Just One Look (13 page)

"Oh, yes, nothing tears him away from Monday Night Football."

"Oh, I bet some of that scrumptious strawberry shortcake will do the trick," Matt said, grinning. "I can't wait to have some. I'm famished." He held out his arm to Ronnie and escorted her to the door.

What had got into him? Jennifer wondered, following behind them.

In the house, she hurried to her bedroom. Once there, she closed the door and walked on into the bathroom. Her cheeks looked as if she'd gone wild with the blush brush. Her eyes were sleepy looking, smoky with muted desire.

Jennifer adjusted her bra and smoothed her sweater. She felt like screaming in frustration. Her breasts throbbed with longing, as did other parts of her body that she couldn't bear to think of now for fear she'd run out and tackle Matt and drag him into the bedroom.

Wetting a washcloth with cold water, she pressed it to her face. Maybe Mom and Dad would leave before the game was over. She tossed the damp washcloth into the sink. Yeah, fat chance.

After she'd combed her hair, she went back to the living room, determined to overcome the sensual lethargy that enveloped her.

Matt sat in the living room with her dad. Apparently, he hadn't had any problem forgetting his carnal desires. Of course, everyone knew that love making ran a poor second to professional football, she thought sourly.

"Here we go," Ronnie said, carrying in the heavy silver tray. On it were cups and saucers, a silver coffee pot, and a tiered rack holding plates of strawberry shortcake, drenched in whipped cream.

"You mean you made this while we were gone?" Matt asked incredulously.

"It's not difficult," Ronnie said, pleased at his reaction. "Even Jennifer knows how to make this."

"Yep, my little girl is going to make some lucky guy a wonderful wife," Ed said, with stern emphasis on the word wife.

Could the evening get any worse? Jennifer wondered accepting the gold-rimmed bone china plate from her mother. "Thanks, Mom, it looks delicious."

"I'm sure she will be a great wife," Matt said. "She certainly possesses some unique," he hesitated, looking directly at Jennifer before continuing smoothly, "assets as well as skills and talents." He took another bite and rolled his eyes. "This is wonderful. Why you know, Jennifer, I think it's as good as that thing you did with wine and strawberries."

"Oh, Jennifer, do you have a new dessert recipe?" Ronnie asked.

Jennifer blanched. "Not really," she mumbled, dipping into her dessert and filling her mouth so she couldn't possibly be expected to answer. Was he teasing or did he know that she'd planned that seduction scene with the strawberries? She was afraid to hazard a guess.

"If you'll excuse me, I've been dying to start this book." Ronnie settled into one of the chairs, leaving Jennifer to carry the conversational ball, as it were.

Matt wolfed down his dessert then settled back on the couch next to Ed. The two men watched the game and hollered at the place kicker who couldn't seem to get one in the air. During color commentary, Matt and Ed swapped anecdotes about the different pro games they'd seen, each trying to top the other with his "you've never seen a play like that before" comments.

After a bit, Jennifer got disgusted with their male bonding ritual. They certainly seemed to have hit it off, she thought, carrying the tray of dishes back to the kitchen. She washed up the dessert plates and coffee cups, rinsed the sink, and dried her hands. Before turning off the light, she got a glass of water and the bottle of ibuprofen from the pantry and shook out two tablets.

After she'd swallowed the ibuprofen, she turned the light off and reached up to replace the bottle on the pantry shelf.

Almost immediately, a pair of arms encircled her and a warm body pressed against her back. Even if she hadn't recognized Matt by his aftershave, even if there'd been a dozen men in her home, she'd have known it was him.

He pressed against her spine as his arms held her securely. She felt the beat of his heart against her back and the throb of his very male desire pressed to her bottom. She bit her lip to contain the groan that sought release. Unable to stop herself, she sagged against him, slanting her head to the left in invitation.

Matt claimed the tender skin at the side of her neck, sucking hard then laving the love bite with his tongue. She wanted his hands on her breasts, on her sex, but his hands remained still. He was rock-hard and throbbing, and she was frustrated in the extreme. Then, he thrust his hips, grinding into her soft, curving buttocks, once, twice.

