“Bullshit,” Jason snapped. “What the hell were we doing all summer if we can’t so much as give the other person a chance to explain?”
“Fine. Explain,” Leah said, crossing her arms over her chest.
His eyes were dark and angry. “Would it make a bit of difference? Would you even believe me?”
Leah squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t un-see her, Jason. I can’t stop reliving that moment when I knocked on your door and she opened wearing your shirt—a shirt I’d bought you—and no pants. Of course I didn’t stick around. You told me from the very beginning that you weren’t looking to settle down.”
“Which you were fine with,” he growled softly. “You were just fine with the way I could make you come within five seconds of touching you. You didn’t mind when I pulled you into the bedroom or the kitchen or wherever the hell we felt like it and kissed every inch of your body. You didn’t complain when—”
“Stop,” she whispered, putting a hand over his mouth before she could think better of touching him. She yanked her hand back as though she’d been burned.
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “If you tell me you don’t remember it like I remember it, I’ll walk away,” he said quietly. “I’ll go into my room, close the door, and I’ll never mention it again.”
Leah opened her mouth to tell him exactly that—to say or do anything to stop this low burn of hunger for him that refused to cool.
No words came out, and Jason pressed forward, his hand finding her waist before his fingers slid forward to curve possessively over her hip.
“You remember it,” he said, pressing his lips to her ear.
Torture. Having him this close was pure and utter torture.
Somehow, through the haze of her want, Leah heard the sound of approaching laughter coming from the main reception area. Any minute now they’d have an audience, and—
Jason acted for her.
Pulling his key out of his pocket, he slid it into the lock of his room, pushing the door open before pulling her inside and away from prying eyes.
Leah tensed, prepared for him to make a move before she’d properly pep-talked herself on all the reasons they should keep their hands to themselves.
But Jason merely tossed his key on the small table by the door, put his hands on his waist, and turned to face her.
Waiting.
“I need to get to bed,” she whispered.
“So you’ve said.”
“I can’t—I don’t want to do this with you again, Jason. One summer fling is fine, but two is—”
He lifted dark eyebrows. “Two is what?”
Suicide. Ruination. Disaster.
Leah swallowed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her hand reached behind her, fumbling for the doorknob. He didn’t try to stop her. Didn’t move or say a single word as she yanked the door open and all but fell into the hall.
As she shoved her own key into the lock of her room, she half expected him to come after her. To use his mouth to remind her of all the reasons she should have stayed.
But he didn’t.
Jason’s door stayed resolutely closed even as Leah opened and shut her own, retreating into the safety of two locked doors between them.
She rested her forehead against the doorframe, just for a moment. It was better this way. Safer. It wasn’t that Leah shunned casual sex—she liked it. Especially when it was as good as it was with Jason Rhodes.
But she’d learned the hard way that with this man, there was nothing casual about it.
Her heart had gotten tangled in it, and what had started as a dangerous knot had turned into a noose that had nearly strangled her.
It had taken a year to get over him.
A smart woman wouldn’t sign herself up for more heartache with a man who seemed determined to bed half the city.
Hell, for that matter, Leah wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if her rejection had rolled right off him, leaving him free to peruse the Hamptons night scene and find some hot young thing who wouldn’t expect a darn thing of him in the morning.
The thought of Jason touching anyone else put a sour taste in her mouth, and she slapped her palm against the door lightly in frustration before dropping her purse on the small desk.
Leah stormed into the bathroom to brush her teeth, determined to clear her mind of all things tall, dark, and handsome so that she could get some much-needed sleep.
Leah brushed and spat with more vigor than usual.
Tomorrow she would wake up and be glad she hadn’t reached for Jason. She’d be glad he hadn’t kissed her, or that they hadn’t—
There was a knock at the connecting door just as she was reaching for one of her makeup-remover pads.
Leah’s heart pounded as she went to the door and opened it before she could think, finding one very angry, aroused man waiting on the other side, both palms braced on the doorjamb as he leaned in, glowering down at her.
“What?” she whispered.
In response, Jason hooked a hand around the back of her neck, jerking her face up to his even as he used his broad body to back her into the bedroom.
“This is what,” he said as he kicked the door closed.
He spun her around so that her back hit the door with a gentle thump, a half second before his mouth closed over hers.