The Millionaire's Temptation (Seduced by Love)

by Sonya Weiss

  “I can take care of myself.” He forced himself to look away from her lips. His mind was spinning from everything he’d learned about her. “Now, let’s get some lunch. We have time to hit the slopes again later today.”

  Holly groaned. “Do we have to?”

  Jake laughed and took her hand. “C’mon. We’ll eat, and then I’ll show you how to build a proper snowman.”

  …

  He wasn’t one to play in the snow. Hadn’t done so since he was a kid. The snowman wasn’t exactly a work of art with its lopsided head and off center buttons, but Holly’s laughter made the afternoon worth enduring the cold. Since she’d told him the truth, she seemed more carefree.

  When he saw her rolling a handful of snow into a snowball and then giving him a side-eyed look, he pointed at her. “If you know what’s good for you, woman, you won’t throw that.”

  “Oh?” She raised her eyebrows. “What’s good for me, Jake?”

  The way she said it, in a suggestive tone, caught him off guard, giving her enough time to wing the snowball right into the center of his face. He sputtered, clearing away the splatter and said, “Mistake number one, baby.”

  She took off running across the snow, slipping and falling, then getting up to run again. The entire time she ran, she laughed, and when she looked over her shoulder, he tackled her, flipping her over before he pressed her body into the snow.

  “What’s mistake number two?”

  “Getting caught,” he said smugly.

  Eyes sparkling, cheeks snow-flushed, she bucked beneath him. “It’s cold.”

  “I can start a fire.” Especially if she kept pressing her body against him like that.

  She rolled her eyes. “Another vague threat.”

  Jake stood and hauled her to her feet, tossing her over his shoulder. Her laughter rang out across the air as he headed into the chalet.

  “I’m freezing,” she said as he kicked the door shut.

  He set her down in the foyer and brushed the snow from her. “Take a shower to warm up. I’ll make cocoa.” She walked away, and Jake’s smile faded.

  He wanted to help her. He could give her a job. Help her get on her feet. Make sure the uncle stayed in the past and never bothered her again. He still wanted to punch the hell out of a man who could treat children the way that loser had treated Holly and her brother.

  Still thinking about how he could fix things, Jake showered, changed, and had the cocoa made and swimming with miniature marshmallows when she returned. Her hair was wet and tangled, her face makeup free, and she was…breathtaking.

  “The side of your hand is red,” she said as he passed her a cup.

  “Splashed hot water on it.”

  “I can put something on it.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m a big boy, Holly. As you know.” He winked.

  She smiled at that and put her cup down. Raising her hands, she slid them across his chest to his biceps and up to his shoulders. Then she moved toward him until her breasts were pressed against him. “Yes, I do know.”

  As his jeans grew uncomfortably tight, he held himself still, fighting the need to haul her against him and silence his body’s throbbing need. He wanted her spread across his bed, wanted the memory of her arching beneath him to be a reality. His breath escaped in a hiss when she moved her hips and her body brushed against him. No one else existed in the world except Holly and if he didn’t take her, the need was going to make him implode.

  He tangled his fingers in her hair and crashed his mouth down on hers, drinking in the sweet promise of her. When he tangled his tongue with hers, and she lightly sucked, he thought for certain his erection would bust through his zipper. Gripping her ass, he hauled her upward, groaning at the sweet pressure of her body against him. She wound her legs around his waist without breaking contact between their mouths and rocked her hips. She was going to drive him insane.

  He walked them to a wall and pressed her back against it, holding her up with one hand under her firm cheeks. Sliding his other hand upward beneath her shirt, he spanned it across the flatness of her stomach. When she whimpered, he moved to her breast, cupping the weight of it in the palm of his hand. Slowly, barely moving his thumb, he raked it over the rigid nipple. She tore her mouth from his.

  “Jake…” He licked the side of her neck before sucking lightly, and she gasped.

