Page 13

“Wow. I’ve met his wife, Dana, but I haven’t met him yet. He has a racetrack?”

“Yes, a private one. Nate knows him pretty well from the airport.”

“Speaking of Nate, what’s going on with you two? Last we talked, you said you were just friends and you were pretty adamant about it. Now I hear you’re hot and heavy. What gives?” She stretched out across the bed and propped her head on her hand.

She opened her mouth to deny the hot and heavy comment but then stopped. Damaris knew Jaclyn could keep a secret. But if she let something slip to Marshall it would all be over. Marshall might keep his own stuff close to his vest but let him hear anything about a family member and the whole family would know it within half an hour.

“Neither of us was dating anyone and—” Hell, how to explain it? “—we kissed. And it just kind of happened.”

“Must have been some kiss.”

She smiled. “It was. We decided to see if we could be more than friends.”

“Like friends with benefits?”

“No, like dating.” Friends with benefits sounded good, though. But she and Nate hadn’t discussed that. Not yet, anyway. Damn Jaclyn. Now she’d be thinking about ‘benefits’ all day.

She pulled on a nice pair of jeans, put on a new western-style shirt in shades of blue, and her favorite boots. Brown with carving on the leather, they were well broken in, but she kept them in good shape. She’d debated wearing running shoes but frankly her boots were more comfortable. She braided her hair in a single braid down her back, since Nate’s car was a convertible and he usually drove it top down unless it was raining or too cold.

Damaris tried her best to get rid of Jaclyn before Nate picked her up but she was out of luck. Jaclyn followed her into the den, looking like she’d settled in for the duration. Since there was no doorbell Nate knocked and when she opened the door he took in the situation in a glance. Which she knew because of his smug smile. So she kissed him, intending to keep it brief and light but Nate had other ideas. He pulled her close and laid one on her designed to scramble her brains. Which it did.

His lips moved over hers firmly, knowingly. His tongue traced her lips until she opened her mouth and invited him in. She didn’t even try not to respond. It would have been futile. She met his tongue with hers, danced with it, felt her body go lax as he pulled her closer. Dimly, she heard Jaclyn laugh and say, “I’ll just sneak out now.”

She couldn’t even manage a goodbye.

*

“What was that?” Damaris asked breathlessly when he finally turned her loose.

She wasn’t as indifferent to him as she wanted him to think. That hadn’t been a kiss between friends. Not even a kiss between friends pretending to be lovers. Damn, what would it feel like if she really let go? If he was allowed to make love to her like he wanted?

“That was a kiss.”

“I know it was a kiss. What I mean is—damn it, never mind.” Hands on hips, she glared at him. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“What? Kissing you? Only the hell out of it.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? You’re a beautiful woman. I can’t think of any man who wouldn’t enjoy kissing you.”

She gaped at him. “You’ve never said I was beautiful before.”

He looked at her sideways and shrugged. “You know it. You don’t need me to tell you that.”

“I thought you knew women. Every woman needs to hear she’s beautiful once in a while.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Come on, we need to get going.”

“I came this close—” Damaris held up her thumb and forefinger a scant inch apart “—to telling Jaclyn the truth about us.”

“You didn’t, did you?”

“No. I said I came close, not that I did it.”

“Good. Why didn’t you?”

“Because I thought about what you said about telling anyone, including my family, and then the truth would get around. And while I know Jaclyn can keep a secret, she’s married to Marshall, who can’t. If she let something slip to him it’s all over but the crying.”