Conflicted (Everlasting Love)(28)

She heard the door open and his footsteps come to an abrupt halt. Taking a deep breath, she turned, smiling, to greet the man she was determined to spend the rest of her life with.

He was frowning, his eyes narrow and suspicious as he examined the small table set for two. His gaze met hers from across the room, anything but welcoming.

For a second her courage deserted her and she had to fight the urge to run as fast and as far as her skinny heels would carry her. Then she noticed the quick flicker in his eyes, the spark of desire that came and went so quickly she might have imagined it.

“Hey, Jesse.” She approached him.

“Desiree. What are you doing here?”

“We haven’t said more than ten words to each other since I got back from school a few months ago. I thought it was past time that we caught up.”

He raised an eyebrow sardonically. “Caught up, huh?”

She flushed. “Absolutely.” She gestured to the kitchen. “I made dinner. I thought we could talk while we ate.”

He stalked toward her. “What is it, exactly, that you want to talk about, Desiree?” His voice was low, unnerving.

She shrugged, forced a laugh, tried desperately to look and sound unconcerned. “You. The horses. The ranch. Whatever.”

This time both eyebrows rose. “Whatever?” He continued to cross the room with slow, deliberate steps.

She knew she should hold her ground, knew she shouldn’t let him see that he intimidated her. Still, she retreated. One step, then another and another, as he came closer.

Before Desiree knew it, she was backed against the kitchen counter, Jesse’s long, lithe body only inches from her own. He smelled like horses, like fire, like sweat—a combination that should have been unpleasant but wasn’t. She took a deep breath, savoring the sexy, seductive scent of him.

Electricity crackled between them. She wanted to touch him, to run her fingers through the silky darkness of his hair as she pressed her body to his and begged him to take her. She wanted to feel his lips on her, needed to touch and taste him everywhere at once. Her nipples peaked beneath her lace bra at the thought, and an ache started low in her belly as her breathing grew ragged. She watched his eyes darken to ebony, felt the heat radiating from him and knew, finally, that he wasn’t nearly as unmoved as he wanted her to believe.

“Jesse.” She was restless, aching for him in every cell of her being.

She watched his gaze drop to her breasts, felt his sudden intake of breath as he stared at the tight buds pressing against the thin silk of her dress. He leaned closer, crowding her, his chest scant inches from her own as his lips hovered over hers.

“Jesse.” It was a plea, and both of them knew it. Her eyelids fluttered as seconds stretched into a minute. Then he was reaching for her, past her, snatching a carrot slice from the salad and turning away.

“I need to take a shower before we eat,” he commented as he headed toward his bedroom, his breathing level and his long stride relaxed. “I’ll make it quick.”

Desiree stared, openmouthed, as the door closed behind him. Her knees trembled, but she locked them in place as fury ripped through her. The bastard. The unbelievable, arrogant bastard!

How dare he get her all stirred up, then walk away?

How dare he get that close, then not follow through?

How dare he not want her?

Her eyes narrowed as she heard the shower start, as she imagined him stripping that beautiful body. A picture rose in her head—him wet and naked, his long hair slicked back and his bronze body glistening as water and steam surrounded him.

Desire rose sharply and nearly drowned out the anger. Nearly.

Eyes narrowed in calculation, she drained the pasta, switched off the sauce. Should she have dinner ready and waiting when he got out, as if he hadn’t just rejected her for the millionth time? Should she leave, duck out before he finished his shower? Everything in her—from her pride to her love for him—rebelled at the thought of turning tail. Or should she stay and seduce him as he’d never been seduced before?

Desiree grinned slyly—as if she even had to think about the choices. There was only one place she wanted to be and that was in the shower with him. She reviewed her earlier plan, making changes in her head even as she stealthily opened the bedroom door. She’d show Jesse. She’d make him beg to have her, make him grovel before he laid a hand on her.

Crossing the room to the open bathroom door, she inhaled his scent floating on the billowing steam. Watched as his silhouette moved behind the shower curtain. And began to undress. Quickly, before she second-guessed herself. Before she changed her mind.

When she was naked, Desiree took a deep breath and prayed that she was doing the right thing. Then, with fingers crossed, she slipped soundlessly into the shower.

Jesse faced the spray, his head bent as water cascaded over his hair and down his muscular chest. His arms were braced against the wall, the muscles in his arms and shoulders rigid.

He spun to face her as she closed the shower curtain and she nearly swallowed her tongue at her first look at his naked, heavily aroused body—so long and hard that she was sure he must be in pain. Any plans she had flew right out of her head.

“What are you doing?” he barked, his voice low and tormented as he stared at her.

She cleared her throat and moved so that she was next to him, so close she could share the warm spray. He tensed even more, shifting so she had more space. Though it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, Desiree smiled and reached, with studied casualness, for a bottle of shampoo. “It occurred to me that I could use a shower, too. I’ve been working with the horses most of the day.”