  “I’m going to memorize every inch of your body with my hands,” he said against her skin. Lowering her to her feet, he yanked the shirt over her head, then discarded his own. He gazed at the swell of her breasts over the top of her lacy bra. “You are so damn beautiful. I have ached from wanting you, and I’ve never ached for anyone.”

  She twisted her arms behind her back and unfastened her bra, dropping it to the floor at her feet. “I know the feeling.”

  “Get naked. I want to see all of you,” he growled, barely recognizing the sound of his own voice.

  Holly slowly unzipped her jeans and shimmied her hips until they fell below her knees. Then she stepped out of them, wearing a pair of barely-there panties, and Jake’s self-control snapped. Scooping her up into his arms, he walked into the bedroom and lay her gently down on the bed.

  “Get naked. I want to see all of you,” she saucily repeated his words back to him.

  “Yes ma’am.” Jake made quick work of his jeans, then lay beside her, resting his hand on her hip but not making another move.

  Rising up on her elbows, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” Jake said. He wanted to drink in the perfection of her body. Holly was incredibly sexy and just looking at her made him feel electrified all over. Other women had come and gone in his life and though he’d enjoyed their company, none of them had stuck in his mind. None of them had driven him to the level of need he felt when he was near Holly. Knowing what she’d been through made him want to sweep away the pain and never let it touch her life again.

  “Nothing’s wrong, but nothing’s happening,” she said, with a pointed raise of her eyebrows.

  “Are you complaining about the service?”

  “The lack of.” She tapped her index finger on her chin and perused his body slowly. “Looks impressive, but does the equipment still work?”

  Jake threw back his head and laughed. “Little impatient, are we?”

  “Maybe I have a short attention span.”

  He gave an exaggerated leer and pretended to twirl an imaginary mustache. “I can make you pay attention all night long.”

  Holly laughed and said, “All night? It’s not the evening, yet.”

  “Then you have a long ride ahead of you, honey.”

  Chapter Eleven

  When Jake kissed her, Holly thought for sure she’d drown in the sensations washing over her body. She wrapped her hands around his neck, reveling in his touch, in the nakedness of his body against hers. In a world where she’d had very little comfort and no safe haven, she found both in his arms. Tomorrow, she wouldn’t let herself need him, wouldn’t let herself lean on him, but for tonight, she would give in.

  He moved his lips from hers and slid lower on her body until his lips found the top of her breast. With a light press of his lips against her flesh, he kissed and teased first one mound, then the other, until Holly arched her back.

  “Jake…”

  “Jake, what? You want me? You’re on fire?” She nodded and he said, “We’re just getting started.” He lowered his hands to her thighs, and skimmed his fingers tantalizingly close but didn’t touch where she was wet and ready.

  She lowered her hand to grip him, intending to cut out the leisurely route, but Jake murmured a soft, “Oh no, you don’t.” He raised her hand above her head and pinned it to the pillow. His mouth was on her nipple while his other hand slid behind her, then lower to her ass. Nudging her legs wider apart, he slid his fingers along her, and Holly gasped at the angle. If he didn’t stop the onslaught, the fire burning through her veins was going to liquefy her brain.

&n
bsp; Finally, Jake covered himself with a condom and slid into her. He moved slowly at first, gently easing his hips forward, until Holly decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. She thrust her hips up, rocking back and forth until Jake’s fingers tightened on her waist. He shifted to hit her sweet spot, and Holly spiraled into an orgasm that washed over her in waves.

  The second her body relaxed, Jake picked up speed, moving faster and faster until he groaned her name, and found his own release. Afterward, as they rested, Holly traced the outline of the dragon tattoo on his back.

  “What does it mean?”

  She tilted her head back to look at his profile. His jaw was clenched, his lips tight.

  He rolled over onto his back. “It’s for strength and courage.”

  “You have a lot of scars.” She touched one beside his navel that was about four inches long. “Where’d you get them?”

  “Years ago in juvie.”

