by Lori Ryan
When the doorbell rang, Jill met Rev at the front door where he was busy letting out excited barks every few seconds to try to hurry her along. The dog loved anyone who came to the house and was pretty sure they all came to visit him. Made a girl feel secure where burglaries were concerned.
Holding Rev back with one hand, she opened the door to let Andrew inside and smiled at him. When his eyes ran up and down her body in a heated appraisal she warmed. The way he looked had her feeling as if his hands were searing a pattern across her body rather than just his eyes.
She might not be able to have him but the way he treated her was beginning to do wonders for her battered and bruised confidence where men were concerned.
“You look amazing,” Andrew said.
“Thanks.” She smiled. Definitely good for my confidence. “I just need to get Rev’s leash. Kelly wants him to play with her new puppy so we should probably drive my SUV instead of your car.”
Jill had a feeling not many dogs had put their paws on the leather seats of Andrew’s car.
He raised his eyebrows. “Yup, SUV it is,” he said with a grin.
They led Rev out the front door. The dog bounded and Jill loaded him into her Explorer.
Andrew looked longingly at his car as they got into Jill’s SUV. “I’m going to have to put Adelaide away tomorrow and get out the Tahoe. It’s time for my winter car.”
Jill laughed. “I don’t know what’s funnier. The fact that you have a winter car and a summer car, or the fact that you call your car Adelaide.”
“What else would I call her? That’s her name!” Andrew said, like the teenage boy she used to know.
She rolled her eyes and laughed at him, relaxing into the seat.
Andrew drove since he knew the way to Jack and Kelly’s house and he and Jill slipped into a comfortable quiet on the way to the gathering. Rev sat straight up in one of the back seats and watched out the window as if he could somehow help with the navigation if he kept an eye on things.
When she and Andrew arrived thirty minutes later, Jill spotted Kelly and another woman playing with Kelly’s new puppy. Andrew headed off to see Jack and Chad while she headed toward the women.
“Jill, you’re here!” Kelly greeted Jill enthusiastically and then bent to pet Rev.
“Rev, this is my puppy Zoe. Zoe, this is Rev,” Kelly said as she crouched down next to a fluffy black puppy who looked to be four or five months old. Who knew what breed of dog she was besides cute. She was the damned cute breed, that’s what she was.
Rev laid down and rolled onto his side to allow the puppy to climb on him.
Zoe promptly began chewing Rev’s ears as the two rolled together on the floor.
Jill smiled down at the dogs. “He’s always so great with puppies. I don’t know how he knows to lay down with them, but he always does. I can promise, I had nothing to do with him being such a great playmate. I’m pretty clueless when it comes to training.”
Kelly grinned at Jill and then introduced her to the woman with the strawberry blond hair standing with them. “Jill, this is Jennie. Jennie – Jill. Jennie’s dog, Zeke, has been on puppy duty all week so he was glad to have a break when I told her you’d bring Rev tonight.”
They exchanged greetings and open smiles. “Do you also work at Sutton Capital, Jennie?”
Jennie and Kelly laughed, causing Jill to look at them quizzically, wondering what the inside joke was.
“Yes,” Jennie explained. “I was Jack’s temp secretary when I overheard him explaining to Andrew that his mom’s will required Jack to be married by the time he was thirty-five. If he didn’t marry within a week, he would lose a good portion of the shares of the company. I told Kelly what I had heard and she offered to marry him in exchange for her law school tuition.”
Jill’s jaw hit the floor as she gaped at Jennie and Kelly. “What? You married Jack for law school tuition?”
Kelly was completely unabashed as she responded with a huge smile on her face. “Yup! Sure did. We were supposed to be married for one year so he could satisfy the terms of his mother’s will, but then we fell madly, completely in love with each other and the rest is history.” Kelly sighed happily.
