by Jaci Burton
She nodded, grateful when a smiling waitress brought their tea. She watched the interplay between Aidan and the server whose nametag read Brandy. He winked at her and she blushed and scurried off, then turned his gaze back to Melissa as if the flirtatious encounter with the waitress had never occurred.
She needed to steer clear of Aidan Storm. The man was a womanizer of the worst kind. And she'd been there, done that, and had the scars on her heart to show for it.
"So what do you like to do for fun?" he asked, leaning back in the chair, completely relaxed.
For some reason it irritated her that he didn't run at a frenetic pace like she did. She was anxious to get started on their marketing plan, while he wanted to delve into her personal life.
"Let's keep things between us strictly professional, shall we?"
He arched a brow. "Are you sure that's what you want, cher?"
The endearment rolled off his lips and fired her blood, making her ache to slip her hands between her legs and massage the incessant throbbing of her pussy.
"Of course it's what I want."
"Your call. But there might be some magic happening between us. I wouldn't mind exploring a little."
"I would."
That brought about a grin. "Not much for joie de vivre, are you, ma belle?"
She wished he wouldn't speak French. The language rolled seductively off his tongue and made her shiver. Tapping her fingernail on the glass, she said, "I enjoy life just fine, thank you. But I'm here for business, not pleasure, so if you don't mind, tuck it back in your pants and let's get to work."
Aidan threw his head back and laughed. A deep, rich baritone that made her suck in her breath at the stab of pleasure his laughter gave her. Damn, what was it going to take for the female in her to stop being so...so. . .female around him?
"All right, Miss Cross, you win. For now. Let's head to the offices and we'll take a look at the marketing plans."
Melissa sighed in relief, discarding the brief disappointment she felt at the termination of his suggestive banter.
She needed an orgasm to release the tension that had been building inside her. Neglecting her baser urges would only get her into trouble. She'd have to pencil in a self-induced climax for later this evening. Once she'd gotten that out of the way, she'd be much better able to handle Aidan Storm.
*
Aidan led Melissa to his office, watching as she unloaded her laptop, presentation folders and notepad, lining them up neatly on his conference table.
He resisted the urge to laugh. He'd be lucky to find a pencil somewhere in his office. Having a near photographic memory helped, considering he rarely wrote things down. He had a secretary to enter important dates and information on his computer, not that he'd ever look at it.
When it was time to design a marketing plan he'd drag out the laptop and printer and go at it, pulling forth all the vital information he'd stored in his brain. Other than that, he kept it all within handy reach of his memory.
Apparently Melissa did things differently. She slid a neatly designed binder in front of him. "Now, if you look at the presentation folder in front of you, I've developed a initial marketing plan as a starting point. Open to your suggestions, of course."
"Of course." He quickly scanned the contents, impressed with her expertise. Then he closed it and looked at her, enjoying the way her green eyes flashed whenever they made eye contact.
Melissa Cross might insist she was all about business, but Aidan had a sixth sense about these things. And his sense told him underneath her cool Bostonian exterior beat the heart of a wildcat. The sudden urge to peel her frosty layers away piece by delectable piece had him hardening painfully.
"That's it? You're not going to look at it any further?"
The play of emotions in her expression was priceless. Shock, then indignation soared across her face. Her pert little nose wrinkled and she crossed her arms.
"I read it. It's good. I'll have more to add. There are a few changes I'd like to make, specifically on page four, paragraph three of the marketing plan. I think we need to play up the background of the two companies more, as well as identify the strategic marketing concepts in a bullet point presentation to make it clear what our primary goals are."
Her eyes widened. "How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know what. You barely glanced at the binder, which has over 100 pages. And yet you pointed out an exact page and paragraph and knew precisely what it contained."
"I read lightning fast and have a photographic memory. No magic involved."
At her arched brow he nearly cringed. Why did he have to say that? Magic was an intrinsic part of his life, but he rarely mentioned it outside the family. Although the thought of using some magic to heat up Melissa Cross had already crossed his mind more than a few times. In fact, right now might be a good time. Maybe a little play and that was all. Just to see how she'd react--gauge if his intuition about her was right.
He rubbed his index and middle finger together, the warmth beginning deep inside. The singe of heat lightning was never painful, only a tingling excitement that never failed to arouse him. The air swirled, charged with electricity, centering in his middle like a gathering storm.
He opened his hand and let the magic sail across the table.
Oh, yeah. An invisible breeze wafted Melissa's hair and her eyes widened. Her creamy cheeks blushed pink, and she opened the top button of her blouse, shuddering when the warm air crept inside.
He leaned back in his chair and felt her, the heat buried deep inside her, and knew right then there was something different about this woman. No one had ever reacted instantly to the slightest bit of magic from him. No one had ever fired the heat waves back toward him, letting him experience exactly what he'd sent out.
Hot damn, that was exciting.
"Something wrong?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.
"Don't you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
Blowing out a quick breath, she said, "It just got really hot in here."
"No kidding. I didn't feel a thing."
She fanned herself with her hand. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I guess I must be more unaccustomed to the New Orleans heat and humidity than I thought. Mind if I take off my jacket?"
