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He was so earthy, so comfortable with all things sexual, that he put her at ease with his attitude alone.
When he finished, he kissed the inside of her thigh then cupped his hand over her. “I like taking care of you.”
Natalie wanted to touch him, to go to her knees and kiss him.
To have him again.
She started to move and he said, “Be right back.” He returned to the bathroom but was gone only a few minutes.
Natalie stared at the ceiling, attempting to sort her thoughts, to order her priorities.
He returned to his side of the bed, sitting with one leg bent on the mattress, his gaze all over her body again. Neither of them could ever deny the physical attraction—it showed whenever they were together, in the way they watched each other, how they touched and that sharp level of awareness.
“Before we get sidetracked again, tell me that you’re going to stay.”
She wanted to pull him down to her, but she held herself in check. “How long?”
At her reply, his shoulders stiffened. “Is it really asking so much?”
Of course it wasn’t. She felt like a heel. “Sorry. As you said earlier, old habits die hard.”
One brow rose up. “Meaning you’re used to deflecting guys in bed after they’ve just had sex with you?”
That brought her to her knees. She poked a finger at his chest. “Don’t you dare judge me, Jett Sutter! You can’t very well claim inexperience.”
He eyed her breasts. “No.” Catching her finger, he tugged her closer. “But you’re different from every other woman I’ve been with, so I sure as hell don’t want to be the same as every other guy.”
Oh, God. He wasn’t. Molly gave an exasperated sigh. “What I meant is that I’m not used to letting anyone get close, regardless of the circumstances.”
“Not even family?”
She didn’t want to explore the possibility, but if Jett did have any illusions about easy money, she could set him straight right now. “Especially not family. Well, except for Molly.”
“Your sister.”
She nodded. “We’re close.”
He caught her chin and lifted her face. “You’re estranged from your father.” It wasn’t a question.
Damn. He really had been snooping. When she started to withdraw, he caught the back of her neck.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care about that.” Then he shook his head, and his voice firmed. “No, that’s not precisely true. I do care.”
Of course he did.
As if he’d read her thoughts again, he gave her a look of censure. “It’s one hell of an insult to be called a gold digger.”
“I didn’t.”
“But you’re thinking it.” He dragged her in close for a hard smooch. “I bought land a few years ago and was saving to build my own house. I have about half the cash up front in the bank and can easily afford a loan on the rest. I would have started on the house already, but I met you, and since then I haven’t been in a big hurry to move out of here. But I will eventually.”
He’d stayed in the apartment complex for her? Staggered, she asked, “How much land?”
“Only ten acres. But it’s secluded, and pretty. A stream runs through it.” He gave her a look. “You want to see it? Maybe check out my bank account so you’ll know I’m not in desperate financial straits?”
She couldn’t blame him for getting nasty. “Jett…”
“What I have is nothing compared to your father’s money. But you can believe me when I say I’m happy. I have what I want, and I got it on my own.”
“I’m sorry.” What else could she say?
“I care about your relationship with your father only because I think that’s one of the reasons you’re shutting me out.”
And…he wanted in?
Natalie put a hand to her head, trying to think. Maybe all this could wait until she’d had time to think about it. “I’m leaving tomorrow for the lake. I’ll be gone for a week—”
He surprised her by saying, “I’ll go with you.”
Her eyes widened; he couldn’t be serious. But one look at his set face and she knew he was. She scrambled for a reply. “You don’t have to work?”
“I take time off when I want—that’s a perk to being your own boss.” He stood, stretched elaborately and went to his dresser to get out boxers. As he stepped into them, he asked, “How long is your break?”
Well. Natalie knew he was bulldozing her, but the idea of having Jett along tempted her. She had almost dreaded the time away because she would miss him and their special time together.
She licked her lips. “Ten days.”
“No problem.”
But she emphasized, “In isolation.” Jett might be expecting a real vacation with dinners out, live performances, something more than a quaint cabin on a secluded lot at an off-season vacation lake.
“Sounds great.”
She couldn’t help but fret. Never had she taken a vacation, especially such a lackluster vacation, with a guy. “You might get bored.”
He shot her a look full of meaning. As his gaze went over her body he cocked a brow. “Not a chance.”
And still she felt compelled to make him understand. “It’ll probably be pretty cool there still. Even though the cabin is on a big vacation lake, there won’t be any swimming. I’m not sure we’ll even be able to take out a boat.”
He found a T-shirt and jeans. “What did you plan to do there?”
“Not much.” Watching him dress, Natalie decided that their bed activities must have ended. Disappointed, she slipped her legs off the side of the bed and stood. She realized that her clothes were in the other room, but she’d look foolish if she wrapped up in the sheet.
Instead, she folded her arms around herself—which really didn’t do much for her modesty. Rather than tell him that she’d hoped to come to grips with her growing feelings for him, she said, “Walk, read, maybe catch a movie or two.” She lifted a shoulder. “Unwind.”
“How long is the drive?”
“Six hours or more, not factoring in time to stop to eat or take a break.” By way of additional warning, she said, “I take lots of breaks.”
“Good. No reason it shouldn’t be a relaxing drive.” He found a flannel shirt in his closet and brought it around to her, holding it out so she could shrug into it. “You hungry? Because I could eat. How about I order up a pizza?”
Incredulous, Natalie pushed her hair from her face. She looked at the challenge in his expression and huffed. “You’re changing things at Mach speed!”
“A warning for you, Natalie.” He lifted her chin on the edge of his fist. “I always go after what I want.”
What did that mean? “Um…” She swallowed. “I had planned to leave really early tomorrow.”
