Haley's Cabin (7 page)

fun they had unclothed was not to be compared, but enjoying a woman’s company outside the bedroom

was a nice change of pace.

Although he wasn’t going to start getting ideas. This was an entertaining way to spend the weekend,

nothing more, nothing less. He wasn’t about to read more into it. He liked things uncomplicated and

getting emotionally involved with a woman who’d just gotten out of a bad marriage was definitely a

dumbass thing to do.

Of course, if he was so sure of his ability to keep his distance, then why was he spending so much time

thinking of the two of them as a couple? Why did the very idea of her with another man make his fists

clench? Jesus, how could a guy go his whole life, happily single and free of entanglements, wish overnight

for something more, something solid?

“Jay? Is something wrong?”

Haley’s question made him realize he was frowning and staring at her. They’d reached the kitchen and

she’d mentioned wanting hot chocolate. He’d gotten derailed with thoughts of commitment and crap.

Jeremy shook his head and gave her an easy smile. “Nothing’s wrong.” He reached for her, pulled her

into his arms and tried to ignore how right she felt. “In fact, everything is just about perfect.” He leaned

down and kissed her. Her lips were soft as rose petals, the lower one plump and so damn edible. He

could spend hours tasting her, eating at her as if she were a juicy dessert. She trembled, and he

remembered she’d said she was cold. Her eyes had drifted closed with the first contact of his lips and

she’d yet to open them. She looked sweet and sexy and innocent all rolled into one.

“Hot chocolate and food,” he muttered, as if reminding them both there was indeed more than sex.

Though he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather be doing at that moment than taking Haley right back up

the stairs. He’s spread her out on the bed and have his way with her—while she was handcuffed to the

headboard. That was something he definitely wanted to do before the weekend was over. Hell, before

the night was over.

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“Hot chocolate and food. Right,” she confirmed as she slowly opened her eyes. He loved her eyes. They

were green and so pale they seemed to see right through him.

He snapped himself back to reality. “Why don’t you go see if you can work that monster of an

entertainment cabinet and I’ll get us some munchies.”

She smiled and turned, then called over her shoulder, “And hot chocolate, don’t forget the hot

chocolate.”

He chuckled. The woman had a thing for hot chocolate, obviously. He watched her sashay out of the

kitchen and clutched the edge of the counter to keep himself from diving for her, wrestling her to the

floor. Screw the bed. Screw the hot chocolate. Jeremy pushed a hand through his unruly hair and

searched for the hot chocolate. The sooner he had her stomach satisfied, the sooner he’d move on to

satisfying the rest of her body.

Haley grinned from ear to ear. First, the big, sexy man cooked dinner for her, then he gave her not one

but two explosive orgasms. She’d desperately needed those. Now he was making her favorite treat, hot

chocolate. A girl could get used to such luxuries. Who would have thought when she’d left her office on

Friday in such a disgruntled huff, she’d be wearing a strange man’s clothes after having the best sex of

her life? She felt like a spoiled princess and she loved it.

By nature, Haley was always a conservative and cautious person. Her one spontaneous move had been

meeting and marrying Eric. That mistake had taught her spontaneity wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

So why was she having such a delightful time?

Easy: Jay Pickett.

He was too sensual. Too rugged and masculine to simply pass up. No woman in her right mind would

choose caution over the heated promises burning in his eyes. Every once in a while a woman was entitled

to indulge and enjoy.

Moving to the entertainment cabinet, Haley perused the massive thing and was suitably impressed with

Dr. French’s taste in electronic equipment. He had it all, including Bose surround sound. She opened a

door and located DVDs galore. But that wasn’t what had her eyes going wide and her mouth dropping

open.

There was a video camera. Complete with blank, recordable DVDs. What would it be like to tape Jay

making love to her, bringing her to climax, watching him climax? They could watch it together afterwards.

The very thought made her blood run hot and her lungs suddenly felt starved for air.

