“Is that all Markham said?” Jake asked.
Was it? No. She had trouble concentrating again. “He tried to make me believe that you, Willa or Douglas was probably responsible for Christy Mendoza’s death.”
“Did he succeed?”
Jessie pulled back slightly so she could look at him. Now she didn’t just have the distraction of his scent; there was that mouth. And those intense blue eyes. “Succeed at what?”
“In convincing you that one of us killed Ms. Mendoza.”
She shook her head. “No. The only thing he convinced me of was that he’s a dangerous man.” And because Jessie thought they needed some levity, she added, “I hope you kick his butt in the election.”
They shared a smile. Brief. Strained. But a smile nonetheless. “Are you ready to go back to the suite?” Jake asked. “I think we’ve made our point. Markham knows he can’t get to you now.”
Yes, and that was the point. Jessie forced herself to repeat it to herself. The dance, the engagement, everything that had happened tonight was about making the killer understand that he couldn’t afford to continue his plan. Only time would tell if they succeeded.
Jake started the farewells, letting everyone know they were about to turn in for the night. That’s when it occurred to Jessie. He was taking her to their suite, which was a fancy word for a bedroom. A place with a bed.
She mentally shrugged. It didn’t matter. Really. Sure, they’d kissed before. French kissed. And touched. They’d also come pretty darn close to stripping off their clothes when they were in the bedroom at the ranch. But tonight wasn’t about things like that. Tonight Jake was waiting to see what would happen with the plot to kill her.
The last thing on his mind would be making love. With her.
And the last thing that should be on her mind was making love with him.
Chapter Fifteen
Jake glanced at the bottle of champagne chilling in the bucket. A gift from the hotel probably. To congratulate them on their engagement. Well, he doubted either of them would drink it. Jessie probably wouldn’t indulge because of the baby. He wouldn’t because he needed every shred of self-control to keep his hands off her.
Of course, it wasn’t just his hands that itched to touch her. There were other parts of him especially obsessed with the idea.
His clothes were suddenly too tight and damn uncomfortable. He yanked off his jacket and tie, dropping them over the back of the sofa. Jake tackled the cuff links next. Then his shoes. He had his shirt halfway unbuttoned and was in the bedroom before he realized Jessie was watching him.
She stood in the doorway that separated the bedroom from the rest of the suite, as if there were some kind of invisible barrier stopping her. Her head was tilted to the side, the toe of one shoe tucked behind the slim heel of the other. She was playing with the loose strands of hair that fell on her neck. The pose was provocative—but then, he had a one-track mind tonight.
“Do you want to take the sofa or should I?” she asked. He heard her swallow. Heard the soft intake of breath that followed.
“I’ll take the sofa.” But Jake immediately shook his head. “Look, this isn’t going to work.”
“All right. Then, I’ll take the sofa. It really doesn’t matter to me. I can sleep just about anywhere.”
He intended to correct her, intended to tell her that he hadn’t meant their sleeping arrangement. The real problem was, he couldn’t be alone with her like this. He didn’t trust himself. His answer, however, never made it out of his mouth. That’s because he looked at her, and his resolve, his answer, flew out the eighth-floor window.
The room behind her was creamy white, even the carpet. The door frame was the same neutral shade. She was the only spot of color. Her dress seemed a sleek column of blue flames. And it paled in comparison to the woman who wore it. She looked like the answer to every prayer he’d ever said, to every hot fantasy he’d ever had.
Their eyes met. Hers were wide, a swirl of emotions in them. Jake sorted through those emotions. The uneasiness. The uncertainty. And finally saw what he’d known all along would be there. Desire. Passion. Need. It matched his own and shimmered like fire in Jessie’s eyes.
He said her name, a ragged plea for her to be there for him when he made it to the other side of the room. Her answer was a thin, feminine response—a sigh mixed with a little flutter of breath. It was the most erotic sound he had ever heard.
Jake took a step toward her. Then another. At some point, even before he reached her, he quit trying to talk himself out of what he was about to do. No amount of talking would convince him to stop. This, whatever it was between them, had gone too far for either of them to turn back now.
She reached for him, catching his forearm at the same moment that he reached for her. They both closed the already narrow distance between them. Their bodies met. His crisp shirt and slacks whispered over the delicate blue fabric. And they came together in a lovers’ embrace.
He skimmed his hand over the back of her dress. An interesting sensation. Cool silk, smooth sequins. Beneath that, he felt her stir. That was the most interesting sensation of all. Jessie, warm and trembling. Her, responding to his touch.
Taking his time, Jake eased his mouth to hers. A brush. A caress. A kiss. Her lips were damp and yielding. Receptive. She moaned softly against his mouth and let him touch the tip of her tongue.
“Should I take off my dress?” she whispered.
She obviously didn’t have a clue what he had in mind. This wouldn’t be some quick flash of fire that was over in a couple of minutes. He wanted a slow burn. Smoldering heat. He wanted to touch and taste. And he wanted to take the time to savor every inch of her.
“I’ll undress you,” he murmured. “Later.”
