A Touch of Confidence

by Jess Dee

  So long as it meant he was giving her the store, Claire was willing to go along with anything. “It’s good to meet you. I’m Claire Jones. I had an appointment with your grandfather yesterday, but he couldn’t make it.” She hesitated then, getting sidetracked. “How is your grandfather?”

  He nodded. “He’s much better today. A different person from the man who was rushed to emergency.” His smile was big, and she sensed immense relief in his answer.

  “I’m glad to hear that. And I hope he continues to recover. Please pass along my regards to him, Mr. Wilson.”

  “Jack.”

  “Jack?”

  “Call me Jack. I’m Mr. Wilson ten months of the year. For now, I’d really just like the freedom of being Jack.”

  Cryptic response. Still Claire hesitated, not sure she felt comfortable addressing him by his first name. At least if she addressed him as “Mr.” she could keep him at some kind of emotional distance.

  “You could always call me Little Jacky, like my pop does.”

  Claire repressed a snort. “Little?”

  His eyes twinkled. “Hey, I was young when he gave me the name.”

  “I think I’ll stick with Jack.” There was no way she could call him “Mr.” after that. “Please call me Claire.”

  “Claire it is. Nice name, by the way. It suits you.”

  She considered responding…for all of two seconds. Jack was way too appealing to her senses. If she responded to his personal comments, she’d never get any work done. She’d be too focused on the man and not the business at hand. And knowing her, she’d trip and fall on him all over again—although this time it would be quite deliberate. And if she fell on him deliberately and broke his leg or arm as a result, she’d never live it down.

  “So, Jack. Instead of taking a trip in your car, why don’t we head into your office and see about signing that lease?”

  “Nope, a trip in my car is a way better idea. And far more productive. I swear it.”

  “Is the lease in your car?”

  Jack nodded. “There is a lease in my car. And as soon as we arrive at our destination, I will give it to you.”

  “Your office—”

  He cut her off. “No can do. The office is being fumigated. We can’t go in there.”

  Uh, why did she not believe him? “Fine, then let’s head over to the coffee shop across the road. That’ll do just fine.”

  He shook his head. “Again, I have to nix the idea. Look, there’s a property I need to see over in Mosman today, and I figured I could kill two birds with one stone. I could view the place while you and I talk about the New South Head shop.”

  Claire had no idea what made her agree—probably a desire to spend more time with Jack—but she finally nodded and allowed him to place his hand on her elbow and guide her to his car.

  The hand on her elbow was not close to enough. She wanted his hand on her—

  Good God, no, she didn’t. She didn’t want his hand anywhere near her. Regardless of the speed her heart raced or the clamminess of her palms or the recurrent flashbacks to the kiss they’d shared, she didn’t want to even think about Jack Wilson in that way.

  What happened between them had been an…anomaly. Yes. Perfect description. She’d fallen on him—or been pulled, she still wasn’t sure—and he, in his grief and shock had responded on instinct, reaching out to the closest person he could to find comfort. That must have been all he’d been seeking. Comfort during a difficult time. Everyone needed consolation when a loved one took ill. Everyone needed a way to work through one’s grief. His kissing her was just that. Nothing more. And if she did make anything more of it, she’d only mess up an already messy property negotiation.

  Once he’d ensured she was comfortably seated in his Ford Territory, he set off in the direction of the Harbour Tunnel, with the car radio playing soft rock in the background.

  “Thanks for coming with me. I’m excited to see this shop. The lease is just coming up for renewal, and the current renters aren’t interested in re-signing. Since it’s in the heart of Mosman, on Military Road, it’s a sought-after address. There’s going to be a lot of interest generated as soon as we put up a notice about it.”

  Claire wasn’t interested in the Mosman shop, but she could hardly be rude. Besides, if she made small talk and got to know Jack a little better, the lease negotiations might be more amenable. “Who’s renting it now?”

  “Two women who sell handmade jackets. Very expensive, very exclusive.”

