by Marin Thomas
“My apartment.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “This is your private elevator?”
“Yes.” He didn’t add that his apartment encompassed the entire twentieth floor. She’d figure that out soon enough.
Pointing to the ground, she blurted, “That’s marble.”
“Yeah. There’s more in the bathrooms.”
“How many bedrooms?”
“Three.”
“Bathrooms?”
“Four.” Aaron shoved his hands into his pants pockets. If he had to, he’d stand in the foyer all night answering questions until she felt comfortable.
“Do you have a roommate?”
“No.”
“Isn’t this a little extravagant for one person?”
“Maybe.” Aaron had grown up with money. Marble, high ceilings, pillars and original works of art had been everyday sights.
“You must have had a good job before changing careers.” She mumbled more to herself than to him.
Fearing she might jab the Close button and flee, he coaxed, “Step into the apartment and explore a bit. If you’re not comfortable, we’ll leave.” They both understood that once she stepped off the elevator, there was no going back for either of them. He waited, heart banging in his chest like a marching drum corps.
After endless moments, she inched into the foyer. “There’s a phone over there.” He motioned to the entry table, where a touch-screen computer sat.
No response. Her attention shifted from the fifteen-foot ceiling with extensive trim work, to the massive chandelier, to the metal sconces decorating the walls, to the matching King Henry the Eighth chairs on either side of the hall table. Sensing his stare, she blurted, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“The phone.” He pointed down the hall. Most women Jennifer’s age wouldn’t bother checking in with a parent. But Jennifer respected her father, and wouldn’t want the older man to worry when she didn’t come home.
She traversed the foyer and snatched up the receiver. Allowing her privacy, he disappeared into the family room. He didn’t have to wait long.
“Are all the rooms gigantic?” She hovered in the doorway.
“No. Only this one.”
Eyeing the black leather furniture and modern art sculptures sitting on the glass-top tables, she strolled the perimeter. “I don’t care for your decorating.”
He burst out laughing. Jennifer’s honesty was a breath of fresh air. “I’ll be sure to pass along your comments to my decorator.”
“You let someone else choose your furnishings?”
Grinning, he confessed, “I don’t have a clue about decorating.”
“Neither does your design consultant. The room is so cold I can see my breath in the air.”
Intrigued by her comment, he asked, “What would you change?”
She studied the room. “Brown. Brown leather is warmer than black. And I’d have wood floors and a big Mexican rug in front of the fireplace. The marble mantel has to go. Stone and brick would be better.”
The hint of excitement in her voice didn’t slip Aaron’s notice. “What about the tables and the decorations?”
“Glass breaks and shows fingerprints, especially with kids around. I’d use wood, the beat-up kind you find over the border in Mexico.” She stopped suddenly, her face turning bright red.
Had she gotten caught up in dreaming about her and him and…kids? A few weeks ago he never would have thought about settling down and starting a family. But then he’d met Jennifer. And she had him questioning the future and what he expected out of life. Who he wished in his life.
“Is this your family?” she asked, lifting a framed picture from the table.
The photo showed his brothers and him piled on top of one another and his grandfather blowing a whistle as he refereed the touch football game. He tapped the glass. “That’s Pop, my grandfather. And my eldest brother, Nelson. Ryan’s the middle brother. And the one at the bottom of the pile hanging on to the football is me.” He grinned. “I’m the baby.”
“You mentioned your parents had died. Do you have a picture of them?” She returned the frame to the table.
“In my bedroom.” He moved nearer so he could brush a strand of hair off her shoulder. Then he leaned in and kissed the side of her neck. “I could use your decorating advice in my bedroom.” He trailed kisses across her shoulder.
She tilted her neck and sighed as he ran his hands down her bare arms. When he reached for the hem of her dress, she stepped away. “I’d like to freshen up.”
Intrigued by this shy, nervous side of her, he gestured toward the doorway. “There’s a half bath off the foyer.”
