Murder in the Smokies - By Paula Graves Page 0,46

tried to keep her answer cool and composed, but it was nearly impossible to maintain her cool when Sutton was tracing fire across her skin with his touch.

“I like the way your skin flushes when I touch you.” His voice was little more than a whisper. “It lets me know I’m not the only one feeling things between us.”

“Sutton, what are we doing here?” She tried to walk away from his touch, but her legs refused to cooperate.

His brows notched upward. “Flirting, I thought.”

“But what do you want from me?” So much for keeping her cool. Desperation painted every word that spilled from her lips.

He laughed. “You want me to describe it in detail?”

She did. She wanted him to paint word pictures of everything he wanted to do to her and wanted her to do to him. Then she wanted to go inside her house and play out the images in her head for real, leaving out nothing, not a touch, not a taste, not a stroke.

But giving up that last vestige of control to Sutton would be a grave mistake. She’d given him her heart years ago. Her soul was probably his, too. All she had left that belonged to her was her body, and if she gave Sutton control over that part of her as well, she wasn’t sure she’d survive it this time when he left.

And he would leave. He had leaving etched on every inch of his body. Sooner or later, he’d dust off the Tennessee clay and head back to wherever he called home today.

And she’d be all alone here in Bitterwood, just as before, with twice as many grievous wounds.

She made herself step out of his reach. “I have plans tonight.”

“Dinner plans?” His eyes narrowed slightly, as if it occurred to him for the first time that she might have a romantic life of her own. She supposed she could pretend she had a date. Save a little face, at least.

But she’d never been much good at game playing. “Rachel Davenport is putting together the truck rental files for us after work this evening. I told her I’d come pick them up.”

“So we’ll grab something to eat on the way,” Sutton said. “Call and see if she wants us to get something for her. We’ll feed her for her trouble.”

Damn it, she thought. Just when she thought she had it in her to resist his charms, he went and came up with a thoughtful idea that she hadn’t even considered. “I’ll call her and ask if I can bring her something. No need for you to bother.”

“I’m hungry, you’re hungry—”

“What do you want from me?” she snapped, regretting the words instantly. His expression went from an easy smile to uneasy wariness. “I’m sorry. That was a stupid, uncalled-for question.”

“Right now,” he said carefully, “I just want dinner with someone whose company I enjoy. Can we just go with that?”

She felt like an idiot, especially since he was being so reasonable. “We can go with that.” Nice and casual.

Except she didn’t think she could ever be just casual where Sutton Calhoun was concerned.

Chapter Eleven

Davenport Trucking looked deserted when Sutton drove into the lot and parked in front of the main office. “Are you sure she’s here?” he asked Ivy, who was balancing their bags of takeout on her knees in the passenger seat.

“She said she’d be in the back office and to ring the bell.” Ivy carefully shifted the bags as she reached for the door handle. One of the sweet teas started to tip over in its carrying tray, and Sutton snaked out a hand to snare it before it spilled, stretching close enough to Ivy that he could smell the lingering aroma of apple-scented shampoo in her dark hair.

She turned to look at him, her pupils wide. He knew the signs of arousal, saw the flush in her cheeks, the way her lips trembled apart and the pulse in her throat began to race. He felt his own body’s quickening response and considered how easy it would be to let nature take its course.

But would it be wise? Sexual attraction was one of those things that the mind couldn’t always control, and the object of desire could sometimes come as a disconcerting surprise.

“What are you thinking?” Ivy asked, her dark eyes narrowing slightly.

“How much I want to kiss you,” he answered before he could stop himself. The flush in her cheeks spread to the hint of skin he could see in the V