She was still panting, still exhilarated when he took her on another, slower climb that had her eyes widening with astonishment and then pure delight as they reached the pinnacle together and dove off into yet another whirlwind of sensation more magnificent than anything Jordan had ever experienced before.
He wasn’t sure which was more heady, watching Kelly reach the heights of joy or sharing it with her. Together, they brought him immense gratification.
Eventually, exhausted and satiated, he settled Kelly more tightly against his body, his arms around her waist, her head resting on his chest.
She was certainly full of surprises, this woman he’d married. Once again, he indulged in a moment of smug satisfaction with his decision making. Obviously it was possible to use cool logic when choosing a bride. The passion they’d just shared reinforced his confidence.
Kelly propped herself up on her elbow and stared down at him. Her fingers tangled in the hair on his chest, then skimmed over bare, still damp skin.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“About us,” he replied without hesitation.
She appeared instantly fascinated. “What about us?”
“How well suited we are. In bed and out. It just goes to prove my point.”
A shadow crossed her eyes. “What point would that be?”
“That people should use their brains more often when choosing a mate.”
“As opposed to what?”
He heard the edginess in her tone too late. By the time he met her gaze, her eyes were frosty, the brown glinting with angry amber lights. He tried to back off the quicksand he’d inadvertently wandered onto. “Never mind,” he muttered and tried to distract her with a caress.
She brushed away his hand and sat up, clutching the sheet to her. “I think you’d better tell me, Jordan.”
He saw that he was way too far into this now to escape. “Come on, Kelly, you know what I mean. We both used our heads in deciding to get married. We didn’t have a lot of silly illusions. We made a sensible decision that will benefit both of us.”
“In other words, a successful merger.” Her voice was heavily laced with chilly disdain. She gestured at the rumpled bed. “And this? I suppose this is just one of the perks for the executives?”
Actually, it was, but he was wise enough to keep that particular observation to himself. “Now, Kelly...”
She climbed out of the bed, dragging the sheet with her. He was certain no one had ever exited a marriage bed with more dignity, with more icy contempt.
“Don’t you ‘now, Kelly’ me,” she said, waggling a finger under his nose. “I made love to you tonight, Jordan Adams. I did not seal a damned business deal!”
With that she stalked from the room, the sheet trailing after her like the train of an impromptu bridal gown. Unfortunately, Jordan had the distinct impression that not only the honeymoon, but quite possibly the marriage, as well, was over.
12
Kelly was still steaming at dawn when she heard Jordan coming slowly down the stairs, his steps heavy. She’d been on the front porch most of the night, wrapped in her sheet, rocking in an attempt to calm her fury.
It hadn’t worked. Now, anticipating him joining her on the porch made her blood boil and her palms sweat. She’d wanted another hour or two to get her temper under control and all of her defenses solidly into place. When she faced him again, she had hoped to be cool, calm and collected. She was nowhere near that when he appeared.
Dressed in a pair of faded jeans, unsnapped at the waist, his hair becomingly tousled, his eyes still sleepy, Jordan opened the screen door and stepped outside. Looking at him made her heart climb into her throat. She refused, however, to let the mere sight of him get to her. Loving him so desperately, wanting him, was what had made her suspend judgment and agree to marry him when she’d known better.
Discovering that he still thought of their marriage as some sort of twisted business arrangement within seconds of also discovering that their passion was extraordinary had left her reeling. It confirmed every dire prediction she had made for a future built on such flimsy turf.
Even though he was waiting, she refused to meet his gaze.
“Good morning,” he said eventually, sounding wary.
She remained stubbornly silent.
“Still mad, huh?”
Huddled in the rocker, she refused to utter a word.
Jordan was not a man easily defeated. He walked in front of her so she couldn’t ignore him and hunkered down. He put his hands on her thighs to still the rocker. The touch guaranteed her attention.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I swear that I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She scowled at him. “But you did mean what you said, right?”
He stood and raked his hand through his hair in an impatient gesture. “Yes, no,... Hell, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to lie to you?”
A good white lie might be welcome about now, she thought irrationally, then sighed. “No, I suppose not.”
“Sweet pea, we just need a little time to adjust. This is new to both of us. Once we’re settled in Houston...”
Warning bells went off in Kelly’s head. “‘Settled in Houston’?” she repeated very slowly. Her gaze locked with his. “I am not settling in Houston. We agreed to split our time. Weekends, holidays and vacations here. Weekdays there. That was the deal.”
She made sure there was no mistaking where she put the emphasis. She managed to make the time they would spend in Houston sound like exile in Siberia. Jordan blinked at her adamant tone.
“We did discuss that, but—”
“No buts,” she insisted, cutting off any speculation that there was room for more negotiation. “We agreed.”
“Let’s be reasonable,” he began again.
She wasn’t
