Stacey Joy Netzel Boxed Set (22 page)

She looked like she might argue, but yawned
instead. Pink tinted her cheeks. “I’m sorry, it just kinda snuck up
on me.”

“It’s okay, I’m pretty tired, too.” A white
lie, but the slight smudges under her eyes suggested she needed
some sleep.

“If you don’t mind rinsing these, I’ll get
you a toothbrush and some fresh sheets on the bed.”

He took the her mug in his free hand and
then called after her back, “I’ll be fine on the couch.”

She swung around at the hallway entrance.
“Hello? Six foot whatever? Tiny couch? I don’t think so.”

He chuckled at how she copied him from
earlier.

“I’m serious, Jake. You’re sleeping in my
bed—end of discussion.”

First time he’d ever been ordered into a
woman’s bed before. As she disappeared into her room, he continued
to the kitchen, thinking,
too bad she’s not going to be in it
with me
. He grabbed a cloth and washed and rinsed the three
mugs before setting them on the drain board to dry. After dumping
the last half inch of coffee, he washed the pot, too. By the time
he’d located the garbage under the sink and emptied the used coffee
grounds, Loral had returned with a toothbrush that sported a
dentist’s name printed on the package.

“Thanks.”

While she made up the couch for herself, he
used the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Just as he finished
rinsing, he noticed in the mirror that the door to the linen
cabinet behind him hung ajar. As he reached to close it, the sight
of an orange prescription bottle made his hand halt in mid-air.

Memories inundated him. Those last months
his mother had taken so many different pills. His heart beat
faster. Is that why Loral and her mother had been selling all their
family heirlooms? The thought made his chest ache.

Don’t look
.

Many people had prescription bottles in
their bathrooms. For common things that weren’t life-threatening in
the least. His hand hovered closer to the cabinet door handle.

Do not look
.

Jake pushed the door closed, cringed at the
loud thump, and hightailed it out of there. Back in the living
room, he was relieved when sounds from the TV registered. Hopefully
Loral hadn’t heard the cabinet door; he wouldn’t want her to think
he’d been snooping.

She didn’t acknowledge his return, and a
quick glance at her face sent a chill down his spine. Her hand
covered her mouth and though she’d turned off all the Christmas
lights and unplugged the tree, even with only the dim light from
the kitchen and the TV screen, he saw the distress in her wide
eyes.

“What is it?”

Her gaze remained trained on the black and
white images flickering in front of her. When he moved closer to
the small screen, he saw footage of a multiple vehicle accident,
including what looked like a city bus. Emergency lights from police
cars and ambulances strobed on the scene, illuminating crushed
vehicles and the crumpled bus. God, it looked bad.

“Is that that accident on I-10?”

“Yeah. Seven people were killed and three
more were taken to area hospitals in critical condition.”

Her voice held an odd note. Moved by a need
for contact and to comfort, he moved closer, until their shoulders
rested together.

“It was all that ice under the snow—”

“That was my bus.”

The whispered words cut across Jake’s as if
she’d shouted.

“What?”

“I should’ve been on that bus.”

Her shock took on a whole new meaning as she
faced him, arms hugged tight across her stomach.

“The seven-twenty-nine has a pick-up
downtown at seven-fifteen p.m. and then gets on the I-10 until I
transfer at Southridge. If you hadn’t argued with me about selling
the dragonfly, I would’ve caught the bus. That one extra minute
literally could’ve saved my life.”

His chest tightened at the moisture
brightening her eyes. “I’m glad I argued with you.”

“Me, too.”

A tear slipped down her cheek and he lifted
a hand to wipe it away with his thumb. When she swayed toward him,
he pulled her into his arms, holding tight, stunned by a feeling of
never wanting to let go. Cheek pressed to his chest, she clung just
as hard.

Horror receded, banished by the soothing
thud of her heart against his. Fate had granted them life. The urge
to reaffirm that life put thoughts in his head that sped up his
pulse. After a rub of his palms across her back, during which he
immediately noted no bra, he quickly pushed back to hold her at
arms length and reached to turn off the TV.

