Her Sexiest Fantasy (The Sexiest Series Book 2)

by Janelle Denison

  “Tell me, Jade,” he urged, experiencing a swell of tenderness that came straight from the heart. “I’m not here to judge you, but I need to know what happened in your previous relationship that has made you so, well…distrusting of men.”

  She didn’t deny his claim. But she didn’t venture to elaborate, either.

  He sighed, skimming his thumb down the slope of her tense jaw. He’d pursued this very stubborn woman for six months, unexpectedly fallen in love with her in less than two. There was no way he was going to let something so obviously important to their future fall by the wayside.

  “You’ve trusted me with everything else tonight,” he went on, attempting a more ruthless, straightforward approach. “I’d like to think you can trust me with your past.”

  Jade stared at the man who’d come to mean so much to her in such a short span of time. A man who’d tapped into her deepest secrets and desires and restored her confidence as a woman. A man who’d given her so much and asked so little in return.

  Needing to relax the knot in her belly, she reached for the glass of wine he held and drained what little was left of the pale gold drink. Liquid courage, she thought with inner mockery as she set the empty glass on the nightstand behind her, then refocused her gaze on anything but Kyle.

  “I met Adam Beckman at a cocktail party hosted by a client of mine who owned a finance firm,” she began, easily recalling that fateful night. “Adam worked for him. He was quite charming, and I have to admit that flattery got him everywhere.” She smiled wanly. “We started dating, and things got serious between us real fast. Before I knew it, I was totally wrapped up in Adam, willing to do anything to please him or to be with him.”

  She smoothed her damp palms down the cotton covering her thighs, while her heart thudded in her chest. Other than her sister and parents, no one knew how devastating and emotionally destructive her relationship with Adam had been.

  She lifted her gaze to Kyle, not sure what she expected to find. He was quiet, but watchful and tremendously patient. His silent strength gave her the fortitude to go on.

  “After a couple of months of dating, Adam started making mild suggestions to change my appearance…like my hair. It was waist-length and thick, and while I liked to wear it down, he preferred it up, though he insisted I not cut it.” She found herself touching the wispy hair at the nape of her neck, not regretting the day she’d sheared off the length shortly after her breakup with Adam. That bit of defiance had felt glorious.

  “He didn’t like makeup, so I started wearing very little, and pale colors at that. Next came my clothes. Adam insisted if I was going to be the girlfriend of a high-powered executive, I needed to look the part.” Not like some trussed-up Barbie doll, she remembered him saying. “We went shopping for a new wardrobe and Adam chose conservative suits and dresses in dark, drab colors.” Looking back, she realized Adam’s ploy…to downplay her appearance so he’d upstage her in his fancy, expensive designer clothes. And he had. She later learned he was a man who needed to feel superior, even at the expense of others.

  Finding a rose petal in the folds of the sheet, she rubbed the silky-soft blossom between her fingers and spared another glance at Kyle. He said nothing, but the tight line of his jaw spoke volumes. He didn’t like what he was hearing. She supposed that made them even, because she hated relaying the awful experience.

  “My appearance wasn’t all he altered,” she said quietly, her voice hushed in the too-quiet bedroom. “Adam was controlling and dominating and had certain ideas of what I should be and how I should act. In public and in private. He even started keeping track of my whereabouts, where I went and who I saw. And I fell right into his trap, letting him influence me to the point that I was no longer the person I’d been before him, but a compliant, docile woman he’d shaped and molded to his warped expectations.” It had happened so quickly. Too easily. Frighteningly so. “I was so caught up in our relationship, I couldn’t see just how destructive Adam’s manipulation was.”

  Needing space, she slid from the bed and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window in the room. Kyle had opened the drapes earlier, and from sixteen stories up, they had a fabulous view overlooking the city. The twinkling lights with a backdrop of black velvet soothed the upheaval of emotions within her.

  “What happened, Jade?” Kyle asked, his voice strong and steady from behind her.

