Only by Your Touch

  Chloe moaned and shivered. He caught her at the waist and set her on the counter. She felt his hands making fast work of her blouse buttons, felt the strength rippling in his shoulders, gloried in the tingling heat that poured from him and into her. Ben. He parted her blouse and unfastened the front clasp of her bra. Her breasts spilled forth into his big, warm hands. When his thumbs touched the tips of her nipples, hums of delight shot through her. The ribbons of sensation tangled in her belly, forming a white-hot mass of longing.

  She made fists in his hair, struggling to wrap her lower legs around his thighs, the feminine place at the apex of her own screaming for contact with his hardness. Visions of making love with him swirled through her brain, their bodies entwined, the sheets damp with their sweat, the magic forming a cocoon around them. Nothing existed in that moment but him and the way he made her feel.

  “Sweet Christ,” he whispered, wrenching his mouth away and resting his forehead against hers. She felt him trembling, and by that she knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him. “I can’t,” he shuddered out. “Foul play. I can’t do this.”

  Chloe blinked stupidly. She dragged in a jagged breath as he fumbled to get her breasts back into the flimsy cups of the bra. Every graze of his fingertips ignited her, adding fuel to the fire he’d already started. Why was he stopping? This wasn’t how it usually went. It was the woman who was supposed to have second thoughts.

  “You’re not ready for this, Chloe. You’re not ready, and I’m a jerk.”

  She was ready. She’d never been more ready for anything. Only how could she articulate that when—what was it about his hands that made her whole body feel as if it were melting and humming, all at once?

  He managed to refasten her bra. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, trailing kisses along her cheek. “When I’m touching you, I can’t control myself. I’m sorry. It isn’t fair. I’m sorry.”

  She had no idea what he was talking about, and she made a sound of protest when he drew back to button her blouse. A dozen questions spiked in her mind, but his closed expression told her he wouldn’t provide answers.

  Shaking, she pushed his hands away to finish the buttoning herself. Embarrassment washed her face with searing heat. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “Well, now.” Her voice quivered. “That was—fun.”

  He didn’t want her. The realization hovered in her brain like a black cloud. She’d been all over him, practically begging him for sex, and he’d been the one to stop.

  When her mind cleared, Chloe jumped down from the counter and began gathering the glass shards in the sink.

  “Chloe.”

  He touched her shoulder. She flinched away. “What a mess!” she managed to say with a laugh.

  “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

  And how did he know what she was thinking? Right then, she was seriously questioning her sanity. What, exactly, had come over her? She’d long since vowed never to let another man put his hands on her. Now that her blood had stopped racing and her body was starting to feel halfway normal again, she was appalled by her behavior. They easily could have ended up in bed. What then? If she’d regained her senses right in the middle of it and asked him to stop, he would have been angry, and perhaps rightfully so.

  “It’s fine, Ben,” she said quickly. “Let’s just blame the champagne, shall we?”

  “I’ve hurt your feelings. I never meant—” He broke off and muttered, “Shit. I want you, Chloe. That wasn’t why I stopped.”

  She picked up a large piece of glass and put it in the trash.

  “You shotgunned two glasses of champagne,” he said. “I don’t get women slightly drunk and then seduce them.”

  By now, Chloe wasn’t sure what upset her more, the fact that he’d pulled away, or that she’d been so eager. It wasn’t like her. Of all the things she missed about being married, sex wasn’t one of them. It was humiliating to have lost control like that, humiliating to remember how she had shivered and moaned, wanting more. It had been a very close call, too close for comfort.

  She had the glass cleared away in short order. Taking his cues from her, Ben let the subject drop. “Do you have a flashlight? A lot of it probably went outside.”

  “I have a flashlight, but it can wait until morning. I’ll have plenty of time before work to take care of it.”

  “You don’t happen to have any cardboard, do you?”

  Chloe went to her bedroom, emptied a partially unpacked box in her closet, and took it to him. He cut the cardboard to fit the window opening while she fished through her junk drawer for some tacks and a hammer.

