“Shouldn’t you check with the office about your car? You’ll need to go do something official like sign papers.”
“Carl will see to it.” The crowd thinned as they got closer to what now appeared to be a hallway to the storage area for the building.
“Carl?”
“My assistant. He takes care of all things official.”
She pursed her lips. “Okay.”
“My hotel’s around the corner. There’s a bar there.” But first he wanted to get her into that hallway, taste her, feel her, know she wanted what he did.
“Slow down cowboy.” She dragged her heels. “I wasn’t planning on leaving the building. There’s a beer garden in the far corner.”
He halted, set aside his image of them in a quiet booth sharing a bottle of Dom Perignon. “Beer garden. I’ve never been to a beer garden.”
“You’re kidding.”
The image of the quiet booth was replaced with one of Jaye in leather hot pants, her breasts spilling out of a loose peasant blouse. “I’ll go as long as we’re not forced to listen to oom-pah-pah music.”
“This is a mistake.” She ran her palm across her upswept hair, looked surprised, then did the most amazing thing. She dug her fingers into the pile of hair at the top of her head and tugged out a wad of hair pins. She plucked and pulled and finally yanked at them until her hair fell into an impressive mass of waves to her shoulders.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’d have done that myself but you beat me to it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What I meant was,” she said, ignoring his comment, “you’re a mistake. We’re a mistake.” She blew out a breath. “Going for a drink is a mistake.”
“I don’t think so.” With her hair down, prim white blouse molded to heavy breasts, slim skirt, eyes sparkling, there was no way in hell he was going to let her go. Not now.
She stepped up close to his chest, palmed the raw silk of his jacket lapel and shot heat straight to his cock.
“Honey, this whole thing is wrong.” She said it with a smile that killed him where he stood.
“Say that again.”
“This whole thing is wrong.”
“No, not that. Say ‘honey’.”
She firmed her lips.
“Say it.”
“Honey.”
He brushed his knuckles against her pebbled nipples as he reached for the ends of her wild red hair. He twined curls around each of his forefingers. “Thank you, darling.”
Her eyes widened, green as the reflection in his lily pond.
“Do you know how lovely you are?” he said. “Do you know your skin’s like milk, your lips are deep pink and your eyes say come get me?”
“They do, do they?” she said on a breathy whisper. Her pupils dilated. He smoothed the pad of his thumb across her lips.
They were close enough to the hallway that he could sidestep her into it. He sheltered her from the throng they left behind and tugged her closer, aligned her hips with his for full contact. “Yes, they do. And I will.”
“I don’t recall agreeing to this drink and here you are making assumptions.” But the smile in her eyes said she was enjoying herself, him and the spice of their meeting as much as he was.
A workman trundled a flat deck cart past them. When the rumble died away, they were as alone as they could be in a crowd.
He took his chance, hoped he wouldn’t blow it. He palmed her backside and pulled her close. The flesh in his hands was round, firm and high. The ass of an athlete. The scent of her perfume, sultry and sexy, rose to him. “I saw you yesterday,” he confessed. “You walked in through security, dropped your backpacks, put your hands on your hips and looked the crowd over. You were…splendid.”
“That’s an odd word.” The smile in her eyes asked for more.
“Wild hair, wild beauty, wild eyes.” He drank in the sight of her glowing skin, kissable lips, high brow.
Red crept from her neck to her ear lobes. “Tangled hair, pale skin, bloodshot eyes.”
“Eyes that soaked up everything, darted everywhere, dismissed people, cars, men, women. I wanted you to look at me. To see me. To know I was looking at you. Wanting you.” The skin of her neck looked soft, so inviting he wanted to nip it. Lick it. Suck it. He settled for whispering against her ear. “You don’t know how happy I am that it was your brother, not a husband, you were looking for.”
She shuddered in his arms. “I can’t think straight.”
“Don’t think, just answer. Is there a man?”
