Seeds of Desire (9 page)

She bit her tongue as another thought occurred to her. Even
if they’d hired her because of Jared’s request, surely they wouldn’t have kept
her on the payroll if she hadn’t proven herself. She did know what she was
doing, and even if she struggled a little with speaking to groups of people,
she’d done pretty well so far in the towns she and Jared had visited. Maybe it
didn’t matter if he’d persuaded them to give her the position. Even if she didn’t
have it solely because she was good at what she did, she’d held on to it on her
own merits.

She’d done her research on the environmental impact of
construction projects ranging from office buildings to highway extensions.
Despite her difficulty speaking to large groups of people, when it came to
explaining things to the JaBro higher-ups either verbally or in writing, she
demonstrated that she knew what she was talking about. Her review of a few
proposed projects had even saved the company money, because she’d detected
things that would have either required new permits or might have resulted in
fines if JaBro had gone forward.

Jared might have gotten her the position, but she’d earned
her place.

He stepped out from behind her to look her in the eye. “You’re
pissed at me again, aren’t you?”

She narrowed her eyes, though she didn’t feel quite as angry
as she tried to look. “Yeah, kind of. I would have had the position without you
sticking your nose into it, though.”

“Absolutely,” he said firmly. “You’re damn good at what you
do, Cass. I knew that the first day. My dad and uncle threw some ringers in
there with those questions they asked you in your interview, and they didn’t
faze you in the slightest. I didn’t tell them to hire you just because I wanted
to get you into bed, though I confess that idea appealed to me. You’re so
intelligent, so beautiful, and something about you just plain struck me. I
needed a woman like you in my life. I knew you’d be good for me and good for
the company too.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes. Leave it to Jared to throw in
sexual commentary even when she was ticked at him. “You’re not making this
sound much better. Especially the whole wanting to get me into bed thing.”

“I had you in bed,” he pointed out. “Twice. Last night when
you fucked me so hard I wanted to scream, and again just now all injured and
stuff. Today you were completely at my mercy. I didn’t take advantage of you,
did I?”

“Nope, you acted like a perfect gentleman,” she admitted.

“Yeah. I must be slipping.”

“So, um, you wanted to scream?”

He chuckled. “I thought I wasn’t allowed to speak of it ever
again. Yes, I wanted to scream. I’ve never had a woman fuck me like that. I
came so hard I pretty much blacked out, and then you walked out that door, and
I— Anyway, yes.”

Then she’d walked out that door and slammed it on any chance
either of them might have had to be honest about their feelings. She’d cheated
both of them.

He stepped closer and massaged the shampoo into her hair,
keeping his fingers well away from her bandage. It felt heavenly, better even
than when she had her hair done at a salon. She closed her eyes and leaned back
slightly, enjoying the tingles that radiated through her from his touch. Why
not let herself be turned-on now that she’d discovered she’d been wrong about
him? It wasn’t as if anything would happen.

“I hope I can rinse all this shampoo out,” Jared complained.
“Your hair is thicker than it looks.”

“That’s why I keep it shoulder length or shorter,” she
murmured. “Otherwise it gives me neck cramps.”

He laughed. “I can imagine. Does this feel okay? I’m not
hurting you, am I?”

“It’s great.” A splotch of shampoo landed beside her eye.
“Except you’re making things a bit messy.”

“Nothing wrong with messy sometimes.” She shuddered at his
husky tone. He removed the splotch with a finger. “Okay, look. I want to
straighten this out with you. Figure out where we stand with each other, all
right?”

Where he stood with her. Good question. She didn’t know
anymore herself. If someone had asked her that morning, she would have called
him a complete asshole who sponged off Daddy’s money and only had a job because
Daddy pitied him. In fact, she’d said pretty much just that to Jared’s face a
few minutes earlier.

She cringed. She had been cruel to him. Even though she’d
thought he didn’t like her, that didn’t excuse the way she’d treated him.

“Why do you act the way you do?” she asked after a moment.
If she wanted to understand her feelings about him, she needed to understand
him.

