Secret Admirer: Secret Kisses / Hidden Hearts / Dream Marriage

Chapter 7

Jane got to Matt’s ancient, blue trailer about 7:00 a.m. It had rained during the night, but the sun was up and bathing the trees and his horrendously ostentatious, three-story mansion with a magical sparkling peach light.

For a moment she stared at the tasteless house that was obviously being built to impress. The man was too much. There were gaudy turrets and too many rooflines, but doves were cooing around an enormous birdbath. A gray cat lurked underneath a bush nearby. Jane liked the trees and the quiet, and the way the woodsy, warm air smelled sweetly of cedar. She liked the fact that he had a cat, too.

What was she thinking, coming here? Well, there was nothing for it but to deal with Mr. Harper as fast as possible so she could check him off her to-do list and get herself safely to work.

Quickly she got out of her Honda. With an apprehensive smile, she picked up the breakfast tray stacked with covered plates she’d prepared and picked her way across the rocky ground to his trailer.

Scared as she was at facing the devil in his lair, she couldn’t help noting that except for the trailer and the house, it really was pretty out here. Dewdrops sparkled on the leaves and turned a spiderweb into a carelessly tossed diamond necklace clinging to the branches of the live oak that shaded his trailer.

Curious, the gray cat followed her and leaped onto a large cardboard box with a picture of a window air-conditioning unit on it. The big box looked too wide to go through the door. Maybe that’s why it had been shoved to the side of a rickety set of stairs.

When she placed her foot onto his first flimsy step, the wood sagged, and her heart began to beat with alarm. The trailer was dark and silent and uninviting. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand to the door, but before she could knock, a deep, sleep-slurred voice that made her nerves vibrate said, “Come on in, darlin’.”

The cat dashed expectantly up to the door and me-owed. For a second or two Jane lingered, studying the fat black spider resting in the center of its web. The spider had several victims already. One was a pretty, blue butterfly still struggling to get loose.

Jane swallowed. She’d dressed carefully in a high-collared white blouse, long blue skirt that brushed her ankles, and white cowboy boots. The better to stomp into his trailer and kick him if he got fresh, she’d thought. She’d worn her glasses, and her hair was snug against her nape and secured with even more pins than ever. Some vain, rebellious part of her regretted that the hairdo, glasses and understated makeup had succeeded in making her look so severe and icy.

Cautiously she stuck her head inside his door while the cat scurried past her. The shadowy trailer was hot, but the coast appeared to be clear to the sink and stove, so she was inside before she realized he’d been asleep on the couch, which meant he was right beside her and close enough to grab her.

When he sprang to a sitting position, white sheets fell to his waist. Even in the semidarkness she could see that he was lean and nut brown—everywhere. Which meant he wasn’t wearing much. If anything.

His broad shoulders, wide chest and powerful arms were made of sculpted muscle. His drowsy green eyes, and his heavy, tousled black hair made him look so adorable she had to fight for her next breath. With an effort, she pretended to ignore the funny little darts of excitement zinging through her stomach. She knew she should glance away, but then he looked up at her and blushed shyly, and his gaze seemed full of longing. Was the blush a trick? Did he feel shy and vulnerable around her too? It was strange to think such a thing, that he might not always be as sure and cocky as she assumed he was.

Whatever he felt, he was not to be trusted.

Suddenly, maybe because he was so near and looked so male and dear, the trailer felt stifling, and she was burning up. The longer she looked at his wide shoulders and dark chest while she imagined those other more exciting male parts of him under the sheet, the hotter and damper she got.

“You’d better not be naked!” she squeaked when his cat jumped onto the couch and began to purr.

“You’re welcome to rip the sheet off and see.”

“A dirty trick like that from the likes of you wouldn’t surprise me. Well, I’m not afraid of you.”

“I don’t want you to be.” His white smile charmed her.

Shaking a little, she went over to the couch and carefully laid the tray in his lap.

“It wasn’t a dirty trick. It was just awful hot last night, darlin’, and you’re a little early this morning…like always. You had me so busy building those booths for you and then taking them down, plus working for your fund-raiser, that I was too tired to install my blasted window unit last night.”

The cat walked over to inspect the tray she’d brought.

“Get down, Julie Baby.” Gently he pushed the cat off the couch and lifted the cover from the first plate. Several slices of wet, blackened pieces of toast lay on the plate. She’d cooked them last night and left them out in the rain. When he removed the cover from a second plate, his black eyebrows arched warily at the smell of fermentation.

“Creative. Resourceful. Where’d you find the rotten apples on such short notice?”

“In my compost heap.”

“And you accuse me of dirty tricks. Looks like we’re made for each other, darlin’.” His quick grin as he shoved the tray aside was disarming. “But, hey, no time like now to find out, is there?”

Before she could run, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap.

He was definitely naked. She could feel him under the thin folds of the sheet.

“Our deal didn’t include anything but breakfast,” she said primly, struggling to free herself until she realized the slightest movements of her hips against his only heightened his arousal.

“You didn’t fulfill your part of the bargain, darlin’,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck while yanking pins out of her hair. “I bid five thousand dollars for services you have yet to render. Now you have to pay.”

Her hair cascaded to her shoulders in skeins of shimmering silk.

“Much better,” he said. “And now off with the glasses.”

“What do you want?” she asked weakly as he removed them.

“The same thing you do,” he replied huskily.

“The position of director of market research?”

“Among other things.” He used both hands to pull her snug against his body, which made her achingly aware of how hard and muscular his thighs were against hers.

“Let me go.”

“This is way more fun than breakfast.” He lifted her hair and lowered his head. With his tongue, he explored her nape. Somehow the gesture was so sweet and sexy and loverly, she could barely breathe.

“Do you know what you do to me, darlin’? Do you know how delicious you are?”

