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He arrived right on time, only this night he didn’t come bearing gifts. She opened the door and smiled sweetly. Like she had every day for the past fourteen, she seemed right pleased to see him.
“We need to sit down for a minute,” he said, stepping into her home and plopping himself down on the sofa.
Her eyes widened at his gruff manner. “Is something wrong?”
“Just sit.” He pointed toward the chair across from him.
Frankly, it surprised him that she was so willing to do as he asked. The woman had a penchant for making his life miserable, and it wouldn’t have surprised him had she stood there and argued.
“We’ve been seeing each other on a regular basis for two weeks now,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on her.
“Yes.” Her smile was deceptive, gentle and kind. Carl was convinced she’d taken a great deal of delight in making him suffer.
“Every time I’ve taken you out, I’ve brought you a gift, just so you’d know how important you are to me.
“I don’t need the gifts, Carl. You’ve gone overboard on that.”
Shewas tellinghim!
“At the end of the date, you let me kiss you.”
She demurely lowered her eyelashes. He nearly laughed aloud. There wasn’t a retiring bone in this woman’s body.
“I want to know how much longer it’s going to take, and I want a straight answer.”
She blinked as though she hadn’t a clue what he was talking about. “How much longer?”
“Before we go to bed together.” He wanted to shout the words. “A man can only take so much frustration, and I have to tell you, I reached my limit a good ten days ago.” It was impossible for him to sit still. He sprang to his feet and loomed above her.
“Are you saying the only reason you took me out was because you wanted to get me into bed?”
Carl knew a trap when he saw one. He hadn’t spent all that time in the battlefield without gaining a few insights into the way a strategist’s mind works.
“Not entirely,” he told her. “The fact is I’ve enjoyed getting to know you.” And he had. But not one of the evenings had ended the way he thought they should.
“But taking me to bed weighed heavily into your decision to date me?”
He eyed her, wondering where she was leading, fully expecting her to steer him into a bog of verbal quicksand. “Yes. Can’t you see, Candy, we’re good together.”
Her eyes lit up as though he’d said the magic words. “I think we’re good together, too. These last few weeks have been some of the happiest of my life. Spending time with you, getting to know you and letting you know me has been wonderful.”
“Don’t you think all this time spent together should lead to a natural conclusion?” His gaze fastened on her bedroom door at the end of the hallway. “Candy,” he whispered, “can’t you see? I’m half-crazy wanting you.” He didn’t mention, although she must have noticed, he’d been suffering from perpetual frustration.
Her eyes were tender and Carl was sure she was going to see things his way.
“I agree spending time together does lead to a natural conclusion.”
At last. Carl was eager to have her that he pulled his shirt loose of his waistband. “Oh, baby, I didn’t know what I was going to do if you refused me.” He unsnapped the cuffs of his shirtsleeves and started working the buttons free.
“Carl, that natural conclusion should be marriage, don’t you think?”
Marriage!
Carl froze. He felt as if he’d been sucker punched. So that was what she wanted. So that was what all this was about. It amazed him that he hadn’t seen through her act earlier.
He pointed his finger at her while he started toward the front door. The jaws of the trap were fully exposed now.
“No way.”