  “Nice gear?”

  He shrugged. “Never seen it. As I said, this is Big Jack’s business. I’m just watching it while he recuperates.”

  “What do you do when your grandfather is well enough to look after his own business?” She’d be willing to lay money on his answer being something sports related. A professional footy player, or something similar.

  “I’m a teacher.”

  “You are?” She tried to temper her surprise. Sports coach maybe?

  “Yep. Teach high school English and History.”

  She gaped at him. “I had you pegged as a professional sportsman.”

  “Nah, not me. I play rugby with my mates on the weekend and coach a Uni team on Tuesday evenings, but my kids are my true passion.” His face lit up with genuine affection. “They give me a tough time sometimes, but they’re worth the effort I put into them. And they seem to like me too, so it’s a win-win situation.”

  Claire put two and two together. “It’s school holidays now, so you have time off?”

  “A little. Enough that I can help my pop out for a couple of weeks. No one else could. My parents couldn’t get time off from their law practice, and my brother is in Perth. I’d like to do all the drudge work while he’s recovering. Visit properties, sort out rent issues, leave him the easy bits he can do from home, or at least without leaving the office.”

  Claire went all squishy inside. Jack sure knew how to look out for his grandfather. Taking care of his business while the old man was in hospital, doing all the physical stuff so Jack Sr. didn’t have to. That kind of caring appealed to a woman in a big way. Well, okay, it appealed to Claire in a big way.

  “When does he get out of hospital?” Judging from Jack’s shock earlier, his grandfather was a very sick man.

  “I’m guessing within the week. But then he goes back in two months for surgery.”

  “He’s having surgery?”

  He nodded. “A triple bypass.”

  “Shit,” Claire muttered. “That’s a huge deal.”

  “‘Specially for an eighty-two-year-old. The doc said it’ll be about six weeks before he’s back to normal.”

  Claire frowned. “I’m sorry, Jack. That can’t be easy for anyone. A man of his age is going to find it even harder.”

  “I know. I’m trying not to worry about him, but it’s difficult. We’re close, my pop and me. I hate the idea of him being unwell.”

  Much as she wanted to reassure him, she couldn’t. She really had no idea whether his grandfather would be okay or not. If it were anyone else, she’d give their hand a supportive squeeze and offer to help in any way she could. But with Jack, both of those gestures would be inappropriate. She settled for saying the only thing she could. “It’s a shitty situation. For you and your grandfather.”

  “That it is,” he agreed. “That it is.” He lapsed into silence.

  Claire didn’t push him further. She sat quietly as he lost himself in his thoughts. But sitting in silence made her all too aware of where she sat—beside him, in his car.

  Jack took up a lot of space. His SUV, no small car by anyone’s standards, seemed to have halved in size when he got in. His seat was pushed back as far as it could go, giving him room to stretch his legs to the pedals. Whenever he braked or accelerated—which yes, was all the time—Claire had to force herself not to look at the flexing of his muscle in his thigh. Or at the long, slim fingers handling the wheel.

  Though she pretended she was not affected by h
is proximity, it was hard to deny his presence. Hard to ignore that woodsy, sexy scent of his. Hard to forget that just one day ago he’d kissed her senseless in the empty shop.

  “I haven’t forgotten, you know,” he said softly.

  “Forgotten what?”

  “The kiss. Yesterday.” He touched a finger to his lip, as though remembering what he’d done with that lip the day before.

  Holy shit. Had he read her mind? She snapped her mouth shut and refused to answer him. Not going there. Not stepping into that minefield.

  “Just because we haven’t discussed it, doesn’t mean it never happened. We kissed, on the floor of the Rose Bay shop, and it damn near blew my mind.”

  Shop. She hooked on the word. “Talking about the shop, are we going to go back there after this? It’s not necessary. We can sign the contract anywhere.”

  “You’re changing the subject.”