“No. Is there a woman?”
“I don’t cheat. Never have.”
She nodded. “Good. Then I guess we need to get this out of the way.”
She raised up to her tiptoes and kissed him. Startled, he took a second to process the taste and feel of her. She tasted of passion and hot welcome. Delicious. Her lips felt so fucking good, so his, his heart stuttered.
Then he took over.
He skimmed the crease of her mouth lightly, in a coax that took a heartbeat to work. She opened enough to let him slide the tip of his tongue into the moistness of her mouth, swept his way along the tender flesh of her lower lip from side to side then moved in to taste her. Her stance shifted against him and he burned against the softness at the juncture he wanted most to explore.
Every molecule of blood he possessed raced to pool in his loins. His tongue felt hers reach toward him, dart and dance along the length, making him groan into her mouth at the images she put into his mind. And then he couldn’t think anymore. He ground his hips against hers and she ground back. There was a moan from one of them but the sound was soon swallowed.
Electric heat burned up his spine, sparklers exploded between his shoulder blades where her palms kneaded. He kissed her soft lips hard and took all he could. He didn’t mean to be greedy, but damn, this was some woman.
She pulled back, covered her lips with two fingers. “Dear God,” she said, looking stunned.
“Still think it’s wrong?”
She nodded. “It’s probably the wrongest thing I’ve ever done.”
“But you’re going to do it anyway.”
“I believe I am.” Her voice held the same kind of wonder he felt. A wonder he wanted to hold on to.
“Come with me to Paris,” he said. “We’ll have lunch in a café I know. We’ll have dinner in London, stay at my townhouse. Do whatever you want.”
Her gaze sharpened. “So you can do whatever you want.”
“Don’t think it won’t be mutual. You’ll get as much out of this as I will.” He twined a curl of auburn around his finger, coaxed her close for another kiss. She gave him what he wanted and more. Her tongue danced with his, her hips eased against him, her fingers slid from his back to his belly and clutched at him. Oh God, she’s hot.
He was on fire.
“How long?” she asked.
“A week?” It was more time than he hoped for, but not enough.
“You said lunch and dinner.”
“I want more.”
“So do I. I have two weeks. My vacation time. My first vacation ever.”
“Starting when?”
“Right now.”
“Thank you.” The words were lost in the fire of another kiss.
The familiar rumble of the flat deck cart caught him and they pulled apart. “Get a room, buddy.”
She laughed and the sound of it lightened the pulse that pounded through his brain. He could think again. And thank the fates for giving him two weeks of heaven with Jaye Sinns.
Chapter Two
Thirty minutes later Jaye was in her brother’s suite with Tina. The tousled bed she saw through the open bedroom door was a testament to how new their marriage was.
“I hate to ask you this Tina, but may I borrow a suitcase? All I have are my backpacks and…” He’d seen them, already knew she wasn’t one of the wealthy collectors who came to these auctions. “Never mind, it isn’t as if I’d be hiding anything.”
“Like?”
>
“Like who I am. Where I’m from.”
“You don’t need to hide anything from Alex. You’re a wonderful person. Someone I’ve always looked up to.”
Warmed by the praise, Jaye flushed. She, David and Tina had been kids together and when Hayden was born, Tina had been another pair of willing hands. “I never thought you would look to me as a role model.”
“I want to be the kind of mother you are.” Tina shrugged and opened the double doors of the closet to a full array of clothes. “We don’t have time to shop. Take whatever you need.”
She pulled out sweaters, skirts, slacks and jackets and set them on the sofa. Jaye saw labels that didn’t belong to any department store she’d ever been in.
“Oh, Tina. This is too much. Really.”
“Jeans, tee shirts and sneakers are great for sightseeing in New York, but Paris sets a different standard.”
Tina was right. Jaye wouldn’t hide who she was from Alex, but the population of Paris and London needn’t know she was playing dress up. “How can I thank you?”
“You just did.”
