Knowing the Score (11 page)

“Open the other one,” she said.

He did. It wasn’t in a box because she hadn’t been able to find one to fit the long cylindrical tent bag. When he got the paper off, he turned the tent over in his hands, grinning.

He obviously didn’t need any more explanation, but she gave it to him anyway. “Philip said he and Minnie are leaving on Friday. I thought I could take you on your first camping trip next weekend.”

His happy gaze met hers, and she hoped her face conveyed everything she felt.

They’d both experience a first next weekend.

Chapter Eleven

For the hundredth time since this never-ending meeting began, Caitlyn glanced at the clock. The minute hand had gone ten ticks past the time she’d needed to leave the office. Her knee bounced with the need to bolt from the room and get to the Tube.

“Finally, Caitlyn’s going to give us a roundup on Asia-Pacific.” Her manager, Claire, and a dozen pairs of eyes turned toward her with interest. Didn’t these people need to eat?

“All’s quiet on the Asian front.” She shuffled her papers, hoping they got her not-so-subtle
lunchtime!
message without her risking a reputation for being unprofessional.

Fortunately, Claire seemed just as hungry to leave the meeting as she was. “Great! If anything comes up, you know where to find us.”

Colleagues from fundraising, communications and Caitlyn’s own disaster management department filed out of the room, with Caitlyn stuck behind them like a Porsche trying to navigate around a caravan of motor homes. The weekly Friday-morning meeting helped ensure they accomplished everything they needed to and wouldn’t have to be called back into the office over the weekend unless a major disaster struck. Since Caitlyn temporarily covered Africa, the Caribbean and all of Asia, she would normally have been chained to her desk until about midnight tonight. But she had plans. Big virginity-losing plans that couldn’t be accomplished in the office—not comfortably, anyway. So she’d arrived at work at five this morning to plow through her interminable workload.

As soon as she found a break in the group, she dodged her way around coworkers, giving them a smile and a friendly wave goodbye so she didn’t come across as a bitch. She jogged up a flight of stairs to the office she shared with Claire and her teammate, tossed her notebook on her desk, grabbed her bag and spun around to ditch work for an hour.

Claire stood in the doorway. “Can we talk about how we’re going to keep funding the Zimbabwe program, Cait?”

Stifling a groan, Caitlyn checked the time on her phone. She despised saying no, especially to a manager, and most especially to one who’d given her a shot at a job that didn’t include digging her own toilet on her first day of work. But she refused to miss her lunch date. “I’m so sorry, but I have plans right now and I’m running late already. Can we talk after?”

Claire pulled her head back in shock. “You’re going
out
for lunch?”

Nodding, Caitlyn hitched her bag strap higher on her shoulder and inched toward the door.

“That’s great! You never take a lunch break. Have a lovely time.”

Caitlyn didn’t wait around for further benediction—or for the elevator. She flew down the stairs of the former apartment building turned office space, past the security desk downstairs with a wave for the guard, and out the front door. The Tube station was just around the corner, so she jogged there and speed-walked down the escalator into the bowels of the Underground. By the time she got on a train, her chest was heaving with panting breaths.

A brisk jog every once in a while might do her some good.

The train pulled into Paddington station fifteen minutes later, just as she recovered her breath. She leaped for the doors, minded the gap between the train and the platform, and sprinted for the escalators, evading herds of passengers and their suitcases. When she finally made it to the glass-covered concourse, she glanced at the time.

Only five minutes late. They should still be here.

She didn’t have to search hard to find them. Not only did Spencer tower over most of the heads in the jam-packed station, but her body sensed his magnetic draw even though they were separated by thirty feet and hundreds of frantic people. She wove her way around them until she reached the two men who brought a grin to her face without doing a thing.

“You’re here.” Spencer’s smile matched her own, and he dropped a chaste, appropriate-in-front-of-Granddad kiss on her lips. She struggled to keep her face from following his when he pulled away. His slow wink told her he knew she wanted more, and he’d happily give it to her later. She turned to Philip and wrapped him in a hug as Minnie danced around their feet in toenail-clicking joy.

“I can’t believe you’re going already.”

Philip laughed. “My dear, I’ve been in London for weeks now. My grandson may not have much of a social life, but I do and he’s beginning to cramp my style.”

