Читать книгу Texas Blaze - Debbi Rawlins, Debbi Rawlins - Страница 10

“EXCUSE ME, but five minutes ago you asked me what the hell I was doing here.” Kate tried to sound spunky but she sounded more like a whipped puppy.

Mitch chuckled. “Sorry, must be getting old. A beautiful woman wants my company and I fold just because I’ve been driving for two days.”

She sighed. “Don’t, please.” She struggled to get off his lap, but his arms tightened around her.

“What did I say?”

“When I was twelve you could’ve patronized me and I still would’ve thought the sun rose and set on your ass. Fifteen years later, I’ve had enough of patronizing men, thank you very much.”

He snorted. “Explain how I was patronizing.” He sounded genuinely perplexed, and maybe even irritated.

She smiled sadly. “Okay, so maybe you are just being a nice guy. A friend. But honestly, you don’t need to soothe my wounded ego, okay? I’m a big girl. Dennis is a creep, and I’ll get over this.” Amazing how saying his name managed to slice through her. She didn’t love him. That truth had slowly revealed itself to her over the past couple of weeks, and then come to a head tonight. But his betrayal still hurt. Did he have no respect for her at all? Why hadn’t she seen that?

If she weren’t so exhausted, she probably would’ve had the good sense to have already changed out of this ridiculous outfit and sneaked back home and into her room before anyone knew she’d left. Glancing down at the skimpy black teddy, she winced. No matter what she’d thought, this had never been a good idea. As a cocky high school jock, Mitch had been out of her league even before he’d left town.

Since then, he’d worked as a personal trainer to the rich and famous, a bodyguard for a gorgeous TV star, and last Kate heard he’d gotten his pilot’s license and now flew a private plane for a rich developer in Miami. She’d bet her brand-new SUV that the man had a beautiful young daughter who’d begged daddy to hire Mitch. He was simply one of those guys who women found charming, and no matter what, he’d always landed on his feet. And Kate was, both literally and proverbially, simply the girl next door.

Catching him off guard, she quickly pushed off his lap. Being cradled against him felt far too good, and even though she’d managed to keep the tears at bay, she didn’t trust herself to remain composed.

“Kate.” He caught her hand.

She stood there, wondering where she’d dumped her clothes, feeling terribly exposed. “Would you turn around, please?”

“Nope.”

She turned to glare at him. “Mitch.”

His gaze ran down the front of her, and she instinctively jerked her hand away and folded her arms over her chest. He cupped her waist and drew her closer. Then using one finger, he lightly stroked the upper curves of her breasts, where they plumped above the black lace and protection of her crossed arms.

She froze, barely able to breathe.

“You’ve turned into a beautiful woman, Kate. A very desirable woman. Don’t think for one moment I wouldn’t want you lying beneath me. But I’d be a bigger jerk than Dennis if I took advantage of you now.” He lowered his hand, his gaze touching the tops of her breasts before meeting her eyes.

For a second, she had trouble finding her voice. The way he looked at her, she could almost believe that he found her desirable. Almost. “Like I said, you’re a nice guy.” To her astonishment, her eyes started to burn. Damn him. She’d been holding it together. She spun away from him, furtively swiping at an errant tear. “My clothes…I don’t know where I left them….”

“Ah, Katie.” He scooped her up from behind and carried her back to the bed. The gentle way he handled her renewed the threat of tears. She did her best to hide her face as he laid her down on the sheets. “Move over.”

She felt like a big clumsy oaf trying to scoot her fanny to the other side, where the bed had been pushed up against the wall. He tucked the quilt around her body, and then sat at the edge of the mattress and pulled off his boots. Leaving on his clothes, he stretched out beside her on the small bed. He didn’t try crawling under the sheets or the quilt, but punched the pillow under his head before giving her another look.

“You okay?”

She nodded, sincerely hoping her nose wasn’t too horribly red. “This bed is too small for you as it is. I shouldn’t—”

“Come here.” He shifted, so that he could slip his arm under her neck and around her shoulders. He brought her close enough that she could lay her cheek on his chest. “Are you more comfortable?”

She hesitated, and then curled tentatively toward him.

“Are you sure you—”

He reached to switch off the lamp and then picked up her arm and put it in a more comfy position around his waist. Giving her shoulders a light squeeze, he said, “I’m sure.”

She smiled wryly. “You don’t know what I was going to say.”

“I figured you were going to tell me about that crush you had on me.”

She gave a startled laugh and lifted her head. Moonlight washed in through the parted curtains and illuminated the amusement in his face. “What?”

He lightly kissed her hair and urged her to lie back down. “Let’s see, how did you put it? You thought the sun rose and set on my ass.”

“You’re awful to bring that up. My admission was made in the heat of the moment. Besides, I was twelve.”

“I’m fascinated because I had no idea.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am.”

Kate laughed. “I thought I was so pathetically obvious.”

“Nope. You were such a tomboy, I figured you were just trying to keep up with Joe, Clint and me.”

“Jeez. All that angst for nothing.”