  She shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle, chilled by the memories leaping to life in her mind. The worst was yet to be told, but having already come this far, and trusting Kyle more than she thought possible, she shut out the pain and focused on purging herself of the past.

  “My sister and parents expressed their concern over the erratic changes in my behavior and appearance,” she said, not daring to look at Kyle for fear of losing her confidence to go on. “A part of me—the part that was in love with Adam—resented their interference and denied the truth. I was determined to prove my family wrong about Adam.”

  The silence in the room was absolute. He was waiting for her to go on, and she was dreading what lay ahead…reliving the singularly worst night of her life. Her stomach churned, and the pressure in her chest increased to an unbearable tension.

  She pushed the turmoil aside. “Adam received a promotion at work, and I threw him a surprise party inviting our friends and family. I wanted to look my best, and I also wanted to show my family that Adam wasn’t as bad as they were making him out to be. So I went and had my makeup done, then my hair styled, leaving it down so it fell to nearly my waist in soft waves. I bought a new dress, an ankle-length sheath that was sexy in a very subtle way, though it had a slit that showed more leg than any of the other outfits Adam chose for me.”

  She touched a hand to the cool windowpane, a faint smile touching her lips. “I remember looking in the mirror, thinking that for the first time since dating Adam I felt pretty, feminine and desirable. My last thought was that I hoped the way I looked pleased him.”

  She drew in a ragged breath, and let the rest of the story rush out before she could stop it. “But when he walked into the party and saw me talking to a male colleague of his, all dressed up and looking as my sister put it ‘like a knockout,’ he turned absolutely livid.” She shuddered when she recalled how his eyes had flashed with cold fury, how he’d advanced on her with a look of utter contempt, how his voice had dripped pure disgust. “In front of my family and friends, he informed me that he wouldn’t be seen with a woman who dressed and acted like a hooker, then left the party being held in his honor.”

  “Bastard,” Kyle muttered from behind her.

  “I was completely mortified and humiliated,” she said with a choked little laugh, not so surprised to feel the hot sting of tears prick her eyes. She’d been holding them back for three years now. “I just wanted to die of embarrassment.”

  She heard the creak of the mattress as Kyle got off the bed, saw his reflection in the window as he approached from behind. Felt her taut body sag in relief as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his chest, his belly, his thighs, surrounding her in a wonderful heat that chased away the lingering coldness inside her.

  “Ahh, sweetheart,” he breathed, his lips pressing gently against her neck. “I’m so sorry.”

  She closed her eyes, absorbing his warmth and caring while trying to hang on to her composure. “At first, I was devastated,” she admitted, needing to finish what they’d started. “But my sister and parents helped me through that crisis. Without Adam’s daily influence I realized just how much control he had over me. And it was then I swore I’d never let any man close enough to manipulate me that way again.”

  Kyle linked their fingers together in front of her, keeping her close, trying to ease the trembling still shimmering through her body. Now he understood her reluctance to get involved with him or any man. And more than ever, her fantasies made sense. With an imaginary lover she was safe to express her wants and needs, without the threat of being con
trolled, because she was the one to dictate the level of intimacy.

  “So, after Adam you rebelled.” Like the delightful butterfly of her tattoo, she’d emerged from her cocoon.

  “Yeah, I did.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I went out and bought new clothes in bright colors, cut my hair and even started wearing colored contact lenses to match my outfits. It was my way of coping with what had happened. And to prove just how independent I was, one day I decided to get a tattoo. Something that no one could ever take away from me.”

  He smiled, understanding her rebellion all too well. He’d coped with his own childhood and his father’s disregard with wild, shocking acts of defiance himself.

  Feeling as though they’d made tremendous progress this evening, he turned her in his arms. His eyes found hers, locking tight. “I happen to love your butterfly…but I don’t think I like the idea of anyone else seeing it.”

