Two days ago Meg would have laughed in the woman’s face. But two days ago she hadn’t been contemplating seducing a sinfully sexy man. “Items?”
“Don’t mind her. Dixie loves to dish out advice about sex and love.” Jamie chuckled. “But she sure can’t take it herself.”
“Don’t start,” Dixie said, rolling her eyes.
“Did I miss something?”
“Oh, just Dixie’s secret admirer,” Jamie explained. “She’s going out of her mind because someone’s been leaving her mysterious notes. Speaking of which, any new developments?”
“No. And I don’t care since I’d never be interested in a man who can’t damn well be honest about his feelings.”
Jamie shrugged. “I’d be flattered.”
“Me, too,” Meg said, unable to resist Jamie’s playful grin.
Dixie sighed heavily. “Back to your lingerie situation, missy.” She glanced at Jamie. “Our Meg here tells me she’s never even tried out anything the least bit sexy. And judging by her outfit, I think we can take her word for it.”
“I teach,” Meg explained defensively. “I need to be comfortable chasing after seven-year-olds all day.”
“Well, sugar,” Dixie said, her voice nearly a purr. “If you want any twenty-or thirty-seven-year-olds chasing after you all night, you need a change of wardrobe.”
Meg thought about it. Then she nodded. “Think you can dish out some advice along with that lingerie?”
Dixie clapped her hands together. “Oh, my, did you come to the right place! Pull up a chair and let’s get busy.”
CHAPTER SIX
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED, Joe was absolutely determined to keep his hands off Meg on Wednesday night. They were going out again, and this date, dammit, would be about fun, laughter and companionship. Definitely not about sex. Not about slow, wet kisses. Not about the way her n**ples had tasted on his tongue, or the warmth between her thighs.
“Cool it, idiot,” he told himself as he parked his truck outside his parents’ restaurant.
Santori’s was the perfect place for their date. It’d be loud, bright, filled with nosy family members and friendly diners. There was simply no way he’d be able to give in to attraction—okay, lust—in the middle of the mayhem. They’d simply spend another evening together, building the sense of liking they’d established from the first, and, he hoped, also building on the trust she’d begun to feel for him. Trust he was going to have to rely on when the time came to come clean.
Thankfully, Meg’s own plans had coincided perfectly with his. She’d called him from her cell phone, saying she had to do some shopping and would meet him at the restaurant. So, they wouldn’t have those long, private moments inside his cozy truck to deal with, either before or after dinner.
“You can handle this,” he told himself. But when he walked into the restaurant and saw her standing there, chatting with two of his brothers, Joe’s good intentions flew right out the window.
“Holy crap,” he whispered.
His Meg, the second-grade teacher, was nowhere to be found. In her place stood a fantasy—the seductive, sultry Meg previously hidden within the computers at The Red Doors.
She wore a silky red blouse, the kind made with fabric so thin it probably whispered with her every move. The top draped each curve, not clinging, but sliding over those lush br**sts Joe had kissed just twenty-four hours before. The deep vee of her neckline gave an enticing glimpse of her pale throat. Joe had to suck in a calming breath when he saw one of the waiters cast an appreciative look at her cl**vage.
With the blouse, she wore a black skirt. But it was nothing like the one she’d worn Monday. This was skintight, clinging to her tiny waist, and to h*ps designed precisely to fit a man’s hands. It ended a few inches above the knee, revealing perfect, long legs clad in shimmery black stockings.
If they had a seam, he was going to croak.
She turned slightly. “Sonofabitch,” he muttered. Seamed.
“Joseph!” his mother cried, catching sight of him. She walked over, arms extended.
Bending for her kiss, he winced when she instead rapped him on the head with a knuckle. “You’re late. I taught you better. You kept your lady friend waiting.”
Over his mother’s head, he saw Meg grin. Even her face looked different. She wore more dramatic makeup that emphasized the delicacy of her skin and the depth of blue in her eyes. She’d done something new to her hair, pulling it into a loose braid, while leaving little curls around her temples. She looked like pure class and pure sin wrapped up in one mouthwatering package.
