by Kim Law
“I’m going to point out some of the sights to you.” He lifted a finger to one of the more popular attractions of the city, his forearm brushing against her. She caught her breath but followed the direction of his finger.
“That’s the Bank of America Plaza. And those two structures there,” he continued, using his other arm to circle the other side of her and inhale her tropical scent. “Those buildings are mine. Fifty floors, condominiums on top, offices and retail on the lower levels.”
“I know what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work.”
He ignored her, not stopping his train of thought. “The buildings are public knowledge, though. Probably not something you want to explore too much in your program.”
She nodded, unspeaking. A curl slipped loose and swayed with her movement.
He wrapped the tendril around one finger. “You didn’t torture your hair as much today.”
“I felt like a bit of a change.” One hand lifted to the back of her head. The loose updo was attractive, but nothing like seeing all of it haloing her as she rode him, her head thrown back in passion.
He trailed a finger down her neck. “I like it.”
“JP.” Her voice shook, as did her body. “Seriously, I’m here to work. Stop messing around.”
His finger dipped under her collar and teased along the base of her neck. They were so not over. “I’m not messing around. I love touching you.”
She took a step to her right, putting space between them, and shot him a short glance. “I meant what I said. We had a great time the last couple of days, but it’s over. Let’s not pretend it could be more.”
She sucked at pretending she wasn’t affected by him, but her insistence on doing it suddenly riled. “Then you won’t mind that I’m going out with Greta tomorrow night?”
Her shoulders tensed, but her voice remained unaltered. She crossed her arms over her chest and studied the buildings outside his window even harder. “Of course not. She did buy you, after all.” Her eyes cut to him. “That’s what you’re talking about, right? The date she purchased?”
He studied her. He would be completely furious if she were going out with another man. For any reason. “So you’re still not jealous? You don’t care if I’m going out with her?”
“Of course not,” she murmured, not quite as confident as she’d sounded a second ago, and turned back to the view.
He once again moved into her space. “Then you’ll have no problem recording it.”
She stilled. “Why would I record your date?”
“Seems that’s a behind-the-scenes sort of thing you might want.”
“Oh.” She gulped. “That is a good idea.” Only the expression on her face didn’t seem to be saying the same thing at all.
Heat from the late-morning sun warmed the windows, drawing him forward as easily as Vega did. He wanted to strip her bare and lay her out in the sunshine, then feast on her until they both passed out from exhaustion. “It’s a date, then.”
She nodded. “It’s a date for you and Greta. I’ll just be a bystander.”
“And you won’t be jealous.”
She shook her head.
“Liar,” he whispered. He leaned in and nuzzled her ear. “You’ll be watching us through your camera. Like a voyeur. You sure it won’t bother you at all?”
The corners of her mouth tightened, and he couldn’t help but smile. She was definitely jealous.
“Can we just get back to work now?”
“Sure.” Only he didn’t move away. He lowered his lips and nipped at the side of her neck. “As soon as you admit you’re jealous.”
“Seriously, JP.” Her eyes closed. “We have a lot to do today.”
“Okay.” He grasped her chin, tilting her head in a way that gave him clear access to the delectable slope of her neck. “But before we work, I need to show you something.”
As he skimmed over her skin, tasting her light flavor, she moaned. “What do you need to show me?”
“This.” He closed his arms around her and she melted back against him. “We’re good for each other, Vega.” His mouth swept over her ear, nipping at the lobe. “There’s no need to deny it.”
“We shouldn’t.” Her moans mixed with his as he slid his flattened hand down the front of her, in search of the hem of her skirt. His palm crossed her mound and her head lolled against his shoulder. When he reached the bottom edge, his fingers crawled underneath, then shot upward for her panties. Though he couldn’t see them, he’d learned what she liked. They would be lacy, mostly transparent, and tiny. When he landed on the miniscule scrap of material, he knew he was right.
“You’re so wet, baby.” He feasted along her jawline as she angled her head for him. “So hot. You know you want me as bad as I want you.”
“Uh-huh.”
His other hand opened the top of her dress and the front clasp of her bra in one fluid motion. He pulled one rounded breast out, lifting it in his hand, and exposing her for the world to see—if anyone were to look through the upper-floor window.
“I want to make love to you right here. With the sun streaming in on you.” He flicked her nipple and she ground back into him, her hips rocking against his erection. “You’re so beautiful in my hands.”
“Your assistant,” she breathed. “She might catch us.”
He bit down on the tender skin at the base of her neck and drove his fingers under the damp material of her panties at the same time. “She wouldn’t dream of opening that door.” He wiggled his thumb across her core.
“JP.” She gasped. Her hands lifted, reaching behind her to grab either side of his head. She curled into him like a satisfied cat. “You should stop. You’re not proving anything with this behavior.”
He slipped a finger inside her. “I’m proving that you’re mine.”
“Only…” Her head rolled against his shoulder once again as if unable to bear its own weight, and she shuddered in his arms. “Only that our attraction is strong.”
“Strong is a ridiculous word for this.” He tugged at her underwear, fighting the urge to rip it from her body and take her up against the window. “I’m proving that you drive me as insane as I drive you, Vega. I’m desperate for you.”
