Jack avoided her gaze. “Who?”
She had no right to be nosy but curiosity was getting the better of her. Working to keep her voice casual, she clarified, “The bartender.”
He ran his hand over his face. “Oh him. Yeah, I’ve see him around.”
A man who sold himself as an escort was bound to know all types of people, including bartenders in seedy roadhouses.
She lined up her next shot, tapped the ball gently but the cue ball hit about five inches away from the target.
Jack gave her playful tap on the arm. “Nice of you to let me have a turn.”
Elizabeth cast him a withering smile. He returned it with a boyish grin as he shifted to study the table.
No way around it, Mr. Harley was a man of many talents. One minute he had her nearly whimpering with anticipation. The next he bantered with her like they were long-time friends.
The purple striped ball Jack aimed for rolled easily into the corner pocket. He stepped around the table with masculine grace. Did all men move that way and she’d just never noticed? Or was there something about Jack that had her watching his every move?
A man at the table across the room had a shorter stride but his movements had a straightforward sense of purpose. With his shaggy black hair and square shoulders, he’d probably appeal to some women. Not her though.
Now that jukebox cowboy. He was another matter.
Elizabeth twisted, finding him easily. He’d moved over to the bar and was laughing with Leo.
With his brown hat tipped over his face, he looked like he’d just swung down from his horse and ambled in for a drink to quench his thirst. The corded muscles of his tanned throat flexed as he spoke.
What would a man like that do with his date?
She couldn’t imagine him taking her anywhere on the back of a motorcycle. Instead, she envisioned him pulling her onto a bed of golden straw and kissing her senseless.
“Him again, huh?”
With a quick bolt of embarrassment, Elizabeth spun around.
Jack stood so close, the warmth from his body pressed into her. One side of his mouth pulled down and he rubbed the back of his neck. “To be fair, you did express an interest in cowboys.”
He ran his fingers through her hair. With his hand settled on her shoulder, he caressed the skin on her neck. “What did you call him? The rough and rugged loner on a horse?”
The intensity of Jack’s dark stare made the floor roll. Had a man ever looked at her that way and had she been too blind to notice? No, she was certain that not a single man had ever looked at her with such hunger.
Did he feel something for her? Or was his male ego bruised because she’d looked at another man? Was it something else altogether? She frowned. “You must think I’m a desperate woman.”
His scent swirled around her when he leaned forward and put his other hand at her waist and applied pressure. “You have no idea what I think of you.”
The husky pitch in his voice made her quiver. Even though she was swiftly accepting the reality of Jack’s effect on her, the intensity of the sexual heat made her step back.
“Am I holding you too tightly Elizabeth?”
She gave up trying to get away. “No, it isn’t that.”
“Worried that I’ll keep that other man away?”
That man at the bar had nothing to do with her mixed emotions. He’d suddenly become invisible, an afterthought, while Jack had stepped into the center of her universe.
When she shook her head, Jack pressed his mouth across hers, then eased back. The tiny kiss sapped the last of her resistance.
She stopped caring how he felt about her and welcomed the inevitable truth. Her longing had simmered all afternoon and had continued to expand with each touch. She wanted him. She wanted him badly enough to give up trying to pretend she didn’t.
—
Jack saw the change in Elizabeth.
Maybe it was the softening of her face, or the way her shoulders tipped back but it was definitely there. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip. The sweet taste of her made it nearly impossible to hold back but he did. He’d draw her out, let her set the pace, for a few minutes, if he had to.
Pressing too hard too fast, could shoot down his chance. He blew aside a lock of hair to whisper in her ear, “I don’t want to play pool anymore.”
She peered at him from under her lashes. Her response was soft but sure. “I don’t either.”
He snatched her pool cue and laid it on the table next to his. Grabbing her hand, he hauled her out of the back room.
So much for taking it easy. So much for letting her lead.
He slowed long enough to cancel that second round of beer. Somehow he resisted the urge to smirk at the cowboy. That poor guy stood alone with both hands around a beer bottle. And if there was a God in heaven, Jack was about to fill his hands with the lush and sexy Elizabeth.
Bright parking lot lights broke the thick, moonless sky. Jack paused by the door and glanced at his bike. The helmets and his chaps. But if he didn’t get his hands on her within the next minute…
“Jack?”
Elizabeth’s soft inquiry made him turn. Worried that he might have frightened her, he let go of her hand and caressed her flushed cheek. “You’ve never been dragged out of a bar before?”
Her delicate brows dipped down and her hands flitted around her waist. “No, it isn’t that.”
Although it was the last thing he wanted to do, he stepped back. “What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?” The crease of her brows softened and she reached for his hand. The whisper-light touch of her fingers across his palm sent blood rushing painfully through his body.
She lifted his hand and held it with both of hers. The harsh light glowed across her skin while she traced the veins of his hands, trailing across where they curved around his wrist.
“You have amazing hands. So strong.” She raised his hand to her cheek, pressing the back of it to the smooth underside of her chin. “Strong but so soft and warm.”
He swallowed back a tense laugh. “Are you trying to make me crazy?”