“I won’t know what forks to use.” The heat she’d felt at first sight of Alex turned to dread.
Tina wagged her fingers. “Start at the left and work your way in to the plate. Try not to order an unfamiliar dish or anything difficult to eat.”
“Gotcha.” She brushed her fingertips across a skirt the color of butter rum candy, the suede soft and warm to the touch. “I love this but I’d spill on it for sure.”
“Nonsense. Take it. It’s fabulous with this blouse.”
Jaye palmed her belly to still the nerves that jumped at every thought of Alex. “I shouldn’t do this.”
Tina assessed her. “You’ll be fine. Alex is one of the good guys, although he’d never admit it.”
“I don’t think I can go. Hayden—”
“Is sixteen, not six,” Tina interrupted. “Besides, he’s already gone home.”
Jaye grinned. “Right.” She let her doubts go. “And he’ll learn more about responsible independence if he knows I trust him to get himself home safely.”
“You’re right. Besides it’s only a two hour drive. He’ll be fine.” Tina walked to the bedside table and opened a drawer.
When she turned back she had a box in her hand. “And speaking of safety…” She held out the box.
Jaye chuckled. “Condoms.” She thought of Alex. And sex. And sex with Alex.
“Extra large.” She held up a hand. “Not that I have personal knowledge, of course.”
“Of course.” But Jaye had already discerned there was nothing more than friendship between Tina and Alex. “I’ve never taken a vacation before. Pretty pathetic, huh?”
She was no martyr, but whatever money she’d saved had always gone to Hayden, never for something as frivolous as a vacation. Especially not one for herself.
“All the more reason to take what Alex is offering. Enjoy yourself. And him.” Tina hugged her, patted her on the back. “You deserve this.”
Jaye still hesitated.
“Does Alex make you uneasy?” Tina asked with the unerring discernment of a long time friend.
“Yes.”
“Does he watch you? Really watch you?”
“As if he wants to see inside.” She palmed her thighs to quiet the inner quiver. It didn’t work.
“He makes you hot,” Tina said with a knowing smile that made her eyes glow with a teasing light.
Jaye gave a half laugh, half sigh. “He makes me boil.”
Tina hugged her. “Then act on it. Make this the best two weeks of your life.”
“I will. It isn’t often an opportunity like this comes along for a woman like me,” she whispered, hating that she felt that way about her roots, but this kind of thing just didn’t happen to women who’d been raised in trailer parks. They both knew it.
Tina released her from the hug and patted her knee. “That’s bullshit. It’s more like a wonderful woman like you doesn’t give many men a chance to offer an opportunity like this.”
“I’m not under any illusions, Tina. I was a single mom at fifteen. Now, I’m a bookkeeper for some neighborhood businesses. Very small businesses. I’m not saying I’m not good enough for Alex to notice, but there won’t be anything long term between us. We can’t possibly fit.”
“That’s a ridiculous assumption. I can’t see why you’d make it.”
Tina had married a wealthy man out of respect and mutual interests that led to love and companionship. Finding David when she’d been widowed had been a second blessing.
“It isn’t about Alex having money, or about the family he was born into versus mine. It’s about his lifestyle. He’s a playboy, flitting from place to place. He’s always in the papers with some starlet or other, having a great time on a beach somewhere. The man doesn’t work, doesn’t even appear to want to. A strong work ethic is something I admire. Without it, he’s just a good time.”
“I see.” Tina frowned. “Don’t believe everything the paparazzi show you. There’s a deep soul under the glitter of Alex Carmichael. And if you don’t find it, just make certain a good time is had by all. Especially you. Now get going, you’ve got a great guy waiting for you.”
Sitting in the back seat of a stretch limo with Alex was a new experience. Burled oak trim, luxurious leather, the mini bar, the dark tinted glass between them and the driver, Carl, all served to remind Jaye this was as far removed from her usual mode of transportation as a person could get.
