Tempting Gifts

by Elena Aitken

  CHAPTER NINE

  Never before had Jason watched a lover come with such intensity. Hell, he’d never bothered to watch a woman as intently as he did with Lisa. He couldn’t look away from her, nor did he want to. He needed to see her, all of her and watching the exact moment that she came undone around him, all the while staring directly at him, into his soul, hell, it was his undoing, too.

  He came with so much force, his entire body convulsed, but still they didn’t break eye contact, making the climax that rode through his body even stronger.

  When he was spent, he stayed inside her, on top of her, staring at her beautiful face before kissing her softly on the lips.

  “I’ve never…that was…wow.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” he said, giving her another kiss, this one longer, before rolling off her and handing her a blanket. If he didn’t remove himself he was afraid he might never want to leave her and as much as he’d love to repeat that performance again, soon, he also wanted desperately to hold her in his arms, and that feeling not only surprised the hell out of him, it scared him. But nearly as much as it probably should have.

  They found their clothing and redressed quickly. While Lisa went to the kitchen to get them each a glass of water and a small snack, Jason stoked the fire. He was in no hurry to go to bed and let the evening end. He looked over his shoulder, watching her move around the small cabin, trying her best not to make much noise. She was sexy as hell. Everything about her lit him up. Everything. She turned and caught him watching her and gave him a shy smile.

  Shy despite her usual confidence and what they’d just shared.

  The woman was full of surprises.

  And he wanted to discover all of them.

  There was definitely a shift in the air, but as far as Lisa was concerned, it was a good one and it wasn’t just because of the amazing sex. She’d never felt a pull toward a man the way she felt toward Jason. And it wasn’t just physical. There was something about the way he sat and listened to her, and especially, the way he opened up to her. She could tell he’d never talked to another woman about his past before. And that made her feel special. Very special.

  Lisa wasn’t in a hurry for the evening to end and so instead of giving in to their growing exhaustion, they talked through the night. Going to sleep would break the spell of the evening and it was only when Lisa saw the sky outside start to lighten that she insisted they close their eyes for a bit. Even if it was only for a few hours. The connection they had shared and whatever it was that was happening between them was strong, Lisa was sure of it. She’d never felt such a way about a man. And despite the possibility of breaking the spell, she had to take the risk and get a little rest.

  Despite being wound up and having just had the best evening she’d had in years with a man she’d just met and breaking her rule to have the most incredible sex of her life, Lisa fell into a deep sleep almost the moment she laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time for sleeping before Kayden ran through the cabin in an effort to wake them both.

  “Come on, Lisa,” he said when she gave in and opened her eyes. “You said we could go to the falls in the morning. And it’s morning.”

  “I said we could go if we had time,” she mumbled, and rubbed at her eyes.

  There was no point trying to go back to sleep. Lisa knew enough about small children that once they had their minds made up about something, there would be no rest for anyone who didn’t go along with their plans.

  “Come on, buddy.” Jason walked into the room. His eyes landed on Lisa, still lying in her bunk. “We should probably let Lisa get organized. Don’t worry; there’ll be lots of time to go to the falls.”

  “Really?” Kayden jumped up and took off before his uncle could change his mind.

  “Really?” Lisa asked. She raised her eyebrows in question, but gave him a little grin.

  “That is, if you think we have enough time,” he added, not taking his eyes off her. “Because I’m not in a hurry to get back.”

  “You’re not?”

  Jason shook his head slowly. “Not at all.”

  She looked into his eyes and in that instant, she knew that everything they’d shared together the night before was still there. The reality of the morning hadn’t changed anything.

  After a quick breakfast of some cereal bars that Lisa found in the cupboard and some instant coffee for the adults, they did a quick cleanup of the cabin and were on their way. The falls were only a short walk and with an energetic and fully rested little boy to lead the way, it didn’t take long for them to reach their destination.

