Before by Nicola Marsh Read Free Book Online

and traveled upward in a slow, leisurely perusal that made my skin prickle all over. “I just meant I’m surprised to see you out here when I thought I’d next see you at dusk this evening down by my shack.”
    I blushed, heat scorching my cheeks at the memory of what I’d seen last night.
    He laughed. “So what’re you going to dare me to do today?”
    “Last night wasn’t a dare,” I said, sounding like a sulky kid. “You’re just an exhibitionist.”
    His naughty grin alerted me to the fact he’d always win in any war of words we had. “When I had such a captive audience, do you blame me?”
    “And you’re a show off.”
    “You seemed to appreciate what I had to show off.”
    He had me there. The way I’d stared at him? Like I hadn’t seen an erection before. Which I hadn’t. But he didn’t need to know that.
    “Can we just forget about it?”
    He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. Can you?”
    “Ego, much?”
    Then again, with the size of what I’d seen, he had every right to be proud.
    “Tell you what I’ll do.” He plucked a bunch of parsley and added it to the thyme in his other hand. “I won’t mention it again if you stop looking at me like that.”
    “Like what?”
    He crossed the small herb garden to stand close. Way too close, as he leaned in to murmur in my ear. “Like you want to do more than look.”
    His warm breath fanned my cheek and I sighed, my body alternating between tingling and flushing. I liked having him this close to me, liked the way he made me feel. Jack made me feel like I could do anything and not be sorry.
    Then he chuckled and broke the intimacy surrounding us. Of course he was teasing, trying to get me flustered. Screw him.
    I stepped away and mustered my best haughty glare. “You wish.”
    “You have no idea what I wish for, sweet thing, and if you did–” he touched my arm, the barest brush of a fingertip, and I almost moaned, “–you wouldn’t be standing there all prim and proper like butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth.”
    I shouldn’t encourage him, I really shouldn’t. But this word play thing we had going on? Like nothing I’d ever done before with a guy. It was a serious turn on.
    “What would I be doing?”
    His fingertips trailed up my arm in a slow, deliberate caress that made me shiver with longing. “You’d be naked.” He toyed with my bra strap, slipping a finger underneath to snap it. “In my bed.” He skimmed my collarbone, precariously close to my breast, and I couldn’t breathe. “Begging for more.”
    With that, he headed back into the kitchen, leaving me hot and shaking and yearning.

 
     
     

Chapter Ten
     
    JACK
     
     
    I’d managed to avoid Jess for five days.
    And it looked like the feeling was entirely mutual.
    She hadn’t ventured near my shack again and whenever she was around the homestead I made sure I had urgent kitchen duties.
    I couldn’t be alone with her.
    We’d spoken a grand total of three times: during introductions, at my shack when she’d seen me naked and in the herb garden. Each and every time I’d wanted to make the uptight princess lose control.
    What was it about her air of untouchability that made me want to touch her real bad?
    That wouldn’t be such a great idea so I’d been a chicken-shit and avoided her instead. The crazy part? Even though we’d only sparred twice, I actually missed it.
    I liked that she had a wicked tongue beneath that cool exterior. I’d love to discover exactly how wicked her tongue could be.
    “Am I disturbing you?” Reid stepped onto the back verandah, looking every inch a smooth politician in his beige chinos, blue button down shirt and spotless brown boots. It was like the Yank had searched ‘classic outback gear’ on the Net and bought an outfit to suit the occasion.
    He wasn’t a bad bloke and we’d made small talk a few times, but being near a guy so put together made me feel like a failure.
    “No, I’m taking a breather,” I said, jerking a