She was vulnerable. She needed me then.
Turning the doorknob as he acknowledged that it might be him who ended up hurting over his obsession with Mara, he was pissed all over again to find the door unlocked.
I’ll make her need me just like I need her.
“Mara,” he called irritably.
“In here.” The feminine voice was coming from the kitchen off to his left.
“The door was unlocked,” he informed her, his tone annoyed as he walked into the kitchen.
“I’ve lived in Amesport all my life, and I never lock my doors except at night. The Peninsula is private. Nobody will come here except family.”
Jared opened his mouth to tell her any tourist or transient could wander onto the property. Or a nosy, gossip-seeking reporter could find her if they were trying to probe into his personal life. Just her association with him made her a target for almost any crazy, and it was something he had to make her understand. But he halted near the entrance and became suddenly mute, fascinated as he watched her moving from one place to another gracefully, even though her ankle was injured. Her face was flushed from the warmth of the kitchen, but she flowed from one place to the other with a confidence that made every other thought fly out of his brain. All he wanted to do was watch her.
She’s so damn beautiful.
All it took was for her to look up and smile at him for his cock to stand up and greet her with rampant enthusiasm. His heart began to race with some kind of deeply buried longing that he’d never experienced before.
Jesus. I’m so damn screwed.
“What are you doing?” he asked hoarsely, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He leaned a shoulder against the door frame, trying to look more casual than he felt.
“Cooking,” she replied happily. “Lobster stew, corn bread, and blueberry cobbler. I realized that Sarah stocked more than just clothes. She also filled the fridge, the freezer, and the cupboards with food.”
Jared shrugged. “She owes it to you. You are filling in for her wedding.”
Mara scowled at him. “I’m doing her and Kristin a favor. Sarah doesn’t owe me, and I feel guilty because I know it cost a lot of money for what she bought.”
Jared smirked. “I can personally assure you that her husband-to-be is beyond loaded.”
“You’re awfully nonchalant about Sarah doing all this,” she said suspiciously. “Did you pay her?”
“Unfortunately, no, I didn’t,” he answered in a disgruntled voice. “I tried, but she wouldn’t take it. She wanted to do this with Emily and Randi as a gift to you. Something about passing on something that had been done for her, and she likes you. Believe me, if I would have arranged this, your clothes would have been in my house. Why did you move?” He wasn’t going to mention the fact that he’d offered the money for Mara’s clothing to Dante, too, and his brother had adamantly refused it. Sarah was using her credit card, but Dante had laughingly told Jared that he’d pay it off the minute she finished buying for Mara and never miss a penny of the money. Dante might be obscenely wealthy, and it shouldn’t bother him that his brother wanted to help Mara, but it still annoyed him. Jared had only closed his mouth on the subject when Dante asked him why it mattered. Jared hadn’t had an answer.
“This is where I’m supposed to be. It’s what we agreed on. I’ll be out of your way.”
I want you to be in my way, and I want to be inside you. You’re supposed to be in my bed.
It didn’t matter what he’d said before, he wanted her with him. “It wasn’t inconvenient for me,” he said, trying not to sound desperate.
“That doesn’t matter,” she chastised him, looking back at her pot on the stove and giving it a stir.
It did matter, but at least she was right next door. “Smells good.” The scents in the kitchen were beyond good; they were tantalizing, and making his mouth water. “I didn’t know there was a lobster stew.”
“You’ll love it,” she answered without looking at him.
“I’m invited for dinner then?” Jared’s mouth started to turn up in a smile.
“You’re always invited. Now that I can get around, I’ll cook for both of us.”
Good. Then he’d pretty much be living here instead of his larger home. He wasn’t happy with her not being with him, but if he could keep her right next door with an open invitation, he’d take advantage of it. Every. Single. Day. “I saw you on the beach with Evan. Do you really think you should be walking around already?” Do you really like my brother? He left that question unsaid, but damned if he didn’t want to ask her what she thought of Evan, or if she was attracted to him.