Private Arrangements

by Brenda Jackson

  He crossed his arms over his own chest, stood with his legs spread apart and glared right back at her. “I’ll tell you what it’s going to be. You. Me. We have it out now, Nikki. You’re still mad at me for what I did at that dinner party. Why? I thought women preferred knowing a man was interested in them. Last night I did something I’ve never done before, and that was to claim you as mine in front of everyone. So what’s the problem?”

  Nikki was convinced he really didn’t have a clue. The man was so used to being in control, doing whatever the hell he wanted to do where women were concerned, that he thought claiming her was doing her a favor. Well, she had news for him. She didn’t want to be claimed. She wanted to be loved.

  Yes, yes, it was her heart talking again and she couldn’t help it. The truth had hit her full force in the face at dinner. He had pampered her with attention, given her a taste of how things could be between them if they were in love. He hadn’t left her side and had touched her easily, sliding his arms around her waist like it had been the most natural thing.

  And every time he’d looked at her, although she’d tried to stay mad, her heart would leap in her chest, making her realize that without a doubt she had fallen in love with him. Though she had probably been in love with him for a while, at dinner she had opened her eyes and given in to her heart.

  Giving in to her heart was one thing she could not abide. Admitting her love for Jonas had no place in this argument and there was no way he would ever know how she felt. There was no use. The man wasn’t capable of loving a woman. That wasn’t part of his makeup. He had probably figured out in that player mind of his that kissing her in front of everybody would entitle him to unlimited access to her bed. Well, she had news for him.

  “I don’t want to have it out with you, Jonas. I just want to be left alone.”

  “Do you?” he threw back. “I don’t think so.”

  “I don’t care what you think.”

  “Then maybe you should,” he said, slowly moving toward her like a hunter who’d targeted his prey.

  Nikki drew in a deep breath, convinced the man was mad. He was also sexy as hell. How could he not be when he was unbuttoning his shirt with every step he took? She backed up. “I don’t want you, Jonas.”

  “Then I guess I’m going to have to change your mind about that.”

  She refused to back up any farther, deciding to stand her ground. She placed her hands on her hips and stared him down. “What is it with you Steeles? Why do you assume you can get any woman you want?”

  He shrugged. “I can’t speak for my brothers, but as for myself, the only woman I want is you.”

  She looked up at him. “Why?”

  “I can give you a number of reasons. No woman can wear a pair of jeans like you do. Seeing your curvy bottom in them makes me hard each and every time. Then there are those soft curls on your head that frame your face. It’s such a beautiful face.”

  His gaze went to her chest. “And then there’re your breasts that fit perfectly in my hands.”

  His gaze shifted lower to the juncture of her thighs. He smiled. “The only thing I can say about that part is that I think I’m addicted to it. I love tasting it, touching it and getting all into it any way I can.”

  She lifted her chin. “Sounds all sexual to me.”

  “Probably because I’m a sexual kind of guy. But no matter how much I enjoy it, you’re the only woman who has me wanting to come back for more, wishing there was a way I could stay locked inside you forever, make you a permanent taste bud on my tongue.”

  She knew it had to be a deliberate move on his part because her body was ripening with every word he said. Her panties were getting wet, her nipples felt sensitive against her robe and her lips were tingling. She should be fighting his assault on her senses, but she was getting pulled into a stream of mindless pleasure. The kind she knew he could deliver.

  He slowly began advancing upon her again and she still held her ground, feeling the charged energy radiating between them that was breaking down her defenses, playing havoc with her senses one turbulent sensation at a time. She drew in a deep breath and filled her nostrils with his masculine scent and felt intense desire flood her middle.

  “Why do you want to fight me, Nikki, when all I want to do is make love to you?”

  His words were like ice water being dumped on a heated surface. She took a step back and narrowed her gaze. “You wouldn’t know how to make love to a woman if it killed you, Jonas. All you know how to do is have sex with one. There is a difference.”

  He came to a stop in front of her. “Then show me how to make love. In fact I have a proposition for you. I propose that we enter into a private arrangement where for the rest of our trip on the Velocity, we don’t have sex, but we make love.”

  She rolled her eyes. Those words just confirmed what she already knew. He didn’t have an idea of what love was if he thought the arrangement he was proposing was possible. “Love isn’t anything you can speak into existence. People can only make love when they are in love.”

  He reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer. “In that case, let’s pretend we’re in love, then. You know that I don’t love you and I know that you don’t love me, but if it makes you feel better, we can pretend.”

  A part of Nikki couldn’t believe he would suggest such a thing, but then another part of her did believe it. Although his parents were still happily married and he had two brothers who were also in happy marriages, Jonas just didn’t get it, mainly because he’d never felt that emotion himself, and she wondered if he ever would. Who knew, maybe if he got a taste of it, he might like it.

