A Tricky Proposition(19)

“Don’t you mean all the girls?” Blaming nerves for her disgruntled tone, Ming pressed her lips together and redirected her attention to the view. The sun was still too bright to stare at, but the color was changing rapidly to orange.

“Them, too.” Jason reached out and wrapped the ends of her scarf around his fists.

He tugged, startling her off balance, and stepped into her space. Her hormones shrieked in delight as the scent of cologne and predatory male surrounded her. She gulped air into her lungs and felt her breasts graze his chest. A glint appeared in his eyes, sending a spike of excitement through her.

“Something smells great in the kitchen. What’s for dinner?” she asked, her voice cracking on the last word. Her appetite had vanished in the first rush of desire, but eating would delay what came later.

“Coq au vin.” Although his lips wore a playful smile, his preoccupation with her mouth gave the horseplay a sexual vibe. He looked prepared to devour her in slow, succulent bites. “Your favorite. Are you hungry?”

He looked half-starved.

“I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” Her stomach had been too knotted to accept food.

“Then I’d better feed you.” He softened his fists and let her scarf slip through his fingers, releasing her. “You’ll need your strength for what I have planned for you tonight.”

Freed, Ming couldn’t move. The hunger prowling through her prevented her from backing to a safe distance. His knowing smirk kept her tongue-tied. She silently cursed as she trailed after him into the kitchen.

“I found a really nice chardonnay in town.” He poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Ming. “I figured we’d save the champagne for later.”

Great. He was planning to get her liquored up. She could blame the alcohol for whatever foolish thing she cried out in the heat of passion. She swallowed half the pale white wine in a single gulp and made approving noises while he pulled a wedge of brie out of the fridge. Grapes. Crackers. Some sort of pâté. All the sort of thing she’d served him at some point. Had he paid attention to what she liked? Asking herself the question had an adverse effect on her knees and led to more dangerous ruminating. What else might he have planned for her?

“Dinner should be ready in half an hour.” He had everything assembled on a plate and used his chin to gesture toward the deck. “It’s a gorgeous night. Let’s not waste the good weather.”

Early September in northern California was a lot cooler than what they’d left behind in Houston, and Ming welcomed the break from the heat. “It really is beautiful.” She carried their glasses outside. “We should take a long walk after dinner.”

Jason set down the plate and shot her a look. “If you have any strength in your legs after I’m done with you, we’ll do that.”

Despite the hot glance that accompanied his suggestive words, she shivered. Is this how the weekend was going to go? One long flirtation? It took them away from their normal interaction. Made her feel as if they’d grown apart these past few years and lost the comfortable intimacy they’d once shared.

“You’re cold. Come sit with me and I’ll warm you up.”

Her scattered wits needed time to recover before she was ready to have his arms around her. “I’ll grab my wrap.”

“Let me get it.”

“It’s on my suitcase by the door.”

How was she supposed to resist falling under his spell if he continued being so solicitous? This was the Jason she’d glimpsed with other women. The one she’d longed to have for her own. Only this Jason never stayed to charm any one woman for more than a few months, while Ming had enjoyed her fun-loving, often self-involved friend in her life for over twenty years. She sighed. Was it possible for him to be the thoughtful, romantic lover and a great friend all in one?

Was she about to find out? Or would making love with him complicate her life? Was he close to discovering she’d harbored a secret, unrequited crush on him for years? At best he’d not take it seriously and tease her about it. At worst, he’d put up walls and disappear the way he always did when a girlfriend grew too serious. Either way, she wasn’t ready for his pity or his alarm.

Jason returned with her dark blue pashmina. “I put your suitcase in the bedroom.”

Foolishly her heart jerked at the last word. Every instinct told her to run. Altering their relationship by becoming sexually intimate was only going to create problems.

Then he was wrapping the shawl around her and grazing her lips with his. All thoughts of fleeing vanished, lost in the heat generated by her frantic heart.