by Opal Carew
“I asked Andre to let me know when you arrived, because I wanted to come by and talk. There are some things we need to sort out. When he told me there was a young woman with you who matched the description of Jess, I decided I’d better rush right over.”
His accusing gaze fell on Jessica and her back stiffened.
“Did she tell you I proposed?” Rafe asked.
“Yes,” Dane responded. “She also told me she turned you down.”
Her stomach tightened as they talked about her as if she wasn’t even there.
“And did she tell you that afterward she spent the night?”
Dane’s gaze shot to her in surprise.
Anger burst through her and her hands balled into fists. “That’s right. I slept with both of you. This is a very confusing and emotional situation for me and I’m dealing with it as best I can. But I haven’t lied about anything I’ve done, and I haven’t agreed to a commitment with either one of you.” She placed her hands on her hips. “And maybe I like it that way. It’s not like you own me. Maybe I’ll keep on sleeping with both of you.” She glared at them. “If either one of you wants to stop, just say the word.”
At their open-mouthed stares, she spun on her heels and headed for the elevator. She jabbed the Close button several times as they watched, stunned. Finally, the doors closed and she slumped against the side of the elevator as it began its descent.
* * *
At the knock on the door, Jessica put down the magazine she’d been reading and stood up. She’d been out late with Melanie yesterday and was now spending a quiet Sunday afternoon at home while Melanie was out shopping.
She pulled open the door and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Rafe standing there. He was the image of Storm, gut-wrenchingly handsome in his jeans and leather jacket.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Thank heavens Melanie wasn’t here. That would make this even more awkward.
“May I come in?” he asked.
“Um … yeah, sure.” She stepped aside to let him enter.
He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the coat tree inside the door. His black T-shirt hugged his broad chest snugly and tattoos flowed past his sleeves down his biceps. Reluctantly, she tore her gaze from his big, masculine body.
“Can I get you anything? I have coffee on.”
“No, thanks.” He sat down on the couch, right where she’d been sitting.
She sat down in the armchair.
“After you left Dane’s place Friday night,” he said, “I thought you could use a little time to cool off, so I waited until today to come by.”
She nodded. “I guess I went a little off the deep end.”
He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “It’s all right. You had a right to be upset. Dane and I were acting like kids fighting over a toy.”
Her fingers curled tightly. “I don’t want to be the cause of dissension between you. I know Dane missed you terribly when you were gone, and he’s tried to change things in the company in ways that would make you proud. He’s developing green technologies, he’s looking into programs to improve employee health benefits, and—”
“I know. I’ve been brought up-to-date on those things by Melanie. Dane has done some outstanding things and I’m pleased to see it. That doesn’t change the problem between the three of us, though.”
He reached out and took her hand. The feel of his fingers around hers sent sparks dancing along her skin.
“Jess, I love you. And if your feelings for Dane interfere with that, there’s going to be tension between him and me. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“I guess. But I don’t want you to blame him. Not like with your prom date.”
Rafe’s eyebrows arched. “He told you about that?”
She nodded. “It was before we knew you and Storm were the same person. We were just getting to know each other. I was telling him about my ex—you—and he told me about his brother.”
“Why would you tell him about me?”
She glanced at him. “Actually, you were the reason we met. I was eating breakfast at a restaurant before going to the career fair and I saw him outside. At first, I thought he was you.”
“Did you just walk up to him?”
She smiled. “I followed him into Starbucks and walked over to him, then got embarrassed when I realized my mistake.”
“And he used that excuse to pick you up?”
“No, I left, but then he saw me standing in the rain trying to get a cab and he offered me a ride.”
“So he became the knight in shining armor.”
“Well, he got me to the job fair, and gave me some helpful advice along the way.” She pulled out the worry stone from her pocket. “He also gave me this. It helped me to stay focused and calm at the career fair. I was a bit of a wreck having to cope with all the stress, but his advice helped.”
He took the stone from her hand and stared at it. “My brother had a worry stone? That’s hard to believe.”
She nodded. “He was carrying it in his pocket.” She gazed at the stone as his thumb stroked its smooth surface. “In fact, he told me he’d actually gotten it for you, but you’d left and he didn’t get a chance to give it to you. He said he wanted to show you that he respected your beliefs, even though they are different from his.”
“Really?” He looked at the stone with renewed interest.
“I think you should keep it.”
He glanced at her. “You sure?”
“Of course. I think it’s an important gesture on his part.” She shrugged. “And I can always get another one.”
“Thanks.” He placed the stone in his jeans pocket. “So what did you tell him about me?”
She glanced down at her hands. “I told him about when you left, and how devastated I was.” The pain still resonated inside her.
“He probably thought I was a jerk.”
She didn’t say anything.
“It’s okay. I was a jerk. I never should have left. But it was the best I could do at the time.” He took her hand in his. “You know I never meant to lie to you. I was just being who I wanted to be. Leaving my old identity behind. But when I met you, it became a lie and I didn’t want to keep lying to you.”
