“Why not?”
“Because…” She chewed her lip. “Because you’ll be gone in less than forty-eight hours, and we’ll probably never meet again.”
Taking her hand from his shoulder, he held it in both of his. “I’m not trying to seduce you into my bed, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She flushed at the image he invoked. “I like you, Naomi. I like you a heck of a lot. You’re interesting and smart and incredibly gorgeous, and I’d like to kiss you a little more.”
His voice pulsated through her body, each word plucking at her sensations, strumming her desire until she was close to dissolving into the liquid heat of his eyes and his voice. But deep inside a kernel of reason stood firm in the maelstrom. A minute ago he’d more or less admitted to being a player. Wasn’t he playing her now? Showering her with compliments, telling her how gorgeous she was and how he just wanted to kiss her, nothing more. Yeah right. Like the seasoned pro that he was, he knew as soon as he began kissing her again, she wouldn’t be able to refuse him anything. This was the perfect night for seducing her. They were alone in the house, and he’d be leaving the morning after tomorrow, so there’d be little chance of any embarrassing complications after he’d slept with her.
Indignation rose in her. She wouldn’t be so naive as to fall for his smooth patter. She pulled her hand free, folded her arms over her chest, and gave him her sternest schoolteacher look. “I’m flattered, but it’s not going to happen. Good night, Aaron.” She caught his astonished expression before she pivoted on her heel and hurried out of the room.
…
Alone in the family room, Aaron thrust his fingers through his hair as frustration boiled in him. How could he have got the evening so wrong? He’d had the best intentions. He’d wanted to take Naomi somewhere nice for dinner to spend more time with her and get better acquainted. He wasn’t to know dressing up and dining in a plush restaurant would revive bad memories of her breakup.
He wiped his damp forehead. The room was hot and stuffy since the house had been shut up all afternoon. He became aware of Milo snuffling at his shoes. Picking up the puppy, he turned on the overhead fans, then flung open the sliding doors leading onto the deck and walked out. He sucked in the night air and leaned against the railing, murmuring to the puppy in his arms, who whined eagerly and stretched out to lick his face.
Over at the annex a dim light came on at a window. Naomi. He shouldn’t have kissed her. Luke had warned him off, and she thought he was just trying to get into her pants. He should go to her room and apologize. But his body was still throbbing from the pleasure of that first kiss. The taste of her lingered on his tongue—mint and rosemary. The feel of her soft skin and silky hair was imprinted on his fingers. If he went to her now, he might not be able to resist kissing her again, and that would only make things worse.
…
I’m such an idiot.
Naomi pulled a face at her reflection in the mirror. Why had she let Justin ruin her evening with Aaron? Aaron had simply wanted to do something nice for her, and she’d repaid him by harping on about her ex, and worse, likening him to Justin. That hadn’t been fair.
Aaron might have kissed her just to prove he wasn’t like Justin, but she could never regret that kiss. The electricity from it still sparked in her. Its effects lingered in the dilation of her pupils and the way her lips were parted, as if pleading for more. Aaron had kissed her, and she’d stomped off, convinced he was trying to seduce her.
Well, what was so bad about that? Wasn’t it flattering—not to mention a huge turn on—that a sexy hunk like Aaron Cade wanted to lure her into his bed?
Not that she had any intention of succumbing that far. She was too much her mother’s daughter. She didn’t have the right temperament to sleep with a man she’d only known a few days. But it was no use denying that Aaron did something wicked to her sensibilities. And he was a fantastic kisser, the best she’d ever had in her limited experience.
She caught herself licking her lips and realized her breathing had quickened. In the mirror she saw her flushed skin and wide eyes. Good God, she was only thinking of Aaron’s kisses and look what he did to her.
She shouldn’t have pulled away from him. She should have kissed him back. She pressed her fingers to her cheeks, alarmed at her wayward thoughts. And excited.
Yes, she should go out there and…and talk to Aaron again. Let him know she appreciated him. And maybe he’d kiss her again.
She fluffed up her hair, straightened her dress, spritzed on a dash of perfume. It wasn’t even nine thirty yet. The night was still young. Anything could happen.