In the sudden silence, with her gazing up at
him, he had to clear his throat before he could speak.

“You should get some rest.”

“Like I could sleep now.”

The shadows in her eyes made it damn hard
not to lean down and kiss her until she forgot about everything but
him. Only now was not the time. If this thing between them went
anywhere beyond their earlier kiss—and he’d do everything he could
to make sure it did—it would be because she wanted him, not because
she’d been faced with the possibility of her own mortality.

Loral lowered her gaze to the bunnies on his
borrowed shirt as she reached out and flattened her hand against
his chest. The firm contact made his stomach muscles tighten in
anticipation.

“Jake...”

Hard swallow. “Yes?”

“I...I can’t be alone tonight.”

His heart threatened to pound from his chest
beneath her palm. Heat spread through him like a wildfire fueled by
the Santa Ana winds and his good intentions did a fast downward
slide.

Suddenly, she took a quick step back, eyes
wide, cheeks flushed bright red. “Oh, God, that just replayed in my
head and I realized what it sounded like. I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean…
that
.”

He chuckled with his own embarrassment
because
that
was exactly what he thought she’d been
suggesting. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“I just want you to lay with me, because,
out here on the couch, I’d just lie there, wondering, thinking...
imagining.”

A shudder shook her slim shoulders.

“I can’t be alone,” she repeated, the words
a plea. “It’s a queen bed, so there’s plenty of room, and you
don’t—”

“Shhh.”

Draping his arm around her shoulder, he
pulled her to his side, and led her to the bedroom, letting his
actions speak his agreement. In deference to her mother, he left
the door open. Only to turn and freeze at the sight of Loral
climbing atop that bright pink bedspread. It wasn’t the pink he was
worried about.

A quick reach flipped off the light switch.
Relax. You can handle this
.

Feeling his way through the dark, he made
his way around to the opposite side of the bed and stretched out
next to her on the comforter. Careful not to touch and test his own
traitorous willpower, he listened to her breathing across the mere
inches of separation.

Think about work.

Her hand found his in the darkness. She
laced her fingers with his, seeking comfort. When he squeezed
gently, her grip tightened and held.

“Goodnight, Jake,” she whispered.

“Night, Loral.”

Like
he
could sleep now. Eyes wide
open, he stared toward the ceiling, more stimulated by her lavender
scent with every controlled breath he took. The softness of her
skin seduced him—and that was just her hand. How would it feel to
skim his fingers across her stomach...her ribs...her—

He squeezed his eyes shut tight.
Christ
, now he was the one lying there wondering.
Imagining.

Her own shallow breathing made him wonder if
she was as aware of him as he was of her.

Painfully aware.

Work. McClelland Barclay. Costume jewelry.
Dragonfly brooch. Dragonfly Dreams. Loral’s dreams—

Loral shifted, and he sensed her leaning
over him. Rational thought fled when soft lips touched his chin.
Air seized in his lungs as those lips searched along his skin until
finding his mouth in the dark. The harder he tried not to give in
to the heaven of her minty kiss, the bolder she became. By the time
she nibbled his bottom lip and sucked away the arousing sting, any
reason to resist was incinerated in a white-hot flash of fire.

A groan rumbled deep in his throat. He
brought his hands up, burying them in her silky curls to pull her
closer, surrendering to the desire fast spinning out of control.
Her tongue dueled with his as he explored the hot recesses of her
sweet mouth. She tasted better than he’d ever imagined over the
past year. And he’d been right about something else.

Once would never be enough where Loral was
concerned. Hell, a lifetime wouldn’t be enough.

It didn’t take long before his prone
position frustrated him enough to execute a quick roll that put him
on top. Soft curves gave way for the hard planes of his body. Now
he took control. Tasting, teasing, nipping at a sensitive spot he
discovered near the base of her neck. She breathed in soft little
bursts, her warm breath on his skin as exciting as her touch.

As she raked her nails through his hair,
ripples of pleasure radiated throughout his body. He slid his hand
beneath her shirt to discover firm stomach muscles and skin softer
than silk. When he pushed up, the over-sized Miller High Life shirt
bunched against his knuckles until he reached the swell of her
breast.

