For three years, she’s wanted my boss, corporate lawyer Liam Maxwell, and she knew the charity auction was her best way to get a weekend with him. It wasn’t any surprise when Liam bought her at the auction. Though somehow, I got talked into this insanity, too, because Aria didn’t want to attend the event alone.
I’m beginning to regret my decision.
With each step I take, getting closer to the car, my heart is hammering, my palm is sweaty against the handle of my suitcase that I’m dragging behind me. Who is this man? A surgeon? A pilot? Maybe a businessman? More importantly, why did he buy me?
Not that I don’t have a few things going for me. I’ve got awesome long honey-colored hair that naturally curls in beachy waves and bright blue eyes, but I’m still a total plain Jane. I prefer flats to heels. I loved every type of music growing up. And I might have a slight obsession with horror movies; Friday the 13th is my absolute favorite. So, of course, I’m naturally curious why, out of all the gorgeous women auctioned that night at the event, this man paid so much for me.
Butterflies swirl in my belly when the driver’s side door begins to open, my breath catching when a man steps out. I take in his brown leather sandals, strong thick legs which meet dark khaki shorts, and a hunter green shirt stretching across a fit, muscular frame. I slowly look up, scanning over a chiseled jawline, sculpted lips which curve into a sinful half-smile. I stop at the stormy green eyes holding an equal amount of power and seduction.
I finally blink, woken from the spell. “What. The. Fuck,” is all I manage.
Jackson Keller, Aria’s boss, and my boss’s archenemy, grins at me, raking a hand through his dirty-blond hair. “You know, most people start a conversation with ‘good morning.’ ”
I’m stunned. Totally completely stunned speechless. I can’t seem to figure out what to say but I know I should be saying something. For a split second, I’m flattered and begin wondering if Jackson has a crush on me. It only takes me another second to realize how utterly stupid that is. He’s Jackson Keller, son of George Keller, one of the richest entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles. I’m a legal assistant from Wisconsin, whose mom stayed at home and dad worked construction. And another second after that, I’m beginning to think what I should be doing is slapping him across the face.
First things first, understanding his motive. “You bought the date with me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to,” he says smoothly, reaching for my suitcase and placing it in the backseat before turning to face me again. “We need to get moving. Our flight leaves in a couple hours.” He shuts the back door then opens the passenger door.
My knee twitches to kick him where it counts. I know all I need to know in the way he quickly looks at his shoes, not able to meet my eyes. Son of a bitch. He bought me to get back at Liam for buying Aria at the auction. That’s exactly what his motive is. And that’s exactly why I’m here.
Liam and Aria are a complicated duo. They’re in love with each other, and have been for years. But there’s a catch—Liam and Jackson have bad blood between them. Out of loyalty to Jackson, due to their professional and close platonic personal relationship, Aria wouldn’t allow Liam to pursue her.
Until the charity auction.
I stare at the back of Jackson’s head, knowing this move by him confirms he isn’t happy about Aria having spent the weekend with Liam either. And now I’m somehow brought into their stupid feud that’s spanned the entire time that I’ve worked for Liam. A total of two years. Jackson doesn’t want me. He simply wants Liam to think he does. To taunt him.
I cross my arms and declare, “You are out of your fucking mind if you think I’m getting in that car with you.”
Jackson turns back to me and gives me an easy smile. It’s sexy. It’s sinful. It’s trouble. “I bought you for fifty thousand dollars, if you recall.” One sleek eyebrow arches in the most absurdly gorgeous way. “Do you really want to disappoint the charity by not holding up your end of the bargain?”
I narrow my eyes on him, hating both that he’s right and that I feel excited when he looks at me with all that intensity. Jackson is a dick. He’s arrogant. He’s also such an asshole that my boss hates him. And Liam hates no one. The problem is, Jackson is also mouthwateringly hot. Furthermore, he also happens to be the guy I think about when it’s just me and my vibrator.
Still, he can’t play me like I’m a damn violin. “What exactly do you think taking me away is going to accomplish?”
