by Sara Orwig
“We’ll do it again tomorrow night, because we’ll be out on my Wyoming ranch and it’s thirty miles to the nearest restaurant or bar. If you wanted dinner or dancing, you should have said so here. Although we’ll be back.”
“This was perfect tonight,” she said, amazed at how much she’d enjoyed the evening.
He walked upstairs with her and at the door to her suite, he pulled her swiftly into his arms, leaning down to kiss her. His mouth covered hers firmly, possessively. She wanted to protest, to stop him, but the moment his mouth settled on hers, her objection died. She held him and kissed him, wanting more in spite of telling herself to walk away.
“Jared,” she finally gasped, stepping back slightly, her hand on his chest.
“You started this earlier,” he said, giving her a smoldering look. “For one second tonight, do you think I forgot or really cooled down? I’ve been wound up all evening, wanting you and trying to keep my hands to myself.” He placed his hand against the wall behind her and bent close to her. “Now you owe me for getting me all stirred up. I intend to collect on that, Allison.”
“I think you just did. Go for a midnight swim. See you in the morning,” she said, slipping into her suite and closing the door. She let out her breath. Desire was an all-enveloping cloak that she could not shed. She should not have let go and kissed him passionately, because it had steamed both of them. He was not the only one still hot and bothered, aching for more.
In just hours they would go to his Wyoming house, and then return to Houston to finish this job. As soon as she did, she would get back to her ordinary life in Dallas. And maybe she should think about Phillip’s proposal—something solid and safe with someone compatible. Would marriage be so unhappy without this wild, burning lust?
She stared into the dark, glad she couldn’t see her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes would give away the answer to the question she asked.
Though she prepared for bed, sleep was elusive. Jared filled her thoughts. He slept beneath the same roof. She could easily make love with him. Would it cool her burning need or just bind her to him irrevocably? She already knew the answer. It was hours before she fell into a fitful sleep with nonsensical, disturbing dreams.
* * *
Jared woke early and hurried to the heated pool. The morning air was chilly, and he walked fast, shedding a beach towel and dropping the others he carried to leap into the water. He came up and began to swim laps in long strokes while his thoughts were on Allison.
He couldn’t get out of his thoughts that moment when she had moved over him, tossed away her shirt and gave him those wild kisses, or her declaration that he was missing out on the best part of life—the intimacy and joy of marriage and family, of making love when he wanted.
She hadn’t convinced him about marriage and lifestyles, but he had been captivated by her more than ever. Sexy, beautiful, intelligent, she was becoming a close friend. They were compatible in so many ways, yet different enough to keep things interesting. But it was the fact that she could always surprise him that added to her charm. From that first night six years ago when she was in college, she had surprised him. He didn’t know what to expect from her, and that hadn’t changed at all.
Allison was special. She had warned him that he might fall in love. Could she be right? She was unique, with so many good qualities, but that ability to surprise him dazzled him because he didn’t think he could ever tire of being with her.
He stopped swimming, breathing hard, treading water and lost in thoughts about her. Maybe he should fly back to Dallas and get out of her life before he was the one to be hopelessly ensnared and his visions of mountain climbing and all the other things he wanted to do went out of his life forever. He glanced at the house and thought about her in bed, asleep.
“Oh, hell,” he whispered. He wanted her in his arms. He wanted to make love to her more than he wanted anything else. She had him tied in knots. If he didn’t want to fall irrevocably in love, he’d better run fast, yet he didn’t want to say goodbye to her yet. Far from it. He swam to the edge of the pool, climbed out and grabbed the beach towel to wrap himself in, then grabbed a bath towel to dry his hair. Slipping on flip-flops, he headed for the house.
* * *
Later in the day they flew to Wyoming, where Allison was captivated by the winding streams and the breathtaking mountains with snow still on the peaks. Even so, spectacular scenery could not fully capture her attention with Jared seated close beside her. At the airport, a car waited with a driver, a cowboy named Rocky Long who worked for Jared, and he held the car door open until they were seated.
“This is beautiful country,” she said to Jared. “Do you spend a lot of time here?”
“No. I thought I would, but I don’t. I come in July sometimes, or August, depending on what’s happening.”
“It’s gorgeous scenery.”
“I agree with you on that one,” he said in a deep voice. She glanced at him to see him turned, his back to the car window. He faced her, a faint smile on his lips.
She ignored him and turned back to her window, yet now she was far more self-conscious, aware of her deep blue sweater she had brought from home and the jeans she traveled in. She had her hair in a long, thick braid that hung down her back. The air was cool and crisp, and she had pulled on a lightweight navy jacket.
It was an hour’s drive before they finally wound along a ranch road, and his sprawling three-story home built on the side of a mountain came into view. Though the road had been cleared, snow piled along the sides and weighed down the branches of tall spruce trees. Finally his house came back into view. Smoke rose from two of the chimneys.
When they got out of the car and she crossed the back porch, she looked at an arrangement of rockers and a porch swing that gave the appearance of a family home instead of a bachelor pad.
