Leah Ashton - The Rebel Returns - The Return of the Rebel / Her Irresistible Protector / Why Resist a Rebel?

“You heard that?”

“I did.” She worked her way over to the island and pulled out a stool. “I told you Charlie would grow on you.”

Jax turned away and busied himself cleaning up the mess. “There. All cleaned up.” He tossed the paper towels in the trash and washed his hands. “I hope you like pasta.”

“Smells delicious to me. What is it?”

“My version of Sicilian pasta.” He broke up some capellini and dunked it in a pot of boiling water. “It’ll be ready shortly if you want to go back to the family room. I can bring it in there.”

“I’m bored with my own company. Mind if I stay and watch?”

He cocked a smile. “Is that your way of saying that I’m interesting? Or am I just the best of the worst?”

She laughed. “Hmm...I’m not going to answer on the grounds that it might incriminate me.”

“I see how you are,” he said teasingly as he moved to the fridge.

She wouldn’t have missed this for anything in the world. As he bent over to retrieve some salad makings, she couldn’t help but take in the way his faded jeans accentuated his backside. There wasn’t an ounce of flab on the guy. Between his good looks and wealth, why was he still single?

“So do you do this often?”

He turned around with a head of iceberg lettuce in one hand and a large tomato in the other. “No. I rarely cook.”

Then an unhappy thought came to mind. “Is that because there’s a woman around to do the cooking for you?”

His gaze caught hers. “And what would you say if I told you that she cooks, cleans and folds my underwear, too?”

The thought that he’d be involved with someone hadn’t even crossed her mind. An uneasy feeling stirred within her. She didn’t know why she’d just assumed he was available. He was sexy and rich. He could have his choice of women.

“Before you go jumping to the wrong conclusion,” Jax said, “you should know that she’s my cleaning lady. She’s old enough to be my mother and she’s happily married.”

Cleo breathed easier. “That’s good because I’m never going to be the other woman. Especially when I know firsthand how much it hurts everyone involved.” Then realizing she’d said too much, heat licked at her cheeks.

She glanced up, catching the slack-jawed look on Jax’s face.

“I would never want you to be the other woman. If you were mine, there wouldn’t be anyone else in my life but you. You’d be all I’d need.”

Her gaze met his. Her heart thump-thumped in her chest. She’d only ever dreamed of someone speaking such endearing words to her.

The kitchen timer buzzed. In a blink the fairy-tale moment ended.

Jax moved around the counter. “I have to take care of the pasta, but don’t go anywhere. We aren’t through with this conversation.”

She watched as he drained the pasta, dribbled some olive oil on it, gave it a toss and put the lid on the pan. She thought of sneaking off while he stirred the sauce, but she was certain that he’d track her down. She might as well get this over with. Her stomach growled its agreement. Her only road to dinner was a detour through her past.

After turning down the heat and giving the sauce one final stir, Jax joined her at the counter. He settled down on the stool and faced her. “Now, what is this about you being hurt by another woman?”

“It’s not worth getting into the details. Let’s just say the moral of the story is I let myself fall for the wrong guy. And now I know better. So let’s have dinner and forget all of this.”

“Not so fast. I want to know the parts you’re skipping over.”

She exhaled an exasperated sigh. She hated to think about how naive she’d been. She’d never be that trusting again because putting your heart on the line was just asking to be hurt—even from those that you’d least expect.

“It was my last year in college and I’d fallen hard for this guy from my public speaking class. He was charming and charismatic. Let’s just say he aced the class without breaking a sweat.”

“And you fell for his charms, not knowing that he had a darker side?”

She nodded. “He was perfect. Good-looking. Talkative. Funny. Or so I thought at the time.”

“What kind of things did he like to talk about?”

She shrugged. “His classes. His future plans. Football. Nothing specific.”

“Did he ever care about what was important to you?”

“Not really.” She stopped, not realizing until that moment that most of their conversations had revolved around him. “When I had news, he’d quickly change the subject back to him. I guess I should have seen the warning signs earlier.”

“It’s not your fault. You tried. He obviously didn’t. So what made you see him as the jerk that he is?”

“We’d been dating for a little more than six months when I didn’t feel well and came back to my dorm room early from a class to find him in bed with my roommate.”

Jax clenched his hands. “If I’d been around, he wouldn’t have gotten away with that.”

She took comfort in hearing the protective tones in Jax’s voice. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t there.”

Jax’s brows rose in a question.

“He wasn’t worth you getting into trouble. Besides, I’ve lived and learned, even if it was the hard way. The important part is I won’t be making those same mistakes again.”

“But you have to know that all men aren’t like him.” Jax’s voice grew deep. “If you were mine, I’d never look at another woman as long as I lived.”

Her gaze met his. Her heart once again went thump-thump. “Seriously? You’d really only have eyes for me?”

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” His thumb stroked her cheek, followed her jawline and rubbed over her bottom lip. His gaze never left hers.

His touch sent her insides quivering with excitement. She was drawn to him like a butterfly to a field of poppies. Not waiting for him to make the first move, she pressed her lips to his thumb. His eyes lit up with excitement. She was enjoying this new side of herself and she didn’t want this moment to end.

The tip of her tongue darted out, stroking the length of his finger. She immediately heard the swift intake of his breath. He wanted her. And she wanted him. There were no strings. No promises. Just the intrigue of finding out where this moment might lead.

Jax pulled away. “I have to get the sauce... It’s getting too hot. It’s bubbling over. I don’t want it to...uh, burn.”

He moved away and Cleo smiled to herself knowing that she’d gotten to him. This thing between them, whatever it was, was not over. Not by a long shot.

Jax kept his attention focused on the food. “You know there are good guys in this world.”

“I know. You’re one of them.”

He shook his head. “I don’t mean me. I’m not right for you. But there’s someone better waiting to find you.”

“I doubt it.” The smiled faded from her face. “Besides, the people that you’re supposed to be able to trust the most are the first ones to let you down when you really need them.”

“We’re not talking about jerk face anymore, are we?”

She shook her head and lowered her gaze to the floor. She couldn’t help but think of her family. They were the ones she always thought she could count on—no matter what.

“I honestly think you should call you mother.”

He was really pushing for a mother-daughter reunion. Buy why? Was he that anxious to get rid of her and he just couldn’t bring himself to say it?

Dread filled her heart. She’d been down this road before. Her instinct was to leave and not look back. She could return to the casino and he could fly back to New York. But as much as she wanted that to happen, some ape man out there was looking for them. For now, they were stuck here together.