As much as she tried denying not wanting or needing a man in her life, that lonely, empty part of her still yearned to find someone special. Someone steady, strong, yet gentle and giving when it counted. Someone who’d give her the freedom to do what she wanted, and didn’t demand more than she was able to give. Someone who’d accept her for the real woman she was beneath the flamboyance and sass.
Someone like Kyle.
Startled by that thought, she dismissed it as meaningless and frivolous, considering he’d admitted to being a confirmed bachelor. And even though he’d promised her she’d be in control of how fast and far their affair went, she knew and accepted up front that theirs wasn’t a forever kind of relationship. That knowledge should have brought her relief, but left her with an elusive feeling of wanting.
“Well?” Mariah prompted.
Jade blinked at her sister, thinking back to the question that had put her on a tangent better left unexplored. Oh, yeah, she wanted to know what was going on between her and Kyle on a personal level.
“We’re just…” The right word eluded Jade. What were they? They weren’t lovers, at least not yet. And they’d never be a “couple.” And their association encompassed more than a business relationship.
Mariah drummed her fingernails on the wooden armrest of her chair. “You’re just what?”
Pushy broad. “We’re just friends,” she answered indifferently. Certainly she and Kyle were at least that.
“Oh.” The tiny frown of disappointment creasing Mariah’s brows gave way to a slow, mischievous smile. Standing, she grabbed her copy of the contract off Jade’s desk and winked at her. “Well, you never know where friendship can lead.”
Jade shook her head at her sister’s optimism. Mariah just smiled and turned to go, but stopped when their receptionist’s voice drifted out of Jade’s intercom.
“Jade, there’s a Kyle Stephens here to see you. He doesn’t have an appointment, but he’s insisting you’ll see him without one,” Pam said, her exasperation plain. “What would you like me to do?”
Kyle Stephens, bold as he pleased. Jade’s pulse picked up at the mere thought, warming her insides with every heartbeat “Send him to my office,” she said to Pam, then disconnected the line with a push of a button on the phone.
“He certainly doesn’t lack in the confidence department, does he?” Mariah commented, her tone filled with amusement.
If Mariah knew the half of how brazen and self-assured Kyle was, she’d be shocked. “He’s a client, which gives him certain privileges, like dropping by without an appointment” Her handy excuse sounded good, though she had to admit she was curious about why he hadn’t mentioned anything about stopping by when she’d left The Black Sheep last night. But then again, after his seduction and her surrender, her mind had been on anything but business.
Jade waited for Mariah to continue out her office, and when she realized her sister needed a little prompting, she stood and waved a hand toward the entrance. “The door is right behind you, just in case you forgot the way out.”
Expression aghast, Mariah affected a prim and proper look that would have made Miss Manners proud. “I wouldn’t dream of being so rude as to not say hello.”
Glaring, Jade opened her mouth to issue a retort, but the remark died on her lips at the sound of a brisk knock. Her gaze shifted over her sister’s shoulder to the sinfully sexy man standing in the doorway. Then nothing seemed to matter as she connected with dark blue eyes, soft and rich as velvet, and as warm as sunshine caressing her bare skin. A honeyed heat of awareness sluiced through her veins, settling in feminine places gone too long without a man’s touch. It was Kyle whom she wanted to ease the ache. Kyle, with a mouth that delivered hot, exciting kisses and strong hands that promised a wealth of pleasure.
Grinning that lazy, bad-boy grin of his, he strolled into her office, filling the room with his masculine presence. He wore a pair of Levi’s, faded in all the right places, and a blue chambray shirt, the sleeves rolled to mid-forearm. “Good afternoon, ladies.”
“Kyle,” Mariah said, reaching out to clasp his hand in greeting. “It’s so nice to see you again. Jade was just telling me you’re a new client of ours.”
“Yes, I am,” he said, his tone warm and pleasant. “I’m looking forward to working with Jade.”
