Outrageously Yours (7 page)

“Well, it turns out that we’re doing it all wrong,” Claire announced.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “It felt right to me.”

She dipped her head to hide her smile. He liked to tease and flirt with Claire to get a reaction out of her but she often tried to conceal it. When was she going to learn that she didn’t need to hide anything from him?

“Who writes these articles?” he asked. “How do they consider themselves experts?”

Claire shrugged. “I didn’t go that in-depth with the research. It was a quick search. Still, every one of them—”

“How many articles did you read?”

“I was just skimming,” she explained. “But all the articles said that you should not have a fling with someone you know well. They also said you shouldn’t do things outside of bed, like go to brunch.” She motioned at the table as they waited for their order. “Or be seen in public together.”

“Our circumstances are different,” Jason said. “We need to be seen together to help reinvent your image. That’s what started this.”

She bit her lip. “True,” she said quietly and looked out the window.

They were headed for some complications if she wanted to keep their fling strictly physical. If it was only about sex then he wouldn’t have stayed the night or held Claire in his arms as they slept. He wouldn’t have curled her against his chest and talked with her late into the night.

But he wouldn’t be that cold and uncaring with Claire. He had felt tenderness toward her from the day they’d met. It had always been an undercurrent to their conversations, even when she annoyed him. He was very protective of Claire, and that was getting in the way of their temporary fling.

“What do these so-called experts think we’re doing right?” he asked.

Claire’s eyes darted to the ceiling and she shook her head. “You are such an optimist. You automatically assume we’re doing something correctly.”

“Are you saying we are doing everything wrong?”

“No,” she admitted. “A few said that if you’re going to have a fling, you should go against your usual type. I didn’t really understand why.”

“They recommend that because it’s easier to end the fling,” he explained. “If you can’t see yourself with that person for the long-term, you won’t be invested in the relationship.”

“That makes sense.” Her smiled wavered. “Oh, and they all recommended having an exit strategy. Which we do.”

Jason propped his chin against his hand and watched Claire. He could tell that his quiet study unsettled her. “Why were you researching how to have a fling when you’ve already started one?”

“I know, that’s not like me. I usually gather all the information before I take a step,” Claire said. “But since I’ve already stepped, I decided to check and see if I was forgetting something.”

“Are you sure you weren’t having second thoughts?”

She sat up straight and her gaze clashed with his. “No, not at all.”

“If you had researched a fling before you propositioned me...”

Her cheeks turned bright red and she leaned over the table. “I did not
proposition
you! I...well, I had offered—”

“If you’d known all the warnings beforehand, and if you’d known that I didn’t fit the requirements, would you have considered a fling?”

“With you? Yes.” She frowned when her phone rang in her purse.

The tension in his rib cage relaxed after her automatic reply. With him. Only with him? he wondered as he watched Claire retrieve her cell phone from her purse.

Why had she considered him? Was it because it would be temporary? She was well aware of his short attention span when it came to relationships. This was a woman who always had a strategy and an exit plan. Had that been the deciding factor?

“I’m sorry, Jason,” she said as she read the screen of her phone. “This orthodontist is a new client and he’d been sending a lot of texts this morning. I’m going to step outside and deal with it. If our food gets here before I’m back, don’t steal my bacon.”

“I can’t make any promises,” he said as he watched her slide out of the booth.

Why did she want a fling with him? And why just a fling? Was it because all she felt for him was attraction?

She might want to sleep with him but she didn’t want to share anything but her bed. Not that he should care. When this fling was over, then it was done. The lines were drawn and neither of them would cross it. She would move to LA and follow her self-imposed rules, and he...

As much as he would like to say it was because his attention span was short, he had to admit to the truth. A week was too short with Claire Miller, but he wasn’t going to ask for more. He would take what he could get.

Because Claire was going places. Literally and figuratively. She was ambitious and prepared to go after her dreams while he took the easy route. She wanted to move to Los Angeles, and his life was here. Claire was driven to succeed. Her whole family was filled with overachievers. How could she be interested in someone who only pursued pleasure and lived for the moment? The minute she hit the big leagues, she would be around people who could make her dreams happen.

