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Good thing he had managed to take a quick nap on the plane, because he wasn't going to sleep tonight. Jared's head had gone from insistent hammering to a dull throb, but the pain wasn't the problem. He couldn't stop thinking about the surprising woman sleeping in the bedroom on the opposite side of the wall the couch was pushed up against. She had knocked all the good sense right out of him. Little Beth had grown up, and he could tell she was a fighter. Gone was the shy, awkward teen that had kissed him without warning.
He couldn't believe she was his wife, and they were expecting a child. Even though the baby wasn't technically his, he had every intention of taking care of it. If Simon didn't step up, Jared would. It wouldn't be easy with him living in Boston and her staying at the Montana ranch. He would offer her a home with him, but he knew dynamite couldn't get her to move away from her beloved horse ranch.
He literally tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before giving up on sleep. It just wasn't going to happen. The uncomfortable couch quickly turned into a torture device. He couldn't shut his brain off. A long list of things he wanted to say to Beth before they ventured into their first morning of married life refused to be ignored. He had to talk to her. Now.
He pushed aside the coat he was using for a blanket and stormed across the floor to the closed bedroom door. Surprisingly, she hadn't locked it. He entered without knocking, hoping to startle her out of a deep sleep. People were unbelievably honest when they were shocked awake.
But he was the one that got the shock.
Beth wasn't in bed. Standing at the window, she spun around and gasped at the sight of him. He would have sucked in air, too, if his lungs were working. The wedding gown was a white puddle on the floor nearby. The cream-colored lacy camisole she wore made her sun-kissed skin look golden. Or maybe that was the moonlight's fault. All he knew for sure was he wanted to caress every inch of her shimmering flesh.
His gaze traveled down her body, taking in the bikini briefs that barely covered her shapely bottom, the stockings that encased her long legs, and the blue garter hugging her upper thigh. He swallowed hard and tried in vain to look in another direction; the sight of a tattoo caught his attention. Small and delicate, there were three flowing black lines just above the edge of her underwear. The rest of the tattoo was hidden from view. He clenched his hands because he wanted to cross the room and pull the thin material away from her skin far enough to expose the entire design.
He grinned. “Nice tat.”
She glared at him. “A lot of things have changed in your absence.”
“I can see that.”
“I'm not a sixteen-year-old kid with a mad crush anymore.”
He folded his arms to keep his fingers from diving into the incredible dark brown waves that cascaded over her shoulders. “Who are you?”
She shrugged with a flippant expression. “I guess I would have to say I'm a twenty-four-year-old horse breeder with trust issues. What about you?”
He hesitated.
She raised a single eyebrow, daring him to be honest.
He shrugged. “I'm a thirty-two-year-old ER doctor with no life outside the hospital.”
She looked off to the side, and he realized she was looking at her robe hanging over a nearby chair. To give her props, she didn't attempt to retrieve it to cover herself. Instead, she lifted her chin defiantly. She stood tall and proud before him, unashamed of her body. His admiration for her grew.
Hands on hips, she asked, “Why don't you just take a picture? That way you can stare at it all night, and I can get some sleep.”
Little Beth had definitely grown up. A woman with gentle curves, she stared back at him with a confidence he didn't recognize. His mouth went dry, and an excitement he hadn't felt in years set his heart to racing. He blamed it on the fact he'd been too busy to date for more months than he could count. Being an ER doctor at one of the busiest hospitals on the eastern coast ate up his time. Working long hours kept him from sleeping and eating like a normal person. Sometimes he didn't know if it was day or night without a window to show him.
A sudden urge to kiss her overwhelmed him.
He turned and bolted from the room without saying a word. She called his name, but he kept moving until he was back where he started. Pacing in front of the couch, he tried to think of a way out of this mess. He never should have married Beth Rawlings. It would go down in history as one of the worst mistakes ever made. His hands itched to touch her, but he couldn't. She was pregnant, for Pete’s sake. With his brother's child, no less. That put her in the no-way-in-hell column.
She came out of the bedroom with the wedding gown back on, but she hadn't zipped it. The back hung open to reveal the soft, smooth skin covering her spine. She clutched the material to her chest to keep it from falling as she carefully walked to him. He purposely turned away, went to the tall windows, and looked at the million tiny lights in the distance. Stunning, yes, but the breathtaking sight couldn't compare to the beauty standing behind him.
His jeans tightened, and he silently named every bone in the upper body to reverse his reaction to her. He took deep, slow breaths. Slowly, he got himself under control.
“What did you want?” she asked. “You didn't say.”
“Nothing,” he said in a clipped voice. “Go back to bed.”
“You didn't burst into my room over nothing. This is so weird. You are being so weird. I thought I knew you, but you aren't acting like... you.”
That struck his curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“I don't remember you being a coward.”
His temper flared to life as he turned to face her. “Excuse me?”
“The Jared I knew was honest to a fault and would say what was on his mind, even if it hurt someone's feelings.”