To show her what he meant, he dragged her skirt up to her waist and gripped both hips. He pressed into her, his erection aching for release, and knew she felt it when he throbbed between her cheeks.
“Let me love you, darling. Let me have you.”
Her body trembled. “One last time?”
His fingers flexed involuntarily. “I want it all, Vega.”
“Yes.” She was breathless. “Yes, all.” She leaned forward and pressed her palms to the glass, and her rounded backside toward him. “Now.”
With a growl, he yanked down the hot yellow panties that barely covered half her ass, and freed himself. His body sprang forward, perfectly aware where it was headed, and he gripped the sides of her hips. He entered her in one hard push. Both of them stilled, letting the sensations roll over them, before a rush of air burst simultaneously from their lungs.
Reaching around her, he found her breasts and made sure they swung free with her movements. “God, I love these.”
He watched her reflection in the window as he thrust, burying himself to the hilt. Her mouth gaped, her tongue poked out to touch her lips. Her nipples beaded.
“Incredible,” he groaned. He slid in and out of her wetness, digging his fingers into her hips as he moved closer to his climax.
She pushed back into him, her fingers splayed wide on the glass giving her the perfect anchor to circle and grind against him. His knees weakened.
“Fuck, you’re hot. I can’t wait much longer, baby.” He dipped one hand to her crotch and the other to her breasts, his palm sliding over the bare skin of her stomach as he searched. He plucked at a nipple and her rear lifted farther in the air.
“Faster,” Vega panted, and he lost his mind. Thrusting for all he was worth, her body gripped him so tight he wa
s certain there was no way he could wait for her.
He brushed his fingertips over her clit and she moaned a long, low, animal cry. He pressed harder, pinching and swirling his fingers until she began to tremble in his arms.
“Now, JP. Now.”
With an animal sound ripping from his throat, he crushed against her, holding her as she shook in his arms, and pumped himself dry. He buried his face in her neck, wondering how he’d let this become so much more than physical, but the fact was, he couldn’t imagine a life without her in it.
Within moments, their breathing slowed and he couldn’t keep from smiling wide. He might have just found the woman for him. She was gorgeous, opinionated, and the hottest damn thing he’d ever seen. And he flat-out couldn’t get enough of her. He pressed one last kiss to her neck and lifted his face to catch her watching him in the reflection of the glass. “That was—”
“The dirtiest thing anyone has ever done to me.” Vega’s sharp whisper shocked him. She pulled away, leaving him standing there as if lost.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“WHAT?” WHAT HAD happened? JP stepped back as Vega scurried away. She’d been as heavily into that as he was. He gingerly tucked himself back into his pants while she fastened her bra. “What’s the matter?”
“What’s the matter?” she shrieked, her hands flapping in the air as she spoke. Cold eyes faced him. “I’ll tell you what’s the matter. It’s bad enough you put me in a position where Beverly or anyone else could have walked in on us, but you just used me, that’s what.”
“Of course I didn’t use you. We were both involved in what just happened.”
“Is that so?” She yanked the yellow lace up with jerky motions. “I’m here to work, JP, not to have a quickie against your office window.”
“You weren’t complaining two seconds ago.” He raised his voice.
“But I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
He lowered his voice and pulled a deep breath in through his nostrils in an attempt to control his rising anger. “It just shows we can’t control this thing between us.”
“No.” She shook her head, and what little hair had still been up fell. “You were just showing that you can bend me to your will. You walked in here, all alpha dog, and you took what you wanted.”
“I did not force you.” His anger once again matched hers. He’d never forced himself on any woman. “You wanted it as much as I did.”
She took long strides to the connecting bathroom, but didn’t close the door. He could see her messing with her hair as she continued to berate him. “Of course I did. I never said we didn’t have chemistry.” She stepped from the bathroom, her outer appearance semi-normal, but the emotion radiating from her screaming that she was anything but calmed down. “You entered this room with the intention of having sex with me this morning, didn’t you? There wasn’t one single uncontrolled action on your part.”
“Of course not.” But he had, and he knew it. He hadn’t intended to take her if she’d said no, just like last night. He would have stopped. But she had to understand that what they had wasn’t ordinary.
“Don’t you dare lie to me.” Stomping up to him, she thrust a shaking finger in his face, and that’s when he saw she wasn’t just angry. Her eyes swam with unshed tears. She was hurt. “I do not tolerate lies and people using me, JP. That happened once. I won’t stand for it again.”
“I didn’t…” He captured her hand, but she yanked it out of his. And then he realized something he’d not been prepared to accept last night. He still wasn’t prepared. But he also couldn’t hide from it. They might be over. He might have actually pushed hard enough that he’d lost her.
His heart thudded against his ribs, squeezing with fear. What was it about her that made him do the stupidest things? He mentally kicked himself. “I’m sorry.”
“Right. That’s convenient.” She whirled around and headed to her equipment. “How about we just get back to…” She froze; not a single muscle on her body moved. When she spoke, her voice was cold and controlled. “Did you reset the view to capture us on camera?”
Honestly, the thought had entered his mind. “Of course not.”