He couldn’t compete. And he wasn’t going to. His shoulder sagged as he came to the decision. The minute Max strode into town, Jason was ending this fling.

7

C
LAIRE
PARKED
HER
car in front of Mountain Creek Wine Cellars and turned off the windshield wipers. The sky was gunmetal gray and the rain had been relentless all day. There was a chill in the air that would normally have her curled up at home with a hot mug of coffee. Instead she was venturing out in the horrible weather, dashing across the parking lot and over the puddles, just so she could visit Jason.

She stepped into the wine bar and ran her fingers through her damp hair, glancing around.

She knew she was grabbing at any excuse to see him. Claire used to shake her head at women who did that when they started a relationship. Now she was one of them!

Wasn’t it enough that they were working together on promoting his Friday-night party? She had to pull back before she started to be clingy. While she wanted to make the most of this fling, she also had to remember that it had no future. It wouldn’t do if she moved to Los Angeles only to pine away for Jason. She had to play it cool.

Claire glanced at the door. Maybe she could leave before Jason spotted her.

“Claire?” Deanna walked by her and stopped. Her hands were filled with two bags containing wine bottles. “I should have known you would be here.”

“Hi,” Claire said hesitantly. She glanced in the direction of the kitchen and stopped. Jason didn’t need her to be discreet. They weren’t trying to hide the fling. The whole reason they’d started it was to reinvent her image. “Did you enjoy the bonfire?”

Her friend wagged her eyebrows. “Not as much as you did.”

Claire gave a tight smile. She didn’t know how to answer that. She should use Deanna’s interest to further her mission, but she was surprisingly reluctant. What she had with Jason was supposed to be fun and casual. Claire hadn’t felt this lighthearted in years. And yet, she wanted to keep it to herself and cherish every moment.

Deanna looked around and leaned forward. “I can’t believe you and Jason are together!” she whispered. “When did that happen?”

She wasn’t sure what to say. Claire should have expected that question and planned a response. She would have had one at the ready if she’d taken the time to do a flowchart. Now she had to wing it and hope she kept the story straight. “It’s hard to pinpoint. One day, it just happened.”

“Rumor has it that Jason and a blonde had a rendezvous during a tasting party this weekend.” Deanna gave a nudge with her elbow.

Claire’s cheeks grew hot as she remembered everyone watching her when she stepped out of the bathroom with Jason. She hadn’t been sure what to do but Jason had acted nonchalant and guided her through the awkward moment. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Her friend gave a wise nod before her smile broke free. “I heard that when you came out of the restroom your lipstick was all over his mouth. And some other parts of his body.”

Claire jerked her head. “How would anyone know that? We were clothed.” She found it surprising that the witnesses were embellishing the story.

“I also hear that he’s been staying over at your place every night.”

“Mmm.” He had been there two nights in a row. Two gloriously wild nights! Had people heard about them being together and noticed his car parked in front of her apartment? Had they decided it had been happening for a while? Creating a fake reputation was easier than she’d thought.

“And,” Deanna continued in a squeal of delight, “that this weekend you two were seen skinny-dipping in the Sammamish River.”

Claire’s eyes widened. “Skinny-dipping?” Where had that rumor come from? She and Jason had walked along the trail following the river, but they hadn’t gone in. The trail had been crowded with cyclists and joggers. “It’s too cold to swim.”

“I’m sure Jason would have found a way to warm you up.”

“Skinny-dipping,” Claire repeated, and she shook her head in amazement. She would have to tell Jason about that one.

“Well, you are a dark horse, aren’t you?” Her friend tilted her head to the side as she studied Claire. “All this time we thought you were too serious and quiet for the likes of Jason Strong. He must have seen a wild streak that you kept hidden. I had no idea you were his type all along.”

His type? She wasn’t even close. She wasn’t a wild and fun woman who was the center of the party and the star of every man’s erotic fantasies. She tried to remember how Deanna had described the women Jason slept with. Stupid, she believed her friend had said. That was the last thing she wanted anyone to think about her.

