Page 39 of The Playboy Meets His Match
“Sorry, cowboy, that’s impossible.”
He rolled her over and propped his head on his hand to study her. “Maybe I can try keeping you here, and we can just ignore everyone.”
“No!” She sat up and reached for the shutters that were all tightly closed.
He caught her arm and kissed her wrist, looking at her solemnly. “Maybe I’m falling in love, Merry.”
Merry’s heart thudded at the words, but she reminded herself she was with Royal’s number-one playboy. She had heard about his reputation. She smiled and patted him.
“That’s nice, Jason,” she said.
He drew his finger down her cheek. “I mean it. Don’t patronize me.”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” she said, kissing him lightly. His arm tightened around her and his lips touched hers, brushing so lightly. Then his mouth opened hers, kissing her deeply. Tongues touched and stroked while her heart pounded.
She pushed against him. “Wait a minute.” She glanced at the clock on his desk. “Jason, that says it’s almost eight in the morning. That’s late for you to be getting up.”
“Don’t care. Come here, darlin’,” he said in a husky voice.
By a quarter before nine, Jason groaned and stood. “I have an appointment in fifteen minutes.” He caught her chin. “Merry, you’re safe here, so you stay here today. I don’t see how he would dare try anything again as long as you’re out here and there will be someone around all the time. Promise me you’ll stay.”
“I will,” she said, knowing it was probably useless to argue, and Jason didn’t seem the least concerned about risk to himself.
He picked up his cellular phone and switched it on, punching in a number. “Rob, this is Jason. Yeah, we’re okay. I need to see you and the others when we can. Definitely without Dorian.”
Eight
As Jason drove away from his ranch, he wanted to turn around and go back to be with Merry. The need he felt to be with her surprised him because the intensity of it was a unique experience. At the same time, his feelings tied him in knots.
He didn’t want to fall in love. Not the forever till-death-do-us-part kind of love. Yet being with her was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He couldn’t wait to get back to the ranch and see her, hold her and kiss her.
Even the danger and the boldness of Dorian—if Dorian was the one—couldn’t take his thoughts off Merry.
Since childhood he had sworn he would never love deeply, never be caught in the trap his father had been in, loving a woman and becoming vulnerable. But now nothing seemed the same. If loving Merry made him vulnerable to hurt, he couldn’t help it. He was as out of control as a shooting star. If this was love, he was in, head over heels, and it seemed damned good and right.
She was a beautiful, sexy woman. She was intelligent, fun to be with, kindhearted and exciting. He wanted to be with her all the time, and the thought of her walking out of his life made his breath catch.
He was the only man in her life. The first, the only. That thought tugged at him, and made the bond between them even stronger.
Stunned by his reactions, he marveled at how his feelings for her had changed his whole perspective on life.
In town, the day seemed interminable. Jason couldn’t set up a meeting with the others from the Texas Cattleman’s Club until tomorrow morning, but they knew about the bomb. Everyone in Royal knew his house had burned, but only his close Cattleman’s Club friends knew the truth. The only information the media had still indicated a possible gas leak, and that suited him.
Through the busy day Jason struggled to concentrate on the problems facing him, yet Merry was constantly on his mind. It amazed him to feel this way—as if Merry were the most important person on earth. Earlier that day, he had almost walked in front of a moving car. His attorney had been with him and had reached out to stop him. Hal Worthington had chalked Jason’s fog up to the night’s calamity, talking nonstop to Jason about his loss and how sorry he was about the explosion and fire.
Jason had barely listened as Hal had rambled, and as soon as they parted, Jason called the florist and ordered a dozen red roses, saying he would pick them up on his way back to the ranch.
On his way to an appointment, he paused in the lobby of a building, finding a corner where he could call Merry undisturbed.
Her voice was lilting, making him remember the night too clearly.
“Merry. I wanted to talk to you.”
“I’m glad you called.”
“I’ve made reservations to take you to Claire’s tonight.”
“You don’t think it’s dangerous for us to be in Royal?”
