Chapter Nine
Sleeping Single In A Double Bed
Charlotte followed Jordan up the stairs and then froze in the bedroom door. She was an imbecile. How could she have been so stupid as to not even consider sleeping arrangements. But now here she was, staring at the biggest double bed she’d ever seen. It was at least six feet across. Truth was, she probably could share that bed with another person and not even know they were there. But she didn’t think she could sleep knowing Jordan was lying next to her, even if he stayed on the edge of the bed.
Jordan dropped the bags in the center of the room and grinned at her. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite. Also, there’s a sofa for me to sleep on.”
Some stupid part of her brain made her open her mouth to argue. “Oh no! It’s your house, I can’t kick you out of your bed.”
“Is that an invitation?” His eyes glinted and her breath caught.
Ruthless, you silly woman. Just take the bed. But the words kept coming out of her mouth wrong. “No, I mean I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa.”
Jordan just laughed. “Don’t worry, it pulls out. I won’t be the least bit uncomfortable.”
They had a spare bed in their spare bedroom? It was bad enough the room was almost as big as her apartment. “But won’t the housekeeper notice?”
“Maria won’t say anything. And as for the others, well, we’ll just have to give them something to talk about.” He took her hand and pulled her towards the bed.
“What are you...” Charlotte opened and closed her mouth, unable to even finish the sentence.
“C’mon, kick your heels off. Want me to undo the buckles?” He knelt in front of her.
She stepped back and kept stepping back until her back was against the wall. “What are you doing?”
“I would never have guessed you would be so slow to take your clothes off! Just your shoes, Charlotte, I promise.”
She shot him a look as the pink flushed over her face. Clearly, he knew exactly what she was thinking. Still scowling, she pulled off the high heels but couldn’t hold back a little sigh of relief as her stockinged feet hit the soft carpet. Her feet were exhausted.
Jordan pulled her towards the bed. Before she got a chance to object, he stepped up onto it and tugged at her hand. “Come on up. What, you’ve never jumped on the bed before?”
“You can’t do that!”
“I can! And they’ll hear the squeaking mattress all through the house.” He grinned and then bounced up and down carefully. “I admit, it’s been a while. Since I jumped, I mean. I used to sneak in here when I was small.” He reached his hand down again and this time she took it, stepping up onto the bed.
“Is this really a good idea?” He cut her off by jumping right next to her. Instinctively she reached out for him to steady herself.
“C’mon, jump!” She tried an unsteady bounce. He took both her hands and began jumping up and down again. “Come on, Charlotte. Live a little! What, are you too grown up for this?”
Charlotte couldn’t help it, she started laughing and then she started jumping too. They held hands, jumping up and down in tandem and laughing until she lost her balance and tumbled onto the bed. He tried to jump back to avoid her and lost his balance and the next thing Charlotte knew, they were both lying on the bed laughing their heads off. Then she became aware of their tangled legs and the fact that she was lying with him on the big bed. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest; she felt sure he could hear it.
Jordan went quiet and looked at her. “Sometimes when you look at me, your gaze is intense. It’s like you look right through me. You see who I am.” Then he flushed and laughed nervously. “I guess it’s a trick of the trade.”
“I don’t know you at all,” she said, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach that said she wanted to. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to kiss her. He looked into her eyes a moment longer, as if searching for something he couldn’t find. Then he got off the bed.
“Sorry,” he said, with no other explanation. “I’m going to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable here and we’ll go down and face the lion in half an hour.” Without another word, he walked into the attached bathroom and closed the door behind him.
She sat up and looked at the closed door. Well, obviously he just wanted the sound of the squeaking mattress to show off his virility. That was typical of Jordan, everything was about appearances. He was obsessed with looking like a playboy, all the while he was paying women to be with him. She shook her head, annoyed at herself for even thinking about him.
It didn’t matter. She was here to find out about his father, not to fall for some spoiled rich kid who thought the world revolved around him. She was damn glad he hadn’t kissed her. She certainly wouldn’t have let him if he tried.
She got up and straightened her cream suit in the mirror. She wasn’t going to sit here cooling her heels waiting on his every whim. A cup of soothing tea for her jangled nerves would be perfect right now. He could come down and find her when he was ready. She headed back down the stairs and looked for the kitchen.