soft the cotton was, he wore often, and it was tantalizing to think that what was now against her skin had once been against his. She passed another quick check in the direction he’d gone and then lifted the sleeve to her nose and breathed in deeply. The scent of his fabric softener was heavenly, and that was when she decided she’d completely lost it. The instant a person started to think of Downy as a cologne probably meant a rubber room couldn’t be far behind.
Feeling off-center himself, Devlin McCloud came back around the corner just as the woman he’d been preoccupied with all afternoon and all evening was bending down and sliding between a set of his sheets. Without meaning to, he caught a long view of her shapely legs and his hand tightened hard against the glass of scotch he was holding. He couldn’t help but keep watching as she got in the makeshift bed and pulled up the sheets to her chin.
“Now what have I done?” she asked.
“Nothing. Why?”
“You’ve got that jungle-cat-measuring-an-antelope look, so I figured I’d ask.”
Instead of responding, Devlin turned off the overhead light and took a healthy swig of the brown liquor. He wasn’t much of a drinker but he had a feeling that sleep was going to be elusive. And that was before he’d caught a glimpse of the smooth expanse of her calf and thigh. Now there was heat swirling around his gut and he knew it wasn’t just the scotch.
“Bath’s down the hall. Shower’s upstairs if you need it in the morning.”
“Thanks again,” A.J. murmured, obviously giving herself up to exhaustion.
It was a long time that he stayed in the shadows and watched the woman until, totally disturbed, he went to the stairs. Even then, he found it difficult to leave. He stood, with one foot on the bottom step, and looked at her in the reflected glow of the fire he’d banked hours before. Auburnhair was spread across the pillow he’d given her in a glorious dark wave, and in the dim light the perfectly formed features of her face seemed heaven made, not of the earth at all. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself going to her, slipping a hand under the silken weight of her hair and lifting her lips to his. She would taste like honey. All warm golden sweetness.
Shit, he thought. Why couldn’t she have turned up looking for nothing more complicated than a date?
Although, when he thought about it, he knew an evening out with her would be anything but simple. The woman had a way of lighting up a room that distracted him like nothing else he’d ever run across.
I may be in trouble here, he thought.
He found the strength of his attraction to her surprising and told himself it must be because he hadn’t been with a woman in a long time. Before the accident, he’d never had much time for a personal life. Since then, he hadn’t had any interest in one. It had been a long time since he’d felt anything other than pain and he’d forgotten his heart had the capacity for anything else. Now, for the first time since his accident, he was looking at something he found beautiful.
Or someone, as was the case.
A.J. stirred, letting out a soft sigh.
It was like an invitation had been whispered against his ear and he found himself getting hard.
With a fumbling movement, Devlin tossed back the last of the scotch and went upstairs.
The next morning, A.J. was up with the sun, pulling on her jeans and boots and putting the couch back in order as quietly as she could. As she sneaked out the front door to hightail it down to the barn, she glanced up at the windows on the second story. She wondered whether Devlin was sleeping. And what he looked like when he was at rest.
He was probably back in those pajama bottoms again, she thought. Or had he pulled them on quickly to answer the door because he slept in the nude?
Suddenly, the early-morning chill didn’t seem all that chilly.
Doing her best to push her wayward thoughts out of her mind, she rushed down to the barn. The
Feeling off-center himself, Devlin McCloud came back around the corner just as the woman he’d been preoccupied with all afternoon and all evening was bending down and sliding between a set of his sheets. Without meaning to, he caught a long view of her shapely legs and his hand tightened hard against the glass of scotch he was holding. He couldn’t help but keep watching as she got in the makeshift bed and pulled up the sheets to her chin.
“Now what have I done?” she asked.
“Nothing. Why?”
“You’ve got that jungle-cat-measuring-an-antelope look, so I figured I’d ask.”
Instead of responding, Devlin turned off the overhead light and took a healthy swig of the brown liquor. He wasn’t much of a drinker but he had a feeling that sleep was going to be elusive. And that was before he’d caught a glimpse of the smooth expanse of her calf and thigh. Now there was heat swirling around his gut and he knew it wasn’t just the scotch.
“Bath’s down the hall. Shower’s upstairs if you need it in the morning.”
“Thanks again,” A.J. murmured, obviously giving herself up to exhaustion.
It was a long time that he stayed in the shadows and watched the woman until, totally disturbed, he went to the stairs. Even then, he found it difficult to leave. He stood, with one foot on the bottom step, and looked at her in the reflected glow of the fire he’d banked hours before. Auburnhair was spread across the pillow he’d given her in a glorious dark wave, and in the dim light the perfectly formed features of her face seemed heaven made, not of the earth at all. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself going to her, slipping a hand under the silken weight of her hair and lifting her lips to his. She would taste like honey. All warm golden sweetness.
Shit, he thought. Why couldn’t she have turned up looking for nothing more complicated than a date?
Although, when he thought about it, he knew an evening out with her would be anything but simple. The woman had a way of lighting up a room that distracted him like nothing else he’d ever run across.
I may be in trouble here, he thought.
He found the strength of his attraction to her surprising and told himself it must be because he hadn’t been with a woman in a long time. Before the accident, he’d never had much time for a personal life. Since then, he hadn’t had any interest in one. It had been a long time since he’d felt anything other than pain and he’d forgotten his heart had the capacity for anything else. Now, for the first time since his accident, he was looking at something he found beautiful.
Or someone, as was the case.
A.J. stirred, letting out a soft sigh.
It was like an invitation had been whispered against his ear and he found himself getting hard.
With a fumbling movement, Devlin tossed back the last of the scotch and went upstairs.
The next morning, A.J. was up with the sun, pulling on her jeans and boots and putting the couch back in order as quietly as she could. As she sneaked out the front door to hightail it down to the barn, she glanced up at the windows on the second story. She wondered whether Devlin was sleeping. And what he looked like when he was at rest.
He was probably back in those pajama bottoms again, she thought. Or had he pulled them on quickly to answer the door because he slept in the nude?
Suddenly, the early-morning chill didn’t seem all that chilly.
Doing her best to push her wayward thoughts out of her mind, she rushed down to the barn. The
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