by Tia Fanning
“I find you very sexually attractive.” He crouched and started drying the lower part of her body.
She gave his broad shoulder a placating squeeze. “That’s nice of you to say, but don’t feel obligated to spare my feelings. Honestly. I’m okay.”
He tilted his head up and glared at her.
The silent message was very clear.
Yikes!
Cringing, she bit her lip, then amended, “Thank you for the compliment.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m sorry.”
He rose up and threw the towel in the corner. “Stay here,” he ordered, then left the bathroom.
God, he was so fucking sexy. There was something about his strong-silent-authoritative personality that sent flutters of pure thrill through her blood. It made her want to test him, to push him, to see how far he would allow her to take it, and to see if he would correct her, and if she would defer to him again.
Removing the towel from around her head, she scolded herself for wanting to be manipulative.
But oh, the games they could play.
Jack returned with clothing—her bra and underwear, an unknown tank top and pair of flannel pajama pants. He held them out to her. “You’ll be more comfortable wearing these than the clothes you came here in.”
She didn’t take the offering.
“Tell me why you were avoiding me,” she whispered. “And why you are here with me now.”
A blink. That was the amount of time it took for him to grasp her arms, draw her to him, and seize her lips, capturing her breath of surprise as his tongue swept in and conquered her.
Trapped within his the confines of his solid arms and hard chest, she yielded to his domination, moaning her acceptance and pressing against him in encouragement. Sensing her surrender, he slowed the assault on her mouth and deepened the kiss, which reignited the wanton flames within her. With her passion still smoldering from the bath, it took only a few seconds for her body to reach critical levels. Her breath labored, her heart pounded, her limbs trembled, her core throbbed.
Jack abruptly released her and stepped back, his searing gaze raking over her. “That is why,” he said.
Unfortunately, Oriana ruined his dramatic confession by succumbing to an orgasm so powerful that she crumbled.
Chapter Seven
To Jack’s relief, he managed to catch Oriana before she hit the floor.
Gathering her close, he lowered her down, holding her in his lap while she trembled against him, her hands clutching his shirt, her face buried in his chest.
Hell, it was only a kiss.
Yet there she was, falling apart in his arms.
Jack tightened his hold and nuzzled the top her head, rocking her back and forth while whispering words of comfort and apology. Meanwhile, he tried to sort through the intense emotions rushing through him: fear, astonishment, remorse, pride, lust—just a few among the many.
Collapsing like that had scared the living fuck out of him.
He couldn’t believe that a simple kiss had brought her to such a powerful climax.
He had meant to prove a point, not overwhelm her to the point of unconsciousness.
But it thrilled him to have so much power over her body.
And he wanted her more than anything in the world.
Oriana slid off his lap and kneeled beside him. With one hand grasping his shoulder in support, her other hand jerked open his pants and delved down, her fingers grasping his cock, which throbbed painfully to life under her touch.
“I want you, Jack,” she panted softly, her breath warm against his ear. “Will you let me?”
Growling, he fisted the hair at the base of her skull and captured her lips in a fierce, punishing kiss. Because dammit—he was going to let her. He was too weak to resist the little temptress.
While he assaulted her mouth, she pulled his hardness out of its fabric confines, moving her palm up and down his length in sure, solid strokes. He knew he should stop this, stop her, but she had consumed his thoughts for the last three days, and this moment was his wicked fantasy come true.
Though his fingers were still entwined in her damp hair, he broke off the kiss to give her enough leeway to straddle him. She instantly accepted the invitation, and moaned as she slid down his rigid girth. She was so tight, so hot. Finally, she began to move her hips, the movement tentative at first, then building up a slow, steady rhythm. He pulled back harder on her golden locks, forcing her to expose her creamy neck to him. His free hand soothed feather light caresses underneath her ass as he licked and nipped at her throat, tasting her dewy flesh.
“Oh God, Jack. You feel too good.”
With her nails digging into his shoulders for leverage, she increased her grinding pace, back and forth, up and down, side to side, forcing him deeper and deeper into her moist channel. Another tug on her hair had her arching her back and thrusting her chest up, her breasts swaying like teasing morsels begging to be devoured. He lowered his head and seized a taut nipple in his mouth, sucking it in and flicking it with his tongue.
Her pussy clenched around his shaft and she groaned. “More,” she rasped.
His fingers tightened on her scalp and he nibbled on the hard bud. His free hand slid up her side and cupped her other breast, kneading it with firm pressure while strumming the nipple with his thumb.
Oriana’s movements became more intense and she panted her passion in gasping yelps. He released his hold on her and leaned back slightly, allowing her to ride him harder without interference. Her beautiful features tensed as she sought her pleasure, her quivering core clenching onto his cock like a vice that refused to let up, pushing his own desires to a breaking point. His balls tightened and the base of his shaft tingled. Suddenly, she tensed and cried out his name, her sweet pussy milking him with every shudder as it succumbed to orgasm. Unable to resist the coaxing of her tight heat, he spilled within her.
It was the most intense release he’d ever had.