  “Now, Kayden.” Lisa crouched down in front of the boy. “I know you’re excited, but do not go anywhere near the water. If you slip in again, we’ll be back at the cabin.” Lisa paused at the thought of having to spend another night with Jason, away from everything and everyone. She glanced up and met his gaze; by the look on his face, he obviously had the same idea. She turned back to Kayden. “And we can’t do that. Your mother would flip out.”

  Kayden nodded solemnly. “I’ll be careful.”

  “Okay.” Lisa stood and ruffled his hair. “If you go over to that side there,” she pointed to a big rock, “you can sit on the edge and feel the spray. You might even see a rainbow in the water.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “But be careful.”

  “I will,” Kayden promised as he ran off.

  She shook her head, but couldn’t help smiling. He was a great kid and it was nice to see children so enthusiastic about the outdoors. Besides that, it was perfectly safe where she’d sent him. He’d be fine.

  Lisa was so busy watching Kayden that she hadn’t noticed Jason slide behind her until his arms were wrapped around her waist. She let out a little gasp of surprise as he pulled her into his chest.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He dropped his mouth to her neck, and gave her a little kiss while he squeezed her tight. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you looking so cute, all rumpled up this morning.”

  She twisted in his arms so their faces were only inches apart. “Did you?”

  “You know I did.” He leaned in to kiss her and despite the shivers of anticipation that raced through her, Lisa deftly dodged him.

  “We can’t.”

  His face fell and she couldn’t help it; Lisa’s heart jumped at the thought that he was disappointed in more than missing out on a kiss. “Not because I don’t want to,” she said quickly. “You have to know I want to.”

  He nodded, a wicked glint in his eyes.

  “But not with Kayden around. It’s too confusing for kids and especially if we don’t even know what this…and I’m working,” she finished lamely.

  Jason opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again and nodded solemnly. “Okay.”

  When he unlaced his fingers from around her waist and stepped back, Lisa immediately wanted his arms around her again. Instead, she settled for sliding her hand into his and gave it a quick squeeze. He smiled at her and winked at her to let her know that he totally understood.

  Lisa’s stomach flipped the way it always seemed to when he looked at her that way. It was unbelievable to her that in all her adult years she’d never felt such a way around a man before, but after only a few days of getting to know Jason, she felt like she’d known him forever.

  “Uncle Jason! You’ve got to see this.”

  Lisa smiled and gestured to Kayden, who sat the way he was supposed to on top of the rock on the far side of the falls. “You better go see.” She smiled and gestured toward the boy.

  “You should come, too.”

  “I’ve seen it before.”

  Jason’s smile melted her and caused a pooling of liquid heat deep in her belly. “Not with me you haven’t.” Her hand still in his, he tugged on it gently until she walked with him. There was no way she could argue with that logic, nor did she have any desire to do so.

  ~ * ~
/>
  The hike down the mountain back to the Lodge went quickly. Too quickly, as far as Jason was concerned. He could have spent all day in the mountains with Lisa and Kayden. She was great with him, singing songs, and pointing out wildlife, different late season wildflowers, and all kinds of things that Jason never would have noticed. As he watched her, he couldn’t help but be impressed with the way she interacted with Kayden. She’d be an amazing mother one day. The thought popped into his head and surprised him. Where had that come from? He’d never before thought of children, at least not beyond Kayden. And he’d certainly never thought of children with another woman.

  Jason shook his head and forced himself to slow down. Being with Lisa may have felt good. Really good, but one night was a far cry from children.

  As soon as they cleared the tree line and walked into the open field behind the lodge, Kayden broke into a run. Suddenly the little boy who’d been so excited to go on an overnight adventure was more than ready to get home to his mother. Of course, his mother would have been feeling the same. Just as he’d expected, Jen waited for Kayden. Lisa stopped walking and Jason came up to stand next to her. Both of them watched the mother and son reunion.

  “Wow,” Lisa whispered. “That’s really…”

  “Special?” Jason finished for her. “Their bond is special. It always has been.”

  “I suppose all bonds between mothers and their children are special, but…”

  He turned to look at her as she drifted off. He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like a wistfulness filled her eyes. “Did you want—”

  “Jason!”

