Bachelor's Special (8 page)

“Excuse me. Doing the nasty, bumping uglies, the horizontal mamba, the old in and out—”

“Shut up!” Jill pulled the cell from her ear.

“Jeez. You’re acting like you committed murder or something. Yes, you had sex. Oh my God! Calm down.” Mel said. “How was it?”

“Did you start taking testosterone injections?”

“What?”

Jill closed her eyes and sighed, envisioning the confusion on her friend’s face. She’d seen it so many times. Brows drawn tight, one side of her mouth quirked up and her nose wrinkled.

“Well, you’re starting to sound like a guy.”

Mel’s giggle assured Jill she still had her friend. Though, for some reason, Mel had lost her ability to be comforting.

“Jill, its sex. Just sex. Sex, sex, sex. I hate to clue you in, but everyone’s doing it. You didn’t just invent it, you know?”

“Thanks a lot.”

“You’re welcome. A lot. Now listen, just because you sexed it up doesn’t mean you have to repeat it. Unless, of course, you want to. Be cool. Casual. If he thinks you’ve gone all hysterical on him, he’ll flee. And now that my matchmaking scheme has gotten to the good part, I don’t want you messing it up.”

“You’re insane.”

“I told you he was the perfect guy for you, and you’re the perfect girl for him. You’re both just slow to realize what Jared and I could see through a brick wall.”

“Blah, blah, blah.”

“Right back at you. You can thank me when you’re walking down the aisle all dressed in white.”

“I’m going to hang up. You’re blinded by rose-colored glasses.”

“And so are you, you just don’t know it.”

Mel’s giggle jerked Jill to her senses.

“You’re half right. I was crazy to call the person who got me into this predicament, but I’m also smart enough to realize I can handle this on my own.” Jill’s nerves eased, even her palms dried. Okay, she had this covered. She vacated her first plan of steering clear of Chet. They both needed to meet head on and discuss what happened between them like adults. Then she needed to put on her professional veneer and slap herself silly if she even dared to think about touching him again.

Or heaven forbid kissing him. Or letting his hands…

Ugh
.
He’s your boss!
But the thought of his amazing lips against hers as his fingers wreaked havoc over her flesh enflamed her desire to an all-time high.

“Are you okay now?” Mel’s nail file stopped.

“I’m good. As long as I remember why I’m here.”

“To find yourself some love.”

“No, to gain the contacts I’ll need to get my business going with the help of my new friend—I mean boss.”

Mel’s laughter pierced Jill’s ear.

“Friend? Boss? Your glasses must be the deepest shade of red available. Definitely not boss, and friendship is over, you’ve moved to new territory.”

“You’re wrong. We can be friends.”

“With benefits.” Mel squashed back a chuckle, then sighed. “Listen, I’d love to hang on the line and torment you into reality, but Jared’s due to arrive in less than ten and I still need to paint my toenails.”

“No worries, I’m good. I need to work out a conversation in my head, then say it aloud to Chet to make sure we’re still on the same page.”

“Whatever, Jill. I hate to tell you, once you turn that page there’s no going back.”

“Not if you’re determined.”

“You honestly think once you’ve wrestled the snake you can be just friends?”

“Yes.” Even as she spoke, Jill doubted the strength of her word. She’d been fooling herself and fighting an attraction that possessed sinewy muscles of power. No way would she ever be able to think of Chet in any other light but sexual. But damn it, she’d try.

“Why fight it? What’s the aversion?” Mel’s voice grew serious, a rarity.

“Several reasons.”

“Just name me one.”

“For starters, I’m working for him.”

“I’d say it’s more of a you scratch his back, he’ll scratch yours type of deal.”

“Plus, he’s not looking for ties that bind. I don’t want to chase someone who isn’t interested in being caught.”

“You have him all wrong. He just doesn’t know he wants to be caught.”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to catch him. Have you considered he might not be my type?” She almost laughed at her own lie, but bit her lip instead. Attractive, smart, funny, undeniably sexy men who turned her entire being into slush weren’t her type?

Not when they’re your boss.