As she moved through the room, Aaron ditched his shirt and dropped it on the floor. Jennifer halted and glanced over her shoulder. Her gaze roamed from his chest to his eyes and back to his chest.
“I’ll wait for you in the bedroom. Follow the clothes.” He winked, then disappeared down a hallway.
His blood pumped through his veins as he walked to his bedroom. Next off was his belt. Then his shoes and socks. Finally, at the door, he stepped out of his Dockers.
Inside the room, he fiddled with the dimmer switch until the tiny lights in the ceiling sparkled like stars, then popped his make-out CD, a mix of love songs from the eighties and nineties, into his stereo.
Going on faith that Jennifer wouldn’t chicken out, he shrugged out of his BVDs, tossed them across the floor and went to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The glass had been tinted for privacy. Bracing his hands against the panes, he watched the cars twenty stories below crawl along the street—ants marching off into the sunset.
Even after the sun went down, L.A.’s infamous pollution-hazed sky hung on like a tenacious bull, hiding the stars—the very reason Aaron had insisted on installing the special lighting in the bedroom. Now, with the flip of a switch, his bedroom ceiling transformed into a star-studded galaxy.
“Wow.”
At the quiet utterance, he turned and studied Jennifer’s face as she took in the whole room—everything except him. “Wow…the view? Or wow…what a stud?”
Eyes twinkling, she skimmed her gaze over his nude body. His chest puffed up when her attention stalled below his waist. “Double wow.”
He held out a hand, wondering if he’d be the one always reaching out in their relationship. That would change tonight, he decided. Tonight, he’d make her reach for him.
“Can people see through those windows?” She toed off her sandals before crossing the room.
“No. There’s a special film covering the glass.” He fingered the strap of her sundress. “One of us has too many clothes on.”
In a move that surprised him, she stood on her tiptoes and brought his mouth down to hers. After forever, she pulled back, leaving him short of breath.
“Just making sure all the equipment works before we get started.” She stroked a finger along his erection.
“Brat,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. While he kissed a path down her neck, he maneuvered his hand beneath the hem of her dress and dipped his fingers inside her panties. “Your equipment’s in working order, too.” He gently bit the underside of her jaw.
When she thrust her hips against his hand, the teasing ended abruptly. In less than a minute, he got her out of the dress and onto the bed. “I had a hunch you’d wear cotton.” He plucked the edge of her briefs.
“Silk isn’t—”
“Practical,” he finished for her.
“You understand more about me than I realized.”
“Think how much better I’ll know you by morning.” He sprawled on top of her, settling himself in the cradle of her thighs.
She curled a hand behind his head and coaxed his mouth back to hers. Deep, wet, erotic. Oh, man. He was in heaven. She might have been shy about risking this next step with him, but once she made up her mind she gave it her all.
When they finally surfaced for air, he moved down her body until he laid
eye level with her breasts. Beautiful. Sun-kissed brown, full and round—a perfect fit for his hands. He buried his face in her lushness and reveled in her quiet sighs of pleasure as he took her in his mouth.
Not until Jennifer’s hips ground into his stomach did he get the hint that she craved his attention elsewhere.
He kissed a path down her stomach, over her thighs and along her calf. She giggled when he stuck a finger between her toes and brushed away the grains of sand from their walk on the beach. Laughter burst from her as she attempted to evade his touch.
“Ticklish, eh?” He made a grab for her foot, but she flung her leg up, wrapped the appendage around his waist and flipped their positions.
“Hell of a takedown, Alvarado. Where did you learn that trick?” She wiggled her nose and he laughed at her antics. Jennifer made a charming and entertaining bed partner.
“Now that you’ve got me subdued…what are you going to do next?” he asked.
Her expression sobered, then she closed her eyes and whispered, “Love me, Aaron.”
A fierce sense of possessiveness filled him. “I will, Jenny.”
After tugging off her panties and tossing them to the floor, he flashed a naughty grin and shifted lower. At the first touch of his mouth, she fumbled for a stronghold—the hair on his head.
