“Hey, no pinching mine. You’ve got your own.”
Spinning around, she found Dan out of the bathroom, towel slung precariously low on his hips, standing not two feet away. He was barely covered. His thighs, thick with muscle and sprinkled with a smattering of dark hair, were on display. Glancing up, she saw his ripped abdomen with a tantalising trail of dark hair running down from his belly button to disappear under the towel. Jody tilted her head to the side in her effort to figure out what was wrong.
Oh my God! It wasn’t a bath towel wrapped around his hips. It was a hand towel! Good Lord, if he moved too fast the thing would be on the floor in a flash and she’d be getting flashed. Turning back around, Jody stared at the plate of fries and tried to catch her breath. Having a nearly naked Dan in front of her did a number on her libido, but the thought of a completely naked Dan had her pulse racing, her breasts tingling and her sex swelling. She felt his heat behind her and knew he stood close enough to touch. If she turned back around…
He reached around her and grabbed a handful of fries. She heard the crunch as he sank his teeth into them. Heard the moan of delight as he devoured them and reached for more. His arm brushed hers and she could smell the soap on his skin, the damp heat still clinging to him from the shower. Taking a step to the side, she avoided contact and grabbed some much needed breathing room.
“These are great. Aren’t you going to eat any?” he asked as he picked up another handful.
“Um, yes, but I want to get a drink first.” Scooting past him, being careful not to brush up against him at all, Jody exited the room to the terrace where she got a drink from the mini fridge. She pressed the cool can against her hot cheek.
“Jody, can you grab me one while you’re there?” Dan called through the door.
She closed her eyes and breathed deep. As much as she wanted to hide out here, she couldn’t. She’d just have to suck it up and deal as Leigh was fond of saying. The thought of her girls made her smile. They were the two most important people in her world and for them she’d make it through this job—the weekend—without doing anything stupid like jumping the man who insisted on tempting her with every breath he took.
Chapter Six
Dan reached over and flicked off the bedside lamp. The red glow of the alarm clock mocked him. One thirty and Jody still hadn’t returned to the room. Dinner had been a success and he couldn’t fault her in any way when it came to the job. She’d done exactly what she was supposed to. She’d mingled well and spent time getting to know each of the men and women participating in the weekend’s workshops with the skill of a seasoned professional. There wasn’t a single thing he could be angry about when it came to work.
It was her after-hour’s behaviour that had his nerves raw and irritated. She’d been talking with Mooney and two of the other men at the end of the evening. Dan had wanted to interrupt, remind her they had an early start, but playing the demanding boss or worse, a jealous jerk, wasn’t something he was comfortable doing. So he’d walked away, leaving her downstairs while he came up to the room. Alone. That had been over an hour ago.
He couldn’t help the jealous thoughts rolling around his head. Couldn’t stop the images of Jody and Mooney tangled together from flooding his mind and tormenting him. Dan knew his jealousy was unfounded. Other than Mooney’s obvious interest in her, Dan had no reason to suspect they were hooking up. And as much as he wanted to, he wouldn’t go hunt her down and drag her back to their room. Turning over, he punched his pillow. Again.
Dan took a deep breath and held it before letting it out in a rush. He needed to calm the fuck down or he’d be pinning her against the wall, peppering her with questions of where she’d been the second she set foot in the room. He’d thought sharing a room would be torture, but not this kind. Keeping his hands—and mouth—off her had been his biggest concern. Not once did he think she’d find a way to drive him crazier than worrying about being in close quarters.
A full moon hung low in the sky across the valley. He’d left the curtains open so the room was bathed in a soft glow. He snorted. His brilliant idea of letting in the moonlight to give the room a romantic intimacy had certainly blown up in his face. Hard to get romantic when the object of your desire wasn’t even here. Throwing back the covers, Dan jumped out of bed and strode over to stand in front of the window.
The landscape, even in the shadows of night, was breathtaking, but he didn’t really see it. He only saw the possibility of Jody being with another man. A man who wasn’t him. Why he thought this way when he knew in his gut she wouldn’t be with anyone else pissed him off the most when it came to the out of control emotions he experienced when it came to Jody. She’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him by avoiding him at every opportunity. Had he listened to her not-so-subtle rebuff? No. He’d taken every chance to get closer to her and he’d continue to do so.
He was a masochist. There was no other explanation for his continued pursuit. Rejected at every turn, he kept coming back for more. He’d never done that before. No meant no, and with the abundance of women available, Dan had always moved on to the next one with ease. Until Jody. She pulled him back, made him more determined to win her over with every rebuff.
Dan ran a hand down his bare chest. True to his word, he was naked. He didn’t even own pyjamas, so unless he slept in his underwear and a T-shirt, which he had no intention of doing, she’d just have to put up with the possibility of seeing him naked. The door rattled behind him and he glanced over his shoulder to see Jody, head down and shoes off, sneaking into the room. She didn’t look his way, kept her gaze on the floor as she tip-toed across to her bag.