Jennifer did moan then. She couldn't have held it in if her life depended on it. His hand slipped up to softly cover her mouth as his own ravaged her throat. Nipping, sucking, burning, pushing the neck of the sweater aside to gain access to her skin. Thrill after thrill raced through her body until she thought she would melt into a puddle on her kitchen floor. Then he eased back. The effort must have cost him because his whole body shook with the effort

"Matt," Jennifer whispered against the palm of his hand, pressing back against his jutting hardness and trying to guide his other hand to her breast. "Please."

His lips continued their wet exploration of her exposed flesh. How could he be satisfied with an appetizer when the main course was his for the taking, she wondered.

Jennifer's tongue flicked out, grazing his palm. His hand jerked away, and he hauled her back against him. She gloried in his possession.

"Excuse me, Matt, did you find the cupboard with the glasses?" Ronnie asked from just beyond the doorway.

They both froze, their breaths loud in the quiet room.

"I'm showing him where they are, Mom," Jennifer said, her voice weak and breathless. Then she giggled like a naughty child caught playing spin the bottle.

"All right, dear," Ronnie said. "I think I'll go back to my novel now. Would you bring your dad a glass of water when you come back?"

"Sure, Mom." Jennifer was grateful to her mother for such discretion. She turned in Matt's arms and leaned back against the cabinet. Her whole body was an invitation to him. She waited for him to delight her with his touch, but he moved in the opposite direction, backing away from her.

"I'd better get that glass of water for your father," he said, his voice as nonchalant as if he'd just walked into the kitchen for that purpose.

Jennifer frowned. How could he set aside his desire so quickly?

Matt opened the cabinet by her head and reached for a glass. He wondered if she could hear the hot blood singing through his veins. He'd never suspected he had such will power before. When what he wanted was to lift her to the counter top, spread her legs wide, and embed himself in her heat. He could hardly believe that he'd resisted the urge to fill his hands with her breasts and tease her until she was wet and wild with longing for him.

He took a deep breath and filled the glass with water from the tap, not daring to look at her.

Before he gave her what they both wanted, little Jenny Thornhill had a few lessons to learn. The first lesson? Payback was a bitch.

* * *

An hour later the game was over. Ed and Ronnie began gathering their things and saying their goodbyes.

Finally, thought Jennifer, hugging her dad, then her mom, careful to keep from making eye contact with Ronnie. She couldn't help but see the cautionary gleam in her mother's eyes.

"Well, I guess I'd better go too." Matt stretched his heavily-muscled arms high over head.

"Oh, it's not that late," Jennifer said.

"I'm afraid it is. I've got patients all day long tomorrow so I need to catch my forty winks."

"Enjoyed meeting you, Matt." Ed thrust his huge hand at the younger man.

"Likewise, sir," Matt said with a grin. "I'm looking forward to the weekend."

"The weekend?" Jennifer asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes. Your parents were nice enough to ask me to visit them this weekend at their lake cabin."

"When did this take place?" She heard herself ask.

"When you were washing up the dessert dishes," her dad said, "Matt and I got to talking about fishing. Why do you know he still has his first
Zebco
rig, just like you. You two can have the battle of the ancient
Zebco
." Ed laughed at his little jest.

"Yeah, what fun," Jennifer said in a monotone. Maybe she could tolerate it for one day, she thought. "Are you driving down Saturday or Sunday?"

"Actually, I thought I'd ride down with you early Saturday morning. I'm not on call this weekend so it's the perfect time to get away." He winked at her.

She was going to have to spend the entire weekend with Matt, surrounded by other people? Why doesn't someone just shoot me and put me out of my misery? Jennifer wondered.

"There's no point in taking two cars, is there?" Matt asked, and winked at her again.

She blushed. What was with those broad winks? She knew her parents had noticed. Next thing she knew, he'd be nudging her dad in the ribs.

"Are you sure you can make time in your busy schedule to do this?" she asked sarcastically. "You might sacrifice some of those forty winks of sleep you like to get."

"Oh, yeah. I don't mind losing a bit of sleep to get a chance to fish."

Jennifer's temper bubbled over. The jerk. The under-sexed, juvenile jerk!

"I never let anything come between me and a good fishing weekend. I might even enter that tournament if it's not too late," Matt said.