The moment they stepped inside, delicious smells assailed her, and she inhaled deeply. Rocky said he would get their luggage while Jared took her jacket to hang on a hook in the wide back entry hall. He hung his coat beside it and took her arm. “Come meet the rest of the staff. They live on the grounds and take care of the place as well as work for me when I’m here.”
They stepped into the kitchen. “Allison, meet Daphne Long, Rocky’s wife. Daphne, this is Allison Tyler.”
“I’m glad to meet you. It smells wonderful in here,” Allison said.
“Vegetable soup. I hope you like it. I have a roast cooking, too, and an apple pie, so there should be plenty to eat around here.”
“C’mon,” Jared told her. “I’ll show you your suite and around the house.”
While rustic with log walls and wide plank floors, the house was inviting and filled with antiques. A fountain splashed in the wide front entrance and two matching curved staircases with black iron rails swept up to a second floor. All the rooms were large with floor-to-ceiling windows that gave striking views of the area.
They climbed the stairs to the second floor and entered a suite that held a large sitting room and stairs leading to another story.
“This is your suite. The bed and bath are upstairs.”
“The view from here is wonderful. This is a beautiful home, and you barely live in it. That seems a waste.”
“I enjoy it when I’m here. Come see where I am. Tonight we’ll be alone, and we’ll build a fire and sit up here, because I have the best view from my suite. Right before the sunset, sometimes it takes your breath away.”
She followed him down the hall, seeing another facet to him now—the man who had so much yet could still enjoy a sunset. She was glad because she had thought maybe he had to take risks to get a thrill out of life.
They entered another sitting room not far from hers. This one was larger, and she was instantly drawn to the wall of glass that gave a view even more breathtaking than he had indicated. “Jared, i
t is magnificent here. I don’t see how you can leave it,” she said, looking at sunlight glistening on the snow-covered peaks of tall mountains. Dark pines covered the slopes. She could see a pond not far from the house and a stream running through it, then across the meadow away from the house. “The land is gorgeous,” she said. “Far more than I expected.”
“I’m glad you like it here. I always think it’s beautiful,” he said, standing close behind her. She could feel the heat from his body, and his voice was deep and quiet.
“I’d think you’d stay here all the time,” she answered, forgetting the view and thinking about Jared, closing her eyes as his lips brushed her nape.
“I appreciate it when I’m here, but I love Texas. Besides, I do have a company to run.”
His breath was warm on her neck, and he stood close behind her, his hands rubbing her shoulders lightly. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever brought up here.”
Startled, she inhaled deeply. “That surprises me. And it means you’re here very little.”
“More than you think. Now I’ll remember you were here with me.”
The conversation at the moment was not going the direction she thought it should. “Jared, we might as well start looking through your house. The sooner we do, the quicker we’ll finish,” she said breathlessly.
“You’re in a major rush to finish this job and get away,” he said, his warm breath blowing lightly on her nape, tickling, tantalizing and as light as a caress.
“That’s what we came for.”
There was a moment of silence, and then he stepped away. “Whatever suits you, we’ll do. We’ll go down and have lunch first while Daphne is here. We may get some hot corn bread.”
Allison gazed into his green eyes and couldn’t move. Desire was tangible, hot, pulsing between them. With a deep breath she moved away, trying to put distance between them while gulping air as if she were drowning. “Let’s go to the kitchen, Jared.” Her voice sounded deeper, strained.
She turned to glance at him, and he came forward to catch up with her. Together they walked back to the kitchen, and she was relieved to have Daphne in the room with them while they got their lunch.
They ate in a cheerful yellow-and-white breakfast room adjoining the kitchen. An expanse of windows framed another spectacular view that competed for their attention with the steaming bowls of vegetable soup served by Daphne.
After lunch they begin to walk through the rooms that were less formal, but still held marvelous antiques and interesting relics of early-day life in the West. She was surprised that his Wyoming house was as large as his home in Dallas.
Before sundown, Jared stopped her. “That’s enough for today. We’re already half finished with this house. Daphne and Rocky are gone, so we’re on our own tonight. Daphne has a roast with vegetables in a cooker and a casserole in the freezer that I can heat up. What’s your preference?”
“Definitely the roast.”
“Good choice. I want to clean up and change, so I’ll meet you in the library in an hour. We’ll have a drink before dinner. Then afterward we can watch a movie if you want.”
“I may just look at the scenery and enjoy the fire.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said.
When she stepped into her suite and closed the door, she leaned against it. She felt as if she had been fighting a silent battle all day. Every time Jared was present, she had to struggle to avoid flirting with him, to avoid responding to his flirting, to keep a distance from him. Just his mere presence disturbed her. Each time he flirted or touched her, it was more difficult to curb her response to him. She didn’t want to think that she’d be with him for possibly another week.
She went in to shower, her thoughts monopolized by Jared and the evening ahead. The days with him were beginning to go beyond lust. Jared was turning into a friend she could talk to for hours on end. The friendship was far more dangerous to her than the hot passion because friendship was deeper. She had to finish this job soon, or she would be in love with him.
