Naughty by Nature by Jule McBride

Author:Jule McBride
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

7

VANESSA REALIZED something had changed between her and Morgan in the pantry. What they shared wasn’t only sex, but something more. As she rinsed a dessert plate, she tried to ignore how intently he was studying her, but his eyes felt as hot as the sun on her face, reawakening the awkward self-consciousness she thought she’d lost in adolescence.

“Here,” he said suddenly. She glanced over as he shrugged out of his suit jacket, draped it around a chair back and rolled up the sleeves of the starched white shirt he wore tucked into black slacks. “Let me help you, Vanessa.” His fingers slid over hers, smooth in the water and slick with soap as he relieved her of the plate. He turned and put it into the dishwasher, their brief contact stripping grace from her usually fluid limbs, making her movements feel unnatural. Awash in her own heat, she almost wished Morgan had been staring at her body, not her face, since that seemed simpler somehow. Easier than emotional intimacy.

“Not what I expected,” he finally commented, glancing around the large, modern, steel-and-glass kitchen, which was equipped to handle large parties.

She squinted at him. “You had expectations about our kitchen?”

He chuckled. “No. I mean the way you live here with your father.” He shrugged, sidling closer, jockeying her, his side warming hers as he continued taking plates from her. “I’ve stayed in a lot of other houses around Washington.” He paused, clearly thinking better of continuing.

She shot him an encouraging smile. “It’s good that you’re so conscious about the privacy of people you protect.”

His eyes shadowed. “I’m not as discreet as I should be. I’m sorry I asked Kenneth about you. It wasn’t right.”

Handing him another dish, she shrugged. “You were curious.”

“You’re being generous.” His eyes caught hers, the look steady, penetrating. “But you’re right. I was curious.” He flashed a smile. “Very.”

She couldn’t help but flirt. “Still curious?”

“Even more than before.”

She turned to the dishes, trying to lighten the conversation. “Well…you and I are different.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing, is it?” A grin came in tandem with an appraising glance that sent an anticipatory shiver down her spine. “I definitely didn’t expect you to throw a party for a—” He paused. “What did Meggie call me? Ah…hired help. And I didn’t expect to find you here afterward, doing dishes.”

She set aside a plate, wiped her hands on a dish towel that lay over the lip of the sink and turned toward him, resting her palm on his lower arm. “You’re not hired help, Morgan. Don’t say that.”

His words were offhand, casual, but his breath shallowed at the contact. “Sure I am.”

She swallowed hard, deciding to take a risk. “Last night, I’d say you were a little more than that.”

“Just a little?”

A lot. Tilting her chin downward, she surveyed him from under her eyelids. “What do you think?”

He considered. “I think you’re blushing.”

She could feel the color deepen. “Great,” she muttered, swatting him with the towel before turning to the sink and diving her hands into the water.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.