Cougar Christmas Read online

  “Last night.” His deep voice was smooth. “We talked about taking the plane here today and what it would be like to join the mile high club. Genevieve here is usually pretty reserved so the idea of getting caught was exciting to her—kind of naughty. Not that Gen would actually do something like that but it was fun to pretend.”

  Drew smiled at her but all Genevieve could do was sit there frozen to the couch.

  Where is he coming up with this stuff? Is he crazy?

  Phillips looked momentarily flustered and Genevieve got the idea he wasn’t used to being wrong. Then he leveled a look at them both.

  “Either you’re lying to me, Mr. Wells, or you two had an intense fight on the way over here.”

  “Wait a minute.” Genevieve held up a hand. “How can you make assertions like that?”

  “Because of what I’m seeing.” Phillips gestured at them. “Just look at how you’re sitting! Your husband has his arm around you—a gesture of love and protection on the part of the male. Most women who are happy in their current relationship will lean into their mate’s side, at least a little. But you, Genevieve, are absolutely rigid.”

  “Well, I—” she began but Phillips talked right over her.

  “Downstairs in the lobby, you let Drew take your hand but you didn’t appear to enjoy the contact. Once we reached the room he guided you forward with his hand on the small of your back—a proprietary and reassuring gesture on the part of the male for you, his female. Again, you didn’t appear to enjoy his touch. In fact, you got away from him at the first opportunity. Admit it, Genevieve…” He narrowed his eyes and frowned. “You don’t want intimacy with your husband at all. In fact, the very thought of it makes you intensely uncomfortable.”

  “That’s not true.” Genevieve shook her head quickly. “I…I’m just tired from the plane ride. And hungry. And…and…”

  “All right, all right.” Phillips raised a hand to stop her. “Very well, let’s do a quick intimacy exercise.”

  “A what?” Drew frowned at him in obvious confusion.

  Genevieve was feeling confused herself. How had they switched gears from accusations about her being frigid to some kind of therapy?

  “An intimacy exercise. Don’t worry—you’ll get quite used to them before your stay here is through.” Phillips smiled. “Now Drew, take your wife’s hands, look into her eyes and tell her you desire physical intimacy with her.”

  Oh my God, are we starting this already? I thought we’d at least get to unpack first before we got into the touchy-feely stuff.

  Feeling slightly panicked, Genevieve allowed Drew to take her hands and tried to keep her face neutral as they looked into each other’s eyes.

  She could feel her heart pounding in every part of her body at once. Nothing but the fact that fooling Guy Philips was the only way she was going to keep her job, kept her from jumping off the oxblood leather couch and running from the room.

  “Genevieve,” Drew’s voice was like velvet as he gazed into her eyes with what appeared to be perfect sincerity. “I want to make love with you tonight. I want to touch you and taste you and make you feel incredibly good.” His eyes went half-lidded and his voice dropped to a soft, proprietary growl. “I want to hear you moan my name and know that you want me as much as I want you,” he murmured.

  “Very good, Drew.” Phillips actually applauded.

  If her hands had been free, Genevieve might have joined him. She had to hand it to her assistant—Drew might be a smartass but he deserved an Oscar for the performance he was pulling off.

  She’d almost believed him. In fact, his soft, deep voice and intimate words had made her aroused against her will. Her nipples felt like tight little points under the cashmere sweater and she squeezed her thighs tightly together, which only made her more aware of how hot and slippery her sex had suddenly become.

  Damn it, what was wrong with her being attracted to her assistant all of a sudden? Or maybe this was just the first time she’d allowed herself to admit she was attracted to him. Genevieve pushed that thought out of her head quickly.

  An act, she reminded herself, concentrating on keeping her face calm. It’s just an act.

  “All right, Genevieve. It’s your turn.” Phillips’ deep voice broke her concentration and the feeling of panic returned when she realized she was up next. A lot was riding on her performance but it was still incredibly difficult to look into Drew’s sharp blue eyes, hold his hands, and say those words.

  “Drew…” She cleared her throat self-consciously, then decided to just get it over with. “I, uh, I want to be intimate with you tonight. I mean I…I want you to make love to me,” she finished in a rush, not quite able to meet his eyes.

  “It would be my pleasure.” There was a tiny smile in one corner of Drew’s full mouth that let her know he knew exactly how uncomfortable she was, but there was nothing she could do but play along.

  “Uh…mine too,” she said lamely.

  “No, no, no!” Phillips’ outburst startled her so much she dropped Drew’s hands.

  “What? What did I do wrong?”

  “Passive aggressive. Extremely passive aggressive.” Phillips pointed at her. “Genevieve, did you hear yourself just now—the way you phrased your request for intimacy? You said, ‘I want you to make love to me.’ In other words, you’ll accept Drew’s touch but you won’t reciprocate. Exactly the way you accepted my handshake in the lobby without returning it.”

  “If you’re implying that you can tell how good I am in bed by the way I shake hands—”

  To her intense irritation, Phillips talked over her again.

  “Kiss him!” he demanded.

  She arched one eyebrow at him.

  “I’m sorry—what?”

  Phillips gestured impatiently. “Kiss your husband, Genevieve. Give him a genuine gesture of intimacy.”

  Genevieve bristled.

  “I’m not accustomed to making personal displays of affection on demand, Doctor Phillips.”

  Phillips sighed and ran a hand through his thinning gray hair. “And I’m not accustomed to such resistance on the part of my patients. Forgive me, Genevieve, but you are here to salvage your marriage, are you not?”

  Genevieve opened her mouth but Drew answered for her.

  “Of course we are. That’s exactly why we’re here,” he said smoothly. “It’s just that Genevieve is a very private person. This isn’t easy for her.”

  “I understand that.” Phillips looked a little calmer. “But it’s better if you understand right now that you’re going to have to sacrifice some modesty if you want to get to the root of your problems as a couple.”

  “Sacrifice some mod—?” was as far as Genevieve got before Drew kissed her.

  The gesture was so unexpected that at first she was frozen to the spot. Then her body unthawed all at once and she realized that not only was her assistant an excellent liar, he was a damn fine kisser as well.

  Phillips, the opulent suite around them, and her irritation and defensiveness all seemed to melt away under the warm pressure of Drew’s lips. To her intense surprise, she found herself responding—kissing him back. Drew returned the favor by running one large, warm hand over her shoulders and back, pulling her closer. Somehow a soft moan escaped her and Drew swallowed the sound eagerly, taking the opportunity to dart his tongue delicately between her lips.

  Mmmm… Genevieve leaned into him, unable to help herself. She hadn’t been kissed like this in years—not since before she’d married Charles in fact. There was an edge of raw passion in Drew’s kiss that took her breath away—an animal hunger that made her nipples go even tighter behind the cups of her lace bra and made her pussy hot and wet and swollen.

  God, what is he doing to me? Is this for real?

  She reached up to touch him, as though to verify that the kiss was something more than an extremely vivid dream, and found herself threading her fingers through his thick, black hair.

  Drew made a low sound in his throa