Heart pounding, she made her way through the rambling house. The family room was dim and empty. Through the glass doors, she spotted Aaron’s tall shadow on the deck, leaning against the railings. Inhaling a deep breath, she walked outside.
Aaron was holding Milo in his arms, scratching the pup behind the ears. As soon as he caught sight of her, he stilled. Though darkness cloaked him, she could sense the sudden alertness in him as he straightened to face her.
She smoothed her dress with hands that twitched. “Um, it’s nice out here.”
“Yes, it sure is.” His voice was rather reserved. He resumed kneading Milo’s ears.
She took a couple of steps closer. “I just wanted to say thank you for taking me to dinner. It was very thoughtful of you.”
He inclined his head but didn’t say anything. Naomi hesitated, unsure how to proceed. It was kind of difficult seducing a man when he was holding a puppy.
Then, he said in a lighter tone, “I’m still hungry, though. How about you?”
She breathed a little easier. “Yeah, I am too.” At the restaurant she’d been too agitated to eat, but now her body craved sustenance. “Why don’t I make us toasted cheese sandwiches?”
“That sounds great.” Grinning, he lowered Milo to the floor. “I’ll help you.”
Naomi was pretty sure toasted cheese sandwiches wouldn’t make the top-ten list of ways to entice a man, but at least some of the awkwardness between them had disappeared. They went into the kitchen, where she got out the makings and switched on the sandwich press. Aaron rolled up his sleeves and buttered the bread, while she sliced cheese and tomato. Making sandwiches together was nice, she thought. She might not get to kiss Aaron again, but she enjoyed hanging out with him.
“My mom used to make me grilled cheese sandwiches when I was a teenager,” Aaron said as he helped her assemble the sandwiches. “I seemed to be hungry all the time.”
“I bet she spoils you with food every time you visit.”
He rolled his eyes. “You know what mothers are like. Even though I’ve been looking after myself all these years, she’s convinced I must be starving for some real food.”
She liked it when he talked about his family. It made him sound more grounded, less high-flying. She slid the sandwiches onto the press and closed the lid. “What’s your favorite food of hers?”
“Let’s see.” Aaron tapped a knife against the breadboard. “That’d have to be the pumpkin marshmallows she makes every Christmas. I have to admit they’re the one thing I do look forward to in December.”
“Pumpkin marshmallows? Is that roasted pumpkin with marshmallow on top?”
“No, they’re marshmallow squares made from cooked pumpkin and some other ingredients. I have no idea how they’re made. All I know is that no one makes them like my mom.”
As Naomi glanced up at him, she caught the fleeting, wistful expression on his face. Deep down, Aaron was a softie, even if he didn’t think so himself. Her heart warmed toward him, and the temptation to push him up against the kitchen counter and kiss him madly set a tremble through her. His woody cologne mingled with the scent of toasting cheese. His bare forearms, revealed by his rolled up sleeves, brushed against hers. Desire flooded her, and she couldn’t resist running her hand up his arm.
His eyebrows shot up. “Naomi?” The question hung in his husky voice.
The sof
t hairs on his arm tickled her palm, sending a current through her. Curling her fingers around his forearm, she nudged him toward her. He responded, his breathing quickening as he shifted in her direction. But instead of taking the initiative and drawing her into his arms—as she desperately hoped—he rested his back against the counter and inspected her with narrowed eyes.
“Can you make things clear for the dumb male here? Are you going to kiss me for real now or push me away after one little peck?”
Lust and warning glinted in his eyes. She swallowed at his candor. Fair enough, she had been sending out mixed signals. Striving for clarity, she glided her hand down his arm to his wrist, and he responded by twining his fingers through hers, the dry heat of his palm against hers making her heart break into a fast patter.
“I was silly earlier.” She raised her chin to gaze straight into his eyes. “I was reading too much into the situation. Overcomplicating things.”
