As soon as she unclipped Milo’s leash, the dog bounded into the house, barking up a storm. She followed him, only to find the puppy in the kitchen greeting Aaron with ecstatic licks and furious tail-wagging.
“Hey, fella.” Aaron crouched down to scratch the puppy’s head, and Milo went into a frenzy. “Nice to see you’ve missed me.”
A comment directed at her, Naomi felt but decided to ignore. “I’ve been talking to Luke and Tyler,” she said.
“Yeah?” All his attention focused on her as he quickly rose to his feet. “What’s the news?”
“It’s good news. Tyler’s mother has a heart murmur. She’s not in any danger, but for the time being she has to remain in hospital under observation.”
“That’s a relief. So they could be away for a week or more.”
“Oh, no. Tyler and her mother aren’t that close, and her mother doesn’t want her hovering by her bedside. According to Luke, they’ll be back in a couple of days.”
“Just in time to say good-bye to me.” Aaron pulled a face. “I was really looking forward to spending more time with them.” His gaze intensified on her as he grinned faintly. “Good thing you’re here.”
She didn’t know what to say to that, so she coiled up the dog leash and laid it on the kitchen counter.
“I’m just about to cook pasta for dinner.” He gestured to the stove where a pot stood ready.
“But you’re the guest here.” She stared in surprise at him. “I should be cooking you dinner, especially after the long day you had at the store.”
“Neither of us would need to cook if you let me take you out to dinner.”
He rested his hip against the kitchen counter, his lean figure relaxed yet agile. His eyes were warm like chocolate, and his sensual smile sucked her in, jangling the rhythm of her heart. She was all too conscious of his biceps stretching his T-shirt, the faint stubble shadowing his square jaw, his pearly white teeth.
Say yes, a sneaky voice said inside her. Let him take you out to dinner, let him wine and dine you. Instantly she envisaged herself with Aaron at a cozy, little table, chatting and laughing, maybe even flirting. Just one night with a handsome guy who admired her A shiver of longing ran through her, quickly chased by misgiving. She wasn’t thinking straight. She was still on the rebound, and Luke had warned her about Aaron’s reputation with women. Best to steer clear.
“I don’t need fancy dinners.” She shrugged. “Pasta is fine with me, as long as you don’t mind.”
“Hey, I wore a frigging elf hat for you today. Of course I don’t mind cooking you pasta.”
As he turned back to the stove, Naomi allowed herself to smile at his answer. He’d been a fantastic sport to wear that hat. She couldn’t imagine Justin doing that for her. Or cooking her dinner after a long day’s work.
Aaron picked up a couple of vine-ripened tomatoes and juggled them in the air before catching them expertly. Whistling softly, he filled the pot with water and lit the stove. As he reached for a knife, his jeans stretched snug across his butt, and a fresh shower of flutters burst in her stomach.
Excitement. Trepidation. Desire.
Chapter Three
The next morning Aaron sauntered into the kitchen yawning when he spotted Naomi in the adjoining family room. She was still in her sleep attire of loose T-shirt and gingham shorts, and she was bending over the Christmas tree in the corner. Aaron halted, blinking his eyes wider. Damn, Naomi had a great pair of legs.
He must have made some noise—possibly a drooling sound—because she straightened and whipped around, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Has Santa come early?” he asked.
She pushed her mass of loose hair off her shoulders and made a face. “No, but I have to get another Christmas tree. This one’s a dud. Look at all the needles it’s shedding.” She pointed to the green needles carpeting the floor beneath the tree. “The poor thing looks like it’s suffering from eczema.” She shook her head decisively. “We can’t have a tree like this on Christmas Day.”
Christmas trees weren’t things Aaron usually noticed, but on closer inspection, this tree did seem sickly and threadbare. “You wouldn’t have this problem with a plastic tree.”
As he’d half expected, her eyes glinted with indignation. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” She kicked at the fallen needles with a bare foot, her toe ring gleaming in the morning sunshine coming through the windows.
He grinned. “Where are you going to find a decent tree this close to Christmas? And what about the store?”
