Temptation Ridge (Virgin River #6)(68)

“Wow. There aren’t many secrets around here.”

“No one said anything,” Paul said. “No one had to.”

“Did anyone warn Vanni when you were sneaking into her bed at night?” she asked softly. “Paul, he’s wonderful, but I’m not naive. I understand what kind of man he is.” She shrugged. “Right now, he’s what I want. And he’s very good to me.”

“He’d better be. You can tell him, if he isn’t, he’ll answer to me.”

“I don’t think I’m going to have to tell him that.” She rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Now let me be. I have a man in my life. At last.” Maybe not for long, she reminded herself. But at the moment—a good man.

Okay, the joke’s on me, Luke thought.

Shelby had left his bed and he’d taken her home at about four o’clock and he had hated it. He was not nearly ready to let her go. Far from cured of her, he wanted her more than ever. And not just her body, all of her—her sweet laugh, her soft mane of hair, her gentle and secure way of dealing with him and everything else in her life. He had warned himself not to get involved with someone so innocent and it had turned out he was the innocent—not prepared to feel such a rush of emotion. Every time he remembered her voice whispering, “Show me, Luke. I want to learn what makes you feel good,” it sent a ripple of desire shooting through him that almost overpowered him, leaving him weak in the knees.

He hadn’t gone to Jack’s for his beer tonight. He didn’t feel like being around anyone, unless it was Shelby. Right now when he thought of her, his eyes steamed with lust. He felt electric shocks soar through his whole body. He couldn’t be in the same room with her and keep his hands to himself. So he’d stayed home to feel those things in private, undistracted.

He went to Art’s cabin and helped him fix some chicken and dumplings with vegetables out of a can. They talked for a while about what they’d do around the cabins in the morning, then Luke went back to the house. He made himself a sandwich, drank a beer, took a shower, content to be alone. His mind was whirring with the memory of holding her, touching her silky skin, feeling her warm, fragrant breath against his chest. He could still smell her, taste her, even after the beer.

He had never felt like this before in his life. Never.

Wearing just a pair of jeans, no shoes or shirt, he sat on the sofa in his small living room in front of the fire, feet up on the ottoman, holding a beer by the neck of the bottle, thinking of nothing but her awesome body, her luscious lips, and all too often, the way he felt inside her. Had he warned her to be careful of him, that he was a heartbreaker? Jesus, he was an idiot was what he was. Thinking there would never be a woman he’d want to hang on to. Thinking he’d take his taste and move on.

He heard an engine and headlights bounced through the front window. He stood up, holding his breath. For a moment he was sure Walt had come for him; come to work him over for touching Shelby. He heard a soft knock at the door. When he opened it, she stood there, a backpack slung over one shoulder and that alluring smile on her lips. He felt his chest expand in ways he didn’t recognize and knew that his eyes had grown molten and dark.

“You’re here,” she said.

He opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace. “Where did you think I’d be?”

“I don’t know.” She looked up at him. “Out for the evening? Prowling?”

“Baby, you worked all the prowl out of me this afternoon.” He pushed the door closed without letting go of her.

“I probably shouldn’t have come back.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I might’ve had a little too much of a good thing. I’m spotting and I’m sore,” she said.

He ran a hand across her cheek, lifted her chin and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ll just hold you. We wouldn’t want to do any damage. I’m sorry if I made you sore.”

“It wasn’t so much you as the newness, Luke. You were careful. But I just wanted to feel your arms around me some more.” She laughed and buried her face in his chest. “I wanted to smell your chest.”

A deep sigh escaped him and he tightened his arms. He was just beginning to admit it to himself—he was in love with her. Totally gone. “Where does your family think you are?”

“With you. For the night, if you want me to stay.”

He held her away from him and frowned. “You told them?”

“Is that all right?”

“I don’t care who knows—but what about you?”

“I didn’t have to tell anyone,” she said. “Paul and Vanni took one look at me and told me to be careful. They all think I’m so fragile and you’re a rogue. I’m not.” She smiled. “And you’re not.”

He pulled the backpack off her shoulder and put it on the breakfast bar. “I was hard on you earlier, Shelby. Trying to push you away, trying to scare you. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “Luke, I had made up my mind. Couldn’t you tell?”

It was just beginning to dawn on him. “When did you decide?” he asked her.

“Not right away. I had to get to know you a little. And—” she laughed “—there was that tool belt.”

“You had a job for me to do, didn’t you, Shelby?”