by Cherry Adair
She'd dressed with care in a short, moss-green ultra-suede skirt suit that did flattering things to what few curves she had, and high heels of the same color. She'd swept her hair away from her face with combs and left it to fall down her back in a tumble of natural curls. On her ears, she had her lucky four-leaf clovers. In her purse, her lucky divorce papers. She was all set.
Her heart thudded as she heard approaching footsteps. The front door opened. Joshua surveyed her without expression, his sexy mouth grim.
Jessie's heart sank to her toes, that is, until she noticed his eyes fixed on her mouth. For a moment, their gazes locked. Her temperature immediately spiked.
"You took your sweet time." He pushed the door open. Without seeing if she followed, he turned and strode across the wide marble entry. He disappeared into another room, leaving Jessie to close the door and follow him.
The living room was expansive, with a breathtaking night view of the city and the necklace of lights on the Golden Gate Bridge. During the day, the panorama would be just as spectacular. A black granite fireplace took up space between the wide windows, pewter andirons reflecting a blazing fire.
Papers and file folders were spread across a granite-and-chrome coffee table the size of a small room. A plate with an untouched sandwich had been pushed aside and replaced with a telephone and notepad. Joshua stood at a built-in bar across the room. He turned as she moved across the thick carpet. "White wine?"
"I'd rather have a Coke."
He added ice to a glass and poured her drink. They both seemed fascinated by the building foam.
"Thanks." Jessie took the glass he handed her, pleased by how cool her voice sounded. How very civilized we are.
Without invitation, she sat down, the glass pressed between her palms. The leather quickly warmed to her body temperature as the upholstery enveloped her. Too comfortable. She shifted to the edge of the plump cushions as Joshua lounged on the plush sofa opposite, watching her with disconcertingly hooded eyes.
Jessie's experienced eye took in the vast room. Everything was technically correct The paintings and sculptures were expensive and well showcased beneath discreet spotlights. The wine-colored carpet, bordered with alternating bands of cream and black, stretched across the enormous room to the windows. Stiffly formal tied-back drapes matched the carpet. No one could see into the windows twenty-two stories above the city. Three butter-soft black leather sofas made a U, facing the fireplace and the two windows with an incredible view of the downtown lights.
There was absolutely no life in the room.
"Conrad did a fantastic job, but whoever did your decorating must have been an android." Architecturally, Conrad had had carte blanch, unlimited funds and a client who had no interest in the project until it was finished. In other words, as far as Con was concerned, a perfect client. Unfortunately, Joshua must have given the designer the same blank check.
Jessie, however, preferred her clients' involvement with the project from start to finish. She wanted them to invest more than their money. When Jessie was done with a house, it was a home. Their home. Stamped with their personality.
Joshua's eyebrow rose at her android comment. "This is a business residence." He didn't glance around. His attention was one hundred percent on Jessie. "It suits me perfectly."
They were talking about interior design… weren't they? "I didn't mean to disturb you." She lifted her chin a notch, intending to do just that—disturb this man of ice until he melted. If she didn't do him bodily harm first She gave him a limpid glance from under her lashes.
At first glance, his gaze could give her frostbite. This was why he was called The Glacier. His expression had not changed one iota since she'd walked into the room. With that icy glare, he'd unknowingly just declared war. She smiled inwardly, because Jessie knew that just beneath that hard, frigid exterior lay the real Joshua Falcon. And she was determined to chip away the solid ice to unearth the lava below. Not enough to get burned herself, of course. But enough to keep Joshua hot and bothered until she had what she wanted. Then he could freeze over again.
"You've disturbed me since I met you, Jessie," Joshua admitted dryly. "You better have come to tell me yes. If not, run like hell." His voice was low and rough.
His eyes met hers—Oh! Not so cool, after all—pale and hot, as he scanned her body as though she were naked. "I'm not waiting another second for you."
"No?" Her cheeks flushed as she struggled to regulate her breathing, and she covered the rapid pulse beating at the base of her throat with her hand. It was hard to remember that she was the one in control when he looked at her like that. The air between them heated another fifty degrees. Her nipples pressed against her bra, and her skin felt sunburned as her temperature rose.