Jared wrung out the washcloth and started wiping the shampoo
out of her hair. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Cocky, arrogant, full of yourself.” She ticked off each
item on her fingers.

“Is that how I come across?” He sounded stunned.

“You said yesterday that I look like someone jammed a stick
up my ass,” she reminded him. “That isn’t exactly something most people would
say to a woman they’re interested in.”

“Well, you did in that damn suit,” he muttered. “If I
recall, I also said you looked good in jeans and a T-shirt, didn’t I?”

“The insult outweighed the good part,” she replied. “You’re
dripping water in my eyes.”

“Sorry.” He wiped her forehead gently with his hand. “This
isn’t going to be easy. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried washing your hair this
way.”

“It’s better than having all the dirt and stuff in it,” she
pointed out. “It’s a little too late now to decide not to do it.”

“I guess.” He ran the cloth over her hair again. “I’m sorry
I insulted you. Sometimes I just don’t know what to say around you. Besides, by
then I’d figured you already disliked me, so I didn’t think it would really
matter what I said. You wouldn’t be able to dislike me more than you already
did.”

She thought over what he’d said. He didn’t know what to say
around her. Apparently she flustered him to the point that he acted like an idiot.
Either she should just stay away from him so she didn’t confuse him, or she
should take it as a compliment. She’d never had an effect like that on a guy
before and didn’t know how to respond. So she turned it into a joke. “I bet
when you were a little kid, you pulled girls’ hair when you liked them, didn’t
you?”

“Yep,” he replied cheerfully. “That or chased them around
the playground until they tripped and fell. None of them ever ended up slicing
their heads open on shovels, though.”

“You weren’t chasing me,” she reminded him.

“Yeah. That must be where I went wrong.” He rinsed the cloth
he’d been using and took the other one out of the bucket. “I may have used too
much shampoo, damn it. And your shirt’s soaked.”

“It doesn’t matter. Are you done yet?” She’d grown fidgety.
Sitting still had never been one of her favorite things, and if she didn’t move
from this chair soon, she would scream. And her neck had become sore from
trying to hold still so no water or shampoo ended up in her face or on her bandage.

Some of the fidgeting probably had to do with the
conversation. Now that Jared had admitted having feelings for her, she didn’t
know what to do.

“Almost.” He ran the second washcloth over her hair in
several wide lines, followed by his hand. “That takes care of most of it, I
think.” He rinsed out the cloth. “I don’t know if I can rinse all of it. I’m
sorry. I should have just left well enough alone and let you wash it when you
got home and had plastic to put over your bandage.”

“I probably wouldn’t have been able to do the plastic,” she
replied. “I’m not all that coordinated, in case my tumble at the site didn’t
give you that idea. Besides, how would I cover part of my head?” She sighed.
“Remind me to avoid head injuries in the future. I prefer being clean.”

“You’re very graceful except when someone leaves a pile of
dirt in your path,” he said gallantly. “At least I think that’s what you
tripped over.”

He ran his hand through her hair. Cassidy shuddered and a
tiny tingle began between her legs. Oh god, having her hair washed couldn’t
turn her on. Especially when Jared Jackson was the one washing it.

Jared Jackson, who apparently had wanted her since the day
they’d met. Who had completely turned her opinion of him on its ear by
admitting his feelings. Who was bringing her to the boiling point just by
touching her hair. God, she wanted him to touch other places. Even hearing him
jerking off, knowing she was on his mind, hadn’t turned her on this much.

She wanted his cock inside her again. This time, they wouldn’t
only be fucking, and that would make it even better. Her clit pulsed and she
became even wetter. Her nipples stiffened, though she could pretend that was
because of her soaked shirt.

Her body definitely responded to his touch. The ache between
her legs demanded that she fuck him. Hard and fast or slow and sweet, it didn’t
matter.

Crap.
“Yeah, I’m about as graceful as an elephant
doing ballet.” She tried to force her mind back where it belonged, which
definitely wasn’t on the image of Jared with his clothes off.