“Well, that won’t take much effort. The bra didn’t fit, so it’s still in the box in the bathroom. The stockings only go to mid-thigh, and there isn’t even a garter belt. I don’t know how the darn things stayed up when we danced. And to top it all off, my panties are just a little swatch of thin blue lace. They’ll probably disintegrate the minute you touch them.”
“Damn.” He ground out the word. The choke hold he had on his desire crashed and burned. Jake clenched his teeth together. He kissed her again, not as gently as he’d planned. This time he touched more than the tip of her tongue. The kiss was hard, hungry. And deep.
Jessie responded. She made a sound of sheer pleasure and slipped her hand to the back of his neck.
He snapped her to him, catching on to her hips so he could align them. Even through their clothes, he could feel her puckered nipples. He felt her soft feminine body. She obviously felt him, as well, because she rubbed against his arousal.
That did it. There was nothing left of that choke hold.
“There’s been a change of plans.” Jake backed toward the bed, never breaking the lock he had on her. “I’ll make love to you later. That dress comes off now.”
He sank onto the foot of the overly soft mattress, reaching for her zipper in the same motion. Jessie stepped between his legs and went after his clothes. She was as tenacious as he was. She jerked the sides of his shirt open and shoved it off him.
His hands were impatient, close to groping, but he managed to get her zipper to slide down. Then the dress. It slipped like blue oil off her body. Jessie stepped out of it, but then she immediately placed her arm over her breasts, covering herself.
“No.” Jake shook his head. “Don’t.” And since that seemed to be the extent of his vocabulary, he took her arm and eased it away. Boy. What the heck had he done to deserve this?
His gaze traveled down her body. Her breasts were beautiful, small, and tipped with dark rose-colored nipples. Her stomach, flat. She’d been right about the panties. Thin. Blue. Flimsy. And the stockings. Oh, the stockings. There was about a six-inch gap between the tops of them and her panties. That was six inches times two of creamy female skin showing. Bare skin.
He only glanced at the heels. Arousing
, definitely. And the panties that had already caused a frenzy. He could see exactly what he wanted through the lace.
Jake cursed softly and shook her head.
“I told you,” she whispered. “They’ll fall apart at the first touch.”
Yes, the panties would. And he just might do the same.
He looked up at her, snared her smoky gray eyes and laid his hand on her stomach. She was the mother of his child. That touched a different part of him, but it had nothing to do with what he felt for her now. This wasn’t about the baby. This was about Jessie. About them.
He lowered his hand and with one finger he traced the outline of the lace, until he watched her eyelids flutter. He did it again, this time pausing at the narrowest point of the V. Her breath hitched. Her bottom lip trembled. She pleaded for more.
He gave her more. Jake pressed his mouth to her stomach, circling her navel with his tongue.
“Yes.” Jessie fisted her hands in his hair. “Yes.”
He went slightly lower. Kissed. Tasted. Lingered. Keeping his gaze on her, Jake located the triangle of lace again. When his mouth touched her through that fragile barrier, her back bowed and her eyes glazed. Jessie automatically slid her knee forward against his chest, anchoring it over his arm. She pushed her body closer. And closer.
“Please,” she murmured.
She leaned to the side, obviously trying to get to the bed. Jake didn’t let her. He had something different in mind.
One pull and the panties tore. Like the dress, they slipped right off, eliminating the only obstacle that stood in his way. He had to shake his head, fighting off the scent of arousal pulsing from her. He didn’t want to be rough. Didn’t want her to know he had almost no control left.
He touched her again with his mouth. With nothing between them. Nothing to prevent him from tasting her. This time he used his tongue and lingered, pleasing himself. Obviously pleasing her.
“Jake.” She said his name frantically, as if calling for help. “Jake, please.”
He didn’t stop, even when her fingers dug into his shoulders. Jessie didn’t pull away from him, either. She stayed, pressed close, whispering a mixture of honeyed words and profanity. In one breath, she worshipped him. Even loved him. In the next she threatened him if he stopped.
And with one cleverly placed brush of his tongue, he sent her straight over the edge.
She half moaned, half gasped, and leaned forward. Jake caught her in his arms and eased her onto the bed so he could see her face. Oh yes, she’d gone to the stars, all right. She had the misty, unfocused look of a woman who didn’t know what the heck had just hit her. If he hadn’t ached to be inside her, he might have savored that look for a while. But he was beyond that. Beyond just wanting her.
He freed himself from his slacks, not even taking the time to remove them. “Are you ready for me, Jessie?”
She lifted her head a fraction. “Yes, yes.” Jessie reached for him, pulling him down on top of her.
Jake took off her shoes and tossed them on the floor. Legs and arms moved, adjusted, until he was exactly where he wanted to be. Wrapped in Jessie’s arms.
He entered her slowly, easing into that tight feminine heat while her body still pulsed. Sweat glistened on her skin. Her breath was warm and moist on his neck. Jake whispered her name so she would look at him. She did. Her eyes were as hot and welcoming as the place where they joined so intimately.
She lifted her hips. Took him deeper. Embraced him. Held him in that silken grip of sensations so primal, so necessary. So familiar. And yet like nothing he’d ever felt. It roared through him. The need fused with the want. The want fused with something he’d thought he might never feel again. He couldn’t even manage the profanity or the honeyed words that Jessie had.
