Hot Westmoreland Nights by Brenda Jackson Page B

stood and carried his plate, coffee cup and glass over to the sink.
    “You don’t have to do that,” she said.
    “Yes, I do. I was raised to clean up after myself.”
    And just like yesterday, when he reached the sink she deliberately moved out of his way. Knowing she was trying to avoid his touch bothered him. He reached out and grabbed hold of her hand. She glanced over at him, startled.
    “Why are you afraid of me, Chloe?” It was then that he realized he was running his fingers up and down her arm.
    She lifted her chin, but did not try pulling her hand away. “What makes you think I’m afraid of you?”
    “You’re trying to avoid me.”
    She lifted a haughty brow. “I could very well say the same thing about you, Ramsey.”
    That was true, he thought to himself. Instead of denying it, he was silent for a moment. And when he felt a shudder passthrough her from the way he was running his fingers up her arms he locked his gaze to hers.
    “Why the hell do we let this keep happening to us?” he asked in a low, throaty tone.
    Surprisingly, she gave him a faint smile. “Hey, you’re the one who was trying to work me out of your system.”
    He nodded. “With yesterday’s kiss,” he replied.
    “Yes.”
    Now it was his time to smile. “It didn’t work.”
    She shrugged. “Maybe your heart just wasn’t in it.”
    His smile quickly transformed to a frown. “Like hell. Everything I had was in it.”
    She seemed to consider his words for half a second. “I know,” she said, and sighed in dismay.
    With his free hand he took his finger and tilted her chin. “But just to be sure, I think I should at least try it again. Yesterday didn’t seem to work.”
    He then lowered his head and caught her lips in a drugging kiss, deliberately making it hot from the start. His tongue slid into her mouth on a breathless sigh and from there it was on. He deepened the kiss, devouring her mouth with a hunger that made yesterday’s kiss seem tame.
    He heard her moan. He felt the way the pebbled tips of her breasts were rubbing against his chest as if he wasn’t even wearing a shirt. And once again, her stance was perfect to cradle his erection, which was hard as a rock, engorged, as aroused as a male shaft could get.
    And just like yesterday, she was returning his kiss, lick for lick. Feasting on his mouth with just as much greed as he was feasting on hers. What was it about her taste, her flavor, the way their mouths fit together? His tongue seemed at home wrapped around hers.
    He tried doing a mental calculation in his head, trying to figure out just how many steps it would take to reach the table. There he would strip her naked and…
    The clearing of multiple throats had him reluctantly breaking contact with Chloe’s mouth, but not before getting one final lick of his tongue across her lips. He lifted his head to glare over at the four men standing in his kitchen doorway with smirks on their faces.
    It was Callum, Zane, Derringer and Jason. Of course it was Zane who had the damn nerve to ask, “Could you explain to us why you keep kissing your cook?”
     
    Chloe eased her body into the sudsy water. Now it was late afternoon and everyone, including Ramsey, was gone and she intended to take time for herself. And she intended to get in bed early so she could be well-rested in the morning, now that she knew the routine.
    She closed her eyes and thought about the events of the day, beginning that morning when the four men had walked in on her and Ramsey. This time instead of being embarrassed by the intrusion, she had been downright annoyed. And of course Ramsey had done just what she’d expected. He had begun avoiding her again.
    He hadn’t shown up for lunch. Instead he had locked himself in his office. Then around two o’clock, he left and he had yet to return and it was close to six. She had prepared dinner for him again and had left it warming in the oven. She had even sat on the sofa like yesterday, anticipating his