by Dylann Crush
A few minutes later, Jasper came out, her phone in his hand.
“Well?”
“Looks like you’ve got a bunch of crickets in your trailer.”
She blew out a breath, sending the hair that had fallen in front of her face sailing. “Thank you. I actually made it that far on my own. How are you going to get rid of them?”
“I’m not.”
“What do you mean, you’re not?”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost one. I’ll come back in the morning and deal with it when it’s light out.”
“But I can’t sleep here tonight.”
“I’m not asking you to. Come on, I’ll take you back to my place.”
Her eyes went wide, just about bugging out of her head like the crazy-eyed cricket who’d started the whole mess. “I can’t go back to your place.”
“You have another suggestion?” He cocked his hip and ran a hand through his unruly hair. “If you want to call someone else, I’d be happy to run you somewhere. I imagine Lacey’s asleep. Suzy’s probably still up. You want me to see if she can put you up tonight?”
The idea of sleeping on Suzy’s couch, underneath the watchful eye of that menacing bobcat, was enough for her to seize Jasper’s offer. “No, I don’t want to bother her.”
“It’s settled then.” He shrugged off his button-down shirt and handed it to her. “Here, put this on.”
She shook her head even as she took in the sight of how his white undershirt molded to his muscular chest. “I don’t need your shirt.”
“You sure about that?” His gaze raked over her, from her feet, up her legs, pausing at her chest before landing on her face.
A shiver raced through her that had little to do with the cool night air and a whole lot to do with the way his fingers twitched like he wanted to reach out and touch her. Her nipples perked, and she clamped her arms even tighter against her middle.
“Fine.” She snagged the shirt out of his hand and shoved her arms through the sleeves. His scent overwhelmed her. A hint of campfire mingled with the muskiness of a hot-blooded man. When was the last time she’d worn a man’s shirt? The intimacy of the moment threatened to make her knees weak.
“You want to grab anything from inside?” He tore his gaze away from her face, and the heat between them cooled by a few degrees.
As much as she’d love to go back in and pack a few things, she didn’t dare.
His tone softened. “If you tell me what you need, I’ll go in and get it for you.”
“I’d love a change of clothes. And maybe my toothbrush.”
“Why don’t you sit in the truck and warm up. I’ll be back in a sec.” He took a step toward the trailer. “Where are your keys? I’ll lock it up.”
“On the hook just inside the door.” Her cheeks flushed as she climbed into the cab of his truck and watched him go back inside. She should be able to handle a few bugs. It’s not like she needed a man to rescue her from a couple of crickets. As the ridiculousness of the situation settled around her, she debated whether to go back in and relieve Jasper of his bug-fighting duties.
But then she pulled the collar of his shirt up to her cheeks. Her heart warmed as she imagined his arms wrapped around her instead of his shirtsleeves. Her desire to stand up for herself and prove she could take care of herself warred with her need to sit in the warm cab of his truck and let someone take care of a problem for her for a change.
As she sank even deeper into the passenger seat, his shirt drawn up around her ears, she decided she’d let someone else look out for her. Just this once. And if he happened to be a buff, hazel-eyed cowboy who looked like a Greek god, well what was the harm in that?
* * *
* * *
A change of clothes. Jasper pulled open a drawer of the built-in dresser. Surely she had a pair of jeans and a T-shirt sitting around. Faced with a drawer full of ladies’ unmentionables in a rainbow of colors, he slammed the drawer shut. Fuck. Seeing Delilah’s panties folded up in neat little squares shouldn’t send a bolt of heat straight to his dick. But it did.
He could only imagine what seeing one of the lacy thongs on her actual backside would do to him. On second thought, it would be a really bad idea to imagine that. He’d shoved the drawer closed but it did nothing to wipe the image out of his head.
Great, now he was snooping around her private things with a raging hard-on. Frustrated by his lack of self-control, he grabbed a handful of items from each drawer and shoved them in a plastic shopping bag he’d found under the sink. He flipped off the lights and grabbed the keys off the hook.
Taking in a few deep breaths, he tried to clamp down on the budding attraction to the disheveled beauty queen. He didn’t need any more complications in his life. And adding a woman to the mix would definitely constitute a complication. After his relationship with Adeline imploded, he’d promised himself that he wouldn’t get played by a woman again. Not even if she looked like an angel who’d come straight down from heaven.
Satisfied he’d gotten himself under control enough to face her again, he locked the trailer and stalked back to his truck. “I didn’t know what to grab, so I just threw some of your stuff into a bag.”
She held it in her lap, tight against her stomach. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m sorry about tonight. My mother shouldn’t have called you. I could have taken care of things myself.”
He eyed her across the dimly lit cab. “Your manager is your mother?”
“Yes.” She let out a breathy sigh.
“That’s got to be interesting.” He shifted into gear, eager to get her back to his place so he could get her settled and put a little distance between them.
