Ice Moon (6 page)

Chapter Nine

Taryn

T
he sun had already set. I waited until everyone went home before pulling out my cell phone. Three days had passed since the kiss. Jared had finally stopped calling, but like the professional he was, the deck was still progressing.

It was time to let him off the hook for the Masquerade. Then we could both put whatever it was that happened the other night behind us.

I hit his number and the buzzer rang out front announcing someone came in the building. “I’ll be right with you,” I called.

Suddenly Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl started playing from the waiting area in the office.

“Taryn?”

I frowned. Jared’s voice was in stereo and the song had stopped. Lowering my phone from my ear, I cleared my throat. “Is that you out there, Jared?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Oh shit
. I pressed end on the call and got up, straightening my blouse. He’d never come to my office before. Why was he here?

I rounded the corner and my pulse quickened. How could I have forgotten how intense his hazel eyes could be, or how tempting his tan muscular arms looked in his worn t-shirt?

“Sorry to come by without an appointment, but I was having a tough time reaching you by phone.” He held up his cell.

I shrugged. “Work has been busy.”

“Glad to hear it has nothing to do with that kiss the other night.”

“No.” Heat crept up my chest. “That was a mistake.”

For a split second it looked like I slapped him. A muscle in his cheek contracted. “Guess that depends on who you ask.”

Why wasn’t he terrified by the burns on his shirt? Didn’t matter. “I was calling you to let you know, I won’t need you to go to the Masquerade with me after all.”

He shoved his cell phone in his pocket, his gaze penetrating my defenses. “Do me a favor first. Let me take you to dinner. You have my word, no matter how bad I might want to, I won’t touch you.”

I blinked, surprised by the tears threatening to blur my vision. “Why?”

“Why what?”

I sighed. “Why spend more time together, when you of all people must understand there’s no future, no chance of a relationship?”

“Because it’s got to be pretty lonely in that tower you lock yourself away in. If I can’t be more, I’d like to be your friend.”

My pulse raced. I shook my head. “I’m sorry. It’s definitely me, not you. I…I can’t.”

He groaned, but it almost sounded like…a growl. “Taryn, you can do this. Sherri is staying late tonight with Charlie, and you need to eat anyway.”

I stared at the ceiling. There was nothing I wanted more than to spend time with him. Not only was he gorgeous with a kiss that lit a fire in me, literally, but he was also kind to my little boy. The memory of Charlie’s smile after helping Jared work on the deck was etched in my mind. I gnawed the inside of my cheek, struggling to raise my emotional barriers, and finally met his eyes.

“It’s a bad idea.”

“Then it’s
my
bad idea.” The corner of his mouth curved, threatening to weaken my resolve.

“Are you oblivious to the danger you would be in?”

He shrugged, that lopsided grin setting off a hundred butterflies in my stomach. “Not oblivious, but also not afraid. You shouldn’t be either.”

“You’re not going to give up, are you?”

He shook his head, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Not a chance.”

“I’m only agreeing to one meal.”

He chuckled. “For now.”

I raised a brow. “Forever.”

He rolled his eyes. “You might enjoy yourself.”

I sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Before he could say anything else, I walked back to my office. Part of me was still in shock. I was going to dinner with a man. This was crazy. I jumped when I turned around. Jared filled my doorway, but his smile was gone.

He took a deep breath and looked my way, his brow furrowed. “Who comes in here?”

Weird question. I hooked my attaché on my shoulder and grabbed my purse. “All my employees and sometimes I have clients in here, why?”

“Nothing. Curious, I guess.”

He did
not
look like it was nothing. I waited for him to head for the front door and followed. After setting the alarm, I locked the glass double doors and started for my Escalade.

“Wait. Can we take my truck?”

“Okay.” I looked over at his full-size Ford pick-up. “Are you sure you don’t want to ride in mine? Your tools would probably be safer here…”

“My tools will be fine, and Tank is with Charlie. I swear it’s clean inside.”

His truck. All right, I could do this. Jared opened the passenger door and I climbed in before he offered to help. He closed the door and came around to get in the driver’s side.