  He jerked away from Lisa toward Jennifer, who held Kayden’s hand and waved in his direction. He took one last look at Lisa, determined to finish the conversation later, and with a jerk of his head, said, “We should go.”

  Jen met them halfway across the field; Kayden bounced next to her. “Thank you.” Jen reached for Lisa’s hand. “You must be Lisa. I wish I would have had a chance to meet you earlier, but after only a few seconds with Kayden, I feel like I’ve known you forever. He can’t stop talking about you.”

  “Lisa’s awesome.”

  “She certainly is,” Jason agreed. Jen gave him a sidelong glance, and he knew he was going to have to explain something later, but suddenly Jason didn’t care.

  “She knows everything,” Kayden said. “She told me about plants and animals and did you know that bears are more afraid of us then we are of them? Did you know that?”

  “I’m not sure that I did, Kayden.” Jen smiled at Lisa, who blushed and shrugged.

  “It’s easy to teach so much when I have such a great student.” She ruffled his hair. “You were great out there, Kayden. A real natural in the outdoors. It was a lot of fun spending the night at Settler’s Cabin with you.” She glanced in Jason’s direction and he had to fight to keep from pulling her toward him and tasting her lips again. “But maybe next time you should try to stay out of the lake, okay?”

  “Okay. Thanks, Lisa.”

  “No. Thank you.” She smiled and glanced around. Her gaze landed on some movement by the lodge. “I should get going. I see my supervisor, and I need to fill her in. I’ll see you later, okay, buddy?”

  “Okay.”

  “It was nice to meet you, Lisa.” Jen clasped the other woman’s hand and pulled her into a quick hug. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Lisa looked embarrassed, but it was so cute on her, Jason was pretty sure he’d like to see her blush some more. “Honestly. There’s no need to thank me. But I really should go.”

  Before Jason could stop her or make up an excuse to keep her there with them, she headed off across the field, with not much more than a wave in his direction. It wasn’t a problem. He’d find her later. And maybe he would have a date to invite to a family dinner, or even the Porter Party. When he’d spouted off to his Aunt Betty about it, he’d just been shooting his mouth off, but all at once the idea of bringing a date to the dreaded family function looked a little more like a reality. A reality he’d be happy to participate in.

  “What’s going on there?”

  Jason spun around and stared at his twin. “What are you talking about?”

  Jen’s face told him without a doubt that she didn’t buy his playing dumb act. She knew him too well for that.

  “She seems nice.”

  “I told you, she’s awesome.”

  They both laughed. “She does seem awesome.” Jen smiled at Kayden, who was ready to list off all of Lisa’s positive traits again. “Why don’t we go inside and get you cleaned up? We have more family fun later.”

  Jason’s groan earned him a smack on the arm. “And we’ll be talking later,” Jen said to him. “Because I think there’s a whole lot you need to tell me about.”

  He watched as his sister and nephew made their way across the field, hand in hand, and into the lodge. They walked right past Lisa, who still talked to her supervisor. They’d been joined by others, though. And from a distance, Jason couldn’t be sure who they were, but as he walked closer, his blood ran cold.

  Just like the other day in the pool, Conrad sat close to Lisa. Far too close. His hand inched closer to hers; his body leaned in to her personal space. His space.

  A growl ripped through Jason’s body, and his fists clenched at his side. Lisa wasn’t Nikki, he told himself. And he had no claim on her. He had no right to be angry if Conrad flirted with her. He forced himself to relax; the muscles in his body slowly released their tension. But as soon as he’d talked himself down, a familiar sound split the air.

  Lisa laughed. The sound hit him deep in the gut, especially when he saw the way she flipped her hair back over her shoulder. He could only imagine the smile she gave him. The smile that should have been reserved for him. That only a few hours ago had been reserved for him.

