“Excellent.” Addison turned to his desk and scribbled something on a note before placing it in her hands. “You have a relaxing weekend now, won’t you?”
On her way out the door, she found Jett’s home address scrawled in chicken scratch on the paper and hurried out of the office before common sense took over.
* * * * *
The incessant knocking at his door pissed him off but when he swung the apartment door open to find his Whisper standing with a bag of take-out and the most delicious smile on glossy red lips, his anger abated.
“What are you doing here?”
She rolled her eyes and held the bag out to him. “And good evening to you too, grumpy. Here. Addison insisted I follow you home, make sure you got a good meal into you and tuck you in for the night.”
He eyed her warily. “He said that?”
Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. It served only to whet his appetite. “Well, no. I improvised. Are you hungry?”
Jett let his gaze roll down her curvaceous body, heard her tut-tut and let her pass without question. He kicked the door shut and followed her plump tush into his apartment, hurriedly casting a clean-up spell so she wouldn’t see the pigsty he lived in. There was a reason he used a hotel room when they met and it had nothing to do with the anonymity.
In the dimly lit living area, she moved to stand at the floating island that separated the kitchen from the lounge and plonked her purse on a clear spot. He slipped behind the bench and stood opposite her, amazed by her presence. She hadn’t only kept her word but she’d brought him comfort food and a bag of goodwill. When their gazes connected, he felt her worry for him and his heart squeezed.
“You’re really here.”
“I am, though if it weren’t for your concerned employer I wouldn’t have had the faintest clue how to contact you. Besides, it’s Friday night. Where else would I be?”
He reached across the distance and stroked her cheek, not knowing what to say. Confessing that he needed her more than food seemed shallow, yet he craved to touch her and be touched by her. Would she understand that need?
“Dish up,” she ordered. “I’m starving.”
Jett blinked. The only woman who bossed him about was his mother. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And no ma’aming me. Do I look old enough to be a ma’am? Do I act like a ma’am?”
Leveling his gaze at her, he dropped his voice an octave and growled, “No, mistress.”
Her eyes flared though her lips curved into the most seductive shape he’d ever seen. “I see you’ve done your homework.”
The intense penetration of her gaze sparked a cascade of erotic images in his mind but as alluring as the thought of watching her take control was, Jett suspected he didn’t possess the ability to hand over the reins. At least not yet, not until he’d had his fill of her. Why did he feel she understood that part of him?
He reached beneath the counter to take two plates from the stack and began to serve up the Thai cuisine. Roxanne turned and walked about his apartment. A single burning lamp lit the room as she explored his home. He tried to see the place as she would but had no idea what she thought or expected.
“It’s homey,” she murmured, running her hand along the soft blanket draped over the back of the sofa. “And warm.”
“And five minutes ago, it looked like a bomb hit it.”
A smile touched her lips but she didn’t look at him. She sat on the arm of the sofa, crossed her legs and stared at her hands. “I need you to share yourself with me, Jett. We said we wouldn’t but it’s too late for that.”
He left their plates and crossed the room. The slight shake in her delicate hands scared him. He folded them into his hands and waited until she lifted her face to his. “You know more about me than any woman I’ve ever been with, Whisper.”
“Where does the magic come from? And why?”
Her eyes held his attention and he felt her try to burrow into his soul, looking for the answers. Tired of holding back and amazed that she’d come after him, he dropped his guard and welcomed her in.
“That’s a long story.”
“We have all night,” she whispered.
Bringing her to her feet, he took her face in his hands. He’d thought he’d held her for the last time in that boardroom and the contact heated his blood, sent it racing to every inch of him. With his spirit awakened, he dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers, hoping and praying she’d open up to him.
“Jett,” she murmured against his lips and then kissed him with the fire of her soul. Her arms circled his waist and the familiar curves of her breasts against his chest made him feel like the luckiest man alive.
She’d come here for more than sex. She’d come here for him and he vowed to deliver. So far, she hadn’t rejected him or his Craft. The spirits knew she’d had the opportunity. He needed to take his lead from her and respect the trust they’d built.
Their kiss almost broke his resolve to pull back and, with her eyes glazed and dazed, he almost gave in to temptation. Her faith in him kept him strong but he couldn’t deny that it took him by surprise. What was her motivation for deepening their relationship? After all, she had been the one to suggest they keep it casual and anonymous between them. Now she wanted to change the rules and it put him in a spin. The last time he opened up about his witchcraft and his family to a girlfriend, he never heard from her again. Granted, he had shared some of those details with Roxanne and she hadn’t run, but did she believe him?
He took her by the hand to lead her back to the kitchen bench. With her balanced on a high stool, he finished dividing the take-out and set a plate in front of her. He fished a fork and knife out of the drawer for her and then sat beside her with his meal. They ate in the quiet, darkened apartment while he tried to decide on his approach.
“I’m asking too much, aren’t I?”
“It’s been a long time since I told anyone anything, Rox. Most people think I’ve lost my mind or live in an alternative reality. It’s not too much and besides, I want to. But there’s something I have to ask you first.”
