Captivation

Captivation Part 37

Caitlin, having had a few moments to think about the rapidly escalating situation decided she really needed to remain calm and pretend as if this did not matter one little bit. For whenever he managed to get under her skin she said and did things that just landed her in more hot water. That was one of her failings. She was too quick to react. She needed to stop and think.

"I told you, whenever you aren't there." She reminded him, and wondered how she was going to get him to leave. No doubt Joe would be back soon, and he unlike Leah would not refrain from asking questions! Personal questions. Caitlin chewed on her lower lip without thinking about it, and Jared struggled to remember what it was he intended to say. That was the problem he had. A man of his experience should not be encountering such difficulty. It wasn't as if she was being deliberately seductive! She was just chewing on her lower lip. He couldn't help the fact his gaze kept returning to her mouth. Then he noticed that she had stopped chewing her lip and was talking to him. "Did you hear what I said?" She asked and managed to throw in a scowl for good measure.

Jared figured it was probably best that he didn't tell her he was distracted. "We got off to a bad start, but ...."

"Give me a break." Caitlin jammed her hands on her hips, "A bad start?" She shook her head in annoyance and exasperation, " a, you told me in no uncertain terms that my father couldn't pay you to go out with me, b, you told everyone I was a waste of space, c, you kiss me with your brain tuned in to hear your friend approach, d, you make me a pariah at the cottage, and you think that is getting off to a bad start?" She all but growled at him. Sometimes men simply did not see just what a mess they had created.

Jared winced. This is what happens when you fail to stay on top of things. His mind had wandered when she started chewing on her lower lip and now see what had happened. The trouble was that dealing with Caitlin was proving to be harder than he'd imagined it would be. He was confident and arrogant enough to believe that his years of experience would stand him in good stead. He had years of experience when it came to managing women. So why was this one so difficult to manage? It was then that it dawned on him. The others didn't have what she had. Caitlin did not have to seduce him, she did not have to work at attracting him, she did not have to use artifice. She just had to be her. That's all it took. That's what made it so difficult! With the other women he knew much of what they presented was an act. With Caitlin what he got was her. No sides. No pretence. No artfulness. The packaging reflected the person. Feisty mixed with frankness. Gentleness and strength overlapped. Compassion and determination ran through everything. She was a woman who knew her own mind. But she was also one who did not realise just how attractive she was! That innocence combined with that strength of character is what would put paid to his single days.

Jared bridged his fingers, planted his elbows on his knees and then tapped his lips with his index fingers as he spoke, "OK, I admit, I was a touch....."

"A touch?" Caitlin interrupted with a scalding look for added impact. She flounced off and headed for the other arm chair. She perched on the arm rest. If she sat on the seat it might give him the idea that she was settling in for a longer chat with the exasperating man!

"A lot, heaps, whatever. I'm trying to fix things." And making a hash of it given how difficult it was proving to be. Douglas if he was a fly on the wall would be laughing at Jared's poor form and dismal strategy. For a man who had a pretty decent track record with women, Jared was making a real mess of this. The trouble was, there was so much riding on the next few moments. In the past, when Jared had issued an invitation he could take or leave the response. But here, how Caitlin responded was crucial to the development of this relationship

"Yeah, I've experienced your strategy and I don't like it." Caitlin wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Not one bit." She mumbled and folded her arms as she glared at him.