Her insides ached. “You could have told me the truth.”
He nodded. “I know I made some major mistakes and totally screwed things up between us.” His lips compressed. “But I know that now, and it made me realize how much I need you in my life.”
He stood up and walked to the coat tree and reached in his jacket pocket, then returned with a small gift box. He handed it to her.
She gazed at him warily as she took it. “I hope this isn’t another ring.”
He chuckled. “God, no. I learned my lesson on that one. When…” He hesitated, his gaze locking on her, and he turned serious again. “If you finally say yes, we’ll pick out the ring together.”
A lump formed in her throat. She wanted to tell him the moth ring was perfect. It was so beautiful, both in form and concept, but its dazzling beauty and high price had emphasized the difference between the Storm she thought she’d known, and Rafe. But she loved the ring and everything it said about him.
He gestured toward the gift box still in her hand. “I wanted to get you something special, but this time I kept it simple. Open it.”
She pulled on the thin, curled ribbon and the simple bow pulled loose. She tore away the gift wrap and revealed a small box inside. She opened it and amidst some pink, glittery tissue paper was a bottle of nail polish. She lifted the small, cylindrical bottle from the wrapping. It was white with small black speckles.
“Look at the name.” He pointed to the side of the bottle and in tiny gold letters it said Leopard Moth.
She grinned at him. “You’re kidding. How did you find it?”
He shrugged. “I had a little help from Melanie.”
Of course. And the fact that Melanie had helped him … maybe that meant
she was really okay with Rafe and her being together.
“This is very nice. It looks like a designer brand.”
“No, that’s the thing. It’s a kind you get in a drugstore.”
She stared at the brand name—Accessorize—which she didn’t recognize. “I’ve never seen this brand, and believe me, I’ve been shopping enough with Melanie to know them all.”
He smiled sheepishly. “Okay. The drugstore is in England, but it’s just an inexpensive bottle of nail lacquer, as they call it. Melanie saw it on one of the blogs she follows and she thought it would be a perfect gift for you.”
“And it probably cost you ten times the price in shipping.”
“Don’t blow it out of proportion. It’s no big deal.” He took her hand again and squeezed. “It’s just a token, Jess. Please don’t turn it down. Even with shipping it was far less than the ring.”
She smiled. “It would have to be, wouldn’t it?”
“And if it makes you feel better, I also got Melanie the whole collection of those speckled polishes to thank her for listening to me ramble on about my love life and offering a woman’s perspective, so you see, your bottle just hitched a ride with her gift.”
She laughed and then gazed at the bottle, admiring it. “I love it. It was very thoughtful of you. Thank you.”
He was so sweet, getting Melanie some of the polishes, too. She’d be thrilled at getting the exotic polishes, for sure, but the fact they came from Rafe meant that she would treasure them even more. And it made her feel good to know that Rafe had confided in Melanie about everything going on between them. Jessica still worried that her friend’s feeling were hurt, but knowing that she and Rafe were strengthening their friendship was a good sign that Melanie had moved on.
She squeezed his hand and they both stood up.
“I’d better get going.” But he didn’t turn to leave.
She stepped close to him and put her hands on his shoulders, raising her lips to his in invitation. He swooped down and kissed her, his mouth moving on hers with passion. She melted against him, loving the feel of his big, hard body against hers, and the feel of his strong arms around her. His tongue danced with hers and her hormones spiked. His hands gripped her hips and he pulled her tight to him. A hard bulge pressed against her and she drew back.
“Rafe, I can’t.” There was no way she wanted to wind up with him in her bed. Not here. It would be awkward, and totally unfair to Melanie, if she had to skulk out of her bedroom with Rafe in tow.
He nodded. “I know. I didn’t mean to pressure you.” He stroked her hair behind her ear. “Would you like to go for dinner?”
“No. Not tonight.” She knew dinner would lead to sleeping together, and she still needed to figure things out.
“Okay.” He walked to the entrance and pulled on his leather jacket, but he didn’t turn to leave.
“Jess, I know you need time and I’m willing to wait, but…”
The silence that fell between them made her heart ache. “But what?”
“I need to know. What are your feelings for my brother?”
“Oh, Rafe.” How could she tell him when she wasn’t even sure herself?
“You said it was just a physical relationship, but that’s not you. I can’t imagine you giving yourself to a man if you don’t feel something for him.” He took her hand and pressed it to his mouth. The sweet brush of his lips sent tingles dancing along her arm.
“I won’t ask if you love him, but do you have feelings for him?”
She dragged her gaze away from him. “I never meant for it to happen. I just wanted something physical to keep my mind off my pain at losing you.”
“Ah, fuck.”
“I’d come from a small town to a big city. Everything was new and different. And a little overwhelming. Your brother helped me feel like I belong here.”
He gripped her hand. “Just tell me. Do I still have a chance with you?”
She sighed and gazed straight into his sky blue eyes. “I don’t know what to say. I’m really not sure what I feel about either of you right now. I just know you’re both very important to me.” She frowned. “I wish I didn’t have to choose.”
