by Joss Wood
“Don’t bother the kid. I’ll help you.”
Piper’s silence indicated her surprise. “It’s pretty chaotic and dirty up there.”
“And the jungles and villages I wander into are perfectly pristine? I’m capable of digging through a dirty attic, Piper,” Jaeger said, gripping the bridge of his nose, irritated. Yeah, he lived in a fancy apartment and wore designer threads, but God, he wasn’t a wuss.
Not that he really wanted to dig in a dirty attic, but he did want to see her again. As soon as possible...
He’d obviously picked up a brain-eating bug on his last trip abroad. It was the only explanation for the absurd way he was acting.
“Oh, okay. Thanks,” Piper said, and Jaeger heard Ty’s wail in the background. “Sorry, I really have to go.”
“Sure. Try to sleep this morning.”
Piper’s laugh was strained. “It’s better if I don’t sleep. I’ll push through and sleep tonight. The trick is finding ways to keep myself awake.”
He could think of more than a few ways to keep her from falling asleep. All of them involved being naked.
Jaeger banged his hand against his forehead, hoping to smack the sexy images of Piper out of his mind. Why was he going there? He couldn’t have a relationship with her; he didn’t have relationships. And even if he did, a relationship—an anything—with a single mom was absolutely out of the question.
Yet he still wanted to see her again.
“Jaeger, are you there?”
Physically holding his phone? Sure. Mentally, he had his doubts.
“Yes. Well, I hope your little guy feels better soon.”
Piper thanked him and disconnected the call. Jaeger, sitting on his massive bed in his stupidly expensive apartment, looked at his top-of-the-line phone. Nobody should have to rely on a book and two kids to help her with her baby. It was in complete contrast to what was happening at the Ballantyne family home. Linc was a single dad raising four-year-old Shaw with Linc’s mother’s help. Their sister, Sage, still lived at home, and she helped out with Shaw, too. Beck pitched in when they needed him to. It took a village of Ballantynes to raise Shaw.
Because being with Shaw, being with babies, made Jaeger break out in hives, or unshed tears, he was the village idiot. Linc understood how hard it was for him to be around Shaw... At least, Jaeger hoped he understood. It wasn’t like they’d had a heart-to-heart on the subject.
His siblings knew about Jess and Andrea but since Jess’s funeral, he never discussed her, or Andrea, with anyone. Ever.
Piper, despite her book and babysitters, was raising Ty on her own. That was incredibly brave. His bachelor uncle often said that raising three Ballantyne boys, and Sage, was one long, epic party. There was screaming, vomiting, drinking straight from the bottle and the odd brush with blood.
No wonder Connor absconded to his gentlemen’s club every Wednesday and Saturday night, leaving them with Jo, Linc’s mom and their nanny-cum-housekeeper.
Did Piper ever get to take a break, to step out of the madness of raising a baby on her own? Maybe he could earn some karmic points by inviting her to see Amelia Grant-Childs’s art collection. She’d enjoy the art, and the break, and he’d enjoy her...
Was he really using karma as an excuse to see a woman?
Crap.
Brain-eating bugs. It was the only logical explanation.
* * *
If it wasn’t for the fact that Amelia Grant-Childs used her fingerprint to unlock the door, Piper would’ve thought the large, windowless room was just another immaculately decorated space in the enormous mansion owned by the timber heiress.
Piper, trying to look secretarial, held Jaeger’s tablet to her chest, her eyes growing wider and wider as she took in the treasures in the glass-front cabinets and hanging on the wall.
Dear God, was that a Manet? And a Warhol?
“I am really not happy you failed to inform me you were bringing your assistant, Jaeger,” Amelia said, frowning. “I’d hoped to show you my collection in private.”
Amelia was somewhere in her seventies, looked fifty, and had a reputation for inventing the concept cougar. Her fondness for young men was legendary. Piper looked at the large red chaise longue in the middle of the room and knew her presence severely compromised Amelia’s plans to do wicked things to Jaeger on that piece of furniture.
