“We’re going to have so much fun!” Grinning, she cheered. He wouldn’t know what hit him!
Although furrowing his brow at her, Cole didn’t say anything, just reached out with one hand, palm up, waiting for her to lace her fingers with his. He had this commanding way about him that annoyed the hell out of Jasmine; still she complied. When he affected her, it probably worked the other way around, too. Ha! Grinning like a shark, she took his hand, letting herself be pulled into the next room.
Ten minutes later, they faced each other over the kitchen island. On top of the counter between them lay the blueprints. While they were discussing which wall to break down or where to build a new one, Cole did his best to touch her at every given opportunity. They were small, almost innocent touches—still, they drove Jasmine crazy. When he suddenly stepped behind her so that he could look over her shoulder, she almost pushed back to press her behind against his crotch. She barely resisted the urge. Of course, she couldn’t give in and show him how much he affected her.
It wasn’t normal! This strange connection and over-the-top sexual chemistry between them should be forbidden, probably was in some states with their stupid legal system. Hey, whale fishing was forbidden in Nebraska—which was surrounded by land, no ocean in sight. But at least the whales were safe in Nebraska, she thought, giggling.
Biting her lower lip, Jasmine ignored Cole. She kept on talking, not caring if her voice got a little out of breath. Who was she kidding? He knew what he was doing, but soon he would also know that she didn’t have one-night stands with a guy she’d met only the day before. No. Hell no! Jasmine was a good girl and good girls didn’t do naughty stuff, right?
Oh God, she was lost. The truth was, she wanted to tease him back, wanted him to lose his mind, intending to see his mask fall in the end. And there would be emotions there. She was so sure, behind all his icy walls, there actually hid a human being.
“I need to take Chester for a walk,” she whispered, caving. There was no other choice than to get out of this house—as far away from him as she could go. Perhaps after a break, she would no longer feel like she somehow needed him.
“Coward,” Cole whispered into her right ear, gently biting the lobe.
Yes, she was.
♥♥♥
Chapter 5
PUTTING HER PHONE down, Jasmine’s shoulders slumped. She’d tried to get some construction workers or any guys with a pickup truck to come and clear the broken furniture out. Sadly, no one was available on such short notice. That meant she’d have to wait and be here even longer, or she could get a rental car, dragging all that wreckage onto the loading platform of the pickup herself.
Pacing back and forth in Cole’s office, she stopped and stared through the windows right at the sea. It was really beautiful here. Or it would be after she’d given the mansion a once-over. If she stayed any longer, Cole probably would get to her. That meant…heavily sighing, she took her cell out again, making another phone call. Ten minutes later, she’d found herself a rental. Leaving the room, she took two steps at a time while running downstairs.
“Where’re you going?” Sticking his head out of the kitchen, Cole looked at her questioningly. The kitchen was the only room on the first floor which was relatively normal. The dents in the wooden cupboards or even doors having been ripped off their hinges showed that someone had raged here, too. But at least it had been cleaned up afterward. Cole must have done it so he could cook in there again.
“I spent an hour trying to get us some workers for all the wreckage, but no one is available. So we’re going to do it ourselves.”
“We are?” He raised an eyebrow at that. Somehow Jasmine knew Cole wasn’t afraid of hard work, but it seemed he found it funny she would try to order him around.
“Yes, we are,” she gritted out. “I’m renting a pickup.” A truck with a container would have been preferable, but she’d always been good at making the best out of whatever was available. The rental car was the best alternative she could come up with. It would do.
“And you’re leaving your little flea-ball here?” Right on point, Chester came running around a corner. He absolutely loved this place—so much space to run!
“He insulted you again, buddy,” Jasmine told the little dog, while it sat beside her. Attentive as always, Chester looked up at her with big interested eyes. It seemed like he so badly wanted to understand what she was saying. Folding her arms in front of her chest, Jasmine turned her gaze back to Cole, whose face sported that dark, flat expression again. Impulsively she wanted to shake him, force him to let the cold mask fall down again.