The interior cab smelled like him. Suddenly, I wished I could close my eyes and breathe him in, like keeping your first boyfriend’s shirt so you could put it over your pillowcase and drift off to sleep pretending he was beside you. Or maybe I was the only one who did that.

He drove out of the parking lot carefully, and although the night air was brisk, he kept his window cracked, the cold sting of the wind sending a shiver down my back.

“My jacket is behind the seat if you need it.”

“You could roll up your window.”

He shook his head slowly. “No, I can’t.”

I wanted to be annoyed, but his profile made it clear he wasn’t being a jerk, he was tense. His hands gripped the wheel like a lifeline, and his eyes never left the road. I reached back and grabbed his coat. It was a leather bomber jacket, and wrapping it around me was as close to being in his arms as I would ever get.

He pulled into the local pizza joint. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Jared jumped out and vanished inside before I could question him further. I sat in the cab of his truck, completely confused, and more than a little curious. Rather than second guess my choice to agree to a meal, I opened the glove box. All the usual paperwork, proof of insurance, registration, and a badge with Tank’s picture. I leaned forward for a closer look.

A service dog badge. Why would Jared need a service dog?

He came out with a box and a bag. I quickly closed the glove compartment, feeling guilty for my intrusion.

Jared handed me the pizza. “Sorry, I should’ve consulted you on the order, but I was pretty sure you’d turn me down tonight, and I figured if by some slim chance you said yes, you wouldn’t want all of Lake Tahoe whispering about you dating your contractor.”

I smiled. “You did a lot of thinking.”

“I had a few days while someone was avoiding my calls.”

I laughed before I could stop myself. “I wasn’t avoiding you, I was trying to figure out what to do.”

He shook his head. “I’m not ready to talk about that. Let’s start with pizza first.”

“Smells great.” I peered in the bag. “Garlic bread, too?”

He nodded and turned on the engine. “First we’re going to the cabin.”

My smile faded. “Cabin?”

“Yeah, my family has a big one up here. We all have keys. It’ll be quiet so we can talk, and it’s got a dynamite view of the lake.”

I shifted in my seat, staring out the window. He had to understand now why I didn’t like to be touched. It wasn’t even that I didn’t like it, so much as I didn’t want to hurt anyone. In fact, if I was being honest, kissing Jared had been…hot. To say the least. And being with him only made me yearn for more.

Silence blanketed us for the rest of the drive. He finally pulled into a mammoth multi-level log home on the lakeshore. To call it a cabin was doing it a huge injustice.

“Some cabin.”

He chuckled, turning off the engine. “Maybe, but calling it an estate or something like that sounds pretentious.”

I opened the door and got out, balancing the bag on top of the pizza box. Jared came around and traded me the keys for the food. I unlocked the door, then followed him inside. A massive staircase sat across the entryway, to the right was a den, and on the left was a spacious living area with a vaulted ceiling and an impressive oversized fireplace.

“Inside or outside?”

His voice jarred me from my inspection of the property. “Inside.”

“You got it.”

The industrial-sized kitchen was finished with gleaming stainless steel appliances. “Wow. Your family must do a lot of entertaining.”

He shrugged, placing the food on the counter while he took down a couple of paper plates. “Our family is big and it keeps growing, so if we all want to get together, this place can hold all of us at once.”

I pulled out a piece of pepperoni pizza and a slice of garlic bread. Jared went into the living room and sat on the curved leather sofa. I took a spot a few feet away.

He chuckled. “I’m not going to bite.”

“And I’m not going to take any chances.”

He raised his large hands in mock surrender. “Fair enough.”

The second my teeth sank into the warm, melty cheese, I almost moaned out loud. It had been way too long since I had pizza. “Are you going to tell me why it was so important that we have dinner?”

“Because when you started dodging my calls I realized something.”

I swallowed. “What’s that?”

“You didn’t mean for me to find out about the Pyrokinesis, but my shirt spilled your secret without your consent.”

Good thing I hadn’t taken another bite yet, or I would’ve choked on my food. “Perceptive.” I raised a brow. “And you must have Googled.”

He nodded with a gentle smile. “I did a little research.”

I set my plate on the coffee table, my appetite gone. “Are we here to discuss a fee for you to keep your mouth shut?”