  She shook her head. Her thoughts were beginning to be just as insane as his, which meant her head was filling up with crazy ideas and ludicrous notions. Men like Jonas didn’t fall in love. They didn’t even know the meaning of it. But maybe if he were to pretend long enough…

  There was that silly thought again. Besides, it wouldn’t be any pretense on her part, so what would that do to her heart when he decided he didn’t even like the pretend version? But then if she did enter into such a private arrangement with him, it would help her to move on and accept that the man she loved would never love her back.

  She hadn’t told anyone yet about the job offer she’d gotten from the L.A. producer who’d interviewed her before she boarded the Velocity. He’d been so impressed with her portfolio that he had called just minutes before the airship had taken off and made her a job offer as set photographer. The salary he’d offered had almost made her fall out of the bed in her cabin. And since he’d be directing a miniseries that would take three years of filming, it would be steady work for a long while.

  The only drawback she’d seen at the time was moving from Phoenix to L.A. for those three years. But now, considering everything, the move to L.A. wouldn’t be a drawback but a blessing. If she considered Jonas’s offer of a private arrangement, the next two weeks would be all she would ever have before she left Phoenix to start a new life on the coast.

  Jonas placed his finger beneath her chin so their gazes could connect. “So, baby, are you game?” he asked in a low tone, the depths of his green eyes holding hers. “Women are into this love thing more so than men, so if you want to pretend that you got me all strung out for you then that’s fine. And just so we’re clear, our arrangement ends when the Velocity docks back in L.A.”

  He moved closer still, so close his thighs were touching hers, and she could feel the hardness of his erection press against her stomach. And it felt so good resting there. So hot. So tempting.

  “I can see you’re hesitant. Maybe I need to give you something to help you make up your mind,” he murmured, lowering his head to lick her lips.

  “Something like what?” she asked, feeling her senses ooze away from her.

 
“Something like this.”

  He pushed the robe from her body and quickly removed her short baby-doll nightie as well. Then, as effortlessly as any man could do, he lifted her up off her feet and stood her naked body on the edge of the couch with her thighs spread apart.

  “Jonas, I think that we—”

  “Shh,” he whispered, stepping back to remove his clothes and put on a condom although she knew she was on the pill. He then moved back to the couch to stand in front of her. “Bend your knees a little, baby, so I can ease inside you,” he said in a deep husky tone.

  She did as he asked and then glanced down to watch how the head of his engorged penis penetrated her flesh and slid deep inside of her. It fascinated her that something that large could fit inside of her so perfectly. Reaching out, he grabbed her hips to hold her body steady as he made the journey in. As deep as he could go. Then he reached out to lave her breasts with his tongue, licking all over the areola before sucking a turgid nipple into his mouth.

  “You’re starting to cream all over me and I like it,” he said as he released her nipple. “It’s hot and thick. Just the way I like to feel it. Just the way I love to taste it. But for now I want to pump you up. Give you reason to want to pretend we’re in love.”

  And then the lower part of his body began moving as he captured her mouth, mating with it the same way he was mating with her womanly core. She moved to his rhythm as their bodies rocked and rolled, and she met his every thrust. And then he picked up speed and power, beginning to pound into her while he gripped her backside to hold her in place while he went deeper still, as if carving out his place inside of her.

  “I can’t get enough of you,” he growled and she knew what he meant, mainly because she couldn’t get enough of him, either. She widened her legs and the moment she did so, her senses spun out of control as he hit her G-spot.

  She lifted her legs off the couch to wrap them around his waist as tight as they could get. He deepened the kiss and moved from the sofa to the nearest wall, where he pressed her back against the solid surface and continued to pound into her like the world would be ending tomorrow and he needed every thrust to count.

  And they did.

  Only with him was her body this sharp, keen, capable of feeling every single sensation he evoked. This was crazy. This was madness. And in the back of her mind she was reminded this was just sex. For him, yes, but not for her. He might be having sex with her, but she was definitely making love to him.

  And then her body exploded under his forceful thrusts and she screamed his name as an orgasm ripped solidly into her, almost blinding her. It not only assaulted her body, it beat up on her senses. Whipped them to the point of no return. At that moment nothing mattered but this and how he was making her feel. She ignored that little chat from her heart that she deserved better. Instead she listened to her head. You can’t get any better than this.

  Jonas followed suit, roaring loudly on the heels of a deep masculine growl. He gritted his teeth while the lower half of his body continued to grind into her nonstop. He was pulling everything out of her and was still demanding more. And he was doing it in such a way that she felt every single movement. Never had she felt more connected to any man than right now.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and met his gaze. No words were exchanged between them. None was needed. And then their mouths joined again in a long, sensuous kiss.

  Yes, she would agree to the private arrangement that he wanted, and when they returned to Phoenix she would be ready to move on with her life in another city.

  It would be far away from the heartbreak she knew awaited her if she were to stay.

  Chapter 16

  “Okay, I give up,” Jonas said, staring at the item on the serving tray that a waiter had just placed in front of them. “What is it?”

