Jamie (12 page)

“And you're not?”

Alyx shrugged. “Not like they are. The guys might have let it go, but with the women prodding them... they were all too willing to check up on you. I'll try to hold them off as long as I can, but I'd say you have two days, tops, before we all converge on you.

“I know.” Jamie looked up at the treetops, pensive and as withdrawn as ever. “It'll be okay.”

With him distracted, Alyx decided
what the hell
and put her arms around his lean waist. Jamie Creed felt as warm and hard and sturdy as any other living, breathing man.

She gave him a tight hug. When he stiffened, she laughed, pulled back, and punched him in the arm. “Get used to it, Jamie, because there's going to be a lot more of that in your future.”

Given the look on his face, the idea didn't please him one bit.

Chuckling, Alyx walked off into the woods. She didn't want to linger any longer, not with Jamie's dire warning about Scott. The good deputy already had this thing about trying to curtail her every move, as if she were the typical helpless little woman. Surely that wasn't the type of woman that Scott preferred? Alyx hoped not, because she was more than capable of taking care of herself, and Scott should appreciate that.

Before much longer, she'd make sure that he did.

Chapter Six

Jamie hesitated, not yet ready to go back inside. He watched Alyx until he couldn't see her anymore, already knowing what Scott would have to say, already knowing what Alyx would do.

What would happen when Scott found out the extent of Alyx's antics? No man, definitely not a deputy, would just smile and say, “Have fun.”

At the same time, Jamie knew Alyx grew restless. Being an impatient, full-steam-ahead kind of woman, she wanted Scott to commit. Yet Scott hesitated. Maybe he should ... No. He'd keep his nose out of it. Alyx was right—he butted in too often.

If anyone was threatened, or the situation became dangerous, he'd interfere in a heartbeat. But for now, they could work it out on their own.

Already anticipating the fireworks, Jamie shook his head. Those two would put on more of a show than the last Fourth of July display. But it was a good match. Scott wouldn't be content with a woman who stood in his shadow. And Alyx ... she measured all men against her brother, and considering Joe's personality and capability, not a lot of them passed muster.

But Scott did. In part because Joe respected him so much.

“Jamie?”

Shit.

Jamie twisted to see Faith standing in the doorway, backlit by all the lamps she'd turned on in his cabin. No shadows for Faith. She liked everything bright and cheery—which suited her but clashed with him in a big way.

Looking her over from her fiery hair to her curled toes, Jamie saw that she'd pulled on the long white gown and socks that Alyx had brought her and wore the flannel shirt like a housecoat. She should have looked comical in such a get-up, but instead she looked... virginal, just as Alyx had claimed. She also looked appealing.

The humid breeze lifted her coppery curls and sent them dancing past her face.

Alyx thought Faith plain.

Jamie thought it too, at least in the face.

So with her delectable body well hidden, why did he feel so drawn to her?

Tipping her head at him, she asked, “Is everything okay?”

Jamie struggled for breath. “You should be resting that leg.”

“I've rested it all day. It's sore, but it doesn't hurt that much more to stand.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she came a few more steps out, until she stood next to him. “Aren't you cold?”

“No.” Before leaving to meet Alyx, he'd donned a T-shirt and jacket. He was so used to the mountain weather that even without the jacket, he barely felt the chill in the air.

Faith smoothed her palm over his back, stroking the soft cotton of his well-worn shirt—and his already elevated temperature went up another notch.

“Are you impervious to all that plagues mortal man, then?”

Leaning back against the porch rail, Jamie absorbed the novelty of having a woman so close, not just physically close, but... emotionally. Throughout the long day, Faith had talked up a storm, telling him so many things. Nothing important, at least not the important things he'd wanted to know.

But he now knew her favorite foods, that she cried over Hallmark commercials and couldn't stand slapstick comedy. She enjoyed simple things like a picnic or a good book. She couldn't draw a stick figure, but in her opinion, her daughter had incredible artistic talent.

And she loved being a mother.

Belatedly, Jamie answered her question. “No. If I were impervious, you wouldn't bother me so much.”

Dimples showed in her cheeks as she grinned. “Am I bothering you?”

Damn. He'd been celibate far too long. Everything about her seemed designed to fire his blood. It made him naturally defensive. “No reason to look so pleased, Faith. It wasn't a compliment.”