  By instinct, Jason stalked toward them and closed the distance between them with only a few strides. It didn’t matter that he didn’t hold a claim over her, and that he had no idea what it was that was going on between them. None of that mattered, because at that exact moment, all Jason could think of was history repeating itself, and he’d be dammed if he was going to sit back and watch that happen.

  “Hey cousin.”

  Jason’s fist ached to punch the sleazy smile right off Conrad’s face.

  “I was just telling Lisa here about the traditional Porter Party.”

  “Were you now?” He kept his gaze locked on Conrad, afraid to see what might be on Lisa’s face. “I don’t think she’d be interested in a stupid family reunion party.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Conrad said. “I suggested that maybe she come.”

  Jason worked double time to keep his face neutral. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s a family thing.” He didn’t know why that had come out of his mouth. Only a few minutes ago, he’d been thinking of what it would be like to walk into the party with her on his arm.

  “I already asked her.” Conrad’s smug voice broke through his thoughts. “And she said yes.”

  Jason’s head whipped around to stare at Lisa.

  “Well…I didn’t say…I said it sounded like fun. I didn’t—”

  “I hope you enjoy yourself then.” Jason spat out the words like a spoiled little boy; he spun on his heel and left them both behind him. If she wanted to go to the party with his cousin, then who was he to stand in the way? He’d sworn that he wouldn’t let history repeat itself, and even if it meant leaving an aching hole in his gut, he wouldn’t put himself through that type of pain. He couldn’t do that again.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Anything would have been a letdown after the adventure Lisa had with Jason and Kayden, and maybe that’s what Morgan must have thought when she gave Lisa an unexpected day off for the following day. Instead of enjoying the time away from work, however, Lisa woke up at dawn and after trying desperately to occupy herself in her apartment with some of the chores she’d put off, she fou
nd herself outside, walking toward the main Lodge.

  She knew she shouldn’t go into work. She wasn’t really needed anyway. According to Morgan, they had a pretty small group coming in and after all the excitement on their hike, Morgan was definitely not in a hurry to take the kids outside. She probably had a full day of crafts and inside games planned and Lisa knew if she popped in, she’d get sucked into the games and she’d never be able to go check out the main building. Which, if she was honest with herself, was the whole purpose of her walk.

  She wanted to see Jason. No, she needed to see him. After their night in the cabin, talking and getting to know each other, she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him. Sure, the kisses they’d shared hadn’t hurt either. In all her years, and all the men she’d fooled around with, or been with, none of them came close to what she’d experienced with Jason. That type of chemistry couldn’t be faked.

  But something was off, too. After they’d returned and Lisa had debriefed Morgan on everything, she’d wanted to talk to Jason again, but he’d seemed angry with her and distant. Cold even. She’d replayed the scene over and over in her head, and for the life of her, Lisa couldn’t seem to figure out what could have happened to change Jason’s impression so quickly. He’d made it very clear that she wasn’t welcome at their traditional family party, not that she was really going to go. Not from Conrad’s request. She had no interest in him. In fact, he kind of creeped her out a little. But if Jason himself asked…well, that would be different. But he most definitely hadn’t. If anything, he’d made it very clear that he didn’t want her there. Which meant that something must have happened between the time she left him and the time she walked across the field. Maybe it had been something his sister had said?

  The thought stopped her in her tracks. A bird chirped somewhere in the trees next to her, but she barely noticed, focused as she was on that thought. When she’d gone to talk to Morgan, she’d left Jason and Kayden with Jason’s sister. She’d seemed friendly enough to her, but what if she’d noticed the closeness between Lisa and her brother and hadn’t liked it? What if she’d said something to change the way Jason felt about her? It was likely since she’d been spending time at the Lodge that Jen had overheard something about Lisa’s past reputation. And if she’d told Jason, and after what they’d done. Damn, she knew she shouldn’t break her rule. But it felt different with Jason, it felt like more than one night. Much more. Lisa didn’t want to consider that as a possibility. But there was really no other. Everything had been going so well between them until then, even though Lisa had tried to tell herself Jason was probably just tired and had a lot on his mind.