She sighed, leaning her forehead against the cold glass. “Great,” she mumbled. “This is just perfect!”
He smothered his amusement at her reaction behind his hand, pretending to rub his jaw. She really was cute, he thought. And he liked her derriere in those jeans. The denim wasn’t tight but it showed him all of her curves. “Are you hungry?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed her hand and pulled her gently down the stairs. “My housekeeper makes a great omelet with whatever your heart desires.”
She shook her head, trying to pull her hand out of his but he wasn’t letting her go. “I’m really not hungry,” she said.
Rocco stopped and looked down at her, almost backing her up against the wall. “If you’re not hungry, what else can we do to entertain ourselves while we wait for the roads to open up?” he asked softly, his hand coming up to caress her cheek and ear, sending tingles everywhere in her body.
Brianna was so surprised, she didn’t have her defenses in place. She hadn’t planned on him shifting gears quite so quickly and was stunned in place while he touched her. She told herself to move, to shift out of his embrace, but her feet didn’t move. And her head actually tilted into his hand, enjoying his soft touch.
When she realized what she was doing, she gasped and looked up into his golden, piercing eyes. How did he have that kind of power over her? He could do anything and she would love it? No! He couldn’t have that kind of control over her! She wouldn’t allow it! “Breakfast sounds wonderful,” she squeaked out, not sure if she had the willpower to pull away from him.
Rocco laughed, seeing exactly what she was doing but enjoying himself immensely. He’d never had a woman who ran away from him so this was all new to him. He found that he actually liked having her pull back. It made him have to work harder for what he wanted. A challenge!
Yes, she might be up to something that he wouldn’t like. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy her while she tried to accomplish whatever her mission was.
“Are you sure?” he asked, enjoying her soft skin as well as the challenge of trying to change her mind. He liked the way she wiggled against him, her soft breasts felt wonderful against his chest. He almost laughed out loud when she turned slightly to give him better access, telling him without words that she liked what he was doing to her.
Why was she so skittish? Surely she remembered what it had been like between the two of them. It had only been a few days since they’d been in each other’s arms.
“I’m famished,” she said and looked down. “I forgot to eat dinner last night.”
Rocco’s hand froze with her words and he smiled slightly. She was a complete mystery. And he liked that. A frustrating mystery, but one he was going to unravel, piece by piece. And enjoy every moment of the unveiling, he thought as he surveyed her unflattering flannel shirt. The only redeeming piece of clothing on the woman was her jeans, which he approved of completely. The flannel and, what he suspected was a brutal sports bra, would have to go though.
Changing tactics since he wanted to know everything about this woman, he asked, “What were you doing in the barn last night?” Looking at the dark circles under her eyes and the gauntness of her cheeks, his eyes narrowed. “And why the hell didn’t you bring something to eat if you were going to stay out in the cold for so long?”
He didn’t wait for an answer but took her hand again, leading her down the stairs. He didn’t have to pull her this time and he realized it was because she wanted to get out of the bedroom and away from the bed. That news didn’t cheer him since he was aching to make love to her, but he didn’t want her getting sick on him either.$
He didn’t stop until they were in the small dining room he preferred when he was alone. There was a larger dining room he used when he had guests or elaborate functions but this room, with the large windows and small table, was more intimate and comfortable. The delicious scents of breakfast wafted to him and he signaled to his housekeeper that she could bring in their meal.
“If you don’t want an omelet, Ms. Rogers can make you anything you want.”
A robust woman with a friendly smile brought out two plates that had been warming in the oven. She placed one in front of both of them, then disappeared once again. In addition to an omelet brimming with cheese, ham and vegetables, there was also a huge biscuit on the side of the plate, a bowl of chilled, fresh fruit and, in the center of the table, a large pitcher of orange juice and an urn of coffee. Rocco poured juice and coffee for both of them while Brianna’s mind tried to catch up with everything that was happening.
“So how did I get from the barn to the house?” she asked, taking a full sip of coffee to try and clear her mind from the cobwebs of sleep.
He spooned an enormous helping of fresh fruit onto her plate. “I carried you. You’d fallen asleep.”
She looked down at her plate, truly ashamed that she hadn’t even been able to stay awake. Looking out the window, she tried not to let her performance the previous night get her down. She’d questioned whether a real reporter would hide out in a barn in order to get a story, but she was absolutely sure that they wouldn’t fall asleep in the barn, or anytime during a stakeout while they were trying to get a story.
“I see,” she said softly, mentally kicking herself for being ten kinds of a fool. “That was very…considerate of you.”
Rocco noticed the almost defeated look on her lovely face and didn’t like it. He wanted her smile back, her energy. Even her anger would be better than this downtrodden expression. “Would you like to tell me why you were out in my barn? If you wanted to attend the party, I would have been delighted to have you accompany me.”
She set her coffee cup down on the saucer, fighting back tears. “That’s very generous of you. But I don’t think that would have accomplished my mission very well.”
Rocco studied the woman sitting across from him, still trying to figure her out. And he was stumped. She simply didn’t fit. She didn’t act like the other women he’d known in the past. She looked sweet and innocent, but there was a vibrating energy deep down inside of her that drew him to her.
But he had to understand her. She was so different, she fascinated him. “What’s going on, Brianna? Why were you outside and why do you think I’m going to be carted away in handcuffs?”