Lead Me On

by Victoria Dahl

  Once he hit the street, Chase snuck another glance at Jane. In her dark jeans and long-sleeved shirt, she really looked like a woman in her twenties. A cute woman in her twenties. And the tight T-shirt wasn’t hurting her figure any. He saw the sweater tucked over her arm and knew she’d slip it on when they got to the site—or he hoped she would, anyway. He wasn’t in the mood to show her body off to his men.

  She cleared her throat. She seemed to do that a lot when she was nervous. “Your dad’s been really great. Jessie’s lawyer is impressed.”

  “He’s drinking less, which is good. Good for your brother, anyway.”

  “Good for you, too,” she said quietly.

  Chase shrugged. “It happens sometimes. He’ll slow down and get a job for a week or two. Once he had a girlfriend who talked him into going cold turkey for a few months. It never takes.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He felt his jaw tightening and forced it to relax. “He’s old school, doesn’t believe in rehab, so I’m not sure he’ll ever stop drinking. I’m not exactly at peace with it, but it’s easier since I stopped helping him out. No more beer runs.”

  The truck bounced over a ridge of dirt as he turned into the huge building site. “I need to walk the site first, then I’ll drive us farther away before the actual blast. I don’t want you getting hit by debris, and it’s best to coddle my insurance guy. He’s paranoid.”

  He slid out of the truck and jogged around to open her door.

  “You want me to come with?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Thankfully, she pulled on the black sweater and zipped it up, disguising her curves. Chase breathed a sigh of relief and resisted the urge to take her hand. She wouldn’t want to be led through the site like a date, regardless of his desire to mark her as his to keep all the men away from her.

  It took him a good fifteen minutes to check the placement and fuses and wires. He went over the plans one last time, double-checking measurements. Everything was in order.

  “Chase!” one of his technicians shouted, jogging over to him. He waved a yellow paper that Chase recognized as a permit.

  “Just a second, Jane. I’ll be right back.”

  JANE WATCHED CHASE walk away, his stride long and sure. He’d struck her as confident before, but here…here he was in his element, in control. He was the owner.

  The men all nodded when he walked by, even as they carried on with their work. His second in command deferred to Chase, despite Chase being a good ten years younger.

  Why had she never even suspected?

  Yes, she was a snob, if only within the strict parameters she’d set in her own mind. But Mac was a business owner, too. She knew they didn’t all wear suits and ties.

  Hidden behind her dark glasses, Jane watched Chase as he worked. Maybe she hadn’t considered him anything more than a laborer because that’s what she’d wanted him to be. If Chase was successful and ambitious in addition to being tattooed and rough…

  She watched as he folded his arms and cocked his head, looking down at the paper the other man held. Then Chase nodded and clapped his hand against the guy’s shoulder before turning back toward Jane. When he glanced up and saw her, his mouth curved into a smile.

  Something deep inside her chest clenched. It wasn’t her heart. It couldn’t be. Just her stomach. For all his muscles, Chase had the smile of a mischievous little boy.

  He was impossibly cute. And this was the reason she needed him to be nothing more than a dead-end laborer.

  This was bad. Really bad.

  She shouldn’t have come. She should’ve stayed home and puzzled out what Chase’s revelation meant to her.

  But his offer had been irresistible. She’d been pacing her condo restlessly, trying to think of some way to occupy her time before Jessie’s discovery hearing at three. Then Chase had called and offered to take her to an explosion? She’d nearly wept with relief. But now she didn’t feel anything like weeping. Now there were butterflies dancing in her stomach.

  “You ready?” he asked, shocking her into a little jump with his sudden appearance.

  “Oh, y-yeah,” she stammered. “Absolutely.”

  “Come on.” His hand rested low on her back for a moment before falling away. The faint imprints of his fingers tingled for a long time after as they walked across the wide lot toward his truck. But Jane forced her pulse to slow as she glanced back toward the jagged wall of rock. Perfect little holes peppered it, trailing red wires like tails. “Are you sure those little bits of dynamite will work?”