  When the window had been covered to his satisfaction, he poured each of them more champagne. Chloe almost turned it down. Maybe she was tipsier than she realized, and that accounted for her inexplicable reaction to his kiss.

  She reluctantly took the goblet, assuring herself that she had the situation under control now. As long as he didn’t touch her again, she’d be fine.

  “I’ll replace the glass tomorrow while you’re at work,” he assured her. “You’ll need to tell your sitter that I’ll be stopping by.”

  “Don’t be silly.” She took a sip of champagne. “It was an accident. I’ll take care of it.”

  “You know how to replace window glass?”

  “It can’t be very difficult.”

  “Answer enough. I’ll fix it. These old-fashioned things require caulking. There’s a trick to applying it. I’ve done it a few times.” His mouth twitched. “I’m almost as slick at replacing windows as I am at breaking them.”

  Chloe turned the goblet in her hands, staring at the bubbles that rose to the surface. They were both pretending nothing had happened now, and tension filled the air between them.

  “Chloe?”

  He said her name softly, but it brought her head up as if a rifle had just gone off. “What?”

  He held her gaze. “Do I need to apologize for stepping out of line?”

  Chloe seriously considered playing that card. But the truth was, she’d drawn no line.

  “I can’t see why you should.”

  “Good,” he said. “I really hate apologizing when I’m not sorry.”

  It was her cue to smile, only she didn’t feel like it. “Are we going to drink this champagne or just look at it?”

  He lifted his glass. “I know I already did this, but it bears saying twice. Congratulations on the new job and possible business venture. It’s great news.”

  Chloe chinked her glass against his. The bubbles tickled her nose when she took a sip. This time, she wasn’t foolish enough to drain the glass. She was a woman who learned from her mistakes.

  The phone rang. Afraid Jeremy might awaken, she dashed to answer it. “Hello.” No reply. She thought she heard someone breathing. “Hello?”

  “Hmm,” she said as she broke the connection. “A wrong number, I guess.” She started back to the table only to be stopped short by the phone ringing a second time. “My sister Phoebe, I’ll bet. Her cell phone, messing up. It does that sometimes.” She grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”

  “I thought I told you to stay away from him,” a raspy voice said.

  Chloe froze. Bobby Lee? It didn’t sound like him, but, aside from the sheriff, who surely didn’t make prank calls, Bobby Lee was the only man who’d warned her to steer clear of Ben.

  “It’s stupid, going up to his place all the time,” the voice went on. “Even stupider to let him come there. I saw you, letting him paw you. You know what happens to stupid women, Chloe? They get themselves—”

  She broke the connection. It had been Bobby Lee. She felt certain of it. She glanced at the front windows. The dining area curtains were slightly parted. He was out there in the darkness, looking into her house.

  “You okay?”

  Chloe rubbed her arms. She didn’t want to get Ben involved in this. She’d seen the anger in his eyes last night and this morning. If he got it into his head that she needed protection from a county
deputy, he could get himself in big trouble.

  “I’m fine.” She stepped over to adjust the curtains. Her hands were shaking. He’s out there, she thought. “It was just a wrong number.”

  “Are you sure? You’re white as a sheet.”

  “I am?” She touched her cheek. “I probably forgot to put on blusher.”

  She jumped nearly a foot when the phone rang again. Ben started up from his chair. “No, don’t,” she said. “Please, don’t.”

  He sank back down, his gaze sharp on hers. “Who is it?”

  She shook her head.

  “It’s Bobby Lee, isn’t it?”

  Chloe didn’t want to involve him, but she didn’t want to lie to him, either. Her hesitation seemed to be all the answer he needed.

  “That bastard.”

  “Ben, please.” She held up a hand. “I just won’t answer. He’ll stop. It’s not any big deal.”

  He stared at the ringing telephone. When it finally fell silent, he passed a hand over his eyes and said, “Chloe, sit down. You and I need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “About Bobby Lee.”

