul, Annie wanted to scream, but she was temporarily sidetracked by her one true love.

  The wind outside had played havoc with his ruthlessly short, light brown hair. It stuck up in odd, spiky angles, making his hair look like an animal’s natural defense.

  His ears and his lean cheeks were ruddy from the cold and his endlessly long, leanly muscled jean-covered legs were slightly damp from the freezing rain. He had the collar to his bomber jacket turned up and Annie could see a wrinkled flannel shirt beneath. It didn’t look as though he had shaved today, and his brown eyes were red rimmed, giving the impression he hadn’t slept much the night before.

  He looked tall and lanky and tired—and so sexy she wanted to take his hand, grab a book and head for the nearest bedroom.

  Annie slowly stood while devouring him with her hungry gaze. “No one is trying to seduce me.”

  Lace smiled, examined a fingernail, and announced, “Annie’s going to do the seducing.”

  Both Guy and Daniel turned to stone. “What?”

  Annie sent Lace a reproving glance, which she ignored. That was the problem with having a friend who was just a bit zany, with too much intelligence and imagination for her own good. Annie held no fear that Lace would actually give her away. In fact, she probably thought she was helping by whetting Guy’s curiosity. But Guy didn’t look whetted, he looked appalled. And to mention it in front of Daniel? Her brother was not a man taken to frivolity, despite Lace’s constant assurances to the contrary.

  “I’m twenty-five years old,” Annie explained, trying to calm the two men staring at her with the same morbid fascination they might give to a train wreck. “I think my sex life should be my own business.”

  Guy shoved the door shut behind him then crossed his long arms over his chest. Somehow he managed to look even taller. “What sex life?”

  A good question.

  Again, Lace spoke up. “You certainly didn’t expect her to remain a virgin forever, did you?”

  “It was a nice thought,” Guy muttered.

  Daniel rounded on Lace, his face still red. “This is all your doing, isn’t it?”

  “I certainly didn’t arouse her, if that’s what you’re talking about.”

  Daniel sputtered while Guy’s eyes widened. “Annie is aroused?”

  He sounded horrified, and then to her discomfort, he looked her over as if checking for signs. Annie squirmed.

  Lace shrugged, her grin in place, looking a bit smug. “It’s been known to happen.”

  Guy noticed the books and magazines then and stalked forward. “My God. You’ve got a literary arsenal here.” He picked up the copy of Kama Sutra and flipped through it, his eyes growing darker by the moment. His gaze cut to Annie. “How many men were you planning on seducing? A baker’s dozen?”

  She could feel her face turn hot. She hadn’t figured on anything as outrageous as a group confrontation, for crying out loud.

  With few choices, she tried to bluster past her embarrassment. “If need be.”

  “Why?” Guy demanded, at the same time Daniel said, “The hell you will!”

  She glared at each man in turn. “I don’t need to explain myself to either one of you.”

  Daniel brushed past Lace and picked up The Year’s Most Popular Erotica. He skimmed the titles inside, then gawked at Annie. “Good grief, Annie. What are you doing with this stuff?”

  Since Annie wasn’t quite certain what she was doing, she lifted one shoulder and grimaced a smile. Lace went on tiptoe to peer over Daniel’s shoulder. “Ahh. Erotica. I brought that one so Annie could compare. You know, most women think their fantasies are odd or different or even weird. I wanted Annie to have an idea of what some of the most popular fantasies are, so she wouldn’t suffer that insecurity.”

  Daniel scowled at Lace. Guy looked positively apoplectic.

  Lace remained supremely unaffected by their silent condemnation. “She does have fantasies, you know.”

  Twin masculine stares turned Annie’s way. She cringed, wishing she could find a hole to hide in, or else a big piece of tape to slap over her friend’s uncensored mouth. “Uh, Lace…”

  “I also brought the first and second issue of The Joy of Sex. Great text, and the illustrations are superb—and very inspiring.”

  Since Lace’s course of action had effectively silenced both men, Annie felt a bit braver, and decided to join in. She picked up a slim volume and pretended to be familiar with it. “This one is on the male…uh, orgasm. How to make it better.” She almost choked as she said it—then immediately imagined Guy in the throes of passion. She stared at him, unblinking.

  “Actually,” Lace commented, “it’s how to make it better than great.” She waved a hand. “Not that most men need any help in that area. But I couldn’t find that many books on helping women increase their own pleasure. I brought some articles though. They ought to ensure that things go satisfactorily for you.”

