by L. Steele
She knows what she's doing. She's using her body to distract him.
He straightens back up, folds his arms over his chest.
Sienna cranes her neck up, the cord of her neck vulnerable. Exposing that secret hollow at the base of her throat.
The curl of heat in his belly flares. Pulling his hands out of his pockets, he folds them over his chest, looking down on her.
He will not—cannot—go to her.
"I had no idea Tom was going to be here. Honest." She widens those almond shaped eyes at him, the amber in them glinting, making her look catlike. "Surely you don't think I asked him to come…?"
Her voice is shaky. She's nervous.
Can she tell how turned on he is?
He grits his teeth trying to quell his arousal. A bead of sweat trickles down his back with the effort of standing still. Of not reaching out and hauling her to him.
She mumbles in a hoarse voice, "I'm going to take a shower."
Sienna slides off the couch, making sure not to touch him. Walks into the bedroom, leaving the door half open behind her.
Jace stands there, curling his hands into fists at his side.
She only had to look at him for him to be aroused. Surely she knew the effect she was having on him.
If not, she wouldn't have said she was going to shower. Wouldn't have left the door to the room half open so he can hear the shower running.
Don't even think about it.
The water sliding down her throat, over her breasts, in between them, down farther still between her legs, and over those smooth thighs.
Heat roars through his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
She left the door open, didn't she?
She wants Jace to come in. She'd been practically flaunting herself at him.
Don't.
And she'd agreed to this proposition? She must have known it was bound to end in this.
Of course she does.
The heat in his belly crackles into a full-fledged fire. Tearing off his T-shirt, he drops it on the ground.
Unbuttoning his jeans, he steps out of them, kicks them and his briefs out of the way. He is naked and fully aroused by the time he reaches the shower cubicle.
22
Sienna
The shower door whispers open.
Jace.
I know it's him even before his arms slide around me. He cups my breasts. His touch firm, yet gentle.
He's done this before. Knows all about a woman's body.
How will he feel about mine?
Heat spools off his chest, slamming into my back. When he moves closer, his chest muscles are firm against my back.
The curve of my butt fits into the hollow of his groin, and his arousal thrusts against me already, aggressively mimicking what he wants of me. He buries his head in my neck, licking the soft skin near my shoulders. Sliding my hair aside, he bites my nape. I'm surrounded by him, drowning in him.
A shiver runs down my back.
His hands slide down to grip my hips on either side, and he bites my neck again before licking the skin there.
I groan as a spurt of pleasure in my belly takes me by surprise. He works his way down, biting-licking-biting. Each time, my skin jumps in reaction. He reaches the curve of my butt, and his fingers dig into my pelvic bone. I wait, not daring to breathe. Wait for him to—
He kisses the skin, the touch of his lips arcing straight to my core. Desire pools between my legs.
My knees buckle, forcing me to slap my hands against the slippery tiles to hold myself up.
The heat of his chest presses against my back, and he's turning me around.
Eyes closed, I feel the flush bloom on my cheeks. I can't look at him.
Am not sure why, but a feeling of helplessness grips me.
And embarrassment.
I've been with other men. But not like this.
With Jace it's different. He sees right through me. He makes me react in ways that confuse me.
Around him I'm more unpredictable. He strips me off any pretense. Forces me to be who I am. Knowing ... knowing he'll still be there for me.
I stand there, water still beating against my back. An intense longing tugs at me.
I sense rather than see him brush his lips on mine.
Gentle.
So, gentle.
That's my undoing. Tears prick the back of my eyes.
I still can't open them, don't want to see myself reflected in his eyes.
His arms slide around me. He's all around me, over me, that pine and cloves smell now drenched in water.
My muscles tense. Not like this. I don't want to do it like this.
Oh, my body wants him all right, but not my heart when I am still trying to understand what's between us.
Even as I'm thinking that, he kisses me, nibbling on my lower lip till I open my mouth and his tongue slides in. I taste the coffee from earlier, the lingering traces of cigarette, all mixed with the deep, textured taste of him.
He lifts me up suddenly, and I cling to him, my legs wrapped around his waist, my arms around his neck. Without preamble, he slides his finger into me and I cry out against his throat.
Panic overwhelms me.
The steam in that small enclosed space is pressing in on me, forcing me further toward him. Heat from the shower, radiating off his body, from my skin. I can feel every inch of his body, as if all my nerve endings have woken up.
When he slides a second finger into me, I gasp. But I don't want to do this. Don't want to make love. Not yet.
Swearing aloud, half aroused, half mad and with a sinking feeling of helplessness that threatens to suffocate me completely, I push against him. Feel the shock ripple down his back as he loosens his arms.
My feet hit the floor with a thud.
"What?" He looks at me, eyes still clouded with desire, his arms coming to rest on my waist, holding me up so I don’t slip.
The touch of his fingers on my skin once more sets my nerve cells vibrating. My eyes slide a path down his chest, following the water over his nipples, over his flat stomach toward where he's still fully aroused.