“Well, I have to go,” Deanna said as she moved toward the door. “Don’t forget we’re meeting up tonight. And then you can tell me all about how you hooked Jason.”

Whatever story she came up with wouldn’t be as scandalous as the rest of the town imagined. Claire nodded and waved goodbye to her friend.

She hesitated at the door, unsure if she should stay when she saw Jason walk out of the kitchen.

She felt the kick of pleasure as she noticed how the blue henley he wore matched his eyes while accentuating his sleek chest and muscular arms. His faded jeans hung low on his hips. Her gaze drifted to his legs as she remembered how powerful and heavy they had felt this morning when he had straddled her shoulders and—

Claire abruptly looked away as the blush scorched her cheeks. She shouldn’t think about that right now. Not unless she wanted Jason to suspect that she was taking this fling far too seriously.

She frowned as she realized he had been in the kitchen. How many times had she found him in there? she wondered. Why hadn’t she noticed that he gravitated to that room or that he had always enjoyed cooking? She’d noticed details but she hadn’t put them all together when it came to the man who had fascinated her for years.

Claire already knew the answer. She saw Jason Strong as fun, sexy and wild. She’d been aware that he was creative but she hadn’t considered his dreams or what he wanted out of life. She was no better than the rest of her circle of friends.

His eyes lit up when he spotted her and she tried to squelch the joy that flowed through her. Four more days, she reminded herself. She only had four more days to indulge in this fantasy and then she had to focus on landing the gig in LA.

“Claire, what are you doing here?”

She saw that his expression had become guarded and realized she had overstepped her boundaries. She wished she hadn’t followed the impulse to visit him. She was making assumptions and taking privileges that she didn’t have. “I wanted to show you the progress for the party,” she lied.

“You didn’t have to come all this way. You could have emailed it to me.”

Claire kept her smile steady. He had asked her to come over all the time to discuss business before. Now that their relationship had changed, he didn’t invite her over. Did Jason think she was crowding him?

“I’ll do that, but I also have something for you. I found it when I was in Seattle,” she continued brightly. “I wanted to give it to you before I forgot.”

“You never forget anything,” Jason declared as he placed his hand at the small of her back. “Come into my office.”

She held her messenger bag close to her body and tried to ignore how much she enjoyed being next to Jason. It wasn’t necessary for him to guide her to the office, but she liked his protective gestures. It made her feel special. As if her needs were always on his mind.

When she stepped into his office, Jason closed the door and reached for her. He threaded his hands in her hair and kissed her. His mouth was rough, urgent and hot. As if he had been starving for her touch all day. She wanted him to feast on her. Claire leaned into him and clutched his shoulders. She moaned with pleasure and deepened the kiss just as he pulled back.

“We should stop,” he said against her mouth.

“You started it.” She knew he was right. And she shouldn’t read anything into his kisses. Or the fact that he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her. “I can’t stay long but I wanted to give you something.”

“You really meant it?” Jason drew away and dropped his hands from her hair. “I figured you just said that to get me alone.”

“I don’t have to make up a story to get you alone,” she said as she pulled the messenger bag off her shoulder.

“True,” he murmured. “All you have to do is give me a look.”

She blushed as she reached into her bag. She liked the idea that she had power over Jason. That he found her irresistible. Would she still have that power after this week? Could she jump-start the fling at any time by giving him a seductive look?

No, it was too late to make anything happen. If she got this job with Max, she’d be leaving for good. Claire wished she had explored this attraction earlier. But she hadn’t believed Jason would notice her. She hadn’t considered that he might see her as more than just a friend.

She grabbed the glossy and colorful flyer and thrust it into his hands. “Like I said, I was in Seattle and I was driving by the school and decided to pick up a brochure.”

* * *

“S
CHOOL
?” H
E
STARED
at her blankly before he looked at the brochure in his hand. The old ache of disappointment bloomed out of nowhere. “The culinary school?”

“It’s not the only one in the area,” she said. “There’s actually a technical school nearby that offers something similar.”

