Chapter Eleven
Aria sidestepped Reeceand inhaled deeply to gain a semblance of her usual calm while her traitorous body openly objected. Once more, the man tricked her into a lust-filled trance. Her body throbbed with an indescribable yearn. The tingle within her soaked pussy refused to stop. God, she wanted more—wanted him.
“That won’t happen again,” she finally managed with an astonishing measure of conviction.
“Don’t be too sure.”
Aria turned. The corners of his mouth lifted. Anyone walking in on the scene right now would find nothing to hint at the sexual depravity into which she’d almost caved. His arrogance should’ve annoyed her. Instead, it only seemed to fuel the scorching flames still ablaze inside her aroused body. “Trust me. It won’t.”
He took a menacing step forward. “And trust me, darlin’, I’ll have you, one way or the other I—”
Ooh.Palms clenched in a nail-biting squeeze, she spun on her heels and walked away. His husky chuckle reverberated through her body. She steeled herself against making a mad dash for the door. Thankfully Kelly stood at the bar in a deep conversation with Doug.
Outside, Aria stopped on the top stair and took a deep breath. God, she had plenty of opportunity to date men—any man—how then had one man managed to pierce her defenses, leaving her weak-kneed and desperate, wanton even. She pulled on her jacket with a muttered curse. Running down the remaining three steps, she turned sharply and collided with someone at the bottom.
“Oops, sorry.” Aria stepped back quickly with an apologetic smile.
“It’s okay.” The new barista from the coffee shop laughed. “Hi, I’m Rowena.”
Aria picked up on the South African accent quicker than a snapping bear trap. Not many people from her former country lived in Shadow Valley or Dubois. The knowledge pricked her senses into high alert.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Aria.” She accepted the proffered hand in a quick shake. “You’re new in town?”
“Am I that obvious?” Rowena uttered a nervous laugh.
Aria shook her head with a consoling smile. “Small town, everyone knows everyone.”
“You’re also from South Africa, aren’t you?” As if sensing Aria’s unease, the other woman offered a rueful smile. “Sorry if I intruded, but your accent’s just as unique as mine.”
Forcing down her tingling senses a notch, Aria laughed. “Yes. Easily identifiable, I guess. To other South Africans, I mean. What brings you to Wyoming?”
“Would you like to grab a cup of coffee?”
The other woman bit her lower lip with apparent hesitation. Her gaze darted around nervously. The action reminded Aria of her behavior, the first two months after parting company with Jay. Rowena’s smile clearly overcompensated for her sudden bout of nerves. Abruptly, Kelly’s suggestion popped into Aria’s head about Rowena being interested in her, and she stifled a laugh.
“If you’re busy, I understand.” The other woman probably misread her silence as disinterest.
“It’s okay, I’ve got time. I need to make a quick phone call, and then I’ll join you.”
“Sure, I’ll see you inside.” Rowena jerked a thumb at the coffee shop before she disappeared through the double glass doors.
After a quick call to Kelly, Aria met her friend outside the dinner. “Sorry, I dashed off. If I stayed, I’d probably be facing attempted murder.” While the words were valid, her tummy churned in guilt at her shameless reaction to Reece.
Kelly laughed. “If it’s any consolation, the man regrets his action. He didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”
“Very unlikely,” she scoffed and saw no reason to tell her friend about the heated encounter in the bathroom. “Reece knows what he does and why. He’s the devil in disguise and way too cheeky to regret anything.”
“Devil or not, the man’s a babe magnet.”
“Well, you’re welcome to have him anytime.”