  Nikki chuckled. “It’s the carcass of the duck we had for dinner. The Chinese don’t believe in letting anything go to waste so they fried it for us.”

  He arched his brow. “And we’re supposed to eat it?”

  “Yes.”

  He wiped his mouth and tossed his napkin on the table and leaned back in his chair. “I’ll pass. I’m full already. What about you?”

  She smiled over at him. “I’m full as well. Dinner was wonderful.”

  He would have to agree with her. The staff at their Beijing hotel had recommended this restaurant, and he had selected items off the menu that he recognized and had gone along with Nikki to try a few dishes he hadn’t been familiar with and had enjoyed them as well. But he would draw the line with duck carcass.

  Jonas studied Nikki as she sipped her tea, finding it hard to believe they’d spent the last two days together in perfect harmony. At first he had questioned his sanity in suggesting their private arrangement. To pretend to be in love with a woman had to be one of the craziest notions he’d ever come up with. But so far things were working.

  He enjoyed watching her sleep and how her curls would fan her face and the soft snoring sounds she would occasionally make. And then in the mornings when she would wake up, he liked how she would smile up at him before reaching out for what had become their good-morning kiss. Of course that kiss would lead to other things.

  “So, what will we do today?”

  Her question pulled him from his thoughts and he glanced across the table at her. Her eyes were just as bright as her smile. “I’ll let you decide today since yesterday’s activities were my idea.”

  “Yeah, and you whined the entire time.”

  He looked offended. “I did not whine.”

  She leaned in closer across the table. “You did too, Jonas Steele.”

  He laughed. “Okay, maybe I did.”

  It had been his idea for them to climb the Great Wall of China, but halfway up he was ready to go back down. He hadn’t known the place would require so much energy—energy he preferred using for other things like making love to her. Even now he was still overwhelmed by the power of what they shared in the bedroom. They were doing things the same way, but he could swear he was beginning to note a difference. A difference he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  “In that case, since you’re letting it be my decision, I suggest we take a cooking class.”

  He sat up straight in his chair. “A cooking class?”

  She chuckled. “Yes.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why would I want to attend a cooking class? I have a woman who comes in twice a week to clean and cook enough food to last me all week. Then there are my weekly Thursday dinners at my parents’ home. I don’t need to know how to cook.”

  “I think it will be fun.”

  “Whatever,” he said, taking a sip of his own tea. “I guess I’m game if that’s what you really want to do.”

  Her smile brightened even more. “Yes, that’s what I really want to do.”

  He smiled, enjoying the smile that curved her lips. “Okay. Where’s my apron?”

  With shopping bags in each hand, Nikki entered her hotel room and used her feet to shut the door behind her. All the passengers would return to the Velocity later that day and she had wanted to get some shopping in before the limo arrived to transport her and Jonas to the airport. Their next stop was Sydney, Australia, where they would be spending another three days.

  Earlier that morning after making love, she and Jonas had toured a Chinese palaces and Tiananmen Square. Afterward, they’d shared lunch at, of all places, Friday’s. Jonas had been tickled to see an American chain restaurant and insisted on going. She had invited him to go shopping with her in the afternoon, but he declined, saying he wanted to return to the hotel for a quick nap.

  Nikki glanced at her watch. That had been three hours ago and from the soft hum of his snoring, it seemed he was still at it. Quietly placin
g her bags on the sofa, she tiptoed out of the sitting area into the bedroom. She leaned in the doorway and stared across the room at the man she loved.

  His upper torso, not covered by the bed linens, was bare, as she was certain the rest of him was since he loved sleeping in the nude. She blushed when she recalled how he now had her sleeping in the nude as well, something she had learned was an enjoyable experience. Especially since Jonas had a tendency to wake up during the crazy hours of the night wanting to make love.

  Nikki stepped into the room, closer to the bed. With his mass of hair all over the pillow, the man was pure temptation even while asleep. She drew in a deep breath. These would be the only days she would have with him this way, trouble free, filled with fun and excitement, and both beginning and ending with them connected in a way that took her breath away just thinking about it. It always felt good being wrapped in his embrace, held by him, hearing whispered erotic words that could make her come just listening to them.

  She was about to move away from the bed when suddenly his hand snaked out and grabbed her around the wrist. She looked down at him and saw his eyes were open and the depth of his green eyes had her holding her breath.

  His hold on her hand tightened when he continued to stare at her. Then he said in a deep husky tone, “I want you, baby. And I want you now.”

  He pulled her into the bed with him, almost tore off her clothes, and it seemed within seconds after donning a condom he retrieved from the night stand, he was straddling her, easing between her legs, slowly penetrating her, deep and sure.

  Gracious! Him inside of her felt so right. Why couldn’t he see it? Why couldn’t he feel it? Why couldn’t he love her as much as she loved him? There were too many whys for her to concentrate on at the moment. Not when he was thrusting inside her so hard the whole bed was shaking.

  “Come for me, baby. I want you to cream all over me,” he said, breathing the words against her neck.