Measure of a Man Page 11

  Not that she was conceited or anything, but she’d looked damn good last night. Hell, she would have hit on herself if— “Okay, I’m losing it now.”

  She drew a breath and released it in a long exhale. What was she going to do now? She’d already finished packing for tomorrow, her heart wasn’t into working, and she didn’t feel like shopping—that was a miracle in itself.

  Maybe the best thing to do was to find the nearest ice cream shop and load up on some chocolate. She’d think about hitting the dating scene once she returned home.

  At the loud knock on the door, she frowned and searched her memory for a forgotten appointment. She pushed out of her chair just as the knock grew persistent.

  “Who is it?” she asked, and then peered through the peephole.

  There was no one there.

  Confused, she opened the door, but then jumped when an arm jutted out, and in its hand was a longstem rose.

  Peyton gasped and then reached for it.

  “I figured it would be a nice start to make up for last night.”

  She turned toward the sound of Lincoln’s voice. “I thought you left,” she whispered in surprise.

  Lincoln stepped forward and consumed her senses. “I made a slight change in plans. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Why would I mind?” she asked. Her heartbeat raced and those wonderful butterflies returned to swarm her insides. “Would you like to come in?”

  “I would rather we went out.” He took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips. “Maybe even finish our date where we left off?”

  “A ride through Central Park?”

  “For starters.” He backed her against the door frame. “And then afterward, perhaps we could—”

  “Go dancing?” she suggested.

  “Actually, I think I have to retire my dancing shoes. At least for a little while.” His head descended so that his warm breath brushed against her face. “I’m glad I came back to see you.”

  She lifted her gaze and when she met his intense stare everything melted inside her. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  Without question he did just that. He kissed her with a fierce passion that she met and matched, while his hands drifted down her back and hips. When that wasn’t enough he pulled her close and molded her body against his.

  Peyton emitted another weak moan at the feel of his hard body pressed against her. The length of his arousal increased her body’s endorphins.

  She didn’t know what made him change his mind and she didn’t care. All that mattered was he was here.

  When the kiss ended, her eyes remained closed, while her mind drifted somewhere among the clouds. “I’m glad you came back, too,” she said.

  Lincoln smiled. “You should grab a jacket.”

  What was he talking about? She was burning up and she wanted nothing more than to relieve both of them of their clothes or to at least slip her hands beneath his shirt and enjoy the feel of his spectacular abs and mountainous chest.

  The door bolted open.

  “P.J., I found the perfect thing to cheer you up.” Joey looked up from her shopping, and then jumped back.

  Peyton and Lincoln stared wide-eyed at their intruder.

  Joey smiled. “I see you found something better to cheer you up.”

  Lincoln disbursed a hearty laugh. “Hello again.”

  “What are you doing back here?” Peyton asked. At this rate she was never going to get laid.

  Joey started backing up to the door. “Hey, I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll leave you two alone.”

  Lincoln shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. We were just leaving.”

  “We were?”

  He looked down at her. “Central Park, remember?”

  What’s the hurry? “Yeah, sure.” She glanced back at her sister and gave her a tight smile. “He’s right. We were just leaving.”

  Joey suppressed her laughter, but her face glowed a bright cranberry-red. “You two have fun.”

  Peyton stood and mumbled as she walked past her sister. “We were until you showed up.”

  * * *

  “Back again?”

  Lincoln smiled up at the same carriage driver from last night. “Everything’s better the second time around,” he boasted with a wink.

  “I just might have to hold you to that,” Peyton whispered in his ear.

  “By all means.” He opened the carriage door and assisted her inside. When he took his place beside her, he slid his arm around her shoulder.

  There was something about this woman that he just couldn’t get enough of. He wanted to talk more so they could really get to know each other. Yet at the same time, talk was the last thing he wanted to do.

  Pace yourself, pace yourself. One of the major things he’d learned from his past relationships was that there was such a thing as too much too fast; and he was more than aware that he and Peyton were in danger of doing just that.

  Of course, it would be nice to see what she’d look like in the heat of passion—maybe even to hear if she’d call out his name in the throes of ecstasy.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  “Things I shouldn’t be thinking about,” he admitted honestly.

  “Why don’t you tell me and let me decide?”

  He smiled at the sudden glint in her eyes and looked away. She was a strong woman who was unquestionably comfortable in her own skin and her sexuality.

  Peyton’s fingers directed his chin downward so he would meet her gaze again. “You can tell me. I won’t bite.”

  Easily seduced by her silky tone, Lincoln found it difficult to censor his words, like his relationship guru had taught, and spoke from his heart.

  “I’m wondering about what you’d look like while I make love to you.”