Up…up…up he forced her. One exhilarating, tantalizing, torturous caress at a time. Patient and persistent, Aaron coached her into accepting defeat. Her surrender was loud and fierce and amazing.
When she caught her breath, he grinned in victory.
Gasping, she urged, “You’re dying to say something. Go ahead.”
“Wow.”
Playfully, she pinched his nipple. “Be nice.” Propping herself on his chest, she shook her hair until the long locks curtained their heads.
He trailed a finger down her cheek. “Been a while?”
Tears blurred her eyes. “Yes,” she croaked, tucking her head under his chin.
“Ah, babe.” He held her tight. Minutes passed as the outside world faded to pitch-black and the inside world glittered with twinkling lights.
“It’s like sleeping under the stars,” she murmured.
Jenny wasn’t the only one who’d once wished upon the stars. “As a little kid, I’d watch the sky out my bedroom window and wonder if my mother, father and grandmother had a star of their own in the heavens.”
“Did you grow up in L.A.?”
“No. My grandfather lives in Massachusetts.”
“I can’t imagine being raised solely by a grandparent.”
“Pop was strict. My friends felt sorry for me, but I couldn’t have asked for a better father figure. My brothers feel the same way about him. We’re all close.”
“I thought you said your brothers boss you around.”
He chuckled. “Nelson and Ryan insist they know what’s best for me, but no matter how often we disagree, I can count on them to be there for me.”
The love Aaron had for his family echoed through loud and clear in his voice. The more Jennifer learned about him, the more difficult it would be to keep her heart out of their relationship. Aaron tempted her to take a chance and grasp for the love she was convinced she didn’t deserve.
As if sensing her turmoil, he shifted on the bed and rested his head next to hers on the pillow. Noses touched, breath mingled. His blue gaze burned. He asked without words if she wanted more…him…inside her.
She did. But first she had some exploring of her own to do. With caresses and firmer strokes she acquainted herself with Aaron’s body.
He wasn’t embarrassed to show her what pleased him. He pressed her palm to his chest. When she scraped her nail over his hardened nipple, he groaned. “Oh, yeah. I like that.”
“Maybe you’ll like this better….” Her tongue replaced her finger and he let out a loud growl. The subtle tensing of his muscles, the soft hitch in his breathing, the way his eyes slammed closed all conveyed how much he enjoyed her touch.
Moving lower, she discovered a long, thin scar across his hip and traced it with her finger. “Ouch.”
“Sword fight with Ryan.”
“Real swords?” When she kissed the puckered skin, his hand tightened against her head.
“An authentic Civil War sword from the attic. I wouldn’t have gotten hurt if Pop hadn’t barged in and scared the hell out of Ryan. My brother spun so fast the tip of the sword sliced right through my clothes.”
She inched her fingers forward and had almost arrived at her goal, when Aaron’s hand snaked out and grasped hers. He rolled her beneath him, pinning her to the mattress. “You’re driving me wild.”
“Then tame me.”
He opened the nightstand drawer and removed a packet of protection. After she helped sheathe him, he threaded his fingers through hers and raised them above her head on the pillow. Gently, slowly, he entered her. “Okay?”
As her body stretched to accommodate him, Jennifer sighed. Treating her with care, Aaron slid in and out, setting a rhythm that made catching her breath impossible.
Then, without warning, she and Aaron shot off into the stars.
Chapter Ten
Obviously, Aaron was clueless when it came to women. If he did, he’d understand why Jennifer had all of a sudden developed a severe allergy to him after making love.
Four days had passed since he’d spent one incredible night in her arms, and she hadn’t said more than a few words to him. He’d have settled for a look, a smile—anything that suggested she didn’t regret their lovemaking. Instead, the few times her gaze had landed on him, he’d read panic in her eyes.
Jennifer Alvarado was damn hard on a man’s ego.
He’d had a lot of time to mull over their relationship. There was no question in his mind that he cared deeply for her. Admired her. Respected her. But the cold-shoulder treatment had him questioning whether or not he was the right man for her.