“It’s going to accomplish relaxation,” is his carefully worded reply.
“Relaxation,” I say with snort, though now I’m mildly curious where he’s taking me. “You’re telling me you’re not doing this because Liam bought Aria at the auction.”
Jackson doesn’t even bother playing coy. “Actually, no, that’s not what I’m doing.” He faces me, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I bought you because I wanted to give to the charity. Since you’re best friends with Aria, I figured that means that you’re probably not batshit crazy and maybe even fun to be around. That’s what this is.”
He’s completely full of shit. Hot as hell, but still, one hundred percent full of shit. “I don’t believe anything that just came out of your mouth,” I clarify. “Regardless, indulge me: where are we going?”
“Ontario,” he explains. “Muskoka, to be exact.”
“Canada?”
He nods.
My heart jumps a little; I’ve always wanted to go. “All right so maybe that idea is fantastic, but still, whatever you think you’re going to prove to Liam, let me be the first to tell you that I won’t allow you to use me like some pawn in this game between the two of you.” I point at him. “Got it?”
His mouth twitches. “I think you’ve made your point perfectly clear.” Suddenly, his head cocks, and he examines my face for a moment. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your hair down before.” He grabs the end and tugs a little. “It’s nice.”
“Nice?” I step back, telling my damn puckering nipples to cool it already.
“Yes, nice.” He nods. “You always wear your hair in a ponytail, but I like it like this. It’s nice,” he repeats, as if I didn’t hear him the first time, and then he gestures me inside the car. “I really must insist we get going or we’re going to miss our flight.”
There is more to my irritation than whatever plan Jackson has here. He knows I want him and that I like his compliments. I can see it in the haughtiness on his face. That fucking half-smile. Why are the jerks always so damn sexy? “Fine,” I say, flicking my hair over my shoulder. “But don’t think I won’t resort to violence if you deserve it.”
He barks a loud laugh now. It’s irritating how much warmth fills his eyes, and how my body temperature rises. “Good to know,” he states.
I move by him and scowl, both at him and at the throbbing between my thighs. While I slide into my seat, I get a good whiff of his spicy cologne before he shuts the door behind me. Really? Does he even have to smell so good, too?
Through the windshield, I watch all that power and masculinity pass by the hood of the car, devising my own plan. Jackson believes this is going to upset Liam. To ensure it doesn’t, I grab my phone from my purse and begin texting Aria.
Jackson is my date. Yeah, you read that right. P.S. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got this, girl!
No matter what, I can’t let anything come between Liam and Aria, including whatever Jackson thinks this date is going to accomplish. I love Aria, and I care deeply for Liam, and they are meant to be together. I refuse to let Jackson ruin this for them. He might be determined to play some fucked-up game to get back at Liam. But I won’t let him. And it just so happens that with the heart of my best friend on the line, I’m playing to win.
When the driver’s-side door opens, I turn off my phone, not wanting interruptions which I anticipate will be worried calls from Liam and Aria. Jackson asks with a panty-melting smile, “All s
et?”
I want to be giddy that I’m with the guy I’ve wanted naked, sweaty, and riding me hard for two years, of course I do. But I know why I’m here. It’s so Liam can’t find me. It’s so Jackson can torture him. And that’s the game here. It’s not about using me or mistreating me, it’s all to get inside Liam’s head. I can’t ever forget that, no matter how much that smile charms me. I give him my most pleasant smile and finally answer him, “Ready.”
Game on.
Chapter 2
Jackson
It’s close to three in the afternoon by the time waves crash up on the sides of the small speed boat gliding through the crystal-clear waters of Lake Joseph. I slow the engine until I’m sliding up to the dock of the quaint log cabin. Deep in the forests of Muskoka, the cabin sits on the four and a half acre Rabbit Island, where large cedar trees stretch as far as the eye can see and jagged rocks edge the shoreline.
