Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Was it possibly the dumbest thing he’d done yet? Yes. But she didn’t look like pretty Jen tonight. Tonight, she was jaw-droppingly sexy. And some idiot had let her go— looking like that.

Jason had to get her out of his system.

But more importantly, he could forget her. He’d be stupid to deny he was attracted to her. And right now, that attraction was ruining his ability to think clearly. If he slept with her, he’d move on. Just like he did with every other woman.

She was visibly nervous as she slid into the car's back seat beside him. Not a bad nervous. But an alluring innocence to it made him want her even more. Yet now that she had left the bar with him, that confidence seemed to slip a bit.

He reached over and took her hand, interlacing their fingers. The action made her visibly relax, and his heart settled at a steady pace. “My cabin okay?”

She nodded. “I don’t know that I’ve ever gone into a cabin when I haven’t been working.” Her pupils were wide in the darkness, her blue eyes almost diminished by them.

“You work a lot, don’t you?” His thumb brushed against the fleshy part of her palm, and her fingers tightened in response. Keeping her talking was a good idea. He wasn’t used to women who were nervous like this anymore. Reminding her of their connection would set her at ease.

“Six days and three nights a week.” She fidgeted with her purse. “The cabins are the undemanding job. Mostly, I get to sleep and man the phones. Sometimes there’s a late check-in, but they give us a heads-up if that’s the case.”

“And the rest is at the café?”

“I split my time between serving and the kitchen. I prefer baking, but the money is better for serving. More tips.” She pulled the éclair out of her purse. “Actually, I made this earlier this morning when I was at the café.”

“That’s impressive.” The idea surprised him. He didn’t know why. But it seemed like an advanced skill for someone who mostly took orders and answered phones.

She popped open the container and broke off a piece. “Want to try it?” She held it out to him.

He wasn’t the biggest fan of sweets, but he didn’t want to offend her by saying so. Taking it from her, he ate it. The flavor was incredible, the delicate pastry melting against his tongue. He swallowed. “This is amazing.”

“Thanks.” She licked the pastry cream from her fingertips, and he almost groaned. God, this woman. The freaking car needed to go faster.

“I’m serious. I don’t eat a lot of desserts, but this is one of the top ones I’ve ever tasted.” He wasn’t exaggerating to get in her pants, oddly enough. Did he sound genuine? It barely sounded sincere to him, so there wasn’t any way she would believe his motivation. “I’m really not just saying it. You should open your own bakery.”

“I want to, but it’s not so simple.” A wistful expression lingered in her eyes. But something else. An ember of excitement that he sensed she didn’t discuss often.

“Because you don’t want to compete with your boss?”

“That’s part of it. Bunny taught me everything I know. Setting up my own bakery might really hurt her, and she’s like family to me.” Jen played with her necklace. “But it would be amazing to have a place on Main that I could call my own. There’s this old hardware store that used to belong to Colby’s great-grandfather, and it would be perfect. But the building needs a ton of work, and I just don’t have the money for something like that. I could never get a business loan.” She sighed. “Someday. Maybe.” Her lips tipped in a smile. “You have some left right here.” She leaned over, brushing some crumbs from his lips with a featherlight touch.

Now she was just messing with him.

The power dynamic between them was unusual. She seemed to take it back from him effortlessly but not in a commanding way. Aggressive. That fact was unbelievably alluring.

He reached for her fingers, then kissed them smoothly. He returned their intertwined hands to her lap, grazing her thigh. “No wonder you were going to enter a baking competition.”

Her sigh was an unhappy one. “Yeah, but I can’t now. It’s for couples only. I was hoping to askmy date.” Her eyes darted to the rearview mirror toward the driver. The driver kept his gaze level with the road, clearly aware of the intimacy of their behavior.

She’d been hoping to ask the idiot who had let her go tonight. Jason felt a twinge of guilt. “Maybe next year?”

She shook her head. “It’s not like a yearly thing or something. It’s being sponsored by a cable television network and has a twenty-five-thousand-dollar prize. Which I could really use right about now. But I guess it’s not meant to be.”

“Well, it’s not twenty-five thousand dollars, but”—he fished a twenty from his pocket—“I grabbed this from the ATM for you because I knew you would win. Which you did, actually. So congrats.”

She laughed, pushing the money away. “No way. It was a tie.”

He smirked and rolled it up, then shoved it in her purse. “A bet’s a bet. I would have expected you to pay up.”

They pulled up in front of the cabin. Thank God TJ had found some seedy motel that had a room available. Of course, if TJ saw who Jason had brought back, he’d probably call him insane.

