That was what kept him from rolling out of bed at first light and heading to the office as he routinely would have done. He was reluctant to leave this haven they seemed to have found away from their differences.
Propped on an elbow beside her, he watched as Kelly slowly came awake. A soft smile came and went as she blinked, saw him, then closed her eyes again. A pleased, sensual expression remained on her face. He realized it was the first time he’d ever watched her wake up in the morning. She did it slowly, easing into the day in a way he found thoroughly fascinating.
“What time is it?” she murmured eventually, eyes still tightly shut.
“Six-thirty.”
“I should be up.”
“Why?”
“There’s work…” she began, then let the sentence trail off.
“Nope,” he reminded her. “You’re on vacation.”
She sat up, bringing the sheet with her and tucking it around her breasts. Jordan reached over and tugged it down. “Don’t be shy with me,” he said. “Please.”
Though color climbed into her cheeks, she left the sheet where it had fallen, exposing her breasts to the chill air. The nipples puckered and hardened even as he watched. He swallowed hard against the tide of raw desire rolling through him. He couldn’t resist, though, touching a finger to each sensitive peak. He was thrilled by the shudder that instantly swept through her.
“You are amazing,” he whispered hoarsely. “Your body is so responsive.”
“Jordan, don’t you have to go to work?”
He couldn’t tell from the ragged note in her voice if she was anxious for him to go or stay. “Sooner or later,” he murmured.
“Wasn’t that the reason we came to Houston?” she asked.
He was too fascinated with the way the morning sun was casting highlights and shadows on her smooth skin to pay much attention to the note of determination in her voice. “Hmm?”
“I asked if the reason we are in Houston is so that you can go to your office,” she said.
This time it would have been impossible to miss the edge of exasperation in her voice. “Actually, we are in Houston because you made an issue of that damned compromise.”
As soon as he’d snapped out the retort, he realized his mistake. Up went the sheet…and the wall between them. He sighed heavily and climbed out of the suddenly cold bed. This time he didn’t intend to stick around to repair the damage.
“If you want me later, I’ll be at the office,” he said stiffly. He took his clothes into the bathroom. “As you made clear, that is the only reason you agreed to come here.” With that, he slammed the door.
It appeared they were destined to have a far more volatile marriage than he’d ever anticipated, at least if he kept opening his mouth. Every time he did, he managed to put his foot squarely in it.
* * *
Kelly refused to linger in that huge waterbed all by herself, not with Jordan slamming things around in the bathroom and cursing a blue streak. She seemed to be testing his patience, which was just fine with her. Hers had snapped a long time ago.
Downstairs, she snatched up the phone and dialed his office. As she’d anticipated, Ginger was already at her desk.
“Hey, Kelly,” the secretary said at once. “How’s it going?”
Kelly wasn’t about to give her the earful that question deserved. “Fine.”
“If you’re looking for Jordan, he’s not in yet. In fact, I thought he was still over at your place trying to talk you into marrying him.”
“He won that battle,” Kelly said dryly. “We’re into the full-scale war now.”
“Uh-oh,” Ginger murmured. “What can I do?”
“Are you free for lunch?”
“Why, sure. I’m getting sick of eating those little cartons of yogurt at my desk. You want to meet me here at noon?”
“I think we’d better meet at the restaurant.” She named one close to Jordan’s office. It was the same one he had traditionally taken her to when they’d met to catch up on each other’s lives in what now seemed a far simpler time in their relationship. “Is that okay?”
“Sure thing. See you there at noon.”
“Meanwhile, prepare yourself. My husband is in a snit.”
“Well, damn,” Ginger said. “I was hoping marriage to you would mellow him out.”
“Not so far,” Kelly admitted grimly.
She spent the next half hour staying out of Jordan’s path. It wasn’t all that difficult. He appeared to head straight from the bathroom out the front door without so much as a backward glance. It was an interesting route given that the more logical access to the garage was through the kitchen where she was seated drinking her coffee. She was beginning to wonder if perhaps she shouldn’t have had this little meeting with Ginger before the wedding.
She sighed. Too late for second thoughts now. She just needed a refresher course in what made her husband tick. All those tips she’d stored away since childhood needed to be updated to deal with the grown-up idiosyncrasies.
A few hours later, after taking a taxi into town, she was seated in a booth across from the perky, sensible redhead who was Jordan’s right arm at the office. Ginger was scrutinizing her with obvious fascination.
“Okay,” she said finally, “how’d he talk you into it?”
Kelly shrugged. “I wish I knew. One minute I was saying no, no, no, and the next thing I knew I was standing in front of a minister saying I do.”
Ginger nodded. “He has that effect on people. I can’t tell you the deals that seemed on the verge of falling through, only to turn completely around at the last possible second. You’ve known him forever, though. You should be immune to his tactics.”
“He’s never tried these particular tactics on me before.” She chuckled. “And frankly, I doubt he’s used the same ones in business.”
“Ah,” Ginger
