Hell yeah.
He tossed off the covers and rose from bed. Moonlight streamed into his room. He slipped his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, ignoring the slight ache to his ribs, and slid on a pair of jeans. He strode out of the bedroom, padding toward the kitchen, eager to see Bella. He found her hard at work at the counter, surrounded by bowls and equipment and ingredients, jotting down her recipe on a piece of paper.
It made him smile. And suddenly he felt selfish for disturbing her and had a good notion to hightail it out of there. Just as he was about to turn around, she spoke up. “Ready for some milk?”
He glanced at the milk container sitting out next to an empty glass on the counter. Had she been waiting for him? Joy surged in his gut and he wasn’t going to second-guess it. “The Midnight Contessa is hard at work again.” He walked farther into the kitchen.
“That would be me. Can’t sleep?”
“No. Not too much.” Technically it wasn’t a lie. But he wasn’t going to admit he loved these late-night meetings with her.
“Sorry to hear that. But you seem so much better lately,” she said, keeping her eyes on the flour and butter she was measuring.
“I’m getting better every day. Nights are harder to relax.”
“Speaking from one night owl to another.”
He laughed. “I guess. Hey, how about putting me to work, I’m too antsy to just sit here.”
“I can do that. Help me get this dough together. Pinch and squeeze the flour to the butter like this,” she said. He watched her over his shoulder as he made his way to the sink to wash his hands.
When he approached, she slid over and made room for him at the workstation. He dipped his hands into the large bowl of what would be dough soon and every so often her hand would graze his. Just a simple touch from her swelled his chest and put illicit thoughts in his head. He enjoyed working with her, seeing her make decisions, putting great thought into what she was doing. “I hope this is gonna be blueberry pie.”
“Nope, not even close.”
“You’re not making pie?”
“We’re not making pie. Sorry to disappoint you, but this is an experiment. I’m attempting to make a meatless pot pie using veggies and tofu.”
Tofu? Jared blinked, trying to think of a tactful response. “Good Lord, why?” was all he could come up with. “I mean, hasn’t someone already invented it?”
“Yes, but I’m trying to make it better.”
Jared shook his head, cautious not to hurt her feelings. “Uh, that explains it.” He stood close enough to see her long lashes flutter, her expression becoming thoughtful while their hands brushed against each other in the mixing bowl.
A chuckle rumbled out of her mouth. “You hate the idea.”
“Not hate.”
“And you’re trying to spare my feelings.”
“I have simple tastes, Bella. But you’ve already impressed the hell out of me. With your cooking,” he added. And with a whole lot more.
“Really?”
“Really,” he said emphatically.
Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “You’re right. I wasn’t exactly inspired, and you have to be when you’re developing recipes. This is one adventure we won’t go on together.”
“Bella,” he said quietly, “I’d go on any adventure with you.” He laced their dough-covered fingers together and brought their hands out of the bowl. Her soft green eyes lifted to his.
“I’ll make you blueberry pie, Jared,” she whispered.
“Suddenly I have an appetite for something sweeter.” His gaze dipped to her mouth as her lips parted and he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to kiss her. He’d been consumed with it since the very first time they’d kissed.
He touched her lips again, taken by her softness, by the tantalizing taste of her. She gasped—a swift inhalation of breath. He hoped he was reading her correctly. Stuck between deep desire and hopeless honor, he couldn’t go on without knowing one thing. “Bella,” he whispered over her mouth. “I can’t seem to stay away from you. Tell me to stop. Tell me and I’ll leave you alone. Your job will never be in jeopardy, I promise.”
“I know that,” she whispered back, relieving his innermost fear. “You’re not harassing me, Jared. Just the opposite. When I’m with you, some of the sadness goes away.” She cupped his face in her hands and gave him a sweet kiss on the mouth. “I don’t know any more than that.”
It was enough. Hell, it was everything he’d needed to hear.
She smiled at him. “You’ve got flour on your face.”
“Thanks to you,” he said.
“Let me just wipe it away,” she said, rising on tiptoes and using her mouth to brush it away with tiny, moist kisses.
The woman was killing him in small doses, but he wasn’t complaining. His heart was fuller than he could ever remember. “I like the way you clean.”
“Do you?” Her head tilted coyly, all her lush black hair falling out of its clip.
Jared swallowed hard, loving the sight of her in her apron smudged with flour, her hair freely flowing.
He dipped his hand into the flour and touched her face, marking her, and then began sprinkling flour along her neck and throat and onto the luscious hollow between her breasts. “Looks like you could use a little cleanup, too.”
Bella looked down at herself and giggled. The sweet sound brought a grin to his face and he reached for her, his hands circling her waist. He bent her backward in his arms and started his cleanup, licking the deep valley between her breasts. His heart beat like a sensual drum, deeper, harder, and as he kissed her soft, smooth skin over and over, the drumbeat slid lower, pulsing at his groin.
He touched her breasts through the material of her apron and groaned, making his way up her throat, kissing her chin and finally finding promise at her lips.
The little noises erupting from her throat relayed her pleasure and suddenly that was all Jared wanted to do—to give her pleasure. He kissed her again and again until the flour smudges on her body were good and gone and the noises she made became gasps and moans.