Everyone carried some baggage into a new relationship or had a skeleton or two in their closet. But he had to admit that Jennifer’s past intimidated him. She’d been through hell with that bastard drug pimp and he didn’t have to be a psychiatrist to understand that Jennifer lived with the guilt of her mother’s and brother’s deaths each and every day of her life.
The man who claimed Jennifer would have to deal with her past, as well. Aaron hungered to be the one to slay her dragons, but how could he defeat something invisible? Something he couldn’t touch. Couldn’t understand.
When he thought about putting distance between them and cooling their relationship, everything inside him rebelled. Most of his life he’d skirted responsibility. Allowed his brothers to lead in difficult situations. Did he have the skill? Rather, did he have the courage to take on Jennifer’s demons? The task wouldn’t be simple, especially when the forewoman found a hundred different reasons to leave the work site during the day.
All week, he and the crew had labored to put the finishing touches on Mrs. Benitos’s house, while Jennifer had been conspicuously scarce. He wished he understood what went on in that beautiful head of hers.
Don’t be a dumb-ass. Go ask her what’s wrong.
All right. He would. As soon as he installed the last screw. He’d spent the entire day assembling a barbecue grill and a supersized redwood picnic table for Mrs. Benitos. After bolting down the seat, he set the tools aside, then marched through the back door.
Aaron had worked for Barrio Amigo only six weeks. If he intended to fulfill his grandfather’s wishes, he had another six weeks to go. Jennifer’s odd behavior worried him. Did she plan to reassign him to a different crew after Mrs. Benitos moved into the house next Friday—only a week from today?
The sound of voices drew him down the hallway leading to the bedrooms. “Jennifer, are you in here?”
A silent pause greeted Aaron’s ears, then she answered, “In the master bedroom.”
When he arrived at the room, he saw Jennifer standing at the window, staring into the backyard. An express
ion of concern on his face, Juan shifted his gaze between Jennifer and Aaron.
“I’d appreciate a few minutes with the boss.” When Juan didn’t move, Aaron added, “Alone.”
Juan grumbled something in Spanish, then walked out of the room, leaving Aaron at a sudden loss for words. Jennifer continued to ignore him. The ten feet separating them might as well have been the Grand Canyon. “Talk to me, Jenny.”
Her forehead thunked against the window. What had happened to the feisty, hardheaded, bossy woman who’d managed to tangle his sheets and his heart?
“You’ve avoided me all week. Why?” Silence. Anger and frustration turned to worry. “I assumed our night together was as special to you as it was to me. Am I wrong?” Silence. Worry turned to hurt. “Do you regret making love?” More silence.
Jennifer moved away from the window and faced Aaron. “No,” she whispered, hating herself for telling the truth. But what else could she do when he looked as if she’d shoved a dagger into his chest? Before she could sidestep, his strong arms pulled her close and the sound of his thumping heart beneath her ear made her eyes sting.
“Help me, Jenny. I can’t fix it if I don’t understand what’s wrong.”
Her heart stumbled. How like Aaron to think he could fix her. He couldn’t. She was broken on the inside.
“I’ve missed holding you.” He kissed the top of her head.
She’d tried to put distance between them, but it hadn’t worked. Their lovemaking had played over and over in her dreams. More than anything, she craved one more night with Aaron. One more memory. But why delay the inevitable? Why make goodbye more difficult? “I don’t know how to explain.”
Traces of his aftershave drifted past her nose and she breathed deeply. Lord, she loved how Aaron smelled. Loved the feel of his hands touching her skin.
“Never mind, Jenny. You don’t have to say a word. Let’s go out to dinner. There’s a great seafood restaurant on the—”
She pushed out of his arms. “What we shared meant more to me than you’ll ever appreciate.” In your arms, I felt whole again. Alive! Worthy of being loved.
After they’d made love, she’d realized that she didn’t have the strength to keep her feelings for him from growing. In a few hours he’d wedge himself so far into her heart that she’d feared the organ would burst if she allowed him any closer.