His Millionaire Maid(25)

Joe shifted on his feet. "Open it."

Finally she peeked into the bag and pulled out a box, which she opened. A  delighted smile lit up her face as she drew out a pair of sturdy  black-and-gray sneakers.

"I don't believe it! This is just what I need!" She bounced on her toes  like a kid on Christmas Day. "Oh, thank you, thank you, Joe!"

"I bought you some socks, too." Joe couldn't stop the smile cracking his  face. He didn't think she'd be that pleased by his practical present.

"I can stop wearing my hideous Crocs!" She was wearing her cowboy boots  now, but she heeled them off and put on the sneakers. She pranced around  his living room, leaping from one foot to the other. "I've been meaning  to buy a decent pair of shoes all week, but I never got the chance.  When did you do this?"

"I drove into Fort Bragg this morning. I got your shoe size from your Crocs. Hope you don't mind my sneaking into your room."

"How could I mind?" She spun around one more time, then came to a halt  in front of him and grabbed both his hands. "Thank you, Joe." Emotion  choked her voice. "No one's ever given me such a thoughtful gift.  Really. Thank you."         

     



 

Her face was flushed and her eyes overbright, and he didn't quite get  why she was so emotional over his gift, but he was glad she liked it.

"You're welcome." He drew her into his arms and pressed a kiss on her  forehead. Nina never ceased to amaze him. Most women he knew would have  expected a gift of flowers or chocolates or even jewelry. But not Nina.  She was unique.

She snuggled into his embrace, her supple body sliding against his, and  the shoes faded to the back of his mind as his trigger-happy libido  surged to the fore.

"Now," he murmured in her ear, taking a quick nibble at her earlobe. "I  do have another package for you. A particularly large package. But we'll  have to unwrap it in the bedroom." He scooped her into his arms and  headed toward his bedroom. "And once you've got it unwrapped, I might  even let you play with it."

 …

They had sex three times in two hours. Blissfully exhausted, Nina fell  asleep tangled up in Joe's big arms. When she woke, the bed was empty  and the sun was setting. She slipped on one of Joe's T-shirts, used the  bathroom, and then went in search of Joe.

She found him in the kitchen making a salad. When he saw her, his hands grew still as his mouth fell open.

"That shirt looks sexy on you," he said, eyes hungrily eating her up as if the last few hours hadn't happened.

His T-shirt swamped her, reaching to her knees, but she did feel sexy in  it, especially with his scent stamped into the fabric and onto her  skin.

"Must be because I'm not wearing a bra." She sashayed over to him, then  filched a cherry tomato from his salad bowl. "Whatcha doing?"

"Making dinner." Using his thumb, he swiped a drop of tomato juice from  her lips. "Nothing fancy. Just steak and salad. Sound okay?"

"Sounds divine." She was famished. "Anything I can do to help?"

"How about fixing us some drinks? There's beer and wine in the fridge."

She opened a bottle of beer for him and poured herself a glass of white  wine. Joe was neat and competent in his kitchen. He put sourdough rolls  in the oven to heat up and grilled two thick New York steaks to juicy  perfection. They ate in the dining alcove off the kitchen, where Joe had  a wooden table and Shaker-style chairs.

Nina couldn't remember when a lover had cooked her a meal before. And  she couldn't remember when she'd last felt so relaxed and comfortable.  Some would say his house was modest, but to her it was honest and simple  and everything you could wish for in a home.

They talked about Joe's plans for his B&B, about his grandmother and  his sister. Finally, when their plates were empty, Joe leaned back in  his chair and studied Nina with a speculative look.

"I feel like we've talked about me for way too long. What about you, Nina? Tell me something about yourself."

She was instantly on her guard. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Anything." He waved his beer bottle. "Any serious boyfriends in the past you want to blow off steam about?"

Oliver? She chewed her lip at the memories of her ex.

Joe rested his elbows on the table. "Hey," he said softly. "It was just a suggestion. You don't have to."