His fingers pinched the paper, and it crinkled under his touch. “Why did you get this?”

Claire tilted her head, and it was obvious he wasn’t responding the way she’d thought he would. “Because you shouldn’t put off your dream,” she said.

“It
was
my dream,” he said hoarsely. “It’s not anymore.”

“Why not?”

He stared at the logo on the paper but he wasn’t going to open the brochure or read it. He wasn’t going down that path again. “Why all these questions? I grew up. I moved on. I found something better.”

She looked around the office. Framed awards dotted the walls and the sleek desk was clear of paper and files. Did she see his accomplishments or just the job he had fallen into? Was this path he had taken better? Or was it only easier?

Jason sighed but it didn’t relieve the ache in his chest. He raked his hand through his hair. “Look, I appreciate the help but—”

“What’s the harm in trying again?” she asked.

Jason closed his eyes as he held back the words to explain. He knew he should just thank her and tell her that he’d think about it. It would be the easiest and quickest way to distract her, but he found that he couldn’t. “You don’t understand, Claire.”

“Okay, so you didn’t get what you wanted the first time you tried. That doesn’t mean you stop. So the school rejected you.” She paused when he flinched and then continued in a gentler tone. “The school has changed in the past five years. So have you. Give it another try.”

He stared at the brochure. He was a different person than when he had first applied. He was more mature and had more life experience. But he wasn’t going to resurrect an old dream unless he was sure it would succeed.

“Jason, you are the most optimistic person I know. You think anything is possible. Why isn’t this?”

“Because there
is
harm in trying, Claire.” His voice sounded dull. Almost numb. It held the hurt at bay. “I tried to get into the school and I was immediately rejected.”

“Why didn’t you try another school?” she asked.

“This school rejected me so fast that there was obviously nothing about me that they thought had potential.” It still hurt to say it. “So I decided to go after my dream in another way and develop my skills. I tried to get an apprenticeship.”

“What happened?”

“I interviewed with this chef that I really wanted to work with.” He clenched his jaw as he remembered how that had gone. “Maybe I went in too cocky. I didn’t want anyone to know how much the job meant to me in case I lost the chance.”

“He picked someone with more experience?”

“Worse.” He clenched his teeth as the old pain rolled through him. “The chef told me I wasn’t going to make it in the culinary field and I should try something else.”

“He said that?” Claire’s eyes widened with outrage.

“I should thank him because he didn’t give me false hope. This guy’s opinion meant a lot to me. He was very familiar with the restaurant business. He listed all the reasons why the industry would chew me up and spit me out.” Jason frowned as he remembered the pain of that moment. “You know, I’ve never told anyone about that. Not even my parents. They already wanted me to abandon cooking and work in the family business. After that, I tried to find any apprenticeship. But I think the hiring chefs could see the desperation coming off me. No one accepted me and I finally had to work for my family.”

“That was years ago,” she pointed out. “It’s different now.”

“Yeah, it is different. I’m too old to go after this dream.”

“No, you’re not,” she insisted. She grabbed his arm, and he got the sense she would have shaken him if she could. “Do you know how many clients I have who are on their second or third career?”

“It’s too late for me.” He had a good job and great friends. It wasn’t the life he had chosen, but he liked what he had. Why change it to go after a dream? He could lose so much by chasing after a goal that would only bring him disappointment.

Claire studied his expression. “You told me you still dreamed about it.”

“In passing. When I have a bad day at work.” His mind often drifted to the idea when he wasn’t careful. He was watching too many reality cooking shows and documentaries about a chef’s life. The challenge and creativity excited him in ways he couldn’t explain.

“You’re bored here.” She gestured around his office.

He stiffened his spine. Was it that obvious? “Where did you get that idea?”

“I’m sure you thought working in your family’s business was going to be temporary. You would regroup and try again. But you were successful here and you needed that feeling. After getting rejected everywhere you went, you wanted a win.”

It was the truth. He hadn’t planned to make Mountain Creek his world. He’d figured he’d work here for a few months. He had been here over five years. How had that happened? Where had the time gone?