“Tell yourself another one.”

The smile in Mel’s voice shot a web of unease up Jill’s spine.

Chapter Ten

An hour later, after a shower that didn’t ease any of her tense muscles, Jill left her room. She’d talked herself in and out of searching for Chet, but she couldn’t turn chicken now.

With a little more than six weeks to go, they needed to talk this out so things between them wouldn’t be awkward. There were so many reasons that neither of them should act on their attraction. Chet made it clear he didn’t want a relationship with any woman, and although she’d never broached the subject, marriage and children were definitely something she wanted in her future. And she refused to date someone she worked with—or worse yet—someone she worked for.

Damn Jared and Mel and their matchmaker ways. Just because their working relationship blossomed and bloomed didn’t mean everyone who worked together would be so lucky.

Jill didn’t have sex for the sake of having sex—except when it came to jumping Chet Castle’s bones in the pool. What was happening to her? Was she morphing into a different person? Maybe the old Jill and the new Jill were in combat. She refused to entertain the possibility sex with her boss would happen again. She needed to get the kinks in her suddenly insatiable libido worked out, at least where he was concerned.

He was her boss—her friend—and that line shouldn’t be crossed. Ever.

Her skin prickled with nervous energy as she bounded up the steps toward Chet’s suite on the second floor. She rounded the turn to discover Chet standing at the top landing, his hand resting on the ornate banister. Funny, she had sensed him before she’d seen him.

He’d changed into beige cargo shorts but remained shirtless.

So much for working out the kinks.

In an instant, her heart fluttered as memories of their water aerobics flooded her mind. The way his muscles bunched beneath her palms, how his nipples hardened as her fingertips brushed across them, his lips crushing hers, tasting of passion and promises. But her sweetest remembrance sent a quiver over her flesh. She’d never forget the way his…

Stop it! Pull yourself together.

“Chet. Can we talk?” She cleared her throat. Her mouth dried up along with the rehearsed conversation she’d played out in her mind. He came down the steps until he stood two stairs above her.

“Perfect plan. I was just on my way to ask you the same thing.”

His smile shot fire to her core, but she managed to relax her death grip on the railing. Chet settled on the step and pulled her down to sit beside him. Coarse hairs from his bare legs brushed against hers, and she regretted wearing the light cotton sundress instead of jeans. She stretched the hem down to put a barrier between their skin. Within seconds the material snapped back into place.

“We’re adults,” she said.

He chuckled. “Agreed.”

She dared a sideways peek at him and licked her lips. She started again. “What happened in the pool shouldn’t have. I find you sexy—”

“Right back at you.”

Her knees wobbled and she held them in place with the heels of her palms, trying to make the sway look natural. “But what happened isn’t how I normally act.”

“I know.”

His hand covered hers and stopped the momentum of her knees. The warmth of his touch sent her pulse soaring but also calmed her.

“What I mean is we can’t let that happen again. I’m not someone that, well…”

“I know, Jill. You don’t sleep around.”

Was I that inexperienced?

His smile softened and a rush of heat infused her face. His fingers pressed into the sides of her knee as he squeezed, and she bit her bottom lip. She might not be one to sleep around, but whenever he looked at her or touched her, thoughts immediately turned to sex. With him.

As if he could read her thoughts—and wanted nothing to do with encouraging her—he pulled his hand away.

“From our conversations I know you’re not that kind of girl.”

“Oh.” Her shoulders sagged. She should’ve been relieved, but disappointment settled in the pit of her stomach. Was that his way of telling her if she threw herself at him again, he’d push her away? If she couldn’t save herself, he would? “After the way I keep throwing myself at you, I don’t know if I’d believe me.” That realization rocked her. She didn’t know why, but the force of her attraction scared her.

“I believe I took the initiative in the kitchen.”

“But only because I provoked you by making you a Bachelor’s Special.”

“Did you know it would end in a kiss?”

“No.”

“Anyway, you know the saying? It takes—”

“Two. I know. I don’t want things to be awkward between us. You’re giving me a great opportunity and I don’t want to blow it.”

