by Nana Malone
His eyes opened suddenly and she cleared her throat. “Um hi.”
Surprise flared in his eyes before a curving smile lit up his face. “Hey, good morning.”
“I, um,” Kinsley started, feeling nearly naked under the quilt despite the fact that she was indeed fully clothed. It was the way he was staring at her, like he could devour her. Was that necessarily such a bad thing? “I apologize for whatever I did last night. I don’t normally drink that much.”
Jarred rolled over on his back and stretched, giving Kinsley full access to view his spectacular abs in the soft morning light. No man should ever be made to be as gorgeous as Jarred was. She wanted to guide her fingers across his muscles again, feel the strength of him under her fingertips. But she couldn’t. Kinsley knew if she did, she wouldn’t want to stop. “You didn’t do anything,” he finally said, throwing back the cover and standing. “Nothing happened.”
Kinsley tried not to feel disappointed. Perhaps she had wanted something to happen, to throw caution to the wind and forget herself, even if alcohol had been involved.
“Unless you wanted something to happen.”
She looked up sharply, seeing Jarred standing by the bed still, his shirt in his hand. “W-what?” she asked.
“You heard me,” he responded, throwing the shirt on the bed, his eyes darkening. “So Kinsley, what do you want?”
“I-I don’t know,” she blurted out, feeling the rush of need as she saw the outline of his cock in his trousers. He was hard and ready, but was she? Could she handle this between them if they took their relationship, or fake relationship, to the next level?
Jarred climbed back onto the bed and before she realized it, he covered her body with his, only a thin sheet between them. “I think I know what you want,” he said in a soft voice. Kinsley gulped as he grasped her shirt and inched it up, until her bra was in full view. “Off,” he said, heat in his eyes.
Kinsley complied, her body feeling like rubber as she pulled the shirt over her head, undoing the bra with shaky fingers before throwing it on the floor as well. The look in Jarred’s eyes took her breath away as he wasted no time latching onto one of her aching nipples, grasping it gently between his teeth. She moaned, the slight tugging unfurling a knot of heat in her stomach. Her hands went into his hair and instead of pulling him back, she held him there, allowing him to lavish her breast. Her body felt like it was on fire, begging for his touch and she didn’t want it to end. When he moved down to her navel, she gripped the edge of the bed sheet tightly, knowing what was coming. And she wanted it.
Jarred quickly divested her of her pants and underwear until Kinsley was naked before him, not feeling ashamed for him to look at her like this. Under his heated gaze, she felt bold and pretty, all of her body imperfections not even coming to mind. This was about she and Jarred and this moment between them.
When his mouth touched her mound, she sighed, the warmth of his lips making her wet with need. His tongue delved until it touched her swollen clit, causing her to nearly buck off of the bed. “Like that?” he said softly against her skin, She moaned, mainly because she couldn’t coherently make words form on her tongue and he chuckled, going back to work on her clit. Kinsley concentrated on every flick on his tongue, the warmth, the pressure as he inserted a finger into her before she exploded, the strength of the orgasm surprising her. Her body shook with release before she collapsed on the mattress.
Jarred left the bed, using the bathroom before coming back into the bedroom and sitting on the bed beside her, the smell of her arousal heavy in the air. That had to be the single hottest thing that had happened to her in a while and she couldn’t find the words to explain it to him.
Should she offer to do the same? The thought made her slightly excited to do so. To hold the control in her hands, his control, would make her feel powerful. Her mind made up, she sat up quickly, too quickly as the rush of nausea hit her at once. She wasn’t going to embarrass herself by throwing up in front of Jarred, not after that.
“You are looking kind of pale,” Jarred said as she rubbed her aching temples with her fingers gingerly. “I think you need some food.”
The thought of food made her stomach lurch even more. She looked at the clock and swore, throwing back the covers. “I am so late,” she muttered. In about ten minutes, her future father-in-law was going to be walking into the office, expecting to see her sitting at her desk.
“Hey,” Jarred said, getting Kinsley’s attention. “You need food first.”
“I have to get to work,” she told him, pulling open her dresser drawer in search of some clothes. Not once since she had been working for Mr. Maloney had she ever been late.
Jarred’s hand landed on her arm and she looked up, seeing the stormy look on his face. “Listen,” he said firmly. “You need food and then we will go see my father together. I’m not taking no for an answer Kinsley.”
“Who died and made you in charge?” she countered, feeling even worse that she had to deal with him this morning. It was his fault in the first place that she had drunk all that wine. He made her nervous with just his presence. She couldn’t think clearly when he was around.
His hand covered hers, his finger landing on the diamond that Kinsley had gotten quite used to wearing. “This puts me in charge at least temporarily. My father is not going to fire you if you come in late Kinsley, trust me. So, take a nice shower, get dressed, and then we are going to breakfast.”
Kinsley opened her mouth to object, but Jarred placed a finger to her lips. “Trust me.”
Jarred was right. Kinsley hated to admit it, but a good, solid fry up had done wonders. Now she was sitting in the passenger seat of Jarred’s Porsche on their way to meet with his father over these wedding preparations.
