Uninhibited (Unlikely Lovers) (2 page)

He seemed puzzled by this. “
And you thought I was Mitch because…?”

She shrugged. “No clue.
I just thought you might be him.”

“
And what to get for Mitch has you completely stymied.” He nodded. “Which is enough to drive anyone to ice cream in the middle of winter.”

Her
outlook brightened instantly. This man understood her, despite the fact that she hadn’t been able to figure it out herself. Which brought up another question. “Why are
you
here?”

“I
had an overwhelming craving for a Jamocha Fudge Indulgence, so here I am.”

“Get those often?”

He winced. “Too often.”

Emily didn’t see that as a problem since he wasn’t
the least bit fat. Quite skinny, really. “Oh?”

“It’s hard to explain. I get…lonely. And when I get lonely, I need
to be where there are lots of other people with odd cravings.”

“You’re lonely, then?”

“Not anymore.”

H
e hadn’t gotten his ice cream yet—or made it inside the door. Her befuddled brain couldn’t make it out. “How come—”

“
I’m with
you
,” he reminded her. “We’re in line together and might even share a table—if we can get one. No, not lonely anymore.”

He sounded quite cheerful, and his
eyes were twinkling again. Slate blue, they would probably seem icy when he was angry, and yet somehow they sparkled. She liked looking at them, even if he was sort of strange, not to mention actually
being
a stranger. A
lonely
stranger. An overly chummy, ice cream-seeking stranger. She should be wary of him, but for some reason, she wasn’t. Perhaps it was those twinkling eyes.

“You must not be too choosy,”
she said carelessly. “After all, I’m just someone who got lost in the parking lot.”

His bemused smile touched off a wave of warm tingles. “
You didn’t seem lost. You seemed...reluctant.”

“
I was.” She peered up at him, studying his face. He wasn’t devastatingly handsome, yet he was comfortable to look at, his expressions changing enough with each emotion to hold her interest. “So,
you’re
lonely, and
I’m
reluctant.”

“But not anymore,” he reiterated. “I got you out of your car, so you
can’t be reluctant any longer. And you’re here with me, so I’m not lonely.”

Emily nodded.
“There’s a country song in that.”

“It even rhymes
.
Now that you’re here with me, I’m not lo-o-one-lee…
We could be songwriters together—although the fact that I’m tone deaf might be a bit of a deterrent.”

If that one line was any indication
, he couldn’t sing, either. “So if I were to burst into song right now, you wouldn’t realize how bad a singer I am?”

His smile broadened to a grin.
“I’d be completely oblivious. Isn’t that great?”

Emily
was still trying to work out why being tone deaf and oblivious was something to be happy about when he took a step forward, getting a little too close for comfort.

He pointed behind her. “Line’s moving.”

Although a glance over her shoulder confirmed that statement, they were still six people from the door and there were at least ten more lined up inside the store. “This is gonna take forever.”

“Probably,” he agreed. “But it’s worth it.”

There were three people behind the counter, which was fortunate considering they had to mush all the ingredients together before serving it and then move over to work the cash register. Waiting in line should’ve allowed Emily enough time to decide what she wanted. Unfortunately, in her current state, that decision could take hours. Her new friend had said she needed chocolate, which was a given in almost any situation, but Emily had never dreamed so many different versions of chocolate existed.
Milk, mint, mocha, dark, fudge…

“Overwhelming, isn’t it
?” His lips were right next to her ear. “I can never decide until I’m right there, staring the girl in the eyes, and she asks me what I want.”

“Do you even
bother to look, or does it come to you out of the blue?”

“Oh, I look,” he replied
. “I just don’t make a decision. It has to be spontaneous.” His emphasis on the word gave it a connotation that went beyond mere timing, bordering on mystical. “If you think about it too much, it loses its effect.”

“And that effect would be
...?”

“
Orgasmic
.” He stretched out the word as well as his arms in an expansive gesture, as though the ice cream orgasm would encompass the entire planet.

“Orgasmic, huh?”
Emily hadn’t had a climactic response to anything in such a long time she wasn’t sure she’d recognize one if it hit her right between the thighs. Her only hope was that
he
would notice what was happening and keep her informed. “Chocolate is supposed to have that effect. It’s never seemed that way to me, though.”

“
Maybe your regular orgasms are better than anyone else’s,” he suggested. “Chocolate might have a hard time measuring up.”

All th
is talk made her wish she’d ignored her impulse and kept driving. She could be home now, snug and warm in her little house, not standing out in the cold with a man who could climax from eating ice cream. She gave him a weak smile then gazed longingly at her car, wrapping her jacket more tightly around herself.

Why would
anyone
with any sense at all be doing this in December? “Maybe I should just go on home. It’s getting late, and I—”

“Are you cold?”
Unzipping his coat, he held it open. “Leather is a whole lot better than fleece for blocking the wind. Want to share it with me?”

Emily
stood gaping at him for a long moment until she realized what he was actually offering to share.

Body heat.

She’d almost
forgotten what that felt like. The millions of reasons for walking away were suddenly outweighed by the need to feel, to touch…

T
urning around, she took a step backward into his arms and was immediately enveloped in warmth so profound it stole her breath.

