Her Rugged Rancher (28 page)

“What do you think you're doing?” He wasn't moving, but she could feel the tension vibrating through him, feel how much he wanted this.

“I'm making a mistake,” she whispered, lowering herself closer to his mouth. “A really good mistake.”

At the first touch of lips, she felt the dam inside him burst, and all the energy he'd had vibrating below the surface was suddenly focused directly on her. His mouth fed on hers like he was a starving man and she was the last morsel of food on earth. He tasted and teased with his tongue, and all she could think was
more
. She needed more.

Her hands wove through his hair as she settled farther onto his lap, pressing herself against him as they kissed. He gripped her hips and held her in place, pinning their bodies together. Her eyes closed, Mollie ran her hands down his chest, needing to touch more of him.

Sensing her need, he leaned back to give her more access. Now she could work her hands under his shirt, skimming the muscles honed by hard work and heavy welding tools. She wasn't a virgin; she'd had her share of fumblings on the beach with boys that were more curious than passionate. But Noah was no boy; he was all hard, hot man. And he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. He didn't see her as a problem to be fixed or an issue to be dealt with. He saw her as a woman, and that alone was enough to have her ready to take him upstairs.

He was thinking along the same lines if his hands kneading her ass were any indication. Pulling away from his mouth, she worked tiny kisses up his jaw, nipping the delicate skin just below his ear. “We should go to your room,” she whispered as he moved one big hand under her shirt.

“What?” he muttered, his fingers working the clasp of her bra.

“Your room. We should go there before Jillian or Nic finds us naked on the patio.”

Her words finally seemed to penetrate, and he stilled, breathing hard. A moment later, he lifted her off of him onto the other side of the couch.

“Noah? Are you okay?”

“Yes... No. I'm sorry. I can't take you up to my room.”

“What?” She hadn't imagined that kiss—he wanted her, she knew he did. She'd felt it, felt him. “Are you worried about Jillian or Nic? Trust me, they don't care. And the rooms are soundproof.”

At that comment he froze, and she saw his eyes go dark. But then he shook his head and stood, turning his back to her as he leaned on the railing, catching his breath.

Straightening her shirt, Mollie walked over to stand alongside him. “Hey, you're going to have to make up your mind here. First, you say you're too attracted to be friends, then we're kissing like the world's going to end, then you're pushing me away.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “You're kind of giving mixed signals here, but if you're expecting me to apologize for that kiss, I'm not going to.”

He grinned, his features softening with the movement. “You'd better not. That was possibly the best kiss of my life.”

“Just possibly? Should we try again to make sure?” This was totally out of her norm, but hey, go big or go home. She was up for another try as long as he wasn't going to flash hot and cold again.

Gripping the balcony, he sighed. “I'm sorry. I know I'm not making much sense here. But believe me. I want you in every single way.”

Her toes curled at the intensity of his voice. “But?”

“But like you said before, casual sex isn't a good idea. I learned that lesson the hard way. Not that you're anything like Angela,” he hastened to correct, “but sex can have consequences. Consequences that neither of us is in a place to deal with right now.”

He really looked at her then, and she saw the determination in his eyes as well as the longing. She sighed. He was right. Damn it. She hated when common sense kept her from having fun. “Then where does that leave us?” Her stomach clenched; she wasn't sure what answer she wanted to hear, but she knew he'd be honest with her. He'd proven that to her.

“Well,” he drawled, trailing a finger from her cheek down to her lips. “There's just friends, and there's making love, and there's all whole lot of space in between. Maybe we can play it by ear, and find our way down the middle?”

She shivered, fighting the urge to lean into him. She needed to get this straight. She was in uncharted waters and didn't want to run aground on some hidden reef. “So you're saying we'd be...what? Dating? And then what?”

He sobered. “And then I leave. But I've got until the end of the week, and I'd like to spend it with you. And I don't want to be fighting the urge to kiss you the whole time.”