  Guy wheezed as if he’d gotten sucker punched in the gut.

  Daniel huffed and stomped over to first one wall then another. His dark gaze bounced off Lace several times while he paced. Lace just smiled her serene smile at him. She knew Daniel could never stay angry at her for long. And Annie knew, deep down, he loved Lace’s free-spirited, natural way. She only wished she could be so cavalier.

  Guy finally caught his breath, then looked slightly ill, but he refrained from glaring. Guy seldom got really angry, and when he did, only those who knew him well were aware of it.

  He wasn’t so much mad now, as confused and obviously irritated. Confused because, after all, Annie was “pure,” and irritated because she didn’t want to be.

  Seeing Guy like this was pretty intriguing. Generally, he got along fine with everyone, even with their middle brother Max, who had a hard time getting along with himself, much less anyone else. But Max liked Guy. Everyone liked Guy. He was an unofficial member of their family. Except to Annie.

  She wanted more, so very much more.

  Unlike her family, she wanted to thoroughly debauch Guy, and have him debauch her in return.

  In a lethal, almost predatory tone she’d seldom heard from him, Guy asked, “Who are you planning to seduce, Annie?”

  Lace chuckled and leaned toward Guy with a wicked gleam in her eyes and a conspiratorial stage whisper. “The guy’s a real dope. Can you believe he hasn’t even noticed her, and she’s sending out all the signals? Annie’s getting desperate.” Then Lace’s gaze settled on Annie, and she said, “I have a feeling the guy’s getting desperate, too, if you know what I mean. He’s thinking of taking some pretty desperate measures himself.”

  Annie felt her heartbeat pick up. Surely Lace wasn’t suggesting Guy would marry another woman just to set himself apart from her? That seemed to be stretching it just a bit. Or was it? Oh please, don’t let him be in love with another woman.

  “It’s not that Perry fellow, is it?” Guy growled. “He’s not at all right for you, Annie. We talked about that, remember?”

  Perry Baines was a nice enough person. He worked with Guy at the company as an advertising executive, and he had been persistent in his pursuit. But Annie wasn’t interested. She’d only gone out with him as a friend. And to make Guy jealous, a small voice prompted. But since it hadn’t worked, since Guy had only warned Annie that Perry was a wimp, without a single sign of jealousy, she ignored the small voice.

  “Perry is…nice,” she said, unwilling to admit she had no prospects at all.

  Guy whirled around and said to Lace, “You know I love you to death,
Lace, and I think you’re the best thing that ever happened to Daniel—”

  “Gee, thanks, Guy.” Daniel’s tone was wry.

  “—but is it really necessary for you to encourage Annie in this ridiculous business?”

  It was Daniel who answered. “Lace finds it impossible to keep her nose out of anything. She’s been working on fixing Max up, too.”

  Annie winced. Now that was a dead-end endeavor. Max would never settle down with one woman. He had wanderlust in the worst way.

  Annie made the attempt to regain control. “Both of you just leave Lace alone. She’s certainly being more helpful than you two would have been.”

  There was a general enthusiastic grunting of concordance from the men on that point, since their idea of help would have been to dissuade her—or lock her in a closet.

  Suddenly Guy frowned at Daniel. “What are you doing here?”

  “Ahh…”

  “He was just leaving with me,” Lace said, saving Daniel from a lie. “He promised me a ride home.” She latched onto Daniel’s arm, hugging it to her breasts, and at the same time scooped up her black wool cape. Everything Lace wore was dark.

  Since Daniel was caught, he didn’t refute Lace’s claim, but neither did he look happy about it. He pulled Annie close for a hug with his free arm, then whispered, “Talk some sense into him, sis. Make him think about what he’s doing.”

  Annie nodded. “I’ll try.” Boy, would she try.

  Daniel resisted as Lace attempted to drag him out the door. He caught Annie’s hand. “And for Pete’s sake, don’t seduce anyone!”

  Lace gave a theatrical groan. “Big brothers are surely a nuisance. I’m glad now I didn’t have any.” And with that, she led Daniel away, leaving Annie and Guy alone. Annie bit her lip.

  Silence filled the small apartment after the door closed, then Annie turned to face Guy. He watched her closely, which sent her heart into a tailspin. She tried to swallow her nervousness.