“You aren’t. We’re adults. Things happen. Let’s blame it on the heat.”

…

Yeah, Castle, the heat.

“We can do that.” The sexy pulse at the base of her throat went wild when she chuckled.

No way could he blame it on the heat. His attraction to Jill started as a ripple that had been invading his dreams on and off for a year. Now, with her under the same roof, emotions and libidos were ablaze and out of control.

After their kiss in the kitchen last week, he’d tried to declare her off-limits, but that only made his awareness around her shoot off the charts. He wanted her now more than ever. Although he’d planned to stick to his promise, he didn’t know if he could resist her for the remainder of their deal. Especially when he saw her in the pool each time he blinked.

He drove his fingers through his hair. “Nothing has changed, Jill.”

“I’m glad.”

The smooth skin of her leg brushed his for what seemed like the millionth time. Her tantalizing coconut shampoo wafted around him and he dragged in a breath. He wanted to touch her, feel her skin beneath his fingertips, not just along his thigh. Damn it, he wanted to kiss her and press her softness against his…

You need to make an exit before you do something you’ll both regret.

Instead he leaned in and, with the strength of his thumb under her chin, turned her face toward his. The bodice of her dress stretched taut as her breath flared across his face. He grazed his mouth against hers in a light caress, testing her reaction.

She gasped, and he caught the sweet sound in his mouth before she sighed, and he crushed his mouth to hers. They turned further into each other, and Jill’s cool fingers trailed up his chest. Shivers traveled up his spine and he leaned back against the stairs, dragging her willing body with his.

Her weight pressed into him and rightness permeated his skin, filling his blood. He wanted to kiss her all night. If she didn’t let him do anything more, he’d be satisfied. The realization didn’t shock but thrilled him. He pulled her tight and shifted the length of her body so she lay across him. Her soft curves pressed against his flesh and her scent drove him mad. This seemed like a dream. A dream he’d had many times in the last several months.

Chet slid one hand over her back until his fingers threaded into the hair at her nape. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, and her body shook against his, then stiffened.

“This time it was your fault.” She teased his mouth as she spoke.

His first reaction was to take her into his arms and kiss her again, but he pushed her back and looked at her. He loved the way her skin glowed, how the thin lines of her eyebrows arched over her bright eyes, and the sexy way she bit her bottom lip when embarrassed.

“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t.

“Let’s both agree we’re attracted to one another, but it can’t go anywhere.”

“Why, Jill? Why can’t our attraction run its course?”

“You’re my boss, and I’m not looking for a fling. Though at the moment I wish I were.” Her half-hearted chuckle reddened her cheeks further.

He liked how she could speak her mind around him. He’d never known a woman to be so honest and open about her feelings.

“I don’t want sex to come between our friendship or our business arrangement. I shouldn’t have jumped you in the pool.”

Too bad the line of confusion flitting across her forehead told another story.

Recklessness pummeled him. “Are you sure? We’re good together.”

She sighed, her hand lingering over his pecs before she sat up straight. “We don’t want the same things. We’re not from the same background. We’re better suited as friends.”

“With benefits?” He wanted to lighten the mood, but even though he threw in a light-hearted wink for effect, his heart fought to stay in rhythm.

“No. What happened earlier was definitely a one-time deal.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed before she stood.

He didn’t want anything long-term, so why did her words make him struggle to breathe? He gripped her fingers tight when she tried to pull away. “We’re not going to be awkward, right? I don’t want to lose you.”

Her face paled. “Lose me?”

“Our friendship.” And he really didn’t.

“Friends.” She smiled down at him, then raced over the steps to the main-floor landing.

“Hey!” he shouted after her, then stood, grabbing the banister as if he needed the support.
What’s with you, Castle?
“I want you to eat with us at the dinner party Friday. The group is from the university, and I think you need to meet one lady in particular. If you pass her inspection, she’ll be a great contact for your business.”

“Okay. And just to prove there’s no awkwardness between us, meet me in the kitchen in ten and we’ll go over the menu together.”

