take a bus, a plane, rent a car, go back to wherever she’d come from.
If she needed money, he’d give her some.
Then he’d walk away.
Jesse stepped into the shower stall, turned his face up to the spray.
He’d have to put in a couple of days cleaning up the damage the storm had undoubtedly left behind. Downed trees. Broken fences. Whatever. Then he’d go through the sale documents one last time, sign them, and all this—the ranch, the canyon, the memories he no longer wanted—would be done with.
His new life was waiting.
“San Francisco,” he said as he dumped shampoo on his hair, “here I come.”
Yeah, he’d tried that new life once before and it hadn’t worked out, but things had changed. He had changed. California, not Montana, was where he belonged.
He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror over the vanity. The face, the eyes were the same. Cool. Maybe even a little empty. Maybe he hadn’t changed, after all….
Jesse snorted. The hell with trying to figure it out. Worrying a thing half to death never got a man anywhere. That was what starting over was all about, wasn’t it?
“Damned right,” he said, and he flattened his hands against the glass of the shower wall, bent his head and let the spray beat down on his aching muscles.
Sienna heard the distant hiss of running water and decided it was safe to open her eyes.
She’d been awake forever. Since right after Jesse had awakened, anyway. One second she’d been dreaming that she was lying in the arms of a gorgeous stranger. The next, she’d realized the dream was true, she was lying in the arms of a gorgeous stranger. But before she could do anything about it, at least put some distance between them, she’d felt Jesse’s long, powerful body shift against hers, felt the impact of his gaze on her.
And the sexy pressure of his erection.
That was when she’d decided to pretend she was still asleep.
Whatever had happened between them last night… No way could she face him this morning. It was too embarrassing….
Or maybe too tempting to just look up into those probing eyes, move against him, say his name and offer herself to him so they could finish what they’d started.
You really must be crazy, she’d told herself, and she hadn’t moved a muscle. She’d faked sleep until, finally, he’d risen to his feet and walked away, his fading footsteps so determined, so obviously a message that she knew she’d done the right thing.
It was daylight, the storm was over.
And Jesse Blackwolf would be delighted to see her gone.
She felt the same way. She wanted out, the sooner the better. If she moved fast enough, she might even avoid facing him, because what did a woman say to a man after she’d been naked in his arms? After he’d touched her with hot intimacy even though they were strangers?
Sienna threw her arm over her eyes. Just remembering made her face heat. She’d never done anything like that in her life. She wasn’t into hooking up with a guy for the night. She’d been with two men and she’d known both for months before things had progressed that far. And even then, she hadn’t felt the way she’d felt with Jesse last night.
The liquid rush of pleasure. The shocking realization that she was, that she wanted to be, totally out of control. The desire to let a man do anything he wanted to her…
Sienna shot to her feet. She was wasting time when there was none to waste.
Surely, a house like this had a zillion bathrooms. She needed to shower away yesterday’s grime. And Jesse’s touch. His intimate, knowing touch.
The house had two wings. She headed for the opposite one. The very first door she tried opened onto a bedroom, and, yes, it had an attached bath. Sienna shut the bedroom door, locked it, went into the bathroom and locked that door, as well.
Not that a locked door had stopped Jesse last night.
If he came for her…
Her heart began to race. No. She wasn’t going there. He wouldn’t come, and even if
If she needed money, he’d give her some.
Then he’d walk away.
Jesse stepped into the shower stall, turned his face up to the spray.
He’d have to put in a couple of days cleaning up the damage the storm had undoubtedly left behind. Downed trees. Broken fences. Whatever. Then he’d go through the sale documents one last time, sign them, and all this—the ranch, the canyon, the memories he no longer wanted—would be done with.
His new life was waiting.
“San Francisco,” he said as he dumped shampoo on his hair, “here I come.”
Yeah, he’d tried that new life once before and it hadn’t worked out, but things had changed. He had changed. California, not Montana, was where he belonged.
He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror over the vanity. The face, the eyes were the same. Cool. Maybe even a little empty. Maybe he hadn’t changed, after all….
Jesse snorted. The hell with trying to figure it out. Worrying a thing half to death never got a man anywhere. That was what starting over was all about, wasn’t it?
“Damned right,” he said, and he flattened his hands against the glass of the shower wall, bent his head and let the spray beat down on his aching muscles.
Sienna heard the distant hiss of running water and decided it was safe to open her eyes.
She’d been awake forever. Since right after Jesse had awakened, anyway. One second she’d been dreaming that she was lying in the arms of a gorgeous stranger. The next, she’d realized the dream was true, she was lying in the arms of a gorgeous stranger. But before she could do anything about it, at least put some distance between them, she’d felt Jesse’s long, powerful body shift against hers, felt the impact of his gaze on her.
And the sexy pressure of his erection.
That was when she’d decided to pretend she was still asleep.
Whatever had happened between them last night… No way could she face him this morning. It was too embarrassing….
Or maybe too tempting to just look up into those probing eyes, move against him, say his name and offer herself to him so they could finish what they’d started.
You really must be crazy, she’d told herself, and she hadn’t moved a muscle. She’d faked sleep until, finally, he’d risen to his feet and walked away, his fading footsteps so determined, so obviously a message that she knew she’d done the right thing.
It was daylight, the storm was over.
And Jesse Blackwolf would be delighted to see her gone.
She felt the same way. She wanted out, the sooner the better. If she moved fast enough, she might even avoid facing him, because what did a woman say to a man after she’d been naked in his arms? After he’d touched her with hot intimacy even though they were strangers?
Sienna threw her arm over her eyes. Just remembering made her face heat. She’d never done anything like that in her life. She wasn’t into hooking up with a guy for the night. She’d been with two men and she’d known both for months before things had progressed that far. And even then, she hadn’t felt the way she’d felt with Jesse last night.
The liquid rush of pleasure. The shocking realization that she was, that she wanted to be, totally out of control. The desire to let a man do anything he wanted to her…
Sienna shot to her feet. She was wasting time when there was none to waste.
Surely, a house like this had a zillion bathrooms. She needed to shower away yesterday’s grime. And Jesse’s touch. His intimate, knowing touch.
The house had two wings. She headed for the opposite one. The very first door she tried opened onto a bedroom, and, yes, it had an attached bath. Sienna shut the bedroom door, locked it, went into the bathroom and locked that door, as well.
Not that a locked door had stopped Jesse last night.
If he came for her…
Her heart began to race. No. She wasn’t going there. He wouldn’t come, and even if
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