The last time she’d videotaped a man having sex, it had been Eric and his girlfriend. Haley would dearly

love to get
that
image out of her head for good. And what better way?

She smiled and picked up the video camera and searched for the batteries. She found a battery pack,

still on its charger, the green light indicating it was ready to go. She lifted it off and attached it to the back

of the camera. After inserting a DVD, Haley powered the thing on. That’s when she heard Jay clearing

his throat. She took a deep breath and turned around, still holding the video cam. Jay stood behind her

holding a food tray. He pointedly looked at the camera, then back at her. His eyebrows arched and a

devilish sideways grin appeared. She had the feeling she’d just unleashed a lion from its cage.

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He moved to set the tray, laden with fruit, cheese, crackers and, of course, hot chocolate onto the coffee

table situated in front of the huge brown couch. He started toward her and Haley gulped.
Y ikes.

“That thing work?” Jay asked in a low voice that slid over her body like warm velvet.

“Uh-huh,” she squeaked.

“You thinking of using it?” He was only a few steps away now. Close enough to touch.

“I, well, maybe,” she stammered. “If you wanted to, I mean.”

“Oh, I definitely want to.” He reached her finally, took the camera from her and looked it over before

gazing back at her. “But, I meant it when I said we’d eat first. I want to get to know you a little better

before we take this thing,” he indicated the camera, “upstairs.”

“Oh, right, of course.” She felt silly now, embarrassed and dumb for thinking he was as turned on as she.

He’d already gotten what he wanted from her and now he was just being nice.

Jay placed his fist beneath her chin and forced her to look at him. Haley tried for a nonchalant attitude,

but she wasn’t pulling it off very well. She’d never been all that great at hiding her emotions.

“I can practically hear those wheels turning, baby, and you’re wrong.”

That made her angry. As if she was just so transparent! “Oh really? Well, smart guy, what am I wrong

about?”

He smoothed his thumb over her lips and murmured, “You’re wrong that I’m through with you. Not

even close.”

Okay, well, he could read her mind…sort of. “That’s good, then, I’m not quite through with you yet

either.”

He looked her over and licked his lips. “Besides, I still plan on using those handcuffs on you and the

thought of videotaping you while you’re securely tied to my bed is enough to give me a permanent

hard-on.”

Haley suspected her face had turned the color of her mother’s beets and her body went liquid with

desire. She looked down the front of him and her eyes bulged at the erection tenting his sweatpants. Yep,

she’d let the lion out of the cage all right.

Jay managed to talk her out of using the video camera—at least for now. They sat on the couch drinking

their hot chocolates and listening to a soft, sexy saxophone emanating from the stereo cabinet as he

regaled her with tales of cases he’d helped solve. His life as a detective both fascinated and scared her.

Haley hated the idea he put his life on the line. But the passion in his eyes as he talked about his job made

her see he loved what he did.

“Enough about me. Tell me about you, Haley.”

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She hadn’t figured on that. “Well, you know I’ve been married and divorced. What else do you want to

know?”

“Everything,” he rasped out, his voice a hot command.

Jay had started a fire in the fireplace and now the crackling of the flames mixed sensually with the music.

The evening felt even more imaginary than before.

“Well, you already know I work for a software company as a software developer. I love my job, but it

can get demanding as I’ve already said, and very tedious.” She stopped, wondering if she’d bored him to

tears yet, but he only motioned for her to continue. “My boss can be a real pain in the butt, but he’s fair

and believes in rewarding his employees.”

“Any friends? Lovers?”

“There’s Candace, Gretchen and my best friend is a woman named Janice. We all work together at

Berlitz and Kent. Janice is awesome. She tells me when I look fat and when I’m being a total witch.” She

smiled, thinking of what Janice would say if she knew Haley was spending the weekend with a gorgeous

stranger.

“And lovers?”