“I thought I did inform you, Ms. Grant-Childs. I apologize, but Piper’s presence makes this process so much more efficient.”
And it keeps your clothes on, Piper thought. Jaeger’s text message, sent shortly before eight that morning, now made complete sense.
Amelia Grant-Childs has a collection of jewelry she wants me to value. In her younger days—as my uncle once warned me—she had a thing for younger men and I’m scared nothing has changed. Would you like to accompany me to protect my virtue? Oh, she also, apparently, has a helluva art collection.
Another text came through ten seconds later.
And it will keep you awake.
After a hellish night with Ty, she deserved a little treat, and Jaeger plus wonderful art was a near-perfect combination. Ceri offered to sit with the sleeping Ty, and after a long internal debate—she really did want to see Amelia’s art—Piper agreed to act as his assistant.
As for why Jaeger really had invited her, who knew?
Pulling her focus back to their host, Piper watched Amelia lift a hand to touch the massive diamond in her earlobe. “This safe room was specially commissioned by my recently deceased to house his treasures. It’s bombproof, theft-proof, sound-and fireproof. I need to get the contents appraised. The coins and the art have been valued. I just need you to look at the jewelry.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, who did the valuation for the art?” Piper asked, darting a look at the Manet.
“None of your business,” Amelia snapped.
Alrighty then. Amelia drifted toward the door. “My butler is on the premises. Push this button to call him. I’ll be upstairs and I do not wish to be disturbed.” Amelia rested her hand on the door frame. “Send the valuation and bill to my lawyer, Jaeger. God, you do look like your uncle. He was such a handsome man.” She glanced from Jaeger to Piper and sniffed. “It’s such a pity you brought her.”
When Amelia closed the door behind them, Piper tried to look regretful. “You missed out on a good time, Jaeger,” she teased. “I’m so sorry.”
Jaeger made a face. “Funny.”
His eyes turned a deeper blue, and Piper felt heat bubble in her stomach. He lifted his hand and swiped his thumb across her lower lip. “There’s only one woman I want in my bed, and she’s standing in front of me, as sexy as sin.”
“Jaeger—” Piper closed her eyes, feeling his heat as his other hand gripped her hip and pulled her into him. His chest brushed hers and he slid a hard thigh between her legs.
“You look tired,” he murmured.
“I am,” Piper admitted.
“You need a shot of energy,” Jaeger said, his lips brushing hers, once, twice, so softly she wondered if she was imagining his kiss. “The other night, after we kissed, I felt like I could hurdle mountains, swim oceans. Want to see if it works for you?”
She had to think, to be sensible. “Here?”
“Where better?” Jaeger replied, his hand cradling her face. “Amelia is upstairs, the door is closed, the place is soundproof. Because of the couch, I doubt there are hidden cameras. It’s just a kiss, Piper. We’re not going to get naked.”
Damn, Piper thought. “One kiss?”
“One long, sexy, hot, deep, crazy kiss.”
She didn’t have enough willpower to say no; she didn’t have any willpower at all. Kissing Jaeger wasn’t something any sane woman with a pulse would walk away from. Not wanting to wait a half second longer, she place
d her hands flat against Jaeger’s chest and tilted her head back in a silent, powerful plea.
Jaeger heard her, answered, and Piper felt her knees buckle when his mouth touched hers. He pulled her into a whirlwind that swiftly built into a tornado. As she flew on its winds of sensation, she oriented herself by clinging to him, by pushing her breasts into his hard chest, her fingers gripping his belt to keep her from falling down.
Or flying away.
God, he was good at this, Piper thought as he nipped her bottom lip before smoothing the sting with a slide of his tongue. One minute he was all power and determination. Then he brought the kiss down to soft and gentle before pulling her back up to hot and crazy. His hand didn’t move off her face, and the other stayed on her hip, yet Piper felt like he was touching her most erogenous zones, bringing all her heat to the surface.
She’d never thought she could get so hot, feel so wanton—like she was about to burst out of her skin—from just a kiss. It was a kiss on crack and she was addicted.