  She tugged on the curtains again before she sat down. Ben said, “He’s watching the house, isn’t he?”

  She threw him a startled look. “No, I—”

  “Damn it, Chloe, don’t lie to me. You immediately closed the curtains after the second call. He said something. You know he’s out there.”

  She nodded. “Yes. He knows you’re here.”

  “What else?”

  “I hung up. He didn’t get a chance to say much else. Only that I was stupid.”

  Ben sighed and closed his eyes. When he lifted his lashes, he grated out, “He’s hated my guts for years. I have no idea why, only that he despises me.”

  “What has that got to do with me?”

  “He probably thinks we’ve got a thing going. Aside from the fact that you’re very attractive, that’s reason enough for him to make moves on you.”

  Moves? He’d tried to rape her. Chloe wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’m not following.”

  “Neither am I. I’ve never understood it. I only know that he gets off on causing me grief. From the fifth grade on, it was as if we had an unspoken competition to outdo each other, only I wasn’t in on the game. If I got a B plus on a test, Bobby Lee busted his ass to get an A on the next one. In high school, it got even worse. I had one girlfriend. Only one. Her name was Peggy Lee Bradshaw. She wasn’t popular or very pretty, but I liked her, and we started dating. The instant Bobby Lee got wind of it, he was after her like bears for honey. He was a star football player, very popular. The girls waited in line for him to ask them out. Peggy Lee was flattered by the attention. She’d been ignored by boys most of her life, and suddenly the school hunk liked her.”

  “What happened?”

  “She dropped me and started going with him. I tried to tell her he was bad news, but she was floating a foot above the ground. He got her pregnant. Tossed her aside like so much trash. Four months later, her folks sent her away to live with her aunt. I never saw her again. Her parents were born-again Christians, very strict. They still live here in Jack Pine. If Peggy Lee has ever come home for a visit, I’ve never heard about it.”

  “So essentially, he ruined her life.” A week ago, Chloe wouldn’t have believed this story, but after her experience with Bobby Lee last night, she couldn’t discount it. “All because she went out with you.”

  “That’s right. I know it sounds absurd, Chloe, but I’m afraid for you. There’s something—hell, I don’t know—something not quite right with him. You know what I’m saying? You got away from him last night. But what if you hadn’t? And who’s to say he’ll stop there? His calling here like this alarms me.”

  Chloe fleetingly recalled the press of Bobby Lee’s fingers on her arms, and she decided Ben could be right.

  “I’ll be careful, Ben. Thank you for warning me.”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “Damn it. The window. I don’t suppose you’d consider staying the night at my place until I get that fixed. He could cut through the cardboard, and you’d never hear a thing.”

  The thought made Chloe’s body go tense. After the kiss they’d recently shared, she didn’t think staying all night at his place was a good idea. “I’ll take precautions.” She was an expert on precautions, thanks to Roger. “Jeremy’s already in bed. We’ll be fine here for the night.”

  Ben’s jaw muscle started to tic. “I think he’s responsible for all the wounded animals.”

  Chloe fixed him with an appalled stare. “What?”

  “You heard me. I think Bobby Lee is shooting the animals.”

  “He’d have to be mad to do such a thing. If he got caught, it would end his career.”

  “If he’s over the edge, he may not worry about things like that. He’s always been arrogant.” He tapped the table with rigid fingertips. “Chloe, would you promise me something? Don’t take any chances. If he comes into the shop and does anything that alarms you, don’t hesitate to call the police.”

  “I won’t,” she assured him. “Count on it.”

  He glanced at his watch and pushed slowly to his feet. “Are you sure you won’t consider staying at my place?” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “That broken window worries me.”

  Making sure to keep her distance, Chloe walked with him to the door. “We’ll be fine.”

