She might not have known how to operate an oven, but she sure knew what to do to set a man on fire.
Chapter Six
Connor checked all the windows and doors, and when he was sure the house was locked up tight, he trudged up the stairs to his room. The bathroom door was closed and he could hear water running. Nita was taking a shower. He fought to block out a sudden image of her naked and wet, but it slid through his brain and lodged itself there to torture him.
He walked into his room and closed the door, wishing he could leave the erotic image in the empty hall. Every time he was near Nita, he found himself wanting to touch her, wanting to taste that sassy mouth of hers.
Everything about her fascinated him. The way her silky raven hair shined when the sun hit it. How her violet eyes brightened or darkened depending on her mood. He never tired of watching her. The graceful flow of her body as she worked with a horse, the pure joy on her face that said she was doing exactly what she wanted to, what she was meant to do.
And if the sexual attraction wasn’t bad enough, he really liked her. She was so feisty and full of life. The way she’d been looking at him with blatant interest the past couple of days both intrigued him and made him uneasy. He couldn’t meet her eye, couldn’t face the honesty there without his feelings getting away from him. If he allowed himself to let go, nothing good could come of it. Things would get out of hand and someone could get hurt. She could get hurt.
Still, he’d never met a woman who made him want to lose control the way Nita did.
He stripped off his shirt, tossing it over the footboard. He had just unfastened his pants when he was interrupted by a knock. He zipped back up and opened the door. Nita stood in the hall, her long hair wet, dressed in an oversize men’s shirt that wasn’t buttoned very high.
Aw hell.
When he should have closed them, his eyes wandered lower instead, and what little breath he had left backed up in his chest. If he’d ever wondered whether or not she had nice legs, he just got his answer. The shirt stopped at midthigh, and that exposed a lot of silky, milk-white bare skin.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
Though his head was saying no, his body didn’t listen. As if in some sort of sexual trance, he backed up and held the door open wider.
She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, leaning against it, as if she was making sure he couldn’t get away. Her eyes fixed on him, wandered across his bare chest, then lower to his partially unfastened pants.
She was looking at him as though she’d been starved for a month and he was an all-you-can-eat buffet.
This was not good.
“I wanted to thank you for all your help this week,” she said, “with Daddy and with the farm. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He had a feeling he knew exactly how she wanted to thank him. He backed away a safe distance, keeping his face stony and disinterested. “No need to thank me. I’m sure you would have managed just fine without my help.”
She stepped toward him, unfastening one of the buttons on her shirt, widening the V of smooth pale skin, so he could make out the curve of her breasts. “Maybe I want to thank you.”
He held his ground, but he could feel his body reacting to her presence, to the scent of her freshly scrubbed skin. A warm curl of need started in his groin and spiraled outward. “As I said, that isn’t necessary.”
She propped her hands on her hips and gazed up at him. “Boy, you sure don’t take a hint.”
“I understand exactly what you’re…suggesting. I’m declining your offer.”
She popped another button on her shirt, till a lone button was all that kept him from pure heaven. “I’m not looking for a commitment if that’s what you’re worried about. Just some good clean fun. And if you want to play dirty, that’s okay, too.”
“And I’m still not interested,” he lied. The truth was he wanted to rip off that shirt, and whatever she might be wearing underneath, and take her right up against the door. He wanted to feel those silky legs wrapped around his hips, feel her nimble body pressed up against him.
“I may look and act like a boy, but I’m still a woman, Connor.” She undid the last button on her shirt, slowly eased it off her shoulders and let it slip to the floor. She wore plain white cotton panties—not what most men would consider overtly sexy. But combined with the woman underneath, they had fire pumping through his veins. Her skin was pale ivory and looked flawlessly smooth. Her breasts were small and pert, her nipples two tiny, dark points begging to be touched.
Longing swept through him in a hot rush, but he beat the feeling down. With most women he had no trouble keeping his emotions in check. He could see to his physical needs without letting his feelings override his good sense. Not that the encounters had ever been particularly satisfying. For him or his partner. But they had been safe, and that was all that had mattered. He knew with Nita he already was invested emotionally. Once he let go, let the sex happen, there would be no stopping him.
“Trust me, Nita, you look nothing like a boy. All the more reason for you to put your shirt back on.”
She flashed him a teasing grin. “What’s the matter, Connor, you don’t like women? Is it that army, don’task-don’t-tell thing?”
“Of course I like women.” He knew she was only teasing—taunting—him and he yearned to take her in his arms and prove just which way the barn door was swinging. But he would lose control. He could hurt her.
“Are you always this…forward with men?” he asked, though he had a pretty good idea the answer was a big fat yes.
“When I see something I like, I go after it. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“I guess that just depends on who you’re after.” He could see that she’d set her sights on him, but she had no idea what she was getting herself into. He was a ticking bomb, one she didn’t want to be anywhere near when he finally detonated. “Whatever you think you know about me, you’re wrong.”
“I’ve seen the way you look at me.” She spread a hand over her stomach, slid it slowly upward, across her rib cage and over her breast. She cupped it, pinching the nipple lightly, her lids heavy with desire, and Connor nearly groaned. “Your eyes don’t lie. No matter how hard you try to hide it.”
She stepped closer, until the tips of her breasts touched his bare chest. He sucked in a breath, felt his control slip another notch. For a woman who considered herself unfeminine, she sure did know how to seduce a man.
He clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides, so he wouldn’t give into the urge to touch her. “You don’t want a man like me, Nita.”
“Why not?”
“I’m damaged goods.”
She cupped a hand over the bulge in his jeans, rubbing him through the heavy denim. “Everything seems to be working fine.”
He wanted to grab her hand, make her stop, but the second he touched her, it would be all over. And he couldn’t look at her any longer without devouring her.
He closed his eyes. “I’m here to protect you.”
Her breath was warm and sweet on his chin. “What has that got to do with us having sex?”
“I’m protecting you.”
“From what?”
“From