This, kissing Jaeger, was what she wanted to do for the rest of—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Jaeger pulled his mouth off hers and eased back, turning his head to look at the door. Piper followed her gaze. Her eyes widened as a young man dressed in solid black stepped into the room. He held a silver tray containing a carafe of coffee and thin china cups. He grinned and dropped his hand from the door.
“‘Sorry!” the butler called.
Piper tried to step away from Jaeger, but he quickly placed both hands on her hips and kept her against him. When she felt his rock-hard erection, she realized why, and heat climbed up her neck and into her cheeks. She looked at Jaeger through lowered lids, lifting her eyebrows as if to say, “Really?”
“Your fault,” Jaeger muttered. “Just stay where you are, okay?”
The butler placed his tray on the credenza against the back wall. “Help yourself. I’ll bring you a light lunch if you are still here later.”
Piper nodded and rested her forehead against Jaeger’s collarbone. Ack! Could this be more embarrassing?
The butler grinned. “I’ll leave you with the strong suggestion that you avoid the couch. It’s seen a lot of action.”
“Dear Lord,” Piper murmured, feeling laughter running through Jaeger’s body. Hearing the door close, she lifted her bright pink face and saw amusement dancing in his eyes.
“We’ll avoid the couch,” he said, his tone teasing.
“We’ll avoid each other,” Piper firmly stated, stepping away and crossing her arms.
In order to break the arc of pure attraction linking them, she walked over to the drop-leg table where she’d put her bag, her phone and Jaeger’s tablet. Pretending to be interested in her phone and trying to get her breathing and heartbeat under control, she ran her finger over the screen and immediately noticed she had no signal.
Panic flared. “Jaeger, there’s no cell service here. What if Ceri is looking for me?” Guilt flooded her system.
She shouldn’t have been here, doing this. Her kid was sick with an ear infection. What if they had tried to reach her while she was kissing Jaeger?
Ty was her first priority, always.
“This room is reinforced, which drops the strength of the signal,” Jaeger explained. “If you go back into the hall, you’ll get a signal in there.” Jaeger pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants, his eyes steady on hers. “You and Ceri agreed Ty was well enough for you to accompany me. He didn’t have a fever, he’d eaten earlier today and he was definitely feeling better. When you last checked fifteen minutes ago, Ty was sound asleep.”
Jaeger’s voice didn’t hold reproach or irritation, and his recital of the facts calmed her. She looked down at her phone and waved it back and forth. “I’m still not comfortable not having a signal.”
“Okay.” Jaeger pulled out his phone and looked at the display. “I have a signal. Not a lot, but some. Text Ceri my number and tell her to call me if she can’t reach you. Or I can call a taxi to take you back home.”
She so appreciated his calm attitude. Piper looked at Jaeger standing with his hands in his pockets, patiently waiting for her to make up her mind. He wore a beige linen blazer over a light blue long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans threaded with a burgundy leather belt. Designer sunglasses rested in his hair.
“Look, Piper, if you don’t want to stay, it’s okay,” Jaeger said. His mouth lifted at the corners. “Of course, if you leave, I’ll be at Amelia’s mercy, but I’m sure I can fight her off.”
Piper managed a smile, but she sent an anxious look toward the hall. “It’s just...he’s so little and he’s sick.”
Jaeger lifted his hands. “It’s your call.”
Piper bit her lip. She really wanted to see Amelia’s collection, and Ty had seemed better. She wouldn’t have left otherwise. Walking into the hall, she sent Ceri a quick message with Jaeger’s number. Ceri’s thumbs-up emoji was instantaneous. Her next message, Ty’s fine, still asleep, will text you and Jaeger when he wakes up, came a few seconds later, and Piper exhaled her tension.
She dropped her hunched shoulders and walked back into the collector’s room. Jaeger was examining a pencil drawing on the wall next to the reinforced door.
“We good?” he asked.
“Very. He’s fine, and Ceri now has your number.” Piper wrinkled her nose. “I suppose you think I am a neurotic mother and overly anxious.”