“Chester does not have any fleas.” While she huffed the words, she tipped her chin upward. Jasmine might be smaller than Cole, but she could still look down on a coldhearted man who insulted a sweet little puppy. Asshole.
“You’ll take him with you, or will he piss on my floor?” As he again grumbled ugly words in her direction, she asked herself if he perhaps enjoyed making her angry.
“On your precious floor, which some maniac ruined while throwing heavy furniture around?” The once beautiful parquet flooring was marred beyond repair. “Oh, a little puppy piss won’t make any difference,” Jasmine spit out. God, Cole Ward really got on her nerves!
Oblivious to the conversation of the two humans, Chester stood. Happily, he charged in Cole’s direction. Again, he sniffed the man’s shoes, perhaps the expensive leather was fascinating to the bulldog.
“If he ruins my shoes, I …”
“Don’t tempt me,” Jasmine interrupted Cole’s words, still angry at him for insulting her beloved pup over and over again.
“Take the flea-ball away,” he demanded, looking down with utter contempt at the happily butt-wiggling dog. Why on earth the puppy liked Cole so much was beyond Jasmine.
“Another insult.” Nodding, she pursed her lips. “Chester.” When his name was called, the French bulldog immediately raised his head and looked at his favorite person. “Go potty, Chester.”
Before Cole could move or say anything, Chester dutifully raised his little hind leg and well, did his business right on the man’s leather shoes. The dog looked happy doing so; it made Jasmine proud like a mother watching her kids go to kindergarten on the first day. When he was done, she could even see a smile tugging at his flews.
“Good boy,” she told him in a sweet voice. He’d done very well indeed. Smiling, Jasmine looked at Cole’s dumbfounded expression. “I told you not to tempt me.” She carelessly but provocatively shrugged.
To her surprise, Cole didn’t seem angry. In fact, a strange expression crossed his face. Was he laughing…or at least trying to? He looked very out of practice, as if he hadn’t done so in years. A few seconds later, though, he broke out into real laughter—so loud, tears of joy came to his dark eyes. From one moment to the other, he looked like a completely different man—relaxed, even happy. His laughter was freeing, also contagious. Not able to keep herself from smiling, Jasmine joined in.
They’d gone from staring angrily at each other one moment to openly laughing together. Excited at the perceptible joy, Chester began running back and forth from Cole to Jasmine. He was such a happy dog; it was heartwarming.
“That’s a very good trick, I have to give you that.” Finally, Cole was able to at least form a few words between his laughs.
“Chester is a very good student,” she offered in response, a smile still plastered on her face. With that, she called the pup to her, swept him into her arms, and left the house. She had to get the rental car.
♥♥♥
ON HER WAY back, Jasmine made a stop at a thrift store to buy herself some working clothes. When she’d packed her things, she had been thinking about looking professional, planning, sketching, and about supervising the workers…definitely not about rummaging through tons of dust and broken furniture.
She’d left her own car near the rental service. Driving back in a big pickup truck was a totally different feeling from driving her
small yellow Mini Cooper. She was sitting much higher above street level than normal. By the time she arrived back at Cole’s mansion, she was confident she’d get used to driving the large vehicle.
Coming to a halt at the end of the driveway, Jasmine was surprised to see Cole had already started working. For a moment, she was too shocked to react. The result was her staring at his naked chest while he carried an old, heavy looking armchair out of the house. In front of the veranda steps, there already was a pile of trash, which could then be transferred to the back of the pickup. As she watched, Cole’s abs rippled perfectly beneath the bright sunlight. Confronted with his heavy build, which was so much more pronounced now that he wasn’t wearing a suit or dress shirt, Jasmine wondered why a businessman had so many muscles. In this very moment, with the old washed-out blue jeans hanging low on his waist and leather boots on his feet, he looked like any—sexy as hell—hardworking man. Not like the owner of the mansion behind him.
