Part 11 (1/2)
”Ah, you're finally awake,” Ashton said from the doorway as he came in holding two mugs of coffee. His hair was wet from the shower and his face freshly shaven.
Noticing that he wore a T-s.h.i.+rt and shorts had Jill realizing she was wearing only a T-s.h.i.+rt of his and a pair of panties.
”You conked out on me,” he said.
”Did I?” she asked as she took a mug from him.
”Totally. I didn't know how you liked your coffee, so I guessed on the cream and sugar.”
”Perfect.” She glanced at him, embarra.s.sed to know he'd undressed her and put her to bed. ”Care to explain how I lost my clothes?”
His sheepish grin was far too adorable. ”I wanted you comfortable. You were so tired.” He traced a line from her cheek to her ear, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.
”And there was nothing in it for you?”
”I was a perfect gentleman. When I get to see the goods, I want you wide awake and fully aware.”
Jill nearly choked on her next sip of coffee. ”Thanks for the warning.”
”No problem.”
That smile, those green eyes, those cheekbones, the thick blond hair... He was absolutely gorgeous, and all his attention was directed at her. A flutter of nerves. .h.i.t her belly. What was she doing here? What had she been thinking coming all this way with him when they'd never had so much as a date before this?
”Don't do that,” he said sternly.
”Do what?”
”Start second-guessing everything.”
Annoyed that she was so easily read, she said, ”That's not what I'm doing.”
”Isn't it?”
”Maybe a little,” she said, amused.
”Well, don't. We're two friends spending some time together. Nothing more, nothing less.”
She glanced at him over the rim of her mug. ”Nothing more?”
His eyes flared with desire. ”Only if it's what you want.”
”What about what you want?”
”I want to see you relaxed and rested. Anything else is a bonus.”
”So you're not after a vacation fling?” Jill couldn't believe she was being so blunt with him.
Apparently, he couldn't either, because his mouth fell open in surprise. ”Not exactly.”
”What does that mean?” The lawyer in her needed to know the terms before she agreed to the contract.
”It means,” he said, combing his fingers through her tangled hair, ”I want more than a vacation fling.”
She hadn't expected him to say that. ”With me?” she asked, hating how her voice sounded so squeaky.
”Yes, with you, silly,” he said, laughing.
”I, um... well... oh.”
”What exactly does that mean?”
”I'm not sure. I haven't had enough coffee for this conversation.” She glanced down at the other pillow, which was smooth and not indented, and then forced herself to look at him. ”Where did you sleep?”
”In the other room.”
Jill bit her lip, trying to make sense of him. He hadn't been shy about the fact that he wanted her, and yet he'd slept elsewhere. He'd been a gentleman and hadn't taken advantage of an easy opportunity.
He reached for her free hand and surprised her when he placed a kiss on her palm. The gesture sent a tingle of sensation from her arm to her nipples, which were suddenly standing at full attention.
”Do you remember the first time we met?”
Confused by the sudden s.h.i.+ft in conversation, Jill thought about that for a second. ”It was right after I graduated from law school and went to work for Kate. We were negotiating her new contract with Long Road Records.”
”Right. You were wearing a navy suit with a pale pink blouse. You had on these s.e.xy, oversized beads.” He used his fingertip to demonstrate exactly where the necklace had lain against her neck. ”And sky-high heels that made your legs look crazy long. You had your hair in a very professional bun.”
As Jill watched, astounded that he recalled every detail of what she'd worn that day, he gathered up her hair and twisted it into a bun that he pressed against the back of her neck. ”Like that,” he said, surveying his handiwork. ”You walked into the room, and I never heard another word that was said, except if you said it. You were so gorgeous and sincere and green-very, very green-but you were a tiger on your sister's behalf.
”I wanted to reach across the table and tug on the pins holding your hair so I could see what it looked like down.” He released his hold on her hair and watched it tumble over her shoulders. ”It was all I could do to stay seated when I was so drawn to you.” Nudging her hair to the side, he touched his lips to her neck. ”I've wanted you, fiercely, every day since then. So no, I'm not all that interested in a vacation fling. What I want from you, Jill Harrington, goes far beyond our vacation.”
Jill had been rendered speechless, which wasn't easy to do.
”Nothing to say?” he asked, amus.e.m.e.nt marking his handsome features.
”I... I didn't know you felt that way.”
”For a long time I went out of my way to keep my crush hidden from you. Our families have a bit of history that I figured would be a problem for us. Every time I saw you, though, I wanted you more than the last time. After a while, I stopped caring about our family history or that your sister slept with my dad and all the c.r.a.p that caused. All I cared about was getting to know you better.”
Jill stared at him, astounded and amazed.
”Will you say something? Please? You're killing me.”
”I... I thought it was just me.”
She swore he stopped breathing for a minute, and then he recovered, took the mug from her and put it on the bedside table. With his face mere inches from hers, he said, ”You thought what was just you?”
”The crush, the crazy nerves I'd get every time I knew I was going to see you, the aggravation I felt because you threw me off my game-every time.”
”Jill-”