She trembled in his arms. “Bella,” he whispered in a plea. “I need you.”
He’d said need and not want, and it dawned on him immediately that he did need her, more than he’d ever needed a woman in his life. She was his angel and he’d be a damn fool to screw this up. “God.” He stopped kissing her and put his head down, gently bumping his forehead to hers. “Tell me you feel it, too.”
Bella didn’t hesitate. “I feel it, too. I don’t want you to stop, Jared. Maybe I should, but I don’t.”
“Come to bed with me, angel.”
“I’m no angel, Jared,” she insisted softly, grabbing the baby monitor and taking his outstretched hand.
“That’s not true, sweetheart, but I’m not opposed to you proving me wrong...in the bedroom.”
* * *
Bella set the baby monitor down on Jared’s dresser, her heart beating in her ears. Her first priority always had to be Sienna, and fortunately her baby was sound asleep. Jared glanced at the baby monitor, too, and nodded. A big part of her wanted to believe Jared Stone cared about her and her baby, and not just because she’d saved his life, not just because he wanted a temporary bed partner.
He began unsnapping his shirt and she caught herself watching him as if she was floating in a dream, mesmerized by his elegant, swift motions and partly stunned that she was here in his bedroom in the first place.
Thoughts of Paul strummed in her head and she had no choice but to shove them aside or she’d start running. She couldn’t live in the past. She’d been through a lot this year, and if being with Jared would help her get over her heartache, she had to take the chance.
She focused on him. He was nothing short of perfect, even in his slightly bruised state. Moonlight touched his profile and the sharp angles of
his jaw looked hard and dangerous, but she knew he wasn’t. She knew what kind of man Jared was and that’s why she was here with him.
His shirt off now, he reached for her hand and laid it on his bare, muscled chest. She inhaled deeply, her fingertips scorched by his heat. His whole body seemed on fire and the flames spread to her like wildfire. His eyes closed as she slid her hand over him again and again, absorbing his rock-solid feel. It was as if he was absorbing her touch, as well.
“Jared,” she murmured.
He claimed her mouth again and his hands wrapped around her back to untie her apron and lift it off her. From there, her shift easily followed as he gave it a tug at the shoulders. It slid off her body, circling her feet. She took a step out of it, fully aware that she was standing before Jared almost naked but for the tiny white bra and panties she wore.
His eyes burned into her as he reached around her again, this time flicking the fastener of her bra. He guided the straps down her arms, until she was free of the garment. Her long hair tickled the tips of her breasts, covering her from his view. Gently, he moved her hair aside, grazing her nipples with the back of his hands. She gasped.
And so did he. “Bella. Your name suits. You’re...beautiful.”
His eyes locked to hers, he cupped her breast, gently weighing and rubbing it with the palm of his hand, his thumb circling the aroused tip. Ribbons of heat flowed down her belly and a tiny moan escaped her mouth. He kissed away her next moan and the next and, before she knew what was happening, she was lying across Jared’s bed, her head against a fluffy pillow, and he was over her, his erection pressing her belly through his denim jeans.
He was thorough in his kisses, making sure she was satisfied, and then he backed off for a few seconds, adjusting his position. The flat of his hand traveled from her breast down her torso, past her navel. Jared worked her panties down her legs and her heart rate escalated in anticipation.
When his palm finally touched her folds, she parted her legs for him and he stroked her over and over, his fingers working magic on her body. The painful pleasure shocked her and soon jolts of electricity streamed through her body. Her breaths came in short bursts, her hips arched and trembled, and a low unavoidable whimper escaped her mouth. Her release shattered, sending pieces of pleasure to all parts of her body. It was complete and abundant and so freaking amazing.
“Jared... Jared.”
“I’m here, angel.”
“That was so...”
“I know. I’m glad,” he said, giving her a smile right before he kissed her.
She lay naked on the bed, fully exposed to him after having a mind-blowing orgasm, and there was no shame, no guilt, which sort of baffled her. Nothing about this night seemed wrong.
But she knew there should be plenty wrong with this scenario: namely that she was lying to Jared, deceiving him about her true identity. And for Sienna’s safety, she couldn’t do a thing about it.
His next kiss caused all thoughts and doubts to vanish from her head. She was in Jared territory now, a place she craved to be.
“I’ve got protection, Bella,” he said, rising quickly to remove his jeans and briefs. She watched him sheath his erection and took a big gulp of air. Good Lord, he was magnificent and, for the night at least, all hers.
“Somehow, I knew you would.”
He smiled a killer smile, cocking his head to one side. “You’d be surprised.”
“I’m hoping to be.”
He laughed, joy and lust filling his eyes. “That’s a lot of pressure.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re good. Judging from what happened just a minute ago, I have no doubts.”
He came back to bed, hunching over her, bracing his arms by her shoulders on the mattress. “I live to please you,” he teased.
And then Jared got serious. He was definitely an overachiever. Within minutes her entire body had been touched, kissed, caressed and set aflame. She was breathing hard, tingling from head to toe and practically begging for mercy.