Her hand covered his. “Name it.”
He set his fork on the plate and turned toward her. As if sensing his serious mood, she did the same. “Do you actually believe I’m a witch or are you humoring me?”
Shocked, she frowned at him. “Why would I humor you?”
Feeling about an inch tall for airing the question, he shrugged and stared at his hands. “I don’t know, Rox. I mean, you never questioned it.”
He couldn’t resist her hand under his chin lifting his face and the uncertainty in her eyes made him swallow. “I admit, at first I thought it was part of the fantasy but after last weekend, I sensed something had happened. I don’t know if I believe in magic but I’m willing to learn. You have the whole weekend to teach me, if you want it.”
“Why do you keep asking me if I want you? I thought the answer was obvious.”
“Wanting my body is one thing, wanting me is another.”
Jett had to work hard to keep his jaw from falling open at her revelation. During all the nights they’d spent together, he never once detected any self-doubt in her. She hid it well but it explained the tender seductress he adored so much.
“Is that why you think you suck at relationships?”
She shrugged but he saw his arrow hit the mark. “Most men don’t want me after they’ve had my body.”
“Rox.” He rubbed her knee through the fabric of her pants. They really were going to need the entire weekend. “Most men are idiots.”
She chuckled and scooped the last of her meal into her mouth. What he wouldn’t give to kiss her, but he stayed put. They wouldn’t solve anything with sex.
“That’s why being anonymous felt so good, Jett. I could be me and not worry about whether you would reject me. Believe it or not, you’ve seen the real me.”
He pulled both her and her chair closer. “Ditto. You know how much I like to be dominant, that I
take control so you can give up yours and just feel, but you also know that I would never hurt you.”
Her small hand curved around his cheek, her face tilted up to his. “Why are we so physical?”
“Is there anything wrong with that?”
She bit her lower lip. “Not really, but we can’t answer every question by jumping in the sack. And it’s not the only way to get close to someone.”
He leaned closer to her. “Agreed.”
In seconds his mouth devoured hers, his hands roaming freely to squeeze one breast before he lifted her into his lap. This was wrong, they should talk, but when she tore at his shirt and popped his buttons, the temptation to give up his resistance almost overwhelmed him. But Jett wanted more for them. Now that he knew her, he didn’t want to obliterate the hard questions with sex. She deserved more. They deserved more.
“Wait, wait.”
He held her by the shoulders and hauled air into his lungs.
She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m not stopping because I want to.” He frowned but she wiped away the tension from his brow with her fingertips. “You came here for a reason, and I’m honored you cared enough to follow me home. But I have a proposition.”
“Oh?”
Jett summoned his courage, fearing she’d laugh him off. “I booked our hotel room for the weekend, anticipating my win of course. Let’s still use it but, this time, let’s change the game. Why don’t we use the time there to answer every question we have about each other?”
He watched her face carefully, searching for any sign she thought his idea ridiculous.
“Will you show me more magic?”
“Will you let me make love to you?”
She smiled. So did he.
“What about our deal?”
“We don’t know who’s won yet. Let’s keep that for next weekend.”
Roxanne kissed his brow, his cheek, the corner of his mouth. “Let me help you deal with your friend’s threat.”
His heart skipped a beat and shifted into double time. “It’s my problem.”
“He’s threatening you. That makes it our problem.”
If he didn’t put his faith in her, he’d hurt and disappoint her. But if he told her everything about himself, he ran the risk of loading her up with ammunition to use against him. He’d be left in the same boat he was now with Greg. He hadn’t taken a risk in a long time, always choosing to play the safe option but he stood to gain so much more with Roxanne. It was a risk he had to take. More importantly, it was a risk he wanted to take.
Chapter Five
Funny how she hadn’t considered why he wanted to continue their affair until now, but when Roxanne closed the hotel room door behind her and stood in the familiar room bathed in candlelight, the question dominated her thoughts.
She had no inkling as to why he felt compelled to show her his magic or what he hoped to achieve by sharing that part of his life with her. The more time she spent with Jett, the more complex his personality seemed. Though it was neither forced nor fake, it served to test her, push her to consider the changing nature of their relationship.
No longer were they strangers. The anonymity had vanished. All that remained were two people baring their souls, but for what purpose? What did he hope to gain? What did she?
“Stay right there, Whisper.”
His voice floated to her on a warm current of air that caressed her exposed skin and sent goose bumps chasing chills up her arm. One by one the flickering candle flames extinguished with a hiss but he was nowhere in sight.
“Where are you?”
The roughened skin of his palm touched her neck, the contact ever so soft, so sensitive. Still, she couldn’t see him.
When the last of the flames were doused and the room plunged into darkness, Roxanne set her overnight bag at her feet and waited. Anticipation snaked through her veins. Nervous butterflies flitted in her belly. The suspense aroused her more than she could ever imagine and when she thought she could take no more, his presence moved into the room. The air shifted, the temperature spiked and the hairs on her nape rose as if to stretch out to him.
