by Sara Orwig
He hugged her lightly. “Sorry. I know you will. That hurt dulls, but it never stops.”
“I don’t ever again want to lose someone I love because of something needless and risky.”
“I understand that, but life was meant to be lived. You can’t crawl into a bubble and shut away the world, so you might as well get out there and live. Watch out, Allison, you don’t want to wake up someday when you’re seventy years old and filled with regrets over the things you were scared to do. It’s too late then. For a different reason, that was what happened to my dad.”
“That won’t happen to me.”
“I hope not. I think you’re missing out on life. You’re observing, not living.”
“So you think I’ve been an observer tonight?” she asked in slow breathy words while she drew circles on his flat stomach with her finger. He inhaled deeply and slid his arm around her waist.
“No, not tonight. Tonight you were thriving on life and its excitement. Aah, Allison, this is paradise. Maybe we can take an extra day or two to stay in Wyoming. I’ll work on that. Perhaps if I occupy your time just right, you won’t even get around to work for the next few days.”
“You have tonight. That’s for certain,” she said lazily, trailing her fingers back and forth slowly over his muscled chest. “So what do you do in the rodeo? Calf roping, bronc riding?”
“I will ride a bull.”
“Why did I even ask? You’re thirty. Aren’t you getting too old for that one? That’s really a rough sport.”
He grinned. “Come watch me and then decide whether or not I’m too old.”
“Your confidence will get you through it, I’m sure.”
“Challenges are exciting. If I can do it, then it gives me satisfaction, a sense of power, a feeling of accomplishment.”
“A feeling of accomplishment, a challenge,” she repeated. “I get that from identifying a piece of furniture in the correct century. That’s not quite the same as risking your life riding a one-ton bull or climbing up the side of a mountain in a blizzard.”
“I like physical challenges. I like a lot of physical things,” he said as he rolled on his side and looked down at her. His eyes drifted slowly over her features as he studied her, making her heart beat faster. “I can’t get enough,” he said and his gaze lowered to her mouth.
Her lips parted. She slid her arm around his neck and pulled his head closer to kiss him. The minute he kissed her in return, her heart drummed and desire rekindled.
* * *
Dawn spilled into the room. Allison lay in the crook of his arm, Jared sleeping beside her in his massive bed, and gazed into the dying embers of the fire. They had made love repeatedly through the night. Each time probably locked her heart more securely with his. The night had been folly, yet something she no longer wanted to stop from happening.
What had last night meant to him? Another challenge met? Excitement, lust, fulfillment? Had it meant anything?
She turned slightly to look at him and his arm tightened around her waist. She expected his eyes to open, but they didn’t. Was she in love with him already? She studied his features that still made her certain he was the most handsome man she had ever known. Also, he had turned into a friend. At the moment it seemed impossible to think that when she finished this job, she would tell Jared goodbye and not see him again. Right now she couldn’t accept that, and today, she simply wouldn’t think about it.
She ran her hands across his chest, pulled the sheet over them and closed her eyes, certain they would make love again before many hours passed.
It was noon when they returned to their task of deciding what might go into his house. She focused on the job, trying to bank desire and avoid thinking about their night or touching him now. He constantly flirted, sometimes lightly touching her, a casual brush of his hand, but after their lovemaking, the slightest contact was difficult to ignore.
Each time he distracted her she got back to business, until six o’clock in the evening when he took her iPad out of her hands.
“You’ve whizzed through this house and we’ve marked things to bring up here. Now it’s time to quit for tonight.” Before she could answer, his cell phone rang, and he took the call, walking out of the room as he talked, but she heard enough to guess it concerned business. She picked up her iPad and continued making notes.
To her surprise, he didn’t come back for a while, and she moved on to a large dining room, taking a picture and making notes. Working alone, without discussing possibilities with him, she moved faster, going from room to room and getting enough done that she saw they could finish tonight if they went through the rest of the house after dinner. As far as she could see, there weren’t as many things to go into the Wyoming home as there would be in the Dallas house.
She was in a bedroom when he finally appeared.
“Sorry, that was business. There’s a company we’ve been trying to buy. They’ve made a counteroffer. I think we have something we can work with to get what we want, but it means I have to talk to some people right now. The kitchen is filled with food, so just help yourself. I’ll have to put my dinner on hold.”
“Want me to fix something for you?”
He shook his head. “I’m not hungry. I’ll get something when I am.”
“Jared, I’m making good progress. I can finish tonight, and we can go back tomorrow.”
“That’s good, because I’ll have to get back to the office. I may send you and the plane on to Houston.”
The twinge of disappointment was offset by the knowledge that it was for the best. She could work faster without him on some things; on others, it helped to know what he wanted to keep and what he didn’t.
“Holler if you need me,” he said and left, looking down at his phone to touch numbers and make a call.
She didn’t see him again that day, and she finished touring the rooms where she thought he might want something from Houston. Some rooms she could merely glance at and tell that nothing would fit in with the decor.
