In his strong arms there was no room for fear, the only danger to her heart.
By the time he dragged his lips from hers everything had changed. They’d moved from casual neighbors to friends to near-lovers in a short forty-eight hours. As much as her body yearned for what she knew would be out of this world pleasure with Jason, her head wouldn’t allow total surrender. Some shred of self-preservation held her back from giving him everything.
It was too soon. Too fast. Brinley needed to catch her breath.
She placed her palms on his chest and could feel his heart under her fingers, racing as quickly as her own.
“That was…amazing,” she finally said.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not happy about that? Usually an amazing kiss is a good thing.”
“It is good,” she protested, trying to find the right words to explain what barely made sense in her own mind. “I just don’t want to move too fast, that’s all. I’ve done it before and it didn’t turn out all that well.”
For his part, Jason didn’t look too upset by her edict. “I can understand that and respect it. I’ve done the same. I guess it wouldn’t be bad to slow things down, especially since I’m supposed to be keeping you safe, not stripping you naked.”
Heat burned in her cheeks as a vision of the two of them undressed and writhing on a bed flashed in front of her eyes. She’d never been much for sex in the past – she usually ended up disappointed – but with Jason it promised to be very good indeed.
“So we’ll slow things down then?”
He’d agreed so she couldn’t understand why she felt depressed at the mere thought. It was just that the kiss had been so damn hot…
“Slow and steady. That’s what I always say.”
A take charge kind of man like Jason had probably never said those words in his entire life.
“Really? I haven’t heard you say that since I’ve met you.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Jason gave her a grim smile. “Actually I never say that. I was just trying to be a good sport about getting slapped down.”
“You didn’t get slapped down. I just…” Brinley took a deep breath and tried to explain. “With everything going on I feel kind of overwhelmed at the moment. It’s not that I’m not attracted to you. Because I am–”
“Brinley, stop,” Jason commanded, bringing a halt to her emotional babbling. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I get it. You have a lot going on in your life right now and it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. When the time is right we’ll both know it. And honestly? This isn’t the moment. But when it’s time I do have one request.”
He was grinning now and she couldn’t do anything but smile in return. He’d taken an awkward situation and turned it completely around. Another reason she liked him so much. “Name it.”
He leaned closer so he was whispering in her ear. “Be gentle with me.”
Choking with laughter, she sighed dramatically and tapped her chin in consideration. “I’m not sure I can promise that.”
To her delight Jason chuckled and dropped a kiss on her nose. “Fair enough. How about we head back to the barn?”
Jason helped her mount up and they rode slowly back, taking their time and enjoying the quiet of the evening. He was a special man not to have taken offense. She’d known plenty of males that would have pouted or been angry. He really did understand her need to slow things down.
The funny thing was…now that he’d agreed to do it, she wasn’t so damn sure that’s what she wanted.
Because she wanted him more than anything.
Chapter Thirteen
‡
The next morning Jason peeked in on a sleeping Brinley before getting to work. Lying with her cheek pillowed on her hand, she looked peaceful and worry free. Not at all like the woman of last night who had been first angry with him for investigating her background and then obviously scared of the two of them moving too fast.
He had pushed too much but the fire that burned between them was too hot to ignore. One way or another, he was going to end up in bed with the pretty Miss Snow. It was only a matter of when, not if.
A knock on the door and Huck barking had Jason jogging down the hall to answer it before Brinley woke up. They’d both stayed up until about two in the morning and he wanted her to get some rest. He was used to not sleeping so it didn’t bother him as much.
“You’re late,” Jason said as he opened the door to his business partner and best friend Logan Wright. Logan had been a small town sheriff when Jason had met him but now he was a full-fledged partner in JLJ Consulting, doing most of the field work. Today he was going to watch over Brinley while Jason and West went to talk to Anita Hazlitt. “But I’ll forgive you if you have donuts.”
Logan, with his patented grin, held up a white paper bag even as he scratched Huck behind the ears. “Would I disappoint you? Now get out of my way. I need a cup of coffee stat.”
Jason stepped back to allow Logan to pass. “I just made a fresh pot. Help yourself.”
Dropping the bag on the counter, Logan reached into the cabinet and pulled down a mug, Huck right beside him.
“So all you need me to do today is a babysitting job? Sounds too easy. There must be a catch or something.”
Jason bit into the glazed cruller with relish before tossing a piece to Huck, who downed it in one gulp. “No catch. West and I are going to talk to Roger Gaines’s supposed girlfriend and I don’t want to take Brinley along. For all we know Anita is the killer. A crime of passion, so to speak. I don’t want Brinley in the line of fire if things go south.”
“So Jared found her? That man needs to sleep more.”
Logan was the father of twin toddlers so he didn’t have much room to talk.
“The way you’re slurping down that java it looks like you could do with a little more shut eye too.”
Logan grinned over his coffee cup. “I do okay in that department. But on those rare occasions both kids are actually asleep, Ava and I have much better things to do than rest.”
“I’m a poor, lonely bachelor so spare me the details.” Jason held up his sticky hands in surrender.
“With a pretty houseguest to protect you don’t sound too lonely to me,” Logan shot back with a laugh. “Be careful or you’ll end up like the rest of us. Married with kids and driving a minivan.”
“Don’t give me that shit. You love being a family man. And you don’t drive a minivan. You drive a truck.”
“By the grace of God,” Logan said dramatically. “But didn’t Jared tell you? He bought Misty a minivan last week. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes the default transportation for them. Poor bastard.”
“There are worse things,” Jason chuckled at the look of dismay on his friend’s face. “Although none come to mind at the moment.”
Logan leaned forward as if to say something very private. “Don’t tell anyone this…but the other day I was watching something on television. I don’t remember what it was. But a commercial for a minivan came on and I actually found myself thinking that it looked like a nice vehicle. Holy shit. Luckily I caught myself in time and told Ava to slap the crap out of me if I ever say the ‘M’ word. Of course she said she’d be happy to.”