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Somehow, before she could unscramble her brain, Jinx found herself in Dillon s truck,
buckled in as he backed out of the parking space. They sat in a thick silence until they
were well out onto the highway into town. Jinx was like a statue, hands folded tightly in
her lap, eyes staring straight ahead through the windshield.
Dillon s laugh broke the silence. No bones jumping, I promise, he teased.
She couldn t help but laugh. Could they have been any more obvious?
He shrugged. I thought I was the obvious one. I wanted a chance to spend some alone
time with you.
She turned to look at him. Why? I got the feeling I annoyed you.
Maybe at first. I may not have been here long but enough to know a naked body in a
ditch around here brings out all the loonies. Trying to keep order and preserve the scene
was driving me nuts.
And I came along demanding my rights as a reporter. She swallowed a smile. Sorry.
Old habits die hard.
He was silent for a moment. I believe in cultivating the goodwill of the press. But I ve
spent my life in big cities where most of the media is cutthroat and just looking for blood.
Literally and figuratively.
She nodded. I can understand that. I spent ten years in New York and we had to
shove elbows to get a story most of the time.
So. He cleared his throat and Jinx sensed a discomfort with what he was planning to
say. Apology accepted? New beginning?
Wow. The last thing she d expected. She imagined apologies didn t come easily to him.
Dillon did his best to focus on the road and his driving, but Jinx s voice as she gave him
directions had the sensation of velvet skimming his skin. Desire was a low simmer
beneath the surface and he had to clench his jaw to force it back. He could swear a
magnetic force field had suddenly snapped into place around them, ramping up this
unexpected sexual reaction. It was taking every ounce of his discipline to contain the
feelings doing a riotous dance through his body.
It wasn t as if he hadn t had strong sexual reactions to other women. He wasn t a
monk, for God s sake. And certainly he and Naomi had burned up the sheets.
Naomi.
Just the thought of her made the inside of his mouth taste like cold ashes. That last
night was burned into his mind as if etched into it with acid. What a fool he d been,
falling for her the way he did. Letting her use him and then knock him to the side of the
road.
Don t think about it and ruin a perfectly good evening.
Right. Better he should think about how he wanted to strip every bit of clothing from
Jinx Malone s body and fuck her senseless.
He swallowed a groan. Offering to drive her home had seemed like the right thing to
do, but sitting so close to her, the light scent she wore drifting across his nostrils, was
turning out to be the worst kind of torture.
Buck up, Dillon. You can behave.
He d had reservations about accepting the invitation to dinner at the Montgomerys .
Socializing wasn t at the top of his list at the moment. And having Jinx included was a
surprise. His stupid body had gotten the same flush of lust he d felt the day before.
Trying to hide it for an entire evening had been a real exercise in self-control. He wasn t
sure how he d deal with the whole auction thing tomorrow except to keep as much
physical distance between them as possible.
And how the fuck had he let himself be talked into it? Matt Stark had just
steamrollered over him.
Now, to complicate matters, he d offered to drive Jinx home and her presence and
scent filled the cab of the truck.
You re very quiet over there. Her voice broke into his mental conversation with
himself.
Sorry. It s just been a long day. A long couple of days, as a matter of fact.
To say the least.
You know this naked body will be like a nine-days wonder, she pointed out to him.
Rowan County isn t noted for that kind of excitement, so it will be the main topic of
discussion.
Yeah, I figured that. He slid a glance at her. I m still feeling my way here, you
know. I don t want to piss anyone off, so you think we can come to an agreement? I ll do
my best to keep you in the loop and you give me a little space to investigate this?
From the corner of his eye he saw her turn toward him. I d say that s a good deal.
Listen, Dillon. She put her hand on his arm and he nearly combusted just from her
touch. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot a little. Part of that s on me. Her laugh was
a soft bubble of sound. I guess I still have too much New York for this place. Anyway, I
promise to do better.
Me too.
Silence dropped over them again. Dillon struggled to find something to talk to her
about but he found himself strangely tongue tied. When they hit the outskirts of town, he
realized he at least had to ask for directions.
Where to now? he asked.
Straight through town then left at the little shopping center. Jinx guided him
through downtown to the northwest residential area and onto her street. There was an
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