  Chase winked at her. “I’m pretty sure.” When he handed her up into the truck, his hands lingered at her waist and dragged down her hips. Lust shot through her like tiny explosions, racing out ahead of his fingers, and her thoughts scattered.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just to those trees over there. Here.” He reached into the tiny backseat and grabbed a hard hat. “You’ll need this.”

  “Ooh, cute.” She plopped it onto her head.

  “It’s not bad. Put it on with sexy lingerie and see how I react.”

  “Hmm. Maybe the same way you’d react if I wore a jester’s hat with sexy lingerie?”

  “Possibly.” Oh, God, that smile again.

  Jane put her hands flat to her thighs and pressed. “So how did you get into the job of blowing things up?”

  “That’s not all I do!” he protested.

  “Yeah, I get it. You’re the owner. But blowing things up is what you love, right? Your eyes are sparkling like disco lights.”

  “Ha! Okay, yes, I love it. I started working construction when I was sixteen. The first time I saw a blast…I was in awe. I couldn’t believe that was actually someone’s job. I wheedled my way onto the excavation team, and that was that.”

  “Well, I’m awfully glad you found a way to use your powers for good.”

  He winked. “The other side of that coin wouldn’t be pretty. Luckily, I’m one of the good guys.”

  Yes, he was. He really was. And his goodness was beginning to seep into her, sneaking through her pores when she was trying to have meaningless sex with him. She’d tried so hard to feel this kind of comfort with Greg. And with Mitch. And with all the socially acceptable men she’d dated before them. But when she was with those men, she felt as if she was working. On guard. Always careful.

  With Chase she felt alive. The way she felt alive when she boxed. But danger made some people feel alive. So did drugs. Shoplifting. Reckless sex. Those kinds of feelings didn’t mean something was good for you.

  “This should do it,” Chase said as he backed the truck underneath a big maple tree. The new leaves fluttered around them, turning the sunlight into glitter.

  Chase got out to open her door again. But he surprised her this time by lifting her up as soon as her feet touched the ground.

  “Oh!”

  He set her on the hood of the truck. “This’ll give us a better view.” His hands rested on her thighs, both easing close to a very interesting place.

  “Good,” she murmured, breath coming a little faster at that harmless touch.

  “Scoot over?”

  She slid across the hot hood of his truck and found a comfortable spot to lean against the windshield.

  “Leave your sunglasses on just in case there’s any debris,” he instructed as he slid his own shades into place and leaned back, his shoulder nestled comfortably against hers. She wasn’t truly surprised when his big hand slid under hers and he laced their fingers together. She wasn’t surprised, but it did shock something deep in her chest. Something warm and melty and frighteningly soft.

  “So what do you love?” he asked.

  Fear trembled up from that place he’d just warmed. “What?”

  “I love blasting through rock. What do you love?”

  “Oh. I guess…” She shuffled nervously through her thoughts. What did she love? She liked boxing, but she didn’t think it made her eyes light up. It was just an outlet. “I…I
love my job.”

  She saw his head turn toward her, but Jane kept staring straight ahead.

  “Being a secretary? You mean like…answering phones and stuff?”

  “No, I mean…I like knowing that I’m good at something. Being shown respect. Being valued. Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Yes!” he said as if he’d been sitting on the edge of his seat for days.

  Jane flashed him a smile. “You won’t tell anyone?”

  “You know I won’t, Jane. You can tell me.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Here’s the truth. I’m not just the secretary. I own part of Jennings Architecture.”

  Well, she’d shocked him. She couldn’t see past his sunglasses, but his mouth had fallen open. There. That would teach him to hide his success behind dirty jeans and ragged T-shirts.

  “It’s true. Mr. Jennings couldn’t pay much when he first started out, so he offered me a share in the profits. I’m the secretary and receptionist and office manager, but I’m more than that, too. Mr. Jennings consults me about the direction of the company, or risks he might take, or partnerships he enters into. He values my opinion. I never thought I’d…” Jane paused in the face of her vulnerability. “It’s not explosions and dynamite, but…I really, really love it.”