Once I cut the engine, I make quick work to tie the boat to the dock. As I pull the knot tight, I glance over my shoulder, catching Mallory’s smile as she takes in the beauty around her. That I’m in full agreement with. Muskoka is the quiet I need, the solitude I want, far away from the highlife in Los Angeles. Luckily—thankfully—she’s lost her anger throughout the long plane ride and the two-and-a-half-hour drive from Toronto to the marina.
When she finally notices me looking at her, she rises from her seat and approaches. “Where on earth did you find this place to rent it?”
“I didn’t rent it,” I explain. “It’s mine.”
“Yours?” She scans the view again, obviously reassessing. “Whatever made you buy a Canadian property?”
I wave out in front of us at the lake, arching a single eyebrow. “I would think it’s pretty self-explanatory.”
She laughs softly, tilting her head in a way that drapes her long hair across her pinkish cheek. “I suppose it is.”
Of course, there’s more to it. My mother was born in Canada and held dual citizenship, as do I, and she loved the beauty Muskoka had to offer. A few months after she passed away, I bought this cabin with the money she’d left me in her estate.
I reach for our suitcases resting on the floor of the boat and place them onto the dock before offering my hand. She slides her slender fingers into mine without hesitation, slowly climbing out of the boat. It’s in that second, I’m suddenly aware of how her pupils dilate, cheeks flush pink. Which, again, makes me take a closer look at her. I’ve never before noticed that I affect Mallory, but I do. Intensely. And I can’t say I don’t like it. She’s beautiful. I like how there are freckles spattering her nose. Her long honey-colored hair frames her thin face, and her lips part quite often when I look at her.
She moves past me then, giving me a good look at her heart-shaped ass clad in jean shorts that I shouldn’t even be noticing. It’s hard to ignore her. Especially because she’s been fucking me with her eyes since we got on the flight. With my cock growing heavy, I jump out of the boat and set into motion the plan I’ve been forming for a week.
I reach into my pocket and grab my cell. “How about a selfie to kick off our time together?” I ask, holding up the phone.
She watches me a moment with obvious caution before shaking it off with a soft laugh. “Sure. Why not?”
I gesture at the end of the dock. “It’s one hell of a shot from over here.” I lead the way, and she follows.
My only objective for this date is pissing off Liam. Of course, I’d never mistreat Mallory. I’ll see that she enjoys a nice relaxing few days away. Though the very thought that I’m with her, somewhere he can’t find her, will torture Liam. Because he thinks I’m going to take the sweet and quiet Mallory and corrupt her.
I won’t. I do have morals.
Though that doesn’t mean I can’t play with Liam for my enjoyment. He bought my assistant. I bought his. Fair is fair.
When we reach the end of the dock, I smile, noticing the way Mallory’s licking her lips when she looks at me. “Ready?” I ask her.
“Mm hmm,” is all she says.
I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her in close. The hitch of her breath is undeniable, and the intensity of her reaction storms across me in a fierce wave. Just like that, I’m rock hard and aware of her next to me in ways I’ve never been aware of her.
Determined to stick to my original plan, I raise the cellphone, tilt my head toward her. My focus narrows, not on her smile, but on the palpable lust darkening her eyes.
Right when I lower the phone, she snatches it from my hand. “Ugh. That’s a terrible photo of me. Let me take another.”
I’m admittedly surprised. Mallory doesn’t seem the type of woman who focuses heavily on her appearance. Albeit, I don’t know her well but Aria is the most down-to-earth woman I know, and they’re best friends.
She slowly lifts the phone up, but it’s in those seconds that she acts. One moment I’m standing on the edge of the dock. The next her fingers brush across mine, a sudden fierceness filling her gaze, and then, using all of her body weight, she rams into me. Caught off guard, I soar backward crashing under the crisp water. I break through the surface, finding Mallory at the edge of the dock, laughing.
Quite proud of herself, she stops laughing and points at me. “That is your punishment for such a douchebag move. Don’t ever use me as a pawn again. Got it?”
