Designed for Love (14 page)

Wil caught it smoothly and slipped it on, but left it unbuttoned. “You tell me. Were you impressed?”

“Was that your goal?”

“Yes.”

The simple honesty seemed at odds with her cocky strut and the macho display just moments ago. Wil steered Jillian to the side as the next challenger, cheered on the by the crowd, climbed on the bull.

“You could have been hurt.” Jillian took Wil’s hand and examined her callused palm. She caressed her fingers over Wil’s wrist and powerful forearm.

“I’m tougher than that. It takes a lot more than some old mechanical bull to break me.”

A roar from the crowd accompanied the new rider’s quick fall.

When Jillian traced the scar along the outside of Wil’s arm and met her eyes, Wil said, “Freshly cut thin-gauge sheet metal. That stuff is razor sharp.”

Jillian touched one of the larger nicks on the back of her hand, next to her thumb.

“Nail gun. That one could’ve been a lot worse.”

She turned Wil’s hand over and lightly scratched her fingernail over a knot nestled in the fleshy area just below her ring finger.

“Monster splinter.” Wil grinned. “I lost a lot of blood that day.”

Realizing Wil was teasing her, Jillian dropped her hand.

“I’ve got some other scars, and with a bit more privacy I’d be happy to show you.” The words slipped out before Wil could stop them. Jillian’s touch short-circuited the connection between her brain and her mouth. The swift darkening of Jillian’s eyes reminded Wil that Jillian had already seen every inch of her body.

“Really?” Jillian slipped two fingers down the side of Wil’s neck, rested them in the hollow between her collarbones, then angled close until her lips were within inches of Wil’s ear. “If I say yes, do you plan to make good on that promise?”

“I’d love to.” The bull ride still had adrenaline singing through Wil’s veins, and Jillian’s sexy tone and hot breath in her ear amped her up even further.

Just then she didn’t care if Jillian thought she was beneath her or that Jillian was in Redmond temporarily. The feel of Jillian’s fingers wandering down the center of her chest and her own heart thudding beneath them nearly silenced any practical objection she could offer. Images of taking Jillian home and making love to her flooded Wil’s head, but she was still lucid enough to know that was the worst idea she’d had all night.

“Jillian,” Wil said as Jillian slipped a hand down her stomach.

“Yes?” Jillian curled her fingers around Wil’s belt buckle and tugged her closer. Jillian’s breasts brushed hers, and when her nipples tightened in response, she pulled her shirt closed and buttoned it.

“Do you want to go someplace else?”

“Yes.”

Chapter Eleven

“This isn’t exactly what I thought you meant by
someplace else.
” Jillian turned on the seat of Wil’s truck to look at her. Despite the darkened interior, the flickering images on the screen in front of them cast a harsh light across Wil’s features.

“I promised you’d experience a typical Redmond weekend. You can’t do that without catching the late show at the drive-in.” Wil turned on the radio and tuned it to the proper frequency to hear the movie’s audio. “You don’t have to hang a speaker on the window anymore, but it still has a nostalgic feel, doesn’t it?”

Jillian shrugged. “I’ve never actually been to a drive-in.”

“Really? When I was a kid, I used to come here with my mom and dad.”

Wil hadn’t thought about the days before her parents’ divorce in years. For so long it seemed like her only memories were of the fighting, her mother leaving, then Wil and her father working nonstop to get ahead. But now she remembered there had actually been happy times when she was younger. Occasionally, on summer nights, they would pile into the old Impala and come to this very spot. Of course back then it was little more than a field with a big screen in the middle. They’d added another screen and a concession stand in the intervening years.

Her mother made popcorn and packed cold drinks in a small cooler. And when it got chilly they huddled under a blanket. Wil could still feel the scratch of the wool against her neck and smell her mother’s heavy floral perfume.

“My parents worked a lot when we were young,” Jillian said.

“What do they do?”

“They’re both doctors.”

“Impressive. You didn’t want to follow in their footsteps?”

“Medicine never interested me. Plus, I’m squeamish about blood and needles. My brother is a surgeon, and one of us was enough for them.”

“What do they think about your chosen career?”

“Well, it wasn’t quite upper-middle-class enough for them until I really started earning the big commissions. My father would prefer that I handle strictly lucrative commercial accounts.”

“And you don’t want to?”

Jillian considered her answer, thinking that for the first time she understood why she liked residential real estate. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the income associated with commercial deals. But there’s something satisfying about helping someone find a home where so many of their memories will be built.”

“I knew it. You’re really a romantic at heart.”

Jillian had never thought of herself as such. She was too practical to be romantic. She’d accepted that she likely would never have the blazing passion that women swooned over. “No. I’ll admit to being a tad sentimental, though.”

“So you don’t want to be swept off your feet by a conquering hero,” Wil said.

Jillian shrugged. “There’s no point in thinking about it. That stuff only happens in books.”

“Maybe you’re right. But there are other kinds of romance.”

“Like what?”

“Small gestures. As obvious as bringing you flowers when I know you’ve had a bad day. Or as understated as a simple concession to something you want even if it’s not my preference, because it would make you happy.”

“Giving in. That’s romance?”

“It can be.”

Jillian jerked her head around at the sound of a scream. “Did I mention I don’t like scary movies?”

“This movie isn’t that scary.” Truthfully, Wil hadn’t paid attention to what was showing. When they’d left the bar, she’d wanted to spend more time with Jillian, but she was afraid to be alone with her. She’d driven here hoping that if she stuck to a public place she wouldn’t forget why she shouldn’t sleep with Jillian again. But shrouded in the darkened interior of the truck, she realized she hadn’t thought her choice of entertainment through quite enough. It certainly felt as if they were alone, and the urge to hold Jillian was strong.

