Oh, yes, and Morgan was going to change from the most sexy man on the planet to some kind of a geek, was he? When hell froze over.
She stared into the movie-star-blue eyes and for a moment allowed herself to bathe in the feeling that had been there from the second he’d spoken in the kitchen. A composite of amazement, bewilderment, gratification, delight and sheer shock that this tough, enigmatic, wealthy and intelligent man, who also happened to be deliciously attractive to boot, was interested in her.
‘You mentioned we live next door to each other,’ she said weakly. ‘What if it ends badly? Wouldn’t that make things awkward?’
‘It won’t.’ He kissed the tip of her nose lightly.
‘You might meet someone.’ The world was full of lovely women.
‘I meet people all the time, Willow,’ he said gently.
‘A woman, someone who’s free to get involved…properly. Who wants what you want.’ Even now she found it difficult to say; what would it be like if it actually happened after she’d been seeing him for a while? She shouldn’t be considering this.
He didn’t deny it. ‘Friendship can survive worse than that.’
She couldn’t think of anything worse than that right at this moment but didn’t think it prudent to say so.
‘Decision time.’ He pulled her closer into him, but this time he took her mouth in a kiss that nipped at her lower lip before deepening into an erotic assault on her senses. Warmth spread through her as his mouth left hers and trailed over her cheek, then her throat, before returning to her lips in a swift final kiss. He stepped back a pace, letting go of her, and she felt the loss in every fibre of her being. ‘So?’ he said levelly, face expressionless. ‘What’s it to be?’
‘You said no lovemaking,’ she protested weakly.
‘I said I didn’t expect you to jump into bed with me,’ he corrected gently. ‘I didn’t say anything about kissing or cuddling or a whole host of other…pleasant things between friends. And that’s all that was, nothing heavy.’
‘You kiss all your friends like that?’
His eyes were deep pools of laughter. ‘Only those with honey-coloured, spicy skin, green eyes and red hair.’
There were a hundred and one reasons why she shouldn’t get mixed up with Morgan Wright, be it as a ‘friend’ or anything else, not least because absolutely nothing could come of it and she might end up getting hurt. She stared at him, her mind racing. But guidelines had been drawn—albeit somewhat fuzzy ones if that kiss was anything to go by. And why shouldn’t she just go out and enjoy herself sometimes with a male companion? She was still young, for goodness’ sake, and free, and she knew what—and what not—she was getting into with Morgan. He might be able to charm the birds out of the trees, but he had been honest with her. She knew exactly where she stood with Morgan. Didn’t she?
Willow could still smell a lingering scent of lime from his aftershave and although he hadn’t ravished her mouth her lips were tingling. He was disturbingly good at this kissing business.
Could she bear to say no, to effectively wipe him out of her life for good? He wasn’t the type of man to beg.
She took a deep breath. ‘I see nothing wrong in us getting to know each other better. It’s—it’s nice to know there’s a friend around if you need one,’ she added primly.
‘Very nice,’ he agreed gravely. ‘Great, in fact.’
‘And the cottage is a little remote. If I need a neighbour in an emergency—’
‘You can call on me, any time of the day or—’ he paused briefly ‘—night.’
‘Quite,’ she said briskly, taking his words at face value and ignoring the innuendo. ‘Which is reassuring for a single woman.’
His smile this time was merely a twitch, but the piercing blue eyes glimmered with laughter. She wondered if he knew how that incredible, deep, bright blueness could hold you spellbound. Then she answered herself wryly. Of course he knew. And she was going to have to be very careful to resist Morgan’s particular brand of magic.
This was nothing more than a brief interlude for him, a diverting game even. She’d caught his interest more because of what she wasn’t than what she was. Unwittingly her refusal to fall into bed with him had singled her out as something of a challenge; it was the age-old scenario of the thrill of the chase.
But as long as she knew all that and kept it very firmly to the forefront of her mind, she could do this. And she wanted to do it. She wanted to get to know Morgan better, to find out what made him tick. She wanted to discover more about his past, what had made him the tough, cynical man he had become. To understand his work, what motivated him. He was a fascinating individual, she admitted it. Magnetic even. He had a quality that drew people into his orbit almost in spite of themselves. And she wanted to be with him…for a while.