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