Their gazes locked as he lifted his glass to his mouth. "Why are you here?" The muscles moved in his throat as he swallowed, his pale eyes unblinking as he watched her. That stare was as primal as being pinned in place by the hypnotic stare of a large, dark panther. I'm going to have you, it said. I'm going to devour you from heart to toes. I'm going to start right there at that frantic pulse in your throat and work my way down…
Foolish imagination. Wishful thinking.
Jessie heard the thudding beat of her heart in her ears. Down, girl. This was purely business and biological for Joshua. She had to remember that.
Well, so what? It was the same for her, wasn't it?
Then why was her heart beating much too rapidly? And why were her palms damp? And why were her nipples aching with longing? And why, God help her, could she feel moisture gathering between her legs?
"You gave me two weeks, Joshua," she answered mildly, and the timing is perfect. She crossed her legs, and noticed Joshua's hand tightened on his glass as his eyes followed the movement.
"Have you changed your mind?" She held her breath waiting for his answer. It was slow in coming.
"No. But I am curious as to why you've changed yours."
Jessie shrugged, and her nipples rubbed against the inside of her bra, sending a shudder rippling through her body. She swallowed hard and held his gaze with some difficulty. How had she ever thought his eyes were cold? They smoldered, hot and clear. She swallowed again and managed to say calmly enough, "It's a woman's prerogative."
"I'm still a… What did you so aptly call me the other day? A self-righteous bastard?"
"And a cold, arrogant jerk." Jessie filled in helpfully. "But I'm here anyway."
"Why?"
"I'm madly in love with you." Madly in love with the idea of walking out of here pregnant.
"Don't be." His voice was ice cold, in marked contrast to his eyes and the pulse leaping at his strong tanned throat.
Jessie opened her eyes wide. "Okay, I'm not madly in love with you." And I plan to keep it that way, too. A woman would have to be insane to allow herself to become that vulnerable around him. And, Jessie knew, if she didn't have this powerful desire to have closure with her husband, if she didn't want to have his baby, if she had any sense at all, quite frankly, she'd be running as far and fast as she could. And she'd mail him the divorce papers from Timbuktu.
But she needed closure.
She wanted her baby.
Nobody was going to get hurt.
Joshua would have what he wanted.
She'd have what she needed.
And, God only knew, their attraction was undeniable.
"Have you ever been in love?" she asked, curious if anything had ever dented this man's heart.
"I love my business."
"That's not the same thing."
"It's all I need," he said shortly. "Can we get on with this?" He gave her a penetrating look, then rose to cross the room. Opening a drawer in the desk, he returned with a crumpled sheaf of papers. "Is this what you came for, Jessie?" His gaze fastened on her mouth, then slid, tactile as a caress, up to her eyes. "To sign this?"
Jessie kept her gaze steady by changing her focus so he was a blur. It was hot in here. She wished
he'd open a window, or put the fire out… or touch her. Why did she have this sudden compunction to touch him? To taste those stern lips? To run her fingers through his neatly combed hair? She curled her fingers against her palms. What had he asked? Contract. "Actually, no."
"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Joshua abruptly came back into focus as he tossed the rolled-up contract onto the coffee table. It unfurled slowly.
Jessie drew a deep breath and said calmly, "I won't sign that contract, but I will sleep with you." Now. Immediately. Soon? Oh, please make it soon.
"I won't marry you."
Jessie raised her brows. "Who asked you to?" She made a moue of distaste. "I have no desire to get married. We can sleep together until I… " conceive my baby "… we tire of each other. A few days or weeks… " She shrugged. The movement rasped her hard nipples against the silky fabric of her bra. She couldn't control the shudder this time.
"A year."
"Too long-term for me."
"Long-term?" A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Twelve months?"
"That's far too long." Jessie's laugh was sophisticated and light, with just enough mockery. "Besides, we both know that kind of contract wouldn't hold up in a court of law anyway."