“What did we decide last night?” she asked as they pulled into the parking garage. Kinsley wished that she could remember at least something, but her last true memory was of Jarred arriving at her flat and a conversation with him that she couldn’t remember the details on. That was it.
“You’re going to tell him that every woman wants to plan their own wedding,” Jarred answered, pulling the car into a spot and shutting off the engine. “And since he won’t let us elope, you are having to change all of the plans of your dream wedding.”
“My dream wedding,” she echoed, thinking of what that would look like. Unlike other women, she hadn’t really thought about her own wedding and certainly hadn’t pictured the man beside her as the groom. “Well that should be easy then.”
Jarred shot her a look before climbing out of the car, Kinsley following suit. He had been in a mood since they had left her flat this morning, as if he couldn’t wait to be rid of her company. It was a far cry from this morning, when she had found him in her bed. Even their breakfast had been awkward, both left to their own thoughts and Kinsley wondered what she had really done last night. Something had passed between them, something that he wasn’t telling her.
They walked into the lift and she pressed the button, hoping that she indeed still had a job when this day was over with. What if her boss found out that they had been lying to him the entire time? What would that cause for her? How would Jarred hold up against his father? She should have never agreed to this.
The lift opened to the office floor and Jarred reached down, lacing his fingers with hers.
“W-what are you doing?” she asked softly as they made their way to their destination. His palm was warm against hers and Kinsley found herself wanting to lean against him for some support.
“We’re engaged,” Jarred said bluntly as they reached the door. “We should play the part. Especially after this morning.”
Kinsley flushed and swallowed hard as he pushed open the office door and they walked in, finding her boss seated behind his desk. It was showtime. They needed to talk about this morning. She’d been feeling warm and needy and it shouldn’t have happened. They needed to talk about it. But first, they were going to deal with his father.
“We are here to talk about the wedding planning,” Jarred answered before Kinsley could even open her mouth.
Mr. Maloney raised a brow as he rested his elbows on the desk before him. “Have you? Good. I have the name of the wedding planner right here.”
Jarred looked over at Kinsley, who put on a nervous smile. “Actually, sir, I would like to plan my own wedding. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Call me Harrison, Kinsley,” her boss said, looking at his son with a frown on his face. “After all, we are going to be family. Isn’t that right Jarred?”
“We are engaged, aren’t we?” Jarred ground out. Kinsley fought the urge to roll her eyes against Jarred’s response. That wasn’t exactly what she would have imagined his father would want to hear.
“We are,” she interrupted, giving him a smile. “And I can’t wait to become part of this wonderful family, but you are still my boss, Mr. Maloney, and I am afraid I wouldn’t feel comfortable calling you by your first name.”
His father gave her a warn smile. “That’s why you are perfect for my son. You understand respect and decorum. I’ve been trying to beat it into Jarred for years.” Well, that wasn’t what she had hoped to hear either. Jarred cleared his throat. Kinsley knew she had to stop this before it became ugly. “I beg to differ sir,” she said hastily, laying a hand on Jarred’s arm. She could feel the tightness of his muscle under her fingers, anger radiating from every pore. “I adore the way Jarred is. After all, it’s what attracted me to him in the first place.”
“How is that?” her boss asked, on a laugh. “He has no job, no real drive for the future.”
“You asshole,” Jarred said under his breath. Kinsley slid her hand down and clasped his tightly, willing him to let her handle this. What his father was saying was wrong. Just because Jarred didn’t have the same drive as her boss did not mean he didn’t have a plan. Everyone had a plan. Now whether it was a good plan remained to be seen, but she wasn’t going to let him just dog his son like this.
“Jarred is one of the most driven men I know,” she answered firmly, looking her boss in the eye. “Did you know he’s been sketching his own schematics for concept cars? That he attends all the races? That he has a list of all the driver’s stats? He’s extremely driven. Just not with what you would see as important. I’m proud to call him my future husband. He has his own dreams.” Without a second thought, she leaned over and touched his face with her fingers, forcing him to look at her.
There was shock, confusion, anger in his expression. Though the anger wasn’t likely directed at her. Unfortunately, she also saw hurt and embarrassment, which tore at her soul.
His father’s words really hurt him and Kinsley wanted nothing more than to soothe that hurt. Her lips somehow found his despite the armrests between them and she attempted to kiss away that look, her heart aching in her chest. Oh hell. First, she’d likely pissed off her boss and she needed this job. Secondly, she’d gone ahead and fallen for Mr. Sex on a Stick. Even though she knew he wasn’t anything but trouble. She needed to put the brakes on this somehow. But she couldn’t. She was in deep shit.
“Well,” his father said as Kinsley pulled away, inwardly shocked by her sudden revelation. “I applaud you then Jarred. I had no idea you had that much interest in the racing company. Seems that you have a great champion in your corner. Not every man is as lucky as you are. If Kinsley believes in you, then I should as well. Maybe when you have some time we can go over your ideas. Meet with Andrew Cordin. He’s the EVP of Racing.”
Jarred looked down at her, his expression unreadable. “I am a very lucky bastard.” Kinsley attempted to smile, her insides churning. She was in love with Jarred Maloney. There was no way anything good was going to come of this now.
