“I’ll take it as a good one.”
“Okay.”
“Relax.” He eased her back until she came up against the column. “Breathe deep.”
Like a child, she did as she was told. Eyes closed, she drew in calming drafts of air. When she opened her eyes, Dillon’s face was bending close to hers, and she became breathless all over again. “I feel so foolish.”
“You shouldn’t. You’ve got a woman’s worst nightmare to overcome.”
“I want to overcome it.” The words tumbled out. “I really want to, Dillon.”
“Good. That’s good,” he said thickly. “We’ll work on it. What I have in mind is a long weekend spent alone together. No strings. No expectations. Just isolation from everything familiar so we can relax. What do you say?”
“No.”
He dropped his hands and stepped away from her. His expression was a mix of anger and frustration. “Then I can’t go on kissing you, Jade. Because sooner or later I’m going to lose my head. My cock will start doing my thinking for me, and I’ll end up making you afraid of me. I won’t have that.”
He turned away from her and jogged down the steps. She caught up with him before he reached his pickup. “Dillon, you don’t understand.”
“I do. I swear I do. It’s just…” He raked his hand through his hair. “Christ, I can’t take anymore.”
She grabbed his sleeve. “No. I mean, you don’t understand what I was trying to tell you. I don’t want to wait for a long weekend. I want to try tonight.” Nervously wetting her lips, she looked up at him imploringly. “Now, Dillon.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Where are we going?” Jade asked. “I mean, I know where we’re going, but why?”
“Wait and see.”
The headlights illuminated the tunnel of trees that eventually came to a dead end at the plantation house Jade had recently purchased for GSS. Except for the deepest shadows beneath heavy foliage, the yard was bathed with moonlight. The house looked white and stately, faring better than it did in harsh daylight.
Dillon smiled secretively as he took a flashlight out of the glove box. “Come on. It’s all right. The owner is a personal friend of mine.”
Together they made their way across the deep yard and up the front steps. The ancient planks creaked beneath his weigh
t. “I need to fix those before somebody gets hurt,” he remarked as he fished a key out of his jeans pocket.
“Where did you get a key?”
“If you don’t stop asking questions, you’ll spoil the surprise.”
“What surprise?”
“That’s another question.”
The musty smell peculiar to vacant houses greeted them as he pushed open the front door and ushered Jade into the wide vestibule. He switched on the flashlight and swept it across the Italian tile floor.
“This is quite a showplace.”
Jade hugged her elbows. “I like it much better in the daytime. This is spooky.”
She was confused and vaguely disappointed. When they had left her house, she had assumed he would take her directly to his trailer. Staying at her house had been out of the question. Even if they could sneak him past Cathy and Graham, she would feel awkward, knowing that they were in nearby rooms. She didn’t need anything contributing to her inhibitions tonight.
Given time to think about this, she might lose her nerve. This rambling old house, which had stood empty for years, was hardly putting her at ease. She was also a trifle miffed over the delay. Was his ardor that easily cooled?
“Take my hand and watch your step.”
She gave him her hand. He started upstairs, surprising her by avoiding the steps that were damaged and could have been hazardous. “You’ve been here before?”