Her arms tightened around her middle. “Don’t you work with your family?”
Damn, he’d gone and pissed her off . . . again. “Sure, but that’s different.”
“How so?” Her back pressed against the door like she wanted to get as far away from him as possible in the small space they shared.
“I don’t know. We work the land. Everyone does an equal share. We’re building something we can leave behind for future generations.”
“Oh, I get it.” Her head rolled back against the headrest.
“What?” He’d barely said anything. What could she possibly “get”?
“Sounds like you don’t respect my vocation.”
Whoa. “Come again?” He sensed dangerous territory ahead. Not to mention, her mom’s call had dragged him out of a deep sleep, so he wasn’t operating at 100 percent.
“You think working the land is more meaningful than what I’m doing.” She turned her head and gazed out the window.
“I never said anything like that.” He’d been around enough women to know there was no easy way out of this kind of conversation. “I’m sure what you’re doing is an admirable use of your time.”
“That’s right. A portion of the money we raise on the cosmetics line is going to my mentor’s nonprofit and will help young girls.”
“That’s great.”
“It is.” She nodded to herself.
He wanted to laugh at the stubborn set of her shoulders, but that would only get her all riled up again. Best to focus on things he had control of. “I’ll head back to the trailer tomorrow and see what I can do about your cricket problem.”
“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
“In the meantime, I think it might be best if you stayed at the big house with my parents.” That was the most reasonable option. The safest option based on how his body seemed to react to her.
She swiveled her head to face him. “Just for tonight though, right?”
“Maybe a few nights. If I have to do a bug bomb you’ll probably want to stay out of the trailer for a few days.”
“Okay.”
/> Her acceptance surprised him. She didn’t seem like the kind of woman who agreed to anything easily. “You have any brothers or sisters?”
“No, just me and my mom. My dad left when I was three.”
“It’s been just you two the whole time?”
“Not exactly. I’ve had a few stepfathers along the way. But none of them had kids, so I’ve never had any stepsiblings. How about you?”
He paused, wondering how best to answer. Should he tell her the truth or try to downplay the number of Taylors she’d wake up to in the morning? “I’ve got a handful of them.”
“What, like five?” Her eyes widened.
“Yeah, plus two.” He shifted his gaze back and forth between her and the dark road ahead.
“Seven? You have seven brothers and sisters?” Her palm splayed over her heart.
“It is what it is.”
“Where do you fall in the lineup?”
“I’m second.”
“From the top or the bottom?”
“From the top. My older brother took off a couple of years ago. We don’t talk about him much.” Even saying the words out loud made his heart squeeze tight.
“I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is with that, too. Colin’s the oldest. Then I’ve got five younger brothers and one sister.”
“Your poor mother. Where does everyone live?”
“Some still live at home. Some in town. My youngest brother, Noah, is away at college.” It would take too long to run through the details. He pulled the truck around the gravel drive and eased it to a stop in front of his parents’ place. “We’re here.”
Delilah peered through the windshield at the two-story white farmhouse where generations of Taylors had been born and raised. “I can’t go in there now and wake everyone up.”
“They’re used to it. Everyone comes and goes at all hours.”
“But I don’t want their first impression of me to be like this.” She glanced down.
“I’ve got a place down the road if you want to stay there instead.” Say no. It would be safer for her to stay with his parents. Not that he worried about stepping out of line, but having her that close, that vulnerable, might threaten the fragile hold he had on his attraction.
“What would people think?” Her eyes betrayed her nerves.
“Honestly? I don’t know that anyone would find out. And even if they did, it’s not like we’d have anything to hide.”
“I really don’t want to disturb your family. It’s late, and I’m in no kind of shape for a proper introduction.”
He didn’t bother to waste breath telling her the idea of “proper” didn’t fit in with his family in any way, shape, or form. “It’s settled then. We’re going back to my place.”
“If you think that’s best.”
“I do.” But best for whom? If someone did catch sight of them, would he risk having Ido disqualified? He shook his head. It was late. Her trailer was uninhabitable. No one could argue with him over that. Being around Delilah was making him paranoid.
Ten minutes later he’d introduced her to Buster and given her the tour of his one-bedroom cabin, which sat on the edge of his family’s land. She padded behind him on bare feet since he hadn’t thought to grab her a pair of shoes.
“Why don’t you take the bedroom? You’ll have more privacy, and I wouldn’t feel right with you sleeping out here on the couch.” He moved to the linen closet and grabbed a set of clean sheets.
“I’m so sorry about all of this.” She hadn’t loosened her grip on the front of the shirt he’d given her since they’d walked in the door except to give Buster a scratch on the head. And she looked damn good with his favorite flannel button-down wrapped around her.
“It’s fine. Let me go remake the bed so you can get—”
Her fingers wrapped around his arm and a burst of heat stunned him into silence at the contact.
“Don’t worry about the sheets. I’ve been enough of a nuisance. Thank you for your hospitality.” Those green eyes peered up at him through long, thick lashes.