Jaeger’s eyes dropped from hers to her mouth and back up again. “I think you are a good mom who is, naturally, worried about her kid.”
His easy acceptance touched her; it wasn’t what she’d expected from Manhattan’s Main Man. She’d thought he’d be impatient and dismissive, not kind and accepting. His eyes darted to her mouth again, and he shook his head. “God, I could so take up where we just stopped.”
“We can’t,” Piper murmured, touching her tongue to her bottom lip and sighing when she tasted him there.
“If you don’t stop looking at me like that, I’m going to have you up against the nearest wall,” Jaeger said, his voice almost a growl. He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her so she faced the sketch he’d been examining. “I think that’s a Degas.”
Instead of the ballerina the artist was famous for, this sketch was of a naked woman lying on her back, her legs open. Degas didn’t go into a lot of anatomical detail, but her sprawling, boneless posture suggested she’d been well loved. Piper had seen a lot of erotic art, much of it designed to titillate, but looking at this sketch, knowing Jaeger was watching her reaction, heated her from the inside out. Her skin prickled, her saliva disappeared and she could feel the insistent throb between her legs. Her libido screamed that she wanted this man. That she had to have him. Again. Soon. Now.
“Not the most appropriate sketch to show me when we’re trying to cool down the situation, Ballantyne,” Piper pointed out.
“That is what a woman should look like after making love,” Jaeger said, his voice low and supersexy. “I want to make you look like that.”
She was sure he had.
After Jaeger rocketed her from orgasm to orgasm in Milan, she’d felt sexy and sated. He’d made her feel incredibly feminine and wonderful, and if she turned and faced him, she wouldn’t be able to hide her desire from him. He’d know exactly how he’d made her feel then and how much she wanted him now. He’d kiss her. They wouldn’t stop. Because their chemistry was so combustible, he’d take her up against the nearest wall.
God, that sounded so good.
Calm the hell down, Mills, and think!
Getting involved with Jaeger, even just for a hookup, was asking for a heap of trouble.
She had to keep her head on straight and her thoughts clear. The priority was to sell the sapphires, buy her house back from her father’s estate. Then she would have security fo
r herself and Ty. She’d be able to stay in the house where she’d been raised, the place that held a million memories for her.
It was her home, her link to the parent who’d adored her. The only home she, and Ty, knew.
Selling the sapphires was important. Buying her house was important.
Protecting Ty was vital.
Making love to her son’s father was, sadly, not.
But, hell and dammit, she really, really wanted to.
Jaeger dropped a kiss on her shoulder before walking away. She slowly turned and watched as he tossed his sunglasses next to her bag and picked up his tablet. He hauled in a deep breath and made the shift from lover to businessman.
He looked up and sent her a quick smile. “The jewelry isn’t going to value itself, so I’d better get to work.” He opened the doors to a floor-to-ceiling cupboard and pulled out a drawer. On the molded foam rested a choker with five rows of huge round diamonds in descending sizes from the center, separated by smaller emeralds.
Piper hurried over to get a closer look and whistled her appreciation. “Oh...wow.”
Jaeger picked up the necklace, diamonds literally dripping from his fingers. He tapped his tablet, activated the voice app and spoke. “Five-row platinum, diamond and emerald necklace, 1980s, worth about two-point-five.”
Piper gasped, her eyes wide. “Two-point-five million?”
Jaeger grinned. “And that’s just the first piece. I’ve heard rumors there’s a massive green diamond ring in this collection. First one to find it buys pizza tomorrow evening.”
Piper looked at him, puzzled. “Tomorrow? That’s Sunday. What’s happening tomorrow?”
“We’re going through your mother’s boxes, looking for documentation about the sapphires.” Jaeger replaced the diamond necklace and shut the drawer. “Is that a problem? You did give me a two-week deadline to make an offer, and the rest of my week is crazy. I don’t have any plans tomorrow except for the ritual Ballantyne Sunday evening supper at the Den.”
