Chapter Six #2
He folded her into his arms. “Shush,” he said, kissing the top of her forehead.
And she felt so safe, so cherished, in his arms, she didn’t say the silly platitudes she was going to say about not knowing her own heart, about not reading too much into this, about how this wasn’t a good idea.
Honestly, right now she didn’t know if she truly believed any of it anyway.
“Marie remembered that the nativity scene is at Coop’s house,” Jared said softly. “Come with me to pick it up?”
“I don’t know. Sienna—”
“Is sleeping. Marie’s watching her and it’s only gonna take twenty minutes. I promise.”
Bella blinked, debating. Jared grabbed her hand and tugged her toward his Corvette. “C’mon, Bella. I want to take my first ride with you by my side.”
“You can’t drive, Jared.” She pulled him to an abrupt stop, hardly realizing her own strength. “Tell me you didn’t mean that.”
“I’m not going to drive. You are.”
She blinked, catching his meaning after a second or two. “I certainly am not!”
“Why not?”
“Because...because...”
“See...you can’t come up with a reason.”
“I don’t want to,” she said. Wasn’t that reason enough?
“Okay...then you leave me no choice. I’m gonna have to get behind the wheel.” Jared made a move toward the driver’s side of the car.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Move over,” she said, angling her body between him and the car. “I’ll drive.”
Jared grinned. “That’a girl.”
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t driven a sports car before.
She’d been given an Alfa Romeo on her seventeenth birthday.
It was a beautiful car, but she’d hated driving it.
She wasn’t showy or status-conscious and she didn’t have a need for speed.
The car had been impractical and made no sense for a college student.
After a year and some arguing with her father, she’d traded it in for a much more sensible sedan.
It was just another way she’d disappointed Marco.
“I’m only doing this to keep you from reinjuring yourself. You haven’t gotten permission to drive from your doctor yet, have you?”
“That’ll happen soon enough. It’s just a formality now.” He put out his arms. “I’m fit.”
Glancing over his solid body, she couldn’t argue that point. “You sure are.”
He grinned and opened the Corvette’s door for her. “I like you, Bella Reid. A lot.”
“Call me crazy, but I like you, too.” A lot.
Just minutes later Bella’s hair was blowing in the breeze, the car kicking up all kinds of dust behind them.
It was a short drive on Stone property to Cooper’s place.
Gosh, he looked totally at home in this car, and happy.
She smiled. She’d kept Jared from driving and breaking all kinds of speed laws.
She, on the other hand, was breaking all sorts of laws of her own making.
And Jared Stone was at the heart of it all.
Jared was definitely sleeping better, his wounds healing and his sore ribs not so restrictive anymore.
Yet his internal clock still woke him anyway at precisely half past one.
As he lay in bed a couple days later, his first thoughts were of Bella, her soft lips under his, her body meshing against him as he’d kissed her.
It was no use pretending he could wish these feelings away.
The more time he spent with Bella, the more he wanted her.
Kissing her filled all the voids in his body, corking up his heartache over Helene and filling the emptiness in his life.
She was preparing a meal in his kitchen right now and was careful not to make much noise, but he’d heard her come downstairs ten minutes ago because he’d been listening for her.
Now he was in bed battling his conscience and warring with the lust he had for her.
She was his employee, a woman whose heart had been broken just one year ago.
He admired her, liked her, cared for her.
She was the whole package of beauty, talent and sweetness all rolled up into one.
Something was happening between them and it was stronger than his willpower to just let it be. It was stronger than his internal warnings not to get involved with her. She was just steps away and it was killing him to hold back, to keep his distance.
Who knew what would’ve happened the other day if Marie’s phone call hadn’t interrupted them.
The digital clock flashed. Another minute had gone by. Eleven minutes. Was that all his willpower could afford?
Hell yeah.
He tossed off the covers and rose from bed.
Moonlight streamed into his room. He slipped his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, ignoring the slight ache to his ribs, and slid on a pair of jeans.
He strode out of the bedroom, padding toward the kitchen, eager to see Bella.
He found her hard at work at the counter, surrounded by bowls and equipment and ingredients, jotting down her recipe on a piece of paper.
It made him smile. And suddenly he felt selfish for disturbing her and had a good notion to hightail it out of there. Just as he was about to turn around, she spoke up. “Ready for some milk?”
