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Then there was that sexual attraction flowing between them. Sensations seeped through his veins every time he looked at her and every time she looked at him. She had to be feeling it. He now knew for certain that she wasn’t as immune to him as he’d originally assumed. It had taken them being alone for him to hone on to it.
“Are you ready for dessert, Jaxon?”
He recalled she’d made a chocolate cake. Dessert was the end of the meal and the thought of that dampened his spirits. He had enjoyed the time he’d spent here with her talking and getting to know her. Listening to the sound of her voice stirred all sorts of longing within him.
It had taken all his willpower to contain himself as he watched her eat. Damn, he actually envied her fork each time she’d stuck it in her mouth. He could just imagine her tongue twirling around it. Another thing he thought was that he had yet to see the renegade side of Nadia. Was she putting on her best behavior for his benefit? Why? More than anything he wanted her to be herself.
Knowing she was waiting for a response, he said, “I’m ready for dessert. Everything was delicious, Nadia. You’re a wonderful cook. I find it hard to believe there aren’t any hungry cowboys around these parts who would appreciate a home-cooked meal.”
He hoped his comment would open the discussion as to why, at twenty-eight, she wasn’t seriously involved with anyone. He saw the expression on her face change from a smile to a frown and wondered why. Had what he’d said hit a nerve? She stood and tossed him a haughty look. He had a feeling he was finally about to see the very sassy, outspoken Nadia.
“You’re right, there are quite a few hungry cowboys around here, but trust me when I say that I have no interest in feeding them.”
Whoa... Well, she’d certainly told him. However, he felt there was a deeper meaning in her answer, and he had no problem digging. He leaned back in his chair. “Care to share the reason why?”
Her frown turned to a glare that sharpened on him. “Let’s just say I’m picky when it comes to men.”
“Picky in what way?”
“That’s none of your business.”
He couldn’t help but smile because everything about her was his business. This was the Nadia Novak he’d heard about and the one he’d been waiting to see. “Remind me to never ask you a question.”
“Oh, you can ask all you want, just as long you know that I reserve the right not to answer.”
“Touché. And just for the record, I understand your position because I’m picky as well when it comes to the opposite sex.”
She lifted a brow denoting her curiosity. “Are you?”
“Yes. So, I guess you can say we have something in common.”
He could tell by the stiffening of her shoulders that she didn’t agree with that assessment. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go get those slices of cake.” She then walked out of the dining room toward the kitchen and said over her shoulder, “I’m not sure if we have anything in common or not, Jaxon Ravnel.”
He couldn’t help the way his lips twitched into a smile and was glad she hadn’t turned around to see it.
Four
Nadia leaned against the kitchen cabinet, determined to get her anger in check and her desires under control. Dining with Jaxon had been nice, especially with them getting to know each other. But then his question about inviting cowboys to dinner had rubbed her the wrong way because it had reminded her of that incident with Hoyle Adams.
When she’d moved back to Gamble there had been men—namely cowboys—practically coming out of the woodwork, asking her out. It was a full year before she’d decided to go out with Hoyle. She’d played it safe and accepted his invitation to the movies a few times before inviting him to dinner. That had been a mistake. He had assumed she would be the after-dinner delight. After the meal she’d prepared, while she’d been in the kitchen to get the banana pudding she’d baked, he’d slipped out to his truck for his duffel bag. He’d actually assumed he would be staying the night and couldn’t believe it when she’d asked him to leave.
That’s when he’d acted like a total ass. He even had the nerve to tell her that all the single women in Gamble, and a few married ones as well, wanted him, and that she should be grateful she was the object of his attention. She’d told him just what he could do with all that attention.
He’d left with a bruised ego, but not before accusing her of being frigid just because she’d refused to sleep with him. Newsflash! She didn’t do anything just for the hell of it, especially when it concerned her body. As far as Nadia was concerned it was no big deal that at twenty-eight she hadn’t yet met a guy she felt was worthy of sleeping with. In fact, she’d never thought of making out with any man...
Until she’d met Jaxon.
Her sisters didn’t know that since meeting him, she dreamed about him most nights. In secret he’d become her fantasy man. There was just something about him that pushed all her buttons in ways she hadn’t thought was possible. During dinner when he’d licked a dab of gravy from around his mouth with his tongue, she could imagine him using that tongue to lick all over her the same way. She’d never had such thoughts before, but she had imagined them with Jaxon.
Nadia let out a frustrated sigh. She had to pull herself together. Sitting there talking with him, eating and sipping wine while getting to know him, had made her lower her guard and get too comfortable. But then why did she think she had to be uncomfortable around him? He’d been a perfect gentleman since he’d arrived. It wasn’t his fault that bringing up the issue of her feeding a cowboy had pressed the wrong button and set her off. She could just imagine what he thought of her now. Probably Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde.
Knowing she had hung out in the kitchen long enough, she drew in another deep breath and grabbed both plates of cake to walk back to the dining room. He looked up when she entered and stood. “Need help with those?” he asked.
“No, I got this,” she said, setting plates with slices of cake on the table and then sliding one across to him.
He didn’t sit back down until she did and she couldn’t help but admire his manners. The Westmorelands and Outlaws behaved the same way. They might get rowdy at times but they respected women. She knew that some men didn’t bother with all that chivalry stuff anymore because they assumed most women preferred they didn’t. She wasn’t one of them. Her father had raised his daughters to expect men to treat them like ladies.
“You think I can eat this huge slice?” he asked, picking up his fork while eyeing the cake she’d placed in front of him.