He held her close as she clung to him, resting her head against his shoulder, trying to catch her breath. While he gently rubbed her back, he tried not to think beyond the sensations of bliss, tried to ignore the internal warnings that wanted to ruin the moment by dwelling on his reckless and irresponsible behavior.
Jack adjusted his hold and moved her slightly, pulling out of her moist warmth. He gathered her close and lifted her into his arms, then brought her into the room. After carefully depositing her on the bed, he pulled the covers over her body. She snuggled into the warmth, releasing a small yawn. She looked extremely tired, but in the best possible way. Passionately sated.
“Sit, stay with me,” she whispered.
Her request, spoken with a lover’s softness, moved him more than he cared to admit, and like a moth drawn to flame, he found he could not turn away from the temptation.
Sitting beside her, Jack gently stroked Oriana’s hair in soothing caresses, watching as her eyes fluttered closed and she succumbed to sleep. He was humbled by the moment, by the trust and faith she placed in him. She was angelic in her slumber. Her lips, still swollen from their passion, were slightly parted, and her creamy cheeks still faintly flushed. Peaceful, innocent, enchanting, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
But Oriana was so much more than her looks. In addition to her intelligence, confidence, and sharp wit, she had a sweet nature that made him want to be around her. She was charming and sincere. Candid, she’d said.
Then there was the way she embraced her own sexuality, finding no shame in expressing her pleasure. She made him hunger for more.
Which was why he’d avoided her in the first place.
She was a tantalizing package that they would have to return soon, and he didn’t want to get attached.
Leaning over, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She moaned, like she was annoyed, then huffed and rolled over, snatching up a second pillow and holding it in her arms like a plush teddy bear. He smiled, knowing from their
first encounter how much she hated having her sleep disturbed.
Jack was about to leave when something caught his eye. A thin, black cord protruded from underneath a third pillow on the far side from where he sat. He reached over her and tugged gently, which produced the earpieces of headphones. CD player? Another tug showed that whatever was it was plugged into was too heavy to be pulled out by the cord.
Concern and suspicion marred his endearing emotions. He stood up and bent over Oriana’s sleeping form, slipping his hand beneath the fluff-stuffed hiding place. The moment his fingers encountered the hard, plastic shell case, he knew what it was.
The new rush of emotions assaulted him, all negative, with anxiety being the driving one that forced him to sit down and open the laptop right there and then. Questions drilled in his mind. How did she get it? Who has she been in contact with?
His anger surged next at what he saw on the screen.
It was Jordan’s laptop.
And it wasn’t as if she stole it. His brother had obviously given it to her. He’d even made her a user profile.
Jack clicked on her profile name and he was in, no password needed—something that actually irritated him more.
His fingers flew across the keys as he retrieved internal data and searched through logs that showed him all Oriana had done while on the machine, pleased that all the monitoring files seemed intact, nothing altered or tampered with. From what he could tell, her use of the laptop was innocent enough—listened to music, played games, watched movies, read some e-books, and the like.
However, he didn’t find any peace of mind until he went through her e-mail account. Thankfully, she’d only contacted her customers, canceling her appointments due to her malfunctioning plane, apologizing for the inconvenience, but ensuring them that she’d be back in touch again once it was repaired. Over all, it was a generic e-mail with a simple explanation.
No mention of her location.
No mention of an emergency landing.
No mention of her being in distress.
No mention of her needing rescue.
No mention of them.
The responses that came in seemed pleasant enough, and very understanding. No one had really asked personal questions, and those regular customers who had received fairly vague replies, usually with Oriana assuring them that she was fine and well and “enjoying her unexpected time off.”
He was relieved…and elated.
Funny. The feeling did not come from the fact that he’d overreacted—again—by thinking her some spy that had come with purpose of gathering sensitive information, nor did the joyous feeling come from her obvious willingness to keep their location a secret. But his heart seemed to swell at her assurances that she was okay and enjoying herself.
He realized that her happiness was important to him.
He wanted her to be happy while she was there.
Too much of a coward to face the growing feelings he had for Oriana, reminding himself that he’d only known her three days and she’d soon be leaving, he shifted his focus instead to Jordan. Though it seemed no harm came of this security violation, he was still pissed. This was the kind of shit he expected from Jon, but not Jordan. Jordan knew better.
Jack opened a command line window and typed out a message: If Ori need intrnt, brng 2 offce 4 use. All othr, use livng rm entrtmnt syst.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust—or want to trust—Oriana, but he didn’t trust those out there that she might encounter while accessing the internet. He was sure their security would hold, and that he was probably being paranoid, but he didn’t want to risk it. She wouldn’t know how to counter an intrusion if one should occur. At least if she was in the office, he or his brothers would be around to monitor, and could take action if necessary.
He was about to close down the laptop when a reply popped up from Jordan.
Lnch rdy. Ori hngry? I brng 2 rm?
Ori sleepn, he sent back.
U hngry?
U & Jon eat. I go bck 2 offce 2 wrk.
Shutting the laptop cover, Jack gathered the headphones and the power cord and left the room, giving Oriana one last glance before quietly closing the door.
* * * *
With her feet curled up under her, Oriana sat on the couch in the living room while Jonathan cleared the dining table and washed dishes, and Jordan wiped down the kitchen and prepared for their upcoming “movie night”. She had tried to help, but the guys wouldn’t hear of it, ordering her to rest while they finished up.