So, this was it. She could take what he was offering for now, and then he'd be gone. Or she could say goodbye to him now, and never see him again. Put that way, it really wasn't even a choice. “So are you going to kiss me again, or what?”

* * *

Noah did kiss her, thoroughly and with great pleasure. Having Mollie in his arms, with the stars above and sound of the waves crashing in the background, was definitely a high point of his vacation. Hell, a high point of his life. But at some point a light had turned on inside and Mollie had insisted they needed to take Jillian her pie. He had offered to buy the woman a dozen of them tomorrow if they could stay outside making out, but Mollie had just laughed and dragged him inside.

So now he was eating pie at the big wooden table in the Sandpiper kitchen with way too many people. Well, just Jillian and Nic, but that was two too many, as far as he was concerned.

“This is exactly what the baby wanted. Thank you, Noah.” Jillian scraped the last bite off of her plate and reached for another slice. “But I'm holding you responsible when you have to roll me out of here at nine months. I have zero self-control when it comes to sweets right now.”

“Eat what you want,” Nic responded, placing a glass of milk in front of her. “You barely picked at dinner and didn't have much more at lunch. Besides,” he said with a wink, “I like you a little plump.”

Jillian smacked his shoulder, but her laugh tempered the rebuke. In truth she looked beautiful, and everyone in the room knew it.

“Please, at least you have an excuse.” Mollie dug a fork into the pie that she and he were sharing, forgoing cutting a slice to eat directly from the pan. “I'm only eating for one and I'm pretty sure I've outpaced you.”

Her innocent comment had him wondering what she would look like, heavy with child. He pushed the ridiculous thought away, but not before longing hit him solidly in the gut. But this time it wasn't for the marriage and family he'd lost. This was a new fantasy, one that centered on the slip of a woman sitting beside him. He gulped from a glass of ice water, suddenly realizing that sex wasn't the only way to complicate things. Feelings did that, too.

Needing to change the subject, Noah looked to Nic across the table. “So, I hear you were born into the hotel industry, more or less.”

“That's right. My father made hotels his business before I was born. When I got out of college, I joined him, working my way up the ladder. But by the time I came to Paradise I was ready for a change.”

Noah tipped his head. “Doesn't seem like you got too far away from the family business. You stayed in hotels, just on a smaller scale.”

Nic grinned. “I figured it made sense to play to my strengths. But the big change is that now I'm in one place, setting down roots. Before, I lived out of my suitcase more than my apartment. Every time I got a new hotel just how I wanted it, I'd have to leave and move on to the next one. Now, when I fix something, make it better, I get to stick around and enjoy it.”

“Is that what made you quit and buy this place? You wanted to settle down?” He ate another bite of pie, following Mollie's example and taking right from the tin.

“Basically. Buying the Sandpiper was my wedding gift to Jillian.”

“Caruso Hotels was going to tear it down,” Jillian broke in. “Nic knew how important this place was to me, so he bought it himself instead.”

“And I'm going to be paying the bank for it for quite some time,” he replied shaking his head ruefully, but gripping his wife's hand where it lay on the table. The love between them was obvious, the kind of love that overcame whatever obstacles it encountered.

“It was a wonderful thing to do, and I'll never forget it.” Jillian fanned her eyes in a vain attempt to stem the tears that were spilling onto her cheeks. “I'm sorry, it's the hormones. I cry over everything now.”

Mollie got up and got Jillian a tissue from the box on the counter. “Hey, no crying. It all worked out okay. The Sandpiper is still here, better than ever. And now you've got your own home being built, and it's all going to be picture-perfect. You and Cassie have everything so wrapped up I may have to run off and join the circus just to even things out.”

Jillian giggled, her tears forgotten, and he had a sneaking suspicion that had been Mollie's goal. “You will not. You're going to find your own guy and settle down, too. And I'm going to say ‘I told you so' when it happens.”

