Susan Mallery - Only His

THE DOOR TO THE BAR opened and two couples walked in. Jo scowled at them. The place was already crowded. Could they go somewhere else?

She shook her head and knew she was in real trouble when she complained about too many customers. Seriously, she had a problem and she was going to have to fix it. Knowing how was a detail she hadn’t worked out. But, as usual, the source could be traced back to a man.

Everyone blamed Eve for the whole being thrown out of Eden thing; but Jo preferred to think Adam had some culpability. The man could have said no. But no one ever talked about that. If his friends had said to go jump off a cliff, would he have done that, too? Although, since technically Adam and Eve were the first two humans, according to the Bible, Adam wouldn’t have had any friends.

A lovely mental distraction, she thought as she dropped ice into the stainless steel container, put on the top, then shook the martini into submission. But it didn’t get to the heart of the matter, which was Will.

One of the many problems with him was that she couldn’t make up her mind. She knew what she should do. That was easy. Avoid him and say no when she couldn’t. It was a philosophy that had worked for her for years. Yet, when she was around Will, she found herself wondering what it would be like to give in. Just the one time. Except it wouldn’t be one time and then there would be all kinds of trouble.

The truth was men were bad for her. Or she was bad for men. Or both. Smarter to stay alone. Safer. She loved her life here — did she really want to risk screwing that up?

She mixed drinks, took orders and directed her weekend staff. Around eleven, the front door opened again. She felt it rather than heard it, then without even turning around, she knew.

Will.

She told herself that he’d probably come by to tell her that he was done playing games. That she’d had her chance and he was finished. While that would make her sad, it would be for the best. She drew in a breath and turned around.

Will was standing at the far end of the bar. Their eyes locked. He looked good, she thought, telling her heart to stop pounding so hard. Really good.

Still watching her, he crossed the line no customer crossed and stepped behind the bar. Purposefully, he moved toward her, intent dark in his eyes.

“This is bullshit,” he told her, then grabbed her upper arms, pulled her close and kissed her.

She felt the contact all the way down to her toes. Long-dormant nerve endings raised their heads and gave a little giggle. Her lungs stopped working, as did her brain. There was only the warm, sexy feel of Will’s mouth on hers.

In the back of her mind she was aware of the bar going completely silent. In all the years Jo had lived in Fool’s Gold no one had ever seen her with a man. And for good reason — she hadn’t been on a date, let alone kissed anyone.

He drew back. “Go ahead,” he said. “Yell at me.”

A second later, conversation resumed around them. She was sure it was mostly forced, as people tried to listen without listening.

“I don’t yell,” she told him, then walked toward the storeroom.

He followed.

When they were inside, she flipped on the lights then closed the door, giving them a little more privacy. He moved toward her, but she held up her hand to stop him.

“Wait.”

“No.” He sounded firm and his expression was determined. “I’m not going anywhere, Jo. I’m not that kind of guy. I like you. I’m just asking for the chance for you to like me, too.”

He spoke as if he meant it, which was damned unfair. How was she supposed to resist a line like that? Except it wasn’t a line, which made the whole thing worse. And amazing.

“You are going somewhere,” she reminded him. “When the resort is done, you’re leaving.”

He swore under his breath. “Sure. That’s years away. You’ll be tired of me by then. If not, we’ll figure something out. I can learn to deal blackjack.”

His easy discussion of the future floored her. How could he say those things, imply that this was more than just a night of sex?

He stared into her eyes. “I’m not that guy.”

The implication being she was worried about “that guy.” She wondered what he’d heard. Which of the various rumors had been shared with him. There were so many and everyone had his or her favorites.

He thought she was worried about him leaving. That she was afraid of falling in love and being abandoned. If only he knew the truth. His leaving wasn’t her problem. He wasn’t her problem. The trouble went much deeper than that.

“No one hit me,” she told him flatly. “In case that’s what you were thinking.”

His mouth twisted. “Good to know. Now I don’t have to hunt the bastard down and beat the shit out of him.”

