Nothing In Common Read online

  Orgasm rippled through her, making it hard to keep a steady pace, but Tom didn’t seem to notice. His thrusts had become ragged, his moans louder, and when he said her name it sent her crashing over the edge. She lost her grip with her gasp of ecstasy, and his cock came to rest, hot and throbbing against her cheek. She grasped it with her other hand, stroked, once, twice and he spasmed in her palm.

  The world swam from the heat and steam and the force of her climax, and Lila had to blink and take a deep breath to clear away the threatening faintness. Tom leaned over her, hands braced against the small shower stall’s back wall, feet pressed against the front wall. She still held him, and she took him into her mouth again, alternating with her lips and fingers until he cried out hoarsely.

  Another small burst of climax made her clit throb and she answered his cry with one of her own. He sighed. His body relaxed.

  It took her a minute to notice his teeth were chattering, and to feel the water had gone ice cold. His body had shielded her from the frigid spray. Chagrined, Lila got to her feet and reached for the faucet, then grabbed a towel and held it out to him.

  "Ran out of hot water," Tom said unnecessarily as he rubbed his face dry, then peered at her over the top of the towel. His eyes twinkled. "Probably about five minutes ago."

  Lila laughed. "You should’ve said something."

  "Couldn’t speak." He shrugged and wrapped the towel around his waist, then pulled her close for a long, lingering kiss. "I was busy thinking about something else."

  She stepped back from his embrace, wrapped her own towel around her and squeezed the water from her hair. "Your lips are blue."

  If he noticed her hesitation, he didn’t say anything. Instead, Tom went to the sink and filled his palm with some water, then drank it. He stretched out his arms, which looked impossibly long in her small bathroom, then turned and faced her with the same devilish grin he’d given her earlier.

  "I think I could use that hot tea you offered earlier."

  She put out a hand to touch his goose-pimpled arms, then shook her head and laughed again. "I think I can boil some water. Why don’t you get dressed? You’ll be warmer that way."

  Despite the two fabulous bouts of sex they’d just had, walking around naked in front of him was a little too nerve-wracking. Tom tilted his head and pursed his lips, like he could tell the real reason she was suggesting he get dressed, but he nodded anyway. He ran his hands through that dark, silky hair, bent as though to kiss her again and nodded slightly when she turned her head so he met her cheek instead of her lips. Then he left her alone in the bathroom, and Lila pulled on her robe to go downstairs and make the tea. She studiously avoided her face in the mirror, not sure she wanted to see her own expression.

  * * *

  Lila woke to the sound of pans clattering from downstairs in the kitchen. At some point during the night, after the caffeine from the tea had worn off and the conversation faded into yawns, she and Tom had climbed the narrow stairs to the comfort of her room. Sleeping with him had been an uneasy luxury. While having his arms around her as she slipped into sleep had been lovely, waking to find his elbow in her ear had not.

  Rolling over, she pressed her face against the pillow he had used. The scent of him still clung to the fabric, and she decided she wouldn’t wash the case until his smell faded. Nothing like acting like a junior high student, she scolded herself, but then snuggled into the pillow again.

  She’d expected to feel awkward after making love. She’d assumed Tom would leave with some excuse about having early morning plans. She’d thought talking with him after they made love would no longer be as easy and comfortable as it had been before. She’d been wrong about everything. Tom made her laugh, which was more than any man had done for her in quite a while.

  The sex had been great, but Lila discovered the conversation after had been even better. She’d pretended for a long time that being alone didn’t matter to her, for so long she’d forgotten how nice it was to sit with a man on her couch and watch the fire burn without having to make small talk.

  More than just a one-night stand. The thought startled her into sitting up. She scrubbed at her face and rubbed her eyes, then crossed her arms over her chest. What was she thinking? Lust had gotten the better of her intellect last night, but in the light of day, she had to be smarter than that. She knew it was impossible Tom Caine could be anything more than just a fling. A man like him wouldn’t be satisfied with her for very long, and Lila had no intentions of setting herself up for more heartache. They’d had some great sex. He was eye-candy. He’d given her multiple orgasms, but that didn’t mean they were destined for…

  For what?

  Lila sighed, listening to the intriguing clang of pots and pans from downstairs. She’d had exactly one one-night stand in her life, and that had been unintentional. The experience had been so horribly, awfully bad she’d never gone on another date with the guy, who’d turned out to be a bigoted, self-righteous jerk. It had been a mistake.

  Making love to Tom wasn’t a mistake, she knew. But believing there could be anything more out of this was. Lila shook her head to clear it of the late-night cobwebs. He was a nice guy, great in bed, but he got up way, way too early in the morning. And he stole the covers. And he left wet towels on the floor.

  There. She’d thought of sufficient reason to convince herself that sex was all this was, and all it could be. Hadn’t she? I have to, she thought firmly. Bargain basement grab bags and all that stuff, remember, Lila? Remember William? And with that thought to sober her, she got out of bed and went downstairs.

  She found the small table expertly set with the full array of her nicest dishes, silverware, and glasses. A vase held a single red rose. It was the velvet one that had come off the box of Valentine chocolates Darren had given her last February, but she smiled anyway.

  Tom turned from the stove. "Just in time. Food’s almost ready."

  He wore a pair of her fleecy sweatpants. Borrows clothes without asking. Another reason not to get hung up on this guy, she thought. While she swam in the heavy material, the pants fit his rear end snugly enough to nearly be obscene. He’d wrapped one of her aprons around his waist, but his chest was bare. She noticed the marks her nails had made in the tawny skin of his back and fought back a blush. No use in acting the coy maiden. Not after last night.

  "Smells delicious." Lila slid into a chair and found a mug of hot tea waiting for her. He’d put in sugar and just enough cream to turn the tea a caramel color. He’d remembered how she liked it. "Usually on work days, I just grab some cold cereal, so this is a real treat. What’s on the menu?"

  "Omelettes à la Caine." Tom flipped the pan expertly to cook the eggs evenly. "Onions, green peppers, some garlic.…"

  Lila groaned. "I’m starved."

  Tom slid an omelet onto each of their plates and sat down at the table. "I was going to make a western omelet, but you didn’t have any ham. So I substituted."

  Lila paused from drinking her tea. Here it comes. The Talk. "I don’t eat pork."

  Tom paused from cutting into his omelet. She could practically see the gears grinding in his mind as he thought about her name, the subject of her sister’s paintings, perhaps the gold-and-brass menorah on her mantelpiece. As Lila watched, a slow flush crept into Tom’s cheeks. He looked as comfortable as a man sitting on a cactus.

  "I’m Jewish."

  He nodded. "I should’ve known."

  Now she began to feel uncomfortable. "Should I have told you? We didn’t talk about religion, Tom."

  For the first time since knowing him, awkward silence hung between them. She took a sip of her rapidly cooling tea. Tom cleared his throat.

  "Does it matter?"

  Lila met his gaze levelly. It would not have been the first time a man had lost interest in her because she didn’t celebrate Christmas. If her faith was going to be a problem, best she learn now. "You tell me."

  He shook his head and laid his hand across hers. "Of course not