Tunneling under the material, he cupped her
breast in his palm and brushed his thumb over the pebbled
nipple.

“Jake.”

His name escaped her lips like a plea before
she fused her mouth with his again. Pressing harder, he rotated his
thumb in a circle. She gasped. The upward arch of her back broke
their kiss but thrust her hips against his. Throbbing desire became
painful pleasure.

He wanted her so bad, his limbs trembled
with the intensity of his need. Only, the moment he wondered about
a condom, common sense reared its ugly head. He’d left the door
open for crissake!

Jake lifted his head and sucked in a deep
breath, then another, willing his body to stand down. But it was no
use with her leg now curled over his hip, pulling him as close as
their clothes allowed. Hell, it was amazing the material didn’t
just burn off the way this attraction blazed between them. He’d
never experienced anything like this before.

And yet…

“Jake?”

Loral’s husky voice now held a gut-wrenching
note of uncertainty. He groaned and flopped back onto his side of
the bed.

She pushed up on one elbow and leaned toward
him. “What’s the matter?”

“We can’t do this.” He scrubbed a hand over
his face and scrunched his eyes tight. “Not now. Not like
this.”

Loral sat for a moment, until confusion was
swallowed by humiliation.

“I’m sorry.” She edged toward the side of
the bed, planning an escape to the couch in the living room.

Jake lunged across the bed and caught her
hand. “I’m the one who’s sorry. Believe me, if you’re willing, I
would
love
to finish this right now.”

If she was willing? She’d practically jumped
him...was there really any doubt as to
her...
willingness
?

Still embarrassed over her lack of
inhibition, she tried to free her hand. His grip tightened, making
her wonder all over again why he’d called a heart-sinking halt.

“But…?”

“But, would you respect me in the
morning?”

A smile of disbelief escaped at his
unexpected humor.

And then, more seriously, he added, “Would
your mother?”

Oh my God, mom
. Loral’s smile dimmed,
accompanied by a resigned sigh. “You’re right.”

“I wish I wasn’t.”

His gruff declaration quickened her pulse
all over again. She’d never made love to a man while under the same
roof with her mother. Never met a man who’d even tempted her enough
to overlook her parent in the next room.

Obviously, she needed to add
until
now
to that sentence. Because she suspected one more kiss from
Jake and she’d forget her mother down the hall all over again.

When he tugged on her hand, she let him draw
her down beside him. Strong arms pulled her back against his chest
before he snugged one forearm just below her breasts. That simple
touch sent a tingle of anticipation to her core and she decided if
she couldn’t kiss him, wrapped in his warm embrace wasn’t such a
bad second choice.

Proof of his desire pressed against her
lower back as she stretched her legs along his. Knowing he still
wanted her intensified the sensuous quiver inside. She wriggled her
hips slightly to move closer and get the fit against his muscled
thighs just right. A low, sexy, tortured growl sounded in her
ear.

“Stop that.”

Loral stilled, heart pounding, but then she
grinned to herself and closed her eyes.

One minute she wondered how in the world
she’d ever fall asleep with her body pressed so intimately to his,
and the next thing she knew, she heard voices coming from the
kitchen.

As if Jake’s voice weren’t incentive enough
to get out of bed, a deep breath inhaled the strong aroma of coffee
and the heavenly scent of her mother’s homemade cinnamon rolls. Her
mouth watered, but she’d never been a jump-out-of-bed kinda girl
and she was oh-so-warm snuggled under the covers Jake must’ve drawn
up during the night.

Rolling over, she threw one arm over her
eyes to block the sharp sunlight coming in from the opening in the
curtains. Evidently, the winter storm had passed. Her mother and
Jake weren’t speaking loud enough to make out their distinct words,
but the low rumble of his sexy baritone stirred sensations deep
inside.

“
But would you respect me in the
morning?”

A sleepy smile tugged the corners of her
mouth upward. How could she not respect the man after that? And
what would it be like to awaken to the sound of his sexy voice
every day?