He thought about clearing his throat or moving to get her attention. Instead, he stood perfectly still and watched as she pulled clothes out of her suitcase. She tossed them on the bed behind her. The one he’d crawled out of not ten minutes ago. For someone who’d had a jumble of thoughts in his head, he suddenly found himself with a clean slate. Nothing except the sight of Jody lowering the zipper on her dress filled his mind.
She let the simple sheath slip from her shoulders and drop to the floor, leaving her in only a skimpy pair of bikini pants and bra. Her back was to him and he clenched his hands as the urge to walk over and run his fingers down her spine stole through him. He didn’t breathe, didn’t make a sound as he watched her turn and scoop up the top she’d thrown on the bed. For a split second, Dan had the glorious view of Jody from the front. One second of sheer bliss before she went perfectly still then screamed loud enough to wake the whole damn hotel.
“Fuck.” Dan slammed his palms over his ears and ducked when she threw what was in her hand at him. “It’s me. Dan!”
Jody froze on her way to the bedside table and he could only assume she’d planned to toss the lamp at him next. “Dan?”
“Who the fuck else would be in our room?” He bent to pick up the shirt she’d lobed at his head. “Surely you hadn’t forgotten I was here?”
“Um, no, but…” She looked at the bed behind her, the one in front of her. “I thought you were asleep.”
Thought? More like hoped. “Obviously I’m not.”
He stepped up to the bed and dropped the shirt. It was at that moment he remembered how unclothed they both were. Her gaze lowered to his groin and bounced away quickly. Dan thought about covering up but dismissed the idea. He had nothing to hide, whether physically or emotionally, he wanted her to know where he stood. And some parts of him were standing very tall right now. She fidgeted, bare feet shuffling on the carpet, and looked everywhere apart from his direction. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he threw out the question burning in his throat.
“Were you with Mooney all this time?”
Her gaze snapped to his. “What? No.”
Everything he was wanted to believe her. “Then where were you?” He had no right to interrogate her, but for the life of him he couldn’t stop himself.
She sighed, her shoulders drooping with the release of air. �
�In the garden.”
In the garden? “With who?” he demanded.
“No one.” She reached over and grabbed her shirt, quickly tugging it over her head before continuing. “I was hoping to avoid this.”
“What?” Him?
“You. Naked.”
Ah. He’d always been comfortable without clothes on, so he couldn’t understand why others were embarrassed when it was he who was on display, but he accepted most people couldn’t handle nudity when they weren’t intimately involved. “Does my nakedness offend you? Surely you’ve seen a naked man before.” God, he hoped so. She’d been married for Christ sake.
Jody laughed and headed for the bathroom. “Yes, I’ve seen a few in my time.”
A few? What the fuck? The bathroom door banged shut. “Who other than your ex have you seen naked?” he yelled at the closed door.
Jody leaned against the door and took a deep breath. My God, the man was breathtaking. Every sculptured inch of him. She’d seen him earlier with just a towel, but that was nothing compared to the sight of a completely naked Dan. Her mouth watered along with other areas of her anatomy. He hadn’t shown one single shred of self-consciousness about his nudity either. If anything, he’d been more commanding—more compelling—than he appeared when clothed. She had to face it. The man did it for her.
Trouble with a capital T. That’s where she was. Sighing, she shoved off the door and got ready for bed. She’d left her sleeping shorts in the room but the T-shirt she wore came past her thighs so the essentials were covered. Her bra was digging into her sides and she popped the catch through her shirt then slipped the straps off her shoulders and out through the sleeves in one of those contortionist tricks most women knew. More comfortable, she cleaned her teeth then used the loo before taking a brush to her hair.
Instead of her normal ponytail, she’d worn her hair out, and as usual when she did, it was a tangled mass of knots. She really should think about getting it cut except she liked the ease of long hair. Liked being able to gather it up into a tail out of her way and forget about it. She’d never been the type to bother with fussy hairstyles even in her younger years, and once the girls had arrived she’d barely had time to shower, never mind spend hours blow-drying. Jody yanked the last snag free then gathered it all together and wrapped an elastic band around it.
With nothing else to do, she had no excuse to hideout in the bathroom any longer. Determined to show Dan he didn’t get to her even though he did on so many levels she refused to examine them, Jody opened the door and entered the room. The moonlight filtering in lit the area enough for her to see he was lying on the bed closest to the window. He had the sheet drawn up to his waist but the effort was too little too late. She knew what lay beneath the covers and wanted to crawl under there with him. But she wouldn’t give in to the urge.
Using the skills she’d learn through years of self-denial, she crawled into the other bed. He didn’t say anything and she was grateful. The last thing she wanted to do was rehash the evening. She was dog-tired and just wanted to go to sleep. She’d stupidly stayed away from the room in the hope of finding him asleep when she returned so they wouldn’t have to face each other. Fat lot of good that idea had done her. Not only had he been awake, he’d been standing there in all his naked—aroused—mouth-watering glory waiting for her.
“Sorry.” Dan’s voice broke the quiet.
“For?” Jody didn’t think he was apologising for being naked. Or aroused.
“For hounding you about where you’ve been and with whom.” His sigh echoed through the room. “I have no right to question you.”
