Jill Shalvis - Instant Temptation

“Your paycheck,” he said, waiting patiently for her to step aside and let him in, unlike some men she knew who just barged in invited or not. That should probably be a pro for Nolan.

She took the envelope, knowing the number on it would be pathetically low, as she’d only managed to get in twenty hours. “You didn’t have to deliver it. I’m working tomorrow, I could have picked it up then.”

“I didn’t mind.” In her living room, he turned to face her, hesitated, then came close, his hands going to her arms. “Sorry about dinner the other night.”

“Me too.”

“We keep getting postponed.”

She nodded, and his body shifted a little closer, his eyes on hers. She realized he was going to kiss her. And she wanted him to.

Or she had, before Desolation.

No. Stop. Erase that. She still wanted his kiss. She wanted all of it. Passion. Heat. Love.

Nakedness.

Nolan was the perfect candidate, sweet and loving and kind. He was a long-term candidate as well, a safe one. She let her eyes drift shut and quickly darted her lips with her tongue to moisten them, because there was nothing worse than having lips get stuck together, especially during a first kiss. Briefly she tried to remember which underwear she had on, and if it was cute or sexy. Or God forbid, if it was her laundry day underwear, because-

“Harley? You okay?”

She blinked and found Nolan’s face peering into her own, a bemused smile on his lips. “Yes, why?”

“You look like you’re thinking way too hard.”

“Nope. Not thinking.” She closed her eyes. “Mind’s empty. Carry on.” She sensed his smile. To help him along, she leaned into him, lips puckered as she wondered-did he kiss good? With tongue? Without? Or worse, with too much tongue. Her eyes flew open, and she found his lips nearly touching hers. “Oh! Sorry! Um, would you like some water? I’m really dry, I think I need some water.”

He opened his eyes. He didn’t sigh, but he looked like he was thinking about it. “I’m fine, thanks. Harley-”

“Hang on.” She whirled into the kitchen, moved to the cupboard for a glass, and set her forehead against the wood. What was that? You can do this, she told herself. You can be attracted to someone other than TJ. You can be attracted to Nolan. You were only a few days ago.

“Harley.”

Almost yelping in surprise at the sound of him just behind her, she straightened and filled her glass at the sink. When she turned, Nolan was leaning back against the fridge, once again studying her with that slightly bemused expression.

She realized she caused that expression in men a lot.

“Better?” he asked as she drank.

“Much.”

Nodding, he came close again, his intent in his deep blue eyes.

Okay, Harley, this is your chance. A nice man. A good man. A long-term, happily-ever-after man. She let him take the glass from her, which he set in the sink. See, he’s neat, too, she told herself as he shifted closer, his eyes lit with pleasure, and then-and then the alien within her lifted her hand between them, halting his progress. “I forgot to get my mail today.”

He went still for a beat, then blinked. “And…you need to get it right now?”

Her heart was suddenly thundering. “Um…no. That would be silly.” She gripped his shirt and forcibly pulled him in. His hands went to her hips and his gaze dropped to her mouth. “Nolan?”

Again he stopped, his eyes suddenly flashing with both wry humor and resignment. “Are you thirsty again?”

“No,” she whispered miserably. “Worse.”

His smile faded but he remained gentle as he ran his hands up and down her arms. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Harley.”

“No, it’s not.” She closed her eyes, then felt the sweet press of his mouth on her forehead. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“You can’t fake chemistry,” he said.

“It’s not you, it’s me.”

He let out a soft, regretful laugh at the clichéd line, and she winced. “I mean-”

“I know.”

“God, I’m such a jerk.”

“No,” he said. “You’ve clearly got your mind on something else. Or someone else.” He paused thoughtfully at her grimace. “I heard you had a long two nights out there in Desolation.”

“Yes.”

“And that TJ Wilder was your guide.”

She grimaced again. “Not guide, exactly.”

“Ah.” He let out another low laugh, this one mirthless, as he nodded, not looking thrilled. “So it is a someone.”

Dammit. “I don’t want there to be, trust me.” But unfortunately, her head and her heart were two very different beasts, with two very different tastes. “I’m really so very sorry.”

He opened his mouth just as Skye bounded in from outside. “Hi honey, I’m home!” she yelled, shutting the door, not yet looking into the kitchen. “I heard you and TJ Wilder had a romp worthy of his last name. It’s all over town that-” She turned, and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the sight of Nolan. Smile frozen, she gave him a little finger waggle. “Hi, Cute Stuff. Has Harley ever told you that I have a drinking problem? I’m coming off a three-day bender as we speak.”

