Night Heat (Forged of Steele 2)

Bas reached out and touched his fingertips to her lips. “Yes, I can and you won’t believe just how much I do. I want to marry you and—”

Jocelyn pulled away. “Marry me? How can you think such a thing? We can’t get married.”

Bas’s lips tightened in a grim line as he witnessed her reaction to his words. “Yes, we can. Why would you think that we can’t?”

Jocelyn pulled herself up in bed. “Because I don’t expect you to move here and surely you don’t expect me to just up and move to Charlotte. My life is here. The company is here. This is where I belong, Bas.”

“Fine, then I’ll move here.”

Jocelyn lifted her chin. “And do what? You belong back at the Steele Corporation. Coming here for a while I’m sure was a nice diversion for you but you’re going to leave and go back.”

Bas blew out a heated breath. “Surely you knew I was falling in love with you, Jocelyn. What do you think these past few weeks have been about?”

“Fun. We were having fun.”

“And that’s all I’ve been to you?”

She glared. “I didn’t say that, Bas, so don’t put words into my mouth. We were indulging in a short-term affair. I’m old enough to know that. I wasn’t expecting anything from you, and I most certainly didn’t think you were expecting anything of me.”

“Well, you assumed wrong.”

“And it won’t be the first time,” she snapped.

The silence between them stretched, and then Jocelyn finally spoke. “Look, it’s not that I’m not flattered by your offer because I am. But I can’t marry you. My life here is all I know and all I want. Leah was the one who always wanted to leave and move away. I was contented to stay right here. Nothing’s changed. That’s what I want.”

His gaze met hers and the pain she saw there almost pierced her heart. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, but she had. She reached out and touched his arm. “Bas, please understand that—”

“No,” he said, pulling away and getting out of bed. “There’s nothing left to say. I think you’ve said it all.”

“Breakfast was good as usual, Leah,” Reese said pushing the plate away.

She glanced up at him and smiled. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure how you would like the mango pancakes. It’s a new recipe I tried.”

He chuckled. “Hey, I love all pancakes and yours are the best.”

She shook her head. “It’s a good thing you’re as active as you are with how much you consume at breakfast. Going to the gym every day is paying off.” And that was true. Reese was in the best shape he’d ever been. The proof was in his jeans. She didn’t know of any man who could wear them better or could look sexier in them.

“So what are your plans today?” he asked.

This was how their day started, Leah thought. Reese would arrive for breakfast each morning around seven and she would have everything ready. While he ate a mountain of pancakes and sipped coffee he would tell her his plans for that day and ask about hers. They would then make small talk about the weather, any happenings around town and any other topic of interest. When it was time for him to leave she would walk him to the door and tell him to have a nice day.

When it was time to walk him to the door today, she had just finished telling him about another recipe she planned to try. “Well, don’t work too hard today,” she said, reaching out to open the door.

“Leah?”

“Yes?” She turned around and met his gaze. He didn’t say anything, but then he really didn’t have to. Despite years of separation she could still read the look in his eyes.

“Nothing. Don’t you work too hard, either,” he finally said.

Leah nodded and stood back for him to walk out the door. But some part of her knew she had to make this morning different for them. Jocelyn was right. She couldn’t let what Neil had done destroy the one thing that had been so right in her life, the one thing she had cherished the most. Reese’s love.

“Reese?”

He turned around. “Yes?”

She didn’t say anything at first, then she slowly leaned toward him and, without touching him, brushed a kiss across his lips. She heard his sharp intake of breath and the sound spurred her to go a little further. So she deepened the kiss a little, and when he moaned, she closed her eyes and slipped her tongue inside his mouth.