Pleasing Mindy

Pleasing Mindy - Chapter 5

Galen, her mind screamed as her body went numb.

"Hello, Mindy."

At the sound of her name in his smooth English accent, Mindy flopped against the doorframe as a rush of fear, anxiety, and yes, excitement spun in her mind. How could she not be excited about seeing him? How could her skin not tingle at the memory of his warm hands roaming up and down her damp flushed body, the heady scent of his masculinity causing her to salivate in expectation, the thrusting of his tongue deep into her mouth and his licking at her pulsing womanhood, causing shuttering contractions deep within her belly? How could she not recall the intensity of their passion, night after night and day after day for the two and a half years they'd been together?

During the last couple of months, it had been easy for Mindy to pretend that he'd never existed in her world, or that she'd wished him into being. But now that he was here in the flesh, gazing at her through his seductive hazel eyes, she couldn't pretend anymore. The little taste of heaven he'd given her had been real, not imagined. Now she understood her nervous behavior from the moment she'd heard the first knock. Her foolish heart had leaped from recognition, but her wise mind had refused to acknowledge the possibility that he had returned.

"Mindy?" he said again, his lips parted in a smile of expectation, his eyes shimmering with hope under the porch light.

Still unable—or too afraid—to speak, Mindy scanned his ruggedly handsome face. He'd changed, she thought detecting a commanding strength to his square jawbone and sturdy chin, and a firmness in his full rosy lips that she hadn't noticed before. Even the outline of his broad shoulders beneath his black wool coat seemed to exude the kind of power and confidence she had come to recognize in the wealthy businessmen who frequented Hotel Andreas. His dark wavy hair, brushing the collar of his coat, along with the curl that was wont to fall casually onto his wide forehead, added to his astounding sex appeal.

He was definitely not the whipped puppy who had left Granite Falls eight months ago with his tail between his legs, nor was he the rebellious, hotheaded boy who'd fought his half-brother, physically, and in court. The man standing in front of her manifested success and an inherent commanding power—just like an Andretti male—the kind of man who simultaneously thrilled and frightened a girl, and in whose hands she might be tempted to place her heart, her faith, and her love, if she didn't know him.

But Mindy knew him, and the one thing she'd learned from his eight-month silent absence was to never trust him again. She was no Reggie Lampert in Charade. She would not be fooled by this nascent air of superiority he'd picked up while he was gone.

"Mindy, let's go inside. It's cold out here and you're shivering, love."

She was shivering, but it wasn't only from the cold air seeping through the uneven storm windows surrounding the porch. Her entire being was responding to his gaze slowly sliding down her body. She held her breath as she felt her breasts swell, her nipples harden against the soft cups of her bra, and the treacherous spot at the apex of her thighs pulsate with fire and need for him.

Afraid that he might detect her stupid vulnerability, she dropped her gaze to his brown crocodile-leather monk shoes. Stemar, an expensive brand and style she'd seen his brother wearing. He looked out of place amidst the rusted and broken-down yard furniture and other junk piled up on one side of the porch. He'd been Andrettinized. But how? When? She felt so underdressed in her jeans, wool sweater, and white bobby socks—one with a hole. Embarrassment caused her to pull her foot with the peeping unpainted big toe behind the door.

"Mindy? Come on, love. You'll catch your death of a cold. Let me inside for a few minutes."

"No." Mindy tightened her hold on the doorknob, knowing that if she let him into her home, or her head for that matter, it would take too much effort to get him out, or worse, she might not be able to get him out at all. "Why are you here? What do you want?" she asked, surprised that her voice was calm.