lower lip and hummed. "Mmm...you taste good when you're steamed," he whispered.
Dixie's heart did an impossible acrobatic trick in her chest. Desire coiled like a watch spring in the pit of her belly. Out of pure self-preservation she planted her free hand on his chest and tried to shove him away. He didn't budge. He stayed where he was, showing her that he would do whatever he darn well pleased. Then he leaned back and reluctantly let go of her hand, but still held her captive with his gaze.
"There's something about you, Dixie," he murmured. "Something I've never come up against before."
That look was in his eyes again, she noted--a mix of wonder and determination, as if she were a Chinese puzzle he had every intention of solving.
"You're something special," he said.
A little fissure of fear cracked the spell. Dixie denied the charge flatly, feeling rattled and uncertain, raw, as if all her nerve endings had suddenly been exposed.
"No. No, I'm not. I'm just a woman, like every other woman," she said, looking at him with traces of hurt and anger that worked their way up from an old bruise in her soul. "There's nothing different about me. I put on my pantyhose one leg at at time, I get PMS something fierce, and I don't appreciate having my feelings jerked around by men just passing through looking for a little vacation fun."
Jake gave her a long even look. "Is that what you think I am?" he asked quietly.
"Aren't you?" she said, her voice trembling with accusation.
She cursed herself as she waited for him to defend himself or deny it. She didn't even know why she had brought it up. What difference did it make what he was doing here? She could have just played along, knowing in her heart it was just for fun, just a game. She should have just enjoyed whatever he offered, but she wasn't made that way and she was sick to death of pretending. She'd done enough pretending to last her a lifetime.
She stared at Jake, waiting for his answer, knowing she had taken a harmless flirtation and turned it into something that would no doubt hurt her. She would have no one to blame but herself.
"No."
The word cut through her self-recriminations and made her flinch. No. Heaven help her, that wasn't at all what she had been expecting to hear. She probably looked as stunned as if he had pulled out a rubber mallet and smacked her between the eyes.
"No?" she questioned dumbly.
"No," he said, sounding decisive and not a little offended.
"Then what's going on here, Jake?" she managed to ask.
"I'm not sure," he admitted, driving a hand through his hair, then rubbing the back of his neck. He looked vaguely puzzled. "It's not something I planned."
A little smile played across Dixie's mouth as she thought of how compulsive he was. Her gaze fell on the wrappers he'd arranged neatly on her dash. The poor orderly man. He would be thrown by anything he hadn't put on an itinerary.
"I'll bet that just bugs the bejeepers out of you."
He smiled a slow, sexy, self-deprecating smile, and Dixie felt her heart spin around like a trick pony. "Not as much as I would have expected it to," he granted, sounding surprised at himself, as if he were in the process of experiencing a great personal revelation. There was a look of near-wonder in his eyes. "Not enough to make me back off."
"Oh, my." The words fluttered out of Dixie on a fragile breath. Now what was she supposed to do? Lord have mercy, she felt as if she'd opened Pandora's box, but instead of terrible things coming out of it, Jake Gannon was, sexy and tempting. She didn't think she would be able to make herself put him back.
It had been so long since she'd indulged herself in romance. It had been forever since a man had shown that kind of an interest and not had an ulterior motive. She shivered at the thought of taking the plunge with Jake. Her heart fluttered in her breast. She was scared spitless. And excited. She didn't know what to do. She'd told herself she wasn't
Dixie's heart did an impossible acrobatic trick in her chest. Desire coiled like a watch spring in the pit of her belly. Out of pure self-preservation she planted her free hand on his chest and tried to shove him away. He didn't budge. He stayed where he was, showing her that he would do whatever he darn well pleased. Then he leaned back and reluctantly let go of her hand, but still held her captive with his gaze.
"There's something about you, Dixie," he murmured. "Something I've never come up against before."
That look was in his eyes again, she noted--a mix of wonder and determination, as if she were a Chinese puzzle he had every intention of solving.
"You're something special," he said.
A little fissure of fear cracked the spell. Dixie denied the charge flatly, feeling rattled and uncertain, raw, as if all her nerve endings had suddenly been exposed.
"No. No, I'm not. I'm just a woman, like every other woman," she said, looking at him with traces of hurt and anger that worked their way up from an old bruise in her soul. "There's nothing different about me. I put on my pantyhose one leg at at time, I get PMS something fierce, and I don't appreciate having my feelings jerked around by men just passing through looking for a little vacation fun."
Jake gave her a long even look. "Is that what you think I am?" he asked quietly.
"Aren't you?" she said, her voice trembling with accusation.
She cursed herself as she waited for him to defend himself or deny it. She didn't even know why she had brought it up. What difference did it make what he was doing here? She could have just played along, knowing in her heart it was just for fun, just a game. She should have just enjoyed whatever he offered, but she wasn't made that way and she was sick to death of pretending. She'd done enough pretending to last her a lifetime.
She stared at Jake, waiting for his answer, knowing she had taken a harmless flirtation and turned it into something that would no doubt hurt her. She would have no one to blame but herself.
"No."
The word cut through her self-recriminations and made her flinch. No. Heaven help her, that wasn't at all what she had been expecting to hear. She probably looked as stunned as if he had pulled out a rubber mallet and smacked her between the eyes.
"No?" she questioned dumbly.
"No," he said, sounding decisive and not a little offended.
"Then what's going on here, Jake?" she managed to ask.
"I'm not sure," he admitted, driving a hand through his hair, then rubbing the back of his neck. He looked vaguely puzzled. "It's not something I planned."
A little smile played across Dixie's mouth as she thought of how compulsive he was. Her gaze fell on the wrappers he'd arranged neatly on her dash. The poor orderly man. He would be thrown by anything he hadn't put on an itinerary.
"I'll bet that just bugs the bejeepers out of you."
He smiled a slow, sexy, self-deprecating smile, and Dixie felt her heart spin around like a trick pony. "Not as much as I would have expected it to," he granted, sounding surprised at himself, as if he were in the process of experiencing a great personal revelation. There was a look of near-wonder in his eyes. "Not enough to make me back off."
"Oh, my." The words fluttered out of Dixie on a fragile breath. Now what was she supposed to do? Lord have mercy, she felt as if she'd opened Pandora's box, but instead of terrible things coming out of it, Jake Gannon was, sexy and tempting. She didn't think she would be able to make herself put him back.
It had been so long since she'd indulged herself in romance. It had been forever since a man had shown that kind of an interest and not had an ulterior motive. She shivered at the thought of taking the plunge with Jake. Her heart fluttered in her breast. She was scared spitless. And excited. She didn't know what to do. She'd told herself she wasn't
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