  “No. I’m focusing on the very reason I’m in the car with you now. Did you speak to the man who signed the lease yesterday? Tell him about the mistake?”

  “You’re a coward, Claire Jones.”

  “I’m a woman intent on getting the property I was promised. Did you speak to him?”

  He smiled that same mystified smile he’d smiled yesterday. “We did speak. I spoke to Big Jack as well, who corroborated your story about coming to the shop to fill in the contract.” Before Claire could say anything, he asked, “Mind if I ask what you’re planning for the shop?”

  Now look who changed the subject. Jack hadn’t even told her what the other leaser had said. “Not at all. I own a small, specialized children’s store. We sell kids’ books, toys and clothes.”

  “I? Or we?”

  “We. My two sisters and I. We have a shop in Clovelly, called Li’l Bits and Books, and now we’re looking to expand. The shop’s too busy. Business has grown since we added the clothing and toys to our inventory. We need more space and wider customer sales.”

  “Since you added clothing and toys?”

  Claire nodded. “We started out as a children’s bookshop, but with the explosion of eBooks and the collapse of the bigger book chains, stocking only print books just wasn’t keeping us in business. We either had to expand our product range or close our doors. We chose to expand.”

  “Successfully, I take it?”

  “More successfully than any of us expected.” Claire, Maddie and Julia were all blown away by the shop’s sales.

  “So now you’re opening up a second branch, also in the Eastern suburbs?”

  Claire shrugged. “Most of our customers are from Vaucluse, Rose Bay, Double Bay and Bellevue Hill. It makes sense to open up closer to them.”

  “Even if they’re willing to travel to Clovelly?”

  Claire nodded. “Even so.”

  Jack guided the car through the tunnel. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to open up farther away? A fifteen or twenty minute drive isn’t going to deter customers from coming to your shop if they really want something from you. But half an hour or more might.”

  “Our products are expensive. We’re targeting the market that could best afford it. A shop in New South Head Road is the perfect location.”

  Jack cocked his head to the side. “What about a shop a little farther out. Say, for example…across the bridge in Mosman. You’ll have a similar clientele, and driving out to Clovelly from there is just a little too far for the average shopper.”

  Claire almost laughed. “Our shop is doing well. But we’re not at a place where we can afford rentals in an area like Mosman. The cost would cut too deeply into our profits. Now, what happened when you spoke to—”

  Jack suddenly leaned forward. “Damn, I love this song.” He turned the car radio volume up, making further conversation difficult, then proceeded to sing along with Coldplay at the top of his lungs.

  Damn it, he’d done it again. Changed the subject when she tried to ask about the lease. And what a way to change the subject this time.

  Claire couldn’t help her graceless snort as Jack’s voice filled the car. The G.G. might be built, gorgeous and supremely fuckable, but he was no vocalist. His flat, toneless singing was so off-key Claire could barely recognize the song.

  She slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent any further inappropriate responses, but couldn’t help snickering as he hit the chorus, out of tune and off beat.

  Jack stopped singing and looked at her. “Are you laughing at me?”

  Claire didn’t dare answer, nor did she dare move her hand away from her mouth. Instead she shook her head and stared straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact. She couldn’t risk letting the laughter that bubbled inside her out.

  “You are,” he accused. “You’re laughing at me.”

  Another graceless snort erupted from her nose as she shook her head again.

  He lowered the volume as he picked his way along Military Road. “Honestly? That’s how you respond to all the property managers you try to lease shops from? You laugh at them?”

  “Only the ones who sing at the top of their voices while they have potential renters in the car.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my voice, I’ll have you know.”

  Claire nodded primly. “So, what did you do with the money?”

  His brow creased. “What money?”

  “The money your mother gave you for singing lessons.”

  His jaw dropped. “You did not just go there.”

  Laughter peeled out of her. She couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Apparently I did.”

  “My students used to ask each other that.” He rolled his eyes. “When they were in primary school.”

  “I bet your students sing better than you do.”

