treading on dangerous ground but for reasons he didn’t quite understand, he couldn’t admit to being sure right now. So instead of outright lying he decided to plead the fifth by saying, “I’ll get back to you on that.”
Irritation spread all through his gut at the thought that he hadn’t given Derringer an answer mainly because he couldn’t. And for a man who’d always been decisive when it came to a woman’s place in his heart, he could just imagine what Derringer was thinking.
He was trying not to think the same thing himself. Hell, he’d only set out to be a good neighbor and then realized how much he enjoyed her company. And then there had been the attraction he hadn’t been able to overlook.
“I’ll see you when you get here, Jason. Have a safe drive in,” Derringer said without further comment about Bella.
“Will do.”
Bella stood staring out her bedroom window at the mountains. Her meeting with Marvin had been informative as well as a little overwhelming. But she had been able to follow everything the man had said. Heading the list was Hercules. The horse was restless, agitated and it seemed when Hercules wasn’t in a good mood everybody knew it.
According to Marvin, Hercules hadn’t been ridden in a while mainly because very few men would go near him. The only man capable to handling Hercules was Jason. The same Jason she had decided to avoid from now on. She recognized danger when she saw it and in this case it was danger she could feel. Physically.
Even now she could remember Jason mesmerizing her with his smile, seducing her with his kiss and making her groan over and over again. And there was the way his gaze had scanned over her body while in the elevator as they left his office after lunch, or the hot, lusty look he gave her when she got out of the truck at the appliance store. That look had her rushing off as if a pack of pit bulls were nipping at her heels.
And last but not least were Jason’s hands on her. Those big, strong hands had touched her in places that had made her pause for breath, had made sensations overtake her and had made her put her guard up in a way she didn’t feel safe in letting down.
Of course she’d known they were attracted to each other from the first, but she hadn’t expected that attraction to become so volatile and explosive. And she’d experienced all that from just one kiss. Heaven help them if they went beyond kissing.
If he continued to come around, if he continued to spend time with her in any way, they would be tempted to go beyond that. Today proved she was virtually putty in his hands and she didn’t want to think about what that could mean if it continued. She liked it but then she was threatened by it. She was just getting to feel free and the last thing she wanted to be was held in bondage by anything, especially by emotions she couldn’t quite understand. She wasn’t ready to become the other part of anyone. Jeez, she was just finding herself, enjoying her newfound independence. She didn’t want to give it up before experiencing it fully.
At that moment her cell phone went off and she rolled her eyes when she saw the caller was her mother. She pulled in a deep breath before saying, “Yes, Mother?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard from your attorney about that little stipulation we found out about in your trust fund. My mother was definitely smart to think of it.”
Bella frowned. “Yes, I heard all about it.” Of course Melissa Bostwick would take the time to call and gloat. And of course she wanted to make it seem that they had discovered the stipulation by accident when the truth was that they’d probably hired a team of attorneys to look for anything in the trust fund they could use against her to keep her in line. If they had their way she would be dependent on them for life.
“Good. Your father and I expect you to stop this nonsense immediately and come home.”
“Sorry, Mom, but I am home.”
“No, you’re not and if you continue with this foolishness you will be sorry. With no money coming in, what on earth will you do?”
“Get a job I guess.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m being serious. Sorry you can’t tell the difference.”
There was a pause and then her mother asked, “Why do you always want to have your way?”
“Because it’s my way to have. I’m twenty-five for heaven’s sake. You and Dad need to let me live my own life.”
“We will but not there, and Hugh’s been asking about you.”
“That’s nice. Is there anything else you wanted, Mom?”
“For you to stop being difficult.”
“If wanting to live my life the way I want is being difficult then get prepared for more difficult days ahead. Goodbye, Mom.”
Out of respect Bella didn’t hang up the phone until she heard her mother’s click. And when she did she clicked off and shook her head. Her parents were so sure they had her where they wanted her.
And that possibility bothered her more than anything.
Jason glanced around the room. All of his male cousins had Bella to the side conversing away with her. No doubt they were as fascinated by her intellect as well as her beauty. And things had been that way since she’d arrived. More than once he’d sent Zane dirty looks that basically told his cousin to back off. Why he’d done such a thing he wasn’t sure. He and Bella weren’t an item or anything of the sort.
In fact, to his way of thinking, she was acting rather coolly toward him. Although she was polite enough, no one would have thought he had devoured her mouth the way he had three days ago in his office. And maybe that was the reason she was acting this way. No one was supposed to know. It was their secret. Right?
Wrong.
He knew his family well, a lot better than she did. Their acting like cordial acquaintances only made them suspect. His brother Riley had already voiced his suspicions. “Trouble in paradise with the Southern Bella?”
He’d frown and had been tempted to tell Riley there was no trouble in paradise because he and Bella didn’t have that kind of relationship. They had kissed only once for heaven’s sake. Twice, if you were to take into consideration that he’d kissed her a second time that day before leaving his office.
So, okay, they had kissed twice. No big deal. He drew in a deep breath wondering if it wasn’t a big deal, why was he making it one? Why had he come early and anticipated her arrival like a kid waiting for Christmas to get here?
Everyone who knew him, especially his family, was well aware that he dated when it suited him and his reputation with women was nothing like Derringer’s had been or Zane’s was. It didn’t come close. The thought of meeting someone and getting married and having a family was something at the bottom of his list, but at least he didn’t mind claiming it was on his list. That was something some of his other single brothers and cousins refused to do.
“You’re rather quiet tonight, Jason.”
He glanced over and saw his cousin Bailey had come to stand beside him and knew why she was there. She wanted to not just pick his brain but to dissect his mind. “I’m no quieter than usual, Bail.”
She tilted her head and looked up at him. “Hmm, I think you are. Does Bella have anything to do with it?”
He took a sip of his wine. “And what makes you think that?”
She shrugged. “Because you keep glancing over there at her when you think no one is looking.” “That’s not true.”
She smiled. “Yes, it is. You probably don’t realize you’re doing it.”
He frowned. Was that true? Had he been that obvious whenever he’d glanced over at Bella? Of course someone like Bailey—who made it her business to keep up with everything and everyone or tried to—would notice such a thing.
“I thought we were