“Oh yeah, I got it.” I got something else, too. Heat floods me, no matter that the water is slightly cool. I like when she calls me out, the strength in her eyes, the fire. In fact, I didn’t know Mallory had that in her. She’s both quiet and full of spark, a contradiction for sure.
I swim toward the dock’s ladder and am quickly out of the water and back on the wooden platform with her. My clothes hang off me, my feet squishing against the water in the soles of my sandals, but my only focus is her.
At whatever she sees in my expression, Mallory begins stepping backward, waving my phone in her hand, almost daring me to charge. “Do you think that phone is going to keep you safe, sweetheart?” I ask, amused.
“It is a very nice phone.” She grins, obviously thinking she’s won. “You don’t want to ruin it, do you?”
Before she can take another step back, I lurch forward and gather her in my arms. She fights against me. “There isn’t a chance in hell you’re not going in this water.”
Her squeal echoes around me when I toss us both into the water, feetfirst. A second later, I break through the water first.
She follows and gasps, “Your phone.”
“Has a waterproof cover.”
She blinks, her hair plastered down the sides of her face, then she breaks into laughter. “All right, you won that one, Keller.”
“I’ve never been a good loser.” I chuckle, wrapping an arm around her, swimming us back to the dock. Each glide of my arm brushes my erection against her sex. She must feel it. I don’t see how she couldn’t. And yet, she doesn’t move away either.
Once we reach the dock again, I stay in behind her as she climbs the ladder and then I follow a moment later. There, standing with my clothes sagging off me, I realize she’s wearing a white shirt, and with her white bra, her dark nipples are showing through. The definition of the curves of her breasts is clear, as are the contours of her body. I can’t look away, slowly gazing over her from head to toes, no matter that I know I shouldn’t. Beneath her plain clothes is one hell of a body.
“Well, I—”
The rasp in her voice draws my gaze up. The lust that greets me in her eyes takes all my control not to act upon it. Though she happens to not be looking at my face. A quick glance down tells me that as tight as her clothes are so are mine, and my hard-on is on full display. What the fuck are you doing? “We should get changed,” I say, breaking into the heated silence between us.
She nods, glancing away.
This was never in the plan. The last thing I should do is fuck her. I need to keep my hands to myself. I might want to be cruel to Liam, but not to Mallory. Remin
ding myself that I didn’t bring her here for that kind of an adventure, I move to the front door. There, I reach into my duffel bag for the cabin’s keys.
Once I’ve got the door open, I grab her suitcase and my bag and wave her inside. I follow her into the open-concept living room with a small kitchen just to the right of the front door. There’s a bathroom to the left, and a loft-style bedroom that’s only accessible by climbing a wooden ladder resting against the large logs which make up the exterior walls. The furnishings are simple. A black couch sits in front of the fireplace. A small round table in the corner with two deep-red chairs. I point to the bathroom with the all-glass shower. “There are towels in the closet next to the sink.”
She smiles, meeting my gaze, handing my cellphone back to me. “Thanks.” She grabs her suitcase, leaving wet footprints in her wake as she pads her way to the bathroom.
Once inside, she goes to shut the door but her gaze catches mine. She’s holding my stare intently, challengingly almost. It’s an unexpected turn of events that I never would have seen coming. Mallory breathes sensuality and passion. Whether it be that she’s attracted to me, or she’s like this with every man, I wouldn’t have ever guessed that about her. She’s always been so quiet, so reserved.
Maybe I hadn’t looked hard enough.
When the bathroom door clicks shut, I move back to the living room, reaching into my bag for dry clothes. I drop my wet clothes right there, sliding into a fresh pair of boxer briefs and black cotton sports shorts and ditching my shirt altogether. I open the front door and set to hanging my soaking clothes along the porch’s railing to dry before going back inside again. With a long sigh, I take a seat on the couch, resting my arms on my knees, my cell in my hand.
I drop my head down and shake the water off my hair, and when I power back on my cellphone, I discover the photo of us. I stare at the lust in Mallory’s eyes, and the slight surprise in mine.
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