I want to ask him to leave, but can't seem to form the words. Still, my emotional struggle must have shown, for he takes his hands off me.
I brush past him, dripping water onto the bathroom floor.
23
Sienna
Slipping into my bathrobe, I wrap another towel around my wet hair with clumsy hands.
I can't trust myself to be in the same room as him right now. I walk out of my bedroom into the shared living room space.
By the time he follows me out, I'm standing in the center of the room, fingers clasped together in front of me.
Towel stretched around his hips, he stands at the door to my room, arms akimbo. He doesn't move closer and for that I am grateful.
If he touches me now, I'll give in.
And I don't want to.
Not yet.
Not when I feel as I do for him. If I sleep with him now, I'll never get over him.
I don't dare meet his eyes. Don't need to. He's livid. And still aroused.
"What was that?" he asks, his voice low and controlled. When I don't look at him, he asks again, this time the anger evident, "Are you going to tell me, or do I have to play this game of guessing how I've hurt your feelings?"
The tone in his voice says he's seen this before, done this with other women. Had the same conversation with them, and that makes me angry.
"Don't do that," I say, not even sure what I am trying to tell him. He frowns and before he can speak, I add, "Don't reduce what we have to something casual."
"You think what we did is casual?" The white of the towel blinding against his darker skin, and for the first time I see him without clothes in the light of day.
He's lean, well sculpted. The tattoo wider than I realized. It covers the upper half of his arm, swirls up over his shoulders, up one side of his throat, and then over his back.
&nbs
p; His wet hair is slicked back from his face. Those thin lips purse, even as his eyes glisten, roving over my body.
I still feel the touch of his hands on my hips, his lips on my throat, the roughness of his jaw brushing against my back as he nibbled and kissed and—
I gasp. "I can't do this anymore."
"Can't do what, Sienna?" His voice dangerously soft.
He takes a step closer. Another. And I move back.
Till I touch the window sill. I'm standing exactly where he'd stood smoking the cigarette not more than an hour ago.
I put out both my hands, palms upwards, my face pleading for him to understand. I'm not sure what to tell him, except the feeling inside that it's not right. It's not time. Not yet.
What are you waiting for?
"Not now,” I say. "I don't want to sleep with you. Yet."
He stares at me as if I've gone completely crazy, and then lets out a short laugh. "Right, well you had me fooled there, especially given you invited me in—"
"I didn't," I say, shocked. "I didn't ask you to come."
His eyebrows twist, jaw hardening.
Forcing the words out, I say, "I didn't mean to, not really."
My voice fades as I realize he's right.
I'd told him I was going to shower, left the door open. Hadn't resisted him, not in those initial minutes when he'd taken me by surprise.
You'd enjoyed it, admit it.
More than enjoyed… I'd lost myself when he'd touched me. Forgotten who I was, who he was, why I was here. Nothing else had mattered. Except his touch, his feel, his breath on my lips.
An answering tug, in my belly and—
"No."
Jace looks like he's about to lose it, but then gets ahold of himself.
"You'd do well to remember to always start what you finished. Whether in life or in business."
He turns to leave when I stop him, "And what about Darren? Does he believe our story?"
"With what you did last night, stripping in front of everyone then going with Asher to his room? No, he doesn't."
I tremble at the unleashed violence in his voice.
If I thought his trying to make love to me meant he'd forgiven me, then I was mistaken.
"But," he continues, voice soft, dangerous. "With the sparks flying between us, perhaps we can convince him that this is real. If you want your money, you need to up your game, Sienna." He flings the last sentence over his shoulder as he walks toward his bedroom.
"The way you upped yours?" I sneer, but my voice trembles as I say it. The double meaning of my words are not lost on him.
"If you mean that little seduction scene in there? Yeah. Just making sure the chemistry between us is convincing for when we are seen together in public again."
He leaves, shattering my heart.
24
Jace
Shedding the towel, Jace walks into the shower adjoining his own bedroom. Turning the temperature of the water to cold. All the way. The ice-cold needles tear into his skin, but he doesn’t notice.
He's still hard, and all he can think of is sinking himself into her softness. Again and again.
His arousal throbs.
Not good.
He turns the force of the shower higher, wincing this time as the water pounds down on his head, his chest. Finally beating his desire into submission for now.
By the time he steps out, wrapping a towel around his waist, drying his hair with another, his head is clear.
Marginally.
When Sienna had pushed against him, asking him to release her, he'd almost growled with frustration, ready to take her right then. Hoping if he'd had her once it would be enough.
Who is he kidding?
The connection between them was deeper. He cares for her. Wants her. Wants her to want him too. If he ever thought a quick fuck was all it would take to shake his need for her, he knows now he's mistaken.
No, he wants to make love to her again and again. Drink of that heady exotic warmth that pulls at him. He wants to bury himself in her scent. That enticing vanilla and black coffee. So mysterious and seductive it drives him mad with desire to be near her. And not have her.
Fuck.
He's well and truly screwed.
