‘I’m not a bully. I just know what I want and I’m very good at getting it.’ In this case he knew what he wanted but he didn’t understand why he wanted it. He valued his personal space more than anything else in his life. No matter who he dated, no matter how hot the relationship, no woman had ever moved into his house.
‘I know what I want, too, and—’
‘You’re too exhausted to have the first clue what you want.’
She gave a weary smile. ‘You might be right about that. I just want to lie down for five minutes.’
He wondered whether he should point out that she looked as though she needed a lot longer than five minutes but decided against it. ‘Just pack, Miranda, and in under half an hour you’ll be lying in a deep bubble bath with a soft, comfy bed awaiting your arrival.’
Something close to longing flashed into her eyes. ‘You make it extremely hard to say no.’
‘That’s the general idea.’
She walked towards him. Without her shoes she barely reached his shoulders and he stared in fascination at her delicate bone structure and silky, dark hair. She was a woman of contrasts. Who would have thought that underneath that fragile, feminine exterior lurked the strength and determination of a lioness? She was the most independent woman he’d ever met.
She lifted an eyebrow. ‘You’re blocking my door and I need to pack for an overnight stay.’
Relieved and elated but unable to identify exactly why, Jake decided to get her out of there before she had time to change her mind. ‘Pack for longer than that. I’m not bringing you back here until the place has been remodelled. I’m surprised you haven’t gone down with some vile disease.’
‘I’m tougher than I look.’
‘Evidently.’ He stood to one side and she wriggled through, her cheeks flushing again as their bodies touched.
Visibly flustered, she walked away from him, grabbed a bag and stuffed a few things inside. ‘I’m ready.’ Her eyes flickered with uncertainty. ‘I still think this is ridiculous.’
‘Not ridiculous.’ He took the bag from her and gave her a gentle push towards the front door, eager to get her into his car before she had time to change her mind. ‘Sensible. And be careful on those stairs. Don’t fall asleep on your way down.’
CHAPTER SIX
FOR the second time in a week, Miranda lay in a deep, warm bath full of bubbles in Jake’s gorgeous house.
Deep down she knew that she probably shouldn’t be here. She should have put up more of an argument. But Jake wasn’t a man to take no easily and she hadn’t been able to find the energy to protest.
And who could blame her for that?
What woman in their right mind would chose squalor over luxury, even if it was only for a short time? She was so exhausted that her whole body was shrieking with protest and at that precise moment she wasn’t sure that she even had the energy to climb out of the bath. And she felt desperately worried about everything that had happened with Daisy. Had it been her fault? Should she have been able to anticipate the problem that had arisen?
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and Jake appeared, carrying two mugs. ‘I bro
ught you sustenance.’
Miranda gave a soft gasp of embarrassment and slid further under the bubbles. Why hadn’t she remembered to lock the door? ‘You can’t come in here!’
He pushed the door shut with his shoulder. ‘Why not? You’re tired. I was worried about you. I wanted to check you hadn’t fallen asleep in the bath.’ Totally unrepentant, he put the two mugs on top of the laundry basket, then reached for a towel and held it out to her. ‘Get out now while you’re still awake and you can drink the hot chocolate I made you.’
‘Hot chocolate?’ With only her face showing through the snowy bubbles, Miranda stared longingly at the mug. ‘Is that the same sort of hot chocolate you gave me on the mountain?’
‘The very same.’ He’d changed out of his suit into a pair of jeans and a soft, casual shirt that had obvious been washed repeatedly. He’d pushed the sleeves up to the elbows to reveal strong forearms dusted with dark hairs. ‘Drink it now and by the time you’re dressed, dinner will be ready.’
‘You’ve cooked?’
‘Not exactly.’ He grinned and gave a shrug. ‘I had some help from the local pizza company. Full of calories, I know, but you look as though you could do with building up.’ His eyes lingered on her face. ‘Are you all right? You look worried.’
He was observant, she had to give him that. ‘I’m worried that I did all the wrong things with Daisy,’ she blurted out suddenly. ‘Should I have spotted a problem sooner?’
‘Is that why you’re frowning?’ He sat down on the chair next to the laundry basket. ‘The simple answer is, no, it certainly wasn’t your fault. Why would you think it was?’
‘I’ve never seen shoulder dystocia before,’ she confessed. ‘I’ve heard about it, of course. Who hasn’t? But I’ve never actually seen it. I keep wondering whether I missed some important signs earlier. Perhaps if I’d spotted something, it wouldn’t have happened.’