Page 42 of What I'm Looking For

Deb bounces on the balls of her feet. “Yep. Nice to meet you, Kate. Have fun, kids, and don’t do anything I would do.” She practically skips down the back hall. “Pam! Get your butt in here! Time to go!”

Kate leans closer to me. “I’m a little scared of her.”

I laugh. “Good instincts.”

KATE

A couple hours later, I take a tour of Will’s bedroom while he brings pie to Deb and Pam. When the couple returned from their so-called “thing,” they hovered in the kitchen giving me the third degree until Will chased them off, promising dessert if they left me alone. It’s kind of sweet how protective they are of him.

It doesn’t take long to see everything in here. It actually reminds me of Thoreau’s cabin. Single bed on one side of the room, desk and chair on the other.

I wonder if he copied it consciously. In any case, he is living his values. Instead of the small table under the window in the Walden place, Will has a bookcase packed to the gills with plays. Guess that’s where he spends money. Framed photographs fill the top shelf. Will in costume wielding a big sword, Will in a baseball uniform with two other teenage boys that look a lot like him. Probably brothers. Will in cap and gown with his arm around a woman that shares his eyes. Definitely his mom. No pictures of a dad as far as I can tell.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he says from the doorway. I catch him drying his hands on his shorts. I bet he snuck in more kitchen cleaning. He wouldn’t let me do anything to help.

I wipe my own hands—sweaty all of a sudden—on the back of my jeans. “No problem. I was just snooping.” I pick up a photo in a fancy frame. “I like this one of you in a dress.”

“I wasn’t kidding about the heels and stockings.” Grinning shamelessly, he takes the picture from me and trades it for another. “But what about that sword, huh?”

“Very impressive. You wield it well.” I grip his biceps and pretend to swoon. “So strong.”

“Hey, that thing is heavy!”

“I bet it is.” I’m teasing, but I have no doubts about his strength. And talents. Real men might not eat quiche, but having a guy make me dinner is pretty darn attractive. Like he’s a provider. If we were lost in the wilderness, he’d hunt down the food and cook it, too.

He brushes a finger along my hairline. “What’s going on in that huge brain of yours?”

Oops. I may have been staring at him. Hopefully without drooling. I shake my head and deploy the trusty Virginia accent. “You sure know how to sweet-talk a girl.”

“Oooh, I like the southern thing.” The dimple I’m quite fond of makes an appearance. “Do that again.”

Going for it, I bat my eyelashes, doing my best southern belle routine. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. But I do know that you sure know how to feed a girl. Mmm-mm.”

He growls and pulls me close, throwing me off balance. I have to grab those impressive biceps to stay upright. Not a hardship.

“That accent turns me on.” He nuzzles my ear. “Even more than you usually do.”

Feather kisses along my jaw have my body shifting from digestion to seduction. When he finally gets to my mouth, I answer hungrily. Breathless, we tug at tucked-in shirts. When I touch his bare abdomen, skin shivers over taut muscles.

Like a cat in heat, I want to rub my body up against him and yowl with pleasure. Stumbling, we fall awkwardly onto his bed. Before I know it, he’s suspended over me in a perfect replica of his position in my fantasy two days prior.

With my vibrator.

Chest heaving, I stare into his smiling eyes. It’s like he can read my mind, see my raw need.

But needy equals weak.

My vision blurs. Will’s grin is replaced by Jonathan’s belittling sneer the night he gave me the ultimatum that made me choose between him and my career.

I squeeze my eyes shut. Suddenly I’m choking. Literally.

When I roll to the side, a hand pounds my back.

“Kate.” Will’s voice commands my attention. “Wave your hand if you can’t breathe.”

I shake my head and force a cough, which is followed by several others, harsh on my throat. Finally, I suck in a breath.

“Can you feel my hand?”

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