With a familiarity that shouldn't have existed, she nudged her shoulder into his ribs. “I can take my satisfaction where I find it, Creed. Knowing that I have any effect on you, other than outright anger, encourages me.”

The urge to slip his arm around her nearly got him, but Jamie resisted. He watched her while she watched the trees swaying.

Her soft sigh sounded serene. “It's really beautiful here.”

Jamie glanced out at the sheltering darkness of tall trees and enormous rocks. He listened to the comforting sounds of whispering wind and the rustle of leaves. Beautiful, yes, but no longer quite so secure, not with Faith's intrusion.

“What's that sound I hear?” Faith asked, cocking her head to listen. “Like... the sound of water moving? ”

“There's a creek close by. With all this rain, it's moving faster than usual. Down the mountain a bit, it turns into a small fall. Pretty.”

“I bet. I'd love to see it sometime.”

Jamie barely registered her words. Having been alone so long, his senses were finely honed and he could distinguish the scents of Faith's hair, her skin, against the earthier scents of the surrounding forest. Her light fragrance carried on the air so that he inhaled her essence with every breath.

At the moment, she looked so relaxed, and her thoughts were so carefree, that he half hated to disturb her. But having been duped by a woman once before, he refused to leave anything to chance. “I have some questions for you, Faith.”

Caution brought a stillness to her, and her gaze crept up to his. “You do?”

He'd thought about it all day, during her chatter, while watching her eat. Because he hadn't slept the night before, exhaustion pulled at him. But he wouldn't sleep until he had a few truths. “About your child. About Cory.”

Her thoughts slammed shut with all the echoing clatter of a heavy steel door. Jamie wanted to trust her. Hell, he wanted to take her, to strip her naked again and touch her everywhere. But how could he when she kept closing him out?

Grim, Jamie nodded. “Yeah, that's what I thought. ”

Eyes wide and wary, she hunched her shoulders. “What?”

He took her arm and turned her toward the cabin. “Whatever's going on here, it somehow involves Cory in ways you don't want me to know.”

“How many times do I have to tell you—”

“To wait? Forget that.” Jamie sensed that Cory might be in trouble. Waiting surely wouldn't help, not if the child needed him—as Faith kept insisting. “I want answers now.”

Without even thinking about it, Jamie gave her support and kept his steps slow to accommodate her injured leg.

Once inside, he closed the door behind him, then bent to scoop Faith into his arms. Again, it was an automatic gesture meant to spare her leg—or so he told himself. But now that he held her, he didn't want to put her down.

“It's nearing bedtime,” he explained, answering her unasked question. That delicious fragrance of woman filled his head and cramped his muscles. She felt soft and warm, and he liked holding her.

With her face only inches from his, Faith whispered, “And?”

Jamie lowered her to the couch, but continued to loom over her, one hand on the seat by her hip, the other on the couch back, caging her in.

She looked apprehensive and anxious. He shook his head, already knowing what she hoped would happen, but ready to disappoint her.

Slowly, he forced himself to straighten away. Folding his arms over his chest and giving her his most nerve-wracking stare, Jamie said, “I'm not going to sleep with you in my cabin without knowing what I'm getting into.”

“Oh.” She licked her lips, and damn, he wanted to lick them, too.

Taking another step back, Jamie studied her and realized she was far too uneasy to give much away. He shouldn't have warned her. She laced her fingers together and held herself in a guarded position, blanking her mind against him.

To throw her off, Jamie said, “Do you want some tea? And I think I have some cheese crackers somewhere.”

It took her a moment to assimilate his words with what she'd expected to hear. “Oh. Yes. Thank you.” Wariness stilted the words. “I am starting to get hungry.”

Jamie raised his brows. “Again?”

Her mental barriers slipped, and Jamie felt her embarrassment mingle with her confusion over his attitude. “It's been hours since lunch. Surely you could eat again?”

Jamie shrugged. Generally, he had two meals a day, but only when his hunger registered. With Faith, he didn't have a chance to get hungry. The woman was a bottomless pit.

When he didn't agree, she blushed. “I'm sorry. I eat when I'm nervous. I don't mean to be a bother, but—”

“Enough with the apologies, Faith. Given that you refuse to leave or level with me, they don't exactly ring true.”

She said, “Ouch,” to give him his due, then tracked him with wide eyes as he went to the kitchen. “You don't really want me to leave, Jamie.”

