Hot Westmoreland Nights - Brenda Jackson [41]
Trying to take her mind off his ultra-fine body, she stared back at him, wondering what his problem was. She had left everything in perfect order before she’d headed into town for the weekend. She had even washed and dried her bed linens, although he’d mentioned he had a housekeeper who came every Saturday morning to clean and do laundry. And why was he staring at her legs like he’d never seen a pair of legs before? Her skirt was short, but it wasn’t that short. She’d worn some shorter. If he was about to tell her there was something wrong with her outfit, that it wasn’t appropriate to wear on his ranch, then she would let him have it.
Deciding to just get this over with and give just as good as she got, she lifted her chin, glared back at him and asked, “Ramsey, is there a problem?”
Ramsey’s gut clenched and his jaw tightened. Her legs were long and shapely. They were the kind that looked perfect in a short dress from the top of her thighs all the way down to her ankles.
“Ramsey, I asked was there a problem?” she asked testily.
His gaze moved from her legs to her face. “You’re late.”
What on earth did he mean by that? Chloe wondered as a confused frown covered her face. She must have heard him wrong. “Excuse me?”
“I said you’re late. Your note said you would be returning Sunday evening and it’s almost eleven.”
She dropped her overnight bag by her feet. “And what of it? I’m not on a time clock. In fact, I am not even working for you today. As long as I’m here to prepare breakfast in the morning what business is it of yours?”
Ramsey stiffened. She had asked a good question. What business was it of his? He then said the first thing that came to his mind. “This is my house.”
She seemed taken aback by that response. “Are you standing here telling me that I have a curfew?”
Was that what he was saying? He shook his head. “No, you don’t have a curfew, but since you left a note saying you would be returning in the evening, at least you could have had the decency to call.”
Her gaze locked on his face. Decency? Blood rushed through her veins as anger consumed her. He had the gall to utter such a word? She crossed the room to him. “Let’s talk about decency, Ramsey. If you would have had the decency to be here when I left instead of avoiding me like I have the pox, I would not have had to leave that note.”
Ramsey was taken aback by Chloe’s anger. As far as he was concerned she didn’t have a damn thing to be angry about. She hadn’t been the one who’d endured sleepless nights knowing she was just down the hall from him when the need to bury himself deep inside her had nearly driven him insane. Hell, if only she knew that the reason he’d deliberately made himself scarce most of last week was because anytime he saw her he got an automatic erection that wouldn’t go down.
Furthermore, he was sick and tired of finding places to go in the afternoons just so he wouldn’t be tempted to make one of those erotic dreams he’d had over the past week come true. Tired of unexplainable emotions, escalated hormones and a frantic urge to make love to her until neither of them had an ounce of energy left.
He took a step closer as his anger level moved up another notch. “You don’t get it do you?” he asked in a voice that was rough, close to the edge. “I stayed away to do us both a favor, Chloe. Had I been here you would never have walked out that door.”
The hard, cold reality was that he was a lit piece of dynamite ready to explode, preferably inside her. Point blank, he wanted her in a way he’d never wanted any woman and with a need that was pushing him over the edge and he was determined to take her right