When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek #1)(67)
Author: Brenda Novak

“What have I done?” she mouthed as she stared at herself in the mirror. But it was too late for regret or remonstrance. At the very least, she was infatuated with Simon. Now that she wasn’t caught up in the moment, she was reluctant to call it love. Even if it was, she could still salvage her pride.

“Gail?”

He was outside the door.

She hurried to flush the toilet, even though she hadn’t used it. “Yes?”

“You okay?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Just wanted to be sure.”

“I’m fine. Thanks. You definitely know how to show a lady a good time.” She bit her lip, forcing herself to stop talking before she gave away the fact that she was completely thrown by what had just happened.

“Good. Glad to hear it. Let’s take a shower.”

He wanted more. And, heaven help her, so did she.

* * *

Their first encounter hadn’t been bad, not by any stretch of the imagination. But, thanks to practice and a growing familiarity, sex with Simon got even more enjoyable as the weekend wore on. Gail was surprised at how quickly she became comfortable with the intimacy and how easily she lost her self-consciousness. She’d been so worried about comparing unfavorably to his other lovers, but that was crazy. If their relationship wasn’t going to last, what did it matter?

Other than a short stint here and there when they ran out to buy food and more condoms, they’d spent the weekend holed up in the house, making love, sleeping and eating. Ironically, it felt like a real honeymoon. Gail knew Josh would love to hear the dirty details of the past two days, but she planned to give Simon the same respect and privacy she was counting on from him. As if to confirm that, she ignored Josh’s call when it came in.

“Who is it?” Simon asked when she set her phone back on the carpet.

Curling into him, she kissed his bare shoulder. “Josh.”

“What do you think he wants?”

“To update me on how things are going.”

“On Sunday?”

“He’s a workaholic, like me. And he’s probably dying to hear what’s happening with us.”

It was getting dark outside. Gail almost couldn’t believe they’d spent the whole weekend indulging in hedonistic behavior. But she’d already crossed all the lines she’d intended not to cross. At this point, there was no reason not to enjoy Simon while she could.

“It’s peaceful here, don’t you think?” She’d been careful not to mention his father, but the knowledge that Tex was staying at A Room with a View and had been there for two days made her uneasy. She guessed Simon felt the same, probably worse, and wondered what he planned to do about his father’s ultimatum.

Maybe she’d lose Simon much sooner than she’d expected to….

“It’s been perfect.” He kissed her, and his tongue met hers briefly. “You don’t regret what we’ve done, do you?”

He’d spoken casually, but she sensed that her answer mattered.

“What’s to regret? It was about time I got laid, right?” She chuckled as if it meant nothing more than that, and he didn’t follow up.

“Who were the other two?” he asked at length.

She ran a hand over the contours of his flat stomach. “The other two?”

“You said you’ve slept with two other guys.”

Rising up on one elbow, she gave him a challenging look, but she was teasing and she could tell he knew that. “Do you really want to talk about past lovers?”

He surprised her by remaining serious. “Only because I’m guessing they meant something to you.”

The air mattress shifted as she rearranged the blankets, which were twisted around their feet. “Hardly.”

“What does that mean?”

“The first was more of a date-rape situation. He didn’t like me saying no, felt I owed him more than a good-night kiss in exchange for dinner.”

His eyebrows knitted as he helped her untangle the blankets. She liked him with his hair mussed and his jaw darkening with beard growth. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him look sexier, even in the movies. “I hope you turned him in.”

“I wish I had. At the time I felt that maybe I’d invited it by acting interested in him. I was so excited when he finally asked me out. Now that I’m older, I have no idea why I let him get away with what he did. But I was twenty-five and inexperienced. And I thought maybe I was weird for not wanting to have sex with him on the first date. He was really handsome, someone most girls would desire.”

“Where is he now?”

“Who knows? I met him at a dance place some of my employees dragged me to. We didn’t have any contact after that.”

“And the other guy?”

“That was a much better experience. He was quite a bit older than me, very kind—a college professor complete with the tweed jackets.” She smiled in memory of Skylar Henshaw’s conservative wardrobe. “I liked his calm, trustworthy manner. We were together for several months.”

“Why’d you break up?”

“He decided to get back with his ex-wife. She was a lovely woman, and they had children together. I never could understand why they split.”

His hand slid over the curve of her waist and down around her hip in a gentle caress. “Was it because of you?”

“No, I met him at a Starbucks after his divorce. He offered me his table because it was too crowded for me to use my laptop any other way.”

“How romantic,” he said dryly.

She smiled. “He was nice, like I said.”

He kissed her neck, her ear. “Did he leave you brokenhearted, Gail?”

She closed her eyes. “Not really. I was ready to tell him I wanted to move on. I figured it was lucky he’d come to the same decision. Our relationship was…comfortable but not passionate. I liked that he didn’t demand more from me than I was willing to give. I was building my business and didn’t have a lot of time or energy for anything else. He took care of my creature comforts.”

Simon raised his head. “Sounds more like a father figure.”

“I guess he was. But we both understood that.”

“And then there was Matt.”

Gail stretched. “I didn’t sleep with Matt, remember?”

“You wanted to.”

She didn’t correct him.

“Will you in the future?”

“Maybe.” She glanced away so he couldn’t tell how troubling she found that question. He’d spoken as if it wouldn’t matter to him if she did.