Page 41 of The Playboy Meets His Match
“But one isn’t,” she interrupted him.
Smiling, Jason kissed her lightly. “Maybe. Maybe I’m changing.”
“Like tigers lose their stripes. Go on. Tell me about this last bachelor.”
“The last bachelor left standing will enjoy a ‘consolation’ party during the ball and get to choose the charity for the gala.”
“So what’s your favorite charity, Jason, since you’ll win this bet, hands down.”
“You’re really sure about me,” he said, studying her and toying with locks of her hair.
“You’ve made your feelings clear. What’s your charity?” she insisted.
“There’s a program for kids who need help with literacy. That’s the charity I’d name.”
“That’s a good one.”
“Actually, three of the guys are married now. Will, Sebastian and Rob. So it’s down to a contest between Keith and me.”
“Well, I know who’ll win, and a lot of little kids will be helped.”
“You’re so sure about me,” Jason repeated. He rolled over to prop his head on his hand and look down at her. “This would be nice to always come home to,” he said solemnly, and Merry’s heart lurched. Instantly she told herself to not be taken in by lines he may have said too many times.
He kissed her hungrily, a kiss that heated her from her head to her toes and made her forget the annual ball or the last bachelor or anything else they had talked about. She was lost in another dizzying spiral of lovemaking.
Two hours later Merry finished dressing and walked out to find Jason standing waiting in the living room. The moment she stepped into the room, her breath rushed out. In a dark suit and white shirt, Jason looked even more handsome and commanding than ever.
His gaze lighted with pleasure as he looked her over, making her tingle from head to toe.
“Darlin’, we may go to Claire’s more often,” he drawled. “You’re gorgeous, Merry.”
“Thank you. I could say the same about you.”
She wore a simple black dress with a V-neck and a low-cut back. It was a sheath, clinging to her figure and hitting her just above the knees.
He crossed the room to tilt her face up. “Now I’ve lost all appetite for anything at Claire’s. What I’d rather have is you, but I’m going to take you out at least once.”
“I think that’s the best idea.”
“No. My best idea is bed.”
She linked her arm through his. “Let’s go, Jason.” She touched the bulge beneath his coat and patted his side, looking up at him questioningly while problems rushed back into her life.
“I might want my pistol,” he said to her unasked question.
“That makes me want to stay home.”
“You’ll be safe,” he said with a determination that gave her a chill.
“I’m glad I know you now and not when you were living a different life.”
“Whether in the CIA or out of it, I’m still me. And I usually don’t carry a weapon here in Royal, but the situation changed when someone blew the end of my house away.”
They walked in silence to the car and he held the door. “Jason,” Merry said after they were driving from the ranch, “if Dorian has a good alibi for the night of the murder, that leaves him out as a suspect. Other things, like the electronic journal and his shady past, indicate it was him, yet if he was sitting in the Royal Diner the whole time, he’s not the killer.”
“Laura Edwards testified that he was at the diner. The police checked her background, and she seems honest enough.”
“That alibi really lets Dorian out.”