Spencer rolled his eyes. “Apparently our Scrabble tournaments weren’t thrilling enough for him.”

“Only because you’ve taken too many knocks to the head. I tired of pretending to lose to someone who fills the board with filth.”

Spencer’s grin grew naughty. “He’s jealous because I laid down
vulva
on a triple word score.”

Smacking his grandson’s biceps, Philip admonished him. “Don’t use language like that in front of a young lady! Your granny would be appalled.”

“Who do you think taught me what it means? She just about bashed my head in with a metal spoon when she heard me use a different word for it.”

Caitlyn laughed, even as her chest grew tight. Philip wasn’t gone yet, but she already missed the quick banter between him and Spencer. In the short time she’d known him, the old man had become closer to her than her own grandfather, who had been nothing more than a signature scrawled on birthday checks when she was growing up.

A tinny automated woman’s voice announced the platform for the Gloucester train, and Philip gave Caitlyn another hug. He pushed her curls away from her ear and whispered, “Take care, my dear. Thank you for everything. And I hope to see you again soon.”

She blinked away tears and squeezed him harder, careful not to hurt his fragile body. She knew as well as he did that this would be the last time. Not for any morbid reasons, but because her relationship with Spencer was a limited-time offer—as was her stay in the U.K. “Send me your address and I’ll be sure to keep in touch.”

Philip pressed his lips together in sad understanding and faced his grandson. “Behave yourself.”

Spencer cleared his throat and reached for Philip’s bag. “I’ll walk you to the train.”

“I can do that myself. These cases on wheels practically roll themselves.”

With a resigned expression, Spencer shook Philip’s hand. “Safe journey, then, Granddad. I’ll see you when we’re away to Gloucester.”

“You’ll send me a ticket to the match?”

“Of course.” Almost as if he couldn’t hold himself back anymore, Spencer stooped down and embraced his grandfather. Philip’s face crumpled as he patted Spencer’s broad shoulders.

Several minutes later, Philip pulled away. “Stop it, now. You’re smothering me with that overgrown chest of yours.”

His voice cracked with emotion, something Spencer clearly couldn’t let slide. “You must be regressing, Granddad. You sounded twelve just then.”

With another loving smack at Spencer’s arm, Philip picked up Minnie’s leash and his wheeled suitcase and headed for the train. As soon as Philip boarded, Spencer buried his face in her hair. Sliding her hand just under the waistband of his pants, she pulled him closer and pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

His grip tightened. He feathered kisses along her temple. “Alone at last.”

Her laugh came out rusty. No one could be alone during the Friday lunch rush at Paddington. “You’re going to miss him.”

“Badly.”

Caitlyn tilted her head so she could see into his eyes. They’d filled with sadness, and he shared his loneliness with her for a few seconds before blinking it away.

“But he took the mutt with him, so it’s not all bad news.”

“Speaking of good news...” Caitlyn removed her hand from his waistband and held it up.

“Your bandage is gone!” He held her hand in both of his, fingers skimming over the newly healed cuts marring her palm. “And they took your stitches out.”

“Not a moment too soon. I would’ve ripped them out myself if I’d had to wait any longer.”

“I’ve done that before,” he said, tucking her against his side and walking toward the exit. “I wouldn’t recommend it. You know what this means, right?”

She looked up at him.

“We can put those pretty hands of yours to good use this weekend.”

Ooh
,
shivers.
His husky voice promised nights of sweet torment as he pulled her closer. Why did she have to spend the rest of the day working? Why couldn’t their dirty weekend start now?

“You free for lunch, or do you have to rush back?”

The sooner she got back to the office, the sooner she’d be able to leave tonight. But she couldn’t tear herself away from him. “I don’t know about you, but I could kill a pizza.”

Apparently that was the right answer because he stopped long enough to give her one last kiss before hustling her out of the station.

* * *

Caitlyn hoisted her massive traveler’s backpack over her shoulders and tightened the strap around her waist. She bid her colleagues a good weekend and left the office, determined to finally shuck the fears and insecurities that held her back. When she returned on Monday, she’d be a new woman.

A hymen-less woman.