“So let me get this straight. You only had the hots for me when you were twelve and then it just disappeared?”

“Shut up.”

Mitch chuckled. “I like the idea of being the coveted older man.”

“As if you didn’t have enough girls chasing after you. If I recall, the entire cheerleading squad drew straws to see who you and Clint would take to the prom.”

“Right.”

Along with the sarcasm, she thought she detected a hint of embarrassment in his voice, and she grinned. “Besides, I got over you by the time I went to college.”

“Cast aside for those college hunks, huh?”

“I rarely saw you anymore.”

The sudden tension radiating from his body put her on alert. Although the Colters never confided disappointment in their son’s frequent absences, it had to be an issue. She was sorry to have brought it up.

They lay there in silence until she wondered if he’d fallen asleep. As exhausted as she was, she was suddenly keyed up. The mere act of lying here with Mitch was so surreal it was impossible to relax. Plus, she was wearing a teddy, for heaven’s sake.

Darn it, why did she have to remember that? It shouldn’t matter. The thick quilt was quite an effective barrier between them. The thought of the sheer black lace that did nothing to hide her breasts made her squirm anyway. This was so not her style.

He lightly squeezed her shoulders. “I thought you were asleep,” he whispered.

“I thought you were.”

“We both should be.”

“Yeah.” Right. She was snuggled against Mitch’s broad strong chest. His rock-hard biceps held her a willing prisoner. Sure. She was going to get all kinds of sleep. “I have another confession.”

He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Do I want to hear this?”

She smiled. “Probably not.”

“You’re going to tell me, anyway.”

Kate wrinkled her nose, her courage slipping. It seemed funny a second ago, but maybe this was too much information. “Never mind,” she murmured.

“Now I’m curious.”

She nibbled her lower lip. “I used to kiss my pillow and pretend it was you.”

He hooted with laughter. “How did I do?”

“You weren’t bad.”

“At least better than a bedpost, I suspect.”

“Oh, much.”

Mitch laughed again. “I’m not going to ask.”

She lightly pinched his ribs. At least she tried. But he had no spare flesh. Just lean muscle that reminded her how near-perfect he was, and that she hadn’t exercised since school let out last month. “Tell me you didn’t practice kissing when you were a kid.”

“I did my share, except it always involved a girl.”

“Of course, silly me. You had them lining up.”

“You have a warped sense of history, young lady.”

Kate knew better, but she said nothing. If she were to pinch anyone, it should be herself. She was lying in bed with Mitch Colter. So he had on his clothes, and she was stiflingly swaddled like a newborn. It didn’t matter that the AC was on, this was July and the evenings didn’t cool down all that much. Normally she’d sleep with only a sheet covering her lower half. The heat from Mitch’s body didn’t help, either, or maybe it was her own rising temperature, but she had no intention of moving.

Her mind helplessly returned to Dennis. If it were him beside her, she wouldn’t hesitate to put some distance between them or tactfully point out that it was too warm to be this close. Not that he’d ever been the physical type. The lack of affection had bothered her at first, but after a while she’d gotten used to it. In fact, she’d never been crazy about the way he kissed. Too stiff, too perfunctory. And damn it, kissing was important to her. So why had she been willing to overlook such a major flaw?

“Dennis was a lousy kisser,” she muttered, for an instant uncertain whether she’d said that out loud, and then wishing she hadn’t.

Mitch shifted slightly, his chin grazing her temple, but he didn’t comment.

“Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t be talking about him.”

“Go ahead. I told you we could talk. Let it out.”

She sighed. “Maybe it was me. Maybe I just wasn’t…” She paused. This wasn’t helping. She was still too raw to censor herself, and this wasn’t the kind of conversation she wanted to have with Mitch.

“Wasn’t what?” He almost sounded angry.

She’d clearly overstayed her welcome. First she’d barged in uninvited, and now she was depriving him of sleep. “I should go. It’s late and neither of us is likely to get any rest.”

“If we don’t get to sleep, it’s because it’s too damn hot.” He freed his arm and swung his feet to the floor.

She threw back the quilt, untangling her legs, and preparing to crawl around him. Facing him tomorrow was going to be a bear. But right now she only had to worry about getting to her car, which she’d parked in the back, in the dark. Crap.

“Hold on. I’m just taking off my shirt.”

She swallowed, tempted to linger and get a good look at his naked chest. She rose before she changed her mind. “This is crazy. There’s no reason for me to stay.”

“Look, if you leave now, I’ll have to follow you back to your ranch,” he said, sounding weary. “Someone will hear us. Then Joe or Clint will come out and want to know what’s going on. Is that what you want?”

“I live fifteen minutes away, in case you’ve forgotten. You’re not following me back.”

“You’re not leaving unless I do.” He unfastened the last button, and then met her eyes with irritating authority.

“Wanna bet?” She planted a hand on her hip, ready to do battle, but then he did something totally unfair.

He shrugged out of the shirt.