“Umm,” Mariah murmured thoughtfully, a mischievous smile curving her mouth. “Well, I’ll let the two of you discuss whatever it is you need to discuss.” She turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway, one hand resting on the frame as she glanced back at Jade. “Oh, I almost forgot!”
Jade slowly rounded her desk, not trusting her sister’s wide-eyed innocence. “Forgot what?”
Mariah smiled sweetly—too sweetly for Jade’s liking. “I talked to Mom this morning and she mentioned having a family barbecue at their place for your birthday next weekend. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you brought Kyle along, him being a friend and all.”
Jade forced a smile, though her fingers itched to strangle her meddling sister. “I don’t think Kyle would be interested—”
“I’d love to go,” he interrupted, bestowing a dazzling, charming smile on Mariah that any woman would be hard-pressed to resist. “Thanks for the invitation.”
Mariah grinned. “My pleasure.” Before Jade could object, Mariah ducked safely from the room and closed the door behind her.
Damn her sister, anyway, Jade thought irritably. Her relationship with Kyle wasn’t supposed to get cozy, and meeting her parents was too cozy for comfort. She preferred to keep their affair private—the less her family knew about Kyle, the better, because this wasn’t going to be a lasting relationship.
She glanced up at Kyle, who stood next to her. His gaze, she couldn’t help noticing, was focused on her mouth, which made it difficult for her to concentrate. “My sister can be a bit pushy at times,” she said, attempting to change his mind about joining her family get-together. “You really don’t have to go.”
The corner of his mouth crooked in a half smile. “I really want to.”
Did she really expect Kyle to concede so easily? She drew a deep breath and opted for honesty. “The truth is…I haven’t brought a male friend home in a long time.” Not since Adam, and the significance of bringing Kyle to meet her parents wasn’t something she was ready for.
“I’ll be a perfect gentleman,” he promised.
He didn’t understand the complications of openly acknowledging their relationship. “I don’t want my parents to get the wrong idea about us, or get their hopes up for something more between us than there is.”
He slid his hands into the front pockets of his well-worn jeans. “Which is?”
“Well, an affair.” Feeling exasperated and flustered beneath his intense stare, she went back to her desk and shuffled papers. “My father will drive you nuts with the third degree about our relationship and your intentions—”
“Trust me, tiger,” he said in a soothing drawl. “I can handle your father and any questions he might have. And I’d never do or say anything to embarrass you.”
She met his gaze from across the desk. “I never said you would.” The thing was, he was so unpredictable, and having an affair was so foreign to her, she didn’t know what to expect from him, or their newly established relationship. Or what he expected from her. The whole idea of being intimate with Kyle was at once scary and thrilling.
“I’ll tell you what, if you still feel this way by next weekend, I’ll respect your wishes and not go to your parents’. The decision will be yours.”
“Okay.” She hadn’t realized how tense the whole subject made her until she felt her body relax. He was giving her the space she needed, and she was grateful for that.
His gaze turned warm and speculative. “So, how old are you going to be, anyway?”
Her mouth pursed in displeasure. She was having a difficult enough time dealing with the fact that she was hitting a major milestone in her life without voicing it aloud. “Don�
�t ask,” she muttered.
His rich, amused chuckles filled her office. “It can’t be that bad. Come on, ’fess up.”
She sighed, knowing she had to get used to the idea of getting older, but she didn’t have to like it. “I’m going to be the big 3-0.” She cringed as she said the number.
“Oh, yeah, that puts you way over the hill,” he teased. “I’ll be sure to get you a cane and a bottle of Metamucil.”
She made a face at him, though deep down inside she couldn’t stop thinking that she’d once imagined having a husband and family by now—but the future looked mighty bleak on that score. When she saw Mariah with Grey and Kayla, and how happy they were as a family, she sometimes experienced a twinge of envy that made her wonder if she was destined to live her life alone. It was a possibility, considering her timidity toward committing herself to another man.