Dead brown eyes were once again in his face. No words, just Vega staring him down as if he were more disgusting than a chunk of rotten Brie left out in an Atlanta summer. “Then why were you messing with it?”
“Babe.” He reached out a hand, but she jerked away before his fingertips could even graze her. Okay, he was tired of the drama. It wasn’t like he’d done anything without her consent. He may have come in conceited and demanding, yes. But he hadn’t done one single thing she hadn’t also wanted. “I was watching you, that’s all. I wanted you to be able to look at it later and see how perfect you are on-screen. I don’t think you realize that. And of course I wouldn’t record us without your knowledge.”
He paused before saying the next words, knowing it would prove he’d gone to the window with an agenda. “I turned the camera off.”
Wide eyes watched him for ten long seconds before they blinked and something resembling normalcy came back into play. Without another word she crossed the room and stepped behind the camera. “We’ll record a few more minutes of you going through your normal morning routine, then I’ll disappear until your first appointment.”
He stood in the middle of the room wondering what the hell had just happened. Not a thing about the last few minutes made any sense to him. They both wanted each other. They both enjoyed each other.
But they could no longer be together.
So she said.
Fuck it, he didn’t need this trouble. He moved behind his desk and tried to pretend she didn’t exist. Only there was something very important he couldn’t push from his mind.
“You might want to do something with your hair,” she snipped. “It looks like some fool has been running her fingers through it.”
JP stared at the woman he’d just realized he was in love with, and wondered what he could do to fix this mess. He hadn’t thought of his plans to seduce her this morning as using her, but that’s exactly what he’d done. He’d arrived with a purpose. To show her it wasn’t over. Probably no better than whatever the jerk had done to her.
He straightened his hair and clothes, then sat at his desk. “I know I messed up just now, and I’ll say it again. I’m sorry. Honestly. There’s no need for you to run off until my meeting.”
Vega didn’t say anything, but he could see her watching him from behind her camera.
“I don’t know what he did to you,” he started, unsure how to apologize in a way to make it right. “But remember, I’m not him. I’m just a man, and I make mistakes like most of us do. That’s all I did this morning.”
She nodded. “And that was too much.”
The intercom on his desk buzzed before he could reply, and he had to stop himself from shoving the offending item to the floor. Why did Beverly continue to disturb him?
“Yes?” he snapped into the speaker.
“Mr. Davenport, Ms. Doguard is here and has asked to see you. She says it’ll only take a few moments of your time. This morning is the only time we can work her in.”
Reality slammed back into him. The mother of his father’s secret child was waiting to see him, and he had a nosy journalist with a video camera watching his every move.
“Is she alone?”
“Yes, sir.”
At least she hadn’t done something stupid like bring the kid up here. With a parting glance to Vega, he replied to Beverly. “Ms. Zaragoza was just about to step out until the nine o’clock meeting. I’ll see Lexi after she leaves.”
He stood and nodded at the door, ignoring the scathing look Vega shot his way. No doubt he’d just pissed her off even more by dismissing her, but it couldn’t be helped. He had no idea why Lexi was here, but he couldn’t afford to ignore her.
They stepped to the door, and he wrapped his hand around the knob but didn’t open it. “You are coming back, right?
”
She gaped at him. “You think that just because you used our chemistry against me I’ll run out of here and forget my job? No way. You promised me an interview. After that stunt you just pulled, I dare you to try to get out of it now.”
“I’m not saying I want out of it,” he ground out, the seemingly permanent state of his clenched teeth making his head throb.
“You sure about that? Clearly you only want me around for sex.”
“I don—”
“And you definitely won’t be getting any more of that.”
He closed his eyes and rubbed his thumb against his pounding temple. How in the world had everything gotten so out of hand? “Fine. I get it. I screwed up.”
“Exactly. You screwed up. And I don’t give second chances.”
“Just…” He paused as he tried to find the right words to let her know she was so much more to him than she thought. He’d never had a woman get so in his face when he crossed the line. Call him out and make him own his mistakes. One who so easily got him to live in the moment and forget the life he was supposed to be living. And whose smile made the whole world feel right. “Maybe we could—”
“Huh-uh,” she said. “We can’t do anything anymore. I’m here for a job. That’s all I’m doing.” She shoved his hand off the doorknob and opened it herself, but looked back at him one last time and whispered, “Make sure you don’t forget that again.”
She stormed from the room, taking a quick glance at Lexi as she passed.
After the door to his outer office swished closed behind her, Beverly turned a pinched face to him, disapproval clear in each line. “Not quite the outcome you’d hoped for, sir?” Her tone made it clear she was wise to exactly what he’d been doing behind closed doors.
He snapped. Damn. Why did everyone suddenly think they could stick their noses in his business? And he certainly didn’t need Beverly rubbing it in his face that he’d been an ass and had royally screwed up. “Nothing for you to worry about, Ms. Brubaker.”
Her eyebrows arched with the formal use of her name, but he didn’t stick around long enough to allow her to make him feel like an even bigger jerk. He took in the woman waiting to talk to him, her eyes as wide as saucers, and hoped like hell she didn’t put two and two together as well. He didn’t need to give her another excuse to try to blackmail him.