15
“You have some great ideas Mr. Maloney. Do you mind meeting with our team tomorrow so that we can make some plans?”
Jarred grinned as he looked at the crew chief, James Mills, who ran the Formula One team for Maloney Headquarters, glad that someone thought he had great ideas. His father hadn’t been kidding. He’d called Andrew Cordin right away.
He was used to his father being a prick, but in front of Kinsley, it had been humiliating. But what he didn’t get was how Kinsley knew all that stuff about him? How could she possibly know?
Either way, she’d blown him away coming to his defense like that. No one had ever crusaded for him before. She’d forced his father into seeing him differently. “Sure,” he finally said, realizing the crew chief was still staring at him, waiting for his answer. “I’m open tomorrow.”
“Great, just great,” James replied. Jarred stood and shook his hand before walking back out to the parking lot where his car was parked. Another car was parked next to his and as he approached, the door opened. Jarred stopped and watched as his mother climbed out of the sleek sedan, smoothing her pencil skirt down as she did so, a tentative smile on her face. “Jarred.”
“Mum,” he said, wondering how she had found him. “What are you doing here?”
“I was wondering if we could have a spot of tea together,” she answered. “There’s a nice tea house just down the street.”
“I, sure,” Jarred answered, thinking that spending time with his mother was the last thing he wanted to do right now. While he and his father didn’t get along very well, his relationship with his mother wasn’t much better. Pamela Maloney-Gretner had been a model in her former life, hardly ever around when Jarred was growing up. Between his father’s business and his mother’s profession, Jarred spent more time with his nanny and the servants than any of his family. When Jarred was twelve, his parents divorced and he was thrust back and forth between the two households until he’d been old enough to say no. While his father had never remarried, his mother was married to a banker, a decent fellow who had never pretended to be Jarred’s father. That was just fine with him.
Jarred fell in step next to his mother and they walked the block to the tea house, settling just inside the door. After ordering their tea, Jarred looked at his mother. “So, why the parental concern all of a sudden?”
“Oh Jarred,” she sighed, her red-tipped fingernails drumming on the table. “Can’t I just want to see my son?”
“No,” Jarred answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “You can’t.”
“Fine,” she frowned as their tea arrived. “I hear that you are engaged to be married, again.”
Jarred chose to ignore the way she said the last word. After being around Kinsley, he wished his engagement to Susan had never occurred. Kinsley was so much more than Susan had ever been to him and the display that she had shown this morning only confirmed what he already knew. Of all the women he could have chosen for this task, Kinsley was the only one that could make it work. Now he was concerned that she was going to take more than just his money. Like his heart. “I am.”
“I also hear that your father has cut you off until you do,” she continued, looking at him curiously. “So I find that very odd that you have jumped right into a relationship.”
“The engagement is real Mother,” he said with a sigh. “Kinsley is my fiancée.”
“She’s not Susan,” she countered, taking a sip of her coffee. “I don’t know why you broke it off with Susan. She is such a lovely girl. Plus, she would be good for your image Jarred. Just think of the social implications. Susan could have elevated your status to some of the best names in London.”
Jarred rubbed a hand over his face, knowing this was a mistake. Society and their opinions was all that his mother cared about. The plastic surgery, the rich husband, the expensive clothes, they were all his mother thought about. “What if I’m in love? Doesn’t that matter at all?”
His mother laughed, waving a hand at him. “Oh Jarred. That is the most ridicu
lous thing I have ever heard. Love? Love doesn’t exist. Mutual respect, yes, but love, now that’s rich coming from you.”
Jarred’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
She smiled. “Nothing darling, but you are your father’s son. All that Harrison Maloney cared about and still cares about is that business of his and the money that he is raking in. Do you know the day we got married he went back to work? No honeymoon, no nothing. It was like I never existed.” His mother then leaned forward, her massive diamond rings twinkling in the morning light. “Love is for those who have nothing else in their life. Love makes you weak, Jarred, and you would be best served to remember that.”
Jarred heard his mother’s words, but he wasn’t so sure that they were right. Kinsley wasn’t making him weak. After today, he felt like he was someone else in her eyes, someone that gave a damn. Her words were part of the reason he’d come on to the meeting at the garage, wanting to prove her right and his father wrong. Today had proven what he knew all along: he was damn near in love with Kinsley. Somehow, in some fashion, she had wormed her way into his heart and he was fucking scared to death at the thought of loving her, disappointing her, not being the man she deserved.
“Are you not in love with Preston?” Jarred decided to ask, thinking of the man that his mother was currently settled down with.
A look passed over his mother’s face before she shook her head, looking flustered all of a sudden. “Preston and I have mutual respect for each other. I-I care for Preston, but I’ll never love again. Your father killed that feeling for me years ago.” She reached across the table and touched his hand briefly, her expression softening just a bit. “I have always hoped the best for you Jarred and if this woman is someone you can live with, then I can’t change your mind, but be smart about this. Don’t let this woman in. Nothing good ever comes out of falling in love. I am living proof of that.”