She pulled him over a few steps. The confidence in her eyes mixed with desire and need. “You like the way I touched you?”
“You can tell what you do to me.” He nodded pointedly down at the bulge pressing at his zipper. “Everyone in the bar could tell.”
Heat burned through the thick fabric of his jeans and for a spilt second he thought he might come right there. Before she stole all his control with her sexy innocence, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her around the corner of the building.
As gently as possible, he backed her up against the wall. Only a tiny shaft of light had followed them. Because he couldn’t see her expression, he hesitated.
He wasn’t usually the kind of man who second-guessed himself but with Elizabeth he had to be sure. Something about her set her apart from other women, that same something that made him reconsider everything he thought he knew about the opposite sex.
The highway traffic rushed and roared in the distance, imitating Jack’s blood as it raced through his veins. His head swam with the dizziness of wanting and waiting. If he went too far, or rushed her too fast, he might not get another chance to uncover the sensual woman simmering behind the inexperienced lady who’d walked into his office and rocked his world.
Chapter Five
Elizabeth sagged against the wall. Late evening traffic rumbled behind Jack’s harsh breaths, deep gasps that sounded so much like hers.
When she gazed up into his green eyes and found intense longing, she drew in a shaky stream of air and waited for him to touch her but he didn’t.
Had she misread him?
She traced her fingers along the hard plane of his stomach. He flinched but still didn’t reach for her. It didn’t make sense. His gaze nearly smoked with passion, likely mirroring her own. His body seemed to call out to hers and yet he refused to listen to its pleas. Well, she was listening.
; She moved her hand up his arm, then across his chest. The warm muscles beneath her fingers shifted and tensed. His throat jerked when he swallowed.
He did want her.
She reached lower to grasp the waistband of his jeans and used her grip to keep her balance when she raised up to find his mouth.
As soon as their lips touched, Elizabeth knew that Jack had been holding back earlier. Those kisses had only been a tiny sample of what he was capable of. This time, his mouth covered hers possessively in a way that reached deep into her soul. His gentle strength made her sway and she held tighter to keep from falling.
Never had a man read what she wanted so absolutely and supplied it so generously. While other men had been more interested in their own pleasure, Jack seemed intent on hers.
As his hands slipped under her top and caressed the skin of her torso, Elizabeth tried to push the truth about what the night was all about aside. But it stubbornly stayed put.
She wasn’t the kind of woman who accepted pleasure casually. She wanted forever love more than she needed to fulfill her physical needs. The whole purpose of spending time with Jack was to find the man she’d spend the rest of her life with. Making out against the wall of a seedy roadside bar was exciting but it had nothing to do with her objective.
Jack Harley was dangerous. With just a single glance, he made her lose sight of the purpose of their arrangement. His kisses threatened her self-control. With Elizabeth, self-control was everything and goals always came first.
She eased back far enough to speak. “We need to stop.”
Jack mumbled something but leaned forward to kiss her again.
Elizabeth summoned up more strength to push him away. “No, Jack.”
“I’ll get our helmets. Then we can go somewhere else.”
The heat of their passion still pounded through Elizabeth and part of her did want to go somewhere with Jack and finish what they’d started. Everything was happening too fast.
That was it. She needed more time to think things through. She’d never been one to act impulsively and she wasn’t about to start now. Especially not when her carefully laid plans were at stake. The partnership up for grabs… She had to stay focused on what really mattered. “I want you to take me home, please.”
He mumbled something that might have been I’ll be right back, stepped back with a jerk, then ducked around the corner.
The balmy night air blew across Elizabeth’s overheated body and she shivered. By the time she reached the front of the bar, Jack stood next to his bike. A lump lodged in her throat as she watched him slide back into the black leather chaps.
The pounding of her heart fought with the message she kept repeating in her brain. Jack Harley was not the man for her, he was only the means to an end. A very effective means but still…
Acting as though that scene at the wall had never happened, he held out the leather. “You take the jacket again.”
She took it and slipped it on. Its weight and musky scent swirled around her, reminding her of what she’d just pushed away and making that throbbing ache come right back. With trembling legs, she climbed onto the bike. Her arms, wrapped securely around his waist, stiffened each time he swayed.
Soon they were winding through the quiet streets surrounding her apartment complex. The evening was quickly coming to an end.
Should she continue the arrangement with him?
Maybe she should ask him again if there was another man she could use. Obviously, Jack Harley threw too many distractions in her path. The object was for her to find attractive types of men, not fall apart.
The engine purred as he slowed down to take the last few curves toward her building. The parking lot lights flickered, reminding her reality was about to slice through her all-too-sensual evening. She leaned into the turn with him in a movement that felt as natural as it had to let him hold her in his arms. He rolled to a stop near the sidewalk and switched off the motorcycle.
Reaching around he tapped her thigh. “Hop off, I’ll walk you up.”
It was a little easier to swing her leg over the bike than it had been earlier. Maybe she could get used to being a biker’s girlfriend. It sure would give the neighbors something to talk about.
“You liked riding on the bike?”