He felt dangerously close to doing something he shouldn’t. He wanted to pull her against him, brush her tousled blond waves away from her face, and find out if she tasted as sweet as she looked.
Instead, he cleared his throat. “My room’s probably a bit of a mess.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. I appreciate it. Thank you.” She stood on tiptoe to press a kiss against his cheek.
He closed his eyes as her lips met that day’s scruff. Clenching his hands into fists, he held the stack of sheets to the side, afraid to move. His cheek burned where she’d kissed him, like she’d seared him with her lips.
Every cell in his body ached for more.
She dropped back onto her feet, lowering herself by a few inches. He opened his eyes, meeting her gaze. What he saw there made him want to throw caution to the brush pile and let it burn. The heat racing through his limbs ignited parts of him that had been numb for years.
“Delilah.” Her name drifted from his lips on a whisper, like a prayer.
She rose back onto her tiptoes, her lips inches from his.
He held himself in check, fighting the urge to claim her with every ounce of his self-control.
Then she pressed her lips to his. His control shattered like the empty beer bottles he and Colin used as target practice when they were kids. He dropped the sheets, wrapped his arms around her, tangled his hands in her hair, and gave in.
nine
Delilah couldn’t believe what she’d started. She had no idea a simple kiss could release the kind of passion that flooded through her as she met Jasper kiss for kiss. His tongue slid against hers, his hands cupped the back of her head, cradling it as he took the kiss even deeper. She gripped his biceps with her hands, trying not to lose herself completely.
He pulled away first, nudging his nose against hers. “You okay?”
Words escaped her. Not only was she incapable of forming a cohesive sentence, but she’d lost all ability to speak. Her knees knocked together as she looked for somewhere to sit before she lost the use of her legs.
Jasper’s arm went around her back and he guided her toward the couch.
“I’m fine.” She drew in a deep breath. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t escape his scent. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to.
He held on to her until she’d settled on the cushion of the overstuffed couch. “You sure you’re all right?”
Telling the truth would only make the situation worse, so she lied. “I’m absolutely fine.”
“Can I get you a glass of water? Something to eat?” He stood next to the couch, his fingers kneading the back of his neck.
She needed to process what had just happened . . . the way the world shifted when their lips met . . . the way his kiss made her want to throw away all of her inhibitions and do unspeakable things with the cowboy in front of her.
“Delilah?” The way his voice caressed her name made her want to shrug off his shirt and pull him down onto the couch next to her.
But she couldn’t. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the heated images running through her mind. Getting involved with Jasper would be a bad idea. An epically bad idea. Her days in Ido were numbered. Twenty-eight more, to be exact. And then she’d be headed back to Dallas to make her fortune in private labeled cosmetics and fashion accessories.
Things could be worse. Thanks to her inherited good looks and Stella’s business sense, she had something waiting for her on the other side of her pageant career. A lot of girls she knew couldn’t say the same. It wasn’t worth risking her future for a temporary fling with Jasper Taylor. No matter how those hazel eyes might wordlessly beg her to throw caution to the wind.
“I ought to get to bed. Don’t we have something scheduled tomorrow?”
Hi
s shoulders rose and fell as he let out a long-drawn-out breath like he was relieved she’d given him an out. She’d been the one to initiate the kiss. He’d probably been trying to figure out a gentle way to let her down.
“I’ll have to check the binder. I think there’s a tour of a local vineyard in the afternoon, but nothing in the morning. It’s Sunday. My family usually goes to church together, but I might beg off from that tomorrow.”
What kind of guest would she be if she didn’t accompany them to church? “I’d love to join you if you go.”
His eyes widened.
“Unless you think it’s not a good idea.” Why was she so off-kilter? She hadn’t felt so out of place in Hartwood or East. Of course, she hadn’t been an unwanted houseguest in either location. Plus, she’d had Stella to keep her company.
“Why don’t we talk about it in the morning? I think we could both use a decent night’s sleep.”
“Of course.” She wasn’t thinking. How could she think when he was standing so close? Sucking in all the air? “I’d be happy to take the couch.”
“You take the bedroom. I insist.”
He didn’t look like he wanted to be challenged so she nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
He held out a hand and helped her up. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Besides him lying next to her? She shook her head, outraged at the way her body seemed to crave the connection with his. Reluctantly, she let his hand go. “See you in the morning.”
“Good night.” He stood in the short hallway as she entered his bedroom . . . his bedroom . . . alone.
She pressed the door closed behind her and leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. The man knew how to kiss, that was for sure. Her legs still wobbled, and she wasn’t sure when she might be capable of putting one steady foot in front of the other. Maybe never if Jasper Taylor was around.
He’d flipped the switch on a lamp sitting on the nightstand during the short tour. She hadn’t taken a good look at the bedroom though. Now that she was in his space, she soaked it in.
