Designed for Love (15 page)

He laughed when Wendy realized her
nakedness, came back and grabbed the sheet to cover up. Her cheeks turned a
bright red. A sense of modesty too.

That was funny considering what they'd
been through the last twelve hours. But he liked it. Liked it a lot. Hell, he
liked her a lot.

He still couldn't believe she came back
last night. What prompted it? And her boldness. Not that he minded, hell, no.
It just surprised him. Surprised him, shocked the hell out of him is more like
it. He knew the minute he laid eyes on her, she was independent and confident.
But after she resisted his every advance, to say it shocked him was an
understatement.

"Hey, are you going to get up and
make me breakfast or what?" Wendy came back and smacked his butt.

"Okay, okay." Bill pushed the
blanket away and got out of bed. This time he did laugh at the look on her face
as she stared at his nakedness.

He couldn't help it. She tried to avert
her eyes, but he saw the quick glance, then she stared at him openly. As if she
wanted to devour him. It took all his will power not to grab her and climb back
into bed.

"You want the shower first?" He
moved toward her. He couldn't resist this woman. "Or maybe you'd rather we
take one together. It's big enough." He left her to think about it and
went into the bathroom.

* * *

I knew my cheeks turned red. Good Lord,
my whole body was on fire just looking at him. I'd never seen such a fine
specimen of a man. I almost giggled. Hell, I'd never seen a man naked before.
Holy crap, I had watched his member harden in front of me. I had no idea what
was going on inside me. All I knew was my hormones raged, and I wanted him.
Again!

The shower? I'd never made love in a
shower before. I giggled. Hell, I'd never made love in a bed before last night.
Why not? I heard the water turn on.

Suddenly, I felt playful and went into
the bathroom, letting the sheet slip from my body. He stood ready to get into
the shower when I walked in. He stopped and looked at me. I hadn't missed the
admiring look when I first got out of bed. He didn't disappoint me now. His
grin definitely said he liked what he saw.

I stopped in front of him and grazed my
hand across his chest, pulling gently on his hairs. I slid my hand down to his
stomach and made circles, widening them with each pass until I touched his hard
erection. He gasped when I took it in my hand.

"The hell with the shower, let's go
back to bed."

"Uh uh, the shower this time."
I pushed him toward it.

"God, woman, you're insatiable."

"Me!" I yanked on his erection
just enough to emphasize my words. "What's this?"

Bill laughed. "You've got me there.
The shower it is." He opened the shower door.

I took my gaze off him long enough to
look around. He wasn't kidding, the shower was large enough for both of us and
then some. Shower jets lined the wall at various heights. Six on the side wall
alone. Two each at the front and back of the tub. A large rain shower head
mounted on the ceiling promised a gentle stream of water. Luxury wasn't the
word to describe the spa tub. Clear glass enclosed the area.

"You like?" Bill grinned at me,
while he reached in and adjusted the water. "Don't want cold water ruining
our fun."

Like wasn't the word to describe what I
thought of the large bathroom. Gold colored travertine tile on the walls and
floor created a warm, inviting room. I could get used to living like this. It
sure made my spa tub modest in comparison. Why he thought he needed an interior
designer was beyond me. I filed it in my memory back to ask him later.

Bill nudged me inside the shower, and
stepped in behind me. He put his arms around me and cupped my breasts. I leaned
against him. Already I wanted him. I tried to turn around.

"Not yet," he whispered.
"Just let me hold you, feel you."

He took his hands away for a minute and
when he brought them back he slid them over my breasts full of lathery soap.
His slippery hands moved across my breasts and on my back. He leaned down and
kissed my neck as he massaged me.

Wave after wave of electrical jolts
crashed over me. Never had soap been so stimulating, so sinfully arousing.

I didn't know how long I could endure
this. I needed release, now. Yet my body was greedy for him. Wanted more. I
writhed against him. I wanted him to fill me, yet didn't want it to end. Not
yet. Again, I tried to turn toward him.

"Not yet."

"I want to touch you too." I
needed to touch him.

"If you touch me now it'll be all
over."

After our shower, I put my clothes on and
towel dried my hair. Guess the curly look was going to have to do for today.
The delicious smell of bacon drifted up from the kitchen. My stomach growled,
reminding me how hungry I was.

Hungry for food this time. Hopefully, I
had enough of Bill for a while. I had to go home and get some work done. Before
I went downstairs, I couldn't help doing a little exploring.

I loved this old house and its high
ceilings. I went from bedroom to bedroom, most of them empty. Some still needed
work. I even loved the old faded wallpaper on the walls. One of the rooms had a
bay window that looked out on the street. The whole room had a familiarity
about it.

I stood at the window
and pictured me as a child, standing here looking out the window,
daydreaming. I became so lost in thought, I didn't hear Bill come upstairs.
Didn't hear him enter the room. Didn't even hear Leo's nails clicking on the
floor as he followed his master.

Suddenly, he was there standing beside
me. He put his arm around me. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just thinking about this room and
this window. It's so familiar. Like I've been here before. I love this
house." I leaned against him. "I hope you don't mind I took the
liberty of exploring a bit." I patted Leo's head. I could get used to this
whole lifestyle.

"Not at all. I'll show you more
after breakfast."

"Good, I'd love to see the attic
playroom."

"How did you know there was an attic
playroom?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea."

I picked up my dish and carried it to the
sink. "That was excellent. I've never had eggs Benedict before. Where'd
you learn to cook?"

