Free Come Fly with Me by Sherryl Woods Page A

low in her abdomen.
    What a wonderful, romantic, sexy idea, she thought dreamily. She wondered if it had been his, then hated the possibility that it might not have been.
    Lindsay Tabor! she thought in wonder. You are jealous! It was a first and she wasn’t a bit pleased about it. She was actually envious of some unseen, unnamed and possibly nonexistent woman. She picked up a bar of soap and a washcloth and scrubbed until her skin turned bright pink, as if that might wash away the unwanted emotion. It didn’t, though it got her very clean.
    â€œAre you awake in there?” Mark’s voice filtered through the door and, recalling his unceremonious entrance into her hotel room in the morning, Lindsay clutched the washcloth over rosy-tipped breasts that were still tingling from her overzealous washing.
    â€œOf course, I’m awake.”
    â€œJust checking. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
    â€œI’ll be right there,” she promised, pushingaside her jealousy along with the remaining bubbles and climbing out of the tub to envelop herself in a huge towel that had been hanging over a heated rack. It felt wonderful, but she didn’t linger to enjoy the sensation. Quickly she dried herself and pulled on her preferred lacy bikini pants and bra. Immediately she felt more feminine and wondered fleetingly if that was such a hot idea. Mark already had her hormones operating in overdrive. She added the new jeans and thick, multicolored sweater in rust tones that flattered her coloring. Her short hair had curled into an auburn halo around her head and her cheeks were flushed. She decided to forego makeup, except for a bit of pale coral lipstick and a quick flick of mascara.
    When she walked back into the living room, Mark’s eyes brightened appreciatively and he walked toward her until they were standing toe-to-toe. That seemed to be his favorite position for carrying on a conversation. She wondered idly if he was nearsighted or if he was pointedly trying to be intimidating. If it was the latter, she’d have to tell him sometime that it was a very successful technique. He scared the daylights out of her with hissensuality, his romantic, poetic way with words and his outspoken admission of his attraction to her. Those fleeting, instinctive feelings that had stirred to life in the airport were crystallizing into very real, very tempting emotions with every additional minute she spent around him.
    Her eyes focused square in the middle of his all-too-alluring chest. Hesitantly, she tilted her head until she was gazing up at his face. It disconcertingly appeared almost as flushed as she knew hers was.
    â€œFeel better?” he inquired softly.
    â€œMuch,” she said, the word barely squeaking out over vocal chords that seemed to be going into early retirement.
    â€œYou look terrific,” he said huskily, as his head lowered to bring his lips dangerously close to her ear. “Umm. And you smell wonderful, too.”
    The whisper of breath that flickered along her neck heated her in a way that no blazing fire could have. His hands were resting on her waist again in a light caress that somehow seemed more binding than a tighter embrace would have been. She could take a single step back and be away from that touch and sheknew it. Instead, she stayed right where she was, her heart thundering in anticipation, her gaze locked with his in a searching, penetrating duel that yielded no answers, only raised more questions. Dangerous questions.
    â€œDinner’s going to get cold,” he said at last, his voice a husky, reluctant whisper.
    â€œDinner?” she repeated blankly.
    He grinned at her, breaking the tension of the moment, and teased, “You’ll remember all about it after we start.”
    Once she’d sat down at a candlelit table to steak, baked potatoes, salad and a Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau wine, Lindsay realized that she was starved. But as the wonderfully