Winter's Heat (7 page)

With a new resolve, she settled back in her seat to get some sleep for the rest of the flight home.

****

By the time the plane touched down, she felt well rested and ready to implement her plan of ‘Operation Eric.’ Since she knew he was still in New York, she wanted to plan a special homecoming for him when he got back in town. Something sexy, something that left no doubt in his mind how she felt about him.

No more letting the chips fall where they may business. It was time to show him some southern charm. With a grin and that thought fueling each step she took, she exited the plane.

A second later a surprised gasp fell from her lips as she exited the plane to see a casually dressed Eric leaning back against the hood of a shiny black sports car. Her heartbeat grew erratic with excitement as her eyes helplessly ate up the sight of him standing there.

Taking shallow breaths, Winter stood there continuing to look down at the badass mouth-watering picture he made and struggled to find a calmness she didn’t remotely feel. With the amount of distance between them, she couldn’t make out the expression on a face she knew to be sinfully handsome, but something told her she didn’t have to. Even from this distance, she could feel his intense blue gaze reach out to her and burn a path of raw need straight through her. His wide stance silently challenged her to throw caution to the wind and claim what was readily available.

Taking a deep breath and another step, that’s exactly what she did.

Once she starting moving towards him, there was no stopping her. The unconscious sexiness of her stride showed in every step she took as her legs quickly ate up the distance between them. And the prize at the end of her bold journey was so worth it.

Soon they stood a few inches apart caught up in a web of desire so strong that nothing else existed in the world outside the two of them.

“
Baby…”

He was immediately enthralled at the sound of her soft sultry voice and the shy invitation it held as her dark brown eyes mirrored his own need right back at him. The one thing that was going through Eric’s mind as his eyes ran hungrily over her beautiful face to travel down and over the rest of her pleasingly displayed curves: he had to have a taste of her. He needed to be reminded of the sweet taste he’d been deprived of these past few weeks.

All the control he thought he’d gained over the last few weeks while away in New York on the Carlton assignment went out the window when faced with the temptation of her magnetic beauty.

Throwing finesse to the side, he accepted her silent invitation by taking her into his arms as he thoroughly claimed her soft lips in a kiss that held all his pent up need.

He registered her low sexy moan as he felt her lean her lush softness into the tall hard wall of his aching body. The move seriously pressed his ‘on’ button and had him moving his hands down her back to cup her round firm butt and pulling her firmly against the hard ridge of his cock pressing into the seam of his jeans.

He was determined to make it both known to her and the world who’s woman she was by giving his need free reign.

And as she followed his lead by accepting the slide of his tongue into the sweet haven of her mouth, he was consumed with the memory it triggered of his cock sliding balls deep into the tight folds of her pussy the last time they’d made love.

“
Damn, baby.” Eyes still closed, he broke off the electrifying kiss and pressed his forehead against hers at the intensity of his body’s response to her. The mental pictures that were vividly running through his mind had him drawing in an unsteady breath as he was almost overcome with the need lay her down over the hood of the car behind them and bury himself as deeply as he possibly could get between her brown sugar thighs.

The sound of her soft chuckle had him opening his eyes to look down into her beautiful face as she flashed him a sexy mischievous grin.

“
Well, ‘hello’ to you too.” She said as she playfully reached up to nip at his chiseled jaw. “If I’d known I would get such a hot welcome, I would have gone away a long time ago.” She said still smiling up at him.

At that, he groaned and lightly spanked her bottom in swift punishment for her pert comment.

“
Hey!” She squeaked as she felt the pleasurable sting of his touch settle right at the very heart of her need.

“
Want me to kiss it and make it better?” He teasingly asked as he caught the wanton look openly displayed on her face before he turned and opened the car door for her.

“
Maybe later…” With those bold little words, she left him standing there as she folded herself into the passenger seat like she just didn’t dare him to take her right then and there.

Barely resisting temptation, he closed her door and made his way around to the driver’s side of the car. He marveled that she could flip a sensual switch within him so quickly. The way she’d responded to his touch had been everything he’d been dreaming of these past few weeks while they’d been apart. And he couldn’t wait to see her beautiful face when she saw what he had planned for her later on tonight to welcome her back home.

*****

“
Sweetheart, are you sure you don’t want to change your mind and come back to my place now?” Eric asked after pulling into Winter’s apartment complex twenty minutes later. Shortly after they’d left the airport she had explained to him the need to check on her roommate, Cheri. But just because he had given in didn’t mean he wouldn’t pull out all the stops to try and change her mind.

“
You don’t plan on making this easy on me do you?” She let out a low groan as she sat there starting to regret her decision to come back to her place first and get picked up later.

Chuckling, he leaned over and quickly kissed her soft lips. “No, I don’t. But I won’t press. You check on Cheri and I’ll pick you up in a couple hours for a relaxing weekend back at my place.” Even though he didn’t like the temporary separation any more than she did, it would give him a chance to creatively hide the object that was currently burning a hole in his pants pocket.

“
I can’t wait…” She said savoring the feel of his lips against hers. She really hoped that the next few hours would past quickly.

“
But first you have to give me another kiss.” He needed one more to hold him over until then. She’d been all he could think about for the last two weeks.

After he had arrived back from helping Quinn with the situation that had unfolded up in New York, he’d hopped on their other company jet and made it back to Phoenix with enough time to pick up one important item for the special homecoming he had planned for Winter. Thinking about the slender ring of platinum that held the perfectly cut diamond made him feel content. The last two weeks had taught him that there was no need to wait if something was right.

