Despite her own personal insecurities, she forced herself to shuck the prim blouse and was pleasantly surprised by the results. Okay, she didn’t look like a hussy, and that was her main concern. The lace-edged camisole, worn by itself, was actually kind of sexy, in a subtle and pretty way. Her breasts were full and firm, and the camisole’s built-in bra gave her a nice bit of cleavage while keeping excess flaunting to a minimum.
Satisfied with the look she’d achieved, she slipped on the only pair of strappy sandals she’d brought with her, and with a deep breath for fortitude she grabbed the box of chocolate-covered strawberries and headed for Connor’s room.
CONNOR WAS BEGINNING to think he’d bit the dust once again with Rebecca when a tentative knock sounded at his hotel room door. Shocked, he jumped up from the couch where he was watching a movie on TV and made it to the entryway in a few brisk strides. A quick check out the peephole confirmed that it was Rebecca standing in the corridor, and she was holding the box of chocolate-covered strawberries he’d asked the hotel staff to deliver to her room while they were at the cocktail party.
A knot of nerves clenched in his stomach, taking him by surprise, and he quickly rubbed his damp palms down the front of his jeans. Jeezus, he was as anxiety-ridden as a teenager going out on his first date!
His reaction was comical and ridiculous, but after three years of pursuing Rebecca and finally getting a positive response from her, he didn’t want to blow any chance he might have right off the bat. Didn’t want to scare her off before he could show her that there was so much more between them than just a physical attraction.
However, if he had to exploit that sexual tension to get to the emotional depth, then so be it. It was a small sacrifice for a bigger cause.
Inhaling a deep breath, and feeling more in control of his reactions, he opened the door, took one look at what she was wearing, and experienced a rush of pure male appreciation that left him reeling. He had the sudden urge to put his hands all over her, but instead shoved the tips of his fingers into the front pocket of his jeans.
“Wow, you look amazing.”
“Thanks.” A blush suffused her cheeks, and she shifted on her feet, seemingly a nervous bundle of energy herself. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” He stepped back so she could enter his room, then closed the door and followed her into the sitting area.
Abruptly, she turned around to face him, clutching the small box to her chest in a way that emphasized the provocative curves of her breasts in that oh-so-fascinating top she was wearing. “I’ve never done this kind of thing before,” she blurted out.
Her show of insecurity endeared her even more to him, because it was a side he’d never seen to Rebecca until tonight. “You’ve never done what kind of thing before?” he asked with a lop-sided grin. “Visit a guy in his hotel room?”
“Well, yes, that too,” she said, her eyes a bright shade of blue. “Along with what we’re about to do.”
She made it all sound so clinical, and while he was pretty certain where this conversation was headed, he wanted to hear what was on her mind. “And what are we about to do?” he asked curiously.
She shrugged her smooth, bare shoulders, making his fingers itch all over again to touch that soft, creamy-looking skin. “Have a…I don’t know…a fling.”
“A fling,” he repeated dully, hating how sordid that sounded.
She waved a hand in the air between them. “A tryst, an affair, whatever you want to call it.”
He wanted to call it the start of a relationship, but kept his remark to himself for the time being.
So much for his worry of scaring her off tonight, he thought wryly. She was forging full steam ahead, but not without taking obvious protective measures so that her emotions stayed out of the equation.
He realized she had deep-rooted fears. He just didn’t know the cause of them, and he was determined to discover those reasons over the course of the next few days.
She set the box of strawberries on the coffee table, but didn’t sit down. “Before we go any further, I think it would be smart of us to lay out some ground rules.”
He nearly laughed at the fact that she felt it necessary to issue stipulations, but caught himself just in time. “I don’t have any rules.”
Her stubborn chin lifted a fraction. “Well, you’re used to this kind of thing, and I’m not.”
A grin quirked the corner of his mouth. He didn’t bother to correct her belief that he indulged in affairs on a whim, because hewasn’t certain she’d trust him at this point. But her assumption was far from the truth. Sure, he’d dated a lot of women over the years, but that didn’t mean he slept with every single one of them.
She obviously needed these boundaries between them, and he supposed if he knew what they were right up front, he’d at least have the advantage of knowing what he was dealing with. Besides, if the restrictions made her feel better and more comfortable with him, then he wasn’t going to argue.
He settled himself in the middle of the sofa and rested his arms across the top cushions. “Okay, let’s hear what you have to say.”
She paced the carpeted floor in front of the coffee table, as if moving helped to ease her anxiety. “I’m sure this first request isn’t going to be a difficult one for you, but I need to say it anyway. This affair goes no further than this weekend here at The Delaford. Whatever happens here, stays here. Once Celeste and Greg’s wedding is over, then so are we.”
Hell, no, he wanted to say, but instead clenched his jaw tight and continued to listen to her idiotic guidelines. He was too afraid that if he refuted her first rule she’d back out of the deal completely, and that wasn’t an option for him. He didn’t want a relationship with Rebecca to end before it even had a chance to begin.
“Secondly, I want to be sure that after this weekend is over and we go our separate ways, that we’ll still be friends,” she went on, meeting his gaze. “My sister is going to be married to your best friend, and I’m sure we’ll run into one another socially quite a bit.”
God, she was killing the mood, and they hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy an evening together. “Being friends isn’t a problem for me.” Because if he had his way, they’d be friends and much more than that before the weekend was finished.
“Good,” she said, nodding succinctly. “And finally, I need to be assured that no one is going to find out about us. I don’t want Celeste to know about our affair, and I want you to promise me that you won’t say anything to Greg, who would then tell my sister. Oh, and when we’re in public together, there will be no open displays of affection, or anything else that will draw attention to the fact that we’re…lovers.”
She was making his head spin with all her too rational rules. If he did anything this weekend, he was going to make sure he ruffled that sensible, pragmatic personality of hers, but good. Show her how to loosen up and have fun.
He also wanted to show that “opposites do attract,” as the message in his chocolate heart half had said. He’d opened it when he’d returned to his room and been pleased at how perfectly suited the words were to the situation.
Starting right now.
“Rebecca?” he said in a soft, low tone that was meant to calm and soothe.
She stopped her brisk pacing, her expression still reflecting a bit of uncertainty he was determined to chase away. “Yes?”
“Come here and sit down.” He sat up and patted the spot right next to him. “You’re way over-thinking this.”
She hesitated a moment, then rounded the table and perched herself on the farthest edge of the sofa cushion. She folded her hands in her lap, her spine way too stiff and proper. “I just don’t want either one of us to have any false expectations of what this is about.”