  A piercing tone cut through the stillness around them.

  “What’s that?”

  Chase murmured, “It’s the all-clear warning.”

  She clutched his hand tighter. “Is it about to happen?”

  “Yep. Are you ready?”

  “I’m ready!”

  The all-clear warning sounded one last time, then warped into a clear, computerlike voice. “Five, four, three, two…” Pulling his hand up to cradle it tight to her thumping heart, she held her breath and then…Whoom! A blast of sound went through her, an invisible hand. Silence held on to its coattails—complete silence—just before the rattle of falling rock began to pop through the air. Dust and smoke billowed up as she felt the adrenaline hit her blood.

  “Wow!”

  “Did you like it?”

  It was simplicity itself: something had blown up. End of story. But her heart was jumping hard with excitement. “That was great!”

  “It’s even better up close. This was a pretty small one, but I thought you might like it.”

  “I loved it. Thank you so much for inviting me.” His knuckles brushed the bare skin at the base of her neck and she realized she was still clutching his hand. She forced her fingers to uncurl. When she let him go, his hand rose to cradle her face and turn her toward him.

  His mouth touched hers. Lust spiced the adrenaline in her blood and set off a different kind of explosion. Jane ran her hand up the back of his neck. His newly cut hair prickled against her skin as his tongue rubbed hers.

  Every time he touched her, she wanted him, but the adrenaline added something dangerous to her need. She wanted to crawl over him, crawl inside him. Her hand curled, trying to hold on to his hair.

  Chase broke away. “Jane…we really can’t do this here.”

  “I know that!” She laughed.

  He kissed her again, tasting her, pushing into her wetness. Oh, God. This was what she wanted. Nothing more complicated than this.

  “My place,” she murmured as he nibbled at her bottom lip, “is only three minutes away.”

  “Let’s go.”

  CHASE MADE A QUICK DETOUR to the construction trailer, pulling right up to where his supervisor stood. He listened to the rundown, gave a few instructions and told him he’d be back at two to walk the site. Then he was free.

  Before they even made it off the lot, he snuck his hand between Jane’s thighs and rubbed her through her jeans. Her head fell back as she groaned.

  That first time had been quick and hot, but in the shower afterward, he’d planned what he wanted next. He’d fantasized about spreading her out on his bed and exploring her. Tasting and sucking and biting. But she’d slipped from his grasp that night, and there hadn’t been any time or space in his truck at Ryders. But today. Today he planned to make her as weak and helpless as she’d been making him.

  She groaned again, her legs falling open as he stroked her through the thick denim.

  “Almost there,” he muttered.

  “No, I’m not quite…” Jane’s eyelids rose a millimeter and she smiled. “Oh, I see. My street.”

  “Yeah, you’re not that easy.”

  “Not quite. But almost.”

  Chase grinned, tires squealing as he swung into her driveway and braked hard. She popped open her door before he’d even cut the ignition. By the time he’d raced up her three front steps, Jane had the door unlocked and wide open.

  Chase had a vague impression of rich colors and dark wood doors as he glanced around the town house, but he was more focused on looking for the bedroom. “Upstairs?”

  Jane didn’t answer. She just started up the stairs, taking the time to drop her sweater as she walked. Her T-shirt came off next, revealing a pale pink bra underneath. Chase got into the spirit and shrugged off his shirt as he followed.

  Her bedroom was perfectly neat, not one thing out of place until Jane kicked off her shoes. He hopped on one foot and then the other, unlacing his boots so he could toe them off as Jane reached to unzip her jeans.

  He liked this girl. A lot. She wasn’t looking to be seduced or worn down. She wanted this as much as he did and had no stake in pretending otherwise. But when she reached to push her underwear off, Chase held up a hand. “Wait.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re doing this my way today, and I want you to wait.”

  Her brow drew tight. He met her gaze and waited. Jane didn’t exactly give in, but she didn’t take off her panties either. Good enough.