She hadn’t been particularly hungry either, and put off eating, finally getting a glass of milk and a couple of cookies, and heading to her suite.
In the morning, after she had dressed and clipped her hair up on the back of her head with a few tendrils slipping free, she went down to the kitchen. Hunger had finally set in.
She could smell the coffee before she entered the kitchen, and she heard Jared talking. She wondered whether he was on the phone or if someone was there with him, but when she entered, she saw he was alone, talking on his cell. He sat in the breakfast area with a mug of steaming coffee. He wore the same clothes he’d had on the night before. His shirttail was out, his sleeves turned back. A dark stubble covered his jaw and his hair was a tangle. Papers were spread over the table in front of him.
She poured orange juice and coffee, adding thick cream to her mug. She got out butter and bread to make toast, and scrambled some eggs so there would be enough if Jared wanted any.
He finally finished his call and put down his phone. “Sorry and good morning,” he said, smiling at her. “You look great,” he said. “I’d come give you a hug, but I don’t think you’d want me to.”
“You didn’t go to bed last night.”
He shook his head. “No, too much to do. I’ve had things faxed to me that I had to read and sign.”
“I scrambled some eggs for us, and I have toast. What else can I get you?” she said, setting two full plates on the table. “I poured orange juice for you, and I found some preserves.”
“I’m famished.”
“I’m hungry myself. So are you buying a new company?”
“We’re getting closer to acquiring it, and I’m at the point now where people who work for me will take over for a while and deal with this. There were just things I needed to make decisions a
bout, and time was of the essence.”
“That’s all right. You don’t need to explain. I finished looking at this house. I have my notes and pictures, and I’m ready to return to Houston and finish there.”
“Anxious to get rid of me?” he asked, with a crooked grin.
“I would never say that,” she replied.
He shoved aside papers and waited as she sat. “I’m glad you went on to your room last night, because by the time I looked for you, I decided you might be asleep. I’ve already made arrangements for a flight to Dallas this morning at ten o’clock because I need to get back. I can send you and the plane on to Houston, or if you prefer, you can stay in Dallas through the weekend and we’ll both go to Houston on Monday.”
“I’ll just go on to Houston and finish. After all, I was hired to do a job.”
“I don’t mind if you wait.”
She shook her head. “Thanks. I’ll go to Houston,” she repeated, resisting the temptation to stay in Dallas. It was the sensible thing to do and the practical choice.
“Last night, did you decide what I might want to have moved here?”
“There’s a mahogany bookcase that I think would be perfect in your library. It could go along the wall opposite the fireplace.”
He nodded as he drank his juice and ate a piece of toast.
“That octagonal mahogany table could go in the study. My guess is that it’s eighteenth century. Dad will research it if he doesn’t know.”
“Good choice.”
She ran down a list, and he nodded after each one.
“You agree on all this?” she asked, looking up. He had finished eating and was watching her. The moment she looked into his eyes, her mouth went dry. Those depths of green held so much desire, she trembled, aching with want.
Electricity filled the air while heat spread in her and longing became tangible. Locked into his stormy gaze, she could barely breathe. Her heart pounded and every inch of her wanted his touch.
Standing, Jared pushed away his chair and walked around the table. Disheveled, a night’s growth of beard on his jaw, he had never looked more desirable.
Eight
“We lost a night together,” he said, stopping close to her. “Too bad I need a shave and a shower.” He took her hand to draw her to her feet. Her chair scraped as she stood, while her heart pounded.
He pulled her to him. “I don’t care,” she replied, slipping her arms around him. He leaned down to kiss her, his beard rough, the woolen shirt soft beneath her fingers as she kissed him.
Urgency rocked her. Swamped with desire, she wanted him with a desperation that was mirrored in his actions. Clothes were tossed away, and in minutes, as they feverishly kissed and touched, he picked her up.
Wrapping her long legs around him, she clung tightly while they kissed. Right there in the breakfast room, he lowered her onto his erection, filling her in one dazzling motion. Sensations bombarded her. The blaze of desire raged out of control. She wanted him. Wanted his loving because it could vanish from her life after this moment. Her roaring pulse shut out all other sounds. She cried out in a climax, ecstasy pouring over her while he thrust wildly, reaching a pinnacle and crashing as she had.
Rapture enveloped her, and she held him in her arms. The rough stubble of his beard scraped her cheek. She raised her head to look into his eyes and see the satisfaction she felt.
“You’re very special,” he whispered, and her heart lurched. His words were spellbinding. She gazed back at him, and the truth hit her, hard and fast. She had fallen in love with him. She might as well face her feelings. What she did about them was another thing. If he fell in love, could she deal with his lifestyle? Why worry about it now? They weren’t at that point yet.
She lowered her legs, and he set her on her feet. “I should shower,” they both said at the same time and smiled.