  “You didn’t have to wonder about that, you know.” She chuckled. “You could’ve found out last night—or this morning.”

  Lincoln grew hard at the thought.

  Peyton turned her head so her lips brushed against his ear. “You should see all the things I can do to you.”

  Erotic images filled his head, each one better than the last. Pace yourself, pace yourself.

  “I’m sure it will be wonderful when the time is right.” His reply had the affect of splashing cold water on the idea. “You know—after we get to know each other better.”

  She blinked and stared at him as though a second head had sprouted from his neck.

  Flex had warned that he would get this initial reaction. But he’d told Lincoln that such restraint was often viewed as a challenge by women. Besides, the last thing he wanted was to be nothing more than a weekend affair to this beautiful businesswoman—a course she seemed determine to set them on.

  Finally, a slow smile returned to her lips. “And when do you think the time will be right?”

  Now. “What’s your hurry?” he asked. “Are you looking for Mr. Right or for Mr. Right Now?” He leaned back. “I have to tell you, I’m looking for Mrs. Right.”

  She was adorable with her scrunched-up nose and furrowed brow. “Mrs. Right?” she repeated.

  “Yeah, you know, the whole one-man-for-one-woman thing?”

  “Mrs. Right?” She glanced around at the people they passed in the park.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I’m just expecting Candid Camera or something to jump out of the bushes.”

  Lincoln
snickered. “Why is this so hard to believe?”

  “Do you know what the chances are of running into a guy like you who is honestly looking to settle down?”

  “It’s not as rare as you think. Men have different ways of going about finding the right person. But in the end we’re all looking for the same thing—something to do, something to look forward to and someone to love.”

  She stared at him. “I don’t know if I believe you. What are you, hooked up to a machine that makes you say all the right things?”

  Laughing, he turned his gaze to take in their surroundings. “Actually, I’m an old-fashioned man who’s tired of all the games. We both know that if we meet on a Saturday and sleep together on Sunday, the chances of us being together next week, next month, are slim to none. I’ve already given up the opportunity for you to represent me for a chance at a relationship. I’m not willing to forsake a lifetime for a few hours of sex.”

  She swallowed. “A few hours?”

  Lincoln glanced at her. “At least.” He smiled. “You still haven’t told me what you’re looking for.”

  Peyton rolled her eyes. “Honestly? It’s a pretty long list.”

  He shrugged. “I can’t think of a better time to review it.”

  The glint returned to her eyes and a sexy smile to her lips. “All right, then. I’m looking for an old-fashioned kind of man.”

  “Check.”

  “Let me finish,” she said, holding up her hands. “This man must know the difference between a Phillips head and a Reed-and-Prince head screwdriver.”

  “Check.” Lincoln crossed his arms. “I’m looking for a woman who knows how to use the stove instead of a microwave.”

  “Check.” She smiled smugly. “I want a man who knows how to do a standard oil change, fix a flat and rotate the tires on a car.”

  “Check, check and check.” He matched her smile. “How about a woman who knows how to use a vacuum cleaner?”

  “You’re looking for a wife or a mother?”

  “I’m looking for the mother of my children,” he responded. This was fun.

  “Children?” she asked.

  “Yes, children. How do you feel about them?”

  “I, uh, feel okay. Especially when I know that they’re going home with someone else.”

  His heart dropped in disappointment. “You don’t want kids?”

  Peyton glanced away. “It’s not that I don’t want them, it just that I’ve never allowed myself to think about the possibility.”

  “But you were married before.”

  “The whole thing was a mistake. I hate to admit that I was once one of those women who married for the sake of being married, but I was. Ricky never expressed an interest in children and neither did I. Once I graduated from college, I assumed the next step was marriage and took the first man who asked me. How pathetic is that?”

  “And now?”

  She grinned at the idea, a small boy with Lincoln dimples. “Now…I’m thinking about it.”

  Chapter 16

  Peyton enjoyed the rest of her ride through Central Park cuddled next to Lincoln. Despite her many visits to the busy city, she’d never taken the time to tour the park’s lush rolling meadows.

  It was a beautiful day for falling in love and that was exactly what Peyton feared she was doing. This was a far cry from her morning of sexual frustration. Now as she sat next to what was arguably her dream guy, her mind played Photoshop with images of their future children. Children. How pathetic.

  She loved every minute of it, and the day didn’t stop there.

  An early dinner was in the glorious Crystal Room at Tavern on the Green. While Peyton was no stranger to fine dining, it was apparent that Lincoln was stretching out of his comfort zone again to show her a good time—and she was charmed by it.