And maybe he was insane.

He wasn’t used to this level of overanalyzing who he took home. After TJ had shown him the footage of Amanda and Chad together, he’d sworn he would control the circumstances of any encounter with a woman. Never give them hope for something more.

But he’d been clear with Jen. The rest was on her.

He unlocked the door and let her step in before him.

Now her lack of experience in this sort of situation bubbled closer to the surface. That woman he’d brought back from the bar the other night had practically ripped his clothes off at the door.

Jen was gripping her purse strap as though it were an anchor.

He really needed to hit up a liquor store if he was going to be staying here for much longer. He unzipped his coat and took hers. Setting them on the sofa, he reached for her hand. “Why don’t we sit down?”

She didn’t move from her place. “I’m not very good at this.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”

He came up beside her and set his hands on her hips. “We don’t have to do a single thing you don’t want to do.” Her reluctance now was disappointing but unsurprising. Still, it would take a lot more than a run to get this night out of his system. He’d let himself fantasize about her. That was never a good idea if sex wasn’t really on the table.

She rubbed her arms. “I’ve never slept with a guy I barely know.”

Was she shaking? The idea of it filled him with a mixture of awe and fascination. But he was losing her here. He’d been right about her. She liked romance. No-strings-attached sex was too much to ask from a girl like her.

But it didn’t have to be a mad dash to the bedroom, either. He could give her a little romance if that was what she wanted. He left her side and went to the fireplace, thankful it was gas. With a flip of a switch, it roared to life with a whoosh . Going over to a basket, he grabbed a blanket and set it in front of the fireplace. He sat facing the fireplace, his knees bent in front of him. Looking over his shoulder at her, he said, “Want to sit here and warm up?”

A smile curved her lips, and she came toward him, then sat. She curled her legs to the side. “You’re trying to make me comfortable, aren’t you?”

“Is it working?”

She laughed lightly. “Maybe.” She leaned back on her hands, away from him. “You know, I admit I don’t really know what to make of you. There’s this one side of you that’s stand-offish and kind of a jerk.”

“Ouch.” But he probably deserved that. He couldn’t really deny he’d been that way toward her.

She shrugged. “You and I both know it’s true.”

He gave a slow nod. “But?”

“But there’s another side, too. I mean, I can’t imagine you’re this charming with all the women you hook up with. You’d be leaving a trail of broken hearts and shattered dreams.”

She had a point. “Are you trying to talk me out of this?”

“No.” She bit her lip. “Just trying to figure out why you’re being nice to me.”

That was way more complicated than even he could unpack. Before he could speak, though, she leaned forward, her fingertips against his. As their fingers interlaced, his pulse picked up a notch and he met her gaze.

Why am I being nice to her?

She was beautiful, but she was also dangerous. Just being with her meant risking everything. But the brush of her thumb against his was incredibly alluring.

Maybe a little danger appealed right now.

He scooted closer to her and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why shouldn’t I be nice to you?” His thumb skimmed her jawline.

She shrugged. “Well, the guy I was on a date with tonight told me I basically wasn’t worth the trouble. I don’t even know why I’m telling you.” There was a flash of hurt in her eyes, though, something that needed soothing.

Probably why she’s here.

Her words brought a jolt of anger to him. Some asshole had said that to her? Stranger still was the fact that she felt like she could confide that to him. He didn’t know that he’d done much to deserve her trust. The flames on the fake logs in the fireplace danced like translucent, molten ghosts, stirring up the embers of something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He clenched his jaw, blinking away from the fire.

“Sounds like that man is an idiot.” But he was the wrong person to soothe that hurt, and he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. Still, they were here. He leaned forward, his lips finding his way to hers, and her mouth melted against his, soft and yielding, drawing him deeper toward her. This was an area he felt confident in. He pushed away the nagging thoughts that wanted to snake their way in. Her lips were warm, full against his, less timid than he’d imagined she would be.

Her mouth opened to his as his tongue tasted hers. As her arms tightened around his neck, his hands slid around her back, dipping low on the small of her back and trailing over her thighs. He wanted to feel those thighs around him and taste every square inch of her. As his lips trailed to the curve of her jaw, his hands slipped under her shirt.

“Jason?” She pulled back from him, searching his eyes. Her lips tipped in a smile. “I want to do this. I want to fuck you.”

Holy shit.

Those words coming out of her mouth were the biggest turn-on. Ever.

Apparently, the pretty do-gooder had a wild side.

Their mouths collided again, this time without tenuous hesitation. Her tongue darted into his mouth, stroking against his as the sexual tension between them built, simmering to a hot boil as his hands moved up to cup her full breasts. Her bra was lacy—and in the way.