After he’d thrown the armchair onto the pile, he straightened, and their gazes met. He’d caught her staring. Shit. Snapping herself out of it, Jasmine left the truck as quickly as she could. Chester jumped out right behind her. As she approached Cole, he put his hands on his hips, waiting for her. All the while, she felt his whole focus on her. Nervously, she licked her lips. Jasmine wasn’t used to being stared at like that for several reasons: first, normal men didn’t stare so obviously and unashamedly; second, Jasmine was pretty, but she wasn’t a beauty queen either, so catcalls only happened on rare occasions; and third? His stare was unwavering, almost inhuman in its predatory wildness.
Strange man. He’d looked so polished in his suit, but seeing him like this, Jasmine couldn’t imagine him so formal anymore. With the new rugged look, he seemed even more familiar to her. Trying her best to pretend she didn’t notice his eyes on her, she waved in greeting. “You already started.” She stated the obvious when she arrived at the trash pile.
“I did.” He nodded simply. From the short distance, she could see small droplets of sweat on his abs, glistening under the sun. Some men should be forbidden. Warning: Too sexy to look at, can cause breathlessness, outbreaks of heat, unwanted stumbling, car accidents, and so forth.
“Um …” she stuttered, then quickly bit her lower lip to start anew. “I’ll change and come back to help.” Before Cole could react, Jasmine stepped away. Calling Chester after her, she entered the mansion. The dog could wander the first floor while she took the staircase. In the guest room on the second floor, she took the clothes from the thrift shop out of the bag and lay them on a chair.
She’d just put her T-shirt on the bed and stepped out of her jeans when suddenly, the door creaked at her back. Not thinking, she only reacted. Caught off guard, Jasmine jumped around in order to see who was so brazen as to enter without even knocking. In doing so, she totally forgot she was half naked. As soon as she saw Cole standing in the doorway, annoyance visibly overtook her—of course he hadn’t knocked! She should know better by now!
Only seconds later did Jasmine realize the situation she was in. Abashed, she quickly turned around, so he at least couldn’t see her bra—and what was in it—anymore. “Can’t you knock?” she rebuked him. Apart from that, she’d noticed that he, too, was bare-chested. Still.
Sexy man, a sighing voice immediately whispered inside of her head. No, not sexy! Arrogant, assuming, annoying! She mentally corrected herself but was too distracted to look for something to put on.
“I know that I look familiar to you, too,” his dark voice resonated from behind her. Did he only sound so close, or was he really…
Unsure, Jasmine peeked over her shoulder. Damn. Cole unhurriedly crossed the room, heading straight toward her. That meant she really should put some clothes on, but her fingers were shaking badly.
“Looking familiar doesn’t have to mean anything,” she countered. Apparently, her voice didn’t sound very convincing because he came closer and closer.
“I saw the look on your face when you watched me.” Getting caught staring was never a good thing. This time it had doomed her.
A firm, warm hand laid itself on her elbow. The pressure wasn’t that strong; still Jasmine let herself be turned around by Cole. Facing each other, they stared into each other’s eyes, saying nothing and everything at the same time. Their tongues might be tied, but their eyes spoke volumes. Standing there, Jasmine had the unmistakable feeling of foreboding—she knew what was coming, could have left the room, fled into the bathroom…instead she stayed put. She widened her stance as if preparing for a confrontation. Perhaps because she could see sudden fire burning in this man’s normally cold gaze.
“I shouldn’t have stared; it was inappropriate. I’m sorry.”
At her words, Cole only smirked. Leaning his head down until his face was directly in front of hers, he told her, “You can stare as much as you want—as long as you touch, too.”
“T-touch?” Jasmine repeated as if she was a little dim. In reaction he grinned, stepping right into her comfort zone and crowding her backward with his body.
“Yes, touch.” Nodding, he leaned closer. At her neck, she felt his heavy breathing. Was he scenting her again?
“I love that you wear so many colors,” he rumbled. Taken by surprise, Jasmine’s gaze immediately dropped to her bra and panties. Bright yellow and pink. Yeah, they didn’t match, but they were comfy. Who cared anyway? Normally the underwear was hidden beneath her clothes, not being ogled by a strange but oddly fascinating man.