  However, the pessimist in her kept waiting for the bubble to burst. No man could meet her every expectation, but as dinner wore on she was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was one.

  “So what happens after tonight?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  Peyton gently stirred her bowl of lobster bisque, while choosing the right words. “Well, tomorrow I return to California and you’re going back to Georgia.”

  “True.” He drew a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “A lot has happened this weekend.”

  “Yeah. It’s a shame that it has to end.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Well…to be honest with you, I’ve never had a long-distance…relationship. I mean, I have friends who’ve tried their hands at it, but I’d be hard pressed to name a couple who was successful.”

  “So what you’re telling me is that we’ll be the first?”

  His response surprised and rendered her speechless for a moment. “There goes that cocky streak again.”

  “Is cocky a step up from arrogant?”

  “I guess you could say that.” She smiled and found it difficult to erect her old, familiar walls of defense, and as the night wore on she stopped trying.

  “What makes you so sure we have what it takes to make this last?”

  “Intuition.”

  “More like wishful thinking?”

  “What’s wrong with that?” He searched her gaze. “It’s not exactly healthy to enter into a new relationship expecting it to fail. If you’re going to do that, why bother?”

  Peyton swallowed. “You know it’s going to take me a while to get used to a man who tosses the R-word around like it’s nothing.”

  “Does it make you nervous?”

  Their waiter suddenly appeared and refreshed their drinks, which allowed Peyton sufficient time to come up with a good response.

  “It takes a lot to make me nervous.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  It doesn’t?

  Lincoln leaned back in his chair while his Cheshire cat smile slid wider. “Never mind. I think I already have my answer.”

  Peyton tensed. His twinkling gaze somehow stripped her of whatever was left of her defenses, and trying to acclimate to this new sense of vulnerability was frightening.

  “I like the fact that I make you nervous,” he said. “It means you’re scared of losing control.”

  “And that’s supposed to be a good thing?” When his warm gaze caressed her face, she marveled over what he could do without laying a finger on her.

  Lincoln leaned forward once again. “If it makes you feel any better,” he whispered, “I’m a little nervous myself.”

  She searched his eyes for sincerity and then smiled when she found it. “Then why don’t you look as terrified as I feel?”

  “I think the word is excited.”

  “You say tomato and I say—”

  “You really need to work on this pessimistic thing you have going.”

  “And you have to do something about this eternal sunshine thing.”

  He laughed. “So do you think you can fall in love with a guy you can’t stand?”

  “We’ll just have to see.”

  * * *

  “She went out with the same man again?” Michael belted into the phone. “Who is this guy, anyway?”

  Joey rolled her eyes and continued packing her things. “Don’t worry about it. It’s no one you know.”

  “I know lots of people. Besides, if Peyton actually has the nerve to see someone more than once, then this is a monumental event and the family should be i
nformed.”

  “C’mon, Michael. We’re not the Mafia. I’m sure she dates plenty of men more than once. She’s just smart enough not to tell us about it.”

  “Name one.”

  “Ricky Garner.”

  “Don’t be a smart-ass,” Michael hissed. “I’m not talking about ancient history.”

  Laughing, Joey plopped onto the bed. She gave up trying to figure out how to cram six shopping bags of new clothes into luggage that was already jammed tight. “Let it go, Mike. When she wants the family to know who she’s dating, she’ll tell us.”

  “You know.”

  “Leave me out of it. I see, hear and know nothing. Besides, it’s probably not even serious. You know how P.J. can be. He’s probably just someone to pass the time with in New York. Drop it.”

  “There’s something you’re not telling me. How could you hold out on your older sister?”

  “You mean my nosey sister. Don’t you have wedding crap you have to get through?”

  “Fine. Don’t tell me, but don’t think I won’t remember this.”

  Joey looped the phone cord around her neck and pretended to hang herself. Michael was like an elephant when it came to remembering things.

  “But you’re right,” Michael added. “Peyton has way too much armor to get into anything serious. Forget I asked.”

  Joey exhaled.

  “But you’re still not off the hook.”

  “Of course not.”

  * * *

  Peyton and Lincoln laughed and talked for hours after their dinner plates were removed from the table. There was a wealth of things to do in the city that never sleeps, but the couple didn’t want to do any of them, nor did they want the night to end.

  To prolong their time together, they took in a Broadway play, and then a long leisurely walk among the glorious lights of Times Square. It was another beautiful night and the air was ripe for romance.

  “So you’re an only child?” Peyton asked, shaking her head. “I can’t imagine life without my crazy siblings.”

  Lincoln’s chest rumbled with a quiet laughter. “It would’ve been nice to have a younger brother to boss around, play practical jokes on or even frame for some of my misdeeds.”