“You have got to be goddamned kidding me.” He tossed his plate on the table, his gaze pinning me to my seat. “You seriously think I brought you here to
blackmail
you? What have I ever done to give you such a lowlife opinion of me?”

Nothing. He’d been professional, polite, and amazing to my son. I cleared my throat and stood up, breaking free of his heavy stare.

“You haven’t
done
anything, but life has taught me people can turn on a dime and I’m always ready to pivot.” I crossed over to the fireplace and sat on the stone bench in front of the empty hearth. “So why are we here exactly?”

“I wanted to level the playing field.” He pulled his hair back from his forehead. “But maybe you don’t give a shit anyway.”

I raised a brow. “Level it how?”

His eyes met mine. “I was going to trust you with a secret, too. Thought that’d make us even and we could start over.”

“Start over?” I sighed and got up. Standing at the French doors, I stared at the smooth lake surface, calming the building heat in my head. “After that kiss, you have to know there is no future which includes me. I’m a ticking bomb.”

He crossed to me, so close I could hear his breathing, but he didn’t try to touch me. “Taryn, look at me.”

I shook my head. If stared into his eyes, I’d cry. He’d seen enough weakness from me already.

His rough finger caressed my jaw, sliding down to my chin and sending tingles through my entire body. Gently, he turned my face until I met his eyes. He whispered, “You aren’t a bomb, and you don’t scare me. We just need to be careful.”

I lost myself in his gaze, and I wanted to surrender to hope. I pressed my lips together, struggling to hold back the tears. “Why do you care?”

His barely there smile warmed me. “You try really hard to hide behind that Ice Queen disguise, but that’s not who I see. I see a girl who had to grow up fast, and a mom who would sacrifice everything for her son. You’re beautiful, Taryn, inside and out, and I want to get to know the woman you keep hidden away.” He lowered his hand and my body ached at the loss. “If you’re willing, I’ll walk through the fire with you.”

A tear escaped down my cheek. My voice wobbled, a raspy whisper. “I don’t think I can control it anymore. If I get riled up, good or bad, things burn.”

He stepped even closer, his lips hovering over mine, his breath cooling my skin. “Then we take it slow. We wait.” His mouth curved into a sexy grin. “The best things are worth waiting for.”

My pulse pounded in my ears, heat smoldering deep in my belly. I’d never been so tempted. “This is a dangerous game.”

He didn’t back away, making me ache to touch him. “Sometimes those are the best kind.” His fingers brushed mine, tentative before taking my hand. “Come and sit with me.”

I wasn’t burning him. Yet. I got up and found a place on the couch again. “If I feel it getting out of hand I’m back on the fireplace.”

“Fair enough.” Jared stared at our joined hands and then met my eyes. “There must be a way to control this. You had Charlie.”

“Yeah, but being with Noah was different.” I shrugged. “I never got hot like I did when I was kissing you.”

“Noah was Charlie’s dad?”

I nodded.

“And you never burned one of his shirts when he kissed you?”

I shook my head.

Jared squeezed my hand with a raised brow and crooked grin. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I laughed, stunned by the sound. Laughing felt better than I remembered.

His rough thumb slid across my knuckles. “Smiles look great on you.”

“Shhh.” I grinned. “You’ll ruin my reputation.”

He tipped his head back and chuckled. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Oh, I hoped that was true. If he told someone about my issue with fire…if anyone discovered Charlie’s scar…

I could lose my son.

I pulled in a slow breath. Just thinking about Charlie being taken from me stoked the flames. Jared let go of my hand. “Talk to me. What’s happening?”

“It’s coming.”

“Did I upset you?”

I shook my head. “No. Yes.”
Breathe.
“Oh, god.”

Jared got up and opened both of the French doors, the cold mountain breeze blew through the room. I shivered, closing my eyes, silently begging the embers to cool. I looked up into Jared’s eyes. No fear, just determination.

I swallowed hard and forced the words from my lips. “You can’t tell anyone about the fire. They’ll take Charlie. I can’t lose him. I won’t.”

He left the doors open and sat beside me again. “Is that what set you off?”