Page 13 of Never Let Me Go

Her quiet belief in him was balm to his uncertain mood. “Thanks,” he said gruffly.

Marisa felt helpless to do anything for Jeff. Reclaiming his home would be a monumental task, and one that would take time.

Suddenly, she had an idea. It was dangerous. And open to misinterpretation. But it was the least she could do.

“Come live with me,” she said impulsively. “I have a spare bedroom that’s all yours for as long as you need it. Clearly, you can’t sleep here.”

He shrugged out of her embrace and turned to face her. His gaze was turbulent. “Notyourbedroom?” The words were silky with challenge. The man was in a bad mood, and that made him dangerous.

She swallowed. “You’re going to be in crisis mode for weeks. Maybe a couple of months. I don’t know that it would be a good time to complicate your life.”

“You’re saying sex between you and me would be complicated?”

“I was speaking platonically,” she said, the words prim.

His laugh held no humor. “You can’t seriously believe that I’ll move in with you, and we’ll keep our hands to ourselves?”

“Maybe you’re right. But my offer was sincere. You need a place to sleep, a place to relax at the end of the day. My house isn’t as nice as this, but it’s yours if you want it.”

“You know what I want,” he said.

The intensity in his words and the heat in his gaze made her shiver. “I do,” she said. “But maybe we could have a trial period first. We’ve been through a lot of stress. Let’s give ourselves a week to recover. Then we’ll talk.”

“Talk?”

“Talk first,” she said firmly. “After that, we’ll see what happens.”

She knew full well what would happen. Inviting the fox into the henhouse guaranteed turmoil. If eighteen months of living in opposite corners of the same town hadn’t made their attraction fizzle, then cohabiting beneath the same roof was going to be incendiary.

Jeff rubbed his jaw. “I accept your kind offer,” he said. “What if we seal our deal with a kiss?”

Heat flared in her midsection. “That’s not necessary.”

He smiled ruefully. “Maybe not necessary, but enjoyable. And besides, it’s not like we could end up in bed.”

She lifted her chin, grimacing at his sheets. “Certainly not.” Though to be honest, something as simple as a wet bed might not be enough to put out the fire that smoldered between them.

“So you agree?” he asked, drawing her into his arms and sinking his teeth gently into the curve of her neck. “One kiss?”

It was madness. She knew that full well. But where Jeff Grainger was concerned, she was weak. “One kiss,” she whispered.

He made a noise low in his chest. A sort of growling approval. And then he sank his fingers into her hair, anchored her head in his two big hands and settled his mouth over hers.

Madness.

It was as if the tornado still swirled around them. She felt wild and out of control. Everything inside her yearned for him.

Jeff was a master kisser. He knew exactly how to deepen her response and coax her farther into the dark, seductive passion that held them both in thrall. Her heart pounded so rapidly, it made her breathless and dizzy.

“I want you,” he said, his voice low and hoarse. “I can’t look at you without imagining you naked and sprawled on my bed. Beneath me. On top of me. Any way you can think of...”

She found the courage she needed to tell him the truth. Gently, she traced his cheekbone with her thumb. “I want you, too. I do. But I need to go into this with my eyes open. Not a fairy tale. Not a fantasy. An adult decision. Promise me a week. We’ve waited this long. Let’s take a deep breath and a step back.”

His expression was half sulky, half resigned. “You’ll have your week,” he promised. “But I want you to lock your door at night. I seem to have misplaced my willpower.” He cupped her ass and pulled her closer. “You drive me out of my mind, Marisa. That was true when we were together and when we were apart. Now that I’m holding you again and tasting your soft, perfect lips, I think I might literally explode. Disappear in a puff of smoke. Return to the ether.”

“Your hyperbole is duly noted,” she said, laughing at him, but flattered by his intensity. “And honestly, I feel the same way. But I don’t want to get hurt again,” she said quietly.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, his gaze troubled now. “I want to make you happy.”

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