“Do you say such things to everybody?”

“No, you’re very special.” He buried his hands in her hair, wrapping heavy coils around his fist so he could tilt her head back and pull her face closer to his.

“I don’t believe you.”

His insistent lips nibbling her flesh were sending wild tremors along the nerves of her jawline.

“Believe me.”

“What about Carol?”

“Forget Carol.”

“But you two just broke up.”

“Which is a wonderful thing when you think about it, because her leaving made space in my life for the right person.”

A swimming giddiness spun her round and round. She had to get up. She had to get out of here, but he was like a magnet, drawing her, compelling her. She’d never ever felt like this, all hot and hollow and wild.

“You’ll say anything,” she whispered.

“You’re wrong about me, darlin’.”

Feeling jealous of Carol, she wanted to snap out something cruel and clever and hurtful, but for some reason she couldn’t think of a single insult. Maybe because she desperately wanted to believe she was wrong about him. Maybe because she didn’t want him to stop kissing her neck or holding her close and making her feel all warm and sexy.

Had Carol seen him completely naked? Had he held her like this? Kissed her until she was so dizzy she was breathless? Made love to her? On this very couch?

A little moan escaped Jane’s lips.

Don’t come crying to me when he gets himself snapped up by some floozy, and you realize you’re in love with him.

Jane hated it when her mother got inside her brain and said crazy, stupid things that scared her.

When Jane stopped struggling and turned into him, his lips left her neck. Then he leaned closer, bringing his mouth tantalizingly near her own, so close she could almost taste him. Thinking he was going to kiss her, she licked her lips and closed her eyes. She felt strangely excited and he hadn’t even kissed her mouth yet.

He was solid and strong, yet she felt his powerful body shaking as he drew each ragged breath. She had the feeling that if she stuck one little toe into this burning tide, she would be swept away. Her head fell back against the couch in an attitude of utter surrender.

He went very still for a long moment. Then much to her surprise, he abruptly let her go and slid to his end of the couch.

She opened her eyes in hot confusion.

He was staring at her as if he felt as lost and disoriented as she did.

She was in the mood to be ravaged, but he looked vulnerable and unsure.

“You’d better go,” he said softly.

Not for the world was she about to admit that what she felt was the oddest pang of bittersweet loss and aching disappointment that he’d stopped. Was she nothing more than a game to him?

“You’d better git, darlin’, while the gittin’s good,” he repeated calmly.

“What?”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to resist me if I start kissing you, darlin’. A lot of women can’t, you know.”

Her eyebrows flew together.

“You’re one love-starved woman, darlin’.” He chuckled.

She pulled away. “Are you laughing at me? Comparing me to—”

“Looks like I’ve gotta get up, get my own breakfast,” he replied, still in that infuriatingly calm tone. “And since I’m stark naked, you’d better go, unless you want to see more of me than you bargained on.”

Her eyes grew huge. Gone was the sweet vulnerable Matt of moments before. Once again he was the old mocking Matt she remembered from grade school.

“You can stay, of course. If you intend to deliver. You know me—I love an audience when I show off, and my favorite audience is an admiring woman.”

“I don’t admire you.” Somehow she managed to stand up even though her legs were trembling. “I don’t admire one thing about you.”

“Then you’d better leave, before I change your mind. I could, you know—easily.”

When he stood, too, and his sheet began to tumble toward the floor, she whirled away from him and fled out the door. But she turned at the last moment and got an eyeful of Matt Harper.

The devil was built like some dark pagan god of love.

“Oh my God…You did it.”

“Told you you’d admire me. Wanna stay?”

He laughed when she kept staring at him openmouthed.

“Well, make up your mind before it’s too late for us to call in sick.”

“I’m thrilled with the money you two raised,” Andrea said to Jane and Matt from behind her desk. Her lowkey voice, smooth and professional as she thumbed through the pages of Jane’s report on the fund-raiser. “I knew you two would work well together.”

“Jane can be difficult,” Matt said. “She’s a little uptight. Quite the perfectionist.”

“I was perfectly happy working alone,” Jane muttered through her teeth. She’d been a bundle of nerves ever since he’d lowered his sheet and she’d fled his trailer this morning. His teasing remark was too much. It was all she could do to contain herself.

“Not me, Mr. King of Schmooze. I can get along with anybody.”

Jane clenched her fists. With an effort she relaxed her hands and forced a weak smile. If she made a scene, that would only make him look better, which he would use against her.

Matt was beautifully dressed in a navy suit and pristine-white shirt this morning. Even his tie was dark and subdued.

“Your bid was exceedingly generous,” Andrea said, smiling at him.

“It’s a good cause. Dear to my heart, the company’s and Jane’s.”

He’s good, Jane thought bitterly. Playing it to the hilt.

“Hey, and Jane’s an…er…inspired cook. Breakfast this morning was…er…” He winked at Jane. “A unique experience.”

Since Andrea couldn’t possibly see their legs, Jane gave him a swift, sharp kick in the shin.

“Ouc-ch…er…and…unforgettable,” he said, suppressing a yelp as he leaned down to rub his shin.

“Well, I just wanted to take a moment to thank both of you. And thanks as well for getting your report to me so fast, Jane. I can’t wait to show it to the board. I’m sure we raised more money than any other company in the building this year—again. Thanks to both of you!”

Jane smiled at Andrea and stood up to go.

“I’d love to work with you on another project,” Matt said to Jane.

“Good day, Harper,” Jane said, frowning when he got up and limped out the door.

“Something wrong with your leg, Matt?” Andrea asked so sweetly Jane did a slow burn.

Not that she stayed to hear his answer. On her way out of the building to drive home late that afternoon, she noticed a huge bouquet of flowers on Stephanie’s desk, from the same florist Matt had used.

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