“No?”

“Today has been wonderful.” She fretted with the hem of the flannel shirt. “I just don't want to ruin it.”

“Then tell me why you're here.”

“Okay.” Jamie gave her a sharp look, and she said, “I-I'll try to tell you as much as I can.”

You'll
tell me more than that, Jamie silently vowed as he strode to the kitchen and got out two glasses. He didn't bother with ice. He just poured the tea, grabbed a canister of crackers, and went back to the couch. “Here you go.”

She accepted the glass with a smile. “May I at least say ‘thank you'?”

Lifting her sock-covered feet, Jamie seated himself on the cushion next to her. “You may.”

Once again holding herself still, Faith swallowed, licked her lips, and whispered, “Thank you. ”

Satisfied with her reaction, Jamie sipped his tea, then set it aside. Cocking his head at her, he asked, “My nearness makes you nervous?”

“Ha.” Faith slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. But yes. Everything about you makes me nervous. You have such a poker face. I've babbled to you all day, spilling my guts, and it's almost impossible to tell what you're thinking.”

“I'm thinking that you look damn cute in that gown. ”

Her chin tucked in, and she frowned warily. “You are not.”

Feeling in control for a change, Jamie lounged back, at his leisure. But he kept one hand curled around Faith's ankle, his thumb stroking absently against her arch.

“You hide, Faith, just as I hide. But I still see you. ”

“Um ... I don't know what you mean.”

“You know exactly what I mean, so don't lie to me.”

Her hands shook, and Jamie took her tea to set beside his. Casually, he looked her over, taking in the thrust of her breasts, her narrow waist, the flare of her hips. “You don't want anyone to know that you're stacked.”

Her lips parted, and a blush ran up her neck. “Not too many guys ever look past my face.”

“Because you downplay your features.” With his free hand, Jamie reached out and ran his fingers over several springy curls. “You wear your hair in a ponytail and don't bother with makeup. Your clothes are usually plain, without shape, meant to hide all your curves.” His brows lifted, and he murmured, “Meant to hide your breasts and waist and ” ass.

A pulse danced wildly in her throat. Jamie brushed it with the backs of his fingers—and got hit with the melting sensation of her naked desire.

Pausing, he watched her face, seeing how her eyes grew heavy and her lips parted. She looked... ripe. Ready.

With his attention on her, Faith's breath accelerated, drawing his gaze to her breasts. Her nipples pressed against the fabric of the nightgown.

Hello.

Jamie knew she wasn't cold, not now. So ...

Faith wanted him?

Not as part of a put-on to use him, but out of sincere sexual interest? He couldn't quite fathom that, not with his beard and shaggy hair and . . . less-than-welcoming attitude so far.

Forcing his rapt notice away from her breasts, he voiced his most immediate question. “Why do you want me, Faith? Explain it to me.”

As if coming out of a daze, Faith floundered. “I, what, that is ...”

Maybe he shouldn't have just blurted that out. And in fact, he was supposed to be picking her brain about more important things. And he would. In a second.

“You want me. Sexually. Why?”

More color rushed into her face, and her lost expression turned mutinous. She appeared ready to clout him. “That's really unfair how you do that, drawing out a woman's most intimate thoughts when you weren't invited in.”

“When I wasn't ...” Jamie could hardly credit her accusation. “You forced your way into my home, Faith. You refuse to leave. All I did was glean a few thoughts—which you weren't hiding worth a damn anyway. It wouldn't take intuition to figure them out.”

“Baloney. I might not have a stone face like you, but I'm not altogether transparent.”

Jamie's temper sparked. He leaned closer to her. “You're staring at me like I'm your next meal. Your face is flushed. Hell, even your nipples are puckered.”

Faith gasped so hard she nearly choked herself, and her arms wound around her chest, squeezing tight. She started to scramble off the couch, but Jamie easily subdued her.

“Oh, no, you don't.”

“Let me go!”

“I don't think so.” He trapped her hands when she started swatting at him.

Straining away from him, Faith muttered, “Damn it, Jamie, I'm embarrassed.”

“Well, get over it.” He caught her shoulders and pressed her onto her back in the cushions. But that meant he sprawled over her, and the suggestive position threatened his newly claimed control.

Especially when she stared at his mouth while breathing hard.

“Faith,” he growled, resisting the urge to kiss her, “tell me why you want me.”