Chapter Fourteen
Jay had spent a long and arduous day in LA, but in the end, peace had been restored between his client and the director of the big-budget action film he was starring in. Tempers had gotten out of hand, egos had clashed, the resulting firestorm hadn’t been pretty, but it was nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. He was able to get some concessions from the director that made his client feel like he’d been listened to, and while there was no way the bad-boy celebrity would apologize, he did promise that the next time he was unhappy, he would phone Jay before doing anything else. Then he took the star out to dinner and massaged his bruised ego a little more. Finally, he was done and was in his car and on his way back to his LA home with a busy brain and something of a heavy heart.
The day would have been a lot easier if he hadn’t spent most of it thinking about Erin and Nelson. He’d texted Erin three times, which seemed a little crazy, he knew, but he needed updates about Nelson—how he was doing, whether he was eating okay, and did she think he was settling in. Erin’s responses had always been quick and each time she gave him reassuring news. He even received a cute photo of Nelson and Buzzy on the beach. But still, Jay and Nelson had barely got to know each other. He would just hate for the little guy to be confused or sad.
As he drove down the familiar freeway, he found his thoughts turning back to Erin, who right about now would be getting ready for bed. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering what kind of garment she slept in; what side of the bed was hers. One thing he did know for sure—she wouldn’t spend the best part of forty minutes on a complicated skincare routine like other women who had stayed in his home. He loved the idea of Erin locking up the house, switching off the lamps, and getting the dogs ready to settle down for the night. She would probably spend too long reading in bed, unable to stop turning the pages, promising herself it would be just one more chapter, like he did.
He shook his head. How was the thought of Erin so comforting and so sexy at the same time? He’d never experienced anything like it.
He made a sudden decision. He didn’t want to wake up in LA. He wanted to wake up in Carmel-by-the-Sea in his beautiful new house, with the view of the ocean and his dog curled up beside him. What was the point of having a PJ if he couldn’t use it to get himself home? So, he turned the car around and headed for the airport and what he was already starting to think of as home.
It was late when Jay finally pulled into his driveway. In fact, it had been late when he left LA, enough that he didn’t want to wake Erin to tell her he was back a day early. He disabled the burglar alarm and crept into the house so quietly that not even Nelson heard him. After such a long day, Jay was exhausted and headed straight for his bedroom. As he pushed open the door, he could see moonlight coming through the open windows, casting the room in a beautiful silvery glow.
And then he saw her.
Erin was lying in his bed, the two dogs asleep on either side of her. As he gazed at the three of them, something softened inside him and he felt like his heart was expanding outward, filling the rest of his body. She looked—perfect. He finally had to admit to himself that he wanted to find Erin in his bed a lot more often.
And by often he meant always . Instead of the dogs, he wanted to be the one sharing the bed with her.
Nelson stirred, opened his eyes, looked at Jay, and thumped his tail. Then he went back to sleep.
Jay had never felt like this about any woman and the depth of his feelings scared him. It took superhuman strength to stop himself from sliding under the covers with Erin and pulling her close. Her skin would feel buttery soft, her breath warm and enticing on his neck.
He shivered and had a stern word with himself. To follow his urges and slip in beside her would be an idiotic move—she was sleeping and he would never take advantage of her vulnerability. But what if he called her name softly, to let her know he was home, and she invited him into bed?
He stood there another moment, wondering if he’d do it, and then he realized that above all, he wanted Erin to feel safe and secure in his home. So he left her there, sound asleep, and forced himself to go to one of the guest rooms instead.
* * *
Erin woke the next morning thanks to Nelson, who was more efficient than any alarm clock as he rolled around on the bed far earlier than she’d have liked. Buzzy decided that if Nelson was up, he’d better be too, and so Erin was outnumbered by their canine enthusiasm for the day.
“Okay, you two,” she said to the dogs as she stretched her limbs. “You win.”
She swung her legs out of bed, not bothering to don a robe over the cotton shorts and skimpy T-shirt she wore to sleep. It wasn’t until she got downstairs that she realized she wasn’t alone in the house. The smell of coffee permeated the air and when she entered the kitchen, there was Jay, frothing a jug of milk.
He turned... and gazed at her skimpy nightwear in frank enjoyment.
She felt herself turn a deep shade of pink and half squeaked, “What are you doing here?”
“I got home late last night. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I tried out one of the guest rooms.”
Erin was mortified. Jay must have come to his bedroom first and seen her sprawled out and probably drooling in the middle of his gigantic bed. “You should have woken me. I didn’t mean to sleep in your bed, but Nelson wouldn’t sleep anywhere else.”