“I almost got fired for spying on Jack and telling Kelly his secret, but it was worth it.” Jennie smiled broadly and launched into the story, telling Jill how Kelly walked into Jack’s office and introduced herself to Jack’s aunt and cousin as if she were Jack’s fiancée. In reality, Jack and Kelly had never met before. Jill listened in awe as Jennie told her about the note Kelly passed to Jack that proposed the deal.
“Jack only accepted because he thought Andrew had sent Kelly to Jack to solve his problem. When Jack figured out Kelly hadn’t been sent by Andrew, he pretty much freaked,” Jennie said.
The girls laughed over the story that had ended in one of the most romantic marriages Jill had ever seen.
Kelly looked past Jennie’s shoulder to where Chad stood talking to Christian Lang, a man who worked in tech services at Sutton.
“Chad can’t keep his eyes off of you, Jen,” Kelly said.
Jill casually turned to stand next to Kelly, leaning against a table so that it wasn’t obvious she was trying to change her angle to look for Chad. “Which one is he?”
Jennie laughed. “He’s the guy that looks like he could break any other man in this room in half with a flick of his wrist.”
Jill scanned the room and quickly located the dark-haired god that stood about two inches taller than most of the men in the room. He looked a lot like Jack but his hair was darker and he was sheer muscle. Much larger than any other man there – that said something since there were a lot of really built men in the room, including Andrew.
Jill turned wide eyes to Kelly and Jennie. “Holy crap! He’s like a truck.”
Jennie grinned. “I know. I call him Tank if I want to get a rise out of him. Or the Hulk. He hates that one.”
Kelly and Jill laughed. “Jennie likes to taunt the big, dangerous man. She’s got a bit of a screw loose,” Kelly explained.
The girls laughed and enjoyed another minute of ogling Chad before Kelly changed the subject.
“So, what’s the story with you and Andrew?” Kelly asked. “And, don’t try to tell me you just car-pooled here because you’re neighbors. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you all night.”
Jill had been aware of Andrew’s constant attention. She felt it every time he looked her way with tingling up her spine or heat racing to parts of her body she didn’t want reacting to Andrew.
“Sorry to disappoint. Nothing is happening. Not that I can convince my body of that.”
Kelly laughed and Jennie started fanning herself with one hand.
“Oh, I bet he could show you more than a little fun in the bedroom.” Jennie laughed.
“No chance of anything happening?” Kelly asked.
“No, and I don’t want it to. Our families know each other and we have mutual friends,” Jill added with a pointed look at Kelly. “Neither of us is looking for anything serious so we don’t want to have a casual relationship and then have to be a part of each other’s lives after it ends. It would just be too weird.”
“That sucks,” Kelly said, “but I get what you mean. It’s just too bad. Andrew’s such a great guy and sooooo sexy. I thought you would be perfect for each other.”
Jennie laughed and nodded. Before Jill could answer, Andrew joined them, taking the spot right next to Jill. Her body came alive in response to him.
“Talking about me?” he asked.
Kelly and Jennie laughed and Jill felt her cheeks flush red. He leaned against the table next to Jill, and as he did his thigh brushed hers – just the slightest whisper of contact, but it sent edgy energy tripping through her body. She was instantly aroused.
“What is Andrew doing now, ladies?” Jack asked as he approached.
“Hey!” Andrew managed an indignant tone. “I just came to tell Jill I love the picture Kelly picked for over the fire
place in here.”
The group turned toward the large print above the fireplace. It showed an ice-covered tree branch sparkling in the sun. Jill had taken the shot with the sun alighting on small droplets of water that fell to the ground as they melted from the branch. The scene was so simple, but the effect was mesmerizing.
Jill beamed at the compliment. “Thank you.”
Jennie nodded. “It does look perfect in this room, Kelly. Just like you said it would. But you’ll need to put something warmer in here for the spring and summer, though. You can pull this one back out each fall.”
Jill grinned at Jennie’s assessment. “That’s the idea.”
“God, that’s brilliant,” Andrew said, turning to Jill. “You’re an artist and a business mogul. I never would have thought of seasonal art.”