He let that ride, watching her with sparkling hot eyes. "Don't you at least want to know the terms?"
Jessie sipped her drink, letting the sweet fizz slide down her throat as she watched him over the rim of her glass. "No." Anticipation sang in her veins, giving her a rush of warmth that made it hard to keep up the casual facade. Now that the hard part was out of the way she should feel more relaxed; instead her nerves were stretched to the snapping point. He wanted her just as much as ever.
Her mouth went dry despite the soda, and she swept her tongue over her lower lip. His gaze fastened on her mouth and his eyes grew heavy lidded. Jessie felt that look in every pulse point of her body.
"Why are you doing this, Jessie?"
"I told you I'm madly in lo—"
Joshua ran his fingers through his hair in utter exasperation. "You're not in love with me, for God sake!"
Almost drunk with desire, and giddy with triumph, Jessie was starting to enjoy herself. "Oh, yes. I forgot I'm definitely not in love with you." She choked back laughter as his fingers clenched on his knee. Carnal-induced adrenaline raced through her, her skin humming with it. She relished the stroke of fabric across her nipples, and craved Joshua's mouth there. Hot and wet…
"I have a dinner date in an hour," she told him casually. "Is there anything I should know before I go?"
His jaw clenched. Direct hit.
"The contract was supposed to be twelve months. January 1 to December 23. It's March. We've wasted time."
Hey, not my fault. Jessie looked at her glass instead of glaring at him. If he hadn't kept going out of town at the most crucial moments, this conversation would've been history. She could be home right now with her feet up, knitting something adorable.
"Darn, we've missed two months. No extension for good behavior?" Jessie asked with a little bite in her voice. She wished he'd stop talking and touch her. She might not be in love with him, but she was definitely in lust. Who knew lust could be this big? This overwhelming?
Her fingers dug into the soft leather and she crossed her legs again, then quickly uncrossed them. God, she'd never experienced anything like this in her life. Surely it wasn't natural. He hadn't even touched her and her body was on fire. She tried to focus. "What if you want to extend it?"
"I won't," he answered unequivocally. "The agreement gives us each exclusive rights. No one else. So forget your dinner date tonight," he inserted in a hard voice.
"Fine." She wanted his hands on her bare skin, on her fever-hot breasts, on her aching nipples. She wanted his mouth… everywhere. She felt the flush of heat rise to her cheeks and swallowed a moan. What was he saying… ? "As long as you understand that I won't share you, either."
A wicked gleam flared in his eyes. "Jealous, Jessie?"
"No," she said firmly and drank the last of her soda before setting the empty glass on the table beside her chair. "Just fastidious. I want to be sure we understand each other clearly. I won't cheat on you, and I expect the same from you. One slip, and I'll consider the arrangement over."
Her gaze was steady, her heartbeat off the chart.
"I'll take care of birth control."
"I've already taken care of it," Jessie said calmly.
"Fine. I have a condo in the Sunset district I want you to move in there immediately."
"No, thank you. I have a perfectly nice cottage. And my studio is there. I'm not going to disrupt my whole life for just a few months." Once, Jessie thought longingly. Just once should do it.
The air around them shimmered with sexual arousal. He was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees as he watched her through hooded eyes. He had the sexiest mouth. She pressed two fingers to her lips. A muscle throbbed in his cheek.
"I won't sleep with you there. Not under Archie's and Conrad's overprotective eyes. You'll have to come to wherever I am."
Jessie saluted smartly. "Yes, sir." She held back a scream of frustration. Hurry up, for heaven's sake, I'm internally combusting here!
"I don't like actually sleeping with a woman in my bed. When the alarm goes off, Barlow will take you home."
"Wham-bam, thank you, ma'am?" Yes! Wham me. Bam me. Anytime in the next ten seconds would be fine.
"Your choice."
Jessie sighed. "What time will I have to get up to go home?"
"Three."
"In the morning."
"Your choice."
"You said that already. Fine—3:00 a.m."