And he and Winter were right for each other. He knew that with every fiber of his being and he would back it up tonight when he asked her to be his in every way by becoming his wife. She was like no woman he’d ever known before and he’d be a fool not to make her his.

With satisfaction coursing through him, he pulled back to look deeply into her slightly dazed brown eyes.

“
Sweetheart, if we don’t get out of this car now I won’t be accountable for what I might do and public nudity was not in the plan for tonight.” He said as he brought one of her hands up to his lips and brushed a kiss over the rapid pulse of her wrist.

Winter could only nod her head because she could tell he meant every word he’d just said. What he didn’t seem to know was that she was his to do with as he pleased. She was so far gone that she didn’t care who saw them doing what.

As she unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her purse, a thought occurred to her.
Were Cheri and Randy even home?
And if so, was it a good idea to introduce Eric to either one of them?
She instantly received her answer as everything in her rebelled at the thought.

A few minutes later he carried her bags and followed her to the front door of her apartment. When Winter inserted the key into the lock, she felt panic spike alarmingly when she thought of what she might find inside.

Since she couldn’t very well say to Eric, “sorry, but you can’t come in because I don’t know what in the hell we might find…” without looking crazy, she continued unlocking the door. Because whatever the case might be, it was too late to turn back now. Wishful thinking took over momentarily as she turned the knob and stepped forward. Maybe Cheri and Randy had broken up while she was away. Maybe he had gone back underneath the rock he’d crawled out from under. Just maybe the apartment would be neat and Randy-free for a change.

Opening the door and walking into the apartment saw that prayer unanswered as the smell of cigarette smoke and something stale met her sensitive nose. The heat of embarrassment swiftly moved through her as she realized that Eric must surely smell and see the same things she did as she stepped around the clothes scattered randomly on the entryway floor.

To say she was mortified was an understatement. She was rapidly moving on to pissed and disgusted. The living room had Randy’s stamp all over it. Random articles of his grungy clothes were strewn all over the floor and couches.

Sitting her purse on a bar stool to her right, she tried breathing calmly in and out, but that was quickly ruined when she got another whiff of the musty odor. How she stopped herself from gagging, she’d never know.

“
Eric I’m sorry you had to see all this mess. I have no idea what’s going on right now.” She said embarrassed and pissed off all at the same time.

“
Is everything okay?” He’d never been to her place before, but as he looked around he instinctively knew that this amount of clutter couldn’t be normal for her. It looked like a wild frat party had exploded.

“
I don’t know, but I plan on finding out. Could you excuse me a moment while I go and talk to Cheri?” She asked hoping she wouldn’t embarrass herself any further by yelling at both Cheri and Randy at the top of her lungs like she really wanted to.

“
Sure sweetheart. If you need me in any way, I’ll be right here.” He reassured her. He knew right away that something more was amiss by the way her beautiful features were tensed in displeasure and resignation. The displeasure he could definitely understand as he once again caught a whiff of the moldy smell that had greeted them upon entering. But the resignation made him question just how long this situation had been going on. By the looks of the clutter, quite some time.

Winter left Eric and made her way down the hallway to Cheri’s room. She found the narrow walkway pretty much the same as the living room. It was a damn shame that one person could be that lazy and messy. And it wasn’t just Randy, she thought as her eyes fell on some of Cheri’s wrinkled up clothes mixed in with Randy’s. Either they didn’t get her message saying she would be back today or they just didn’t care. Either way, she was done. Even if she had to live out of her car, she was getting out of here tomorrow. Stepping over the mess, she kept walking towards Sheri’s room.

Before she could make it all the way, Cheri came walking out with Randy following closely behind her. Winter was shocked by what she saw.

What the hell
?

“
Winter, you’re back!” Cheri said equally shocked as she enfolded Winter in an awkward hug before she could say a word. Not knowing what to do, she reluctantly returned the hug and inadvertently looked Randy straight in the eye as he stood behind Sheri.

Uncomfortably pulling away, she noticed they both embodied exactly how the apartment smelled: dingy and dirty. Cheri looked like death on a stick with her sunken in eyes and blotchy skin in a soiled tank top and shorts. Winter was trying hard to not let her shock show and felt after this, she would deserve an Oscar if she pulled off a complete poker face.

“
Yeah, I just got back in. Eric picked me up from the airport and brought me back home.” Before she could ask why the apartment was such a mess, Cheri spoke again.

“
Eric? Your boss Eric? He’s here?” A suddenly animated Cheri quickly pushed pass Winter to walk toward the living room like a woman possessed.

Trying to talk to Cheri at this point took a back seat as Winter was forced to follow her to try and head off the disaster she knew was surely coming. Even the fact that Randy was following uncomfortably close behind her didn’t even register. A solution to keep Cheri contained enough to not embarrass herself in front of Eric was paramount in her mind at that point.

A solution came too late, because as soon as her wayward roommate saw Eric standing there, no one could get a word in edgewise.

“
Well if it isn’t Eric Jameson…it’s so nice to finally meet the man Winter’s been so hush-hush about.” Cheri stood uncomfortably close to him as she pushed her greasy looking strawberry blonde hair out of her face and attempted to shake his hand.

“
Hello…”Eric intoned in a cool, voice while ignoring Cheri’s outstretched grubby looking hand.

He didn’t know how Winter’s roommate normally looked, but right now she was doing a pretty good impersonation of ‘stumbling drunk party girl’. He knew that look quite well thanks to the alcoholic binges his mother use to go on.