"Heck, no, it's not. Tell you what, son, I'll sign you up myself. We're going down Friday so I'll do it then."

"Thanks, Ed. I'll pay you back whatever the entrance fee is."

"You're darn tootin' you will." Ed laughed.

"Matt, it was nice getting to know you," Ronnie said. "I'll have some of those yeast waffles I told you about ready for you when you arrive Saturday morning."

Jennifer stared incredulously at Matt. How had he got into her parents' good graces so easily? And her dad! He sounded as if he was ready to adopt Matt, too.

Within minutes, they'd all retrieved their coats and were headed out the door. Matt and Ed were talking fishing again, discussing the relative merits of various rods like the
Shakespeare Ugly Stik
.

Amazed at this unexpected turn of events, she silently walked out with them. Maybe Matt planned to see her parents off then come back inside with her. Why that must be it! He was putting up a smoke screen for her parents' benefit.

"Well, goodnight, Jennifer. Thanks for going to the exhibit with me. We'll have to do it again sometime," Matt said, opening his car door.

Stunned, Jennifer mumbled goodnight. Then he drove away. Just like that. Why, the rat, she thought, incensed that he hadn't felt a fraction of the desire that had overwhelmed her.

Ed and Ronnie kissed her cheek and climbed in their car. "Jenny, he's a real winner," Ed said. "I think you've got him hooked, but you better make sure to set the hook good before you try to reel him in."

By the time Matt had arrived home, his amusement at Jennifer's game-playing had faded. He'd had time to think about it, and without her delectable body to sidetrack him, he'd begun to analyze the bizarre situation.

He didn't like the picture he ended up with. It wasn't just that he'd discovered that she was Jenny Thornhill. There was more to this whole matter than her failure to let him know that he and she had once been good friends. That they had shared a very hot date. She had dropped out of sight immediately afterward, leaving him with a broken heart. If she'd broken his heart once, might she not do it again?

He thought about their sizzling encounters. With his analytical brain working again, he knew that her tale of being sexually inhibited just didn't wash. A woman as responsive as she was didn't have an inhibited bone in her body. So why try to put that over on him?

He replayed every moment spent with her. He could understand, maybe, why she'd refused in the examination room to reveal the fact that they were well-acquainted with each other. Afterwards, he could even accept that she was embarrassed by her juvenile behavior and had not wanted to take his calls or talk with him at the gala. That made sense.

She had been hiding behind that palm tree. When he'd approached her with his concerns though, she'd taken offense. She had blown up at him. He recalled her jerking her jacket off to reveal her voluptuous body in an effort to show him that she didn't hide her light under a bushel, so to speak.

He hadn't recognized her. Maybe that hurt her feelings because she'd obviously remembered him. But she looked different now. No more waist-length hair and too-long bangs. No big glasses. She was taller and even carried herself differently. Confidently.

Then when he implied that she had some kind of sexual problem, she might have felt that was adding insult to injury. But why had she then sought him out and elaborately set out to ensnare him? It smacked of revenge.

Thunderstruck, Matt realized that Jennifer had set him up. She'd meant to turn him on and then turn him into a slobbering idiot that afternoon he'd gone to her home. He'd fallen into her trap so easily. Why he'd been all but salivating after watching her eat that damned strawberry.

If all the blood hadn't engorged that part of his body below his belt, he might have been able to figure it out before now, he thought in disgust. But why? Because she'd been hurt that he hadn't recognized her in the examination room? There had to be more to it than that.

With a muffled oath, he turned on the shower and stepped under the icy spray. Maybe that's what he needed to clear her out of his brain. She'd tricked him and manipulated him and assaulted his integrity. She'd also made him fall for her.

He groaned and cut the water off. Tonight. The exhibit. She had to have known what that was about before they'd gone. What a laugh she must have been having at his expense. When he thought about how he'd walked around playing Mr. Sensitivity, he wanted to barf.

Well, there was one thing Jennifer obviously didn't know about him, he thought toweling off. He never bothered getting angry when energy could be put to much better use getting even. And,in the case of sneaky Dr. Jennifer Monroe, getting even might be a hell of a lot of fun.