She was pretty sure he meant it. That he was the kind of man who protected what was his. A good man. Someone she in no way deserved.

“I don’t want forever,” she told him. “I’m only interested in right now.”

“I can do now.”

Maybe, but he wasn’t looking for a fling, she thought with a certainty she couldn’t explain. He wanted more than a night. She wasn’t sure she could promise that, but she also wasn’t sure she could resist what he offered.

She thought about what it would feel like to be with him, to have him hold her, and she ached. Some of the longing was about sex, but most of it was about connecting in a way she hadn’t allowed herself in years.

“I have a cat,” she told him.

“Everyone has a flaw.”

She smiled. “He’s a pretty cool cat. You’re going to like him.” She pulled her keys out of her jeans pocket and handed them over, then gave him her address. “I’ll be done here in about an hour.”

He took the keys, then leaned in and lightly kissed her.

“You can trust me,” he whispered, before he straightened and walked out.

Trusting him wasn’t the problem, she thought, watching him go. The real question was whether or not he could trust her.

NEVADA WANTED to spend the weekend avoiding Tucker. She wasn’t sure she could explain the logic to him, but it made sense to her, and that was what mattered. Not that it was an issue, because he was nowhere to be seen. That was very annoying. Shouldn’t he have come looking for her? After all, they’d had sex in the trailer. Conventional wisdom required a conversation after that. On a different topic, shouldn’t he want to know how things were going with Cat?

Or was that where he was? With Cat, in her bed, restarting his obsessive relationship with the other woman.

Even though she didn’t want to think about the two of them together, Nevada kept getting herself worked up over the possibility. She tried to put her energy to good use by cleaning her place and taking long walks in town. By Sunday afternoon, she was ready to jump out of her skin.

She was on the verge of going for a long run, a truly desperate measure considering she rarely exercised and never ran anywhere, when someone knocked on her door.

Tucker, she thought in relief. Having him to yell at would make her feel much better. Then he could tell her he was sorry and they could figure out what they were going to do with Cat.

She crossed to her door, pulled it open and stared at the Devil herself.

“Am I interrupting?” Cat asked, strolling inside. “Those boys downstairs are delicious. I met them both.”

“Cody and Ryan?”

“Yes.” Cat walked through the living room. “Oh, this place is wonderful. I want to live here.”

Words to cause Nevada’s insides to turn to ice. She shook that off and dealt with the more pressing problem.

“Cody and Ryan are in college.”

“I know.”

“They both started young because they’re really smart, so even though they’re in graduate programs, I’m not sure they’re more than twenty.”

Cat touched a small glass bowl on a shelf, then ran her hands over several books. “You’re sweet to worry. They’re adults. Let it go.”

Nevada felt vaguely responsible for them. She didn’t want Cat mucking around with their lives, but wasn’t sure what she could do to prevent anything from happening. It wasn’t as if either of the guys would listen. Cat was irresistible.

Even dressed casually in jeans, low boots and a dark purple sweater, she radiated an energy that was difficult to describe and impossible to ignore. There was something about the way she moved, as if she were so new to this world that every part of it was an exciting discovery.

Cat put down the book she’d been holding.

“What are you doing now?” she asked. “Whatever it is, you can do it later. Come on. I want to see your town.” She held out her hand, as if expecting Nevada to take it.

“Um, sure. I can show you around.” Nevada collected keys and her cell phone, then stuck a few dollars in her pocket.

They went out onto the street.

“What would you like to see first?”

“Whatever matters most to you. What places are special?”

Not your typical stroll, Nevada thought, heading for the park.

The day was sunny but cool. Children played by the lake, feeding the ducks. Parents watched from the benches. To the south, several young boys played soccer. To the north, by the trees, couples cuddled on blankets.

“The first known residents of the area were the women of the Máa-zib tribe,” Nevada said.

Cat nodded. “I’ve read about them. A very powerful and artistic group of women. They were known for their intricate work with gold.”

“I didn’t know that,” Nevada said.