  She lifted a brow, and he was glad to see the haunting shadows gone from her gaze. “Other than the artist, you’re the first person who’s seen it. And certainly the first to touch it.”

  He couldn’t help himself, his chest puffed out arrogantly. “And I prefer that no one else does.”

  Too late, he realized just how possessive he sounded…how dominating. The way she visibly bristled confirmed it.

  “Tiger,” he said gently, brushing his knuckles down her cheek. “This isn’t a control issue. You’ve got to believe I’ll always respect your independence, and I’d never try to dictate your life.” The emotions he’d been holding back welled inside him, demanding release. “But there’s something you need to know.”

  Her brows furrowed above eyes shaded with wariness. “Yes?”

  “I’m falling in love with you, Jade.” Surprisingly the words he’d never spoken to another woman came much easier than he’d expected. “Never mind falling. Hell, I am in love with you.”

  She gasped in shock, her jaw falling slack.

  It wasn’t the reaction he’d hoped for, but then he’d had more time to get used to the idea of being in love than the handful of seconds he’d just given Jade. But he’d bet The Black Sheep she felt the same way—she just didn’t realize it yet. “I know we agreed to a no-strings-attached affair…” And he’d thought that would be enough. “But somewhere along the way I fell in love with you.”

  “Oh, Kyle.” Jade reached up and lightly touched her fingers to his cheek, shaken to the very core by his declaration, which she found both sweet and terrifying. “I care for you a great deal, but…” I’m so scared of giving someone that part of myself again. So scared of letting emotions overwhelm my better judgment.

  But she feared she already had.

  A tremulous smile touched her lips. “Give me a little time, okay?”

  “As much as you want.” Grasping her hand, he pressed a kiss in her palm, his eyes glimmering with renewed warmth. “As much as you need. And while you’re thinking about it, why don’t we enjoy the time we have together? I want you again, Jade. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.”

  And she him. “Yes,” she whispered. Heated desire coiled through her. The anticipation of his touch, his possession, made her breathless.

  In one smooth motion he pushed his shorts down his legs and kicked them off, then pinned her against the wall with his hot, fully aroused body. She moaned as his mouth dropped over hers, his tongue delving deep while his hands slipped beneath the hem of her chemise and skimmed up the back of her thighs to her buttocks. He lifted her, bracing her, the tip of his erection teasing her damp female flesh. She looped her arms around his neck and curled her legs tight about his hips, needing him in a way that went far beyond the physical.

  This time, he took her fast and hard, pulling her hips down to meet his hammering upward thrusts…over and over until she was gasping into the crushing force of his mouth and clinging to him, her fingers wrapped tight in his hair. His passionate assault was wild and relentless. Splaying his hands low on her back, he arched her more fully onto him and ground his body full force against hers, creating an exquisite friction that made her tremble.

  The stormy tempest broke on a wave of pleasure so intense she wrenched her mouth away and cried out his name. And as she came with a glorious, shuddering climax that beckoned his release, her heart admitted what her mind wasn’t yet prepared to accept.

  She’d fallen in love with him, too.

  Chapter Ten

  Once the last customer of the evening had departed, Kyle locked the oak door inlaid with beveled glass. Then he clicked off the lit-up sign in the front window that said, “The Black Sheep Bar and Restaurant” in a classy, scrolled design. The custom-ordered sign had been a surprise from Jade a few days ago. When he’d protested against such an expensive gift, she’d linked her arms around his neck and teasingly told him she could think of plenty of ways for him to repay her. Then she’d pulled his mouth down to hers for a shockingly brazen kiss that had instantly aroused him.

  Not that it took much for him to want her. A look. A touch. The smell of peaches…

  They’d ended up on the leather couch in his newly decorated office, so hungry and impatient for one another it was all he could do to shove her skirt up her thighs and strip off her panties. Freeing his straining erection had been a frustrating task; his fingers kept colliding with Jade’s eager attempts to help. But that first powerful thrust home had felt so incredibly good and right. Then the wildfire of sensation had spread through him to her, spinning them both out of control.