He tugged her into his arms and his mouth devoured hers, his arms so tight around her she could barely catch her breath. As his tongue dove into her and caressed with sweet strokes, thoughts of his hands roaming over her body, his lips exploring her most intimate places washed through her. If this kept on, she’d be dragging him back to her bedroom post haste.
But then he released her and turned to the door. As he shut it behind him, she stood staring at it, sucking in air.
Oh, God, how would she cope at the office tomorrow?
* * *
The next few days at work weren’t as bad as she’d feared. She’d barely spent any time alone with Dane and he kept everything on a business level. Rafe was out of the office most of the time at meetings.
Things between her and Melanie were back to normal. When Melanie had arrived home on Sunday night, Jessica showed her the nail polish Rafe had given her, and thanked Melanie for her part in it. Melanie had hugged her and then insisted that Jessica put on the polish right away.
She glanced at the trendy, speckled polish on her fingernails and smiled. Last night, Melanie had insisted on touching up her manicure with black tips which, paired with the white polish with black speckles, gave her nails an edgy, designer look. She even added a pearl accent on each tip. It was funny that Melanie would insist on such a dramatic look for Jessica in the office, when she would only wear subtle, neutral tones herself.
Melanie’s plain Jane office attire was such a contrast to the bright colors and trendy clothing that she wore on her off time. She seemed to have a real need to conform when she was at the office. And rules meant everything to her.
Jessica remembered how she used to be before she’d met Storm. She’d been far more uptight back then, but her heated relationship with the badass musician had freed something inside her, and she hoped Melanie would learn to loosen up someday. Life was too short to play by other people’s rules.
“Fancy manicure. Melanie’s doing?”
She glanced up at Dane’s voice and nodded. He looked spectacular standing there in her doorway. His tailored charcoal suit accentuated his broad shoulders, and the hint of a shadow on his square jaw enhanced his natural masculinity.
“Do you need me?” she asked.
His lips turned up in a smile and he stepped into her office. “Now there’s an understatement.”
Her eyes widened at the unexpected sexual innuendo. Her body heated as she thought about him calling her into his office, then closing the door and commanding her to strip down to nothing.
There was no doubt about it, spending the past several nights alone after the constant attention of two sexy men had left her more than a little hot and bothered. She wanted nothing more than to race into his office and be dominated by him, his deep voice commanding her to do dirty, sexy things to him, then his hard body satisfying the deep craving within her.
Oh, God, why had Storm turned out to be Dane’s brother? And why had he returned and complicated things so dramatically?
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to suggest we do anything about it. Right now. But I would like you to come to my place after work. We need to talk.”
* * *
Jessica stepped out of the limousine and walked toward the entrance of the Ritz-Carlton. A doorman opened the door for her.
“Mr. Ranier will be down in a moment. You can wait in the lobby.” He gestured to a sitting area with an off-white leather sofa and chairs and a square, light wood coffee table.
“No need. I’m here.”
Dane stepped toward her, smiling. She followed him to the elevator and soon they were entering his luxurious apartment. She crossed the elegant living room to the couch and sat down. He poured a glass of white wine and handed it to her, then sat across from her.
“So you said we need to
talk,” she began, holding the tall stem glass in her hand.
She wasn’t sure how he intended to tackle the issues between the three of them, but he was a problem solver and always took charge. He must have something in mind.
“That’s right. The current situation is intolerable. I don’t want to compete for you, especially with my brother.”
Did this mean he was giving up on her? But his gaze drifted down her body and she shivered at the possessive look in his eye.
“We need to find a way to satisfy everyone involved.”
At the sight of his heated gaze, images flashed through her brain of him dragging her into his arms to satisfy his needs.
“And how do we do that?” she asked.
“You said the other day that neither of us owns you.”
She frowned, wondering where he was going with this. “Right.”
“That’s not entirely true.”
Her eyebrows arched. “What do you mean?”
He walked to the executive leather chair he had by a cherry wood desk in the corner and turned it to face her, then sat down. “Come over here.”
At his authoritative tone, she immediately stood up, set her glass on the table and walked toward him.
“Stand in front of me.”
She stood three feet in front of him, his sharp gaze gliding the length of her body, sending heat humming through her.
“If I order you to do something, you’ll do it, correct?”
At his firm, demanding tone, she nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
“So in a way, I am your master.” He smiled. “So I own you.”
“That’s not really true, I—”
“Silence.”
She shivered. If he wanted it, he had full control over her. She knew it. And he knew it.
It would be a scary thought if she didn’t trust him as much as she did, but in reality he always put her pleasure first, so it was an extreme turn-on. Desire washed through her and she longed for him to order her to kneel in front of him and unzip his pants and then tell her to draw out his big, swollen cock, proof that the situation turned him on just as much as it did her.
“Now, unbutton your blouse and step closer.”
“Yes, Mr. Ranier.” She unfastened the buttons quickly as she stepped toward him.
