Page 112 of To Catch a Latte Thick as Thieves

He pulled away from her with a shaky breath. She’d inadvertently held up a mirror to his soul, forcing him to look. In that dark reflection lurked the loner he would always be.

He wanted her more than any woman he’d ever known, but he couldn’t be with her. He couldn’t be what she needed. Cat would never be happy with a shadow of a man, and she deserved more than that.

“Jared.” Her voice was soft and breathy, making Jared regret his scruples.

“Yes?” He touched his lips to hers, keeping it the caress of a friend and not a lover.

“What’s wrong?” Her eyes were a luminous green and steeped in unspent passion.

“I got carried away,” he answered, rolling onto his back and tucking her into his side.

“Oh.” Cat pressed her cheek against his chest, as if seeking his warmth. “Jared, I’ve never...that is...nothing ever felt like...do you know what I’m getting at here?”

“I’m afraid so.” Jared ran a hand over his eyes.

“I just want you to know how special that was,” she mumbled into his chest.

“I know, honey, I know.” Jared buried a kiss in her curls and sighed. Hell, yes, he knew. He’d been with a few women in his time, but he’d never felt like this. What was happening between them...scared the starch out of him!

“Can we talk now?”

“Not unless you want to get into trouble again,” Jared warned her, trailing his hand up and down her spine.

“I wouldn’t mind.” She gazed at him through her lashes.

“That’s it,” Jared announced and sat up, abruptly hauling her out of the bed. “Back to your own side of the room.”

Cat let him put her to bed, not protesting when he tucked the sheet so tight that escape was near impossible. His arousal was obvious against his shorts, and Cat felt a surge of female satisfaction swell within her.

Jared could protest and pull away as much as he liked, but it was obvious that he felt something for her. She snuggled under the cool sheet. She’d thought she was too aroused to sleep, but as soon as Jared stepped away from the bed, she fell into an emotionally exhausted slumber.

Jared watched her for a moment before he slipped back to his own bed. They’d be entering Missouri tomorrow, which meant that they would be halfway to Arizona and he couldn’t help but be relieved. He doubted he’d be able to keep his hands off her for the rest of the trip, but as long as they didn’t end up sharing a bed his conscience would be quiet.

The Levery siblings had put him between a rock and a hard spot. He glanced down at his shorts and almost laughed. Hard spot was putting it mildly. He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, touch Cat while Cameron’s lie stood between them. And he couldn’t betray Cameron’s trust. He’d tried to think of Cat as a sister. He really had, but the feelings, okay, the lust she brought out in him was anything but brotherly. Jared was certain that taking Cat to his bed would be the ultimate betrayal of his friend’s trust.

He lay back on the bed and covered his face with his spare pillow and chanted on repeat, “Just a few more days.”

But somehow, the thought of not seeing Cat every day didn’t make him feel any better.