He moved about in the dark, coming to stand before her, but how she knew this with such certainty quieted the butterflies and soothed her nerves. Though she could see nothing, she knew exactly where he stood, how much space lay between their bodies. The air between them shuddered with the knowledge that neither would make it through the night without the other.
A small snap sounded and a ball of fire glowed before her. Its radiance showed the outline of a hand beneath, a hand above, both curved as if to cradle and nurture. If she didn’t know a thing about this man she’d consider it a trick of the light but the heat of the fire reached her skin and proved he held a real ball of fire.
Roxanne stared at the glowing flame, mesmerized by his ability to control it. Part of her marveled at the skill while another part of her thought it beautiful. Was there anything he couldn’t do?
Beyond, she made out the hard lines of his chest and abs, as bare as she needed them to be.
“You are made of fire, like the flame in my hands. A source of light, of heat, of passion. But you need the nourishment of the sea, the surety of water. Without it, you’d burn out.”
The fireball morphed into a churning sea, complete with crashing waves, leaving her with the feeling that if she pushed a finger into it, she’d feel the cool water and taste the salt.
“You’re the ocean.”
“I am.”
“So why doesn’t the water put the fire out? They can’t coexist.”
In answer, the flame returned to surround the sea, to contain it and soothe it. The crashing waves lulled and the hypnotic rhythm of ebb and flow drew her to the man before her. She placed her hands over his and felt the mix of the hot and cold elements rush into her. Connected to him, she molded her hands to the contours of his arms and slid them up toward his big shoulders.
“When I was a boy, my mother showed me the four elements. Earth, wind, fire and water. She said we embody all elements, though each of us represents one more strongly than the others. I always believed those of opposing elements could never find a harmonious existence, until I met you.”
Stepping around his big, gorgeous body, she traced the muscles of his back before sliding her arms around his waist. Pressing against him sent shivers through her and his masculine scent reached into her core, stirring her emotions. The physicality they shared didn’t scare her. Giving her body to a man didn’t worry her. Physical pleasure could be given and taken and they could go their separate ways. But his confessions pulled her heart into the equation and that, above everything else, frightened her.
Broken hearts may eventually mend but they would be scarred forever.
Pressing her palms to his chest, she kissed a line along his spine up to his neck, rising to her tiptoes to bury her nose in his thick hair. He hummed in approval and wove their fingers together. Holding hands should never be so erotic but the sensation of his strong fingers sliding between hers gave her visions of naked bodies and legs entwined.
She’d asked him to bare his soul, but could she do the same in return? Roxanne feared she would disappoint him.
“You smell so good,” she admitted, licking the slope of his neck. “It turns me on.”
His rumbling laughter vibrated under her fingertips. “What do I smell like?”
“You’re all man, Jett.”
She smiled when his head leaned back and gave her better access to the plane of his jaw. The rough stubble abraded her lips and she rubbed her cheek against the whiskers as a cat would. His offer to open his soul to her touched her deeply. When was the last time a man did that for her?
It had been too long since she gave a man the time to prove himself to her. She was too wrapped up in her work to have the energy for a relationship. In the beginning with Jett, the no-strings-attached, commitment-free rules gave her the freedom to take what she wanted and
feed her urges.
She should feel guilty but knowing he did the same prevented her from indulging in the self-defeating emotion. He’d allowed her to be herself, to buck the traditional expectations of a woman. Her behavior bordered on alpha dominance, yet he never once commented or undermined her need to act out. Did he have any idea how much she appreciated it? Appreciated him?
“What are you thinking?”
She lifted a knee to hug his hip and pressed her heated core against him. “I’ve been very selfish in our affair,” she whispered. “I take what I need and then I demand more.”
He turned his face, the stubble scraping against her skin until his lips kissed away the hurt. “I’ve done the same.”
“Why are we so emotionally damaged, Jett?”
In the dark, his body turned toward hers until she felt his hardness nudge between her thighs. While one hand slid under her thigh to hold her to him, his other trailed down the side of her face with a reverent caress. One snap of his fingers and a single candle flame burned back into life. The blue of his irises caught the light and she gasped at the depth she could see.
“I’ve been hurt by women in the past. I’ve only told two women about my witchcraft and both walked out the door without another word. I never knew whether they thought I was a lunatic or whether they were just appalled. It left me second-guessing every decision, every relationship. That’s why I told you straight up.”
“Why me?”
“There was one morning when I watched you help an older lady with shopping bags board the bus. You gave up your seat for her and chatted to her until her stop. Then you helped her back down to the pavement, genuinely happy you could help. I knew then that you were different.”
Roxanne remembered that morning like it was yesterday. She also remembered thinking what a bunch of selfish pigs the other passengers were for not helping, and smiled at the thought of Jett watching her, thinking so highly of her.
“I wasn’t very charitable in my thoughts that day. I think I cursed every other passenger who was close enough to help but sat there like blobs. It’s a big leap, Jett, thinking I’d accept you as a witch based on me being a polite and courteous citizen.”
Whisper Page 5