"I'll concede the point of your staying at your cottage, as long as you're available when I need you."
"I sincerely doubt that you'll ever need anyone, Joshua." And at the rate we're going, I'll have to wait another month before we do anything, in which case I'll go stark raving mad.
"And don't get any romantic ideas about love," he said crisply. "This is merely a business transaction."
"It certainly looks that way. I've never met anyone who keeps his emotions so tightly under wraps. No wonder they call you The Glacier." Jessie wondered what he'd do if she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him onto the floor.
"You're not required to understand me. All I want is a mutually satisfying sexual arrangement."
Jessie wanted to throw up her hands. It was easy to believe the man was made of solid, mile-deep ice—if one didn't see his eyes, which were as hot as laser beams. His control was absolutely phenomenal. "I'd feel more… comfortable if you showed at least a little emotion about this. I know I'm not the only one whose hormones go into overdrive when we're together. Do you feel nothing emotionally at all?" Her feet were starring to get decidedly cold. Oh, Lord. What had she been thinking?
"I feel damn primitive about you."
"You don't show it." Jessie put a little taunt in the words.
"If I lost control, you wouldn't be able to walk for a week."
Jessie was determined he would not only not be able to walk for a week, she was now bound and determined she was going to push this coldhearted man right over the edge. She almost rubbed her hands in anticipation, but instead she kept her casual demeanor. "So, let me recap this so we both know where we stand. Fidelity for the duration. For both of us. We'll have sex at your place and the chauffeur will take me home at three in the morning. Does that about cover it?" Jessie asked, not giving a damn, because at the outside that would happen twice.
"As long as I don't have to wear corporate colors." She glanced around the burgundy, black and silver room.
"I buy your clothes."
"I'll buy my own clothes."
"Consider the wardrobe I furnish a uniform then."
"I don't suppose this job has a pension plan—401K maybe? How about medical, dental, profit sharing?"
"You're damn cool about this," Joshua snapped, torn between admiration and irritation
. When had he lost control of this conversation? Forget all this damn talking. The arrangement was a fait accompli. God, he wanted to go over there, grab her and carry her off to the bedroom like a primitive caveman.
The material of her dress looked butter soft, but not as soft as her pale skin. He could clearly see the sharp points of her nipples through the fabric. He controlled the burning need to leap across the space separating them and feast on her breasts through the fabric. He wanted to rip away her clothes and taste her body. He needed to plunge deep inside her, and feel her hot, wet heat close around him.
He felt as hot and horny as he had at fifteen when he'd seen his first naked woman. He could control himself. God help him, he could. But it had never been this difficult. He was scared to move in case he lost it.
"Yes, I am, aren't I?" Jessie folded her hands loosely in her lap and looked at him with dark, steady eyes. She tapped her fingers on her purse. Her control sent his blood pressure soaring. He'd been restless and edgy the moment he'd opened the door and seen her there. So much for his being The Glacier. What the hell was it about this woman that brought out this latent, primitive need to ravish her? He had been sexually attracted to women before. It had taken very little willpower to control his urges around them.
"Are we done talking?" he demanded through clenched teeth.
"I guess… "
With a swift move that took her completely by surprise, Joshua rose, stalked the three steps between his seat and hers, grabbed her by her shoulders and dragged her from her seat. He crushed her little yelp of surprise beneath his mouth.
It started as a kiss of mastery and domination. He wanted her to know that he was the one in control. She was his, damn her. But the moment Jessie realized what he was doing, her body relaxed against his. Her arms came up around his neck, one hand threading through his hair.
Her action softened the kiss. God, her mouth felt so damn good. He forgot just what it was he was trying to prove. She tasted sweet, her lips soft, her tongue aggressive. The suede fabric beckoned his hands. She smelled of fresh air and Joy. Enticing, and so female. She felt so incredibly good in his arms. He buried one hand in the silken mass of her hair, alive beneath his questing fingers. His other hand caressed the slender dip of her waist, the slight curve of her hip, the enticing firmness of her behind, pulling her more tightly against his agonizingly aroused body.