“Right,” he said. “Any woman who can walk in two-inch spike
heels without stumbling is graceful as far as I’m concerned.” He came around
the chair again and appraised her. “Okay, I’ve de-shampooed you as much as I
can without wetting the bandage.” He handed her the towel. “Be careful drying
off so you don’t hit the cut. I’m going to dump this out.” He went back to the
bathroom.

With Jared out of the room for a moment, Cassidy managed to
bring her breathing back to normal. The rest of her body did not follow suit.
Okay, so maybe Jared wasn’t as much of a jerk as she’d thought. That didn’t
mean she should consider going to bed with him.

The little shivers running through her were just a side
effect of the hair-washing, not an actual thought. That was what she intended
to believe, anyway.

He came out of the bathroom with his shirt off. Cassidy
barely managed to show no reaction, even though she had to force her gaze away
from his chest. Her hands itched to run over his bare skin.

“Tried to dump out the water too fast,” he explained. “It
splashed up on me. Are you okay?”

“Um, yeah, fine.”
Deep breaths. Get under control.
“You might want to put on another shirt before you take the bucket back,
though.”

“You don’t think I should give the desk clerk a thrill?”
Eyes twinkling, he set the bucket down. “I didn’t plan to return it quite yet.”

“Oh? Why not?”

He walked over to stand in front of her, so close she could
have counted the hairs on his chest if she’d wanted to.

“Because I don’t think it’s fair that I have no shirt on and
you do,” he replied, voice husky with desire.

There went her breathing again. More like panting now,
accompanied by a pulse between her legs. Her nipples stiffened as she thought
of revealing them to him. A man she’d despised so recently shouldn’t have this
much effect on her. Part of it was the sheer desire to feel another body
against hers, since the past several months the only sex she’d had had been
solo.

She didn’t want to think about what the other part might be.
She didn’t hate him. Maybe cared about him. But she definitely didn’t love him.

Chapter Eight

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “It’s completely
fair,” she retorted. “You’re a man. Men can go shirtless.”

“So can women under the right circumstances.” He grasped the
bottom of her shirt and lifted it. “Put your arms up.”

She slapped his arms. “I don’t recall giving you permission
to take off my shirt.” She had to stop him before she completely lost control.
Before he realized that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

“I don’t recall asking for permission.” He let go of the
shirt, grinning lewdly. “Oh, beautiful environmental consultant, may I please
remove this interfering garment so I might gaze upon your beauteous orbs and
suck your hard nubs into my mouth?”

She cracked up, despite the electric jolts his words sent
through her. “You’ve been reading too many bad romance novels.”

“Nah, I just have really bizarre fantasies.” He paused. “In
fact, I think you may have heard some of them last night. You definitely added
a new one.”

“You wanted me to hear,” she pointed out. A thrill ran
through her as an image of her riding his cock, pinning his arms to the
mattress, floated into her mind.

“Oh, hell yeah I did. So are you taking off the shirt, or am
I?”

“Neither,” she said firmly. She refused to give in to him or
to her own arousal. They worked together, for Pete’s sake. They couldn’t just
jump into bed together again. It would complicate everything even more than he
already had by admitting how he felt about her. And that admission had made
things damn complicated.

He raised an eyebrow. “So should I make love to you with
your shirt on?”

“What the hell makes you think you’re going to make love to
me?” she demanded. She stood quickly, ignoring the dizziness that struck her.
“You’re assuming a hell of a lot, you know that? After hassling me for weeks,
you tell me you think I’m ‘best’ for you and expect me to just strip and bow at
your feet?”

“Nope, at my dick.” He shook his head, looking disgusted.
“Sorry. That was way out of line.”

“Yes, it was. Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?
We’d started getting along, and then all of a sudden you turn into Jackass
Jared again.”

He recoiled. “I’m sorry. I had no right to say that. It’s
just…” He shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll go take the bucket back.”

“Wait.” The command escaped Cassidy’s lips before she could
stop it.

Jared folded his arms. “What? Going to tell me more about
what a jerk I am?”

“No.” She took a step toward him. “I hurt your feelings
again. I’m sorry about that. You can’t just assume you can have whatever you
want, though. Especially not with me.”