He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans.“Let’s stick to the plan.Wear the ring until you leave.I’ll pick you up for lunch tomorrow.After that, we don’t need to see each other before next weekend.”
He turned around.
“Hunter…”
He stopped in the door but didn’t turn to look at her.“If I don’t leave now, I’m going to take you to bed, make love to you, and we probably won’t appear before next weekend.See you tomorrow.”
The next moment he was gone.
Staring at her hands in the water, she exhaled slowly.Oh.My.Goodness.The sound of hismake-love-to-youwas still in the air around her.What that man could do to her with just his voice should be illegal.She was a shivering mess, craving for his touch with every breath she took.
It was way better that he’d left, she knew that.She didn’t have to like it, though.
Loving Hunter but unable to show him the depth of her feelings was becoming harder by the minute.She was constantly on her guard, afraid to say or do something that would reveal her secret.
Oh, she hated this!She loved the man, but this whole thing was a fake, a temporary madness.How was she going to survive it?
*
Jade phoned onSunday as Hunter was on his way to pick up Willow.Damn, he hadn’t called her back as he’d promised.His mind was so consumed with thoughts of Willow, he didn’t think about anything else.
Leaving Willow the previous night had been one of the most difficult things he’d ever had to do.With his body on fire for her, his blood just about boiling, he’d made it to the front door where everything inside of him had been urging him on to retrace his steps.He had to keep telling himself it was for the best until he’d reached his own house.
Sleep hadn’t arrived until the early hours of the morning.He was out of sorts, on edge and not quite sure why.He’d even forgotten to phone his sister.
“Hi, sis, sorry I haven’t called you yet.It’s been busy.”
“Don’t buy it, sorry.You always call me back.Even during the busiest time on a ranch, you call.I know something is up.What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, I just didn’t get around to it.”
“So what?”She inhaled sharply.“It’s a woman, isn’t it?I knew it.Tell me about her.”
“There’s nothing to tell…”
“Don’t believe you.”
Sighing, he rubbed his neck.“Okay, there is someone, but it’s a temporary thing.She’s an artist and has an upcoming exhibition in Seattle in two weeks by which time I’ll be back in Colorado.”
Silence.Not a good sign.It meant she was thinking all sorts of crazy things.
“Don’t tell me it’s another woman with mental health issues?”
Hunter rubbed his neck.His sister had made no secret of the fact she hadn’t liked the way Linda had treated him.“No, she’s not.Complicated, yes, beautiful, yes, but not deranged.”
Silence again.
“You have feelings for her.”A statement, not a question.His sister didn’t have Willow’s sixth sense, but she was no fool.
“I think she’s very smart and talented but as I’ve said, I’m leaving soon and she has places to go.”He’d reached Willow’s house and stopped.
“What I’m hearing is that you have feelings for her and not only because she’s smart and beautiful.”
The front door opened, and Willow stepped out.His heart missed a beat at the sight of her.Damn, she did something to him.“It doesn’t matter.She’s not interested in anything long term.I have to go, we’ll talk soon.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
