Chapter 34 #2
She rifled through the bag to find that Natalie had only packed her a single pair of leggings, two skintight t-shirts better suited for a night at Silk, and her favorite cashmere sweater.
A toothbrush was tucked inside her smallest makeup case.
There weren’t even socks, or a bra, or tampons, but she had mascara and lipstick.
And lace panties. What more could a girl need?
“Fantastic. As few clothes as possible” she muttered. Exactly the kind of thing her darling cousin would do on purpose. Knowing Natalie, she probably hoped Vanessa would give up on clothes altogether and parade around naked.
With a heavy sigh, she assessed what was laid out before her.
If Jordan planned on keeping her here for more than four pairs of underwear, she’d have to do laundry.
Or…she could go shopping. They’d passed a couple of small shops on the main road through town.
Perhaps she could convince him to take her there tomorrow?
Since Natalie had the packing abilities of a child, it took less than three minutes to put her things away.
She briefly considered crawling under the covers, but the clock on the nightstand read 8 p.m., and considering she’d already slept the better part of the day away, she knew staying in this bedroom would be chickening out.
She couldn’t hide from the world or from Jordan.
A restless tension skittered through her. Where was Nigel when she needed him? Probably snoozing under the couch. Maybe she should grab him for some bedtime snuggles. Although, it wouldn’t be the rabbit that could settle the itch she wanted scratched right now.
Blowing out a breath, she glanced at the vibrator on the dresser. Sounds drifted through the closed bedroom door, and she figured Jordan was rustling up their canned-soup dinner.
The push and pull between them had been like a game lately.
Snide remarks had slowly been replaced with stolen glances.
Soft touches, heated brushes of skin that seemed illicit in the face of their diminishing disdain, had become more frequent, feeling more needy.
Then he’d gone down on her and changed everything.
He’d stripped them of their pretenses and left their yearning exposed.
They should be lying in a naked, panting heap on the bed right now. Instead, she was standing alone in front of a neatly made king-sized, scorched by the inferno he’d lit within her, while he was stirring soup from a can in the kitchen.
The pink sex toy mocked her. The real thing was in the kitchen, pretending there was a reason they couldn’t slake each other’s hunger.
He might be over a decade older than her, but she would have to be the mature one today.
She swung open the door and marched over to the kitchen with purpose. Sure enough, he stood in front of an open cupboard, staring at the contents, his back to her, shoulders bunched and tense.
Stubborn ass.
“I’m hungry,” she said bluntly. Loudly.
He didn’t turn to face her, but she caught his fists flexing at his sides. “Give me a damn minute. It takes a few minutes to heat.”
The pot was out, but the can of soup was still sitting in the cupboard.
“I’m not hungry for the soup.” There, take that. Ball is in your court, Zeus.
His fists clenched again, and when he turned his face to the side, she saw the muscle pop in his jaw. “I don’t have anything else.”
She almost snorted. She could see his something else bulging behind his jeans. “That’s funny, Zeus, because you had plenty the other night when you had your face between my legs.”
He inhaled sharply. “That was a mistake.”
“The hell it was!” The words burst from her louder than she’d intended, but they covered the flame of hurt that flared in her chest. She knew he was making excuses, that he was working under some misguided sense of chivalry. Or self-punishment.
She closed the gap between them and ran her palms over his shoulders. His muscles hardened to stone under her touch, and doubt coiled around her spine.
“You don’t want me?”
If he didn’t, now was his chance to be honest.
When he stepped away from her touch, turning to face her with a grim look, her heart fell to her knees.
“I’m trying to protect you.” His voice sounded foreign. Frightening.
A sudden wave of uncertainty made her throat tighten and voice crack. “You said I was safe here.”
He shook his head, his eyes darkening. “I’m not trying to protect you from only the stalker, Vanessa.”
No princess this time. The sudden distance stung, and sparked her anger all over again.
“I don’t need to be protected from you.” She inhaled an unsteady breath and went for what she really needed. “I want you. And you want me.” She tried to sound confident, but her certainty wavered.
The air between them crackled with tension, like an electrical storm brewing from their restless apprehension.
Before she realized what was happening, he dragged her flush against his chest until he was glaring down at her, his breath against her cheeks, his body heat igniting hers.
“I want you to be happy and safe.” His nostrils flared, pupils dilated.
For one scorching second, she thought he might kiss her.
Then he said, “Nothing more,” and released her so abruptly, she stumbled.
When she regained her footing, he’d disappeared out the French doors, leaving them wide open with nothing but emptiness behind him.