“You got that right.” His lips quirked into a teasing smile. “Nothing complicated about a kiss. Just lips and mouth and maybe—if a guy’s lucky—a little tongue.” His thumb leisurely caressed her palm, shooting heat straight to her breasts. Oh sweet heaven, how she wanted a little of his tongue anywhere on her. But then his thumb grew still, and he heaved a sigh. “On the other hand, you do have a point about complications.”
This was definitely not what she was expecting. “Oh?”
He sighed again and looked down at their intertwined fingers. “I don’t want to do anything that might upset Luke.”
“Luke warned you off me?”
“Yeah. I’m afraid he did.”
“You’re very loyal, but it’s a little insulting to me.” Her fingers tightened involuntarily around his. “Luke is my favorite uncle, but he’s not the guardian of my virtue, and he has no say over who I can or can’t kiss.”
Aaron’s eyes glimmered as temptation warred openly in his expression. “You gotta know how much I want to kiss you if I’m contemplating upsetting your uncle.”
All this talk about her uncle wasn’t exactly conducive to kissing. “Luke is far away in Sydney. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She tugged at Aaron’s hand, and he closed the gap between them. The flaring heat in his eyes told her she’d convinced him. Her pulses thumped. Her surroundings grew hazy as Aaron lowered his head to hers.
Then the front door banged open with a loud crack. Naomi and Aaron froze. Lights flickered on. Voices murmured. Footsteps grew louder. Milo raced off, yapping ecstatically.
“Hi, we’re home.” Tyler traipsed into the kitchen followed closely by Luke with Chloe curled up in his arms. They stopped as one.
Naomi and Aaron sprang apart. Heat rushed to Naomi’s cheeks as she wondered how much Luke and Tyler had seen. In the sudden silence, a sizzling noise grew louder.
“Oh my frigging Lord!” Naomi dashed forward as she spotted melted cheese oozing out of the sandwich press and dripping onto the kitchen counter.
Tyler went to help her. As they grabbed paper towels, Tyler said to Naomi, “I left a message on your phone telling you we’d be home tonight. Didn’t you get it?”
“Uh, I must have been too busy to check my phone.” She occupied herself with the cheesy mess, glad for the distraction.
Tyler grinned as she glanced at the two men who had moved off to chat while Chloe and Milo greeted each other fervently. “Mm, looks like you’ve been real busy.”
“How is your mother?” Naomi asked in a rush. “Everything work out?”
“I guess it went as well as can be expected.” A pensive expression replaced Tyler’s smile. Tyler’s relationship with her mother had been fraught ever since her mother had dumped her in foster care at an early age. “I think she was glad to see me, even though she couldn’t wait to get rid of me, if you know what I mean.”
Naomi couldn’t imagine being estranged from her mother, and her heart went out to Tyler. She squeezed Tyler’s hand. “You did your best, and I’m glad you’re all back.”
“I couldn’t let Luke miss more time away from Aaron. It’s such a pity he can’t stay longer, don’t you think?” Tyler grinned at Naomi.
“Yeah,” Naomi murmured laconically, hoping her expression didn’t give her away too much. Yes, it was a real pity Aaron wasn’t staying longer. She might not get a chance to kiss him again. On the other hand, in a mere couple of days he’d worked her up to such point where all she could think about was kissing him, so maybe it was a good thing he was leaving so soon.
…
Another night. Another dinner with Aaron. Except tonight would be very different from last night. For a start, Luke, Tyler, and Chloe were coming too. And they were going to the Red Possum, the unpretentious pub in town with a family-friendly bistro out back. No dressing up, no lamb with stinging nettles, no fancy wines. And no morbid rambling about her breakup, either. That had to be an improvement.
Naomi swiped on some lip gloss and straightened the straps of her casual tank top. She couldn’t decide what she felt about this evening, Aaron’s last night before he left early tomorrow morning. All day she’d felt unsettled, distracted. She’d gone to work at the gift store as usual, except Tyler had accompanied her, not Aaron. A few customers had asked about the charming American, and she’d had to explain that he was spending his final day with Luke. She had to admit she’d missed his company.
By the time they finished work, Naomi was more frazzled than usual, but she suspected her weariness had less to do with work and more to do with Aaron’s imminent departure. It wasn’t fair that someone who’d aroused all her antipathy on their first meeting should now arouse something quite different in her. And it was definitely wrong that he’d effected the turnaround in a few days.
