by Inara Scott
Simon gave a short nod. He rubbed his hand over his hair and flashed her a smile that didn’t come close to reaching the cold pit in his stomach.
“Consider it done,” he said.
…
They left the quiet peace of The Courtyard and wove their way through thick Beijing traffic. Jenna relaxed against Simon’s shoulder, her head spinning from the wine and the powerfully seductive man beside her. She’d never been treated this way before. The food had been remarkable, even more amazing because it had been made just for them, by a world-renowned chef who was theirs for the evening.
The black town car took them through the gates of a closed compound, past a dramatic, secured entry with a huge portico and multistory tower and balcony. Jenna had expected a hotel, but it turned out that Simon rented a large, furnished villa on the Wenyu River.
“This place is beautiful,” she said, sliding her hand over the back of a dark wooden chair as they toured the silent space. She didn’t know much about the local architecture, but from the intricately-carved wooden armoire along one wall to the landscaped courtyard they crossed to get to the back of the house, everything screamed luxury, with a mix of Asian design and European comfort. It was also utterly impersonal, without a hint that anyone had ever lived here.
“I don’t like hotels,” Simon said.
“Me either,” Jenna murmured, trying not to look awestruck as she looked around the room.
“You’re laughing at me,” Simon said, his eyes crinkling with humor.
“No, really,” she said. “If I had a few million extra dollars lying around, I probably wouldn’t like hotels either.”
“The house serves a purpose,” Simon said. “I can entertain here if I need to. That can come in handy when negotiating deals.” He took her hand and tugged her toward him. “I don’t want to talk about the house. You said something about making you forget your name?”
She nodded, unable to speak as his hand traced a path up her spine, their conversation at dinner ringing in her ears. He’d been utterly clear about what their time together meant.
Nothing.
This is the man he has become. This is what he has to offer you. Sex. An escape from your ordinary life. A trip down memory lane. Anything but a relationship.
But was there really nothing left of the Simon she once knew? Had the quiet, caring boy who wanted desperately to settle down been completely replaced by this stranger? Who was this man with his walls, barriers, and deeply impersonal way of life?
He led her into his bedroom, which was dominated by a king-size bed on a low wooden platform, with a carved screen behind it and a series of painted silk panels hanging on the opposite wall. He pulled her tunic over her head. Beneath, she wore only her beige bra with lacy straps—the sexiest thing she owned, which wasn’t saying much. Still, he made a soft, humming sound of approval, dropping his head to kiss her nipples right through the soft material. They peaked in a moment, drawing into hard buds that left her gasping.
She blinked quickly in an effort to clear her mind. Though the prospect of letting him take over was enticing, she gathered the will to stop him, raising a hand and stepping back a few inches. “Wait. I want…” She trailed off, the words catching in her throat.
“What?”
“I want to…touch you.” Hot color sprang into her cheeks as she forced herself to say the words. “I don’t want it to just be about me tonight.”
“There’s no danger of that,” he drawled.
She nodded, covering a fresh rush of embarrassment by dropping her gaze as she hastily removed her bra.
“Jenna…” His deep voice seemed to reverberate through her. “I’m not letting you rush this.”
She forced her eyes to meet his.
“That’s not it,” she said finally, shaking her head. She forced her voice to remain steady. “I want to touch you. I want you in my mouth.”
He stepped forward, slid his hand along her neck to cup the back of her head, and then dropped his mouth to hers. A hot, forceful kiss claimed her mouth and left her gasping. Then he released her and stepped back.
“I’m all yours,” he said, eyes dancing wickedly.
With a deep breath, she took hold of his belt. He remained perfectly still as she removed it, then undid the button on his pants. His erection reared against her as she unzipped his pants and pushed them to the floor. She felt a rush of heat and moisture between her legs as she went further, slipping her hands inside his briefs and pulling them down.
She knelt down and took his cock in her hand. Touching him was an unbelievable turn-on, even hotter than having him touch her, and she forgot embarrassment, or shame, or modesty, and surrendered to the moment. The building ache. The sensual excitement of giving pleasure. When she felt his hand cup the back of her head, she reveled in the possessive gesture. He groaned softly, and she moved her hand around him, sliding up and down a few times, lightly.
“Oh hell, yes.” He groaned and tightened his grip on her, guiding her closer.
She darted out her tongue and licked a path around the head of his cock, the skin so smooth and soft she immediately wanted more. Pursing her lips in a wide circle, she took him deep, beginning a slow rhythm of relaxing her throat and mouth, letting him thrust against her, and then pulling back and licking, sucking the soft skin and teasing drops of moisture from the tip.
Her breasts began to ache, and the building heat between her legs intensified. Began to throb. With a soft growl, he tugged her to her feet, then guided her to the bed.
“No more of that,” he said.
She sprawled on her back, her muscles moving in a slow blur. She felt utterly uninhibited, no thought other than the next sensation, the next moment of contact.
He paused for a moment to study her, then smiled. “Much better,” he said.
“What?” she asked, rousing herself enough to rise on her elbows, hair falling behind her in a long, silky trail.
“No covers.”
