Her lips pursed in annoyance. "Okay, whatever," she said, dismissing the entire incident with a wave of her hand. Then she moved off his lap and started picking her clothes up off the floor. "I think it's time I went home."
Knowing that they'd just reached a stalemate, he didn't try and convince her to stay. He could only hope that in time she'd come to realize that he wasn't like all the other men she dated. That he wanted more than just her body or a quick lay.
He wanted all of her, and he'd accept nothing less.
LORA had no idea where Joel was taking her, and quite frankly, she didn't care. He'd told her they were heading out of the city for a few days, so she could rest, relax, and regroup. She appreciated the gesture more than he could know. After falling apart at The Electric Blue during the Halloween bash, she was forced to admit that she was more on edge about Zach, and the situation he'd gotten her into, than she'd realized.
On the long drive, they made a stop for lunch at a roadside café, then again at a market to pick up groceries, which made Lora all the more curious to find out where they were going. But with each mile that passed between Chicago and their destination, she felt the tension that had been crowding in her chest ease. She decided that if Joel was making the effort to take her out of the city and away from the stress in her life, then she was going to enjoy the time away with him.
She cast a glance at the man sitting beside her in the car, his gaze pointed straight ahead as he drove. Now if only she could get Joel to lighten up, they could have a great time together. But so far, he was still in "bodyguard" mode-way too serious and all business.
A while later, they passed a sign that read KANKAKEE RIVER STATE PARK, and Joel turned off the highway and began following a paved road that eventually gave way to a dirt path. All around them, they were surrounded by large overhanging trees, lush foliage, and craggy rocks. She caught sight of a large creek with flowing crystalline water just as they rounded a bend and Joel brought the vehicle to a stop in front of a cabin that was located, quite literally, out in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing around them but nature for miles, which made the place a perfect hideaway retreat.
"Whose place is this?" she asked curiously. She'd been expecting a hotel somewhere, possibly a small town off the beaten path, but not a secluded cabin. "Does it belong to one of your connections?" she teased.
"You could say that." He cut the engine, withdrew the keys from the ignition, and briefly met her gaze. "The cabin belongs to my aunt and uncle." He opened the door and headed around to the back of the SUV to unload their stuff.
She followed from the other side. It was early afternoon, and while the sun was shining overhead, the air was crisp and cool, making it an absolutely gorgeous day. "It was nice of them to let you use it."
Lifting the rear door, he reached in and handed her a few of the grocery bags filled with food and other necessities, then grabbed the small duffel bags they'd packed. "They'd never tell their favorite nephew no."
She laughed in amusement. "Don't you have two brothers?"
A hint of humor lurked in his bright blue gaze as they walked side by side toward the front steps leading to the cabin's porch. "Yeah, but I'm their favorite."
"Well, you can certainly be charming when you put your mind to it."
Though, admittedly, it had been way too long since she'd seen that playful side to Joel's personality, and she missed his sexy smiles and flirtatious comments, along with the comfortable, amicable companionship they'd shared. Then there was the undeniable awareness still simmering between them that he was doing his absolute best to avoid and resist.
He unlocked the front door and held it open for her to enter before him. She walked inside, admiring the small but cozy interior of the cabin. From the living room, she could see two individual bedrooms, a bathroom, and a compact dining area that adjoined the kitchen.
With her arms loaded with groceries, she headed toward the kitchen while Joel dropped their duffel bags off in separate bedrooms, making it very clear that this was a working vacation for him, and he wasn't about to allow any distractions-meaning her and their attraction-to change that.
She sighed as she shelved the canned goods they'd bought, then put away the items that needed to remain cold in the small refrigerator, which had been left on. There were already frozen meals in the freezer for them to use, and plenty of other dry foods stored in tightly covered containers.
Hearing Joel's footsteps behind her, she turned around and found him standing in the doorway, looking as gorgeous as ever dressed in all black. She tried not to think about that amazing body of his beneath those tight, dark clothes, and instead focused on what they could have for their next meal.
She grabbed a canned item, glanced at the label, and decided to keep things simple and easy. "How does navy bean soup and grilled cheese sandwiches sound for dinner?"
"Great." He absently pushed his fingers through his too-long hair and rubbed at the back of his neck with his hand, looking much too tense and on edge. "If you wouldn't mind putting away the rest of the groceries, then opening up the place to let it air out, I'm going outside to get some things done. I also need to chop some fresh wood for the fireplace. A storm is supposed to be moving in by this evening, so I want to be prepared."
Considering the nice weather she'd just encountered, she had to wonder if he was using an approaching storm as an excuse to keep his distance from her. "Sure. No problem."
Once he was gone and she heard the screen door shut behind him, Lora finished putting the rest of the groceries away, then opened the windows in the cabin to let fresh air in, as he'd requested. Before long, she heard the steady thump, thump, thump of Joel splitting logs outside, and found herself drawn to one of the windows overlooking the side yard where he was working.
He was wearing a T-shirt, but she could still see the play of corded muscles in his shoulders, back, and arms as he swung the axe downward, then lifted it once again to repeat the motion. Too easily, she recalled how all that firm skin felt beneath her hands, along with the heat and strength inherent in every inch of his body as he moved over her, inside her.
She felt the familiar stir of longing when it came to this man, the tug and pull of desire deep inside of her. A cool breeze blew outside, ruffling his long, inky hair around his head and at the back of his neck. Those thick strands, she knew, were silky soft as they sifted through her fingers, and it had been much too long since she'd enjoyed that luxury. Much too long since Joel had allowed her to get close enough to touch him in any way that might be construed as too intimate.
Sighing, she leaned against the window frame and continued watching Joel as he worked. Since the night of the first attack and his claim that their attraction was too much of a distraction when it came to keeping her safe, she'd been waiting patiently for him to come around, to realize that what they shared was more than a one-night stand. To admit that he was far more distracted, not to mention grumpy, denying what was so obviously between them.
But it was more than just sex that she wanted from Joel, and that was a huge revelation for her. When she'd first met him, she'd been so adamant about not allowing herself to get involved with any man-especially after enduring such a tumultuous and emotionally devastating relationship with Brent. Work and making a life for herself had been her main focus, along with her future goal of opening her own spa one day soon.
But she'd never expected to meet a man like Joel. He was everything that Brent hadn't been. Joel Wilde was the real deal, a man with honor and integrity. And unlike her own father, then Brent, and even her brother, Zach, Joel was a man she could depend on, trust, and give her whole heart to, if he'd let her. And despite his own warning that he didn't have any room in his life for commitments and promises, and that he didn't do love, she believed differently.