He was determined to be cool and detached. If she was here for sex, that was what she would get and nothing more. Then he could go on with his life.

Jason tugged at her top, then slipped it over her head. She wore a lacy black bra over perfect breasts. No doubt she’d worn lingerie for her date.

“What’s the name of the idiot who broke up with you tonight?”

She gave him an odd look. “Brad. Why?”

“I need to find him and thank him.” He reached behind her. As he deftly unhooked her bra, his palms replaced the lace fabric, and he slid his hands over the fullness of her breasts, her nipples hardening at his touch. She moaned lightly into his mouth as she unbuttoned his shirt.

A shrill ringtone made them both flinch. Not mine.

Jen pulled her face away from his, blinking as the phone’s ring brought her back to reality. She was breathless, her face a soft pink. “I should get that,” she whispered, dropping a full, luscious kiss on his mouth as she slinked away.

He had never hated a phone more. He was going to kill whoever was dragging this gorgeous, topless woman away from him.

She dug through her purse for her phone and pulled it out. Cursing under her breath, she turned it on. “Hey, Mom.” Her frown deepened, and she turned from him, covering her breasts with her arm. “Well, can you put him on?”

He stood and stared into the flames, setting his hand against the stone facade of the fireplace.

“Hey, buddy.” Jen’s voice dropped to a soft, singsong tone. “You okay?” She listened for a few beats. “No, I know, buddy, come on. You’re with Mom-Mom. She’ll snuggle you.”

Colby. His nephew.

He rubbed his eyes. What the fuck was he doing?

Shit.

Money aside, this whole situation was quickly spiraling out of control. Jen might be all right with having sex with him, but she didn’t know who he was.

As her quiet coaxing on the phone ended, he straightened. A soft rustle came from behind him, and he turned to find her slipping back into her bra. “I have to go.”

As much as he wanted her, his relief at her words felt like guilt coursing through his gut. “Okay.”

She didn’t meet his eyes as she grabbed her top. “My son has night terrors. Normally, he doesn’t spend two nights away from me. But my mom kept him last night because he was excited to spend some time with his cousins. This means tonight, he’s just not really having it. He started thrashing, and my parents woke him up, and now he’s inconsolable.”

“Yeah, it’s never good to wake up a kid with night terrors.” At her questioning look, he stammered, “My younger brother used to get them.” Especially after their father’s death.

His younger brother, the father of her child. He was glad for the dark, feeling the blood draining from his face. In fact, Colby had probably inherited it from Kevin.

“I don’t think I ever had them, so my parents didn’t know what to do.” She grabbed her coat. “I’m so sorry.” She took a few steps toward him, then paused as though unsure of how to handle the situation.

It wasn’t like they could pick up where they’d left things. Her lips twisted regretfully. “I had fun, though. Sorry to leave you like this.”

He gave her a practiced smile, trying to act more gallant than he felt. “Maybe we’ll do it again sometime. Let me call you a car?”

Again sometime? So much for being gallant.

What the hell was he even saying?

“Hey, for what it’s worth, I had more fun tonight than I’ve had in a long time. And this evening really didn’t start like that.”

He fumbled for an answer. More fun than in a long time? She didn’t want to be pitied, but, God, something about the way she said that made him feel worse. He’d flirted with her and shared a few kisses.

But if he was honest, he’d had fun, too. And the strange tug of regret he felt at her leaving wasn’t something he wanted to feel.

The time spent waiting for the car was almost torture. He wanted to pull her back into his arms, kiss her until she refused to go without finishing what they’d started.

At last, headlights shone into the front windows and his phone buzzed with a notification. As though he hadn’t noticed.

She chewed on her lip, then glanced back at him. “All right. I guess I’ll just see you around.”

He nodded, keeping her at arm’s length. What was he supposed to say? His shoulders tensed. “Good night, Jen.” A flash of hurt crossed her features.

She started to let herself out, then stopped as though caught by an impulse. Crossing the space between them, she tilted her head to the side and stood on her tiptoes.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then dragged her lips over to his ear. “You better not leave this town before we finish this.” She stepped back with a coy smile on her mouth. “We’re on pause. Not stop. Got it?” She pulled her phone out. “What’s your number? I’m texting you later tonight.”

A chuckle rumbled in his chest. This woman. Giving her his number was the total antithesis of casual sex, but he gave it to her anyway. She slipped out into the night, and he watched her go, his jaw tight. He didn’t want to get enough of her, and it was killing him.