Night Heat (Forged of Steele 2)

“I was, until Friday. While I was out riding around with Reese a few weeks ago, I saw this cabin on the outskirts of town and thought it would be a nice piece of investment property for the Steele Corporation. All of us like to get away every once in a while and we all love the mountains. Our parents own a cabin that we use occasionally, but this one is bigger.”

“So you bought it? Just like that?”

He risked glancing over at her before returning his eyes to the road. Just for that instant he felt his heart slam hard in his chest. He did love her. He was no longer falling in love with her; he had fallen—and hard.

“Yes, just like that,” he said, feeling like a man on top of the world. He would feel even better if the woman who held his affections felt the same way, but he knew that she didn’t. But he had time to spare, and pretty soon she would see that Reese wasn’t the only man on a mission to win over the woman he loved.

“So what’s for lunch?” she asked.

“I thought I’d keep it simple and fix a couple of sandwiches. I haven’t had a chance to do any real grocery shopping yet, but I do have stuff to make a nice sandwich.”

“What kind of sandwich?”

When he brought the car to a stop in front of his cabin, he cocked his head and shot her a smile that tilted the corners of his lips. “I hope you like peanut butter and jelly.”

Jocelyn had to admit that the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and glass of iced tea were good. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast so her hunger might have been what had made it so delicious. But then she thought of something else that was delicious, something she liked—Bas’s kisses.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh.” A blush stained her cheeks. She’d thought he was using the restroom. She hadn’t known he’d returned and had been staring at her. “I—” She paused, wondering what she could say. “I was just thinking about Reese and Leah,” she lied, figuring he would believe that.

“And the thought of them is what had you smiling?”

“Er…yeah,” she said, compounding her lie. “I can remember happier times.”

“Don’t give up on them. The happier times will return.”

“You think so?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “When two people love each other, things will work out for them.”

She lifted a brow. “You sound like someone who knows.”

He shook his head. “Trust me, I’m not, but I believe it, and I’ve seen it happen. Take my brother Chance and his wife, Kylie. They butted heads from the start, but finally they decided to give love a try and eventually got married. And I don’t know two happier people.”

Jocelyn nodded, glanced around. For a place that had been moved in to a mere three days ago, Bas’s place looked lived in. The three-bedroom, two-bath two-story log cabin with cathedral ceilings, sat secluded on a stream with hardwood trees all around. It also had an extraordinary view of the mountains, a wood-burning fireplace and a covered porch with an outdoor hot tub.

“You still planning on going to that baby shower later?”

She turned, not knowing he had crossed the room and was standing so close. “No, I’m not in the mood,” she said softly, barely realizing what she was saying. Being this close to Bas was as usual stirring her senses, all five of them.

There was the scent of him, strong and manly with a come-hither aroma that should be bottled. The sight of him, especially in his jeans, was provocative enough to make a woman’s mouth water…And speaking of mouth, the taste of him from last night was still on her tongue. Even the peanut butter hadn’t been able to eradicate it. Her taste buds were sensitive, tingling, anticipating kissing him again. Just thinking about it was putting another sense to work—her hearing. She could hear the pounding of her heart against her chest.

And then there was the sense of touch, something she hadn’t quite explored to the fullest when it came to him. A soft sigh escaped her lungs at the thought of touching him intimately, taking him in her hands, feeling him harden beneath her fingers.

“You’re smiling again,” he said, resting his hip against his kitchen counter. “Still thinking about Reese and Leah?”