“Wow,” he mouthed. Joe knew the heat in his stare told her he liked the way she looked. Her cheeks went a little red, but she managed to give him a sultry smile in return.
“It’s all right, Mrs. Santori. I was early.” Meg walked over to Joe, moving slowly, with an exaggerated swing to her hips.
He was drooling by the time she got within three feet. Then she stumbled slightly on her slim, high heels and fell into his arms—right where she belonged.
“Hi, Meg,” he said, a laugh on his lips as he caught her.
She groaned. “Just call me Grace.”
“I’ll call you anything, sweetie, if you give me your number,” Joe’s younger brother said as he joined them. Lucas dropped his arm across Meg’s shoulders with friendly familiarity.
“Lucas,” Joe snarled, “unless you want to answer questions about your black eye tomorrow in court, you’ll remove your arm.”
Lucas, younger than Joe by only eleven months, merely grinned. “Nice to see you, too. And don’t bother introducing me. Meg and I had a nice chat before you arrived.”
He saw the merriment in Lucas’s face and mentally sent up an apology for all the times he’d ragged on Tony for going out of his mind over Gloria. He now understood how his brother had felt.
“Now,” his mother said, “go take the big table in the corner. Lots of room for everybody. Your sister has to work, but Gloria is on the way with baby Anthony.”
Oh, ya-ay. A date with Meg…and several members of his family. His mother had obviously been busy ever since Joe had called earlier and asked her to hold him a table. The phone lines were probably still smoking.
But hell, he’d asked for it, hadn’t he? His plan to make sure he didn’t get the chance to lose his head the way he had the night before was obviously going to be completely effective.
Dammit all to hell.
MEG LOVED JOE’S FAMILY. His father, in particular, captured her heart because he and Joe shared the same smile. The older man had come out of the kitchen every ten minutes throughout the evening to make sure Meg’s plate and glass were never empty.
His two brothers were incredibly handsome, and were outrageous flirts. Tony, the married one, stopped the flirting when his wife showed up. Judging by the way Tony and Gloria looked at one another, Meg had no question they were crazy in love. They could barely keep their hands off one another.
Meg kept her eye on Joe, and reminded herself about what Dixie had tried to hammer into her brain that afternoon. You are a seductress.
She didn’t feel much like a seductress, unfortunately, because the man she wanted to seduce hadn’t touched her all night. It wasn’t Joe’s fault, really. At least one member of his boisterous family had been between them at all times.
Right now it was his godson, little Tony.
“What did I tell you?” Mrs. Santori said when she spied Meg holding the baby. She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled widely. “That is what God intended for you.”
Feeling sure her face was rapidly turning the same color as her blouse, Meg looked away. Her stare collided with Joe’s.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Meg,” Joe’s sister-in-law said. “This family has absolutely no understanding of the word ‘tact’. Did I tell you what one of them gave me for Christmas during our Secret Santa exchange?”
She shook her head, finally pulling her gaze away from Joe.
“A gift certificate to a lingerie shop called Sheer Delights. I opened it up right in front of everyone.”
Startled, Meg blurted, “Joe and I met there.”
Gloria shifted her stare to Joe, who literally squirmed in his seat. “Joseph? So, it was you?” Standing, she leaned over the table, grabbed both of Joe’s cheeks, and pulled him closer. She pressed a loud, smacking kiss on his lips. “Bless you!”
Tony raised his glass to his brother. “Thanks for a great Christmas.” Then he gave his wife a secretive smile. “And a very happy new year.” The couple positively beamed at each other as everyone else at the table laughed.
Though she was thoroughly enjoying the company, Meg finally glanced at her watch and gave Joe a pointed look.
“I guess it’s time to break up this party,” he said.
Lots of loud exclamations and hugs accompanied their goodbyes, and it took at least another twenty minutes before Meg and Joe made it out to the parking lot. Holding her coat tightly around her body, Meg took a deep, fortifying breath as they reached her car. A light snow had begun to fall, the first in several days, and Meg watched as flakes landed on Joe’s dark hair and long lashes.