Jack’s easygoing smile emphasized the fact that this sort of evening was the norm for him. Too bad she couldn’t keep her own feelings so well covered up. Her embarrassment and confusion had to have been plastered all over her face.
She didn’t even bother trying to appear unaffected by the ride or by him. “It was kind of scary at first but once I got used to it I liked it.” With a quick shrug, she shook the heavy leather off her shoulders.
After he took the jacket and tossed it over the seat, he stepped up and settled his hands on her hip bones. “I’m glad about that. Who do you want me to be next time?”
She avoided his gaze by twisting as she took the first step of the landing that led to her apartment. “You want to do this again?”
“Of course.” The low vibration of his chuckle flashed across her skin. He grabbed her wrist and spun her back around. “Isn’t that obvious?”
This whole thing was so easy for him. “It’s just that I thought—”
“Ms. Sewell.” He touched her temple. “That’s your trouble. You think too much.”
The tips of his fingers traced the side of her face, causing a shiver to race down her arms.
I do think too much.
If only she could cast her doubts and concerns aside. If just once she could break loose and grab what other women did. Passion. Fun. Living for the moment.
But that wasn’t her. She’d learned from life’s uncertainties. She was all about carefully laid plans and goals to mark the way on her career path. High school, college, everything was a stepping stone to something else. The appropriate slot in her life for Jack Harley didn’t exist. “I don’t know if that would be a good idea.”
He tipped her face toward him and grinned. “The objective of the evening was to see if there was chemistry between us. There is and you know it.”
It was her turn to smile. There was no point in denying her reaction to him. But it was that overwhelming reaction that made her think she couldn’t go through with another evening. How was she supposed to figure out how she felt about other men when all she could think about was him?
He kissed her lightly on the underside of her chin. “Tell me your fantasy. I’ll fill it.”
No doubt he could but that wasn’t the idea. Spending more time with him would be…risky. She needed a safe man, not one that made her wild and distracted.
He took advantage of her hesitation, shifting her until her stomach grazed the heavy metal buckle of the chaps. The edge rubbed her already oversensitive nerve endings and a white-capped wave of longing rolled through her.
The dull, lemon, outdoor lights shone across the square lines of his jaw. His hot demanding lips loitered a breath away. Heaven help her, she had no powers to resist the temptation he offered.
Then she considered, why should she resist? She was a strong, smart woman who’d always reached for whatever she wanted with both hands. Sure, she’d always followed a plan but maybe it was time to stop questioning and quantifying and take a leap of faith.
“You want me to pick,” she swallowed, unsure of the right wording. “The next…”
“The next type,” he supplied with another light kiss, this one closer to her lips.
With his mouth so near it was hard to think clearly but she managed to hold onto the thread of conversation. She nodded. “Yes, the type.”
“Well, let me remember.” He moved the hand he’d set on her shoulder to caress her jaw. “You mentioned a businessman.” He traced a trail down her neck and stopped his fingers just above the swell of her breasts. “I can do that one.”
With that single movement, he’d pulled her further into his spell. “What else can you do?”
“The pirate?” He g
lided his fingers around the lower curve of her breast. With a quick but gentle shove, he twisted her so her backside pressed into him. He cupped her breast and pressed his thumb to the tip. Elizabeth whimpered at the quick flicker of ecstasy.
He rubbed her nipple and spoke in a husky whisper that filled her mind with hazy images and naked possibilities. “I could tie you up, throw you over my shoulder and take you back to my ship.”
The sensual heat of his touch made her knees buckle. She arched her back, pressing her bottom into his groin and thrusting her breast further into his palm.
He groaned into her neck.
“Maybe I should be your cowboy instead.”
“I don’t care who you are,” she whispered.
His deep, approving laughter rocked through her chest and she felt him shake. “I’m going.”
Still, she didn’t move away from the sensations or the man delivering them.
He loosened his possessive hold and whispered gently, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
After she mumbled okay, he dropped his hands. Her whole body felt the loss of his heat and she wrapped her arms around her middle.
On shaky legs, Elizabeth aimed herself for the entrance to her building. The low rumble of the motorcycle faded off into the night.
The distance to her apartment seemed about twice as long as usual. Finally, her door came into view. All she needed was the key. Then she’d be able to get inside and collapse. She paused in the hallway and dug around in her purse with trembling fingers. She’d just found her key and slipped it into the lock when her neighbor’s high voice interrupted her.
“Out late, dear?”
Mrs. Morison’s folded arms and pinched cheeks made Elizabeth feel like she’d been caught necking behind the Dairy Queen. “I suppose it’s later than usual for me.”
“I’d say so.” The other woman patted her smooth gray curls. “It must be well after midnight.”
“You’re up late too.”
The older woman’s fussy laugh echoed in the hallway, her miniature collie tugging on its leash. “Mr. C. here just had to go out, silly old thing that he is. Now I was talking to your mother, last time she was here, that day she was collecting items for the homeless shelter. And she said you haven’t been making much progress finding a man.” The woman stepped forward. “Were you out on a date tonight?”
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