“It’s beautiful,” said a man who had joined the group shortly after Jack, but who hadn’t been introduced to Jill yet. Jill felt his curiosity on her and smiled at him.
“Oh, sorry. Gabe, this is Jill Walsh.” Jack made introductions. “She’s the photographer I was telling you about.” He turned to Jill.
“Jill, this is Gabriel Sawyer. He’s an old friend of Chad’s and mine. He owns a large chain of hotels and they’re in the middle of redecorating about a third of them. Since you’re getting more into the commercial side of things with some of your prints, I thought you might like to show him some of your work.”
“I’d love to,” said Jill. “I’d imagine you don’t want anything seasonal, though.”
“You’re right, probably not seasonal, but I definitely want to see more of your work.” Gabe smiled at her and Jill felt Andrew’s body tense beside her.
She was surprised to find she liked the idea he might be jealous of Gabe, when really his jealousy should offend her. When her ex seemed jealous, it made Jill feel like a prized toy he didn’t want anyone else to play with. With Andrew, it felt different, although she couldn’t quite say how.
Still, she wasn’t the kind of woman who would openly flirt with one man to make another jealous. She didn’t play games like that.
But once again, his behavior was soothing something in her she hadn’t thought could be soothed. And it felt good. Really good.
Chapter Ten
Andrew didn’t think he had ever felt this crazed drive to be with a particular woman before. At least not since he’d left puberty behind. He enjoyed sex and had plenty of it, but even during his time with Blair, he never felt anything like the pull he felt from Jill.
Tonight, from across the room full of people, Jill’s body called to his as though some unseen tether connected them, one that he couldn’t break with distance or space. All night, Andrew had fought to keep sensuous images of Jill at bay. He tried walking away. He went to the other side of the room to mingle, but still she followed him in his thoughts.
Flashes of Jill’s sexy legs, in those sweet cowboy boots, wrapped around his hips flew through his mind. Of burying his head in the soft curve of Jill’s neck to breathe in the scent of her. Then lower, licking the sensitive swell of her breast. Closing his mouth around her nipple as she pushed her body closer to him, writhing for more.
Again, he had to shake off the images and force himself to focus on the party going on around him. He knew he couldn’t date Jill. He never dated in his circle of friends. Hell, he never really dated. He slept with women.
Women who understood that he didn’t want more from them. Women who knew he’d sleep with them a few times and then move on. No strings attached. No long-term relationship. Not even a friendship when it was over. Jill Walsh wasn’t one of those women. Never could be.
He refocused on the group around him and saw Jill trying to hide a yawn behind her hand. He approached her and placed a hand on her lower back. When he leaned in to speak to her, he cursed himself for being weak enough to manufacture that small bit of contact. “You’re tired. We can head home if you want.”
She smiled up at him. “You caught that, huh?”
“It’s all right. It’s getting late. Even Rev and Zoe have quit.” Andrew nodded at the dogs who were now asleep in a corner of the room.
“As long as you don’t mind leaving, I’m ready to go.”
“No problem.” He turned to Jack and Kelly. “Hey guys, we’re gonna head out. I’ll see you Monday, Jack?”
“Thanks for coming you guys,” Kelly said, hugging Andrew and then Jill.
Jack and Andrew said goodnight and several of the others in the small group of people that were left at the party called out good-byes as Jill, Andrew, and Rev made their way to the door.
Andrew was annoyed to see Gabe give Jill a card with his personal number scrawled on the back before they left. He wanted to growl and tell the hotel owner to back the hell off, but he managed to control the urge.
They rode in comfortable silence again. Neither felt the need to fill the gaps with talk and he liked that about her.
Before long Jill was asleep in the seat. His mind immediately went to thoughts of waking up with her next to him. He could almost feel her long, supple body pressed into his, arms and legs tangled, his body growing hard against her soft, giving curves...
