The Wife He Needs - Brenda Jackson Page 0,16

and her hairstyle was the same. So why had he gotten such a gut reaction upon seeing her again? That didn’t make sense.

“I was hoping I had time to set the table before you returned,” he said, trying to figure out why his attraction to her was more intense at this moment than ever before.

“Since I’m here, I can help you.”

Her help was the last thing he wanted because that would put her too close for comfort. However, there was no way he could turn down her offer. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”

“Do you think I can kidnap Paulo and get away with it?”

Garth grinned. “You want to kidnap Paulo?”

“Why not?” Regan asked, licking her lips.

Garth fought the heat curling in his gut every time Regan did that with her mouth. Watching her eat was arousing. She would do well to keep her tongue inside her mouth. Every time she licked her lips he was tempted to show her the proper way it was done. On further thought, it would be the improper way. Definitely indecent. Why did indecent appeal to him?

“For starters,” he said, shifting slightly in his chair to relieve the tightness in his crotch, “there is the matter of a wife, five kids and a grandchild.”

She lifted what he thought was a cute brow. “Do you think they could be bribed?”

He grinned again. “Possibly. But wouldn’t it be less of a criminal offense and a hell of a lot cheaper if you ask him for the recipe?”

She pretended to give his suggestion serious thought. “Only problem is that I don’t follow a recipe worth a damn, Garth. You of all people should know that.”

Yes, he should. He recalled that time years ago when she’d been fourteen or fifteen and had gotten a recipe from him to prepare her father a batch of cookies. Franklin had nearly broken his tooth when he’d bitten into one. He’d told Garth—behind Regan’s back of course—that he would use the things for target practice.

“That was years ago,” he said. “I would hope you’ve gotten better.”

She chuckled. “Nope. I hate to disappoint you.”

“You could never disappoint me, Regan.” Although she might not be the greatest cook, she definitely had other talents—like playing piano, speaking several languages, walking with perfect posture and flying a plane.

He pushed his plate aside, inwardly admitting his cousin Jared hadn’t lied. Paulo was the best. Garth had eaten other veal dishes, but nothing like the one he’d eaten tonight. Paulo had roasted the veal with potatoes in some special sauce. The same sauce that had Regan licking her lips.

He had to stop himself from licking his own lips.

He glanced back at Regan. She was licking her lips again and looking blatantly sexy while doing it. She gazed over at him and smiled. “Now for the dessert.”

The dessert Paulo had made looked delicious, but the man sitting across the table from her looked delectable. Regan leaned back in her chair and smiled. Sharing both lunch and dinner with Garth had brought back pleasant childhood memories, reminding her of how much they’d been a part of each other’s lives.

She recalled Bart always being distant, at least until Charm arrived. And she knew he wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. He and his sons had clashed a number of times. Regan had once asked her father how he could work for a man who at times seemed so detached. Her father had simply said he understood Bart. There were things that had happened in Bart’s life that he was still trying to work through. Her father never said what those things were and he would not have said, even if she’d asked.

Regardless of Bart’s moody ways, because of her friendship with the Outlaws, she’d had a fun childhood. But that didn’t mean there hadn’t been periods of loneliness as the brothers got older and before Charm arrived. Being an only child had been tough, especially during those times when her father traveled a lot. But whenever he came home, Franklin Fairchild made sure she’d known just how much she was loved and wanted.

“Which one of these you want to try first?”

A smile spread across her lips when Garth held up the platter of delicious-looking treats. “Um, I think I’ll try that strawberry twist,” she said, leaning up to get it off the platter.

When Garth’s gaze dipped to her chest, she realized how much of her cleavage he was seeing. She quickly sat back down. “Ah, could you pass the tray to