Husband Hunting 101 (10 page)

"Yes, Angel and I have discussed it for a while. Our clientele includes brides-to-be, and we have a bridal registry. The women shop for honeymoons and anniversaries. But I wanted to expand so they can find merchandise for
all
occasions."

"Smart decision," he said.

She narrowed her eyes as if she was trying to tell if he was sincere and he grinned. "Mark said you had a knack for business."

Her lips curled upward. "Thanks. Hopefully my degree was worth it. Besides," she paused with a sly smile," pregnant women deserve to feel sexy and beautiful."

A tiny jingle bell tingled and he stared at her hand, swallowing more coffee when he noticed where the bell was attached—to the front of a pair of men's green Christmas thongs.

He suddenly envisioned wearing them for her, then her taking them off, and his body hardened.

Don't go there, man. Sex can lead to marriage and babies.

She added the finishing touches to her display by placing several decorative bottles of soaps and perfumes in between the lacy garments. "How's your advertising agency going?"

"Good," he said. "I've added a couple of new accounts this week."

Jenna nodded, then stepped back to scrutinize the display. "Do you do portraits or paint on the side?"

He'd actually like to paint her - nude. But he bit back the comment. "I dabble in some abstracts. And I enjoy working in charcoal."

She added a bedside lamp in the middle of the table, locked the store door, flipped the
Open
sign to
Closed
and pulled the shades, then turned to him. "Okay, now let's take a look at your sketches."

He unfolded his drawing pad on the counter and realized he was holding his breath, silently hoping for her approval as she studied his work.

"Ahh, these are much closer to what I had in mind," she said, pointing to the first drawing—a sketch emphasizing the lace-draped table hosting the bridal registry.

Their heads touched as they leaned over the sketchpad, and when she spotted the couple shadowed by moonlight, their hands extended, fingers barely touching over a candlelit dinner with a wedding ring floating in a glass of champagne, she gasped in delight. "Yes, this is nice, romantic, sensual, just the look I'm aiming for."

He'd drawn a series depicting the progression of a budding romance, starting with a couple in satin lounging attire cuddled around a fireplace. With each scene, the mood escalated and the lingerie became more provocative. The last picture showcased a bride wearing a long train as she marched down the aisle. Although the couple's faces were mere outlines, he realized how closely the woman's profile resembled Jenna.

"These are lovely," Jenna said a little breathlessly.

The sultry music in the background made Zack's libido kick up, heightening his awareness of the erotic atmosphere in the boutique.

"You really are talented, Zack," Jenna said as her gaze lingered on the second picture in the series. The man looked rugged and tough, dressed in jeans and a denim shirt with the top button open, his female companion in a long, white gauzy dress that swirled around her ankles in the breeze as they danced in the moonlight. Only the hint of a sheer camisole peeked from her blouse and the man held her in a clinched pose. It reminded her of a seductive pose on the cover of a romance novel.

Jenna's breath whispered out in a soft sigh of appreciation, and Jack's chest puffed with pride.

Then she turned and paused again at the rough sketch of a man on bended knee proposing to a woman wearing one of the black bodystockings she had in the store. The woman was brushing her lover's cheek with a rose. "This is beautiful, absolutely beautiful," she said in a whisper.

He jammed his hands into his pockets. "I haven't finalized the slogan yet, but I have a couple of ideas."

Her gaze locked with his. "Do you want to run them by me now?"

"I'd rather wait until I've narrowed them down," he said, suddenly drawn to the way the dimming light filtering in from the outside shadowed her face. The sun had set and the haze of early evening had started to turn into night.

As an artist he appreciated the nuances of oranges and yellows and reds fading into a smoky gray. A smoky gray that simmered with heat and the hint of romance.

As a man, he simply wanted her.

The air around them crackled with awareness, with the silent hunger he tried so hard to ignore. But it was burning a hole in his belly, and it was all he could do to keep his hands from reaching for her.

"I'm confident the slogan will be a winner," she said, her voice husky.

"You make it easy." He paused when she arched an eyebrow. "With all this sexy merchandise, how could I go wrong?"

"Thanks," she said softly. "I enjoy choosing the items in the store personally and try to be selective."

"Are you as selective with your husband hunt?"
Damn it, the comment just slipped out.

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Absolutely."

In the background, the feminine scents of perfume filled the air, and the music rose to a crescendo of sultry tones. In spite of his brain's warning, Zack suddenly couldn't keep his hands still.

He gently touched a strand of silky red hair that had swept down into her face. They were standing so close her breath caressed his cheek, and he could almost hear the faint rhythm of her heart fluttering as he gently pushed the strand behind her ear.

The movement revealed her hearing aid and she bit her lip, then started to turn away, but he caught her chin and gently pulled her face back to his. A hint of vulnerability shadowed her face, deepening his desire.

Then her breathing became erratic, and hunger flooded him as he realized that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

He inhaled her sultry scent and something sweeter, softer mingled with desire, some emotion he refused to acknowledge or admit. It had to be hunger, an extension of the excitement burgeoning in his loins, nothing more, not affection or love, no, he wouldn't let himself feel those things.

They weren't real. After all, he barely knew her.

Still, a raw ache for her consumed him.

