Let Me Call You Sweetheart: Come Rain or Come Shine by Gwen Hayes Read Free Book Online Page A

right back to where he was on her neck. “No, you’re not. But I am. Tomorrow night, we go on a date. A real one.”
    “Absolutely not. Cheapskate Chuck has money on tomorrow, and I’m not giving him the satisfaction.”
    “Fine, date at my house. Dinner. The town doesn’t need to know.”
    Charlie sighed, long and heavy. “Just dinner?”
    “Oh, I fully intend to spend the entire time luring you into my bedroom, but dinner is the only real expectation. But it has to be real effort on your part. You have to give it a chance and treat it like a real date. Is tomorrow December twenty-seventh?”
    “Yes, why?”
    Jeeves pulled back and kissed her hand. “Hammersmith had money on the twenty-seventh, too.”
    Charlie walked him to the door, complaining the whole time, but he knew he’d won. Tomorrow.
    He could hardly wait.
     
     
    “You don’t have nearly enough chest hair to pull that look off. But nice touch with the gold chains.”
    Jeeves winked at Charlie before he strutted across the room as if he had the Bee Gees singing directly into his ears. He was utterly ridiculous.  
    It was at that moment she knew she would sleep with him.
    The thought stunned her. On some level, she’d always supposed she might succumb. He was charming and handsome. And he loved his dog. The combination was a winning one. It just never occurred to her that the realization would blindside her like a sucker punch.
    Jeeves set the tray of oysters next to the pink champagne. His pants didn’t tear at the seam when he bent over, but they should have.  
    “Jeeves, why are you dressed like a disco nightmare?”
    “Because I knew you would appreciate it.” He straightened. “Just because we’re about to embark upon a serious relationship doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have fun. I wanted you to lighten up.”
    That he knew her so well undid the last tether on her heart. “Thank you.” She said it so softly, she wasn’t sure he heard her at first. Something in his face changed, though.  
    He stopped being funny. He even stopped being charming. Jeeves was something…different. A powerful current ran between them. It arced and hummed and produced the kind of voltage that could do serious damage to a girl.  
    But oh how she wanted it.
    “You doing okay, sweetheart?” His wry smile told Charlie that everything she was feeling was written all over her face.  
    She felt naked, exposed. Undeniably over her head. So much for safety. The cocoon she’d built around her life had disintegrated into a fine dust the minute he’d stolen her muffin.  
    “You’re pale.” Jeeves led her to the couch. “I hope you don’t think I won’t take advantage of you passed out. I have no morals. None. You’re fair game.”
    She pulled him down next to her. “Why do you want me?”
    He began to speak, but she interrupted when he opened his mouth.
    “For real. I don’t want a joke or a quip. I want to know why me. You’ve had starlets and models and even a few seriously talented actresses in your bed. Why me?” She had to know.  
    “Cleaver, I didn’t go looking for this any more than you did. I’m sure my fascination began from the challenge to begin with, but I think we both know it grew past that pretty quickly. Every Medusa feeding is a testament to that.” He rubbed her knuckles. “Why you? Because you’re smart and talented and beautiful. Because you make me laugh and think and hard.”
    A small snort escaped her nose. Hard. She made him hard. Could she do this? Was she strong enough to just…believe him?
    “I am scared,” she admitted. “I hate being scared more than anything else in the whole world. I came to Port Grable so I would never be scared again.”
    “Are you going to tell me about that?”
    “I think I’m going to have to.”

Chapter Six
     
    Jeeves braced himself. Suddenly, he felt foolish for wearing the 70s swinger getup. Whatever was coming next deserved a modicum of dignity.
    “Let’s go into the