Jack hadn’t even bothered to come to supper, and was still hiding in the office.
Don’t take it personally, Jonathan had said when she inquired why the eldest brother wasn’t sitting down to eat with them. Jack’s just a workaholic.
She had nodded her concurrence, but didn’t believe that was the reason this time.
Stifling a sigh at Jack’s obvious attempt to avoid her—again, Oriana snatched the throw from the back of the couch and covered her lap, trying to ward off a chill. According to the virtual window, it was dark. She had slept most of the day away, and would have still been sleeping had Jordan not roused her for dinner. She had requested to eat at the dining table with the rest of them this time rather than take a tray in bed. To her surprise, Jordan had agreed.
Despite the mild discomfort of sitting on a hard chair with a sore bottom, which she had proudly endured without complaint, it had been a fabulous dinner—pot roast, homegrown vegetables, fresh baked rolls, and apple pie for dessert. And the company was as amazing as the food. It was the most fun she’d had over supper in a long time.
Since Jack had confiscated the laptop, they told her she would have to watch TV and play video games in the living room. Honesty, she was secretly grateful for this. She was sick of being stuck in her room.
In the end, they had decided to do a movie night, complete with popcorn, candy, and root beer floats. Oriana wondered if Jack would join them.
Jonathan and Jordan came in with the treats in hand. After placing everything on the coffee table, Jonathan grabbed blankets and turned out all the lights while Jordan inserted a movie into the DVD player. When ready, they both scooted her into the middle of the couch then plopped down on it, one on each side of her.
Jordan pressed the remote and the movie started. Opening credits appeared on the large screen, scratched out in sharp red font, and eerie music seeped out from the darkness and enveloped her, courtesy of the surround sound speakers.
“Oh, no, not a horror flick,” she bemoaned, sinking deeper into her blanket. “I hate scary movies.”
“Why?” Jonathan asked as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and stuck it on her lap so they could all reach it. “They’re so much fun.”
“Because they’re scary. I’ll probably spend half the movie with my hands over my eyes.”
“You don’t have to be scared,” Jordan offered. “It’s not real.”
They grabbed fistfuls of popcorn and shove it into their mouths.
“I know it’s not real, but seriously, you don’t want to watch these kinds of movies with me. I’m a screamer.”
Jonathan started coughing violently.
Oriana snatched his root beer float off the table and thrust into his hand. He drank while she rubbed his back. When he pulled the glass away from his lips, she asked, “Are you okay?”
With watery eyes, he nodded as he continued to cough into his fist, trying to clear his throat.
“He’s fine,” Jordan assured her, his attention more focused on the movie than on the health of his sibling. “He’s just trying to hide the fact that he’s laughing.”
“Laughing at what?”
“You stating that you’re a screamer. He had made a similar observation about you earlier today.”
Oriana felt her jaw drop and her cheeks flame in mortification. Oh my God! They had heard her and Jack doing the nasty. She didn’t even think about it at the time, but—
“Thanks for explaining, Jordan,” Jonathan ra
sped sardonically. “Do you remember that conversation we had about how some things are better left unaddressed?”
“Yes.”
“This was one of those times. You’ve just embarrassed our guest.”
Jordan stared at her with a mix of innocent curiosity and genuine concern. “Really?”
Seeing the worry in his eyes, she snapped her mouth shut and smiled, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I, uh…” She patted his knee. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you earlier with my, um…screaming.”
He shook his head emphatically. “No, you didn’t disturb me at all. I was glad to hear it. It seemed as if you were enjoyi—”
“Jordan,” Jonathan interrupted as he scoped softened ice cream from his glass. “Just shut up and watch the movie.”
Awkward silence descended and they all sat back and stared at the TV. Oriana tried to concentrate on the spooky scene progressing, but their conversation kept replaying in her head. Seriously, being around them was like living in a comedy sketch. She started to shake from the suppressed giggles bubbling in her chest.
Oriana looked to Jonathan, whose lips were twitching, then to Jordan, who had his palm over his mouth in an obvious attempt to suppress his mirth.
They erupted into laughter at the same instant, then rushed to explain why they were laughing, the three of them talking over each other.
“…oh my God. Was I really that loud? How freaking loud…”
“…I thought it was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard…”
“…am kind of embarrassed that I slept with your brother…”
“…we don’t mind at all…”
“…we’re happy. Don’t be embarrassed…”
Looming above her, a hot breath growled in her ear— “Embarrassed?”
Startled, Oriana leapt from the couch, tripped on her blanket and fell forward. Suddenly, everything went pitch black. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Piercing shrieks filled the inky darkness. Blind and panicking, she flailed her arms, fighting off icy tentacles as they latched onto her arms and face while she kicked at the tangled fabric around her feet. A solid impact. A monstrous howl. A blood curdling scream. Horrible crunching sounds followed, echoing in the disorienting red strobe that flashed from the TV screen. Terrified, she scrambled to avoid the shadow that lunged at her, and ran into a hard wall. Oriana desperately struggled against the steel warmth pulling her to her feet.