  They’d had many incidents just like that over the past month, making love with an impatient, crazy urgency beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Yet there had been many tender moments, too, when they’d spent hours losing themselves in endless pleasure and new, erotic discoveries that made the fantasies in Jade’s journal pale in comparison.

  Day by day, hour by hour, he fell deeper in love with her, and knew he wanted things with this woman he’d never dared dream of. Bonds and commitments that had eluded him his entire life.

  And the secret he’d kept from her began to prey on his conscience.

  The light touch of a hand on his arm pulled him back to the present. Turning, he caught Jade in his embrace. She went willingly, smiling up at him, her eyes bright with the same sense of satisfaction flowing through his veins.

  “Didn’t I tell you the grand opening would be a success?” she asked, a bit of sass in her tone.

  “No less than a hundred times,” he admitted, giving credit where it was due. She’d been reassuring him for the past week. He’d been convinced that he’d overburdened himself financially and that the establishment would flounder then sink, like so many businesses did these days, leaving him with a huge debt he’d never recover from. And then his family would have proof that he was just as reckless and irresponsible as they believed.

  “Then maybe you ought to listen to me.” She twined her arms around his neck, causing his body to acknowledge the fact that she was braless beneath the sexy off-the-shoulder dress she wore. “I know my business, Kyle, and you know yours. Together we make a great team.”

  In more than just business, he thought, giving in to the urge to smooth his hand over the silky skin of her back and press her closer.

  “Besides, how can the new Black Sheep not be a success?” Her fingers tangled into the strands of hair falling over the collar of his shirt, and she subtly arched against him. “Just take a look at the place.”

  Despite the fog of desire quickly stealing coherent thought, he glanced around them. The atmosphere was exactly what he’d envisioned—understated sophistication. Classy, yet warm and welcoming. The hardwood floors and walls gleamed, as did the refinished bar. All the booths and stools had been reupholstered, and the windows were now framed in valances that matched the ones in the restaurant. A deejay booth dominated a section of the lounge; earlier in the evening, the parquet dance floor had been packed as his new deejay played country-western tunes and encouraged the custom
ers to party and have a good time.

  And they had, to the point that when the bartender called for last rounds the revelers had been clearly, and vocally, disappointed. Jade had told him it was a sure sign that they would return, and probably bring their friends with them.

  As he watched his employees clean up for the evening, he admitted he was even pleased with the uniforms, which he and his manager, Bruce, wore as well. The outfits were polished and crisp, yet casual enough to be comfortable.

  “And judging by the two-hour wait to get into the restaurant and the positive comments I heard from everyone, I think The Black Sheep is going to blow Roxy’s right out of the water.” She skimmed her flattened palms over his shoulders and down the front of his shirt, then gave his tie a gentle, teasing tug. “Even my father was impressed with the place.”

  His gaze fell to her mouth, so ripe and lush, just inches from his. His pulse quickened. His blood heated. With effort, he remembered the employees still present.

  “It was nice of him and your mother to come,” he said, meaning it. Considering his own family didn’t even acknowledge his profession as respectable, he appreciated the unequivocal support of Jade’s family. “And Grey and Mariah, too.”

  “I think they all like you.”

  He wiggled his brows and effortlessly eased her into a dark, intimate corner near the door. Slipping a hand down to her bottom and giving it a provocative squeeze, he lowered his mouth close to hers. “What’s not to like?” he murmured.

  Her light, husky laughter wrapped around him, as did the warm scent of peaches drifting from her skin. “I haven’t discovered that flaw yet. It seems that you, Kyle Stephens, are too good to be true.”

  He’d meant to kiss her, good and long and deep, but the euphoria he’d been feeling moments ago waned with her adulation. Oh, he had flaws, the one weighing heaviest on his mind being deception about the journal. And it grew heavier every day. He was hardly the sterling white knight she was making him out to be.