Marriage On Demand

“Up there?” She swallowed.

“Only if you want to get dry.”

“Oh. Sure. Thanks.”

He lived up there. Alone. Except for the occasional female visitor. Like the redhead.

It wasn’t that Rebecca went out of her way to learn things about Austin. She might have a crush on him, but she wasn’t completely nuts. Still, people talked, especially about him. No matter how much she tried to slip away or tell herself not to listen, she always heard things, and remembered them.

She gripped the metal railing and started to climb. She could feel the moisture rolling off her and dripping on the stairs. Her footsteps sounded uneven, the clunk of her shoe, the silence of her bare foot.

He was right behind her. She could feel his gaze on her back, heating her. Was he staring at her the way she’d stared at him? Foolish to think he might. He probably barely realized she was female.

At the top of the stairs, she stepped onto a hardwood floor. Her first impression was of space, light and warmth. The living quarters covered the entire loft of the barn. There were no separate rooms; areas flowed into each other.

Eight-foot-high windows added to the feeling of openness in the cavernous room. Two overstuffed couches cordoned off an area to form a living room. Entertainment equipment provided a divider between that room and the kitchen. A king-size bed with—she gulped—a black satin comforter lined up against the opposite wall.

She stared at it, stunned, then grinned. Now she had a new element to add to her fantasies. Black satin. Who would have guessed?

The only walled room was at the far end of the loft. Through the open door she saw the sink and tub of the bathroom. The temperature in the loft was pleasant after the chill of the rain.

A brilliant flash of light cut through the late afternoon. On its heels, thunder boomed, shaking the building. Rebecca jumped and grabbed for the railing. Instead of cold metal, her fingers encountered warm skin.

Before she could pull back, he caught her hand in his. “Are you afraid of the storm?” he asked, his voice quiet after the thunder.

She started shaking. It had very little to do with her body temperature and her damp clothes, and everything to do with his closeness. “A little,” she murmured.

Their gazes locked. Gray irises darkened like the coming of night. He gave away nothing, no emotions, no thoughts. It was like staring into the storm itself and only being able to imagine the destruction. His fingers slipped between hers and he tugged her closer to him. Her bare foot rested against the edge of his cowboy boots.

“Don’t be afraid.” He reached up. With his free hand he brushed the moisture from one cheek.

The tender gesture, so incongruous when compared to his reputation, made her want to snuggle against him.

“I have a lightning rod on the other side of the house. We’re perfectly safe.”

She blinked. So much for a romantic moment. “Gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Stay right there, and I’ll go get some towels.”

“Towels?” she echoed.

He was already walking toward a large armoire on the far side of the bed.

“To dry off. You’ll probably want to get out of those wet things. I’ll call for a tow truck, but it may take a while.”

“You want me to take off my clothes?”

He opened the armoire and pulled out an armful of fluffy towels. “You are dripping on my floor.”

She glanced down, but the puddle beneath her made little sense. Naked. She was going to be naked in Austin Lucas’s house. Her. Little Miss Ordinary was going to spend the afternoon naked with the devil. She didn’t know whether to laugh out loud or run for the door.

“Rebecca?”

She stared at him, trying to focus. “Yes?”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t fall and hit your head or anything, did you?”

No, I’m just naturally stupid around you, she thought, knowing she could never admit that aloud. “I’m a little tired,” she said, then realized it was the truth. This had been the longest and worst week of her life.

He moved from the armoire to a closet concealed in the wall. With a push of his hand, a hidden door swung open. He reached inside and pulled out a white terry-cloth robe, then started walking toward her.

She held her breath. When he was standing in front of her, he handed her everything. She glanced at the robe. It looked new. As if to confirm her guess, he reached for a sleeve and pulled off a tag dangling from one end.

“A gift from a friend,” he said by way of explanation.

A woman friend, who else? She found it hard to believe a guy would give another guy a bathrobe. No, some foolish female had bought this for Austin expecting him to wear it and think of her.

“The bathroom is through there,” he said, pointing to the half-open door at the end of the loft. “You look cold. Maybe you should take a hot shower to warm up.”

Maybe you could kiss me and warm me up.

Rebecca felt her eyes widen in panic. Oh, please, God, let me not have spoken that thought aloud. She held her breath and waited.

Austin’s eyes gave nothing away, and the expression on his face didn’t change at all. Slowly she let her breath out. She’d only thought it. Danger. The man was pure danger.

“Thanks for everything,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be such a bother.”

His gaze flickered over her face. “No problem. While you’re taking a shower, I’ll call for a tow. Then you can tell me what brought you out here in the first place.”

She nodded and continued to stare at his face. She wanted to see him smile again, but she couldn’t think of anything funny to say.

She felt a little push on her back, as if he was urging her to get on her way. She took one step, then another, heading for the bathroom. This was really happening to her. She was actually in his house. Austin’s house. No one would believe this. Of course she wasn’t going to tell anyone. Okay, maybe Travis and Elizabeth. She sighed and hugged the towels close to her chest. Maybe not even them. It was all too wonderful, too precious. A dream come true.

As she reached the bathroom door, her memory kicked in. Austin had said he didn’t know why she’d come by. In her stupor, she’d forgotten to tell him the reason for her visit. She shook her head.

“I can’t believe I didn’t tell you why I stopped by,” she said, turning back toward the center of the room. “I’m sure you heard that—”

She stopped in midsentence and stared. Austin stood beside the large bed. He’d already stripped off his shirt and was in the process of unbuttoning his wet jeans. As she looked at him, his hands slowed. His chest was bare, gleaming in the dim afternoon light. Her gaze followed the sprinkling of hair on his chest as it arrowed down to the open waistband of his worn jeans. From where she was standing, it didn’t look as if he was wearing anything underneath them.

She swallowed hard and tried to speak. Nothing. She urged herself to turn and keep walking toward the bathroom, but her feet wouldn’t budge. It would have taken an act of God to move her, and everyone knew Austin Lucas was only the devil.

Chapter 2 (#ulink_0a69401b-7c92-5b95-8ae5-b2f3e6495925)

Rebecca looked as stunned as a doe caught in headlights and as wet as a drowned rat. Her long dark hair hung in wet curls, draping over her shoulders and dripping onto the floor. She opened her mouth to speak. No sound came out. She tried again, made a squeaking noise, then fled into the bathroom. The door slammed shut behind her.

Austin chuckled. He finished stripping off his wet jeans and tossed them onto the floor. He reached into the closet and pulled out another pair. He’d barely stepped into the first leg when he heard a loud shriek from the bathroom. After dropping his jeans, he sprinted to the door and knocked.

“Rebecca? What happened?”