Jared s Counterfeit Fiancée

by Brenda Jackson

  She had experienced all those things. But only in her dream.

  Dana pulled herself up in bed and inhaled deeply as she pushed her hair from her face. She’d known she was a goner when he had walked her to her hotel-room door. After saying that he hoped she enjoyed her nap, he had lifted her palm to his lips and placed a kiss at her wrist. And it hadn’t been your typical wrist kissing. His hot, wet tongue had slid over her wrist and then he had gently sucked the area, leaving a mark. His mark.

  She glanced down at her wrist. She still felt the heat. She then looked across the room at the closed door that separated his room from hers—a shield, a barrier, a connecting door. But if it were to open…

  She wondered if he was there. Had he taken a nap, as well? Had he dreamed of her as she had dreamed of him?

  Slipping out of bed she stood and decided it was time to take part in some sort of physical pleasure. The other night Jared had shown her just what her body had been missing. He had given her a taste of what pleasures were out there if she decided to indulge.

  Visiting her parents’ graves had made her realize just how unpredictable life could be. You could be here today and gone tomorrow. Life held no guarantees, there were no promises. There were no forevers.

  There was only the moment. And you had to seize it to get what you wanted, capture it, slow it down and take advantage of it, make every second count.

  Jared had always been honest with her, totally up-front. She knew how he felt about serious involvements. And she knew that no matter what, he had no intentions of changing his mind about that. Next week, if things worked out with his mother, he would walk away, just as surely as there was a sun shining in the sky. But dammit, she refused to let go without at least having something to look back on and remember from their time together.

  She turned when she heard the gentle knock on the connecting door. Tightening the belt of her silk robe, she crossed the room and slowly opened it. Jared was there. She inhaled gently, breathing in the manly scent of him. He stood tall, handsome, hot and sexy. His features were sharp; the eyes that were holding hers were keen. She felt her heart beat violently at such profound sexiness.

  Regardless of whether Jared was dressed as a million-dollar businessman or wearing faded jeans and a chambray shirt, as he was now, he looked like a man any woman would want both in and out of her bed. The man any woman would want to strip her naked, kiss her senseless and make love to her with an all-consuming passion.

  And the man a woman would want to give her heart to on a silver platter.

  Suddenly, she knew she was no longer falling in love with him. She had fallen in love with him. She loved him with every sense of her being, with every ounce of blood flowing fast and furious through her veins, with the breaths she was now taking—slow and uneven. Over the past couple of weeks she had seen more than a glimpse of him. She had gotten to know him as a man of high intelligence and intense integrity. He had proven it that day when she had shown up at his office, spitting fire and mad as hell. Luther had been his client, yet he had gone beyond what some would consider ethically proper and had given her off-the-record advice to save herself from further embarrassment, humiliation and financial ruin. And for that she truly appreciated him.

  She also appreciated the way he showed her that sex wasn’t overrated, and that with the right person it could be a definitely satisfying and gratifying experience. And even now, here, today, he had come to Brunswick with her. He had stood beside her and had given her his shoulder to lean on when the pain of losing her parents had resurfaced.

  “I hope I didn’t wake you from your nap, Dana.”

  She swallowed deeply as she stared up at him. “No, I’m awake.” In more ways than one, she thought. “Did you sleep?”

  He smiled, and his smile sent sensations oozing through the pit of her stomach. “No, I found that I couldn’t sleep after all and decided to catch a tennis match on television.”

  He glanced beyond her and she knew his eyes lit on her rumpled bed. He returned his gaze to her. “Do you find the accommodations acceptable?” he asked softly.

  Dana couldn’t stop the smile that touched her lips. The accommodations were more than acceptable. He had made reservations at one of the most expensive hotels on the beach, right on the ocean, connecting suites with balconies facing the water. She had offered to share the cost but he refused to talk about it. “Everything is wonderful, Jared. Thank you. I hadn’t expected such extravagance.”

  Jared nodded. He knew she hadn’t and that was one of the things that made her so special and unique. Because of his success other women had expected certain luxuries. Dana expected nothing but in his opinion she deserved everything.

  He considered how sexy she looked now, wearing a leopard-print robe that was destined to bring out the beast in any man. It hadn’t helped matters when he had glanced over and saw her bed with the messed-up covers and tangled sheets.

  “Would you like to take a walk on the beach before dinner?” he decided to ask. “We can either eat in the restaurant downstairs or, if you prefer, we can dine in our rooms.”

  Dana lowered her gaze and quickly made her decision—about a number of things. She tipped her chin up and met his gaze. “I’d love to take a walk on the beach and if you don’t mind I’d prefer if we ate here.”

  “All right.”

  She continued to hold his gaze and in the dark depths of his eyes she knew that he recognized that something had changed. Something elemental and deep. She also knew he would keep his word. He would take things slow, be patient and let her take the lead. He wouldn’t push, he wouldn’t pressure, but he would be ready whenever she was. And when he pounced, there would be no stopping him. God, she hoped not. She wanted it all. Everything he had to give. And she knew when it happened there was no going back. Their time together was limited. The moments would be short. But she intended to make the most of them, and when he walked away, she would have special memories to last a lifetime.

