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“Fine. Suit yourself.” Erika felt her chest tighten. “How foolish of me to think a simple farmer would want to become a tad bit more civilized.”
“No, thanks. I’m not looking to become civilized.”
Her mouth clamped tightly together, but her eyes glared at him.
“Now, where can I don this monkey suit?”
“My grandfather’s study.” Vexed, she pointed toward the hall that led to the rest of the house. “Second door on the right.”
Watching him go, Erika gritted her teeth and wondered how on earth he could be so headstrong. Anybody with a half-decent brain knew when they were wrong and not too weak to admit it. After all, what was so wrong in owning a suit, for goodness sake! From the looks of the clothing she had seen him in before, he could definitely use one. Even Ryan dressed more proper than Jay. It wouldn’t hurt him or his reputation to be seen around town wearing something more—
“Well? What do ya think?” Jay stood in the entrance of the kitchen wearing the three-piece suit. The coat clung snugly to his upper torso and came together in one button across his waist revealing the matching vest beneath. Over his legs, a pair of darkly colored pin striped pants etched his rather powerful legs and emphasized his truly masculine frame.
Erika swallowed a gasp. For the first time in his acquaintance, the word handsome leaped to mind. “Oh my.”
He frowned and quickly looked down at himself. “What’s wrong? Does it look bad? Damn, I knew I should have kept my own clothes on.”
She gulped down the hard lump forming in the base of her throat. “N–no. You look fine.”
Raising his eyes, he gave her a dubious look. “I feel like a fool.”
This made her smile. “You look very debonair.” Then at the hard frown he shot her, added, “That’s good, Jay. No need to remind council what you truly are.”
“Just full of compliments this morning, aren’t you!” he growled and pulled irritably on the high collar around his throat.
Giving him a reprimanding look, she lifted her hands and retied his cravat correctly for him. “You’ve said yourself you don’t care what people think, so I wouldn’t believe for a second your feelings have been hurt. Besides, you’re not doing this for yourself. Try and remember that.”
“I don’t need any reminders,” he mumbled as he lifted his chin for her to administer the cravat properly. “I just don’t see how my looking like a prima donna will win the vote in council.”
She looked up higher and took note of his unruly hair. Reaching up, she began parting it correctly and smoothing it back with her fingers as best she could without a comb. “If you want to come across as a man presenting a rather political affair, it would help that you looked the part.”
“I suppose—Erika, is that necessary?” He winced as she got caught on a snag in his hair.
“Kneel down,” she demanded.
Jay grumbled, but brought his great height down so that his head was parallel with Erika. Concentrating, she raised her other hand and began to fashion his hair in a more stylish manner. With a start, she realized she rather enjoyed the touch of his thick dark locks between her fingers, never imagining they would feel so soft.
For some reason her gaze slid to his face. She wasn’t sure exactly why, except perhaps she thought she heard him release a low moan. His eyes met and captured hers. Erika’s hands stilled. Something funny tickled the inside of her chest and forced her to suck in a sharp breath. He remained motionless. The only thing moving on his person were his two thick brows as they slowly made their way together.
Erika blinked and immediately dropped her hands. “T-there. That should do it.”
Jay straightened, but did not take his eyes off her, and that frown which had slowly begun to build, had fully formed now. “Thanks.”
She nodded and turned her back to him, embarrassed at the sudden rush of heat in her cheeks. Confused, she looked wildly about the room trying to find anything to distract herself. With relief, her eyes fell on the saddlebag. “Are the petitions in there?”
“Yes.”
“May I have them?”
He didn’t move immediately, but when he finally did, Erika sighed with relief. He had been watching her far too intensely. Undoing the two latches securing it shut, he then removed the stack of papers and turned to hold them out to her. The glint was back in his eye as she went to grab them and he instantly snatched them back. “Not going to go and burn them, are ya?”
She made a face before snatching them from his hands. He didn’t resist. Turning, she headed back to her grandfather’s study with Jay directly behind her. She noted his farm clothing lying across her grandfather’s plush sofa and an unexpected image of Jay standing in the room naked, shot to mind. A fresh onslaught of heat immediately turned her cheeks crimson. Angry with herself for thinking such uninvited thoughts, she nearly ripped the top paper when she tore at the string binding them together.
“Whoa, might want to take it easy there.” Jay came to stand next to her and helped her to untie them.
He stood so close, his arm brushed her shoulder as he worked at untying the bundle. Erika had to fight the urge to step away.
“There you go.” It was Jay who did step away and once again, Erika was able to breathe more easily.