He buried his face in her hair and let her take him to the only place he wanted to go.
JESSIE LET HERSELF float back to earth, but she didn’t rush it. There’d be plenty of time for reality later. For just a little longer, she wanted to savor this feeling.
Jake was still on top of her. They were joined in nearly every way possible. Somehow he’d managed to keep his pants on through all of it. She, on the other hand, was naked except for her stockings.
“I’ll get off you in a minute,” he mumbled. “When I can move.”
“No hurry.”
But apparently there was a hurry for him. Jake rolled to his side, breaking their union, and pulled her into his arms. “I didn’t want to crush you.”
Because of the baby. Now she got it. Somehow Jessie had forgotten she was pregnant. Not surprising really. Once Jake had put his mouth on her, she’d forgotten her own name.
Jessie stroked her hand over his chest, combing her fingers through the sprinkling of hair. “I don’t want you to get a big head, but now I know what all the fuss is about. Thanks for giving me that.”
She felt his muscles tense slightly. He didn’t look at her, though. He brushed his lips over her forehead. “That was your first?”
“You bet. I would have remembered if I’d had another one of those.”
He cursed softly. “No wonder you gave up on men.”
Jessie had to agree with him. If she’d known a man could give her that, she might have tried again. Or maybe that only happened with the right man. A sexual catch-22. In her case, the right man was the wrong one.
He grasped the thick duvet and pulled it over them. She wasn’t cold despite only wearing her stockings. The heat from his body was more than enough to keep her warm.
“You’re not planning to move to the sofa, are you?” she asked.
“Not unless you want me to.”
Jessie shook her head, letting his chest hair tickle her cheek. “I want us to stay in the same bed. But, uh, could you take off your pants? I like the idea of sleeping naked with you.”
“Naked.” Not really a question, but there was some tension to his voice. A sound rumbled in his chest and he somehow got the pants off without breaking the hold he had on her.
Jessie wiggled to get even closer. She could feel his strong muscled legs against hers. And his stomach. And everything else that made him a man. She might never get to sleep with all these distractions, but that didn’t matter. These were precious, stolen moments that she would remember for the rest of her life.
Moments that would end all too soon.
After the breakfast, she’d tell Jake why she had really been working at the cantina. And, of course, everything would change.
Everything.
Chapter Sixteen
Jessie had never dressed side by side with a man before. All in all, it was darn distracting. She slipped into the mist-colored dress that Willa had ordered for her, but she couldn’t keep her gaze off Jake. Jake tucking in his crisp white shirt. Jake zipping up his slacks. Jake just brushing his teeth.
It was hard to look at him without her mouth watering. Apparently the activities from the night before had affected her brain. She wondered if it was permanent.
“We’ll go back to the ranch after we’re done here this morning?” she asked, forcing herself to finish dressing.
“Yes. I think we’ve accomplished what we set out to do.”
And then some. Making love with him was a bonus she hadn’t expected or deserved. Too bad it would probably never happen again. He’d kick her out once he found out who she was.
He met her gaze in the mirror. “I want you to stay.”
“Here?” Jessie really didn’t like that idea. The hotel was beautiful but—
“No, at the ranch.”
She shrugged. “Sure, until it’s safe for me to leave.”
“That’s not what I meant. I want you to stay.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him how long, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer. Because she suddenly needed something to do with her hands, Jessie picked up the brush and tried to fix her hair.
“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t sure,” Jake added. He paused and
ran his fingertips over her cheek. “Listen, sex is optional. I just want you there, okay?”
The corner of her mouth lifted. “Sex is optional?” she repeated.
Now he smiled. “What I meant is, you don’t have to sleep with me just because you’re at the ranch.”
She touched the handle of the brush to his jaw. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Jake. Sex with you really isn’t optional. You do crazy things to me just by being in the same room.”
He groaned. It was a sound she’d come to recognize. Sexual frustration. Jessie felt it, too. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot she could do about it. They were expected at breakfast in less than twenty minutes. Or maybe sooner. The sudden pounding at the door was probably Douglas letting them know it was time to come down.
Jake held her gaze a moment longer before he walked out to answer it. On a weary sigh, Jessie finished brushing her hair.
“Where is she?” she heard someone shout. Not Douglas, but Byron.
Jessie dropped the brush and hurried into the sitting room of the suite. What she saw didn’t soothe any of the nerves that had sprung to the surface. Byron looked ready to come unglued. He stood there, fists balled at his side, glaring at Jake. Jake was doing his own share of glaring.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Byron, why are you here?”
He aimed his finger at Jake. “He used you as bait to draw out the lunatic who kidnapped you.”
Jessie shook her head. “You’re wrong. Jake did this so I’d be safe.”
“That’s what I tried to tell him,” Jake snarled. “He doesn’t agree.”
Alarmed at the dangerous look in Byron’s eyes, Jessie stepped closer to him. She tried to keep her voice level. “We think the person who kidnapped me planned to murder me and frame Jake. That’s why we got engaged, so everyone would know Jake doesn’t want me dead.”
His Child Page 16