"Go right ahead." Take anything off you like, darlin'. Jacket, skirt, panties and bra, anything. He shifted to accommodate his burgeoning erection, welcoming the heady ache that came with arousal.
She stood and headed to the bar against the wall and poured a glass of ice water. Without her long suit jacket he glimpsed a better view of her body.
Lithe and slender. Perfectly shaped ass outlined against the well-tailored suit. Her breasts weren't large, but they fit the rest of her. Sleek, like an athlete, with long legs that seemed to go on for miles. Oh yeah, he'd bet a million bucks she was a runner. Or maybe a dancer with those shapely calves.
Damn, he was hard now. Hard and pulsing with the need for release. He briefly wondered what Miss Boston would do if he reached down and caressed his shaft through his pants? Wouldn't it be fun to shock her just a little more?
She took her seat again and sighed.
"Feeling better?" he asked, knowing the minimal magic he'd tossed her way only lasted a few seconds.
"Yes. Sorry. I don't know what happened. It just got very warm in here."
"Don't be. Gets hot here. You might want to lose the suits unless we have an official meeting."
"You're wearing one," she countered.
He slipped off his jacket and hung it on his chair back, then loosened his tie. "A rarity unless I have an appointment. Typically it's jeans and a polo shirt. Feel free to dress casual around here."
She lifted her chin. "I'm not used to casual at work."
"This is the Big Easy, cher. We don't get too formal."
She shrugged and mumbled something about different worlds.
He'd like to show her different worlds. He'd like to grab hold of th
is ice queen and really melt her frosty little ass. And if he guessed right, Melissa would be more than eager to have a little warmth. If ever a woman looked like she needed to get laid, it was this one.
And he bet she wasn't even aware of how badly she really needed it. Just the little strike of warmth he'd sent her proved how unfamiliar she was with the kind of heat a passionate coupling could provide.
His brother's warning not to screw with their new partner flickered in the back of Aidan's mind.
Flickered, then snuffed out like rain on a campfire.
Chapter Two
Melissa unpacked and stared into the closet, occasionally glancing at the clock on the nightstand.
Aidan offered to take her to dinner tonight, although she'd tried to beg off, claiming jet lag. But he'd sprouted a horrified expression and indicated he'd be shamed severely by his family if he didn't at least take her to dinner on her first night in town.
She'd finally agreed despite the warnings clanging in her head about having anything remotely personal to do with Aidan Storm. Then again, he hadn't said anything about this being a date, or even personal. Only that it was customary for him to take a business partner out to dinner.
With a frustrated sigh she closed the closet door, stepped into the opulent bathroom and turned on the shower. Jets shot out from both walls, the steam rising and clouding up the glass doors almost immediately.
Exactly what she needed. A nice shower to whisk away the flight aches and sweat from the humid air outside. She stripped off her clothes and stepped inside the frosted glass enclosure, delighting in the soft spray hitting her on both sides of her body.
Lord, she was tired. She closed her eyes and let the jets pound away. They felt good, almost like getting a massage. She leaned back into the spray and the stream on the front side of her angled right between her legs.
Mmm, nice. She needed a massage there, too, one of a different variety. Then again, these jets were nice and soft and stroked her clit in just the right spot.
She leaned back further until she sat on the overhanging ledge at the back of the shower, and adjusted the spray head on the side wall until it hit her pussy. She shivered, feeling the sweet tension build deep inside, the water pulsing against the incessant ache she'd carried around for most of the day.
Ever since she'd laid eyes on that hot devil, Aidan Storm.
She moved her hands over her breasts, her nipples pebbling against the palm of her hands. With her fingertips, she lightly caressed them until they tightened, sending shots of pleasure straight to her core.
She allowed the surging water to do its job, imagining a man's head between her legs, his soft, wet tongue licking her pleasure spots.
Only it wasn't just a faceless man. In her mind, amber eyes locked with hers, holding her in his gaze, mesmerizing her until she was unable to look away. It was Aidan she imagined between her legs, doing magical things to her body.
She lifted her hips to meet his mouth, her body crying out for the release only he could bring.
Even in the shower she felt his heated touch, nearly unbearable in its sweet torture.
"Please," she whimpered aloud, knowing no one could hear her. She begged the Aidan of her imagination to take her over the edge, to give her the fulfillment she so desperately craved.
He licked the length of her, the double sensations of his tongue and the pulsing water making her quiver with the building storm. When he plunged his tongue inside her she trembled. As he fit his mouth over her clit, she climaxed with a loud moan of pleasure, her orgasm raging through her until she feared she might fall to the floor.
She grabbed for the ledge to brace herself, still feeling the aftereffects of an orgasm that nearly blindsided her in its intensity.
She blew out a breath and reached for the shampoo with shaky hands.
If she didn't know better, she could have sworn that scene had been real.
*
Aidan smiled up at the ceiling. He lay naked in his bed, fully visualizing Melissa in her shower. His cock was rock hard and nearly ready for release, but he'd wanted her to come first. He squeezed his shaft and stroked the length of it, his hips rising off the bed, his orgasm building.