He glanced at the milk container sitting out next to an empty glass on the counter. Had she been waiting for him? Joy surged in his gut and he wasn’t going to second-guess it. “The Midnight Contessa is hard at work again.” He walked farther into the kitchen.
“That would be me. Can’t sleep?”
“No. Not too much.” Technically it wasn’t a lie. But he wasn’t going to admit he loved these late-night meetings with her.
“Sorry to hear that. But you seem so much better lately,” she said, keeping her eyes on the flour and butter she was measuring.
“I’m getting better every day. Nights are harder to relax.”
“Speaking from one night owl to another.”
He laughed. “I guess. Hey, how about putting me to work, I’m too antsy to just sit here.”
“I can do that. Help me get this dough together. Pinch and squeeze the flour to the butter like this,” she said. He watched her over his shoulder as he made his way to the sink to wash his hands.
When he approached, she slid over and made room for him at the workstation.
He dipped his hands into the large bowl of what would be dough soon and every so often her hand would graze his.
Just a simple touch from her swelled his chest and put illicit thoughts in his head.
He enjoyed working with her, seeing her make decisions, putting great thought into what she was doing.
“I hope this is gonna be blueberry pie.”
“Nope, not even close.”
“You’re not making pie?”
“We’re not making pie. Sorry to disappoint you, but this is an experiment. I’m attempting to make a meatless pot pie using veggies and tofu.”
Tofu? Jared blinked, trying to think of a tactful response. “Good Lord, why?” was all he could come up with. “I mean, hasn’t someone already invented it?”
“Yes, but I’m trying to make it better.”
Jared shook his head, cautious not to hurt her feelings. “Uh, that explains it.” He stood close enough to see her long lashes flutter, her expression becoming thoughtful while their hands brushed against each other in the mixing bowl.
A chuckle rumbled out of her mouth. “You hate the idea.”
“Not hate.”
“And you’re trying to spare my feelings.”
“I have simple tastes, Bella. But you’ve already impressed the hell out of me. With your cooking,” he added. And with a whole lot more.
“Really?”
“Really,” he said emphatically.
Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “You’re right. I wasn’t exactly inspired, and you have to be when you’re developing recipes. This is one adventure we won’t go on together.”
“Bella,” he said quietly, “I’d go on any adventure with you.” He laced their dough-covered fingers together and brought their hands out of the bowl. Her soft green eyes lifted to his.
“I’ll make you blueberry pie, Jared,” she whispered.
“Suddenly I have an appetite for something sweeter.” His gaze dipped to her mouth as her lips parted and he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to kiss her. He’d been consumed with it since the very first time they’d kissed.
He touched her lips again, taken by her softness, by the tantalizing taste of her.
She gasped—a swift inhalation of breath.
He hoped he was reading her correctly. Stuck between deep desire and hopeless honor, he couldn’t go on without knowing one thing.
“Bella,” he whispered over her mouth. “I can’t seem to stay away from you.
Tell me to stop. Tell me and I’ll leave you alone.
Your job will never be in jeopardy, I promise. ”
“I know that,” she whispered back, relieving his innermost fear. “You’re not harassing me, Jared. Just the opposite. When I’m with you, some of the sadness goes away.” She cupped his face in her hands and gave him a sweet kiss on the mouth. “I don’t know any more than that.”
It was enough. Hell, it was everything he’d needed to hear.
She smiled at him. “You’ve got flour on your face.”
“Thanks to you,” he said.
“Let me just wipe it away,” she said, rising on tiptoes and using her mouth to brush it away with tiny, moist kisses.
The woman was killing him in small doses, but he wasn’t complaining. His heart was fuller than he could ever remember. “I like the way you clean.”
“Do you?” Her head tilted coyly, all her lush black hair falling out of its clip.
Jared swallowed hard, loving the sight of her in her apron smudged with flour, her hair freely flowing.
He dipped his hand into the flour and touched her face, marking her, and then began sprinkling flour along her neck and throat and onto the luscious hollow between her breasts. “Looks like you could use a little cleanup, too.”
Bella looked down at herself and giggled.
The sweet sound brought a grin to his face and he reached for her, his hands circling her waist. He bent her backward in his arms and started his cleanup, licking the deep valley between her breasts.
His heart beat like a sensual drum, deeper, harder, and as he kissed her soft, smooth skin over and over, the drumbeat slid lower, pulsing at his groin.