the library, they moved to a study.
She lost consciousness of time, but never of him. She was too aware of his proximity, too filled with vivid memories that tormented her. He picked up a porcelain figurine of a hunter and dog. Turning it in his hand, he looked at it for seconds and then held it out to her. “Is this piece old? Valuable?” Her fingers brushed his as she accepted it, feeling the warmth of his hand yet the cool, smooth touch of the porcelain. The physical contact with him, while slight, stirred a shower of sparks. She remembered his hands, their texture, the calluses, their magic touches as they moved over her.
Jared worked through the rest of the afternoon with her, finding treasures, discarding things he didn’t care for. He kept everything as professional as possible, just the way she had asked.
Finally he glanced at his watch. “Enough for today. Let’s take a break, meet in thirty minutes in the family room for a drink and then we’ll have dinner.”
She was startled to see it was already six o’clock. “That’s fine.”
“I told my housekeeper to take you to your suite of rooms, and I hope you had a chance to get a little settled in.”
“Mrs. Tarkington did show me my rooms. I can settle in after dinner.”
He smiled. “I can help if you’d like.”
“Thanks. I’ll manage on my own.”
“Maybe after dinner we’ll sit and talk a little.”
“Perhaps,” she said, aware that socializing with him would be difficult to avoid.
“I’ll go change now, too. And show you where I’m staying.” He took her arm, another light touch that caused a deep reaction. Would these volatile reactions fade or grow more intense the longer they were together? She suspected the latter.
“Have you already sent the information you gathered today to your dad?”
“Yes, most of the information and pictures. Not all. I’ll go over the rest tonight after dinner.”
“You have a small desk in your suite, and you have Wi-Fi and a laptop if you should need one.”
“Thank you. I have my own,” she said, climbing the steep, straight staircase beside him. When she reached the suite she had been given, she turned and looked into his green eyes that continued to keep her pulse racing. His thick lashes made his eyes irresistibly seductive.
“My suite is next to yours, so I’ll be close should you need anything.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, turning to enter her suite.
“Meet you on the veranda,” he said before she closed the door.
Were they going to eat together often? For some reason she remembered him saying he wasn’t engaged. Or even verging on it. “It doesn’t matter,” she whispered to herself. He still had the wild lifestyle he always had. She had heard her brother talk about the reckless things Jared liked to do—mountain climbing, skydiving, hang gliding. Unfortunately Jared made her heart pound and her breath catch, and no other man ever had.
She needed to finalize this inventory and get back home. Too much time with Jared was a temptation to danger.
Just seeing him brought back memories of their night together. A night that still stirred her desire and made him far too appealing. A night that remained vivid and held too many scalding memories. Jared was as sexy as ever. He didn’t flirt as much and neither did she, but she could feel the heat, the attraction, and she suspected he could, too.
Could she get through the next few days with him without a kiss? That might have to be her goal as much as cataloging the inventory. She wanted to get this job completed and return to her quiet world where there was no Jared Weston to tempt her. No matter how appealing and exciting Jared was, Allison didn’t want to get so deeply involved with him that she cared. With a man like Jared, life would be a continual roller coaster.
Hurrying to dress for dinner, she wore a short green cotton skirt, a matching cotton blouse and flat sandals. She twisted and braided her hair, fastening it on her head, hoping to look cool and remote, and to keep things that way between them through dinner.
When she stepped outside, Jared turned to greet her. Dressed casually now in chinos and a black knit shirt, he still took her breath away. The evening presented a challenge the minute she saw him.
As she approached him by the pool, he walked toward her, his look of approval warm while he smiled at her. “You look great.” When his gaze lingered on her mouth, her pulse drummed.
“Thank you. I brought my iPad and thought we might get one more room done after dinner tonight.”
His smile broadened. “Sure, if you’d like,” he said, taking the iPad from her to place it on a table. “In a hurry to get through and get away?” he asked, walking closer to her. “Scared of me? Or taking your brother’s warnings seriously now? Or something else?” he added, studying her.
“I’m trying to stick to business,” she answered, her heart racing beneath his piercing gaze. His green eyes ignited memories of his mouth on hers, his tongue, his taste. The hot need for more then, as now, became a temptation to reach for him. She was fighting memories of his kisses that still could make her tingle merely thinking about them.
“Ever hear of stopping work for the evening?”
“I think sticking to business is a far safer course to follow.”
“Safer than being with me? I’m dangerous?” he asked, his dark eyebrows raising slightly. “How am I a threat? Boyfriend at home? What about Phillip? Your brother said you’re almost engaged. Is your brother wringing his hands until you’re away from me? What is it?” Jared asked.
“No boyfriend,” she said, barely able to recognize her own voice that had become breathless. “Phillip and I are old and close friends, that’s all. And I don’t have to answer to Sloan. He’s got his family, and I’m an adult now.”
“So what does that leave?” Jared prompted, his voice becoming deeper and his gaze intensifying, making her breathing difficult.
“That you’re an incredibly sexy, appealing man who might be a bit of a threat to my quiet life. You’re definitely not ready to settle down, whereas I have reached the point in my life where I’m more interested in long-term, serious relationships or none at all. Does that answer your question?” she asked, gazing up at him. Her heartbeat raced as she watched him. Her words should put up a wall between them, make him stop and think before he flirted or touched her.
“After that description, if you expect me to back off and become all business and purely professional—” He paused to shake his head and move still closer, resting one hand lightly on her shoulder, his fingers playing back and forth slowly on her nape, a sensitive, erotic part of her. “It isn’t going to happen,” he finished. She heard his words while his touch immobilized her. “Incredibly sexy,” he repeated in a hushed tone, leaning toward her. “I’m not going away when you tell me that’s how you see me.”
She placed her hand on his chest to stop him from coming any closer. Her heart pounded while she looked up at him and the tension between them heightened. As his gaze lowered to her mouth, it was impossible to draw in
