See Jane Love - By Debby Conrad Page 0,8
of his league.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked when he reached the bottom of the steps. Her wide mouth curved temptingly, and her mysterious green eyes beckoned to her irresistibility and free spirit. The freckles on her nose and chest--which he knew most women detested--only added to her appeal.
Taking a deep breath, he noticed her perfume was subtle, but sweet-smelling. It reminded him of cotton candy. “I assume your bedroom is upstairs.” He nodded toward the second floor.
“Well, yes, but I can probably walk now.”
He didn’t believe that for a minute. “Sure you can,” he said, dodging the items--a pink fuzzy slipper, a pair of brown loafers, one white sneaker, a red sweater, a blow-dryer, and more books, of course--that littered the stairway.
At the top of the stairs, she pointed to an open doorway and he flicked on the overhead light. Her bedroom was even messier than the living room. Not only was the bed unmade and cluttered with her personal belongings, just as he suspected, but clothing--including some very interesting lingerie--shoes, purses, belts and costume jewelry decorated the beige carpeting, creating a maze to the bed.
“Don’t you ever pick up after yourself?” he asked, dodging a red, strappy sandal.
“I’m not very domestic.”
Gabe pushed a fuzzy pink slipper aside and set her down on the white linen sheets. He wasn’t at all surprised when she started drifting slowly to one side. Grabbing two pillows, he wedged them between her back and the brass headboard, then propped her up again.
Almost immediately, she began struggling with her yellow cardigan sweater and had somehow managed to not only tangle her hair on one of the buttons, but she’d twisted her arms in the sleeves, as well. Her hands were now missing. “Here, let me help.”
Leaning over her, he pulled the strand of silky, auburn hair free and helped her shrug out of the sweater. Underneath, she wore a matching yellow tank top and, as far as he could tell, no bra. Not that she needed one. Jane’s breasts were modestly small, although her nipples had hardened into tiny twin peaks. Gabe forced himself to look away.
He tossed her sweater aside--it didn’t much matter that he’d thrown it atop a heap of clothes on the floor beside the bed. “Lean back and I’ll take off your sandals.”
She lifted one foot and then the other, allowing him to unbuckle the straps and remove her shoes. Her legs were shapely and silky smooth, and her ankles and feet were dainty with just a hint of freckles scattered about.
“Why are you being so nice?” she asked, looking at him skeptically.
His brows shot up. “Just because I’m the black sheep of the family doesn’t mean I can’t be nice once in a while. Just ask Travis and Livvy.” He cracked a smile. “They love me.”
“They love me better,” she shot back, her smile fading into a frown. “They only love you one week out of each year, Montero. The rest of the time you’re history.”
“Jealous, are we?”
“Hardly,” she said with a wave of a hand that nearly had her toppling off the bed.
Gabe’s own hand snaked out to steady her.
Her eyes grew huge. “Oh, my, that was close. Thank God, Gabe Montero was in my bedroom to help me in my hour of need.” She giggled, slapping her bare thigh, as if she’d just made the funniest comment ever. Her khaki skirt rode high on her legs, but she didn’t seem to notice, or care.
Trying to get into the spirit of things, he asked teasingly, “Do you want me to dig through your piles of lingerie to see if I can come up with something slinky for you to sleep in?”
“Very funny,” she said. “But I’d hate to disappoint you. I’m not exactly the sexy lingerie type.”
Gabe’s gaze darted to a black lacy thing near the foot of the bed. “You could have fooled me. Or does your boyfriend wear this when he stays over?” With deft fingers, he scooped it up and held it in front of her. It was a very skimpy teddy, and he tried to visualize the way it would hug her breasts and skim the highest parts of her thighs. He fantasized about all the hundreds of freckles that would be exposed, too.
Swell, he thought, running his gaze over her petite body. He was going to have a hell of a time falling asleep tonight. He’d be too busy thinking about a certain freckled minx.
Face flushed, she reached forward, snagged the teddy