Not caring for the direction of those thoughts, she reached for The Black Sheep’s file, which she’d left in her “pending” basket on the corner of her desk. “So, what brings you by? We didn’t have an appointment to sign your contract until tomorrow morning.”
“My visit has nothing to do with my contract.” Eyes glittering with purpose, he strolled toward where she stood behind her desk. “You see, I’ve got this problem, and it’s all your fault. And since it’s your fault, I think you ought to do something about it.”
He stopped behind her, but didn’t touch her. All at once she was aware of the silence and intimacy of her office. That they were totally and completely alone, and she still didn’t know why he was there. Could only imagine the reason for his visit.
A shiver of anticipation danced down her spine and settled in the pit of her belly. The Black Sheep’s file slipped from her fingers and landed on the paperwork on her blotter.
“What’s all my fault?” she asked breathlessly.
“That I can’t stop thinking about you. About the way you smell…” Lowering his head, he drew a deep breath of her scent “The way you feel…” Slowly he dragged his hands over the curve of her hips. “And the way you taste. Especially that. You taste like sweet peaches and rich cream.”
A moan caught in her throat. Resisting the urge to lean back against him and absorb his heat, she struggled to maintain her composure. Business was always a good diffuser.
She turned around, breaking the contact of his hands, but trapping herself in a more precarious situation—between him and her desk. “Uh, since you’re here you might as well sign your contract now.”
“In a minute,” he murmured, his long, tawny lashes sweeping downward.
Sifting his fingers through the wispy hair at the side of her face, he lifted her mouth to his. Her lips automatically parted, and she accepted the blatantly erotic, very thorough French kiss he gave her. A purring rumble rose up in her throat, and he returned the sound of pleasure with a masculine growl of his own.
A part of her mind not overwhelmed by desire wondered how far he planned to take their kiss…if he’d come to her office to seduce her and make their affair official. He moved closer, pressing his body against hers. His erection strained against her belly, and a frisson of panic doused the flames that had burned so brightly only moments before.
As much as she wanted Kyle, as much as she enjoyed his kisses and caresses, she still felt unsure of him, herself and them to advance to the next level of intimacy.
As if he sensed her emotional withdrawal, he ended the kiss and took a small step back.
“Damn,” he said softly, a lopsided grin full of masculine satisfaction on his face. “If I’d known how incredibly sexy and soft your mouth felt, no way would I have waited six months to kiss you.”
She willed her heart rate to stabilize, and reached for some much needed sass. “I’m surprised you waited at all, considering how presumptuous you are.”
His dark blue eyes sparkled with humor. “It’s always nice to have the other person’s cooperation when you try and kiss her. I didn’t want to find out if you had a strong left hook.” He touched her cheek, ran a fingertip along her jaw. “Now, about my contract?”
Collecting her poise, and welcoming the business diversion, she turned toward her desk, retrieved his contract from his file, and handed it to him. “These are just approximate figures and are estimated on the high side until we get the proposal for your restaurant and bar completely laid out, which we’ll start on next week. Read through the preliminary contract, and if everything meets with your approval sign on the dotted line.”
Mr. Presumptuous settled himself into her high-back chair and propped his boots on the corner of her desk, confining her to a cramped triangle constructed of his legs, her chair and her desk. He began perusing the contract, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was trapped, and that he was sitting in her seat.
No way was she going to take one of the chairs in front of her desk reserved for clients and let him be in the dominant position, so she eased back onto the flat surface of her desk, crossed one leg over the other, and waited for him to finish reading the terms of their agreement.
After a few silent moments passed, he glanced up at her. “Got a pen?”
Remembering what had transpired the last time he’d made such a request, she held the pen just out of his reach. “Depends on where you plan to put your signature.”
He chuckled and ran a finger along the hem of her skirt, then lifted the edge half an inch as if to peek underneath. “You got a dotted line somewhere I don’t know about?”