Her life was totally wrapped around family and business. The only man in her life was Phillip, who had already offered marriage—several times. A marriage between two like-minded people. A lifetime in a marriage that would never hold the breathtaking excitement she found with Jared. Love might come if she married Phillip, but it would never be this heart-pounding, breath-stopping dazzle she experienced with Jared.
As she dressed for the evening, she wondered about two things. Could she continue to resist him?
And did she really want to?
Seven
She found him downstairs in the enormous kitchen. Music played, a blues number that was background music but made her think about dancing. Enticing smells filled the room. The table was set in the breakfast area, and he had glasses of red wine poured and ready.
Jared stood with his back to her, and her gaze drifted slowly over his broad shoulders, covered in a plaid woolen Western shirt, down past his tight, slim jeans, all the way to his boot-clad feet. Drawing a deep breath, she fought an urge to walk up behind him, press against him and wrap her arms around him.
Instead she sedately entered the kitchen and kept a wide space between them. “Hi,” she said quietly. “Good music. May I help you?”
He turned, his gaze flicking over her. Putting down a knife and an apple, he rinsed and dried his hands. “Just peeling an apple. The music is a motley assortment.” He closed the distance between them to place his hands on her waist. “You’re definitely the most delicious thing in this room,” he said in a deep voice.
She inhaled and thrust her hands into her pockets so she didn’t reach for him. “Thank you, I think. I’m sure I can do something here.”
“Oh, you can do a lot of things,” he drawled. “The first on the list—”
“Not that sort of thing, Jared. I’m sure I can help get dinner,” she interrupted swiftly, unable to keep from smiling at him.
“It’s impossible to avoid me, us. Let go, Allison. You’re fighting yourself more than you’re fighting me,” he whispered, gazing intently at her.
“Shall I pour water for dinner?”
He held her with a gaze that grew more intense. Her heart drummed because she thought he would kiss her. Instead he walked away to pick up two glasses of red wine. “Let’s have our drink first.” He held one out to her, and her fingers brushed his as she accepted it.
“We can sit where we have a view,” he said, motioning toward the adjoining sitting area.
She went ahead of him. A fire crackled in the fireplace, the orange flames dancing high while the setting sun glistened off the snowy mountain peaks. “This night will be difficult to forget,” she said, thinking about the scenery and the fire, but mostly about Jared. The slight contact was a magnet pulling on her senses. All his casual touches were constant reminders of the excitement, the fabulous sex they could have together.
“I won’t forget it, and I hope you don’t. Not any of the hours we’ve spent together.”
She smiled at him. “When we part, we’ll both start forgetting.”
“Have you forgotten the night we met?”
“I’ll take the Fifth on that one.”
“That’s an answer. A big answer and a satisfying one. Neither have I.”
Truthfully she remembered every minute, every second of that night. Just the mention of it had her heartbeat racing, her mouth drying. She’d give anything to experience another night like that. But she couldn’t.
Because this was a dangerous conversation, she tried diverting it with a question.
“Are you always able to take off work as much as you have since I flew to Houston?”
“Not at all, but this is different and something I need to get done.”
“I can do this job without you.”
“I know you can. I assure you I’m keeping up with the important issues in the office remotely. But I want to pick out furniture for both my homes, and I want to be with you—therefore, I spend my time each day with you. You’re doing a great job.”
“Dad is the brains of all this. I’m learning.”
“Is there anything that scares you about the job?”
“Sure—missing something incredibly valuable. Giving people the wrong information, which I try very hard to avoid doing. I’m scared that Dad will want to retire before I’m ready to go on my own, but if he wants to retire, then I want him to retire. Being on my own really scares me, but he will always help as long as he can.”
“I’m guessing that you worry more about his health than any of those things about your job. After all, you are related to Sloan, and you’re bound to have some of that worrywart in you.”
“You’re right about Dad. I’m more concerned about his health than anything else. He’s getting older, and I know it. I suppose that’s one reason I want to marry. I want him to know my children. I want them to love him the way I do.”
“My dad will never know his grandchildren. Too late now.” He shrugged. “Don’t know if there will even be any. Maybe someday.”
“I feel a biological or some kind of clock ticking in my life for that reason.”
“You won’t run out and marry that Phillip fellow just to get married, will you?”
“Now, what difference could that possibly make to you?” she asked, smiling, amused by his statement because he couldn’t possibly care.
“Maybe because if you’re going to get married, it should be for love.”
“You have to make the best of what life presents you.”
“Tonight life has presented me an opportunity to share a gorgeous view, a roaring fire, a delicious dinner, maybe a dance or two and some wild kisses with the most beautiful blonde I’ve ever known. Here’s to a great evening,” he said, raising his glass in a toast.
“To a great evening—with or without all of that. And thank you for such a blatantly exaggerated compliment, but nonetheless, I enjoyed hearing you say it.”
