Be Mine(27)

Jenny groaned.

“Let me take care of this.” Nate’s voice had turned so hard and clipped that it seemed impossible he’d been kissing her neck so softly just seconds before. When he took a step forward, she put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“No, really. He’s harmless.”

“Jenny!” Ellis called with a goofy grin, as if she weren’t standing in the dark with another man. Good Lord. Nothing affected him. Ten years ago, she’d thought he was laid-back and sweet. He was. He was also vulnerable and way too open.

His eyes focused on Nate for a brief moment, and Ellis offered the same open smile. If he’d noticed the intimacy between the two of them, Ellis still wouldn’t be jealous. He never had been, which was why he hadn’t understood her reaction to his occasional slipup.

Nate seemed to accept the man’s harmlessness at that moment. The arm she’d been grasping lost a taut readiness she hadn’t registered until it disappeared.

“See?” she said under her breath. “He’s no danger to me.”

Well, not in the physical sense. But he was becoming a terrible danger to her love life.

Her heart sank to her stomach when she realized she’d have to send Nate away. Her body practically screamed its objection to that idea. It wanted him. Now. And it didn’t care what price needed to be paid for that privilege. But her brain was working with an unfortunate clarity. She’d asked Ellis to meet her at closing time, and he had, if a little late.

But maybe she could come up with some excuse. Maybe she could meet him another time. Then again, if she talked to him tonight, it might be done and over.

They stood in an awkward silence until Jenny finally made herself do the right thing.

“I’m sorry. I forgot I asked him to meet me. I didn’t know you’d be here. I should really... Damn. Maybe I could call you tomorrow?”

“Jenny, I don’t know.”

Ellis finally shrugged and approached with his familiar lope, so Nate lowered his voice. “I’m not comfortable leaving it like this.”

Neither was she. She was still reeling from that kiss. She was still wet and aching. But she pasted on a smile. “You’d better go,” she said, trying not to let her voice crack with grief.

Nate finally stopped watching Ellis and turned toward Jenny. She wanted to blurt out an apology right then. Wanted to explain or backtrack or something. But instead she met his gaze and smiled.

He watched carefully, giving Ellis—who’d miraculously had the good sense to stop ten feet away—one last glance before he shrugged. “All right. But I’ve already got your number, so I’ll call you. Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Please?” she added, one tiny concession to the wailing grief of her body.

His shoulders relaxed a little. “I’ll be in touch.” He paused just as he was turning away and aimed a quick glare toward Ellis. “Keep your phone out, okay? Call 911 if you get worried.”

“It’s fine!”

And it was fine. She wasn’t the least bit worried about Ellis as Nate walked to his truck and got in. He started the truck and backed out. Her only worry was that he wouldn’t call. And why would he?

She’d felt nothing but guilt about Ellis earlier, but now she was irritated at what he’d interrupted.

“I told you to go back to Idaho, Ellis!”

“I don’t have anything to go back to. I told you I lost my house to the bank.”

“I know, but those guys you’re hanging around are bad news. Jackson isn’t like your town. There’s money here. And people with money. You don’t know what they’re like. Kids who’ve spent their whole lives getting everything they wanted, and the so-called friends who want a piece of that.”

He shook his head like she was being silly. “It’s fine, Jenny. I’ve made some good friends, and I found a place to stay down in Hoback. I’m not crashing at Tex’s place anymore.”

She wanted to shake him. “You always get sucked into stuff, Ellis. Always.” Like marriage.

He rolled his eyes as if he’d heard her thought. “I’m not a kid anymore, Jennybug.”

Crossing her arms, she held her ground. “How did you lose your house?”

“I couldn’t pay the mortgage.”

“What mortgage? It was your mom’s. She left it to you free and clear.”

Ellis shifted and scratched his head, then rubbed his arms as if he’d just noticed the cold.

“I knew it,” she sighed.

“Look, it wasn’t some harebrained idea. The restaurant was a good opportunity and Chistopher knew exactly what he was doing! He just needed some start-up money. But then the recession hit, and...”

“Exactly. That’s why people don’t invest in restaurants. And yes—” She held up her hand to stop his next thought. “I’m sure Christopher is a great guy. Everyone’s a great guy as far as you’re concerned.”

“People are okay, Jenny. You don’t have to be so suspicious all the time.”

No, people were not okay. She wasn’t okay. Her parents weren’t okay. But she’d never get him to believe that. Hell, she’d left him after a few months of marriage, and here he was, telling her people were nice. “You said you needed a favor,” she sighed.

“I just need to store some stuff in your garage.” He blinked slowly. “If you have one, I mean.”

“What stuff?” she asked suspiciously.

“Landscaping stuff.”

“Landscaping?” she scoffed.

“Yeah. I’ve got a good thing started. All these rich people. The resorts. You know.”

“The resorts have their own gardeners,” she countered. “And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s winter.”

“I know! I’m on with a plowing company and working the contacts. Right now I’m acquiring a lot of supplies for spring and my van is jammed full of stuff. I need to get rid of some of it.”

“You said you had a place! Keep it there.”

“I’m at the Pineview Camp in Hoback. I have to walk to the bathroom. You think I have storage space? Just help me out. Please, Jenny?”

“God!” she groaned, tipping her head back to glare at the stars. Her breath hovered briefly, haloing the constellations in pale white before the wisps floated away. “Why did you even come here?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Because I thought you’d help. I thought... You loved me once. I was pretty cool after you walked out on me, Jenny. I signed the papers you wanted me to sign. I never gave you any shit about it. But I was still your husband, even if you want to pretend I never existed.”

Crap. His easy smile was gone now. He looked dead serious. And he was right. She did want to forget about it. She did go through life pretending he didn’t exist. “I’m sorry, Ellis.”

“I know you are.”

A sound snuck to her ear on the breeze, something long and lonesome. A wolf, way off in the Tetons somewhere. She shivered and told herself it was a coyote.

She didn’t owe Ellis anything. She didn’t. They’d both been too young to know what they were doing. So why couldn’t she leave this guilt behind? Why couldn’t she leave any of her guilt behind?

But she knew the answer to that. Even if she’d been young and stupid, she’d known better than to marry him. When he’d asked her, somewhere deep in her heart she’d known the warmth hadn’t been love. It had been relief. She’d been on her own for almost a year and she’d felt lost, and Ellis had loved her. And he’d owned a house. And she’d just wanted some security for once in her life.

Jenny cleared her throat. She told herself not to do it. She ordered herself to say no. But somehow her mouth opened with “Okay. But only for a little while.”

Ellis grinned. His smile was still a little boy’s grin, full of pride and joy and charm.

“Let’s get it over with. You can follow me home.”

“Whatever you say.”

She thought of driving straight out of town again. But this time, her past was right on her tail. Better to wait until she lost him before she disappeared.





CHAPTER FOUR



NATE’S MORNING QUICKLY went from bad to worse. Well, “bad” in the moral sense and “worse” in the sense that he was now in the mood to throw everyone in jail and sort out the details later.

He’d awoken to a vicious hard-on and indecent thoughts of Jenny Stone. He shouldn’t have embraced the situation quite so thoroughly. He’d felt guilty even as he’d taken his cock in a tight grip and groaned with relief. He shouldn’t have thought about her, but he hadn’t had much choice. She’d driven him crazy last night. Just that first sweet sigh against his mouth would’ve been enough, but she’d added a hundred other moments to set his heart racing. The sounds she’d made. The touches she’d granted. She’d been wild for him. Just a little. Just enough that he knew it would be good in a million different ways.