She stood on the corner waiting for Spencer, trying not to let her nerves talk her out of doing what she desperately wanted to do. Weirdly, the familiar weight of the backpack buoyed her spirits. Nothing beat a weekend in a tent, and she’d itched to try out some of the tame wilderness around London for months. Being able to share the experience with Spencer? Big-time bonus.

Spencer’s car pulled around the corner a few minutes later—an expensive black vehicle that looked like what an SUV might produce if it humped a Jaguar. She’d been in too much pain to notice it when she’d cut her hand, but good grief, it was stunning, even for someone who couldn’t care less about cars. He double-parked and got out to greet her with a knowing grin, a throaty hello and a deep kiss. While her mind floated away in a cloud of lip-induced pheromones, he lifted the backpack away from her and tossed it effortlessly into the cavernous space behind the last row of seats. The move threw Caitlyn off balance. She was used to hoisting and hefting her own luggage around. Having a man who instinctively removed the burden felt...

Sweet?

Yeah, it felt sweet. And so did the next quick kiss he gave her before bundling her to the passenger side and opening the door for her. She relaxed into the seat and let her eyes drift closed until the car rocked with his added weight.

“Tired?”

“Mmm. I’ve worked since five today.” Her head lolled to the side so she could stare at him. His face never failed to make her feel squidgy inside.

“Five?” He shot a glance at her as he waited for traffic to clear. “Should I have picked you up sooner?”

Her laugh was more of a sleepy rumble. “Nope. I still managed to leave a massive pile of work on my desk. It can wait till Monday, though.”

He pulled out into the narrow city street and reached for her hand, settling it on the khaki covering his rock-solid thigh. With a teasing smile, he said, “I need my left hand free to shift, but I don’t want to drive two hours without touching you. So you can touch me.”

White-hot need pooled in her lower belly, swallowing her tiredness whole. She smoothed her hand over his leg, exploring him from knee to hip. The higher she roamed, the more he squirmed.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

She toed off her shoes and curled her legs beneath her on the seat so she could face him completely. “It’s a great idea. But don’t worry. I won’t touch you anywhere that might cause an accident.”

His jaw clenched. “I hope to God you mean a road traffic accident, because I haven’t had an accident of the other sort since I was fifteen, and I don’t plan to this weekend, either.”

Her hand squeezed, making his hips jerk. He dropped his head back with a groan and a muttered “Shite.”

She yanked on the seat belt, loosening it so she could get close enough to whisper in his ear. “You like this?”

“Fuck yes.”

Another revelation. All she did was stroke his leg. She didn’t even touch any of his most sensitive parts. “Why?”

“Why? Are you kidding?” He checked his mirrors and changed lanes, though his car seemed to take up more than one of London’s narrow lanes anyway.

His question stole some of the confidence he’d helped her build. Her hand stilled above his knee and she sat back. Was it really a stupid question? All she’d wanted was to hear him describe the feeling, but maybe that kind of conversation was out of bounds.

He glanced at her and groaned. Threading his fingers through hers, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I like it because every time you touch me, I feel like I’m high. My heart starts racing, my brain goes numb.”

He slid her hand to the middle of his chest, where his heart galloped beneath her palm. “I like it because just your voice makes my whole body smile. The sight of you inspires me with erotic fantasies you can’t begin to imagine—but I hope to show you soon. Having you touch me...well, to be blunt, I get a hard-on, and you have no idea how good that feels.”

Her breath struggled to escape. She kept her focus trained on his profile, not letting her gaze drop to the spot she really wanted to check out. Their hands stayed linked over his heart.

This was so much more than she’d expected when they’d made their agreement. She’d hoped for good sex with a man she felt comfortable with. Really, she would’ve been happy if she’d just lost her virginity without making a fool of herself. Instead, she’d discovered something that went beyond friendship, something she couldn’t put a name to but that sweetened the deal, wrapping her up in a curious mix of anticipation, desire and affection.

Is this what romantic relationships were really about? Sharing a series of intimate moments—some sexual and some purely emotional, like their goodbye to Philip this afternoon?

The intimacy should have terrified her. She’d avoided it so long. But that twinge of fear she felt joined the other emotions swirling inside until she thought she might burst with eagerness. Spencer gave her hand a final squeeze before releasing it so he could shift gears. Caitlyn never stopped touching him for the rest of the journey.