When Heather turned and fled up the steps, across the veranda and disappeared into the house, Jake reached up to unknot his tie and unbutton the collar of his shirt. Then, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets, took off at a brisk walk back down the long drive toward the entrance gates.
He couldn’t believe how the evening had turned out. He wasn’t in the habit of divulging personal information to the women he dated. It kept things from becoming complicated when he went his way and they went theirs.
But Heather was different. For reasons he didn’t care to contemplate, he wanted her to know all about him. And he wanted to learn everything about her. What had inspired her to choose her career? Did she have siblings? Were her parents still alive?
Shaking his head, he fell into a steady pace as he started back toward the house. He had no idea what had gotten into him. Yet as he got better acquainted with his only child, he had every intention of getting close to her mother, as well.
* * *
Checking on her daughter sleeping peacefully in her crib, Heather crossed the hall and, entering the bedroom she’d been using since Jake moved her and Mandy into the mansion, closed the door. What on earth had possessed her to take control of that kiss? And why had she the same as told him that at some point she would be ready to make love with him again? Had she lost her mind?
As she removed her heels and unzipped her dress, she thought about the details he’d shared with her about his family. There was a lot more to Jake Garnier than first met the eye or that he allowed people to see.
He was a self-made man who hadn’t always had an easy life. He’d been there right along with his twin brother to step in and accept the responsibility of raising their younger sister, while still managing to complete his education. That had been a monumental undertaking and she could tell that he wouldn’t have considered doing it any other way. He and his siblings had struggled to stay together and they’d made it. That certainly wasn’t something a self-indulgent playboy would do.
She slipped out of her dress and hanging it in the closet, took down her hair and changed into her nightgown. When she climbed into bed, she closed her eyes and hugged one of the pillows tightly against her.
The more she learned about Jake, the more she admired him. Considering she was finding it almost impossible to resist him, that was extremely dangerous. She couldn’t afford to let go of her preconceived notion that he cared little or nothing about anyone but himself. If she did, there was a very real possibility that she and her daughter would both end up getting hurt.
Lying there hugging the pillow, she must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing she knew, her daughter’s cries coming through the baby monitor awakened her. She tossed the pillow aside and, getting out of bed, reached for her robe. But the sound of Jake’s voice stopped her.
“What’s wrong, Mandy? Did my little honey bunny have a bad dream?” He must have taken the spare receiver to his room before he turned in for the night.
As she listened to him comfort their daughter, tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. It was clear from the tone of his voice that he loved Mandy, and Heather knew as surely as she knew her own name that he would be just as committed and protective of their daughter as any father could possibly be.
Without a second thought, she quietly opened her door and tiptoeing across the hall, watched Jake gently cradle Mandy to his bare chest. She waited until he put their sleeping daughter back in the crib, then walked out into the hall. “I appreciate your trying to let me sleep.”
Running his hand through his thick hair, he shook his head. “Too bad it didn’t work out.”
When they both fell silent, Heather found it hard not to stare. Dressed in nothing but a pair of navy silk pajama bottoms, he looked absolutely…yummy. She suddenly felt warm all over.
“Heather, are you all right?”
“I…um, yes.” She needed to make her escape while she still had the presence of mind to do it.
His slow smile said that he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. “I like the way you look, too.” Reaching out, he traced one of the thin spaghetti straps of her gown with his index finger. “You make turquoise look real good, honey.”
“I thought that was supposed to be…the other way around,” she said, realizing that she’d forgotten all about her robe when she’d heard Jake talking to the baby. “Isn’t the color supposed to complement the person wearing it?”
“Not in your case, Heather.” He trailed his finger down the strap to the gown’s rounded neckline. “You make everything you wear sexy.”
A shiver flowed through her when the tip of his finger lightly grazed the slope of her breast. “I’m…going back to…my room.”
He took her into his arms. “I’d rather you stay with me.”
“Out here in the hall?”
Staring up at him, she knew she was playing with fire. The feel of him holding her and the rich sound of his voice lowered to an intimate timbre caused an ache that she knew for certain only he could ease.
“I was thinking more like my room.” His seductive smile sent her pulse into overdrive.
What she wanted was to go with him. What she needed was peace of mind. And that would be in serious jeopardy if she let her heart overrule her head. She took a deep breath as she summoned every ounce of strength she possessed. “I want you to go to your room and… I’ll go to mine.”
“Are you certain that’s what you really want, Heather?”
They both knew she was telling a huge lie. The last thing she wanted was to go back alone to the big empty bed across the hall. But making love with Jake would only add another wrinkle to their already complicated situation, not to mention pose a serious risk to her heart.
“Y-yes.” Turning to go across the hall to her room, she wished she’d sounded more convincing. “Good night, Jake.”
When he placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her, the look in his amazing blue gaze caused her heart to beat double time. “You can only run from this—from us—for so long.” He leaned forward to kiss her with such tenderness she thought she might do something stupid like give in. “Sleep well, sweet Heather.”
As she watched him stroll down the hall toward the master suite, she had to lean against the door frame to keep her knees from folding beneath her. How on earth was she ever going to be able to resist such blatant sexuality?
She somehow managed to walk into the bedroom and close the door. If it was just a matter of physical attraction, she was pretty sure she’d be successful. But the more she learned about Jake and the more she saw how much he cared for their daughter, the closer she came to listening to her heart. And that was something she couldn’t let happen again.
She climbed into bed and hugged the pillow close again. There was no doubt about it. If she intended to survive Jake’s visit to Hickory Hills, she was going to have to keep her emotions in check. She was in danger of losing a lot more than her heart if she didn’t. They still had yet to discuss how they were going to raise Mandy, and considering the high-handed way he’d relieved her of most of her duties, she might end up losing her job.
But as she lay there thinking about how it felt when he touched her, held her, she knew that keeping her wits about her was going to be all but impossible to do. She was falling for him all over again and there didn’t seem to be anything she could do to stop it.
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