  “I guess I’d better let you get dressed then,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.

  She smiled at him. “Yes, I think you’d better if we want to take that walk while there’s still a lot of daylight.”

  He nodded. Then slowly he leaned down and captured her lips. It was a slow, drugging kiss, gentle, tender. Whether he was kissing her this way or devouring her mouth, it didn’t matter. He still knew how to rob her of her senses and want to make her scream out for more.

  He slowly released her lips but kept his attention glued to them as she took her tongue and licked her mouth. She heard his sharp intake of breath, saw his guts clench and knew he was walking the same tightrope that she was.

  “I’ll knock on the door when I’m ready,” she whispered, and when he nodded and took a step back, she gently closed the door and leaned against it. Throwing an arm over her eyes she inhaled deeply. What a kiss! Her already hot body had gone up another degree. The man was a master at seduction but she wouldn’t have him any other way.

  A smile touched her just-kissed lips. Jared was an excellent teacher. And although she knew there were more lessons to be learned, he had given her enough tutoring for what she needed to do.

  At that moment the only thing she could think of was her plans to take on Jared Westmoreland.

  Eight

  I f Jared didn’t know any better he would swear Dana was trying to drive him mad. Mad with desire.

  He doubted very seriously if he could hold on to his sanity, as well as his control, much longer. At any moment he would snap and Dana would drive him to reach across the table, snatch her into his arms and have her for dessert. Dana Delight would definitely be a mouthwatering temptation, a delectable treat.

  The seduction started when she had knocked on the connecting door to let him know she was ready to go walking on the beach. He had been literally blown away by her outfit, a pair of denim shorts and a white halter top. He had seen halter tops before but never this enticing. He’d been tempted to untie th
e damn thing and set her breasts free. And he didn’t want to think about how sensual her flat stomach looked totally bare, showing off the navel he’d grown so fond of a few days ago.

  They had held hands while walking along the beach, enjoying the sunset and the ocean. They had talked about a lot of things. The weather, the economy, books they had read and exotic foods they had eaten. The conversation then shifted to the Westmoreland family and how they looked forward to the birth of Storm and Jayla’s twins in a few months. Dana listened, hearing the excitement in Jared’s voice. She felt a tinge of sadness that she wouldn’t be around to share in the excitement since she would be out of the picture by then, out of Jared’s life. At some point, he must have realized it, too. She glanced up, saw him staring at her and the intensity in his gaze gave her pause. The twins were a stark reminder that the two of them didn’t have a future together. During the remainder of their walk, conversation ceased. They were caught up in their own private thoughts—thoughts they preferred not to share with each other.

  When they returned to the hotel, they reluctantly went their separate ways to dress for dinner and within an hour’s time, the food had been wheeled into Jared’s suite. Even he would admit it was a night of romance with the candles burning on the table and the soft music playing in the background, compliments of the hotel’s management. Evidently Jeannie had mentioned when she’d made reservations that they were a recently engaged couple and the hotel staff wanted to be remembered, in case they were undecided as to where they would spend their honeymoon.

  A honeymoon that would never take place.

  For the second time that day, Jared felt numb, his feelings paralyzed. All he could think about was that he and Dana didn’t have a future together. He forced himself to get a grip and refused to dwell on that now. All he wanted to think about was the woman sitting across from him, who was slowly sipping her champagne—another compliment of the hotel—as she watched him through beautiful dark eyes.

  His body’s temperature rose a few degrees. All during dinner he had been turned on by everything she did. Even watching as she opened her mouth to eat her food had stirred a flame of arousal within him. She had a pair of sensuous lips and every time she used them he felt his loins burning.

  He couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. She hadn’t been talkative and the attorney in him, the one whose senses were sharp and mind alert, was waiting patiently for her to say something. Anything that would give him an indication of what was going on inside her head.

  Since the suspense was killing him, he decided to just ask. “A penny for your thoughts.”

  Dana placed her glass down on the table. An intimate smile played at the edges of her mouth. “I was just thinking about you and how grateful I am that you came and how much I enjoy your company.”

  “I enjoy yours, as well.”

  And he really meant it. He had dined with other women but this was the first time he had felt so totally comfortable. So at ease with a beautiful woman that he both liked and desired.

  “You mentioned earlier that you wanted to talk to me about a party that Thorn and Tara are giving,” Dana said, recapturing his attention.

  He fixed his gaze on her, looking fully into her eyes. “The weekend after Mother’s Day is Thorn and Tara’s first wedding anniversary. They’re planning a huge celebration and I wanted to make sure you’re free to attend with me that Friday night.”

  Dana’s smile faltered. “But that’s two weeks after your mother’s surgery.”

  Jared nodded. “Yes. Is there a problem with that?”

  She thought there was. “I assumed that if things were fine with your mother’s surgery that we wouldn’t…”

  When it became apparent that she was having difficulty completing her statement, Jared reached across the table and took her hand in his. “That we wouldn’t what?” he asked softly.