Such a nice surprise to slip inside her thoughts. It was rare when it happened. He'd never gotten inside someone's mind before outside the family. Not that he hadn't tried. Too bad he couldn't visualize her naked body, but his thoughts had merely become mixed with hers, so he could only see what she saw, feel what she felt.
His mother would say they had a psychic connection, that there was something special about Melissa. But Aidan didn't buy into all that magic and destiny crap. The magic he used when it suited him. The destiny and finding your soulmate was something his overly romantic mother tried to drum into all of them for as long as he could remember.
No such thing as a soulmate. And Melissa certainly wasn't special. She was just a woman he had the hots for.
Funny that they'd both been masturbating at the same time. When he lay naked on the bed, intending to relieve the hard-on that had tortured him all day, he found himself psychically connected to her. He'd felt her pleasure as the shower jets pulsed against her clit.
So, his cool Bostonian had a hot side. Not that it surprised him. He'd known it from the second she'd turned her emerald green eyes on him and tried to hide the fact that she was full of passion and fire.
Easy for kindred spirits to spot each other. She had as much of a stormy nature as he did. Their only difference was that he recognized it in himself. Melissa, on the other hand, was in deep denial.
Too bad her orgasm had broken their connection. If it hadn't he might be catching a glimpse of her naked body about now as she stood drying herself in front of the mirror. As it was, he'd have to imagine.
Good thing he had a vivid imagination. He swirled his thumb over the tip of his cock, rewarded with a pulsing of silky fluid. He was close. Very close. That shower scene turned him on and he could come right now if he wanted to. But he wanted to think about Melissa a little while longer, imagine it was her hand on him, sliding her long fingers around his shaft and squeezing, then stroking the length of him until he was so deep into the moment he'd be fucking her hand.
Which is what he did now, his movements becoming faster and harder as his body begged for release. Visions raced through his mind. He and Melissa in her shower together, the jets coming at them from all sides as they touched and tasted every inch of each other. Then, carrying her to the bed and thrusting inside her pussy until he came harder than the shower jets.
It was all too much. With a last, frenzied stroke and groan of pleasure he came quickly, hot fluid spilling as the spasm of his climax rolled over him.
When at last he relaxed, he felt satisfied but still wanted more. Much more.
Melissa Cross was a challenge. Someone who'd made it quite clear she wasn't interested in him on a personal level. But deep down inside, he knew damn well she was lying to him and to herself.
She wanted it so bad she'd allowed a psychic link between the two of them. And now that one had been established, he was going to fire Melissa's libido up so hot she'd be begging him to fuck her.
At least that's how he hoped it would play out. If he guessed wrong, he might be the one doing the begging.
*
Melissa stood in front of the mirror, not certain whether the outfit she wore was acceptable or not.
A brief moment of indecision and she pulled the dress off, flinging it on to the bed where it landed on top of the ten other things she'd already tried and discarded.
Good thing she hadn't brought her entire wardrobe with her--otherwise she could be at this all night.
Dinner. Casual. New Orleans. August. What was she supposed to wear?
And, more importantly, why did it even matter? She'd never obsessed for so long about dressing for a date.
Not a date. A business dinner with a business colleague where they would discuss business items. That was
as far from a date as one could get.
Screw it. She was hot, irritated and had about five minutes to throw something on before Aidan arrived. Hopefully he'd be late again like he had been for their appointment this morning.
Grabbing a short cotton and spandex dress, she threw it on and dashed into the bathroom to run a brush through her hair, then placed a clip around the ponytail to hold it in place. Her cheeks were flushed from her one person fashion show, so she certainly didn't need to add any blush. Besides, anything she wore would just melt off her face in this humidity, anyway. And she thought Boston summers were bad.
She looked in the closet door mirrors and assessed her appearance. The dress was a little short but at least it was cool. A mint green, and lightweight so she wouldn't sweat, with thin straps holding it up. She slipped on her sandals and turned sideways.
What exactly are you looking for? And why do you even care how you look? Get a grip, Melissa, it's just a business dinner!
She was dressed, she looked reasonably decent, and she was ready. Enough of the primping in front of the mirror. Good thing, too, because a tap on her door indicated that Aidan was on time.
Figured. She walked to the door and opened it, then immediately forgot how to breathe.
Attractive as he'd been in his suit, the man standing in front of her dressed in dark blue jeans and a black polo shirt literally took her breath away. Now she could see the body his suit had only hinted at earlier.
He had to be six-foot-two or taller. And he was lean, with well-defined muscles, especially his biceps and shoulders, which stretched the polo shirt tight. Her fingers curled in response. She quickly thrust them behind her back to avoid the burning desire to run her palms over his chest and see how hard he really was.
Maybe not just his chest, either.
"Evenin', cher," he said with a smile.
"Good evening."
"You look hot." His warm eyes raked over her. She swore she grew hotter with every second of his assessment.
Melissa took a deep breath and mentally fought to keep from saying, so do you. "Thanks."
"Hungry?" he asked.
She grabbed her purse and walked through the doorway. "Ravenous."
"Just how I like my women."
She turned her head and met his wink. This was going to be one long evening. She really was going to have to watch what she said in front of him.