“Sounds good.”

Chet needed—for both their sakes—to look upon Jill as a friend only. A friend he’d committed to help because he respected and admired her determination.

Long after she disappeared, Chet stood in the same spot. He really did like Jill. He didn’t want to lose her friendship.

Then why did he feel like he’d lost something else?

…

“I think we should do some type of a beef dish. Every time you cook a roast, or steaks, they’re perfect.”

Jill smiled to herself, doodling along the inside margin of the lined paper serving as a mock-menu for the upcoming dinner. She could sense this was an important meeting just by the way Chet worried over each course. He’d never done that before.

“How about a standing rib roast? Or, if you prefer, I would love to grill steaks for everyone. A nice cut of porterhouse, ribeye. You name it.”

Chet leaned his chin into his palm as he loomed over the counter to read her notes again. He smelled delicious, as always, but Jill wasn’t going to let a nice-smelling man interfere with her mission—or her attempts to keep things in the friendship zone.

“I think with the dishes we’ve already agreed upon either of those sound good.”

Jill tapped her pen on the counter, puckering her lips. She wanted this to be just as perfect as he did. Maybe more so. “How about prime rib? There’s a way I cook that cut that has the meat so tender it’ll melt in your mouth. And I mean literally.”

“Love your confidence.” He rapped his knuckle against the paper with a note of finality before pushing it toward her with one finger.

“When it comes to the kitchen and cooking, I’m all about doing it right and letting my confidence shine. Not that I’m bragging or anything.” She chuckled, and a sense of rightness slithered across her flesh when he joined in.

Chet leaned back and grinned at her. “I have a good feeling about this dinner. I want everything to go right and ideas to fly. This is the group who will be in charge of raising the money needed for the medical equipment prototypes that I’m hoping to develop for children.”

“Don’t worry, my cooking won’t sabotage your plans.”

“I know.” Chet stood and rounded the counter, pulling her to her feet. “Thanks for all you’re doing.”

“You’re more than welcome. I’m excited to be a part of your grand plan.”

“You’re more help than you realize.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in for a big bear hug, rocking back and forth.

She loved his excitement and truly did want the dinner party to go well.

“I’m going to head to the study for awhile.”

“I still owe you a grilled steak dinner with all the trimmings. Are you up for that tonight?”

“I am if you are.” He stopped just inside the kitchen archway and turned toward her.

Jill nodded. “Since there isn’t a dinner party tonight, and the weather is perfect, it’d be a great day to pay off my debt.” Maybe her new friendship mantra was working. When Chet had just hugged her, she’d felt nothing more than warmth—a happy feeling of helping a friend.

“Perfect.” He checked his watch. “How about we meet up at fourish?”

“I’ll be ready.”

She leaned against the counter as he strolled from the room.

Friends.
She could so do this.

…

Chet peeked into the covered dish. “Do you always marinade your steaks?”

“Not always, but showing you how to make the marinade is actually teaching you two ways to grill steak.” Jill winked. Her confidence in her abilities was evident in her stride as she crossed the room to remove some vegetables from the fridge.

“Are you almost done wrapping the corn and potatoes in the foil?”

He saluted. “Mission accomplished.”

“Good. After you put those on the grill, we’ll start on the salad. The last step will be grilling the steaks.”

“My mouth is watering already.” He gathered up the foiled vegetables and carried them out the side door to place them on the top rack of the already heated grill. He closed the lid and made his way back to the kitchen, leaning against the door jamb as Jill removed the salad vegetables from their containers. He felt so inadequate in her domain. Although he wanted to help, his fingers had suddenly all turned to thumbs.

Chet eyed the knives in the block, unsure which Jill would prefer for chopping. He pulled each one from its slot, only to let it slide out of his grasp. He had no clue and would gladly admit it. He grabbed the block and carried it toward the counter where Jill had already placed a pile of salad ingredients, when the doorbell rang.

Seconds later Mel’s voice rang out. “Anybody home?”

“In the kitchen.” Chet yelled.

Mel and Jared strolled through the arch, arms linked.