  She raised her eyebrows, surprised at the news and the vehemence in his voice.

  “What were you in for?” Holly asked.

  “Arson.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t know all the hows and whys but as far as she was concerned, what he’d done had shaped him into the man he was today. And she believed he was one of the good guys.

  “That’s it? You don’t want to know all the dirty details?”

  “Not if you don’t want to share.” Talking about her past always cost her emotionally, and she recognized the same reluctance Jake had to talk about his.

  “My brother, Adam, died in the juvenile correctional facility that we were locked away in. Mason, Cole, and I were accused of setting a fire. We didn’t do it, but because we had reputations, no one believed us. My grandmother, Martha, did, but no one would listen.” Jake closed his eyes.

  “What happened to Adam?”

  “There was some trouble. Contraband had been brought in and the guards were furious. Adam didn’t have anything to do with it, but two guards slammed him to the concrete and pressed their knees on his back. A third guard pressed his foot on Adam’s neck. I couldn’t get to him in time. Mason tried and the guards beat him.”

  “I’m sorry,” Holly whispered.

  “Adam’s voice grew weaker and weaker as he begged for us to help him until it finally stopped, and I watched the light go out of his eyes.”

  “Jake.” Holly pulled him into her arms and kissed him.

  Jake abruptly rose from the bed and walked naked into the bathroom. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

  Him pushing her away didn’t bother her. It was the same defensive mechanism she’d often used herself. “Sounds good.”

  He shut the door and a few seconds later, the shower started.

  Holly rolled over onto her stomach and rested her chin on the backs of her hands, not surprised by his abrupt decision to leave the bed. What she’d learned made her rethink what she’d once believed about him. That he’d always had a life of ease and wealth. The marks she’d seen on his body showed that Jake had lived a life that wasn’t any easier than hers had been.

  When Jake rejoined her, sitting on the edge of the bed to massage her back, she made a sound of contentment, then said, “We should go sledding tomorrow. Can we get a two-person one?” She wasn’t a fan of the cold, but she was a big fan of spending time with Jake. Something she knew was dangerous to her heart. She didn’t need to fall for him. Not that he was the white picket fence kind anymore than she was. Twisting over to face him, she reached up and brushed a lock of hair off of his forehead. “You look so serious.”

  “You should stay in Chicago. I’ll hire you at the company and you and your brother won’t have to run anymore.”

  She was tempted to tell him she would, but she’d learned how life could quickly turn on a dime. “Let me think about it,” she said, knowing it would never happen.

  …

  After the weekend in Aspen, Holly had gone to see her former employer to pick up her final paycheck. Later, she’d check a map and decide where she and Liam needed to go next, then buy a couple of train tickets. She’d thought over Jake’s offer to hire her, but she knew she couldn’t take it. She couldn’t take the chance that Burt would come after Jake to get to her or Liam. The only thing left was to tell him about her decision.

  She took the elevator to the floor where his office was located. The secretary conferred with Jake, then told Holly to go in. Seeing Jake as he rose from behind the desk, the long-ago believer in happily-ever-after rose within her and for a few seconds, Holly let herself imagine the handsome man walking toward her could one day care for her. Giving herself a mental shake at the absurdity of the thought, she came to a stop in front of him, heart beating fast, trying hard not to dwell on his lips.

  “Did you decide to stay?”

  “Only until I finish going over any possible security flaws for your company. After that, I can’t stay.”

  His half smile disappeared, and he shifted his feet, moving to touch the side of her arm. It may have only been a light touch, but the longing it caused sank all the way into her bones. “Don’t say no yet. Take it day by day. No promises, no commitments. I won’t hold you to anything. But if you leave now, you’re broke. You won’t have enough for everything you’ll need to settle somewhere new.”

  He was right about that. First and last month’s rent plus a deposit on a new place would be more than she currently had.

  “I can take the job but then leave without warning if I need to?” she asked, thinking about how earning a couple more paychecks would help her and Liam resettle somewhere.