It took a moment for her to make sense of his words, as her head remained in a sensual fog, and then another moment to realize it hadn’t occurred to her to try to cover herself, or hide her body.
“Just get over here,” she said, reaching her hand toward him.
He needed no further encouragement. Slowly, he moved his way up her body, massaging her feet and calves, placing butterfly kisses on her inner thighs, teasing the soft skin of her naval, and then pausing at her breasts. She closed her eyes and let the feeling take over as he worshipped her body.
She was overflowing with sensation. The rapid beat of her heart and the pulse of desire between her legs. Colors bursting and shimmering behind her eyelids. He brought her close to the edge time and time again, only to pull away and leave her gasping. He left her for only a moment to smooth on a condom. Then, finally, he covered her. Her legs opened beneath him, and they fit together effortlessly, like they had been made to be joined.
She arched, rocked, raised her legs to allow him even deeper entry. He closed his hands around her buttocks and held her fast.
“Ahhh…” The sound slipped out, pushed into the air by the force of his entry. His body. His presence. He moved slowly at first, murmuring something in her ear that she couldn’t focus on enough to comprehend. Her legs closed around his back while her fingers dug into his shoulders.
She shifted her position and angled her hips. He must have known what she wanted, because he slowed his pace and ground more deeply against her, moving her up and down with his hands on her hips. Each breath became a whimper of need.
Then, as if some dam inside him had broken, he groaned and dropped his head against her neck. A deep, rushing climax approached as he thrust faster and harder. Higher and higher she soared, his arms tight around her, her legs gripping him. When he pumped one final time and then shook, his body jerking inside her, she finally exploded, crying out his name as she shuddered to release.
Chapter Six
Simon didn’t start to get nervou
s—really, really nervous—until Monday morning. They both took off work on Friday and he took Jenna on a whirlwind, three-day tour of the city and the surrounding area, including the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace. On Sunday afternoon, they visited a luxury shopping mall to pick out Jenna some new lingerie and a fancy cocktail dress for dinner. She blushed, grinned, and giggled her way through the lingerie store, and insisted on paying for her own sexy bra and panties, and silk kimono. But while she was looking at a collection of beaded purses, he bought her the dress and an absurd little pair of shoes she’d obviously been eyeing. He wanted to spoil her and make her feel like the treasure she was. After a few minutes of protest, she changed into the form-fitting halter dress with a short chiffon skirt, and he barely made it to dinner with his pants zipped.
He couldn’t stop looking at her. Her mouth was perpetually tipped in some version of a smile, and she had an air of childlike awe about her as they toured the city that made him see the sights through new eyes. Their lives had taken them in different directions, but that only made it sweeter when they found some new connection, like a musician they both liked, or a book they read and loved. He suspected she was purposely avoiding talking about her ex-husband and kids, so he drew her out and asked questions about them, and before long he had been treated to hundreds of pictures on her phone and felt a surge of jealousy when he saw the giant linebacker of a guy who was her ex-husband. She obviously adored her kids, and he was oddly fascinated by the realization that right now, she could be tucking a beautiful little girl into her bed at night.
She was probably an amazing mother. The kind that laughed with her kids and made messes in the kitchen and didn’t worry about cleaning them up right away. The kind that went to every soccer game, and took terrible pictures with her phone of birthday cakes and school plays.
He should have hated these kinds of thoughts, but they snuck up on him in a strange, achy sort of way, and he had to fight to clear his mind.
They slept at her hotel on Sunday. He woke up with her nestled in his arms and a feeling of utter peace. This was an entirely new sensation, and one he wasn’t the least bit prepared for, so he got up as quickly as he could and took a cold shower. That helped ease the giant erection he seemed to sport whenever he was in the same room with her, but it did nothing to erase that nagging feeling of completion.
He didn’t like that feeling. It made him feel vulnerable and fragile, unpleasant emotions he didn’t care for and had no intention of allowing to continue.
You both knew what this was about. When her job is done she’s going back to her real life and so are you. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
A few minutes later, she woke up and insisted on modeling her new pink silk bra, and after that he had to take it off all over again, and they laughed and kissed, and made love in the shower with the water splashing over their shoulders.
She’s enjoying this for what it is. Why can’t you?
He couldn’t focus all day, kept sending her ridiculous emails and text messages, and she sent notes back filled with little emoticons—she was addicted to smiley faces—and promises for the evening that made him want to drop his work, grab her out of whatever meeting she was in, and head right back to her hotel.
When they finally did get back together that night, he was proud as hell when she said that everything had gone perfectly in her testing that day, and that she was wrapping up her project. Until he realized what that meant. That she would be leaving soon. And an empty, dark hole opened in his stomach, followed by a feeling of panic. He knew that dark hole and knew what it felt like to be there. He wasn’t going back. He couldn’t.
That night after dinner they made love and she cried out and he was desperate to run away. And terrified that it was already too late.
…
Tuesday morning, Jenna woke early, feeling restless and unsettled. When she’d told Simon the night before that it looked like she would be leaving early, his eyes glassed over and his expression went blank, and for the rest of the night she felt a distance between them that hadn’t been there before. He was passionate and thoughtful and charming, but a piece of him was missing.
