Tempting Tori

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An Excerpt From: TEMPTING TORI

Copyright ? N.J. WALTERS, 2009

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.

His
eyes narrowed as he watched her. She swallowed and tried to gain control of
her runaway hormones. It was always like this for her whenever she was
around him.

J.T.,
on the other hand, looked totally unapproachable and uninterested in what
she had to say. He?d always seemed a bit aloof, but this was worse than
usual. It just reinforced that she was making the right decision. It was
time for her to move on with her life instead of waiting for a man who
would never want her.

?I?m
leaving.?

He
sighed and uncrossed his arms, raking his fingers through his hair. A
single lock fell back against his forehead. He hadn?t shaved this morning and
his jaw was covered with stubble slightly darker than his light brown hair.
Most men would look disheveled or slightly disreputable, but on J.T. it
just looked sexy. ?I thought you?d already left. Is Brody still here??

She
shook her head. ?No, Brody is gone.?

?Why
didn?t you go with him??

Tori
stepped into the barn and approached him. J.T. seemed angry about
something. He was pretty even-tempered, but when he got riled all the men
gave him a wide berth. ?I wanted to talk to you first.?

He
stepped into a stall and picked up a piece of an old leather bridle and
laid it over the edge of the gate. ?We can talk at home later.?

Her
heart pounded and she could feel a trickle of sweat roll down her back.
?I?m leaving,? she repeated.

J.T.
stilled, his pale blue eyes freezing her in place. ?What exactly do you
mean??

She
swallowed the lump in her throat and squared her shoulders. ?I?m going to
catch the bus tomorrow in town. I?m going home.?

?Your
home is here,? he snapped.

Tori
gave him a sad smile. ?You know that?s not true. This is your home. I?m
just the housekeeper. I want more from life than that.?

?I
thought you liked it here.?

She
could hear the anger in his voice, but more than that, she could hear the
underlying hurt. Tori felt as if a knife were twisting in her heart. ?I do
like it here.? That was an understatement. She loved it here.

?Then
you?ll stay.? It wasn?t a question, but a statement. She felt her lips turn
up in a genuine smile. That was just like J.T. to figure everything was
settled because he said it was so. He was stubborn and mule-headed at
times, but she loved him in spite of it, or maybe even because of it. It
was his stubbornness that had enabled him to take the successful ranch his
parents had left him and his brothers and make it even more profitable.

?No.?
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, suddenly chilled in spite of the
heat. ?I can?t stay.?

J.T.
strode toward her, not stopping until the toes of his boots touched the
tops of her sneakers. He was a good six inches taller than she, but was so
much broader that he made her feel small. Her stomach fluttered, but it
wasn?t with fear. Having J.T. so close to her was having an effect on her
senses.

?