Bella said on a sigh, “but not about this, obviously.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“No,” Bella admitted, meeting his gaze squarely, “just confused.”
“Well, now,” Jesse said, still giving her that amazing smile of his, “I’ve gotta say, I consider that a step in the right direction.”
“How’s that?”
“Confusion means you’re no longer so sure that I’m the devil incarnate and that means just maybe you’re willing to take a chance.”
Her heartbeat quickened and her stomach did a slow roll and spin. Darn it, her body was working against her. Bella knew, logically, that she should stay very far away from Jesse King. She’d already been burned once, so wouldn’t it be the height of stupidity to stand in line to be burned again?
Yet…he was buying his cousin’s wife emeralds. He was close enough to his family that he not only wanted to do something special for the new mom, but it felt right to him to do it. That said something about him, too, didn’t it?
Life had been a lot easier when she had just hated him.
“What kind of chance?” she finally asked.
That smile of his brightened even further. “How about you give me the opportunity to take you around my offices. Show you I’m not the CEO of the evil empire that you think I am.”
“Why do you care what I think?” she asked, instead of answering his question.
He studied her for a long minute before admitting, “I’m not sure, but I do.”
“That’s honest anyway.”
“I’m just that kind of guy.”
“Hmm. That’s yet to be seen,” Bella said softly, “but I’ll take the tour of King Beach.”
“That’s good enough for now,” he said. “How about in an hour?”
“Fine,” she said, the fight gone out of her as her mind and heart and body all struggled to make sense of this latest insight into Jesse King.
“Okay. See you then.” He walked out of Kevin’s shop without a backward glance, leaving Bella feeling more confused than ever.
Jesse waited for Bella on the sidewalk outside King Beach. For some weird reason, he felt almost like a teenager on a first date. Which was beyond stupid. Since not only wasn’t this a date, but he’d already slept with Bella. So it wasn’t as if this was the first time he would ever be alone with her.
Late-afternoon sunlight poured down on him from a brilliant blue sky. Traffic down Main Street was light, but the sidewalks were filled with people strolling in and out of the shops in the newly rehabbed business district. Everyone in Morgan Beach was happy with what he’d done there. Everyone but the one woman he was interested in.
Were the fates finally getting back at him? His entire life, women had come easily to him. Now, there was Bella. A woman whose memory had haunted him for three years and now that he’d found her again she wanted nothing to do with him. Even worse, she had something going on with that Kevin guy. But what? he wondered. Was she in love with the other man?
Scowling at the thought, Jesse told himself it didn’t matter. Whatever she felt for someone else could be dealt with. He wanted Bella and Jesse King didn’t lose. Ever.
“Well, you look fierce.”
He snapped out of his thoughts and looked down into chocolate-brown eyes. She’d slipped up on him unnoticed and he couldn’t figure out how. Her scent alone should have alerted him. It was a blend of flowers and spice that somehow reminded him of summer nights. Well, one summer night in particular.
“Sorry,” he said, smiling at her. “Just thinking.”
“Couldn’t have been happy thoughts.”
“You might be surprised,” he said and took her arm, turning her toward the front door of King Beach headquarters. When he took a step forward though, she didn’t move. Turning to look down at her again, he asked, “What’s the problem?”
She frowned, chewed at her bottom lip and finally admitted, “I feel as if I’m walking into enemy territory.”
“Expecting an ambush?”
She whipped her long, thick, brown hair out of her way and stared up at him. “Honestly, I don’t know what to expect.”
“Well, then,” Jesse said, enjoying her nervousness a bit, “let’s get started and satisfy your curiosity.”
He led her through the door and paused just inside the threshold. A receptionist’s desk sat just opposite the door and the woman seated there was busily answering a phone that rang incessantly. Smiling at the woman, Jesse walked past her to the elevator bank, pushed the button and waited, still holding on to Bella as if he were worried that she’d bolt.
But she didn’t. She stood there with an expression that made him think of martyrs about to be burned at the stake. He wished she would smile. Amazing how this one badly dressed woman could get to him so easily.
Over the last few days though, his mind had been filling in some blanks. Now that he knew who his mystery woman was, his memory of that night three years ago was becoming clearer. He could see her face now, as she’d looked in the moonlight. He could hear her voice, sighing. And he damn well remembered that she hadn’t dressed like a Hungarian peasant back in the day. So he couldn’t help wondering why she was dressing that way now.
Only one way to find out. “So, want to tell me why you wear those shapeless clothes?”
“Excuse me?” She turned her face up to his.
He waved one hand to encompass her loose, pale green shirt and flowing, floor-length yellow skirt. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. After all, he was trying to charm and seduce her, not piss her off further. But dammit, he’d seen the body she had hidden underneath all that fabric and he couldn’t understand why she was so determined to disguise it. Especially, he thought, since she hadn’t before. He distinctly remembered her wearing faded jeans and a low-necked, body-hugging T-shirt.
She flushed and Jesse was charmed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a woman blush. But her one moment of embarrassment was gone an instant later. Her dark eyes flashed as she said, “Not that it’s any of your business, but I like wearing natural fabrics.”
He should have backed off, but couldn’t help himself. “Natural, sure. But why…” He shook his head, clearly baffled.
The elevator chimed, the doors hissed open and Bella stepped inside. Turning around sharply, she lifted her chin, glared at him and said, “I stopped wearing formfitting clothes three years ago when I discovered it attracted men who were interested in only one thing.”
In the harsh, overhead glare of the fluorescent