It wasn’t hard to guess why. She thought about shaking him and demanding that he open up and tell her what he was feeling, but how crazy would that be? Demanding feelings from a man you’d spent less than a week with? A man who lived in Los Angeles, if he lived anywhere, when you lived in Denver? A man who obviously wanted no part of a life with a woman who had an ex-husband and three kids and a trail of baggage a mile long?
A man who might have the same name as the boy she once knew, but was light-years away from the friend who’d loved Tolkien and wore his pants a little too short, and would have laughed at the prospect of flying in a company jet.
She slid out of bed, careful not to wake him up, and sat down at the counter with her laptop. She checked her instant messenger, and found to her surprise that Ross was online. With a glance at Simon in bed, she sent Ross a quick note.
JennaGirl: How are you? How are the kids?
A pause. Jenna knew he didn’t really like IM’ing, but she was used to bothering him with her text messages, and this was the next best thing. She was getting far too involved with the naked man in her bed, and she needed to snap out of it. Focus on her real life. The one back in Denver.
RossB: We’re fine. How about you?
She could almost hear his sigh. If it didn’t cost so damn much and they hadn’t already talked twice this week, she would have just called. It would have been the perfect way to take her mind off the sexy hunk in her bed.
She toyed with her response. I’m having crazy sex with a guy three times a day didn’t seem entirely appropriate, particularly if Julia was standing behind him.
JennaGirl: Good. Job is finishing up early. Should be home in a week.
RossB: That’s great! I’ll let you tell the kids. They’ll be thrilled.
She stared at the screen, her conversation with Julia the other day ringing in her ears. Feeling only slightly guilty for teasing him, she wrote:
JennaGirl: Who’s this Kelsey person I keep hearing about? J
RossB: She was the babysitter that first week, remember?
JennaGirl: I know. I just didn’t realize her duties extended to an overnight camping trip. J
When he didn’t respond, she typed another quick message, suddenly worried he would think she was jealous.
JennaGirl: I’m not weirded out or anything. I think it would be great for you to date someone.
RossB: We aren’t dating.
She stared at those three short words, her own romantic problems momentarily forgotten. It was the terseness that gave him away. If this Kelsey had been a sixty-year-old Mary Poppins, he would have laughed off her suggestion as absurd. But he didn’t. Which meant something more was happening. She kept her response light.
JennaGirl: Well, a little “not dating” would be good for you too. J
RossB: It’s not a good time. The kids are still adjusting to the new house and I’m trying to get the business off the ground.
Her eyes widened. Holy shit, he was into her! She knew Ross as well as she knew anyone, and there were about a million things he wasn’t saying between those lines. Since the divorce, neither of them had gone out much, but Ross seemed particularly hesitant to get back into the dating scene.
Her body suddenly tense, she considered her response. There were a million things she wanted to say, but Ross was still a guy and not big on discussing his “feelings.” She decided on the simple route.
JennaGirl: It will never be a good time.
She stared at the screen, waiting for a reply. When it didn’t come, she closed the laptop, grabbed her phone and the key to the room, and stepped into the hallway, quietly closing the door behind her.
“Stupid man,” she muttered. Tapping her foot impatiently, she dialed his number and waited for the connection.
He
answered with a sigh. “You know how expensive this is, right?”
“Do you like her?” she asked, not bothering with a greeting.
“She’s all wrong,” he said, instead of answering the question. “She’s into climbing and mountaineering and she’s always traveling. It wouldn’t work out.”
Jenna gritted her teeth. Stupid stupid man. She could hear how much he liked the woman in his voice. “But how do you feel about her?”
“Who are you, my shrink? It doesn’t matter how I feel. In a week she’s going to climb some mountain in Nepal and very well might die.” His voice got a little thick and he paused. “I’m not going to expose the kids to that.”
Jenna froze. Good grief, he sounded worried. Not just joking around worried either, but this girl might actually die worried. “Really? That’s intense. Don’t they have ropes and harnesses and things?”
“Yeah, and storms and avalanches and crevasses, too.”
“Well, that is scary,” she said, taken aback. “But what exactly does that have to do with you going out with her?”
“Jenna, have you heard a word I’ve said?”
“Ross, stop that,” she snapped. “I happen to be fairly well acquainted with your sense of honor, okay? I know how you work. You get something in your head, like you’re protecting the kids, or protecting me, and that’s it. You’re black and white. But life doesn’t work that way. Love shouldn’t work that way. Love isn’t about what makes sense, it’s about how you feel.”
Her throat caught, and she had to swallow hard to overcome the lump that built there. She was saying these things for Ross’s benefit. Ross. She definitely wasn’t thinking about the man in her bed.
The one who was going to walk out of her life in a couple of days, who she’d probably never see again.
“Can we change the subject, please?” he asked.
The strain in Ross’s voice jerked her back from her own situation. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
She waited for him to respond, but had the feeling he couldn’t. “It’s okay. We tried to love each other like that,” she said, tears starting behind her eyes. “We tried for a long time. But we were always better friends than we were lovers. I can’t pretend that I know what the real thing is like, but if you’ve got a chance for that kind of love then you owe it to both of us to go after it.”