Jay grinned at that and bent to pat the dog, who was jumping up and down all over him. “Nelson has good taste. That room does have the best views.”
Erin swallowed. She was trying to act cool even though she wanted to run upstairs and throw every bit of clothing she’d worn on top of her nightclothes. “How was your trip? How come you didn’t stay over?”
“It was so successful I didn’t need to. Besides, I wanted to get back to Nelson as soon as I could. It was harder than I thought to be away from him.” He paused and an intense expression crossed his face. Erin wondered if he was going to say something more, but he just nodded toward the fancy coffee machine. “Coffee?”
She nodded. “Black please. And strong. It’s early for me. Can you let the dogs out while I run upstairs and get dressed?” She held his gaze, refusing to be embarrassed that she was half naked. He’d obviously seen way hotter women in a lot less than she was currently wearing, but she’d feel much better if she covered up.
“No problem,” he said, and then, “Come on, boys.”
He was clearly an early riser and so cheerful in the morning. Erin was more of a Don’t talk to me until the third cup of coffee type. Still, she scampered upstairs and pulled on underwear, then her faded jeans and a T-shirt. She combed her hair, brushed her teeth and then rubbed some moisturizer across her face.
Feeling much more respectable, she returned to the kitchen, where Jay was busy feeding the dogs. He straightened and then went to the counter and passed her a ceramic mug steaming with hot coffee. She took a sip. It was no surprise to find the man made the best coffee ever. Strong but not overpowering. A bit like him.
She took a seat to enjoy it and watched the dogs eat their breakfast with pleasure.
Jay followed her gaze. “They really seem to like each other.”
She smiled. “They do. You should have seen Nelson last night. When Buzzy wants to go out, he doesn’t scratch at the door, he comes and nudges me with his head. Nelson started doing it too. It was the cutest thing. He’s a smart dog.”
Jay looked proud of his dog’s burgeoning brilliance. “Good to know,” he said. “And thank you. I’d much prefer a little nuzzle than scratching.”
Erin felt a lot calmer now she’d had some coffee and was properly dressed. “So, tell me about your trip.”
“The usual. A clash of monumental egos nearly derailed a film in a way that would have been detrimental to both their careers. I rode to the rescue, got my guy back onside, and then got the director to accept that maybe he’d been a little hard on him. They both agreed to put aside their differences and the movie’s back on track.”
“That’s great.” She suspected there had been a lot of delicate negotiation that he wasn’t telling her about. Having grown up with four brothers, all of whom had very healthy egos and strong opinions, she could only imagine how tactful he’d had to be. Then she laughed. “I was just thinking about my brothers. My mom had the best way of breaking up fights and getting them to be friends again.”
His eyes twinkled. “Oh yeah. I learned everything I know about conflict resolution from your mom. Betsy is one heck of an impressive woman.”
She loved that he admitted this. She loved that he respected her mom. Again, there was that moment of connection between her and Jay that was so strong it scared her.
He was obviously feeling it too, because he turned away, opened a cupboard door, and pulled out a frying pan. “Can I make you breakfast?”.
Something cold arrowed through Erin. His suggestion felt way too intimate. Something about a man cooking her breakfast in his own kitchen made her remember she’d slept in his bed last night—which of course she had, but in the most innocent way imaginable. She needed to get her bearings. She hadn’t expected Jay to be here this morning and her defenses were down. All the way down.
She stood. “I need to get to work pretty early this morning. Thanks, though.” She finished her coffee and went to put the mug in the dishwasher. Jay intercepted her move and took it from her hand. For the split second his fingers touched hers, she felt a desire so overwhelming she had to take a breath.
Jay took a few steps back, set the mug down, and said, “I need to thank you for helping me with Nelson. Why don’t I take you to dinner?”
Dinner. Normally when a man asked her out for dinner, it was a date, but the way he framed it, it was just one friend thanking another for doing them a favor. Although of course she’d loved every minute of staying in his beautiful home with his adorable rescue dog.
“Sure, that would be great. I’d love to.”
Jay grinned, obviously relieved she wasn’t going to try and dodge his offer. “How’s tomorrow night?” he asked.
Erin had to hold back a bemused expression. Tomorrow was Saturday, which was a total date night. And yet she had no plans. Neither, it seemed, did he.
She said she was looking forward to it and then gathered the rest of her things. Dinner with a family friend thanking her for doing them a favor, she told herself as she made her way home. That’s all it was, even though deep down, her feelings for Jay were much more than friendship.