“What’s stopping you?”
Two steps. Just two steps, and she could be on that mattress straddling him. Learning every inch of his beautiful, powerful body. Bending over him, kissing him senseless, pinning his wrists in place on either side of his head.
She wanted …
He spread his arms and turned his palms up. “Whatever you want, Jannie,” he urged in a low voice.
She couldn’t take what she wanted. Couldn’t risk ruining everything if her desires didn’t align with his.
Her hands clenched into fists. “I want to get my dog and get some sleep.”
She couldn’t look at his face. Didn’t want to see his reaction.
“Good night, Nick.” Summoning all her will, she snapped her fingers and pointed. Rolf immediately trotted out, and Jannie followed, closing the door firmly behind her.
CHAPTER 14
Jannie
Jannie pasted a smile on her face and walked into the kitchen, her nostrils flaring as she inhaled the aroma of fresh coffee. Spotting the aviation-themed steel thermal tumbler he’d given her after their last lesson, she smiled. Nick had taken to making the coffee because he was an early riser, and every morning he left it on the counter, ready for her, just as she liked it.
Her smile faded to nervous when she also spotted Nick, dressed in a crisp white shirt with white-on-navy epaulets. Starched and perfectly ironed, that shirt was dazzlingly white, almost as dazzling as the man who wore it. Evidently, he was making good use of the German laundry sheets she’d given him.
She would have smiled were it not for the way he leaned casually against the counter, exuding such raw masculinity that her mouth watered, and it wasn’t because of the green apple he was eating.
Jannie squared her shoulders and went to get her coffee, feigning nonchalance even as her heart rate spiked. “Good morning.”
“It is.” He smiled, and it felt as if someone had remotely dialed up the wattage of the overhead lighting.
She gauged his expression. Maybe he’d been so out of it last night that he’d forgotten everything.
She reached for the bag of bagels but noted that one was already in the toaster oven, browned to the exact shade she preferred.
“That one’s for you.” He motioned with his hand and took another bite, the sharp sound of the fruit snapping filling the kitchen.
Her gaze lingered on him, admiring how those epaulets accented his broad shoulders. The man had no right to look that good at this hour. “You’re working today?”
“I am.”
She concealed her disappointment behind a sip of coffee.
“The owners want to surprise the Los Angeles branch management and drop in unannounced.”
Jannie nodded and reached for the cream cheese Nick had left on the counter. He watched her spread it over the bagel, and she felt his stare so acutely that it took her a moment before she could trust herself to eat without choking.
“But I’ll be back in time for dinner.” He bit into the Granny Smith with another crunch.
She nodded again.
He licked his lips.
Such beautiful lips.
“I made reservations at Cut,” he said. “Six o’clock.”
“Good choice. My wig and I will be ready.” She took a bite, chewing slowly. The air was thick with tension and unspoken words, and it felt heavy. She hated it.
At last, Nick cleared his throat. “We need to talk.”
