“Dell?”
No. No talking, because he knew damn well the wrong thing would come out.
The begging.
Because God, really? What the fuck did he know about keeping a woman in his life? Not nearly enough to keep Jade with him, that was for damn sure.
Which didn’t stop him from pushing her down to the cushions and covering her body with his to kiss her again.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what stupid thing I wanted to do?” she whispered.
“Please, God,” he breathed against her neck. “Say me.”
She bit her lower lip but burst out laughing, anyway. “Dell.” She dropped her head to his chest. “This is all your fault. I just keep thinking about our night. I know it was a one time thing, it has to be a one time thing. I’m leaving, and you don’t do more than one night things, and . . .” She lifted her head and looked at him beseechingly. “Can you help me out here? Be the voice of reason?”
“What do you expect me to say, don’t want me? Are you kidding?”
“Tell me it was bad,” she said. “Like . . . bad bad. So bad that we don’t need to repeat it because it was so bad.”
Letting out a breath, he opened his mouth.
She nodded, eager to hear what he might say.
“Jade.”
“Say it.”
“It was bad. So bad we should repeat it to learn from it.”
She went still, then snorted. “Way to be strong.”
He knew every bit as much as she that this shouldn’t happen. It was risking too much. Someone was going to get hurt.
Too late for that . . .
And in any case, he couldn’t let her go. In fact, his arms came around her and held on. “Jade, what the hell am I going to do with you?”
“Are you as scared as I am?”
“Terrified,” he said. “Hold me.”
She laughed but did just that. “You know,” she said, mouth against his ear. “Someone once told me that when I’m in an unsure situation, calm assertive dominance is best.”
He stroked a finger over her jaw, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You want me to assert some calm dominance now? Over you?”
She shivered and her eyes darkened. “Maybe just this once . . .”
As he went from zero to sixty in less than a second, rising with her in his arms to head for his bed, he had to wonder just who was the one in control.
Sixteen
The next morning Jade slumped at her desk and eyed the clock as she yawned widely. It was only eight o’clock.
She’d gotten maybe three minutes of sleep the night before, and so had Dell. He had to be dragging every bit as much as her.
Bringing up the day’s to-do list, she added, Get a nap.
Dell came in wearing work boots, low-slung jeans, a hoodie, and an opened down jacket, looking far more like a Hollywood version of the mountain vet than the real thing.
Except the dirt on his boots and the straw on his shoulder and back were real, and so were the shadows beneath his eyes.
Yep, he was dragging as much as she. Only he looked much better while doing it.
He pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and looked at her, his cheeks ruddy from the cold air, a day’s growth on his square jaw.
He’d been riding. She’d seen him out the window tearing across the meadow on Kiwi’s back, the man and the horse beautiful in the weak sun that was trying to burn through the fog.
She looked around her for a distraction, but everything was in place. Her pencils perfectly lined up. The files were pulled. Peanut was on top of Jade’s printer. Beans was curled up on Jade’s lap. Gertie lay at her feet, staring up at her with love and adoration.
None of them needing a damn thing from her, for once.
“You were gone when I got up,” he said.
“Had things to do,” she said. “The boss is real demanding. I left you a note.”
“Yes, thanking me for last night.” His gaze held hers. “You sneaked out.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said.
“You sneaked.”
Okay, she had. She’d held her breath and slipped out of his warm, strong arms, grabbing her clothes off his floor and dressing on her way to the front door. “Fine!” She stood up and tossed her hands high. “I sneaked out. Are you telling me no woman’s ever sneaked out on you before?”
The look on his face answered her question, and with a sigh of disgust, she started to turn away, but he took her by the arms and lifted her up so they were nose to nose.
She wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but by the sparks in his eyes she was going to guess maybe some more calm, assertive dominance . . .
Suddenly the door opened and in came Keith, with Mike right behind him. And then Adam. All three stopped short and stared at the two of them.