“Isn’t that better?
  Now we can stand here, pretending to be sweethearts, and I won’t be lonely and you won’t be cold.”

She couldn’t vouch for his loneliness, but he was right about one thing. She wasn’t cold anymore. She felt…

Good.

Standing there
in his embrace with his body pressed up against her back had triggered an endorphin rush similar to taking a bite of a chocolate cheesecake. She took a moment to savor the feeling before some inner demon prompted her to ask, “Are you pretending to be my sweetheart to make someone else jealous?”

“No, should I be?”

“Not necessarily,” she replied. “But it
is
a possibility.”

“I really
hate being alone,” he explained. “Unfortunately, I’ve
been
alone for a long time now.”

“
How come?”

His deep inhalation pressed his chest
against her back, followed by a warm sigh that tickled her neck. “I tend to run people off because I need them so much. They get annoyed after a while.”

She could understand that. He’d already done enough space invading to drive some women right up the wall.
“So you eliminate loneliness by plucking strange women out of their cars late at night and pretending to be sweethearts with them?”

“
I’ve never done this before. You seemed...understanding.”

How a
totally neutral expression could have been mistaken for an understanding one escaped her. “Understanding? I was just sitting out there in my car. How understanding is that?”

He gave her a gentle hug.
“Maybe it was your hair.”

“My hair
? How is
hair
understanding?”

“Don’t know,” he replied. “Just is
. Thick, shiny—smells nice, too. Yes, it’s one of the most understanding heads of hair I’ve ever seen.”

“
Let me get this straight. You think my hair is understanding, you’d like to be a songwriter, but you’re tone deaf, and you scare people away because you need them too much. Sounds like you’re alone because you’re, um, sort of...nuts.”

“Y
ou’re not the first to suggest that. But really, I’m not.”

“
Isn’t denial on the list of symptoms? You know, like a heart attack victim who swears up and down it can’t possibly be his heart that’s hurting him?”

The line moved forward again
until they were almost inside the door. Soon she wouldn’t need him to keep her warm. Perhaps she wouldn’t mention it until she truly got too hot. Even then, she might only fan herself.

“I’m pretty normal if I’m not left alone too long—although I’ve been alone for almost a year now.” He blew out a breath. “Maybe I
am
a little nuts.”

Great.
“Glad you’re able to admit it.”

“
Yes, but I have a feeling that with you around, I’d never be lonely or crazy ever again. Wouldn’t it make you feel good to know you’d done that for someone?”

She had no idea
how to respond to that. “If you didn’t drive
me
crazy, I suppose it might. What else is in it for me?”

“
You’d have me to keep you warm.”

“I think your jacket could probably do that all by itself. What else?”

Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear. “I’d feed you when you were hungry, take care of you when you were sick, massage your feet when you’ve had a hard day, and give you as much love as you could stand.”

T
hat sounded almost too perfect. She stood there in a daze, her lips parted in awe. “What’s the catch?”

There was
always
a catch.

Chapter 2

Alan John was about to fall off the no-sex wagon with a bang. He’d kept his distance from women so long it had almost become a habit.
Almost.
At least until he’d spotted
this
woman and every drop of moisture deserted his mouth on its way to his groin. He could no more have passed her by than he could have voluntarily stopped breathing.

“No catch,” he replied. “I really would do that for you.”

“
It sounds terrific, which makes me wonder why you’re alone.”

He shrugged.
“I get too close. I have no personal space myself, so I tend to forget that other people do, and it drives them nuts. Does that make sense?”

“Maybe. You’ve certainly invaded mine.”

Truth be told,
he was wrapped around her like a cloak. That she let him do it was probably a good sign—perhaps even a miracle. “Yes, but do you mind? I need to be close. I can’t help it.”

“Your mother didn’t hold you enough when you were a baby?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Maybe.”

“And in trying to fulfill that need, you scare people away and make it that much harder to get
close to them. Is that right?”

“Yeah, I suppose I do.”
She took a step forward, and he stayed right with her, much like her shadow would have done.

“
Then public displays of affection aren’t taboo with you?”

“
No. I’m doing it right now, and we’ve only just met.” Pitching his voice lower, he added, “Imagine what I’d be doing if we really knew
each other.”

“Like what?”

Alan could smell the hot fudge from where he stood—tempting, intoxicating—but its effect was nothing compared to what she was doing to him. Her scent, her warmth, her soft body leaning against his…

H
e pressed his lips to her neck. “Like that.”

Taking
his hands from his pockets, he wound them around her waist in a gentle caress before pulling her against him. “Or this.” One hand moved lower, sliding down over her hip, pushing her sideways, hoping she could feel his erection brushing the seat of her pants.

Alan
wanted sex so badly he couldn’t see straight. A year of abstinence hadn’t done a damn thing to improve his self-control—not when a woman like this one crossed his path. Unfortunately, she shifted away from him slightly, removing the pressure of her buns against his cock.

He winced. “
Sorry. That bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“
Yes, but not the way you might think.”