"I used to help my mom." Bill
took the dish from me, rinsed it, and put it in the dishwasher "Cooking's
my second love. Well, maybe not second, but its high up on the list." Leo
followed him back and forth from the table to the sink, finally lying down at
his feet.

Wow, good-looking, sexy and can cook. How
had he escaped being tied down? Maybe he was afraid of commitment. Or maybe he
just liked to play the field.

No ties. 'Foot loose and fancy free' as
my mother would say. Before I had a chance to say more, the phone rang. Bill
went to answer it, and Leo came to sit next to me. I patted the dog without
even thinking. He laid his head on my lap and seemed to enjoy me scratching
behind his ears.

"Wish you could talk," I said
to Leo. "I'd ask you his deepest, darkest secrets."

Leo cocked his head and looked up at me.

"Who has secrets?" Bill came
back to the kitchen.

My face flushed. "Oops, caught
me."

Bill tossed the towel on the sink.
"We have to go."

"Where?"

"Gladys Gilmore's house got broken
into. There's water everywhere."

"Water?" I grabbed my jacket
off the chair and remembered my car keys. They weren't on the table.
"Where are my keys?"

"What keys?"

"My car keys. I threw them on the
table last night. That's why I came back." I almost bit my tongue at the
last part. Oh, well, he may as well know the truth.

"You came back for your keys?"

"Uh, yeah, but they're not here. Did
you put them some place?"

"I haven't seen them. Are you sure
you left them?" Bill picked up a newspaper from the counter and looked
under it.

"Positive. I remember putting them
on the table when you hung up my jacket."

"Then they have to be here some
place. Can we look for them later? I have to get over there. We can go in my
car."

I shrugged. What the heck? I had a spare
set at home. Besides, it just assured me of an excuse to come back. Not that I
needed an excuse. At least I didn't think I did.

Chapter Twenty

Bill flipped open his cell phone and
punched in a number. "Frank, did you call the city and get someone out
there to turn off Gilmore's water?" He held the car door for me and
motioned for me to get in.

"Okay, good. I'll meet you out there
in about twenty minutes." He flipped the phone closed and went around to
the driver's side. "At least they had the presence of mind to call the
city."

"What happened?" I couldn't
imagine why the house would be flooded.

"Someone broke in and stole all the
copper plumbing. Had to be last night. One of my guys was out there yesterday
afternoon."

"Stole the plumbing. Get out!"

"Yep, that's the big thing now. Find
a vacant house or someone who's on vacation and they take the plumbing.
Copper's worth a lot of money."

Talk about guts. "What would possess
someone to do something like that?" I waved my hand to stop his answer.
"Never mind, money, I know. What I mean is who came up with such an
idea?"

"Don't know who thought of it, but
it's becoming rampant. Happening all over the city. Hell, I'm lucky they didn't
break into mine."

What was happening in this world?
Stealing plumbing. Whoever thought of such a thing? "How much damage to
the house?"

Bill shrugged. "Don't know until we
get there. But most of the plumbing was on the first floor. Hot water tank was
in the laundry room upstairs. From what I understand they even took the water
meter."

I cringed. Hopefully, the damage was
limited to the rooms where we still needed to replace the floors. I'd hate to
see the beautiful hardwood floors in the bedrooms ruined.

Bill pulled into the long drive and
stopped at the gate. He inserted a card into the slot and the gates opened. He
drove through, and they automatically closed behind us.

"How did someone even get near the
house with all that security?"

"Good question. There's an alarm on
the doors and windows, too."

I caught my breath when the mansion came
into view. I did it every time I came here. I loved the way the red brick
mansion sat nestled on the wooded lot. "Something about this place evokes
a memory in me." One I never could recapture.

"Of what?"

"I wish I knew. Nothing I can think
of comes to mind. Maybe it was in another life."

Bill laughed. "Another life, huh? So
were you rich in this other life, married to the master of such a fine
establishment?"

I giggled at the way he changed his voice
to an English accent, befitting a gentleman of another era. "More than
likely the mean, old, spinster nanny."

"You, a spinster? No way."

I turned and looked at him. "Oh,
mean and old but not a spinster, huh?"

Bill burst out laughing. "You have
to admit when we first met you weren't exactly pleasant."

"No, I guess I wasn't. On the other
hand, can you blame me? I mean you came barreling into me."

"True, but I did apologize. Besides,
I was taken with your beauty and had to figure a way to meet you."

"Yeah, right."

"I was. Don't you believe me?"

"For a while I thought you were
stalking me." I grinned at him. "I mean, what are the odds you'd end
up on the same flight and in the next seat?"

"Not to mention the same hotel
room." Bill reached for my hand, pulled it toward him and kissed it.
"You sure were a hard nut to crack."

I pulled my hand away. "A hard
nut." The very idea. Who did he think he was? Crap, had I just made the
biggest mistake of my life?

"Hey, I was joking, okay? But you
are stubborn."

"Stubborn, I'll give you." I
chuckled. I couldn't stay mad at him. He was too darn cute. I liked that silly
grin and the way he teased me. "But you have seen nothing yet."

"Why, Miss Scarlet, is that a
threat?" Bill changed to a southern accent.

I giggled. Two could play the same game.
"Ah do declare, Mr. Rhett, it just might be." I had never enjoyed
anything so much in my life.

Play acting just wasn't among my things
to do. Even when my sisters pretended, I never joined in. Nonsense, that's all
it was. Now, here I was enjoying it for the first time in my life.

"Well then, Miss Scarlet, I long to
see what you have in store for me."