Sugar and Spice, page 5
After the movie, Mark suggested a cup of coffee.
Jayne agreed, and her hand slid automatically inside her pocket to the list of conversation ideas. But she didn’t need them. Mark was a nice man with a huge ego. He spoke in astonishing detail about his position as an office manager. She didn’t know why he felt the need to impress her with his importance, but as the books suggested, she fawned over every word, exhausting though that was.
In return, she told him she worked for the city, but not in what capacity. Librarians were stereotyped. It didn’t matter that she fit that stereotype perfectly. Later, as they went back to her apartment, Jayne thought wryly that Gloria needn’t have worried about making up a list of topics to discuss. As she’d originally hoped, Mark had done most of the talking. She should’ve been relieved, even pleased, but she wasn’t. With Mark she felt like…like an accessory.
Outside her apartment door, clenching her keys, Jayne looked up at him. “I had a lovely time. Thank you, Mark.”
He placed his hand on the wall behind her and lowered his head. Jayne felt a second of apprehension. She wasn’t sure she wanted him to kiss her. Nonetheless, she closed her eyes as his mouth settled over hers for a gentle kiss. Pleasant, but not earth-shattering. “Can I see you again?” he asked, his breath fanning her temple.
“Ah…sure.”
“How about dinner Wednesday night? Do you like to dance?”
“Love to,” she told him, wondering how quickly a book and CD could teach her. She had about as much rhythm as a piece of lint. The class reunion was bound to have some kind of dancing, and she’d need to learn sooner or later, anyway. She’d check out an instruction book and CD on Monday. Her motto should be “by the book,” she decided with a satisfied grin.
* * *
—
Monday afternoon, when she was walking home from the bus stop, she heard Riley call her from the parking lot across the street.
“Hello,” Jayne called, and waved back, feeling unreasonably pleased at seeing him again. He carried his raincoat over his arm, and she wondered if he ever wore the silly thing. She’d seen it on him only once or twice, yet he had it with him constantly.
Checking both sides of the street before jogging across, Riley joined her in front of the apartment building and smiled roguishly when he noted the CDs poking out of her bag. “Don’t tell me the books on manhunting didn’t help and you’re advancing to audio?”
Jayne studied the sidewalk between her shoes. “No, Mark asked me to go dancing, and…I’m not very good at it.”
“Two left feet aren’t uncommon.” Riley resisted the urge to fit his hand under her chin and lift her gaze to his. He wanted to pull her hair free of that confining bun and run his fingers through it. The thought irritated him. He didn’t want to feel these things. This woman was like a red light flashing trouble. She didn’t hide her desire to get married, or at least find a man, while Riley had no intention of settling down. Yet he was like a moth fluttering dangerously close to that very same light. The light warning there was trouble ahead.
“I went to a few dances in high school, but that was years ago,” Jayne said. “Ten, to be exact, and I don’t remember much. I don’t think just shuffling my feet around will work this time.”
“Do you want any help?” The offer slid from his mouth before he could censor it. Silently he cursed himself.
“Help?” Jayne repeated, surprised. “You’d do that?”
He nodded. Yes, he’d do that, just so she’d marry this Mark guy and get out of his life. He sighed. Who was he trying to kid? He’d do it so he could stop wondering how she’d feel in his arms.
“It would be easier with a partner,” Jayne murmured. She saw Riley’s eyebrows drawn together in a dark glower, as if he already regretted making the offer. “If you’re sure.”
“I’ll be at your place in an hour.”
“Let me cook dinner, then…as a means of thanking you,” she added hurriedly.
This cozy scene was going to be difficult enough as it was. “Another time,” he said, putting her off gently.
Calling himself every kind of fool, Riley knocked on Jayne’s apartment door precisely one hour later. He’d never felt more mixed up in his life. His arms ached for the warm feel of this woman, and yet at the same time he dreaded what that sensation would do to him.
Jayne opened the door, and Riley mumbled something under his breath as he stalked past. She couldn’t understand what he was saying. She’d changed out of her “uniform” and into linen pants the color of summer wheat and a soft cashmere sweater. The instruction book that came with the CD was open on the coffee table.
“You ready?” Riley’s voice had a definite edge to it.
“Yes, of course,” she said too quickly, turning on the CD player. “The first part is a guide to waltzing. The book says…” Feeling ridiculous, Jayne placed her hands on her hips and boldly met his scowl. “Listen, Riley, I appreciate the offer, but you don’t have to do this.”
“I thought you wanted to learn how to dance.”
“I do, but with a willing partner. From the looks you’re giving me, one would assume you’re furious about the whole idea.”
Indecision showed in every weather-beaten feature of his face. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression, Jayne. I’m rotten husband material.”
She valued his honesty. He wasn’t interested in her, not romantically. They hadn’t even gone out on a date. He didn’t think of her in those terms, yet he’d made an effort to seek her out, talk to her, be with her. If he wanted to be just friends, it was fine with her. In fact, wasn’t friendship what she preferred, too? “I think I realized that from the first time I saw you in the elevator. You’d make some poor girl a terrible husband, Riley Chambers. What I don’t understand is why you’ve appointed yourself my fairy godfather.”
