No, just a barracuda, he thought to himself. And it might be a little wound but it still hurt like a son of a bitch. The bad thing about it was that he hadn’t brought a change of clothes, so he had to go around with half his ass out of his jeans.
Nothing had gone right in his life since Nikki had come into it. Why the hell would he think it would get any better the longer she stayed?
Chapter 26
Brian was waiting to take Celeste to lunch as soon as she finished her last massage of the morning. As she walked toward him, his heart pounded so hard inside his chest he thought it might burst.
“People are going to talk,” she said.
He grinned. “They already are. They’ve been talking ever since you showed up looking so pretty.”
“Maybe they were talking about my car.”
“Probably, but they stopped after they got a look at you.” When she frowned, he laughed. She had a cute way of puckering her bottom lip. It was all he could do to keep from leaning over and kissing it, but he was afraid it would embarrass her.
“I’m going to trade it off the first chance I get.”
“Good idea.”
“You’re not helping matters.” But there was a twinkle in her eyes.
“Then I’ll change the subject. I thought we’d eat on the patio. It’s a beautiful day.”
He thought that would please her, but her squared shoulders and the way she nervously fisted and unfisted her hands told a different story. Then he remembered they’d kissed the last time they were on the patio. Was she afraid that it would happen again? Or that it might lead to more? They hadn’t talked about last night or the fact they’d made love.
“Just lunch,” he said.
She glanced up at him and he marveled again how clear her gray-green eyes were. Her lightly tanned skin and delicate features only added to her ethereal beauty, but damn she filled out the pair of shorts and T-shirt she wore.
It was all he could do to concentrate when she looked at him. How could anyone look so damned innocent and hot at the same time? Every time he looked at her, he was amazed.
“If you’d rather eat with someone else, that’s okay, too.” He didn’t want her to think he was forcing her to eat with him just because he was the boss. He hadn’t realized just how complicated their relationship could get.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m still a little nervous about how much I talked yesterday. I don’t usually unload my past on anyone.” She took a deep breath. “I wasn’t looking for sympathy or anything.”
“I’ve already told you it’s okay. Everyone needs to talk to someone, and I have a feeling you’ve been needing someone for a very long time.”
“But you’re not a therapist.”
He smiled. “Would that help?”
“No. At least it didn’t help me before. The state sent one to evaluate my mental status after the…the shooting, but I think the woman was more concerned with her own problems than mine.”
“Her problems?”
“She’d just broken up with her boyfriend. His name was John and apparently he didn’t believe in work. She was tired of supporting him.”
They walked past the dining area. He opened the door, and she walked in front of him out to the patio.
“It doesn’t sound as though she was qualified to help you.”
Celeste shrugged. “They were short-staffed. Besides, I didn’t really need her. There was nothing that she could do to bring my mother back. It wasn’t as if she could put the pieces of my life back together again.”
“But she should’ve been able to help you through a rough time.”
“My foster mother helped.”
“Except you wouldn’t let her get close.”
She studied him. “You’re going to play therapist, aren’t you? Believe me, I’ve put the past behind me.” Her eyes pleaded with him to let it go.
“Good.” He regarded her for a moment, then smiled. “I hope you like hamburgers,” he said, waving a hand toward the table.
“It’s my favorite food. How did you know?”
“I read minds on the side.”
God, she hoped not. Even she was afraid to look too closely into her thoughts. No one had ever made her see her past quite like Brian had. She’d always thought if she ran fast enough, far enough, then she wouldn’t have to examine anything too closely.
So she’d shut the door on her past, then locked it, tucking the key away in a pocket that she guarded well, but Brian had found it and made her open the door.
When she got her first paycheck she needed to hit the road and go far, far away from here, from him.
She sat in the chair he pulled out for her, her shoulders slumping. How many places had she already run away from? She really liked the ranch.
She glanced up as he took the chair across from her. And she really liked Brian. She didn’t want to leave, but if she stayed what would happen? Would she get close to him? She had a feeling she would. Then what would happen?
A shudder swept through her. She’d never thought this much about her relationships. Maybe because she’d never gotten close enough to anyone that she could be hurt again.
“Did you want mayo rather than mustard? I can have them bring you another one.”
She looked at Brian, then her burger. “No, this is fine. I love mustard.” She picked up the burger and bit into it. It was all she could do to swallow, though, as she mentally made plans to leave. Why had she even thought she could stay?
“Don’t think too hard about it,” Brian spoke softly.
She set her burger back on the plate. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He covered her hand with his. She wanted to pull away, but his felt so warm and comforting.
“Our relationship. I want you to know I’ve never dated, let alone made love to, someone who works for me. There’s something about you and I know you feel the same way about me, but it scares you. It scares the hell out of me, too, because I’ve never felt like this before. Please promise me that you won’t run the first chance you get. That you’ll give us a chance.”
Celeste looked up and saw the sincerity in Brian’s eyes. God, she was so tired of running. “I want to give us a chance,” she finally said and knew she meant it. Maybe she’d finally found a place she could call home again.
“I said I was sorry. What else do you want me to do?” Nikki asked Cal.
He didn’t look pleased that she wasn’t making more out of his wound. It hadn’t been that bad. The worst was over. At least it was almost over. They’d padded his saddle with one of the sleeping bags, but the longer they rode, the more irritable he became.
She felt sorry for him-really, she did. But when she rode behind him, she couldn’t help smiling. He’d caught her smile once when he’d turned around and had been even more irritated.
Could she help it if one of the cheeks of his ass just happened to be exposed? Maybe she should tell him that it was a very nice ass cheek. Yeah, like she wanted to feed his ego any more than she already had. The sooner they got back to the cabin, the better. She wanted to pack and then she was out of there.
They topped a small rise and she was looking down on the cabin. Finally. The ride had seemed endless, with Cal in the mood he was in.
Her gaze swept the area. Everything looked the same as when she’d left. She could see the rooster in the barnyard with his two faithful chickens, and Bessie Two stood in her pen, the calf with her.
She would kind of miss it. Kind of being the operative phrase. She glanced at Cal. Even after he’d told her what he had, she knew she would miss him. There was no reforming a man like him, though. A shame, but it was better to make a clean break.
They stopped their horses in front of the cabin and she slid off hers. At least her legs weren’t shaking as much.
“I think you’ll understand that I won’t be dismounting.” Cal’s words were clipped.