Dinner at the Red Possum was pleasant and friendly, as she’d expected. The bistro was crowded with festive diners. Children ran around in the play area. A constant stream of steak, salad, and chips flowed from the kitchen. There was zero chance for intimate conversation with Aaron. Not that he appeared to want a tête-à- tête with her.
Back at the house, Chloe asked Naomi to read to her, and Naomi quickly acquiesced, figuring she’d give Luke and Tyler a final chance to chat with Aaron while she put Chloe to bed. A while later, longer than she’d anticipated, Chloe was finally asleep, and Naomi tiptoed out of the girl’s room.
Deciding on an early night, she made her way to the annex. As she passed the courtyard separating the annex from the main house, she caught sight of a shadowy figure standing in the paved area. Her heart jumped before she recognized Aaron, and then her heart bounded again, almost cavorting. Aaron had already spotted her, so she couldn’t slink away, and she didn’t want to anyway.
He tilted his head, indicating she join him, and she stepped through the glass doors that gave onto the courtyard.
“I thought you’d still be chatting with Luke and Tyler,” she said.
“I was, but with you taking care of Chloe, I got the feeling they were keen for an early night, if you know what I mean, so I excused myself.”
“Oh.” She cleared her throat and searched for a mundane remark. “So are you packed and ready to go first thing tomorrow morning?”
He nodded. “My vacation’s gone much faster than I thought it would. Especially the last few days.”
He studied her with intense focus, the shadows on his face making him mysterious, unreadable. A flurry of excitement ran through her. Maybe she’d get to kiss him again after all.
“The last few days?” She laughed. “You’ve spent them up to your eyeballs in your version of Christmas hell.”
He chuckled too. “It had its perks.”
Now there was no mistaking his interest. She drew in a deep breath to fortify herself. The lush scent of roses filled the courtyard while stone walls protected them, heightening the intimacy of the sultry darkness. She took two steps toward Aaron. He copied her. Inches separated them. Here was her chance to kiss him the way she’d been dreaming of. Tomorrow he’d be gon
e, so now she could fling aside all her tiresome reservations and simply enjoy this hot hunk of a man who seemed to want to kiss her just as badly.
He was vibrating with tension, she realized. As if he was struggling to control himself. He moved even closer until his shirtfront brushed up against her tank top. Even in the dark, she could see his eyes clearly, and the desire in them ignited her. Without hesitation, she curled her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe, her mouth reaching for his. He met her halfway, his kiss hot, voracious, demanding, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist, pulling her hard against his body. His aggression stoked her blaze. Heat poured through her as she responded freely, running her hands across his shoulders, through his hair, greedy for every inch of him.
He trailed his mouth over her cheeks, lips caressing her flesh before he nibbled gently at her earlobes, his breath hot and fast. “You taste delicious,” he murmured, his voice thick with need. “You’re my idea of dessert.”
The sensuous rumble of his voice turned her legs to rubber, and when his mouth shifted back to hers and his heat engulfed her again, she clung to him, not only for support but to absorb every iota of his charisma. She parted her lips, flicked the tip of her tongue into his mouth, and he made a throaty sound before his tongue slid into her mouth, his strength and virility spreading through her, possessing her. Her head grew dizzy from the pleasure. Her fingers lost their grip on his shoulders. Oh heck, was she about to swoon from his kiss?
Mercifully, he broke off the kiss to give them both some breathing space. “Honey,” he panted, his eyes feverish, his palms burning through the thin cotton of her tank top. He swallowed hard and continued, “I sure hope you’re not going to pull away anytime soon, because I don’t know if I can stop myself.”
“I—I’m not.” She would enjoy his kisses while she could. Tomorrow didn’t exist. All they had was this one balmy, rose-scented night that she’d never forget because she would never meet another man like Aaron Cade. Eager to etch as many memories of him as possible, she reached for him again, and he didn’t hold back.
Stranded with a Hero (Entangled Bliss) Page 13