Mollie made a gagging noise, causing every to join in on the laughter. But Noah wondered how much of what she said was for comedy's sake. She'd said before she wanted adventure. Well, he knew a bit about that. He'd been known to pick up and move just because he'd gotten tired of the color of his apartment walls, and unlike Nic, he'd enjoyed the constant variety. Maybe he and Mollie didn't have to end things when she left; maybe they could have some adventures together. She could come see him in Atlanta, or he could close up the studio for a while and take her on an extended trip somewhere, show her some of his favorite places. He wasn't quite ready to go there yet, but it was something to keep in mind.

Jillian stood, a hand pressed to her lower back as she angled her way upright. “You two are welcome to keep chatting, but it's past my bedtime.” She started for the private section of the inn. “Oh, and Mollie, could you give me a hand for a second? I need your opinion on the curtains for the nursery.”

* * *

Mollie followed Jillian down the hall, far enough to be out of earshot of the men. “All right, we both know I have zero opinions when it comes to curtains, so what's up?”

“That wasn't very believable, huh?”

“Not at all. But seriously, is everything okay? You're scaring me.” Was there something wrong with the baby, something she did want to make public?

“I'm fine.” Jillian smoothed down the front of her maternity shirt, a small smile lifting her lips as she rubbed her rounded belly. “It's you I'm worried about.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. The chemistry between you and Noah was so thick I could have served it with the pie. What's going on with you guys?”

What
was
going on with them? “It's...complicated. But it's fine. I've got it under control. Just a little summer fling with a hot guy. After all, not all of us are ready to get married and have our two point five children.”

Jillian blanched, tears threatening to return.

Crap. “Oh, Jillian, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way. I'm happy for you, I really am. And for Cassie. But I'm in a different place, and I'd like you to be happy for me, too.” Wanting to kick herself for making her friend cry, she gave her a hug. “Everything is going to be fine, I promise.”

Jillian nodded and gestured towards the kitchen. “Well, then, go get him. And make sure you tell me every detail once this fling of yours is over. As an old, matronly lady, I need to live vicariously through you.”

“It's a deal. We'll have a girls' night after he leaves—you, me and Cassie. I promise.” Impulsively, she gave her one last squeeze, then hurried back to find Noah and Nic bonding over some single-malt scotch, telling stories about their travels. Nic didn't have a lot of guy friends in the area yet; it was nice to see him finding someone to talk to.

“Hey, boys, I'm off.” Standing on her toes she reached up to give Noah a goodnight kiss. The open display of affection had Nic choking on his whiskey—apparently he wasn't as insightful as his wife and hadn't picked up on the aforementioned chemistry. “Don't keep him up too late, Nic. I'm picking Noah up at eight, and if he's hungover, I'll know who to blame.”

She needn't have worried. Noah was standing on the steps waiting for her when she pulled up the next morning, looking rested and ready to work in a pair of jeans and a surf shirt she suspected he'd purchased just for this trip. Better yet, he had a cup of coffee in each hand. A sexy man bearing caffeine—did it get any better than that?

Idling in front of the inn, she accepted the travel mug he handed her as he got in. The bold flavor rolled over her tongue, waking her much more thoroughly than her alarm clock and a five-minute shower had. By the time they reached the turn-off to the rehab center, she was fully caffeinated and ready to go.

Her small car bumped over the hills and ruts in the gravel road, banging Noah's knees against the dash. “You've have got to get a bigger car. If not for my sake, then for Baby's.”

“Baby's fine. He likes my car.” She darted a glance to the rearview mirror and checked that the big doofus really was fine. He had his head poked forward, trying to catch the breeze from Noah's open window, drooling all over the rear seat. She'd have to hit the car wash again. And look into protective seat covers—waterproof ones.

“He'd like a big SUV better,” Noah mumbled, rubbing his battered leg as best he could, given the close confines. “Thank goodness everywhere on Paradise Isle is a short drive.”

She rolled her eyes at him and parked in the small, shaded lot. Directly in front of them was the main hospital and office building, their first destination of the morning. “Okay, everyone out. We'll leave Baby in the office. They love him here, but he has a tendency to spook the animals.”