“I’ll be ready.” He caught the collar of the shirt in both hands, pulling her a little closer. “But for now, you have to eat, right?”
“I…”
“You came here as soon as you got home and changed. You have to be hungry.”
Expectation and apprehension set her heart to thumping in a wild beat. She bit her lip. “Jett, are we really going to do this?”
Knowing he’d won, he gave a half smile of satisfaction. “Relax, Natalie. I’m not asking you to marry me.”
Her knees turned to pudding. Of course he wasn’t asking for that!
“I’m not even trying to tie you down. We enjoy each other in bed—”
“An understatement, at least for me.”
His eyes glittered, and he gave her a quick kiss. “So for as long as it lasts, why not enjoy each other out of bed, too? Just let it happen, and I bet you’ll find it’s not the hardship you’re expecting.”
A hardship, no.
But a heartbreaker? Absolutely.
She wouldn’t admit it to Jett, especially now that she knew how casual he wanted to keep things, but she had to accept the devastating truth: she was already in love with him. More time with him would make it only that much harder when things ended between them.
But with him so persuasive, how could she possibly resist?
AFTER JETT ORDERED PIZZA, Natalie wanted to go back to her place and retrieve her cell phone. She needed a few moments alone to regroup, but Jett, seeming disinclined to let her out of his sight, kept finding ways to keep her in his place. He offered her the use of his cell phone, and she knew she’d sound silly if she insisted on running over for her own.
Silly, and as afraid as he’d already accused her of being.
She’d have to go back to her place soon enough, but for now, she accepted his phone. Moving to the other side of the room for privacy, she tried calling her sister. She wanted Molly to know that she’d be gone on spring break. They always checked in with each other, and neither made a big move without telling the other about it. They were best friends as well as sisters, and given the strained relationship they each shared with their father, they were the only real family either one had.
Molly didn’t answer, so Natalie left her a message. Turning her back so Jett wouldn’t hear her, she said low, “Hey, Molly. I’m leaving for spring break tomorrow. Going to a lake. Not alone, either, if you catch my meaning. Call me and I’ll tell you all about it.”
She knew it sounded cryptic and that Molly would give her hell for that later. But she didn’t want Jett to hear her gossiping about him, and she didn’t want to leave anything serious on her sister’s answering machine—just in case.
Molly was such a loner, especially now that she’d broken things off with her fiancé, that Natalie doubted anyone ever heard her sister’s messages. But she didn’t take chances with her privacy. God forbid her stepmother, Kathi, should get wind of her affair. Her dad would be disgusted—nothing new in that—but Kathi would flip out. She worried incessantly about appearances.
Glancing over her shoulder, Natalie saw that Jett was busy putting a movie into his DVD player.
He must have felt her gaze because he said, “All done?”
“Yes.” After closing his phone and handing it back to him, she headed for her discarded clothes which were still on the floor just inside the front door.
Gaze heated, Jett watched her step into her pants. “Spoilsport.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “A pizza delivery guy is coming over, remember?”
“And you look like a woman who’s just been tumbled.” He didn’t smile as he strolled over to her. “Since I’m starting to feel possessive, I suppose I should bundle you up.”
“Possessive?”
He looped his arms around her waist. “Why did you think I was being such an ass earlier?”
Unsure of his meaning, Natalie ventured a guess. “When you asked me if I was planning another fling?”
“Yeah.” He kissed the end of her nose in apology. “I’m not the sharing kind.”
His attitude thrilled Natalie, prompting her to reciprocate. “How could I even notice other men when you’re here?”
His expression changed. He cupped her face and kissed her again, lingering, enticing. Against her lips, he asked, “You already packed up for tomorrow?”
“Yes.” Though now that she knew Jett would be coming along, she probably needed to change out a few things…like maybe a pretty nightgown in place of her thermal pajamas. And she’d need to pack the makeup she’d planned to leave behind. “If you want to get your stuff together now, I can—”
For only a second, his arms tightened around her. “It won’t take me long. Don’t worry about it.” He stepped back. “We can start the movie after the pizza gets here.”
He led her to the couch and pulled her down to sit in his lap. She felt awkward, unsure what to do. It was a novel thing, sitting with a man like this. Should she cuddle, be playful, or was this another moment of pure intimacy?
“Relax.” Jett rearranged her so that her cheek rested on his shoulder and the starch left her spine. “Did you reach your sister?”
“No.” A little wide-eyed at the sensation of being cradled, pampered, Natalie sought normal conversation. “I called her earlier, too. Molly always returns my calls.”
Jett toyed with her hair, winding curls around his finger. “You’re concerned?”
“A little.” His heat surrounded her, his solid frame somehow very comfortable. She tipped her head to look up at him. “I know that sounds dumb, given that Molly and I are both grown, independent adults. But we’re more than sisters. We’re best friends.”
He nodded in understanding. “So you always stay in touch.”
“We do. If Molly was still dating Adrian, I’d think she was out with him, but that’s over.”
“Adrian?”
Natalie made a face. Even the mention of Adrian’s name annoyed her.
“Ah, not someone well liked, I take it?”
“Not by me, no. He used to be Molly’s fiancé.” She stroked a hand over Jett’s upper chest then into his sparse chest hair. Without a doubt, she knew he was far more honorable than Adrian had ever been.
“Used to be? Past tense?”
“Yeah. Molly thought she was in love with him, but then when her career took off, he showed his true colors.” Hating to think about her sister with that ass, Natalie ducked her face. “I knew Adrian was a jerk long before she did. But when he started making demands of Molly, she caught on real quick.”