  He put a hand over hers when she reached to turn the doorknob. She knew he meant to kiss her, and she pressed a hand to his chest to hold him off. “Ben,” she whispered. “What you said earlier, about me not being ready? You were absolutely right. I’m not in the market for a relationship. I think—”

  “Don’t think,” he ordered softly as he took her mouth.

  His lips moved against hers like satin. Then he tasted her, delving deep. The heat that ignited between them was searing. Chloe’s legs went weak. She sank against him. He ran his hands lightly over her back, making her skin hum with pleasure. It frightened her to want him so badly, but not so much that she could bring herself to pull away.

  He finally curled his hands over her shoulders to set her away from him, sipping sweetly from her lips as he ended the kiss. “Good night, Chloe,” he whispered.

  Before she could blink to bring things back into focus, he was closing the door behind him. “Precautions!” he called through the door.

  Chloe rested her head against the wood. Precautions. Perhaps, she thought dizzily, she was protecting herself against the wrong man.

  Ben deleted the word walked and replaced it with ambled, then found himself staring stupidly at the computer screen, his mind on Chloe and Jeremy instead of his work. He sighed and rocked back in his chair, rubbing the grit from his eyes. He kept forgetting the storyline and the names of his characters, his head filling with images of a knife slicing through cardboard.

  He turned to stare at the phone. It was three in the morning. He shouldn’t call and wake her. But, damn it, he was worried. What if Bobby Lee broke into the house? Chloe prided herself on those self-defense moves she knew, but he didn’t put much stock in them. A woman her size was no match for a man like Bobby Lee Schuck, who wouldn’t pull his punches or give a rat’s ass if her child got in the way.

  Unable to stand it a moment longer, Ben picked up the phone. He knew her number by heart. He’d looked it up a dozen times since he’d left her house. He dialed, cringing at the first ring. He could almost see her jerking awake, confused and disoriented.

  “Hello?” she said, cutting into his thoughts, her voice clear and alert.

  “It’s me.”

  “Ben?” There was a smile in her voice. “I thought—well, never mind that. Why are you calling at this hour? Is everything okay?”

  “It is now. I’ve been worried about you. Sorry for ringing so late. I hope I didn’t wake Jeremy.”

  “No. He’s sound asleep.” A rustling sound came over the line. He pictured her sitting up
in bed. “I wish I could say the same. I have the wide-awakes.”

  “Any more calls?”

  “No. Not until now.”

  “Sorry. I know it’s crazy, calling you at three in the morning.”

  “You shouldn’t worry, Ben. We’re perfectly fine. I brought the phone into Jeremy’s room. The door is locked, and for extra measure, I put his toy box in front of it. I’m also armed.”

  “With what?”

  “His ball bat.”

  Ben smiled and relaxed. He should have known she would be okay. Bobby Lee would get a hell of a surprise if he opened that bedroom door.

  “We’re fine. I’ve got my cell phone in here, too. You know all those shows where the intruder cuts the wires? Got it covered.”

  He chuckled. “I guess I’ll get back to work, then.”

  “You’re working?”

  “Mmm.”

  “Mmm,” she echoed. “I won’t even ask. This and that, right?”

  He was grinning when she broke the connection.

  The following morning flew by. After caring for the animals at Ben’s, Chloe raced home to clean up the glass outside, do a few chores around the house, and get ready for work. She chose a light blue summer suit to wear her first day at the Christmas Village. In honor of the occasion, she even used a curling iron on her hair, hoping to tame the flyaway tendrils. The result was just fatter curls, going every which way.

  By the time she parked her car behind the Christmas Village, her skin had gone clammy with tension. A quick check in her visor mirror told her she looked okay. Not good, but okay. She climbed from the vehicle, locked the doors, and took several calming breaths, telling herself that she was placing far too much importance on this job. Yesterday at this time, she hadn’t even met Hattie Perkins.

  With that thought to bolster her, Chloe entered the shop. Hattie waved to her from the dollhouse section. “There’s an apron under the counter. Lose the jacket. You’ll roast.”