The moonlight hit him just right. Helplessly, she stared at the rippling muscles of his smooth chest, the way they flexed and relaxed with the flow of his movements as he tossed the shirt toward the oak chair in the corner.

When she finally lifted her gaze, she found that he was staring at her breasts through the sheer black teddy. His preoccupation made her feel marginally better. At least he hadn’t caught her ogling him.

He blinked, briefly met her gaze and then pushed the quilt to the foot of the bed. “A sheet should be enough,” he murmured.

“Enough for what?”

The question drew a crooked smile from him. “Get back in.”

Kate pressed her lips together. She was enjoying this. No matter how small the chink in his armor, this was a human side to Mitch she’d never experienced. He’d always seemed controlled and in charge.

“Do I have to pick you up?” he asked with one arched brow.

“I thought you were afraid of bodily contact.”

“Afraid, hell,” he scoffed. “I’m terrified down to my little toes.”

She grinned. He was being sweet, and she appreciated the gesture. “You know, there is a sensible solution. I could sleep in your sister’s old room.”

He hesitated, considering the possibility. “Too dusty. It took me half an hour to get this room ready.” He yawned heartily. “How much longer are we going to argue about this?”

Disappointment dampened her spirits. She’d enjoyed the brief flirtation, but apparently she wasn’t that irresistible. Like the good girl she’d always been, she crawled back into bed.

The truth was, she didn’t want to have to talk to anyone else tonight. Or disrupt the whole house by trying to sneak back in this late.

The sheets were nice and cool compared to the heavy quilt. She slid between them, and then shrank close to the wall to give him as much room as possible.

After Mitch got in beside her, he pulled her back to lie on his chest again. But this time there was no fabric between her cheek and his smooth taut skin. She fisted her hand, afraid she might unconsciously grope him.

He stroked her back. “Am I crowding you?”

“No.”

“Then relax,” he whispered.

She thought he might have kissed the top of her head, but she wasn’t sure. “I have one more question and then I promise I’ll shut up.”

“What’s that?”

“Did you get a good look at her?”

His hand stilled; she missed the soothing motion. “Who?”

“The woman.” She cleared her throat. “The blonde who was with Dennis.”

“No,” he said reluctantly.

“It happened so fast that I—” She couldn’t seem to clear the obstruction in her throat. “I know she had blond hair, that’s about all.”

“Does it matter?”

“I guess not,” she said softly.

“The guy is a friggin’ dirtbag,” Mitch said hotly. “And an idiot.”

She smiled, knowing Mitch’s fervor burned in her defense. “And a lousy kisser. That’s quite unforgivable, actually.”

Mitch caught her off guard by hooking a finger under her chin. As he forced her to look up, he tilted his own head back. “Any man who doesn’t take the time to kiss you thoroughly isn’t worth his salt.”

She held her breath. Was he simply making a point or was he going to kiss her? At this angle she couldn’t be sure, but she could feel the tension in his body, like a tiger restraining himself from pouncing on his prey.

He gently brushed his lips across hers. “You deserve better, Kate,” he said quietly. “You’re pretty and smart and kind and—”

“A real girl next door, huh?” Her shoulders sagged. He wasn’t going to kiss her. He was patronizing her again. “Guess the only way I’m ever going to light a fire is with a book of matches.”

He chuckled. “And you have a sense of humor.”

“Yeah, I’m hilarious.”

“Ah, Katie, I am sorry about what happened tonight. But don’t let that guy do this to you.”

“Deep down I think I’ve known for a couple of weeks what I had to do, but I hadn’t wanted to face it.” Damn, but she had to stop trembling. “I probably owe Dennis a thanks. He saved me the trouble of having to call off the wedding myself. I always did have a knack for picking out the wrong men. I should just plain give it up.”

MITCH STIFFENED. She wasn’t thinking clearly, that was for certain. It wasn’t like her to indulge in this kind of self-pity, even though she deserved to wallow. And here he’d been about to take advantage of her vulnerability. Hell, it was only going to be one kiss. Still, bad timing. But he knew she was feeling unwanted and unattractive, and it wasn’t right. He hated that the ass had her second-guessing herself. A kiss from him wasn’t going to fix that.

She’d get over the betrayal, since the Kate he remembered was too bright and sensible to let a man determine her worth. But it would take some time for the fog of pain to lift. In the meantime, the best thing he could do for her was be a friend.

“Mitch?” She was looking up at him, most of her face in shadow, but the slight tremor in her voice told him more than he could read in her eyes. “Are you going to kiss me?”

He should’ve let her go, he realized. Urged her to leave the minute he’d arrived home. She’d be safely tucked away in her own bed right now, asleep, after having indulged in a cathartic crying jag. Then, tomorrow she could get on with the grieving process. Leave it to him to mess up everything.

Mitch kissed the tip of her nose, and then each eyelid.

He lowered his hand from her chin. “Get some rest, Kate,” he said, before extricating his arm from beneath her shoulders. It wasn’t easy but he rolled over, giving her his back and letting one arm dangle off the bed.

Best thing for everyone concerned was for him to stay the hell away from Kate Manning.