“This time we’d better do it separately,” he said. “I need to get rid of this beard that’s started and clean up.”
She grabbed up her clothes, yanking her big sweater over her head that covered her to her thighs.
“Aw, shucks,” he said as he watched her. He had pulled on his shorts. He walked over to put his arm around her and kiss her tenderly. “All I want to do is hold you close.”
“We’ll shower. We have a full day if we expect to get back to Texas.”
“Yeah, I need to, but that isn’t what I want. Allison, this is great,” he said, kissing her lightly. The look he gave her started fires again—it was the warm look of a man in love, whether he declared that love or not. She refused to think about the complications love could bring to both of their lives. Instead she held her clothes in one hand and wrapped her other arm around his waist to walk beside him as they went upstairs.
At the door to her room, he kissed her again, a kiss that began tenderly and changed to passion when he dropped his clothes at his feet and held her against him.
Finally she stepped away. “I think showers are in order. I’ll see you shortly.”
His breathing was ragged while he stared at her as if debating whether or not to leave her. Wordlessly he scooped up his clothing and left. She closed the door to her suite behind him and headed for her shower for the second time that morning.
They were flying to Dallas first, where it would be far warmer, and later to Houston, which was even warmer, so she dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved red cotton shirt, knowing she could roll up her sleeves if needed.
In Dallas, when the plane taxied to a stop, Jared stood and held out his hand. “I’m going to miss you,” he said.
“You’ll be way too busy,” she replied in a breathless voice, hating to part with him.
“Never,” he said. “I’ll come to Houston as soon as I can.” He kissed her goodbye and left the plane. A car met him on the tarmac, and he turned to wave, then climbed into the car and was gone.
She missed him already and could only wonder how it would be when the job finished. Would Jared try to continue to see her? As quickly as the question came, she faced the truth that she couldn’t continue to see him because of their differences. When the job ended, she needed to end the relationship.
All during the flight to Houston, she thought about their lovemaking the previous night and this morning, already wanting him, yet knowing it was best he was in Dallas. Finally the plane landed in Houston, and soon she was back in the mansion to finish her task.
Late in the afternoon she returned to the upstairs study to look at an early eighteenth-century Italian library table, carved on all four sides with four drawers. She ran her hand along it. She had been surprised that Jared didn’t want it, but he said he had one in Dallas that was similar and he didn’t want another.
She wanted it in her living room and loved its ornate carving, but if she told Jared, she suspected he would just give it to her. It was far too valuable, and she didn’t want him doing that. When she had sent a message to her dad that she wanted to buy the table, he had commended her on her beautiful choice.
She wished Jared was back beside her, already missing him and everything about him. The following Friday was their date to go to the rodeo. Would she be able to watch Jared without the anxiety she felt watching Sloan when he had ridden in the bronc event?
Every night Jared called her and they talked, sometimes for hours. Each day she missed him more than the day before, something that she hated to acknowledge. And then Wednesday arrived, and she finished with his mansion in the middle of the afternoon. On the next call from Jared, she informed him and soon arrangements were made for her to fly back to Dallas that night.
“I’ll meet you at the plane,” he said.
“Jared, I won’t get in until eight.”
“Then that’s when I’ll see you, and I can’t wait. We’ll go to my house, and if you want something to
eat after you land, I’ll have it.”
“No, thank you. I’ll eat an early dinner.”
“See you tonight, darlin’. I have to run. I have an appointment that I’m already five minutes late for.”
“Goodbye,” she said, shaking her head but thinking about his endearment. Did it mean much with him? She had no idea.
* * *
Jared drove to an older part of Dallas where he had grown up. Big homes were set back on well-tended lawns while stately trees lined the streets, their branches sprouting new bright green spring leaves. He turned into the drive of the Tyler house, memories assailing him of spending hours there with Sloan. He recalled one time when it had snowed—a rare event in Dallas—and he had gone home with Sloan. When they had stepped out of the car, he had been hit in the chest with a puny little snowball and heard female giggles coming from behind a nandina bush. Sloan had had a snowball hit his feet, and he had glanced at the bush in disgust, looked at Jared and they had both scooped up snow to quickly pack snowballs the size of tennis balls. Sloan had run to the right and let one fly, hitting one of the girls who had been behind the bush. She screeched and ran. Jared had thrown a snowball and hit Allison in the face. She’d thrown one back at him, lobbing it with a wild swing, hitting his chest.
“My bratty sister,” Sloan had said. “Let’s get her.”
Both of them had scooped up more snow while Allison did the same. “She’s outnumbered, besides a few other advantages we have, like being twice as big,” Sloan had said. They’d both hit Allison with snowballs but she’d thrown a few back. Sloan had scooped another handful and had run toward her.
She’d flung one more snowball at him, hitting him in the face as she turned to run, her long yellow pigtail bouncing when she ran. He’d let her go, waiting for Jared. “Be glad you’re an only child.”