He was persistent. She sighed. “Pathetically, no. I’ve been asked out a few times since my divorce

became final, and my friends have tried their best to fix me up, but I’ve not really wanted the hassles of a

relationship.” She shrugged. “I guess Eric sort of soured me on the whole idea.”

He was quiet a moment, then very softly said, “I’m glad you haven’t had any lovers. I wouldn’t want

anyone coming here and claiming you as their own. That would severely piss me off.”

“It would?”

“Severely.”

She just didn’t know what to make of him. He could be so flirtatious and easygoing one minute, then so

intense the next. But it was a good mix, an exciting mix. Jay was so different from her ex. Eric had always

been fun-loving, unless he was in a rage. There was no mild mannered in-between. She’d walked on egg

shells around him the entire time they were married. Already she felt more comfortable with Jay than she

ever had with Eric. Odd.

“What about your family, Haley? Any brothers or sisters?”

“I’ve got one brother I haven’t seen in awhile. Rick lives in California. He comes home on Thanksgiving

and stays through Christmas.”

“You two close?”

“We’re only a year apart in age so, yeah, we’re pretty close.” She smiled, thinking of Rick. “He’s

married. I’m not crazy about his new wife, though.” Haley had had the pleasure of meeting the silly twit

last Christmas and she wasn’t impressed. She shrugged. “She seems a bit too into herself to me. But if

that’s what he wants, I’m happy for him.”

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“What did he think of Eric?”

“He never cared for Eric. Rick used to call him The Salesman because he seemed a little too smooth.”

He nodded. “And when you divorced, did you tell Rick about the abuse?”

“Yes. Rick wanted to kill him, too. Like any good big brother would, I suppose.”

Jay smiled ruefully. “I’m glad he didn’t. I’d have hated arresting him for murdering the asshole.”

She laughed and playfully waggled her eyebrows at him. “But then you and I would have met a lot

sooner.”

“Mmm, yeah, that would have been a definite plus.” He paused and said, “Tell me some of your

favorites. You know, favorite color, favorite flower, favorite movie…that sort of stuff.”

Haley was charmed. She couldn’t believe how nice it was to have a man so interested in what she had to

say. “Okay, this one’s easy. First, my favorite color is yellow. It reminds me of sunshine. My favorite

flower is the tulip, because they can stand so tall and sturdy alone, but they’re even prettier in a group.

My favorite movie… I guess that would be ‘No Man of Her Own’.”

Jay reached toward her, lightly touching her cheek, and muttered absently, “Never heard of it. Is it

new?”

She laughed. “Lord, no. It was made in the thirties. It’s a romantic comedy, so I’m not surprised you’ve

never heard of it. Not exactly a guy movie.”

Jay looked at her thoughtfully. “Why that one in particular?”

She shrugged. “Partly because I love old movies. There’s something pure about them. And because it

fascinated me that the lead actress and actor were married in real life. That sort of gave it more of a

romantic feel.”

They were both quiet a minute and Haley asked, “What about you? What are your favorites?”

He arched a brow at her. “I don’t have a favorite color and I definitely don’t have a favorite flower.”

They both laughed. “Well then, how about a favorite movie or band?”

“Not a lot of time for movies, but my favorite band would probably be Van Halen.”

She pushed at him teasingly. “Careful old-timer, your age is showing.”

“Hey, I’m only thirty-two. I’m in my prime, woman!”

She harrumphed. “Well, I’m a mere twenty-five and you’re way too old for me.”

Jay’s eyes smoldered as he whispered, “My experience is your gain.”

They both fell silent after that erotic promise. Haley finished off the last of her hot chocolate and set the

empty mug on the coffee table. Belatedly, she realized Jay was staring at her.

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“What?”

“How about you tell me more about this dream of yours.”

Her face heated. “What’s there to tell?”

Jay fingered a loose tendril of her hair, causing her heart to beat erratically. “For starters, who’s the

other woman?”

“Marissa isn’t real. At least not physically.”

His left brow rose a little. “How do you know she’s not real? I was in your dream and I’m real.”