What's Cooking? by Sherryl Woods Page B
Authors: Sherryl Woods
Tags: United States, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, series, Contemporary Fiction, Harlequin Special Edition
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hoping that the short-term sacrifice he was making would pay off in the long run. "Let's concentrate on tonight. We'll worry about tomorrow another time."
It wasn't enough that Rick could make the very air around her sizzle, now the man had to go and get all sensitive and intuitive on her. Maggie was pretty sure she was going to be head over heels in love with him before too much longer if he kept this up.
"That can't happen," she told herself sternly. She didn't realize she'd spoken aloud until she saw the quizzical expression on Rick's face as he sat across from her at the kitchen table.
"It was nothing," she assured him. "Just talking to myself."
"Anything you'd like to share?"
"Nope. Are you ready for dessert?"
"Only if we can eat it in bed," he said, his gaze locked with hers.
Maggie shivered with anticipation. "Dessert can wait."
Rick grinned. "Good answer," he said, scooping her
107 107
up from her chair and cradling her against his chest. "What about the dishes?"
Maggie felt a little twinge of conscience about leaving them where they sat on the table, but one look in Rick's eyes pretty much dispelled that. "They'll be here in the morning."
His smile spread. "That's my girl, throwing caution to the wind."
Little did he know that she usually did. She fought off the mental reminder that she'd been trying to change that. "Kiss me," she pleaded.
"Upstairs," Rick promised.
"No, now."
"We might not get upstairs," he warned. "I'm just about clean out of self-control."
She grinned. "Good. Me, too."
This time the trail of clothes led only as far as the living room. With Rick's hands all over her body, caressing and coaxing, Maggie wondered why she'd ever held out. Wicked sensations, heart-stopping anticipation, the lick of fire through her veins, these were the most basic of life forces. Why should she deny herself this, especially with a man who excelled at it?
She was already on the edge, every nerve raw, every muscle tensed, when Rick finally entered her and sent her reeling. He waited for her delicious spasms to end and then started to move, his gaze on her face.
It was only as she looked into his eyes that she got the difference between this man and every other man she'd ever been with. Rick was looking back at her, reading her, intent on pleasing her. This wasn't just about his pleasure, or even hers. It was about theirs. It
108 108WHAT'S COOKING?
was about the two of them, united for this moment, body and perhaps even soul.
Suddenly, for the first time ever, she truly understood what all those storybook romances were talking about. And even as she came undone, even as waves of pleasure crashed over her, somewhere deep inside, the magical intensity of it scared her to death.
Rick reluctantly crawled out of Maggie's bed at dawn, gave her a lingering kiss goodbye, then went back to his place to shower and change and make arrangements for the photo shoot she wanted him to do. More than that, though, he needed a little time on his own to think about what had changed between them the night before.
Something had, there was no question about that. He'd seen it in her eyes, a sudden spark of awareness, a sudden look of shock, to be honest. He'd tried to interpret it, but he couldn't. Maybe it was another one of those inexplicable female things that a mere man would never get. For an instant, he'd even wondered if it was the difference he'd always heard about between having sex and making love. Did that awareness come crashing over a person in a heartbeat?
He groaned at himself. When had he ever given a damn about putting a label on what happened with a woman in bed? He wasn't going to figure it out on his own, and it was hardly something he intended to discuss with the guys. Maggie had clearly gotten some crazy notion that he was sensitive, but he wasn't that sensitive. This was beyond him, which meant he'd just have to backburner it for another time.
109 109
Instead, as soon as he'd had his second cup
It wasn't enough that Rick could make the very air around her sizzle, now the man had to go and get all sensitive and intuitive on her. Maggie was pretty sure she was going to be head over heels in love with him before too much longer if he kept this up.
"That can't happen," she told herself sternly. She didn't realize she'd spoken aloud until she saw the quizzical expression on Rick's face as he sat across from her at the kitchen table.
"It was nothing," she assured him. "Just talking to myself."
"Anything you'd like to share?"
"Nope. Are you ready for dessert?"
"Only if we can eat it in bed," he said, his gaze locked with hers.
Maggie shivered with anticipation. "Dessert can wait."
Rick grinned. "Good answer," he said, scooping her
107 107
up from her chair and cradling her against his chest. "What about the dishes?"
Maggie felt a little twinge of conscience about leaving them where they sat on the table, but one look in Rick's eyes pretty much dispelled that. "They'll be here in the morning."
His smile spread. "That's my girl, throwing caution to the wind."
Little did he know that she usually did. She fought off the mental reminder that she'd been trying to change that. "Kiss me," she pleaded.
"Upstairs," Rick promised.
"No, now."
"We might not get upstairs," he warned. "I'm just about clean out of self-control."
She grinned. "Good. Me, too."
This time the trail of clothes led only as far as the living room. With Rick's hands all over her body, caressing and coaxing, Maggie wondered why she'd ever held out. Wicked sensations, heart-stopping anticipation, the lick of fire through her veins, these were the most basic of life forces. Why should she deny herself this, especially with a man who excelled at it?
She was already on the edge, every nerve raw, every muscle tensed, when Rick finally entered her and sent her reeling. He waited for her delicious spasms to end and then started to move, his gaze on her face.
It was only as she looked into his eyes that she got the difference between this man and every other man she'd ever been with. Rick was looking back at her, reading her, intent on pleasing her. This wasn't just about his pleasure, or even hers. It was about theirs. It
108 108WHAT'S COOKING?
was about the two of them, united for this moment, body and perhaps even soul.
Suddenly, for the first time ever, she truly understood what all those storybook romances were talking about. And even as she came undone, even as waves of pleasure crashed over her, somewhere deep inside, the magical intensity of it scared her to death.
Rick reluctantly crawled out of Maggie's bed at dawn, gave her a lingering kiss goodbye, then went back to his place to shower and change and make arrangements for the photo shoot she wanted him to do. More than that, though, he needed a little time on his own to think about what had changed between them the night before.
Something had, there was no question about that. He'd seen it in her eyes, a sudden spark of awareness, a sudden look of shock, to be honest. He'd tried to interpret it, but he couldn't. Maybe it was another one of those inexplicable female things that a mere man would never get. For an instant, he'd even wondered if it was the difference he'd always heard about between having sex and making love. Did that awareness come crashing over a person in a heartbeat?
He groaned at himself. When had he ever given a damn about putting a label on what happened with a woman in bed? He wasn't going to figure it out on his own, and it was hardly something he intended to discuss with the guys. Maggie had clearly gotten some crazy notion that he was sensitive, but he wasn't that sensitive. This was beyond him, which meant he'd just have to backburner it for another time.
109 109
Instead, as soon as he'd had his second cup
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