“Ally is covering the morning shift, so I’ve got until lunchtime to get a new tree.”
“You mean ‘we.’”
Her expression grew tentative. “Oh, you don’t have to. And you don’t have to help in the store today, either. You did plenty yesterday.”
“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Besides, how are you going to cart a tree home without a car?”
She blinked at him, and then laughed. “And how exactly would we cart a tree home in that Porsche of yours?”
Her chuckle sent a tingle through his veins like a gulp of champagne. He found himself wishing he could make her laugh again. “We could strap it to the luggage rack.”
Her face lit up and her shoulders shook. “You’re crazy!”
More laughter bubbled out of her, and he automatically took a couple of steps toward her, everything in him wanting to bask in her humor. Her infectious liveliness was as irresistible as ice cream on the Fourth of July. The urge to touch her swelled and burned. He wanted to run his fingers through her tousled hair, trace the curve of her cheek, press his mouth deep against hers. He pulled in a sharp breath, fighting his inconvenient cravings. What was it about this woman with her barefoot charm and Christmas obsession that captured his attention?
He couldn’t put a finger on it, except that she was the complete opposite of all the women he’d dated in the past seven years. Well, maybe “dated” was the wrong term. With his long hours and dedication to his career, he had little time or inclination for a proper relationship. But a man had needs, and so too, as he’d discovered, did a lot of women in the same situation. Women who were as driven and work-focused as he, women who were smart and beautiful but didn’t have time to date. Women who were more than happy to hook up with him without any further expectations beyond a night of good sex.
Naomi didn’t share that attitude toward men. Which was another reason he should steer clear of her. But he liked her a lot. He liked being with her, talking with her, even when they disagreed. And besides, he’d be leaving two days from now. There wasn’t sufficient time to do something he shouldn’t.
But what about one night? One amazing night with one amazing woman? The idea pierced his logic and set his senses on fire. No one could deny the crackling chemistry between him and Naomi. He wasn’t seducing her so much as letting nature take its course. If he had only one night with Naomi, he’d make it the most incredible night of her life, a night they’d never forget.
But what about his promise to Luke to keep things platonic with Naomi? Hell. He couldn’t go back on his word. But he couldn’t turn off his attraction to her either. Things were getting too damn complicated.
Naomi walked purposefully to the kitchen and picked up the kettle. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We’ll drive to the store and borrow Ally’s SUV. I know the best Christmas-tree farm not too far away. We can be there and back in a few hours.”
Christmas trees? Is that what they’d been discussing? Aaron didn’t care too much about Christmas trees, but at least he’d have Naomi’s company for a few hours. Forty minutes later, they were heading out of Burronga in the borrowed SUV, Naomi at the wheel. Already the temperature outside was climbing, and the surrounding countryside of undulating hills covered in gray-green bush shimmered under the relentless sun. The news on the radio mentioned heat waves and brush fires, even a volcano erupting in the Pacific Ocean. The natural disasters barely registered with Aaron. He was too preoccupied with Naomi. She drove with enthusiasm, her window rolled down several inches, allowing the hot wind to swirl through her hair.
“Am I letting in too much heat?” she asked, glancing at him. When he shook his head, she said, “Ever since I came back, I can’t get enough of the heat. I feel as though I’ve been frozen for an entire year.”
She wasn’t alluding to her physical state so much as her emotional well-being, he felt sure.
“You look pretty thawed out now.” He shifted in his seat to face her more directly, enjoying the way the wind rumpled her long hair.
She chewed her lip a while as if she were deciding something, and then said, “I guess you know about me and Justin.”
The uncertainty in her voice made him hesitate for a second. “I know he’s a douche bag, and if he ever sets foot in these parts, he’ll have a very angry uncle to get past.”
She let out a choking laugh. “Luke’s a writer. He gets worked up sometimes.”
He was worked up, too, Aaron realized. About the sadness that stole into Naomi’s eyes from time to time, and the pain-filled expression on her face when she thought no one was watching her.