Shit, where is this crap coming from? He didn’t spend the whole night with women. There was no waking up next to them, no snuggling in bed with them, no pillow talk. Nothing. And it needed to stay that way.
Andrew turned his attention to the road and had them home in a few minutes, pulling Jill’s Explorer up to her front door. God, she was so beautiful. He reached over and shook her slender shoulder gently.
“Jill, honey. We’re home,” he said softly, resisting the urge to wake her with kisses instead. He knew instinctively if he kissed the corner of her mouth and worked is way across her lips, she would wake and return his kiss.
What the fuck was happening to him? He wasn’t that guy.
She woke slowly, looking around, trying to get her bearings. “Sorry. I guess I fell asleep.”
“You were tired, huh? You should have told me you were so tired. We could have come home sooner,” he said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door.
Jill got out of the car and opened the back door to let Rev jump out.
“It’s okay. I was having fun. Besides, I’m my own boss. I can sleep as late as I want in the morning,” she said with a smile.
He walked up to the front door with her and handed over the car keys. When their fingers brushed he let them linger for a moment, just a moment longer than he should have. The contact was small but the moment wasn’t.
His eyes were stuck on hers and he knew if he wasn’t careful, if he didn’t stay in control, he would kiss her. His mind raced, debating the pros and cons, the danger of leaning in for just one taste of her.
Andrew stared at her lips and felt himself take a step closer until they stood only inches apart. Her mouth was so tempting. Those full, rosy lips begging him, pleading for just a brush of his tongue, a gentle nip from his teeth.
Rev sat in front of the unopened door and barked, breaking the moment. Thank God for small favors.
Well at least the dog has brains, since I’m apparently functioning with something else right now.
Head cleared, he took a step back, putting distance between him and Jill. “I guess Rev’s ready for bed. Nite, Jill.” His voice was husky with need but he hopped down off the porch and strode to his car.
Distance. It was the only thing that was going to save him now.
When he got in his car, he looked at her one last time. She stood watching him from the porch, fingertips touching her lips as if she too had wondered what that kiss would be like. As if she knew as well as he did that just one kiss would have the power to break their resolve.
He rolled down the window and smiled at her.
“Get some sleep, sweet Jill.”
Then he forced himself to drive away.
Chapter Eleven
Always a glutton for punishment, Andrew once again made the trek
over to Jill’s house the following morning. He was an idiot. Worse than an idiot. He seemed to have a sadistic masochistic streak he’d never realized was there.
He cut through the backyard, telling himself he was just going over to be friendly. He was being neighborly, that’s all.
Andrew peeked in the kitchen window but didn’t see Jill anywhere. There was a pan on the stove with eggs in it, though, and from the looks of it, they were well on their way to becoming burnt eggs.
He poked his head in the backdoor.
“Jill?” he called out. No answer.
He stepped into the kitchen and took the pan off the stove. Even Rev didn’t make an appearance. Andrew stuck the pan on one of the cool burners, flicking off the hot one and walked toward the front of the house. He stopped mid stride in the hallway when he heard voices from the front entry.
Jill and someone else.
“Jake, I asked you for a clean break. I thought if I came to New Haven, you’d get the point. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want you checking up on me. Or dropping by to visit,” Jill said.
Ex-husband, Jake? What the fuck is he doing here?
Andrew felt his body tense as he listened to the conversation. It wasn’t any of his business. He should walk away, but the frustration in Jill’s voice was evident. Frustration and something else. Pain?
Ah, shit. Andrew couldn’t walk away and ignore that.
“Jill, don’t be ridiculous. You just moved; you’re starting over in a new city. You need me. There’s no reason for you to be like this. We can be friends,” a man’s voice said.
“No. We really can’t. That ship sailed when you slept with another woman. When you ended our marriage. When you moved in with her. There’s not going to be any friendship, Jake.”
Good. She was firm. The guy will get it and go away.
“You’re being unreasonable, Jill,” said the male voice.
Or not. Time’s up, asshole.
