CHASING TROUBLE

He scowled darkly. “That would appear to leave only me you aren’t comfortable with…?”

“It isn’t you either.” She sighed impatiently. Well…not exactly.

“Then what is the problem?” He threw his own sherry to the back of his throat before crossing the room to refill his glass.Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

Caroline turned away, wondering how she could best explain herself without revealing too much of her inner turmoil. Being here like this with him, was playing havoc with her need to hold herself distant from him. After last night there didn’t seem to be any other option open to her, and yet it was impossible to remain detached, removed, while in the presence of his aunt and the easy affection that existed between the two of them.

Especially as Mae Harrison’s shrewd gaze seemed to have noticed there was something other than the relationship of employer and employee between them. What other reason could the other woman have for talking to her about Nicholas so defensively?

“What did you tell your aunt about me, Nicholas?” she asked.

“What do you think I told her?” he rasped, his eyes narrowed in warning.

“You don’t imagine that I’ve told her what happened between us last night?”

“No, of course not!” Colour burned Caroline’s cheeks. “I simply-She wasn’t talking to me just now as if I were your employee.” She shook her head, frowning. “I feel somehow as if I’m here under false pretenses.”

“That’s rubbish, Care, and you know it.” Nicholas crossed the room in two strides, standing dangerously close now. “I think you’re projecting your own feelings of awkwardness onto Aunt Mae.”

“I am?” Caroline blinked up at him, wishing he wasn’t standing quite so close-so close that she could see the gold flecks his eyes. So close that she had only to reach out and…”I really shouldn’t be here, Nicholas,” she insisted firmly, as her hand tightened about the sherry glass she held and her other hand clenched at her side. “This is your home. It’s not like the house where we met. Your Aunt is very close to you,”

“And so what?” Nicholas bit out grimly.

“Never mind.” She turned away dismissively. “You obviously don’t understand.”

Nicholas studied her, frustrated, for several seconds. The soft curtain of her hair partly obscured her face, but what he could see of her features looked far from happy. Because she really didn’t feel comfortable being at his aunt’s home? Or because of something else?

Caroline had made it pretty plain, both then and this morning, that she would rather last night had never happened, that she just wanted to forget about it. But had she? Had he? Somehow he doubted that very much, on both counts.

Caroline had been so responsive in his arms the previous evening, so absolutely, stunningly beautiful in her pleasure, that he doubted he would ever be able to put that memory from his mind. “Help me to understand, Care,” he invited huskily as he moved even closer to her, so close he could feel the warmth of her body and smell the elusiveness of her perfume. His own body hardened in response to that dual assault upon his senses.

Her gaze was wary as she looked up at him. It was a wariness Nicholas found even more displeasing than the coolness he had felt emanating towards him all day. He realized that he didn’t regret a single thing about last night, and doubted that he ever would. In fact, right now, he wanted nothing more than to repeat the experience. More than repeat it- he wanted Caroline fully. Wanted to bury himself inside her. Deep, deep inside her as he joined her in that mindless pleasure.

Caroline’s gaze was still wary as she looked up at him. What was he thinking? Whatever it was, the thought obviously displeased him, as his mouth tightened grimly.

“Forget I asked,” he bit out, before moving abruptly away from her. “Just bear with me for tonight and I promise that I will get you away from here as quickly as is polite tomorrow morning.”

He really didn’t understand, Caroline accepted heavily. How could he when it was her own emotions that were so raw? How could he possibly understand that a part of her, an increasingly large part of her, so wished that she were here with him as something other than his PA? That he had brought her here to introduce her to his Aunt Mae as-what? His girlfriend? His future wife? Now she really was being fanciful, Caroline recognized heavily.

No, Nicholas was right; the sooner they left here tomorrow, the better she would feel.

_________

“Come in,” Caroline called softly in answer to the light tap on her bedroom door-Nicholas’s Bedroom! door-her eyes widening when it was Nicholas himself who entered the room and closed the door quietly behind him. She had believed it to be Aunt Mae, come to check that she was comfortable before going to bed herself.

Caroline instinctively clutched the bedclothes to her throat as she looked across the room at him, his height and the broad width of his shoulders instantly dwarfing his childhood bedroom. Surprisingly, it had been a pleasant evening, the food and Mae Harrison’s presence helping to alleviate the tension that now existed between them.

What did Nicholas want now? What could they possibly have to say to each other that hadn’t already been said?

Nicholas’ mouth twisted derisively as he easily read the apprehension in Caroline’s expression and the way she clutched the duvet to her so tightly her knuckles showed white.

“Don’t look so worried, Care, I’m hardly going to want to continue where we left off last night with my Aunt Mae just down the hallway!”

Her apprehensive gaze turned to a glare. “We aren’t going to ‘continue where we left off last night’ here or anywhere else!”

Nicholas shrugged as he crossed the room to stand beside the bed, his gaze lightly mocking. “Are you sure about that?”

“Very sure!”

“Isn’t that a little selfish of you?”

Caroline shook her head, frowning. “I don’t understand.” She said,

“Only one of us found release last night, Care-and it wasn’t me!” Nicholas reminded her dryly.

Caroline’s eyes widened even as the color faded from her cheeks at the embarrassment she felt at being reminded of her complete lack of control the previous evening.” What do you want, Nicholas?” she prompted, afraid he would see her embarrassment.