Then Jenna's soft lips parted, the look of yearning in her expression mirroring his own need, and the air around them became electrified. Music echoed in the background as he lowered his mouth and touched his lips to hers. She lifted her hand and stroked his jaw, then a low moan rumbled from deep in her throat and a small tremor rippled through her body, spiking his passion.

Unable to resist, he curved his arm around her waist and dragged her into his arms. Zack's mouth caught hers, and he drank greedily, his pulse racing as she met him eagerly. His tongue made a foray of her mouth and she thrust her own at him, tasting his desire and pressing her body into his with such need that he claimed her mouth over and over again. His hands forgot to behave and slid down her spine, massaged her slender waist, pulled her heat into his, and when her hands cupped his backside, he groaned with a primal urge that shocked him.

Jenna was all softness and sensuality wrapped in a sweet package of passion, and he wanted to tear open the ribbon and rip off the wrapping paper. He eased her against the wall, sliding his hands over her hips. One hand roamed upward to cover the soft mound of her breast. They were so full, so warm and welcoming that he groaned. Then he eased his fingers beneath the satin fabric of her blouse, savoring the touch of her bare skin against his fingers.

He wanted more.

She nibbled at his earlobe, and he trailed kisses down her neck, biting at the sensitive skin behind her ear, dipping his head to kiss her throat, then lower to the swell of her breasts. The scent of roses almost overwhelmed him as he cupped her breasts. He lowered his head and the tip of her nipple puckered toward him, straining against the sheer fabric. Abandoning his common sense, he slowly unbuttoned the pearl buttons of her blouse and peeled away the fabric. He heard her quick intake of breath as she threaded her fingers in his hair, angling his face so she could see into his eyes.

"Zack, we can't," she whispered.

"Yes, we can. I want you," he said in a husky voice. "You're so beautiful."

Her eyes grew moist, brimming with desire and emotions that looked so raw and vulnerable that his heart clenched. He kissed her lips, tenderly, sweetly, his fingers stroking and circling her nipples.

A shudder coursed through her, but she tensed in his arms. "Zack, we have to stop," she said again, more firmly this time. "I... I want more than one night."

"I might be good for two," he said in a teasing tone.

But she didn't laugh. "I can't," she said, her voice uneven.

Tears and emotions he didn't want to deal with laced her voice.

Emotions he couldn't let allow himself to feel. For loving someone, giving them your heart only brought pain and heartache.

Nodding to indicate that he'd accepted her request, he dropped his head so his forehead leaned against hers. Their unsteady breathing rattled in the air as he struggled for reason. God knows, he'd lost control already.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, clamping down on her lip.

"Shh, don't." He brushed his knuckles across her cheek." I'm the one who's sorry." His heart tightened into a vise and he wanted to give her more, wanted to tell her he could give her more than one night, that he could give her a lifetime just like she wanted.

But fear and painful memories clogged his mind, and he swallowed, slowly righting her clothes and forcing himself to draw away. That little boy inside him surfaced and he remembered in vivid detail all those other weddings. He'd never forget being the ringbearer for his dad when he was six years old—walking down the aisle holding that tiny little pillow with the gold band in the middle, looking up at his new mom-to-be with such dreams, then hearing only days later that she wanted to keep the housekeeper, that she had no intention of playing nursemaid to two scrawny boys.

Yeah, he'd seen the hopes and happiness of a couple in love countless times, then he'd witnessed the devastation when it all ended. He'd been the innocent bystander, the one wondering what had gone wrong and wishing that those stupid fairy tales his teachers had read in books came true—but knowing they didn't.

Chapter 6

Jenna stared into the last dregs of her coffee in misery, grateful Colleen had agreed to meet her at the bookstore coffee shop. She didn't feel like facing her empty apartment, not with the sexually-charged scene at her store haunting her with what ifs.

What if she'd let Zack make love to her? What if it turned into more...

No. Hadn't Heloise insisted that you could not change a man? And she was right.

Certainly she wanted Zack. She wanted him with every fiber of her being.

But wanting and needing were the stuff of fairy tales.

And fairy tales didn't always come true.

Although a night in bed with Zack would be fabulous... Even a night of phone sex or sexting...

Colleen slid into the seat across from her. "You look bummed. What's wrong, Jenna? Are you having problems at the store?"

A red flush crept up Jenna's neck. "Uh, sort of."

Colleen stirred cream and sugar in her coffee. "Oh, no it's slow?"

"No, business is good," Jenna said. "My new lingerie for Christmas arrived, and it's spectacular. You'll have to come in and take a look."

"I can't wait." Colleen giggled. "Not that I
need
new lingerie."

Jenna forced herself to smile. "Married life must be suiting you?"

"It's better than I imagined," Colleen said, "I love Mark and he loves me. Last night we climbed out on the deck..." She hesitated as if she realized she shouldn't spill intimate details. "Well, never mind."

Jenna patted her hand. "Seriously, I'm happy for you. I know you dated your share of jerks before Mark."

Colleen nodded. "Sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs."

"That's all that's out there now," Jenna said morosely. "Complete toads."

Colleen curled her hand over Jenna's. "Honey, don't give up. There's someone for you. You just haven't found him yet."