Her thigh tingled where he touched, and she swatted his hand away before he got any bolder. “No,” she answered.
“Then you’re safe,” he said, plucking the pen from her grasp. “For now.”
She watched him sign his name in a bold, indecipherable scrawl. “Casual Elegance needs half of the estimated amount as a deposit, and we’ll bill you for the balance at the completion of the project. You can mail the deposit or I can stop by the bar and pick it up—”
“I’ve got a check on me.” He shifted in the chair, pulled his wallet from his back pocket, then withdrew a folded check. “I always keep a spare on me for emergencies.”
Less than a minute later she held a fair chunk of change in her hand. The check, written on a business account under the name The Black Sheep, had a single black sheep graphic in the upper left-hand corner. She’d decided she liked the catchy and original name.
Paper-clipping the check to his file for Pam to process, she glanced up at him, and asked curiously, “So, how did you come up with the name The Black Sheep?”
Kyle leaned back in Jade’s chair and briefly contemplated her question, and the complicated and personal answer he’d never expected to have to explain to anyone. “It’s a long story,” he said dismissively. “As long as I am old.”
His comment didn’t dissuade her. If anything, the interest in her gaze intensified. “Then how about giving me the condensed version?”
She didn’t take a hint very well, he thought, slightly disgruntled. He could have ended their discussion with a vague, “Inspiration struck” His past wasn’t something he was proud of, but how could he expect her to open up with him if he refused to do the same?
Knowing how important this moment of trust and sharing was to their relationship, he met her gaze. “I named the bar The Black Sheep because it’s who and what I am,” he said, simplifying his reasons the best he could. “The black sheep of the Stephens family. The rebellious son who was always a disappointment.”
A small smile touched her lips, still a little swollen from his kiss. “All kids are rebellious at one point or another in their teenage years. It’s a stage we all go through.”
It had been more than a developmental stage, he thought. It had been a lifetime of not being able to live up to his father’s expectations and of being constantly compared to his older brother. No matter how hard he’d tried to please his father, he’d never been as good as Nathan.
And Nathan had been far from a saint, just the firstborn
son who’d learned early how to manipulate their father, and cover his ass when things went wrong by blaming Kyle.
“My rebellion started when I was seven and my mother died,” he said, remembering how his mother had tried to buffer his father’s favoritism when she’d been alive. After her death, there’d been no one to defuse the friction among him, his brother and his father. His new stepmother hadn’t had much patience for the bundle of energy he’d been and found it easier to ignore him than deal with the problem. “And it didn’t end until I was eighteen and my father finally disowned me.”
Her eyes widened in astonishment and shock. “What did you do that would make your father so mad he’d disown you?”
The tension tightening Kyle’s shoulders made him all too aware that the resentment and anger he’d experienced as a youth was deep and buried, but certainly not forgotten. “I was a regular juvenile delinquent,” he admitted, though his defiance had been a deliberate attempt to defy his father. “The only thing that kept me out of jail, and the Stephens name out of a nasty scandal, was my father’s money and his influence as a lawyer. But they got a scandal anyway the summer I got Jamie Ann pregnant, chose not to marry her, then joined the marines, which wasn’t exactly what my father had planned for my future.”
“So, you don’t talk to your family?” She asked the question tentatively, as if she couldn’t quite believe it was true.
“I haven’t in years. My brother is a self-absorbed, cutthroat lawyer who has made my father proud. I have a little stepsister, Veronica, who is the only one who stays in touch.” Ironically, she was the only real connection he had to a family who’d basically written him off. “When she told my brother and father I’d opened up a bar, my father said I’d sunk to new lows. How’s that for being supportive?”
She shook her head in dismay. “I can’t imagine what it would be like not to have a close family. My parents have always been so wonderfully supportive, and my sister is like my best friend. We share everything. Well, just about everything,” she clarified, remembering what she’d chosen not to tell her sister.
Her Sexiest Fantasy (The Sexiest Series Book 2) Page 8