A slow smile crept into his eyes. “If you turned into a pumpkin at midnight, that might be the best thing all the way around.”
“You don’t know your fairy tales very well, Mr. Chambers. The coach turned back into a pumpkin. Not Cinderella.”
The sweet sounds of a Viennese waltz swirled around them. An instructor’s voice rang out. “Gentlemen. Place one hand on the lady’s waist…”
Riley bowed elegantly. “Shall we?”
Pretending to fan her face, Jayne batted her lashes and gave him a demure look. “Why, Riley, you have the most charmin’ manner.”
Loosely Riley took Jayne in his arms. She followed his lead, and he could tell by the concentration on her face that this was difficult for her. “One, two, three. One, two, three,” the instructor’s voice chanted.
“Pretend you’re enjoying yourself,” he told her, “otherwise Mark’s going to think you’re in pain.”
Jayne laughed involuntarily. She was trying too hard. “Don’t be so eager for me to step on your toes.”
“I’m not!” Riley positioned his hands so the need to touch her was at a minimum. He adjusted his fingers at her shoulder and then at her hip, all to no avail. Each time his hands shifted, he became aware of the warmth that lay just beneath his fingertips. He tried desperately not to notice.
Swallowing, he concentrated on moving to the music and held his breath. Fairy godfather indeed! He should be arrested for the thoughts that were racing at breakneck speed through his head. This entire situation was ridiculous. Riley had held women far more intimately than he was embracing Jayne, and yet he was acting like a teenage boy on his first date. Briefly he wondered if she had any suspicion of what she was doing to him. He doubted it; knowing Jayne, she’d have to read about it first. Or maybe she had. Maybe this whole thing was an experiment, just like her visit to Soft Sam’s. Gritting his teeth, Riley did his utmost to ignore the feel and the flowery scent of the woman in his arms—to ignore the texture of her soft skin, the way her body moved in perfect rhythm with his.
* * *
—
Jayne nodded happily to the music. One, two, three…This was going so much better than she’d imagined. Riley was obviously a good dancer, moving confidently with a grace she wouldn’t have expected in a man his size. She felt a warmth where he positioned his hands at her waist, and forced her body to relax.
“How am I doing?” she asked after a while.
“Fine,” he muttered. He was more convinced than ever that Jayne had no idea what she was doing to him. He had to endure this torture, so he’d do it with a smile. “When you go out with Mark, do you plan to leave your hair up?” He inched back to put some distance between them.
“Probably not.”
“Then maybe you should let it down now. You know, to…uh, practice.” He couldn’t believe he was suggesting this, well aware that he was only making things worse.
“Okay.” She reached up and took out her bun; the dark length fell free.
“What about your glasses?” he asked next, resisting the urge to lift a strand of hair and feel its texture.
“Mark has never seen me in glasses.”
“Then take them off.”
“All right.” She laid her glasses on the end table. A fuzzy, blurred Riley smiled down at her.
“No squinting.”
“I can’t see you close up.”
“You won’t see Mark, either, so it shouldn’t make any difference.”
“True,” she agreed. But it did make a difference. She didn’t need her glasses or anything else to know it was Riley’s arms around her. When she slid into his embrace once again, it felt completely natural. His hold on her tightened ever so slightly, and when he pressed his jaw against the side of her neck, Jayne’s eyes slowly closed. They danced, and she observed that they fit together perfectly.
Riley drew her closer, and Jayne’s mind whirled with a confused mixture of emotions. She shouldn’t be feeling this. Not with Riley. But she didn’t want to question it, not now.
“This feels good,” she whispered, fighting the impulse to trace the rugged line of his jaw. He smelled wonderful, a blend of spicy aftershave and—what? Himself, she decided.
Riley smoothed her hair, letting his hand glide down the silky length from the crown of her head to her shoulder. Reluctantly he stopped when the last notes of the waltz faded away.
“Yes, it does feel good,” Riley said, his voice husky. Too good, his mind added.
He dropped his arms, and Jayne thrilled at his hesitancy when he stepped back. “I don’t think you’ll have any problems with the waltz.”
“I shouldn’t have,” she said. “Anyway, with Mark all I need to do is look at him with adoring eyes and bat my lashes, and he’s happy.”
Riley didn’t like the idea of Jayne flirting with another man. He knew that didn’t make sense, since he was helping her prepare for a date with this Mark guy. “That won’t satisfy a man for long,” he muttered.
“It’ll satisfy Mark,” she countered. “I’m not exactly a flirt, you know. I’m not even sure how most women do it.”
“It seems to me you’re doing a good job learning.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just now—dancing. You were practically throwing yourself at me.”
“I was not!”
“You sure were.”
Jayne was too humiliated to argue. She vaulted across the room and removed the CD. Her hands shook as she returned it to the plastic case. “That was an awful thing to say.”
“It’s about time you woke up and realized what men are like.”
“I’ve already told you I don’t need a fairy godfather.”
“You need someone to tell you the score.”
Jayne glared at him angrily. “And I suppose you’re the one to enlighten me.”