“By definition, if it has a man who kills people by bludgeoning them with a shovel, it’s a scary movie,” Jillian argued.

“But it’s so predictable. Besides, it’s not even realistic.” Another shriek pierced the air, and Jillian jumped. Wil turned down the volume and held out her arm. “Come over here.”

Without hesitation, Jillian slid to the middle of the seat, lifting one leg over the gearshift. Wil draped her arm around Jillian’s shoulders and tried not to react when she buried her face against her neck while the man with the shovel claimed another victim.

“Is it over yet?”

Wil glanced at the screen just as a spurt of fake blood covered the killer’s overalls. She waited until the scene cut away to a less gory setting. “Yeah, it’s over.”

Jillian glanced tentatively at the screen, then turned an accusing glare on Wil.

Wil raised her hands in innocence. “I didn’t know what kind of movie it was.
And
how would I even know you didn’t like them?”

“Okay. I’ll give you a pass for now. But you can’t use that excuse next time.”

“Deal.” Wil forced a smile, wondering why it should bother her that there probably wouldn’t be a next time.

*

“Come sit with me for a while.” Jillian circled the truck, took Wil’s hand, and tugged her toward the house.

They sat on the third step, their shoulders touching. Wil drew her knees up and rested her forearms on them. Jillian tilted her head and Wil visually traced the line of her neck until it disappeared in the neckline of her shirt.

“Have you ever seen so many stars?” Jillian looked at Wil and caught her staring.

“Well, yeah, I have.”

“Oh, that’s right. This is a normal view for you.”

“It’s the same sky. Do you have too many buildings in your way to see it?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I just don’t take the time to appreciate it. But the air is clearer and the stars seem brighter here.” Jillian propped her elbows on the step behind her, and Wil did the same. The stars spilled across the black velvet background like a scattering of brilliant diamonds. In that moment, Jillian couldn’t think of anything more important than stretching out to catch a handful of that glitter. The priorities she’d been struggling with since arriving in Tennessee slipped away, and nothing she had in Ohio was as important as sitting on these stairs with Wil.

“I guess I take it for granted,” Wil murmured. “I can’t remember the last time I even looked at them.”

“Well, you should stop and—”

“Please don’t say smell the roses.”

“I was going to say see the beauty.”

“That’s just as bad.”

When Wil looked at her again, Jillian purposefully let her gaze caress her face. Wil’s eyes were luminous. The silvery moonlight washed out her normally tan skin, and if she didn’t have such strong features she would have had an almost ethereal quality. As it was, the contrast of her thick, dark lashes and brows brought to mind a dramatic charcoal rendering. Jillian was so entranced, she spoke without thinking. “There’s plenty of beauty to be found without staring up in the air.”

“That’s certainly a smooth line.” Wil’s voice sounded shaky.

Jillian angled her body toward Wil’s. “It isn’t a line,” she said softly. “You’re stunning.” Unable to resist the urge to touch her, Jillian edged closer. When Wil began to slide away, Jillian grabbed her lapels. “It’s just a kiss, Wil.”

“No. It’s not
just
a kiss.”

Jillian wasn’t detoured. She wasn’t thinking about anything other than the heat building within her. She moved closer and framed Wil’s face in her hands.

“Jillian, please.” Wil grasped her forearms.

Jillian slid her fingers deep into Wil’s hair. “Please what?” She pressed her lips to Wil’s jaw.

Wil’s hands tightened on Jillian’s arms. “Please don’t.” Her voice was a strangled moan.

Jillian paused. “Don’t? Are you saying you don’t want me to kiss you right now?” she whispered.

“I can’t stop wanting you.”

Jillian met her eyes and found them soft and vulnerable. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“I don’t want to want you. This would have been so much easier if I didn’t.” The stab of desire in Wil’s chest made her more forthcoming than usual. She clung to Jillian’s arms, but though she could easily have pulled Jillian’s hands away, she didn’t.

“This?”

“Working with you. Seeing you every day.” They had chemistry, Wil would admit that. But there was more, which she was hesitant to put a voice to. The tenderness she’d felt when Jillian was sick, the respect for the way Jillian stepped in when she lost her crew, and the warmth expanding in her chest scared her more than any physical attraction. Jillian would be leaving soon, and she needed to remember that fact.

Jillian’s fingers stilled against her skin, and Wil had only a moment to absorb their warmth before they were withdrawn.

“Is that why you keep running from me?” Jillian asked quietly.

“I do not.”

“Yes. You do. Oh, you aren’t now because you don’t have your crew to hide behind. It’s okay that we had sex, but when we connect on a more emotional level, you trot out that I’m-not-as-good-as-you bullshit.” Jillian was beginning to see that quite the opposite might be true.

“I don’t want to talk about this.” Wil retreated verbally, further proving Jillian’s accusation.

“I know. But I want to.”

“Jillian, drop it.”

“Why?” She reached up to touch Wil’s face again, but Wil grasped her wrist and held it away from her.

“Because I don’t want us to connect.”

“Why not?” Jillian’s heart pounded and she wondered if Wil could feel it in the pulse under her fingers.

“I know what you think of me, Jillian. And I’m not interested in being your charity case.” Wil shoved Jillian’s hand away.

“You can’t seriously believe I think that.”

Wil shrugged. “I’m a handyman’s daughter. I grew up in this town basically on welfare. I’ve been dealing with that attitude my whole life.” Jillian hated the resignation in her eyes.

“I should have apologized to you that day. I don’t see you that way. I’m a private person, Wil. We’d just had an amazing night, and when I thought Rose could see right through me, I panicked. Are you going to let one misunderstanding keep you from—”

“From what? What exactly are you looking for? Are you planning to settle down here?”