Even as he thinks so, his phone buzzes.
Incoming Facetime call from Karina.
"Hey."
Karina's face appears on screen. Headpiece on, she's wearing a jacket and clearly on her way to a meeting.
"Hey, stranger, how's it going? I'm not checking up on you I promise. But the two boys were worried about you and Eric and didn't think it would be very macho if they said so. So I'm doing it instead."
Before Jace can protest that he and Eric are fine, thank you very much, she adds Damian and Arpad to the call.
"It's Karina who was worried about the two of you, I swear." Damian says, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. He's given up smoking but swears the unlit cigarette helps control his nicotine cravings.
"Yeah, we are here at her request." Arpad’s blue silk tie is visible against a crisp white shirt.
Hearing from his friends lifts Jace's spirits. "Last I saw, Eric was trying to get in the pants of the blonde by the poolside last night."
Laughter from the other three.
"And you, Jace?" Karina asks, the sound of her heels clapping against a hard surface in the background.
He touches his thumb to his forefinger in the universal sign indicating he was fine. "I'm enjoying family time and all."
A groan from Arpad, "Sounds as enjoyable as a visit to the dentist."
"Yeah. Sounds about right," Jace grimaces.
"Blood family, man. It's important to do what it takes to keep the ties. Just like with friends," Damian adds.
"For a rocker-dude, you do often make deep sense," Karina smiles in agreement. "You and Eric have your talk yet?" This to Jace.
When Jace hesitates, Karina adds, "Yeah, I told them. Of course, they'd already guessed that things are not as serene as you claim it to be."
"We're here to help both of you," Damian drawls.
"Stop being so pigheaded and tell us when you need us to help, you obstinate fuck," Arpad growls at Jace.
Karina chuckles, "Couldn't have put it better, Moneybags."
"I got us into this trouble. I'll get us out of it," Jace says, voice serious. "But I appreciate the offer you guys. Means a lot to know you have my back."
"Always." This from Arpad
"You bet, bro," Damian adds.
"I gotta sign off. One mad film director coming up who I must bully into accepting my security measures. People don’t know what's good for them, do they?" Karina mutters darkly before signing off.
The screen goes blank.
By the time he's dressed and ready to head out, Jace knows he must find a way to put things right for the business. For Eric.
And his pride will not take let him take the help from his friends. Besides, it's been grilled into him that taking money from friends is the recipe to breaking a good friendship. Another of Darren's lessons that's stuck with him.
No, Jace decides. He'll do what it takes to convince Darren about his intentions toward Sienna. By the end of this trip, the old man would willingly hand over the first part of the inheritance.
And if this means he has to tie Sienna to him in the most public of fashions, so be it.
25
Sienna
I walk down the wide staircase to the hotel lobby, where I'd told Natalie I'd meet her this morning. I head toward the door that leads to the sprawling garden outside. The space separates the main hotel from the large pool house where last night's reception had been held.
A man walks by, his arms full of fragrant flowers. He walks out the door and toward the far end of the garden where Natalie is. She directs him to place the flowers in one of the large vases next to her.
It’s an outdoor wedding.
In front are rows of large pillows, set out on colorful blankets, as
well as massive cushions, with little glass mirrors that catch the sun.
The entire space feels set up for a relaxed evening among friends instead of a wedding. Different from the setting last night.
"Sienna." Tom walks up to me. He hesitates, then asks, "You okay?"
I flush, knowing he's referring to my rather spectacular exit with Asher last night.
"Why wouldn't I be?" I snap, then bite my lips, "Didn't mean to yell at you."
"No offense taken, Sen," he smiles.
His calling me by my childhood name makes me feel worse. It also reminds me that he is one of my oldest friends. That I am nothing like the girl I was when he knew me then.
I look past him to where Natalie is in the distance talking to the wedding planner.
"Gorgeous, isn't she?" Tom follows my gaze. "We met at our internship in a London law firm. She didn't last a week." He grins a little. "Threw a fit when one of the partners laid a hand on her ass, slapped him and walked out."
"You saw the internship through, didn't you?" I ask.
Tom had been as keen as me to get out of Gainesville. He'd wanted to earn enough money and fast. For Tom that meant becoming a lawyer.
"We need to talk, Sienna." His serious tone makes me look up at him curious.
"Now? I'm waiting for Natalie and—"
The pleading look in his eyes bringing me up short. He jerks his head, and I follow him to a couch set in the far corner of the hotel lobby.
Behind us is a big bay window through which the wedding preparations continue.
"I need money," he says without preamble.
I look at him startled, my mind already racing forward.
His features twist as he speaks fast. He's trying to get the words out before he can change his mind. "Look, I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't desperate."
His eyes slide away, and he clasps his hands in front of him.
“I'd help but it's not like I am rolling in money myself," I say, my tone half joking, half sarcastic.
He gives me a strange look, frowns. "You're going to be wedded to money soon. I'm sure it'll be very easy for you to loan me half a million dollars—"
