Business out of the way, they settled back to catch up. Erin wasn’t much of a cook, but she threw together a simple tomato and mascarpone pasta, which she served with a fresh herb salad. As the wine level grew lower, they discussed their dating lives, which was sadly a very short conversation. Erin hadn’t had a date in longer than she cared to admit. Crystal had recently enjoyed what seemed like a super promising relationship with a guy she’d met online, until he turned out to be the groom in one of the weddings she was organizing.
“Ouch,” Erin said, reaching for her friend’s arm and giving it a squeeze. “What a jerk.”
But to Erin’s surprise, Crystal only rolled her eyes as if to saymen, huh,and then chuckled. “You think I was stunned? Imagine how he felt. I’ve never seen anyone go so pale so fast. I thought he was going to faint. Sort of wish he had!”
“Did you out him to the bride?”
Crystal looked shocked. “Erin, I am a professional. But as it turned out, the bride caught him kissing one of her attendants. The wedding’s been postponed while they get some counseling.”
Crystal’s story stayed with Erin long after her friend had gone. It was a stark reminder of how sneaky and selfish men could be, and it dragged up the bad memories of her first year at college, which she tried to keep buried at all costs. She shuddered as she remembered that dark night, the wandering hands and insistence that he should have access to her body...
As if he sensed her distress, Buzzy came running over, with Nelson bounding behind him. He nudged Erin’s ankles until she bent and curled her arms around him. He licked her cheek tenderly and Erin realized it was wet with tears. “You’re the only guy I need,” she whispered to Buzzy. There was a bark from Nelson. “Okay, and you, too,” she said with a laugh.
She finished tidying up after dinner, and decided to end the evening with another stroll on the beach so that the dogs could have their final walk. It was still warm out and she enjoyed having the nearly deserted beach. The soft lap of the waves, the smell of the ocean breeze—this was her favorite place on earth and it never failed to soothe and calm her.
When they returned, she went upstairs and got ready for bed, delighted that she had this gorgeous place all to herself and could get an earlyish night with a good book in the super luxurious king-sized bed in the guest room. But Nelson had other ideas. No matter what Erin did, he wouldn’t settle. He kept staring at her and then running back to the master bedroom. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Buzzy joined him.
In the end she threw up her hands. “All right, I get that the routine is to sleep in Jay’s bedroom, but a little flexibility would be nice.” It was pretty clear she wasn’t going to get that, not from Nelson. So with a resigned shrug, she moved her few belongings into Jay’s huge bedroom and guided the dogs into their respective beds under the window. The Barbara Hepworth looked so perfect where Jay had placed it that it made her smile.
And then she stared at his huge, beautiful bed for a good while before finally pulling back the covers and slipping between the sheets. They felt sumptuous against her skin, like bathing in silk. He’d told her the sheets were fresh and she appreciated his thoughtfulness. Still, this was Jay’s bed, Jay’s bedroom, and being here felt strangely intimate. Erin opened her novel in case her mind entered dangerous territory. Trying to keep her thoughts on the complicated plot, she adjusted the pillow and soon found herself turning the pages.
Until the bed lurched.
“Oh no.” But Nelson was already curled up at her feet. Even as she tried to push him off, Buzzy made himself comfortable on the other side. Wondering how on earth she would ever get these two to do her bidding, she decided that was a problem for Jay and switched off the bedside lamp.
Chapter Fourteen
Jay had spent a long and arduous day in LA, but in the end, peace had been restored between his client and the director of the big-budget action film he was starring in. Tempers had gotten out of hand, egos had clashed, the resulting firestorm hadn’t been pretty, but it was nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. He was able to get some concessions from the director that made his client feel like he’d been listened to, and while there was no way the bad-boy celebrity would apologize, he did promise that the next time he was unhappy, he would phone Jay before doing anything else. Then he took the star out to dinner and massaged his bruised ego a little more. Finally, he was done and was in his car and on his way back to his LA home with a busy brain and something of a heavy heart.
The day would have been a lot easier if he hadn’t spent most of it thinking about Erin and Nelson. He’d texted Erin three times, which seemed a little crazy, he knew, but he needed updates about Nelson—how he was doing, whether he was eating okay, and did she think he was settling in. Erin’s responses had always been quick and each time she gave him reassuring news. He even received a cute photo of Nelson and Buzzy on the beach. But still, Jay and Nelson had barely got to know each other. He would just hate for the little guy to be confused or sad.
As he drove down the familiar freeway, he found his thoughts turning back to Erin, who right about now would be getting ready for bed. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering what kind of garment she slept in; what side of the bed was hers. Onething he did know for sure—she wouldn’t spend the best part of forty minutes on a complicated skincare routine like other women who had stayed in his home. He loved the idea of Erin locking up the house, switching off the lamps, and getting the dogs ready to settle down for the night. She would probably spend too long reading in bed, unable to stop turning the pages, promising herself it would be just one more chapter, like he did.
He shook his head. How was the thought of Erin so comforting and so sexy at the same time? He’d never experienced anything like it.
He made a sudden decision. He didn’t want to wake up in LA. He wanted to wake up in Carmel-by-the-Sea in his beautiful new house, with the view of the ocean and his dog curled up beside him. What was the point of having a PJ if he couldn’t use it to get himself home? So, he turned the car around and headed for the airport and what he was already starting to think of as home.
It was late when Jay finally pulled into his driveway. In fact, it had been late when he left LA, enough that he didn’t want to wake Erin to tell her he was back a day early. He disabled the burglar alarm and crept into the house so quietly that not even Nelson heard him. After such a long day, Jay was exhausted and headed straight for his bedroom. As he pushed open the door, he could see moonlight coming through the open windows, casting the room in a beautiful silvery glow.
And then he saw her.
Erin was lying in his bed, the two dogs asleep on either side of her. As he gazed at the three of them, something softened inside him and he felt like his heart was expanding outward, filling the rest of his body. She looked—perfect. He finally had to admit to himself that he wanted to find Erin in his bed a lot more often.
And byoftenhe meantalways. Instead of the dogs,hewanted to be the one sharing the bed with her.
Nelson stirred, opened his eyes, looked at Jay, and thumped his tail. Then he went back to sleep.
Jay had never felt like this about any woman and the depth of his feelings scared him. It took superhuman strength to stop himself from sliding under the covers with Erin and pulling her close. Her skin would feel buttery soft, her breath warm and enticing on his neck.
He shivered and had a stern word with himself. To follow his urges and slip in beside her would be an idiotic move—she was sleeping and he would never take advantage of her vulnerability. But what if he called her name softly, to let her know he was home, and she invited him into bed?
He stood there another moment, wondering if he’d do it, and then he realized that above all, he wanted Erin to feel safe and secure in his home. So he left her there, sound asleep, and forced himself to go to one of the guest rooms instead.
* * *
Erin woke the next morning thanks to Nelson, who was more efficient than any alarm clock as he rolled around on the bed far earlier than she’d have liked. Buzzy decided that if Nelson was up, he’d better be too, and so Erin was outnumbered by their canine enthusiasm for the day.
“Okay, you two,” she said to the dogs as she stretched her limbs. “You win.”