She smiled. She totally understood why he’d asked so she couldn’t let him think she’d been offended by his questioning. “It’s okay. I should have just come to the room straight away.”
“Why didn’t you?”
The darkness made it easier to reveal her true feelings and she found herself disclosing more than she should. “I was trying to avoid being alone with you. Especially seeing how I knew you’d be stripping out of your clothes at some point.”
“The chance of seeing me naked repulses you that much?” he asked.
Jody laughed. “No. Not repulsed.”
“What then?”
“Honestly?”
“Yes.” His answer was muffled by the rustling of the bedcovers and she imagined him rolling over. “I wouldn’t expect you to be anything but honest with me, Jody.”
He sounded closer and she turned her head to find him stretched out on the very edge of his bed closest to her.
“I was more concerned with keeping my distance from you. Naked or otherwise.”
“I scare you?”
“No, not exactly.” She sighed and returned her gaze to the darkened ceiling. “I can’t explain it really, and even if I could I’m not sure you’d understand.”
“Tell me about your marriage.”
The abrupt change of subject threw her. “My marriage?”
“Yes. How old were you? How’d you meet him? How long were you together? Did you love him?”
“Eighteen. High school. Years past when we should have been and I thought I did. Now I’m not so sure.”
“You don’t know if you loved him?” Shock laced his words.
Jody turned her head to look at Dan. He lay on his side, elbow bent, head resting on his palm while he watched her. “I loved him with everything I was, but I’m not sure it was ever the kind of love that lasts a lifetime. Or perhaps it was the fact he didn’t love me the same way in return.”
“You don’t think he loved you?”
“I think he did as much as he’s capable of.” How did she explain her ex without sounding bitter or mean? Because she wasn’t either of those. They’d both made mistakes in the relationship and Jody fully owned her side of their failure. “Colin is a very selfish, thoughtless person. I’m not sure he’s able to love anyone deeply. He definitely isn’t willing to make the effort necessary to sustain a relationship. My error was in thinking I could love enough for both of us.”
“He didn’t deserve you or the girls.”
Dan’s quiet words brought the sting of tears. He was right. Colin had never deserved the devotion she’d shown him and he certainly didn’t deserve to have two beautiful daughters. Her only consolation was that he didn’t really have the girls. They’d never bonded even when she’d been married to their father, and he hadn’t made any attempt to maintain the fragile connection they’d had once he’d left. “Thank you.”
“I think I should be thanking him.”
“Why?” What could Dan possible thank Colin for?
“Because if the guy wasn’t such a douche bag, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to get to know you. Not the way I want to.”
“Oh.” Jody didn’t know what to say to that. She and Dan had hardly been on good terms after they’d first met and now they seemed to have stepped right past getting to know each other straight into being physically intimate.
“I know what you’re thinking.” She went to speak but he talked right over her. “You don’t want to get to know me. I get that you’ve erected barriers after your marriage and I accept that getting to know you is going to be an uphill battle, but I think you’re worth it. I think what we have between us, and don’t deny there’s something there, is worth the effort it’s going to take for me to climb those barriers.”
“Jeez, you don’t pull any punches.”
“I’m not going to trick you into this, Jody. I’ll be honest every step of the way. I’m also going to push you when you won’t want me to. But if you really want me to back off. Really want me to leave you alone and only be a workmate, I will.”
Stunned speechless, Jody mulled over what Dan had said. On one hand, she wanted him to back off and leave her alone, but on the other, she liked that he was pursuing her. She’d never had that. Never had the rush of excitement that came with a man wanting her above all others.
“Here’s what I suggest we do. We take
this weekend to think about it. Ask me anything. Tell me anything. I’ll do the same, and for just these two days we’ll be nothing but honest and open. And when Sunday rolls around, we can decide where we’re going from there. How does that sound?”
“Like you’re backing off.”
“Oh, no, definitely not.” He got out of bed and came over to hers. Planting his hands on the pillow either side of her head, he leaned over and put his face right in hers. “I’ll be in your face, stealing kisses and touching you every chance I get. I’m planning to stack the deck in my favour and I’ll use every trick I have to do it.”
She didn’t get the opportunity to respond before he followed through on his words. He slanted his mouth over hers, but unlike the hurried, frantic kisses of before, he took his time. He swept his tongue across her lips, probed the seam until she opened and slipped her tongue out to tangle with his. A moan echoed between them and Jody wasn’t sure if it was his or hers. The kiss was slow and lush, a gentle exploration of new territory that stole her breath and sped up her heart rate.
Her pulse beat a rapid cadence that reverberated through every nerve—every cell. Just when she thought he’d go deeper, he eased back, took them to soft nips and tender licks until he pulled away completely, leaving her panting for breath and wondering what was wrong. Before she could ask, he placed his lips on her forehead in a quick peck.
“Good night, Jody. Sweet dreams.”
And then he was gone. Disappearing into the darkness as the moon slid behind a cloud. The lack of light left her feeling cold and bereft, or was that from the sudden lack of Dan’s heat?
Catch 'n' Kiss (Are You Game?) Page 6