Bedded for His Pleasure: Bedded by a Bad Boy / In the Gardener's Bed / The Return of the Rebel

The cavalier way he had treated Linc proved to her that she didn’t really know him at all. It seemed she had come to care about a man, desire a man, who was a complete stranger. And that frightened her.

Jessie’s unhappiness increased as the party bags were handed out and Emmy’s presents were opened. The little girl was thrilled with the mechanic’s kit Monroe had given her, but threw a small fit when her mother told her she’d have to wait to thank her uncle. Emmy’s reaction made Jessie’s anger towards Monroe grow. Why had he skulked off like that, without even a thought for Emmy? After spending so long picking out her present yesterday, why hadn’t he at least stayed to see it opened? It showed a careless, callous disregard for the little girl’s feelings that couldn’t be excused.

Finally the last of Emmy’s friends and their parents had left the house.

Jessie gritted her teeth and set about tidying up the mess from the party while the rest of the household packed for their trip to New York. By the time she’d finished an hour later, the room was spotless and she’d managed to work up a pretty good head of steam. Monroe had not appeared to apologise.

Jessie helped load up Linc and Ali’s people carrier. She mentioned to Ali again that someone should go and talk to Monroe, but Ali simply shook her head as she climbed into the car.

‘Let it go, Jess. Don’t worry about him.’

It had been on the tip of Jessie’s tongue to say she wasn’t worried, not about Monroe anyway. But she stopped herself. Ali looked tired, Linc was clearly subdued and they needed to get on their way if they were going to get into the city before midnight.

The minute the car was out of sight, Jessie closed the property’s gates and scowled at the garage apartment.

If Ali and Linc were worried about hurting Monroe’s feelings—she snorted; as if the man had any feelings—she certainly wasn’t. She stalked across the lawn, righteous indignation wrapped around her like a cloak.

She could hear the music blaring from his apartment as she crossed the lawn. Rock music was howling at a decibel level that could make your ears bleed, masking the sound of the cool sea breeze rustling the flowers and tall grass.

It was just another sign of his thoughtlessness. There was no point in knocking, so she marched on in, sailing through on a wave of anger. She shouted his name at the top of her lungs.

And then shouted it two more times before the music shut off.

Her eardrums were still throbbing in time to the rebel chant when Monroe strolled into the room. His chest and feet were bare, his T-shirt hooked through the belt loop of his jeans. Flecks of paint stood out against the dark hair that curled lightly across his chest. The easy grin she had come to expect was gone. His face was hard, his eyes flat and expressionless. He looked savage and intimidating.

‘How long have you been here?’

‘Long enough.’ Jessie clung onto her anger, ignoring the weakness she felt at the sight of him. ‘Linc and Ali and Emmy have left, by the way. Just in case you’re interested.’

He gave her a dismissive nod. ‘If there’s nothing else, I’m busy here. I don’t have time to chit-chat.’

Jessie sucked in a breath. How dare he talk to her like that?

‘You don’t say.’ She marched up to him, stabbed a finger into his chest. ‘You should have come and said goodbye. You should have apologised to Linc. You hurt him.’

Something flashed into his eyes at the mention of his brother’s name. But then his face went hard again. He grabbed onto her finger, held it away from him, but his voice remained calm. ‘You don’t want to be around me right now. I’m not feeling civilised.’

She heard the menace in his words and pulled her finger free. She didn’t know this man at all. He looked dangerous. He was breathing heavily as if he’d been running, the firm bronzed skin of his chest glistened with sweat, but his eyes were so remote it was frightening.

She took a step back. ‘What happened by the pool? Why was it so hard for you to take the gift?’

Suddenly, she wanted desperately to know, to understand. Where was the man she’d come to care for?

‘Just because we’ve shared a few hot kisses…’ he gave her a slow, deliberate once-over ‘…just because I’d like to see you naked, doesn’t mean you’re my shrink.’

He was trying to upset her. With a flash of insight she saw that he wanted her to run. ‘Why are you being deliberately cruel? It’s not like you.’

‘You don’t know what I’m like.’

Something swirled into his eyes as he turned away. Unhappiness? Pain? Was he hurting, too?

‘Monroe, what is it?’ She walked up behind him. He stood in front of the window, the muscles of his back and shoulders rigid.

‘I’m warning you, Jessie. You need to get out of here.’

He didn’t look round. She studied the thin white scars that marred the smooth, bronzed skin. Reaching up, she hesitated a moment and then stroked her fingers down his spine.

He shot round. ‘Don’t touch me.’

She could see his eyes clearly now. Desperation and confusion burned in the blue depths.

‘Tell me. What is it? Why was it so hard for you to take Linc’s present?’

‘I didn’t know how.’ He shouted the words, fisted his hands in frustration and thrust them into his pockets. ‘I’ve never been given a birthday gift before in my whole damn life.’

CHAPTER TEN

ANGER at himself churned like molten lava in Monroe’s gut. Anger and a desire that he was struggling real hard to ignore.

He’d been raw, ragged with emotions he’d never felt before ever since Linc had handed him the birthday gift two hours ago. And guilt was right slam-bang at the top of the list.

He’d played them all, like an orchestra. He’d done a few odd jobs, befriended the little girl and managed to con them all into thinking he was a good guy—Emmy, Linc, Ali and most of all, Jessie.

Since he’d got out of prison, Monroe’s life had been nomadic. It was the way he liked it. Women had come and gone, friendships had been shallow and fleeting. He didn’t want it to be any different.

But when Linc had held the present out to him, the sparkly wrapping paper glinting in the sunshine, all those foolish old feelings of wanting to have a place to belong had come flooding back. He’d realised in a rush that they’d all accepted him into their home, into their hearts. The yearning that had gripped him at the thought, the desperate need to be accepted, had stunned him. But worse had been the knowledge that he could never have a place here.

Because he wasn’t a good guy, not really.

He was a user. He used people and moved on. That way he didn’t have to be bothered by anyone but himself.

He’d taken Linc’s gift in a daze of confusion and pain. He’d stormed back to the apartment, turned up the stereo to blast level and painted like a madman. But the storm of emotions had continued to churn inside him. And when Jessie had shown up, the only thing he could think was he had to make her run before he took something he could never give back.

She was beautiful, fresh, impulsive and honest. No wonder he wanted her so badly; she was all the things he wasn’t.

Looking down at her, seeing the concern in her eyes as she absorbed what he’d said about the present, he wanted to take her so badly, claim her so badly, it hurt.

‘Why did you never have a birthday gift before?’ she asked gently.

He could hear the compassion and it crucified him. He shrugged. ‘I don’t live like that. All neat and pretty.’

He turned, stared blankly out the window at the gathering dusk, the darkening red of sunset mirroring his own shadowed thoughts. He couldn’t look at her and tell her the truth. ‘I do what I want, when I want. I don’t have a family. I don’t need one. Nobody’s going to tie me down. That’s the way I like it.’

Jessie could hear the defiance, the desperation in his words. She had been right, was all she could think. He was lonely and he was scared.

No wonder he hadn’t been able to take Linc’s present. It had meant something to him he didn’t understand. It meant love and trust and affection. All things he’d spent most of his life without. He was always so sure of himself, so cocky. But beneath that was a good, caring man who needed things that he seemed determined to deny himself.

Jessie had a huge well of love inside her that she wanted to give to someone. And here was a man who needed it. She wouldn’t ask herself why Monroe denied love, denied family. It was enough for now to know he needed her and she needed him.