  “They sing as well as I do, since I’m their music teacher too.”

  Claire gaped at him. “You are not.”

  “Oh, nice. Not only do you mock my voice, now you trash my teaching abilities as well?”

  “Tell me you don’t teach your kids music.”

  His lips twitched. “I don’t teach my kids music. But as punishment for your blatant disbelief in my vocal ability, I’ll sing the rest of the way to the shop.”

  And with that, he turned the radio back up and belted out his own inspired rendition of “Paradise”.

  By the time he swung his car into a parking space, Claire had given up all pretense of holding back her mirth and was laughing out loud in his passenger seat.

  Jack switched off the car, removed his seat belt, turned to her while still singing out of tune, and before she had a chance to paste a serious expression on her face, he swooped in and crushed his lip to hers.

  Chapter Four

  Jesus, he had no idea what it was about Claire that had his balls all tangled up in knots, but spending twenty minutes in a car with her sent his libido sky rocketing.

  The second he’d closed the driver’s door, her perfume had overwhelmed him, and he’d known he was going to have to kiss her again. So kiss her he did. With her body trapped between his and her seat, he took ownership of her mouth and refused to release it.

  Her laughter died on her lips, and her breath hitched. For a good few seconds she froze, her jaw slackening with surprise.

  Good enough for Jack. It offered his tongue free entry into her tempting mouth. He dipped it inside and ran it along her tongue, then withdrew, driven by a consuming need to nibble on her lower lip.

  Dragging his teeth over that pouty flesh, he sucked it into his mouth and nibbled to his heart’s content. Only his heart demanded a whole lot more than her lower lip. It demanded full ownership of her mouth and body, and he had to force himself to go slow, to focus only on the nubile flesh between his teeth, sucking, nibbling and releasing it in slow succession.

  A throaty groan erupted from Claire, and then her hands were on his head, pulling his face closer. Her fingers tunneled through his hair, tickling his scalp, massaging it, holding him there.

  She was responding, kissing him back, nipping at his lips
, seeking his tongue. Their mouths melded together and the kiss turned hot so fast, the windows steamed up.

  Fuck, he’d damn near come in his pants from kissing her yesterday, and he feared he might face the same dilemma today. Still, it didn’t stop him, didn’t inspire him to pull his mouth away even one inch.

  Claire emitted soft, hungry moans that played havoc with his already knotted balls. She kissed him as though she fed off his mouth, gaining sustenance from him. And damned if it didn’t give him an erection from hell. Damned if her enthusiasm and her taste didn’t have his hand on her breast and his fingers gently squeezing the abundant flesh.

  She more than filled his palm, making him greedy to touch all of her, greedy to have both breasts in his hands—unencumbered by shirts and bras.

  All his life he’d favored small women. Short, thin and small-chested, everything Claire was not. Yet here, with her tantalizing tongue tempting his, and the nipple of her ample breast tightening beneath his touch, he had no idea how he could ever have found skinny women more appealing than this beauty.

  Jack lost himself to her kiss, to her feel, to her touch. Their mouths worked in perfect accord, as if they each instinctively knew what the other sought or needed.

  Or perhaps Jack just knew what he instinctively needed and sought to give her the same. One thing he did know was that kissing Claire Jones was an experience he wished to relive over and over again. Or maybe he’d just ensure this kiss never ended.

  But a kiss would never suffice. His cock pointed out that fact as it swelled against his zip, demanding attention, demanding satisfaction, demanding access to Claire’s body.

  He pulled away with reluctance, then almost sealed their lips together again when Claire groaned in protest.

  He forced his eyes open, forced himself to look at her, and had to bite his cheek hard at the sight that greeted him. Claire’s head was tipped back, her eyes closed and her lips swollen and parted. It took every iota of willpower he possessed not to clamp his mouth back over hers.

  “Unless you want me to strip you naked and fuck you in this car, right here, in the middle of Mosman,” he rasped, “I suggest you climb out very quickly.”