  “Be seeing each other again, that you’d end things, break our engagement.”

  Jared stared into dark brown questioning eyes as he thought for a moment. Although he understood what she was saying and agreed that at one time he had thought breaking up with her as soon as possible was best for all concerned, there were a few things he felt they should take into account.

  “My family, especially my mother, will find it rather odd that we broke our engagement so soon after her surgery. I think we should at least wait a couple of weeks before dropping the bomb on them.” And I don’t know how I’ll let you go.

  Dana couldn’t see putting off the inevitable. “We’re going to have to end things sooner or later, Jared. We can’t continue to deceive everyone.”

  Jared stared at the hand he was holding then slowly released it. “I guess you’re right. If things work out and my mother won’t need any further treatments, then maybe the night of Thorn and Tara’s party should be the last time we see each other. Agreed?”

  Dana tipped up her chin and held his gaze. “Yes. Agreed.” She knew that meant they had only three weeks left to spend together. Already she felt a deep pain in her heart but refused to let it ruin her evening.

  “Dinner was wonderful,” she said dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.

  Heat flared within Jared. He would have been more than willing to wipe away any lingering crumbs from around her lips with his tongue.

  He reached up and loosened the top button of his shirt. For dinner he had dressed casually, wearing a pair of khaki slacks and a black collared shirt. Dana was wearing a beautiful printed dress that had an endless slit up the side. That dress had nearly driven him crazy before she had finally taken a seat for dinner.

  Moments later, his gut clenched. It seemed she was about to drive him crazy all over again. “I like the view from the balcony,” she said, taking her glass and walking over to the double French doors.

  “Yes. Gorgeous.” He liked the view, as well, but he wasn’t talking about what was on the other side of those French doors. The view he was feasting his eyes on was right in this very room.

  “I bet it’s simply beautiful at night,” she said softly, turning around and meeting his gaze, looking at him with something akin to desire in her eyes. He shook his head wondering if that’s what he actually saw or what he wanted to see.

  “I bet it is, too,” he managed to say as his gaze did a long, slow slide down the length of her body. “If you stick around for a while, I’m sure we’ll see just how beautiful it is. It won’t be long before it’s completely dark.”

  A smile creased the corners of her eyes. “Can you imagine standing out there under those stars?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to say he would rather be lying down under those stars and making love to her. He picked up his own glass and slowly walked over to her. When he came to a stop in front of her, a thick silence hung over them as he held her gaze, watched her uneven breathing and smelled her scent.

  Aroused.

  He was an experienced man. A man who knew women. And he would recognize that scent anywhere, especially with Dana. It was the same scent he’d drowned in that night they played Red Light, Green Light. The same one that had almost driven him over the edge while watching her first orgasm. If there was any way he could bottle that scent he would. Tonight it mingled with the fragrance of the seductive perfume she was wearing and the combination was a very passion-stirring force.

  “Let’s make a toast.”

  Her words broke the silence and his deep concentration. “And what would you like us to toast, Dana?” he asked huskily. Intense desire was mounting within him. It wouldn’t take much for him to drop to his knees, lift her dress and go straight to the source of that scent. Both his fingers and his tongue itched to—

  “I propose that we toast life.”

  He met her gaze as his mind was jerked back to attention. “Life?”

  “Yes. It can be taken from you in a second, a minute, at any place, anytime. That’s why you should live life to the fullest. Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Because when it’s gone, it’s
over. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  Jared considered her words. Life. He couldn’t help but think of how different his had been since she had walked into it. Stormed into it was a better word. In a span of less than eight weeks, he had met her, introduced her to his family and given them the definite impression they were engaged, had purchased a very costly ring for her—one he intended for her to keep—and had spent the last couple of weeks pretending to be a man very much in love. To say that Dana Rollins hadn’t affected his life would be an understatement.

  “Okay, we’ll toast to life,” he said, lifting his glass to connect with hers. They took a sip of their champagne.

  “Umm, want to have some fun?” she asked, holding his gaze over the rim of her glass.

  Jared lifted a brow. “What kind of fun?”

  A smile turned up her lips. “I’d like to play a game,” she said softly.

  “A game?”

  “Yes. A game of hide-and-seek. I hide, you find me.”

  Jared smiled. He liked the thought of doing that. “And what happens when I find you?”

  She returned his smile. “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Where I’m found.”

  Jared downplayed the possibilities as he glanced around the room. “There aren’t many places you can hide.”

  She grinned. “Oh, between my room and yours I’m sure there’s a few.”

  Jared was tempted to tell her that hiding from him wouldn’t do any good since her scent would give her away. When it came to her, his nose was like radar.

  “All right. So what do you want me to do?” he asked, more than willing to play this game she’d suggested.

  “Leave the room for about ten minutes. When you come back, the suite will be totally dark, and remember I’ll be either hiding in my suite or yours.”

  Jared nodded. This was the second game they had played together, and for someone who usually lived a structured life, he was enjoying letting go and being adventurous with Dana.