“What’s so special about wearing color?” Why had her wearing a red dress led to him wanting to work with her? Only her.
His answer was very simple: “My world is dark.”
Before Jasmine could do more than suck in a shocked breath, Cole kept her from answering him by capturing her mouth with his. The kiss was branding, as if he wanted to consume her. With the touch of their tongues, heat exploded. Suddenly Jasmine’s back met a wall; Cole’s front was pressed to hers, imprisoning her with his body. From her neck, his big hands wandered down over her arms until he gripped each of her wrists with his fingers. Trapped. Why did she feel so free then?
Confused by her thoughts and her body’s strong reaction to Cole, she tested his grip by pulling her arms. Nothing; he didn’t give away one inch. Her movements only reminded her of how perfectly his heavily built body was pressed against hers. When Cole left a trail of kisses from her mouth, over her jaw, down to her neck, Jasmine bit her lower lip. A sigh left her as she felt the hardness beneath his jeans rubbing against her belly. Automatically, she pulled at her wrists again, wanting to touch him, too, but he would only harden his grip.
“Just let yourself go,” he whispered into her ear, which still sounded like a demand to her. While she wanted to kick his arrogant behind for it, she also loved the sensations of being held and kissed by him. So she would let him get away with it this once and enjoy the ride. As if feeling the last of her resolve fleeting, he praised, “Good girl.”
“I’m not your pet.” Her tone was sharp. Cole chuckled. Chuckled! When he’d never done much more than smirk at her before. It threw her off so much that she forgot why she’d been riled up all over again.
“No, you’re not, you’re far too feisty for that. Thank God.”
“What?” she asked breathlessly. How did he manage to distract her so much? Oh well, his hips had begun to push against her in a hypnotic, addictive rhythm. No one could possibly blame her, right?
“Kiss me,” he breathed against her neck instead of answering her question. A sharp bite into her shoulder made Jasmine cry out, but Cole had planned the whole thing, made everything better with another searing kiss. Her bra loosened, then Cole pulled the damn thing from her shoulders until it fell onto the floor. Quick hands, Jasmine thought as he gripped her wrists once more. This time, he used one hand to pull both of her arms above her head and press them against the wall.
“Time to play.…Been wanting to do that since that elevator,” he murmured
darkly. Every one of her senses was somehow heightened when his free hand began to stroke her breasts and pull at the buds. Finally, his fingertips brushed downward. Jasmine felt like sighing and screaming in pleasure at the same time. Trying her best not to give him this victory, her whole body was tense like a bowstring.
“Let it go,” he growled, burying his head in her shoulder. With his tongue, lips, and teeth, he played with her sensitive flesh. “Let it go,” he demanded again, while his hips bucked against her once more. The huge bulge beneath his jeans pushed the right button. This was torture; she couldn’t hold back any longer.
A cry of pleasure left her lips. “That’s it,” he murmured. On his face, she saw a small smile when she blinked up at him. Immediately he stole all her breath with another of those addicting kisses.
“What about you?” she inquired between kisses. After all, he was at least as tense as she’d been. Only he’d seemed to know her reason for it—defiance. But his? Jasmine had no clue.
“What about me?” he contradicted in an attempt to defuse her argument.
“Liar.” The word left her lips on a breath. Cole seemed to stop all movement and just stared down at her. Something dark and dangerous entered his gaze; still she didn’t fear him. She should have—he was a stranger, they were in his mansion, far away from everyone else, and she was half naked, trapped in his arms. Why did she feel safe? Why did her body not react to him in a way that her mind would find appropriate?
As if snapping himself out of it, he growled, “Up!” before grabbing both of her thighs. Mindfully she reacted quickly, jumping upward at exactly the right time. He slung her legs around his hips so that she crossed her ankles behind his back. To balance herself, she grabbed his shoulders. God, this man was built like a brick—no, like a whole brick building! It was amazing how much the suit had covered up. Like this, he was pure masculinity. Without her willing them to do so, her hands gripped him hard. It felt good, simple as that.
Good Grief Page 4