  Chase shucked off the rest of his clothes, enjoying the way her eyes ate him up as he walked toward her. Aware of how she’d touched him that first night, Chase traced his hand down her elegant neck and over her collarbone, measuring her response by the hitch in her breath. She liked it when he dragged his thumb over the soft flesh above the line of her bra. She jumped a little when he got too close to her arm, so he veered up, away from ticklish spots.

  He circled her, the way she’d circled him, and pressed his mouth to intriguing spots like the top of her shoulder and the place where it began to curve up to her neck. He licked her nape, the way she’d licked his, then dragged his fingertips all the way down her spine.

  “I’ve never touched anything so soft, Jane. Never.” He spread both hands over her full hips, then her narrow waist and the hard cage of her ribs. “Amazing,” he breathed, pressing his erection to her ass.

  Jane inhaled sharply, reaching back to grip his naked hips.

  He thought about ripping off her underwear and sliding into her right there, but just a few minutes ago he’d been intent on taking it slowly. Jane was likely to end this affair at any moment, and he’d never even tasted her.

  So Chase sucked at her neck and memorized her curves with his hands before he nudged her panties gently down. He took off her bra and turned her to face him.

  As always, the sight of her breasts stole his breath. Amazing. Just like the rest of her.

  The dark triangle of hair that covered her sex was nearly black against her pale skin. It looked…untouched. And here was the friendly mystery he’d pondered for hours.

  Chase backed her up to the bed and eased her down. He knelt before her and put his hands over her knees to spread them wide. “Ah,” he breathed at the beautiful glimpse of her. That triangle of hair was perfect…and there was nothing else. The rest of her was waxed bare, leaving vulnerable and naked the plump lips and pink wetness. “Ah, sweet God.”

  Hooking his hands beneath her knees, Chase tugged her forward until she was within reach of his mouth. And then he kissed her. Finally. He licked her and sucked her and listened to her cries as if they were music. He traced the soft flesh and flicked his tongue over her until she begged for more, and then he gave he
r more, plunging two fingers deep.

  “Oh, God, Chase,” she groaned. “Oh, God, you’re so good.”

  Well, that was nice. It was even nicer when Jane screamed his name, her hips jerking against his hold as she came, the taste of her flooding him.

  Too fast. Too fast. He cupped his whole hand over her heat as her shivers subsided.

  “Oh, God,” she whispered. “That was…It was good.”

  “It was gorgeous,” he agreed, rising to his knees and tugging her farther off the edge of the mattress. Now she was only an inch from his throbbing cock, the wetness of her tempting him to slide into that heat, to feel every bit of her squeezing against him, naked and slick.

  “Chase,” she whispered. He looked up to see her eyes burning into him. “Fuck me.”

  Yes. His hands shook against her thighs. His jeans were so far away, and he wanted to fuck her just like this, the way it was supposed to be.

  But he couldn’t. “Damn it,” he muttered and lunged to the side to snag his jeans. “Damn it.” He tore open the condom and slid it on, then sank himself deep in one brutal thrust.

  Jane pressed her feet flat to the floor, arching her back as she cried out. Her sex squeezed him, the muscles tightening at the invasion. If Jane ended this, Chase was going to start hanging around the Pilates classroom at the rec center. But some other Pilates girl likely wouldn’t be the fix he needed. It was Jane who turned him on so much. Jane and her tight body and confusing life and incredible hunger.

  He thrust into her slow and hard, watching the way she bit her lip and clenched her hands. Her back arched harder, thrusting her breasts higher. Chase watched, eyes narrowed in focus. He was the one making her muscles clench. It was his cock filling her up and pushing those cries from her throat. Growling with greedy pleasure, he quickened his pace.

  “Chase,” she whispered, eyes opening to show just as much fierceness as he felt.

  God, she was beautiful. So gorgeous she made his heart clench with pain. And suddenly this wasn’t enough, this brutal coupling. They’d already done this. He wanted more.

  Gathering her body into his arms, he shifted her farther onto the bed, so that he could rise over her. Now he could kiss her. Now he could lower himself to her body and feel her skin against his. Her arms clutched him closer, and that tension inside him loosened with relief.