Finally, Jared came up over her and settled between her legs, joining their bodies, inching into her cautiously, almost reverently. “Oh, man, Bella. You feel...so damn good.”
She relished his comment, unable to reply, her heart and her body too caught up in the moment.
And then he began to move. Sensations deep and satisfying filled her, and all she could do was move with him, taking up his rhythm and cadence. They were fluid in motion, striving, pushing, giving to one another. Bella could easily let herself go, but she held back, held on.
Waiting for Jared.
“Are you ready, Bella?” he whispered finally.
She nodded. “For quite a while now.”
A chuckle rose from his chest. “Maybe you’re not such an angel after all.”
“And maybe we’re not as different as you’d like to think.”
“You could be right.”
Then Jared swept her away, taking her to a no-think zone, a place where he proved to her once and for all who the real devil was between the two of them.
And thank goodness for that.
Seven
The morning came quickly, too quickly for her to absorb all that had happened last night. She lay in her own bed, her body sore in all the right places. She’d hated leaving Jared last night, and though he’d begged her to stay, she couldn’t leave Sienna alone all night. Besides, it was safer with him downstairs and her living upstairs. It gave her some space, some time away from him to gather her thoughts.
Mostly, she wished she’d met Jared under different circumstances. She wished to high heaven she hadn’t had to lie to him and everyone here at Stone Ridge. She wished she wasn’t in hiding, that she could’ve had a normal upbringing with a reasonable father who wasn’t always trying to run—and had nearly ruined—her life.
But wishful thinking never got her anywhere.
Instead she turned to the one glorious thing in her life. Sienna. Her daughter’s eyes fluttered and she tossed around in the bed. She’d be waking up soon, ready to take on a new day. Sometimes Bella felt it was just her and Sienna against the world.
It was enough. It had to be.
A minute later Sienna’s eyes opened and she immediately smiled. For Bella, these waking moments were precious, seeing the light on her baby’s face when their eyes connected. “Morning, baby girl.”
“Mommy.”
Sienna rolled over, nearly on top of her, and squeezed her neck.
“I’m here, Sienna. I always will be.”
A tear dripped from Bella’s eye. She was emotional today, overly so, and it was fear and doubt and confusion about her future all wrapped up into one tumbling snowball that was picking up speed and growing larger every day.
Being with Jared last night had made all the bad things go away. For a short time he’d made her forget about her problems. But this morning reality set in and she had no idea what to expect when she went downstairs to cook his breakfast.
Fifteen minutes later, after a quick shower for both of them, she dressed Sienna in her favorite cartoon character outfit and put her damp hair up in pigtails, while Bella donned a pair of jeans and a red-plaid shirt. She pushed the sleeves up, ready for work. The two of them headed downstairs to the kitchen.
It didn’t appear that Jared was awake yet, which gave her time to implement her plan. She set Sienna on a blanket on the floor with her ABC blocks and a few of her princess dolls. Cinderella was her favorite. Bella thought it odd that she was in the same situation as the blond-haired fairy-tale princess. With the clock ticking, Cinderella came to the ball magically and quite by accident to spend time with the handsome prince, hiding her true identity and knowing full well her time with him was limited. When would Bella’s clock strike twelve?
If there was even a hint her father was closing in, Bella would have to pick up and run. She’d
have to leave Stone Ridge, a place where she felt welcome and safe.
She shook those thoughts off, convincing herself she was well hidden at the ranch, and set about making breakfast. In a matter of minutes she had all the ingredients ready and set the oven to bake. Next she cleaned up the mess from last night, washing dishes at the sink.
Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching and before she could turn around, Jared’s strong arms wrapped around her from behind and his lips nestled her throat, planting soft kisses there. “Mornin’, Bella.”
She leaned against the wall of his chest and sighed. “Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well after you left me?” he asked quietly.
She nodded. “I did.”
“Me, too. Though I missed you.”
She’d missed him, too. This was happening so fast and she should be frightened, but right now, pressed against him and feeling his strength, hearing his voice, she felt safe. “I hope you understand why I—”
“Of course I do. Sienna comes first. She always will.”
She turned to him then and met his eyes. There was genuine understanding there and something else: the tiniest hint of the future. Or was she reading too much into his comments? “Thank you for—”
His mouth came down on hers for a beautiful good-morning kiss and she forgot her deep thoughts and simply enjoyed being in his arms.
When the kiss ended, she smiled. “I’m glad this isn’t awkward or anything.”
“Honey, nothing about me and you is awkward. We’re kinda seamless, don’t you think?”
Before she could absorb that, Jared turned away and hunched down next to Sienna on the floor. “Mornin’, sugar plum. What’re you playing?”
“Dollies. Pay, Tared?”
“Of course.”
Bella scratched her head. Where had Jared Stone come from? He was like a gift from heaven. Was it possible she could be so lucky twice in one lifetime, first with Paul and now Jared?
She walked over to the two of them. “Can Mommy play, too?”
Sienna kept her focus on her doll. Jared was helping her put tiny shimmery shoes on Cinderella’s feet. “Pay, Mommy.”
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