She met his eyes. "But if I didn't, that would mean I'm not over him, and I am. I am so over the bastard."

"A bastard, huh?"

"Yeah." She fiddled with her knife and fork as she wondered how much she  could tell Joe without arousing his suspicion. "I don't want to go into  the gory details. Suffice to say that I fell for Oliver. I thought he  was special. I even thought he might be The One. But then I found out  that he had ulterior motives for being with me. He didn't really care  about me, just what I could do for him."

She pressed her lips together, surprised by the sudden pang in her  chest. Not because of Oliver, but because it hurt to know she wasn't as  important as her money. That wound still festered in her soul.

Joe reached for her hands and squeezed them, his fingers warm and  gentle. "He sounds like a complete jerk, but if there's one thing I know  about you, Nina, it's that you're a fighter. Forget about him. He's  pond scum. Don't let him sour the rest of your life."

The tenderness in his face broke her, and emotion stung the back of her  throat. Joe was the complete antithesis of her ex. Just based on what  he'd done for her this afternoon-buying her a thoughtful gift, pleasing  her in bed, cooking her dinner, making her the focus of his  attention-Joe cared more for her than her ex ever had.

Joe was wonderful. A man in a million. A man she could fall head over heels in love with-         

     



 

Love?

Her heart seemed to stall for several beats. She started to cough and couldn't stop.

"Nina? Are you all right?" Joe got up to fetch her a glass of water.

As she spluttered, she gave herself a severe talking-to. No way could  she let herself fall in love with Joe. Not when she was hiding such huge  secrets from him. The guilt welled up again, more biting than before.

"Thanks," she whispered hoarsely after she'd drunk the water and recovered herself.

He patted her shoulder, still looking concerned. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to get you all worked up over your ex."

"It doesn't matter."

"I've got ice cream." He smiled. "Chocolate chip and raspberry swirl."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

While Joe busied himself getting the ice cream, Nina hauled in several  deep breaths to steady herself. She really couldn't fall in love with  Joe. Not when she was concealing so much from him. In the brief time she  had left, she would guard her heart. She would not let herself get hurt  again.





Chapter Nine

"Got your wine orders figured out for the festival?" Joe asked Vince.

Joe was sitting in the bar with Vince and Sarah while they went over  their preparations for the Hartley Food and Wine Festival. The days were  ticking down fast, and he had so many other tasks to complete that he  felt he'd been neglecting business at the Comet Inn.

While Vince went over the wine, Joe couldn't help sneaking a glance at  the other side of the room, where Nina was busy wiping down tables and  chairs. She was making slow progress, but he noticed she was thorough.

He pulled his attention back to the meeting to find Sarah eyeing him suspiciously.

"Sounds great," Joe said. He knew he could count on Vince to keep the  bar side of things running smoothly. In fact, when he finally got his  bank loan, he intended to ask Vince to be his manager at the inn so that  he could concentrate on getting his B&B up and running.

Sarah began reading out the menu she had planned for the festival. They  would be serving lunch and dinner over the three-day weekend and would  need plenty of fresh supplies.

"Sorry to interrupt," Nina said as she walked toward them. "I couldn't help overhearing Sarah's menu."

Sarah pursed her lips. "And what? You don't approve?" Her voice dripped frost.

"No, it sounds delicious, but-" Nina darted a look at Vince then Joe. "I  was thinking maybe you could plan a menu around craft beer."

"Plan a menu around craft beer?" Sarah sounded like Nina had suggested  serving cow dung. "My food does not go around anything. My food is the  reason why people come here to eat."

Nina toyed with the cloth in her hand. "Sorry, I didn't word that  correctly. I meant a menu that would be complemented by craft beer. It's  something different, don't you think? So many people love their craft  beer, and we have some great microbreweries right in this area. It would  be another way of highlighting local producers. What do you think,  Joe?"

Sarah's expression was thunderous, but Joe knew that was partly because,  for some reason, she disliked Nina. He rubbed his jaw as he mulled over  Nina's suggestion.