“Yup. Someone has to. You can’t go flaunting yourself the way you just did with me.”
“Flaunting?” Jayne almost choked on the word.
“That’s right—flaunting.” Riley hated himself for the things he was saying. He was both furious and unreasonable—a bad combination.
“You were the one who offered to show me how to dance. I…I even told you—”
“You can’t tease a man, Jayne,” he interrupted, coming to grips with his emotions. “Not me, not Mark, not any man.”
“And how many times do I have to tell you I’m not a tease? Honestly, look at me!”
“That’s the problem. I am looking.”
“And?” she whispered, shocked at the tightness of his voice.
“And…” He hesitated. “All I can think about is doing this.” He reached for her, taking her in his arms and covering her mouth with his.
Jayne was too stunned to react. The kiss had the sweetest, most tantalizing effect, momentarily causing her to forget the angry censure in his voice.
Regaining her composure—or pretending to—she broke away. “What made you do that?”
The look he was giving her told Jayne he wasn’t pleased about that kiss. “I don’t know. It was a mistake.”
“I…yes.” And yet Jayne didn’t want to think of it that way.
“You go out with Mark, and we’ll leave it at that.”
“But—”
“Just go out with him, Jayne.”
She dropped her gaze to the carpet. “All right.”
Four
After she’d buzzed Gloria in, Jayne jerked open the apartment door. “What took you so long? Mark’s due any minute.”
Flustered, Gloria shook her head. “If you weren’t so afraid to wear your glasses, you’d see exactly what he looks like.”
Being the good friend she was, Gloria had volunteered to be there when Mark arrived so she could tell Jayne if he’d be an acceptable date for the high school reunion. Mark’s image remained a bit fuzzy in her mind, but as the day of her reunion drew closer, Jayne discovered how badly she wanted to go. But she’d decided early on not to attend without a handsome man at her side. The problem was that Mark was her only likely prospect. And she didn’t even know if he’d be interested!
“You look fantastic,” Gloria commented, stepping back to examine Jayne’s outfit. “Are you sure you can dance in that?”
Jayne had wondered the same thing. The silk blouse was new, pale blue, with a pleated front. The black skirt was standard straight fare, part of her everyday uniform. She’d spent what seemed like hours on her hair, but to no avail. It was too curly and thick to manage. In the end, she’d tied it at the base of her neck with a chiffon scarf that was a shade deeper than her blouse.
“I shouldn’t have any trouble dancing.” But then she hadn’t graduated beyond the waltzing stage. Riley had left soon after their kissing fiasco, and she hadn’t seen him since. Every time Jayne thought about what had happened, she grew angry…not with Riley, but with herself. She hadn’t meant to flirt with him, but she wasn’t so naïve that she didn’t know what was happening. Pride had demanded that she pretend otherwise. But she regretted the kiss. It had been so wonderful that two days later the warm taste of his mouth still lingered on hers. Nor could she erase the sensation of being held in his arms.
“You’re sure I look okay?” Jayne raised questioning eyes to her friend. As it was, she had to drum up enthusiasm for this date.
“You look fine.”
“Before, it was ‘fantastic.’ ”
“Fantastic, then.”
Straightening the chiffon scarf at her neck, Jayne closed her eyes. She had a bad feeling about tonight. If she was honest, she’d admit she’d rather be going with Riley. She felt comfortable with him. Except, of course, for that kiss. And it’d been…not comfortable but exciting. Memorable. However, Riley hadn’t spoken to her in days. She wasn’t entirely sure he even liked her; the signals she’d received from him were conflicting. It was almost as though he didn’t want to be attracted to her but couldn’t resist.
The buzzer went, and she cast a frantic glance in Gloria’s direction and quickly tucked her glasses inside her purse.
“Calm down,” Gloria said. “You’re going to have a wonderful time.”
“Tell me why I don’t believe that,” Jayne mumbled on her way to the door.
* * *
—
Riley Chambers pressed the button on his remote control to change channels. He’d seen fifteen-second segments of no fewer than ten shows. Nothing held his interest, and there was no point trying to distract himself. Jayne was on his mind again. Only she didn’t flit in and out of his thoughts the way she had before. Tonight she was a constant presence, taunting him. Television wasn’t going to help; neither was reading or the Internet or any other diversion he could invent.
Standing, Riley paced to the window to stare at the rain-soaked street. He buried his hands in his pockets. So she was going out with this Mark character. Dinner and dancing. He shouldn’t care. But he did. The idea of another man with his arms around Jayne disturbed him. It more than disturbed him—it made him completely crazy.
She’d felt so good in his arms. Far better than she had any right to. Days later, he still couldn’t banish the feel, the taste, the smell of her from his mind. Avoiding her hadn’t worked. Nothing had. She lived three doors down from him, yet she might as well have packed her bags and moved into his apartment. She was there every minute of every night and he didn’t like it. What he really wanted to do was exorcise her from his life. Cast those honey-brown eyes from his memory and go about his business the way he was paid to do. No. He turned. What he really wanted to do was find out what Mark was like.
Before he could analyze this insanity, he grabbed his raincoat and stormed out the door.