“I usually bike to work and walk to the grocery store,” she said while Alex poured her a small flute of champagne.
She cocked an eyebrow at the miserly serving.
He grinned and slid his finger down the length of her nose. “Now that I have you for two weeks, I need to slow down, draw things out.”
“So you don’t want the alcohol to dull my senses?”
“Exactly. I want your senses electrified, not dulled.”
“And my inhibitions?”
“Torn down brick by brick, with exquisite care, so that neither of us is the same afterward.”
His dark promise and throaty voice lit a fire inside her. She sank back against the plush seat. She smoothed her palm across the leather to cool her skin, needing a reminder that this was all a dream. A two week dream, but a dream all the same.
He toasted her and they each took a sip of champagne. It tasted like heaven, tart and sharp and full bodied. She refrained from taking a deeper drink. She’d need her wits about her to keep up with Alex. He was intelligent, his attention focused and she could easily lose herself, overwhelmed by the excesses of wealth.
Her mother had always warned her about having her head turned, as if that was the ultimate feminine stupidity. “A turned head can give a woman more trouble than she can handle.” The arrival of Hayden being the case in point.
“You don’t drive?” he asked, taking her back to her comment about riding her bicycle to work.
“If I need a car, I borrow David’s pick up, or one of the beaters he works on.”
“Beaters?”
“For the most part, David works on cars that are already in good shape. Most of his clients won’t scour the countryside looking in barns and sheds for carcasses of Fords and Chevys.”
“David does?”
“He enjoys the challenge of bringing them back to original glory.”
“And you? What do you do with your time?”
“I do the books for Restoration by Sinns and our mother’s beauty salon and several other neighborhood businesses.” Including an adult store full of sex toys and triple X videos. She wished now she’d paid more attention to the line up of products available instead of breezing through the shop with her eyes dead ahead, away from the lotions and lingerie. She’d learned years ago it was foolish to get hot and bothered if there was no man around to ease the ache.
“Which is why you ride your bike. All your work’s close at hand.”
“Exactl
y. Have laptop, will ride.”
“I assumed you were an accountant.”
“I couldn’t afford that much education. Hayden came first. I squeezed in classes when I could.” She snorted at how thrilled she’d been to even get a certificate. Then she realized he’d probably never heard a woman actually snort. “Excuse me.”
“For what?”
“The snort.”
His eyes crinkled in a grin that warmed her. “You’re so refreshing. So honest.” His hand came up to catch hold of one of her curls. He used it to coax her closer.
“Why is it that I can’t resist you when you want me near?” She set her flute on the drink tray of the mini bar and went into his arms.
Instead of giving her the kiss she wanted, he tucked her into his side, palmed her head and settled it against his shoulder.
Outside, Scottsdale gave way to the Arizona desert as the limo cruised silently, efficiently, toward a little-known private airport and Alex’s jet.
Heart thudding at the idea of climbing into the sky in a jet that small, that private, she worried. It was just a cocoon in the sky. “What’s it like inside the jet?”
“There are a couple of bench seats on either side of the passenger compartment. A short walk-through galley leads to a bedroom in the back. The en suite washroom has a tight shower stall. I rarely use it.”
His description underscored again the differences in their lives. He used words like en suite, while she had to grapple to comprehend that she was even in this car, let alone heading to a private jet with a bedroom.
Her cheek rested against his chest, while his heart thumped beneath her ear. The rhythmic pulse soothed her and she drifted into daydreams of the sexual adventures to come. Aroused by her own fantasies, she warmed against him. Her arm rested lightly above his lap, the steady rise and fall of his chest creating a sense of forever peace. His hand idly stroked her upper arm, sending heated thrills to her loins.
Jaye moistened more with every stroke. Thought faded to sensation as she focused on Alex. Her mouth watered as her fingers danced across the zipper of his fly. She kept the touch light, casual.
Stroke of Midnight Page 2
