The Proposal & Solid Soul - Brenda Jackson [38]
Taking a deep breath she opened the door. “Good morning, Jason.”
“Good morning, Bella. I wanted to let you know I’m leaving to go home and freshen up, but Riley is here.”
“Your brother Riley?” she asked, looking over his shoulder to see the truck parked next to his and the man sitting inside. Riley threw up his hand in a wave, which she returned. She recalled meeting him that night at dinner. Jason was older than Riley by two and a half years.
“Yes, my brother Riley.”
She was confused. “Why is he here?”
“Because I’m going home to freshen up.” He tilted his head and smiled at her. “Are you awake yet?”
“Yes, I’m awake and I know you said you’re going home to change but why does Riley have to be here? It’s not like I need a bodyguard or something. A rock got thrown through my window, Jason. Not a scud missile.”
He merely kept smiling at her while leaning in her doorway. And then he said, “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you look in the morning?”
She stood there and stared at him. Not ready for him to change the subject and definitely not prepared for him to say something so nice about how she looked. She could definitely return the favor and ask, had anyone ever told him how handsome he looked in the morning? However, she was certain a number of women already had.
So she answered him honestly. “No one has ever told me that.”
“Then let me go on record as being your first.”
She drew in a deep breath. He didn’t say “the” first but had said “your” first. He had made it personal and exclusive. She wondered what he would think to know she had drifted off to sleep last night with images of him flittering through her mind. Memories of his mouth on her probably elicited pleasurable sighs from her even while she slept.
“Doesn’t Riley have to go to work today?” she asked, remembering when he’d mentioned that Riley worked for Blue Ridge Management. She’d even seen his name on one of the doors when they’d exited from the elevator on the fortieth floor.
“Yes, but he’ll leave whenever I get back.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “And what about you? Don’t you have horses to breed or train?”
“Your safety is more important to me.”
“Yeah, right.”
He lifted a brow. “You don’t believe me? Even after I spent the entire night in my truck?”
“You were protecting your interest.”
“And that’s definitely you, sweetheart.”
Don’t even go there. Bella figured it was definitely time to end this conversation. If she engaged in chatter with him too much longer he would be convincing her that everything he was saying was true.
“You will have an answer for me in four days, right, Bella?”
“That’s my plan.”
“Good. I’ll be back by the time you’re dressed and we can do breakfast with Dillon and Pam, and then I want to show you what I do for a living.”
Before she could respond he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. “See you in an hour. And wear your riding attire.”
She sucked in a deep breath and watched as he walked off the porch to his truck to drive away. The man was definitely something else. She cast a quick glance to where Riley sat in his own truck sipping a cup of coffee. There was no doubt in her mind Riley had seen his brother kiss her, and she could only imagine what he was thinking.
Deciding the least she could do was invite him in, she called out to him. “You’re welcome to come inside, Riley,” she said, smiling broadly at him.
The smile he returned was just as expansive as he leaned his head slightly out the truck’s window and said, “Thanks, but Jason warned me not to. I’m fine.”
Jason warned him not to? Of course he was just joking, although he looked dead serious.
Instead of questioning him about it, she nodded, closed the door and headed back upstairs. As she entered her bedroom she couldn’t ignore the excitement she felt about riding with Jason and checking out his horse training business.
JASON HAD GRABBED HIS Stetson off the rack and was about to head out the door when his cell phone rang. He pulled it off his belt and saw it was