“Skye,” Harley murmured.

Nolan looked like he was thinking about smiling. “It’s okay, Skye. I was dumped before you got in the front door.”

“Dumped?” Skye looked at Harley and raised a curious brow. “Interesting.”

Nolan made to leave, but Harley grabbed his hand. “Nolan-”

“It’s okay, Harley. No hard feelings.”

Well maybe he didn’t have hard feelings, but she sure as hell did. This was TJ and his magic fingers’ fault. If he hadn’t given her that orgasm, she’d have been fine. Fine.

Okay, so it wasn’t TJ’s fault, but she wanted someone to blame. She supposed she should grow up and look in the mirror. “I want you to know, Nolan, that whatever you heard isn’t true.” Well, unless he heard that she’d crawled into TJ’s sleeping bag and let him-oh, God. “Most of it anyway.”

“Harley,” he said with terrifying kindness. “It’s okay to stop talking.”

Right. Miserable, she nodded. And when the door closed behind him, she turned to Skye, who lifted her hands in surrender.

“Hey, I’m just the messenger,” Skye said. “You can’t shoot the messenger.”

“Wanna bet?”

“So you and TJ…?”

“Ohmigod. Why is everyone talking about this?”

“Because Shelly was with Annie when the two of you came back together. Shelly went to work her shift at Moody’s and told someone who told someone-hell, Harl, you know how it works.” She shrugged. “This is what happens when you go out with the town’s hottie.”

“We didn’t go out!”

“No, even better, you went directly to the overnight portion of the program. Was it the romance novel I gave you? It was, wasn’t it?”

“Oh my God, this is out of control. TJ and I are…” What? “Nothing. We’re just friends.”

“Since when?” Without waiting for an answer, Skye headed straight for the refrigerator. “Jeez, we need food.”

“We?”

“Okay, me. I need food. Whadda ya got for dinner?”

Harley sighed, reached into her purse and looked in her wallet.

A ten and two ones.

She handed it over.

There was no fast food in Wishful, so their choices were limited to the café, the grocery store, or the gas station convenience store. They both knew there was only enough money for the latter.

“I’m going to take your truck,” Skye said. “I’m low on gas. Hot dogs? Taquitos? Burritos?”

Harley sighed. “All of it. No, wait.” All of it would require that she go for a run tomorrow. “Two hot dogs,” she decided.

“Chili? Cheese?”

“Sure. But make it one hot dog.” She sighed. “My jeans are tight.”

Skye laughed.

“It’s not funny. It means I need to go running.” She hated running. “Okay, skip the chili and the cheese, but add pickles. Pickles are low in calories, right?”

“Well yes, when compared to the actual hot dog itself,” Skye said, amused.

“You know what, add the cheese. I really need the cheese.”

“You’re going to hell in a handbasket, Harl.”

Harley thought of what she’d let TJ do, what she wanted to do to him, and sighed. “Don’t I know it.”

TJ sat at his desk and looked at the mess on it. He hated paperwork. He hated filing. He hated sitting.

He hated not having fresh air in his lungs.

Huh. That was sort of fun. What else did he hate about office work? How about the fact that there were walls all around him instead of the elements? He hated walls. He hated being enclosed. He hated the electronic hum of the office equipment.

His phone rang. He hated that, too, but he answered it. Turned out to be a good call-a last-minute Alaska trip, leaving in a week. Didn’t get better than that.

Well, actually, it could get better than that. He could be back out at Desolation with Harley.

He looked at the paperwork again and decided it was time for a field trip. He headed to Cam’s office, intending to grab him for help cataloguing their inventory for month-end, and then they could go on a hard, fast, mountain bike ride.

Cam’s laptop was open on his desk. Next to it lay a cell phone and keys. Next to that, an iPod, with Radiohead blaring out of the headphones. There was also an opened soda and bag of chips.

Had there been some sort of emergency? TJ couldn’t think of another reason why his brother would leave so quickly with an unfinished bag of chips lying out, just begging to be stolen. Cam didn’t leave his food.

Just then, the cell phone rang. The screen ID’d Nick. “Yo,” TJ answered.

“TJ? Where the hell’s Cam? I’m out back waiting for him.”

“I have no idea.” Then he heard it. A rustle and a…moan? Both came from the closet behind the desk.

And then, a soft, husky female voice that sounded suspiciously like Katie saying, “Oh, God. Cam…” Something thunked against the closet door from the inside. And then a soft moan. “There, Cam. Right there.”