  “Yes, and don’t forget that there are perks with the position.”

  “Like sleeping with the boss?” She touched a button on his shirt, letting her hand linger. The laughter they’d shared sipping hot cocoa while sitting in front of the fire at the ski chalet had caused a shift in their relationship. They were on their way to becoming friends, and the thought made Holly happy. Even if it would rip her heart out when she left.

  “Sleeping with the boss…I’d like that to be one of the perks,” he said, brushing the side of his jaw against her hair. “But if you’re not interested, say the word, and I won’t ever mention it again.”

  Trying to think standing this close to him was like trying to get water to pool in a sieve. “I’d like that, too.” She tilted her face upward and felt the usual jolt when his gaze locked with hers.

  “Good.” He brushed his lips against hers. “My secretary will line up a car and phone for you.”

  Holly pulled back. “Is that a perk for all the employees?”

  “Cell phones are. The car lease will be for you because I realized you were at my mercy—”

  “And you didn’t like that?” she whispered.

  “I’m talking about transportation,” he said, pulling her closer to him again. “I didn’t want you to feel stuck.”

  Holly spread her fingers against his abdomen, and his muscles contracted. He sucked in a breath. “Play nice,” he said.

  “Day by day. No commitment, no promises. That extends to whatever this is between us as well.”

  “Are you asking me or making a statement?”

  “Making a statement. I don’t make promises. That way, I never have to break them.” She touched his chin, then eased her hand along the side of his jaw.

  His office door opened, and Cole poked his head in. “Hey, man—” He scowled. “Sorry. Your bodyguard wasn’t at her desk and I didn’t realize you had…company.”

  “My secretary went to pick up a car for Holly.”

  “What?” Holly asked. “You knew I’d take the job?”

  “I gambled and won.”

  Holly saw him shoot a get-lost look at Cole, but the other man didn’t budge. Probably thought he had to protect his friend from her clutches.

  “I should go,” she said.

  “The car will have GPS so you can find the way to my house, but if you want to wait for me, you can follow me in.”
r />   Shaking her head, Holly headed toward the door still blocked by Cole. “I can figure it out.”

  “I’ll be there around six thirty. I’ll take you to an Irish pub I know in the Streeterville neighborhood.”

  “If they have cold beer and a pool table, you’re on. Otherwise, it’s an early night and Netflix for me,” she warned.

  “The pub has pool tables. See you at home.”

  Cole finally stepped aside, giving her a cold stare.

  …

  “Don’t tell me you’re sleeping with her again.”

  “It’s none of your business, Cole.” Jake turned his back and started to walk around the desk when his friend grabbed his arm.

  “Your brother was my friend.”

  “What does Adam have to do with Holly?”

  “I can’t shake the fact that she lived in Butler Field.”

  Jake rubbed his forehead. “A lot of people live there.”

  Cole sat down in one of the leather chairs and propped his feet up on the desk. “Yeah, but come on, Jake. She’s from the same place you’re from. Years later, she happens to run into you at a Christmas party. She steals a drive that could have ruined us and now you offer her a job because you’re sleeping with her.”

  “Holly didn’t steal the drive. Her brother did, and my relationship with Holly isn’t your concern.”

  “So it’s a relationship now?” Cole lowered his legs and stood. “I was there as Adam died. His last words to me were to watch over you, and that’s what I’m trying to do. You’re getting in too deep, too fast,” Cole warned. “This isn’t like you.”

  Jake stared his friend down. Since Aspen, he’d felt differently about Holly. He wanted to be her shield. He wanted to give her everything she’d never had, and he wanted to make sure no one ever hurt her again. “You don’t need to worry,” he said finally when Cole didn’t take the hint.

  Cole studied him for a second. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing. You’re in love with her.”

  Jake scoffed. “In all the years you’ve known me, do you think I’m the falling-in-love kind of guy? I know how to draw a line and not cross it.”